Sir Alex Ferguson has called for calm ahead of Manchester United's emotionally-charged clash against bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

United manager Ferguson is well aware that the eyes of the football world will be on Anfield this weekend for the 186th installment of the English game's most volatile grudge match.

China's Ma Qinghua was hopeful of securing another Formula One outing with HRT after coping with a tough practice session on a wet, floodlit Singapore Grand Prix street circuit.

Two weeks after becoming the first Chinese driver to race in a Formula One practice session, when he placed last in Italy, Ma again trailed the field on Friday evening.

Roberto Mancini has warned his Manchester City stars that Arsenal are real contenders for the Premier League title and pose a serious threat to the champions at Eastlands on Sunday.

City suffered a disappointing draw with Stoke last weekend and then crashed to a dramatic 3-2 defeat against Spanish champions Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Ten members of the 2016 Olympics organizing committee have been sacked for stealing computer files relating to the organization of the 2012 London Olympics, a Rio 2016 spokesman told AFP on Friday.

The Rio employees, who had been working alongside London staff during the summer Olympics and Paralympics, had downloaded internal documents without authorization.

Tottenham had two goals disallowed in a 0-0 draw at home to Serie A joint leader Lazio in their opening game of the Europa League group stage on Thursday, while defending champion Atletico Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win at Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

United States international Clint Dempsey had a goal ruled out for offside halfway through the first period, before Steven Caulker saw his header struck off for his push on Lazio's Stefano Mauri.

European Union sports ministers sought Thursday to forge a united front against match-fixing to combat what they consider one of the most serious threats to modern sports.

At a meeting in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia, they called for "dissuasive, effective and proportionate" criminal and disciplinary sanctions against offenders, especially in serious, cross-border cases.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has taken legal action against one of Marca's journalists over an article published this week, the Spanish newspaper said on Thursday.

The Spanish champions followed that by announcing they were studying their own legal case against a former Barcelona vice-president who tweeted Mourinho was a "psychopath."

Formula One leader Fernando Alonso and title contender Mark Webber of Red Bull said this week's Singapore Grand Prix could be the turning point of the season, ending McLaren's recent dominance.

McLaren has won the past three races, but both Ferrari and Red Bull are hoping the nature of the circuit in Singapore and upcoming races should negate McLaren's advantages.

Neymar converted a penalty in the final minute of injury time Wednesday to give Brazil a 2-1 win over Argentina in the first leg of the Superclassic of the Americas, a home-and-away series between the South American rivals with players from local clubs.

Neymar scored from the penalty spot after the referee called a hand ball by an Argentine defender inside the area, helping Brazil coach Mano Menezes escape jeers from the home fans.

Storming into an early 2-0 lead and with a new Brazilian playmaker scoring spectacular goals, Chelsea could hardly have made a better start to the defense of its Champions League title.

By the end of Wednesday's match against Juventus, however, the European champions were learning the hard way how hard it will be to retain club football's most prestigious prize.