Arsenal could be without Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil until the end of April in another blow to the Gunners' hopes of winning the English Premier League title.

Manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday the club-record signing will be sidelined "a minimum of three and a maximum of six weeks" with a hamstring injury.

Uli Hoeness won't appeal against his prison sentence for tax evasion, and said on Friday he's quitting as president of Bayern Munich to prevent damage to the European champions.

Hoeness, one of the most prominent figures in German football, was convicted on Thursday of evading millions of euros (dollars) in tax through an undeclared bank account and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. The verdict drew a largely positive response in a country where tax evasion is deeply and increasingly frowned upon.

Mercedes confirmed its status as favorite to win the Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix by setting the fastest two times in Friday's practice sessions, with Lewis Hamilton edging his teammate Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton failed to complete a lap in the opening practice session due to a malfunctioning oil pressure sensor that shut down his engine, but recovered to set a time of 1 minute 29.625 seconds in the second session around the Albert Park circuit, 0.157 seconds ahead of Rosberg.

Roger Federer beat Kevin Anderson 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, continuing his strong play at the tournament where he has yet to drop a set in four matches.

Anderson failed to break Federer's serve in the match, which lasted just over an hour. The South African had 21 unforced errors, while Federer hit 17 winners and won 79 percent of his first serve points.

Benfica and Valencia secured convincing away wins to take a giant step toward the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday while Real Betis surprisingly beat Sevilla 2-0 in a fierce Spanish derby played for the first time on the European stage.

Brazilian defender Luisao scored two second-half goals to help Benfica beat Tottenham 3-1 and cap a good night for Portugal's top clubs in the last-16 first legs, with Porto defeating Napoli 1-0 at home.

British police have arrested former Manchester United great Eric Cantona and cautioned him for assaulting a man in London.

Cantona was briefly taken into custody following the incident that happened in the Primrose Hill area of north London on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness was found guilty Thursday and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for evading millions of euros (dollars) in tax through an undeclared Swiss bank account.

The 62-year-old Hoeness, one of the most powerful figures in German football, was initially charged with dodging 3.5 million euros ($4.85 million) in taxes through the Swiss account.

Lionel Messi and Dani Alves scored second-half goals as Barcelona beat 10-man Manchester City 2-1 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the seventh straight season.

Barcelona advanced with a 4-1 victory on aggregate over two legs in which referees decisions — and non-decisions — played a big part.

Kobe Bryant won't be back on the court for the Lakers this season.

Bryant expressed only mild frustration Wednesday after the long-expected decision to end his 18th NBA season after just six games. The superstar guard's broken bone in his left knee has kept him out since shortly before Christmas, and it still hasn't healed enough for weight-bearing exercise.

Novak Djokovic rallied to beat Marin Cilic 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, avoiding the upsets that knocked out two other top-10 players.

Djokovic didn't face a break point on his serve after the first set in the baseline slug-fest that ended after midnight. He advanced to the quarterfinals against Julien Benneteau, a 6-3, 7-6 (4) winner over Feliciano Lopez.