Real Madrid fired their coach Carlo Ancelotti on Monday as the popular Italian paid for a disappointing season without a major trophy.

Ancelotti, 55, had lead Real to their 10th elite European title last season but was sacked after the club finished runners-up to Barcelona in La Liga and lost to Juventus in the semi-finals of this year's Champions League.

UEFA president Michel Platini on Monday backed Prince Ali bin al Hussein's bid to unseat Sepp Blatter as FIFA president, accusing the football leader of lying to him about seeking a new term.

Platini said as FIFA's executive gathered in Zurich that the 79-year-old Blatter fears a life of "emptiness" if he loses a vote for the presidency on Friday and that the world body will have no credibility if he remains.

Fernando Alonso remained optimistic about the future Monday despite being forced to retire from Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix in which his team-mate Briton Jenson Button claimed the struggling McLaren Honda team’s first points of the year by finishing eighth.

The two-time world champion Spaniard was following Button comfortably in ninth through the middle part of the race when he was hit by a mechanical issue that sent him sliding into a run-off area at the Ste Devote corner.

There are two distinct sounds when Roger Federer graces the courts of Roland Garros. One is the pop of backhands and forehands kicking up puffs of red clay. The other, getting ever louder, is the scratchy tick of life's clock.

At age 33, with 34 bearing down in August, time is increasingly the enemy to Federer's quest to add to his already record haul of Grand Slam titles.

After several years of decline, the future looks bright for Lyon with an exciting young team, a return to the Champions League and the prospect of a move into a new stadium next season.

However, whether the seven-time French champions can maintain their revival will depend on their ability to keep hold of their biggest assets, notably Ligue 1 player of the year Alexandre Lacazette and young player of the year Nabil Fekir.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has warned against the "deadly" ball-passing of Barcelona as the Italian champions turn their focus to the Champions League final following their final home game of the season on Saturday.

The Turin giants welcomed Napoli to Juventus Stadium and after overwhelming Rafael Benitez's visitors 3-1, offered fans a tickertape celebration three days after securing their first double since 1995 with a 2-1 Cup final victory over Lazio.

NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry delivered a dazzling 40-point display on Saturday as the Golden State Warriors beat Houston 115-80 to push the Rockets to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference finals.

The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series three-games-to-zero, and can book their first trip to the NBA finals since 1975 with a win in game four in Houston on Monday.

Australia's James Magnussen will miss defending his 100m freestyle title at this year's world championship to have shoulder surgery, Swimming Australia said on Sunday.

Doctors said significant damage to Magnussen's sub-scapular region in his left shoulder required surgery, forcing him out of the FINA world championships in Kazan, Russia in July.

Monaco, locked in a three-way tussle with Saint-Etienne and Marseille, booked the third and final French ticket to next season's Champions League thanks to a season-closing 1-0 win over Lorient on Saturday.

A first-half goal by Yannick Ferreira Carrasco was enough to help the Principality side clinch a place in the play-offs as they remain third in the table, two points ahead of Marseille and Saint-Etienne.

Valencia fought back twice to earn a Champions League berth with a 3-2 away win that relegated Almeria on a dramatic final day of the Spanish league Saturday.

Eibar also went down despite beating last-place Cordoba 3-0, while Deportivo La Coruna stayed up after coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 at already crowned champion Barcelona. Lionel Messi had put Barcelona in front with his 42nd and 43rd league goals of the season.