Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his award in the Legion of Honor, the best-known recognition in France.

Armstrong was given the rank of "Chevalier" — or Knight — in the "Legion d'Honneur" in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories. He was later stripped of those titles for doping.

Mexico's World Cup players are being banned from eating beef, a move aimed at avoiding positive doping tests from meat contaminated with the performance-enhancing drug clenbuterol.

Coach Miguel Herrera said Wednesday he had told his players more than a month ago not to eat red meat.

Bordeaux tried and failed to hire former France great Zinedine Zidane as its coach for next season, despite prolonged discussions, the club's president Jean-Louis Triaud said Wednesday.

Zidane, who played for the club from 1992-96, was widely touted in the French media to replace Francis Gillot next season but his attachment to Real Madrid, where two of his sons have come through the team's youth ranks, proved a crucial factor in turning down a move.

France star Franck Ribery declared on Wednesday that the 2014 World Cup finals would be his last but the Bayern Munich forward left the door open to compete at Euro 2016.

Ribery, 31, who burst on to the international scene at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, told broadcaster RTL: "This will be my final World Cup."

LeBron James scored six straight points to spark a decisive 12-2 run as the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 87-83 on Tuesday to leave the Eastern Conference finals level at one game each.

James had 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Dwyane Wade had 23 points, 13 in the first half when the Heat desperately needed them to stay close, and 10 more in the fourth quarter when they had to rally.

Brazilians have high hopes for the World Cup giving their country a big boost from its month-long run that begins June 12.

That includes football fan Jarbas Meneghini, a 46-year-old mechanic who has carved out a side business of making replicas of the trophy that goes to the winner of international football's biggest tournament.

The Brazilian federation of professional athletes is demanding FIFA change the start times of more than a third of World Cup matches because of the heat and humidity in Brazil.

The federation said Tuesday it filed a lawsuit asking FIFA to change kickoff times of all 24 matches that are scheduled for 1 p.m. local time (1600 GMT). It wants all matches starting no earlier than 4 p.m (1900 GMT) to avoid subjecting players to the "risks" of playing in "intense heat."

Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak was Wednesday named captain of Australia's World Cup squad following the axing of Lucas Neill.

He will be backed by vice-captains Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will tie him to the club until 2019.

The Spain international has been an integral part of Barcelona's success, helping the club win two Champions Leagues titles and five of the past six league trophies since his arrival in 2008.

Yaya Toure has deflated Manchester City's Premier League title celebrations by complaining about the club's treatment of him and cryptically throwing his commitment into doubt.

In a bizarre complaint, Toure's agent said City didn't sufficiently celebrate the midfielder's birthday, with Dimitry Seluk believing it "shows they don't care about him."