FIFA President Sepp Blatter has softened his stance on calling for clubs to be punished with relegation after serious racist abuse, suggesting that fans would deliberately provoke incidents.

Blatter said relegation sanctions are "not a simple solution, (because) will this lead to people coming to a stadium wanting to stop the game intentionally?"

One of the three football officials facing match-fixing related charges has been sent to the hospital with an undisclosed illness while the other two appeared in a Singapore court and entered no pleas.

Referee Ali Sabbagh and assistant referees Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb, all from Lebanon, were charged with "corruptly receiving gratification in the form of free sexual service" by Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.

Carmelo Anthony scored 40 points — giving him 90 in two games — as the New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-82 on Wednesday night for their 10th straight victory.

Anthony, coming off a 50-point effort in a win over Miami on Tuesday, scored 24 points in the first half. He shot 17 of 27 from the field and was 5 for 6 from the free throw line. Raymond Felton supported with three straight baskets in a key spurt.

Lance Armstrong is looking to make a splash with a return to competition.

The disgraced cyclist is signed up to swim three events this weekend at the Masters South Central Zone Swimming Championships at the University of Texas. Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said Wednesday that Armstrong, 41, will compete in the 40-44 age group in the 500-, 1,000- and the 1,650-yard freestyle.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring after just nine minutes as Real Madrid swept to a convincing 3-0 victory over Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Ronaldo's delicate chip shot was followed 20 minutes later by a close-range strike from Karim Benzema as a dominant Madrid moved effortlessly through the gears.

Malaga held on for a 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund thanks to an inspired performance by goalkeeper Willy Caballero on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.

Dortmund's high-paced attack led by Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski produced several scoring chances for the German champions, but their lack of finishing touch and Caballero's saves let the hosts keep their seventh clean sheet in 11 games.

Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol scored three goals in a 15-minute span to remain unbeaten after three matches in the Asian Champions League, while the Central Coast Mariners kept pace with their first win in Group H.

In Group D, Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates maintained its good run of form, beating Qatari club Al Rayyan 2-1 to improven its chances of advancing to the knockout stage.

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service after admitting Wednesday to driving with his license suspended and without insurance.

The Argentina international was also handed a fresh six-month driving ban and ordered to pay costs of 1,145 pounds ($1,730) after pleading guilty to the offenses in court near Manchester.

Carmelo Anthony equaled his best ever score with 50 points as the New York Knicks won their ninth straight game with a 102-90 victory over the injury-depleted Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Anthony sank 18 of 26 attempts from the field, reaching 50 on a jump shot with 16.9 seconds remaining. J.R. Smith scored 14 and Raymond Felton added 10 for New York.

When Shaquille O'Neal visited the Forum during the summer he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, general manager Jerry West encouraged him to look up at the retired jerseys hanging above the court.

"He said, 'You can be as great as these guys,'" O'Neal recalled.