FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan declared Tuesday he would challenge Sepp Blatter to lead football's world governing body, vowing to end years of controversy surrounding the game.

If successful, he would be only the second FIFA chief from outside Europe, and the first ever from the Middle East.

Second seed Sara Errani crashed out of the opening round of the Auckland Classic WTA tournament Monday, beaten in straight sets by Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.

It took Hantuchova just 75 minutes to take the match 6-3, 6-2 as the Italian world number 14 Errani continued to be hampered by the rib injury that affected her at the end of last season.

The athletes village for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be a futuristic "hydrogen town" where electricity and hot water are generated from the abundant element, a local newspaper reported Monday.

Planners at the Tokyo metropolitan government want to use the opportunity of hosting the summer sporting festival as a boost to so-called "clean" energy, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

A row over the recording of an Asian Cup warm-up game has affected Kuwait's preparations but the Gulf side still feel they can upset hosts Australia in Friday's tournament opener.

Their friendly against the United Arab Emirates at the weekend was abandoned as the teams lined up in the tunnel, after the UAE refused to allow Kuwait to record the game.

Tony Pulis's West Bromwich Albion tenure began with a 7-0 demolition of non-league Gateshead in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, while Leicester City eliminated managerless Newcastle United.

Pulis was appointed as West Brom's new head coach on New Year's Day following Alan Irvine's sacking and he watched his new charges cruise into round four, with Saido Berahino scoring four times.

La Liga champions Atletico Madrid remained in the race to retain their title with a comfortable 3-1 win over Levante on Saturday thanks to two goals from Antoine Griezmann.

With Fernando Torres watching on from the stands before his move back to his boyhood club is concluded on Monday, Griezmann was under pressure to continue his fine form after scoring a hat-trick as Atletico closed 2014 with a 4-1 win away to Athletic Bilbao two weeks ago.

Alan Pardew on Saturday was confirmed as Crystal Palace's new manager after being released from his contract at Newcastle United.

A statement on Palace's official website read: "Crystal Palace Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Alan Pardew as the club's new manager after signing a three-and-a-half-year contract."

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will join a team in the United States when he leaves Anfield at the end of the season, the Premier League club confirmed on Saturday.

Gerrard, 34, announced on Friday that he has decided to leave Liverpool after a 25-year association with the club that has seen him make 695 appearances and score 180 goals.

World number one Novak Djokovic withdrew from the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi on Saturday handing Andy Murray his first title of the season.

Serb Djokovic had dismissed Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals of the exhibition event on Friday but the defending champion revealed on Saturday he was suffering from a fever.

Manchester City’s recent emergence as a genuine footballing power started with FA Cup success in 2011 and, if manager Manuel Pellegrini has his way, it will continue with another triumph at Wembley in May.

The current Premier League joint-leaders face an apparently easy third round home tie on Sunday against Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, whom they defeated 7-0 in the League Cup as recently as September.