Bahraini royal Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, a FIFA presidential hopeful, has launched his campaign for the job with a promise to make the global soccer body rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

"FIFA today is a genuine Phoenix project: under my leadership, we shall employ all professional means to lift the organization out of its ashes and guarantee a solid lasting and successful rebirth," Sheikh Salman, the Asian Football Confederation chief, said in a statement posted on his campaign website Wednesday.

Frenchman Gael Monfils has pulled out of the Hopman Cup in Western Australia with a leg injury.

Monfils, the World No.24, will be replaced by fellow Frenchman Kenny de Schepper in the tournament from January 3-9 ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open in Melbourne.

The Golden State Warriors fizzled without red hot Stephen Curry on Wednesday, falling 114-91 to the Mavericks in Dallas in just their second defeat of the NBA season.

The Mavericks made the most of Curry's absence with a lower left leg injury, racing to an early 17-point lead that they stretched to as many as 30 in the third quarter.

New York Knicks' reserve forward Cleanthony Early was shot in the leg in an apparent robbery after leaving a strip club overnight, reports and officials said Wednesday.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher said Wednesday afternoon that Early was "doing OK".

The Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 19-point deficit to snap Houston's home win streak, and LeBron James received an early birthday gift as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Denver on Tuesday night.

Al Horford and Paul Millsap posted double-doubles and the Hawks rallied to win a Texas-style shootout over the Rockets by a score of 121-115 at Toyota Center in Houston.

Phoenix Suns leading scorer Eric Bledsoe had season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

The Suns said in a statement that Bledsoe would undergo rehab and is expected to return "to full playing status for the start of training camp next fall."

Judges and prosecutors trashed the reputations of two of the leading Lords of the Rings in 2015 and criminal charges against Sepp Blatter and Lamine Diack were a warning that sport has got to clean up its act.

Bribes, doping, even more bribes, the sky seems to be the limit in the strictly cash underbelly of sports marketing and fixed sporting glory.

Paris Saint-Germain may be Qatari-owned, runaway Ligue 1 leaders, unbeaten all season and an outside bet for this season's Champions League but they are still battling to win over Qatari fans.

The French champions are currently on their winter tour in Doha, a four-day visit combining training sessions, PR work and, ultimately, Wednesday's friendly against Italian league leaders Inter Milan in front of a sell-out crowd.

Al-Jazeera insisted Tuesday it had never alleged Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning used human growth hormone, the most explosive insinuation in the network's major investigation into doping in sports.

Al-Jazeera reporter Deborah Davies attempted to clarify the report in a follow up on NBC's "Today" show saying, saying that the documentary had not stated that Manning had used the banned substance.

Manchester City could be without captain Vincent Kompany for up to four weeks with the calf injury that kept him out of Tuesday's goalless draw at Leicester.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed that the Belgian center-back faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines after limping off during the 4-1 Boxing Day win against Sunderland.