South Africa's vuvuzelas will be quiet when the football World Cup kicks off in Sao Paulo on Thursday.

Four years after the tournament first came to Africa, many see the global event as a poisoned chalice for its host.

Police in Sao Paulo fired tear gas Monday to disperse protesters supporting a subway strike that has unleashed transport chaos three days before the Brazilian mega-city hosts the World Cup kick-off.

A group of about 150 strikers and protesters set fire to piles of garbage to block a central avenue in the Brazilian business hub, prompting some two dozen riot police to fire stun grenades and then tear gas to disperse them.

AC Milan dismissed manager Clarence Seedorf on Monday and replaced him with another club great, Filippo Inzaghi.

In a brief statement, Milan said it has handed youth-team coach Inzaghi a two-year contract until June 30, 2016.

Croatia's World Cup striker Mario Mandzukic on Monday demanded to leave German side Bayern Munich telling a local newspaper he could not follow coach Pep Guardiola's playing style.

His announcement could set off a scramble for his signature with several English Premier League sides said to be trailing the prolific scorer.

No cramps, no problems for LeBron James.

And with their superstar making it to the finish this time, the Miami Heat bounced back from a loss, just as they always do in the playoffs.

The World Cup kicks off Thursday and soccer fans from Rio de Janeiro's slums to southern India's playgrounds have been shining with their passion for the sport.

While national teams are arriving in Brazil, some in Latin America have set out to travel in the most unconventional ways to witness what they describe as a once-in-a-lifetime event. Some Chilean soccer fans built a wood-framed trailer from scratch to travel together and save money on lodging and meals.

Australia's Daniel Ricciardo Monday tweeted the broadest smile in Formula One after claiming his maiden F1 weekend victory for Red Bull in the Canadian Grand Prix.

"I officially can't smile any bigger than that, so you've seen it all now," tweeted a beaming Ricciardo on social media after his breakthrough victory in Montreal on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal clinched his ninth French Open and 14th career Grand Slam title on Sunday with a brutal 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 victory over a battling Novak Djokovic.

The world number one also became the first man to win five Roland Garros crowns in succession as the 28-year-old took his record at the tournament to 66 wins against just one defeat.

They may have a combined age of 71 but Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo are as hungry as Italy's young guns as they embark on a possible World Cup swansong this summer.

Buffon, a World Cup winner in 2006, is now 36 years old but the Juventus goalkeeper is quick to parry any suggestions his winning desire is on the wane.

Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jerome Boateng will be one of several pairs of brothers to line up at the World Cup finals, but unlike the others they will be on opposing sides.

Even more unusually, just as in 2010, they will face each other in the group stage.