Maria Sharapova has suffered a pre-season injury scare with a neck injury forcing the world number two to withdraw from a planned exhibition match in South Korea against Caroline Wozniacki.

The Russian star had been due to face the Dane on Friday in Seoul but she wrote on her Facebook page that she has been ordered to rest before heading for Australia where she is due to start her season in Brisbane next week.

UEFA has responded to widespread outrage against the racism sanctions imposed on Serbia for the abuse directed at England players during an under-21s match in October by deciding to appeal against its own disciplinary panel's verdict.

Serbian fans directed monkey chants at black England players throughout an ill-tempered match in Krusevac that ended in an on-pitch brawl between players and coaches from both teams.

Paris Saint Germain's wantaway Brazilian forward Nene is close to reaching agreement to join Turkish side Besiktas, local press reported here on Wednesday.

Beskitas president Fikret Orman confirmed the club was interested in signing the 31-year-old.

Police were out in full force in Bangalore on Tuesday as part of a massive security operation as Pakistan's first cricket tour of India for five years got under way.

The tour, the first by Pakistan since 2007, began with a Twenty20 international played under lights at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium.

Michael Owen made his name at English Premier League giants Liverpool but since he left he has never managed to score against them and he is aiming to set that right when his present team Stoke host them on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old former England striking great - who moved on to Real Madrid and then back to England with spells for Newcastle and Manchester United before signing for Stoke - looks set to play after recovering from a hamstring injury which has kept him out of action since the end of October.

Former men's tennis world number one Rafael Nadal's long-awaited return after an agonizing six-month knee injury battle has been put off because of a stomach infection he revealed on his Twitter and Facebook sites on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Spaniard - who hasn't played since his shock second round exit to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in June - had been due to play in a six player exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi this week ahead of his return to the ATP circuit at Doha from December 31.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez's confounded expression upon hearing that veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas had been dropped for Saturday's game against Malaga showed just how far coach Jose Mourinho has gone in his quest to exert control over the club.

And it may be that Mourinho has finally gone too far.

Chelsea produced its most ruthless attacking display in more than two years on Sunday to crush Aston Villa with a record-equaling 8-0 Premier League victory for the club.

The European champions ripped Villa apart with ease after Fernando Torres headed in the opener after just three minutes, with seven different goal scorers against the relegation-threatened visitors.

Danny Green scored a career-high 25 points and sparked a San Antonio 3-point barrage to lead the Spurs over Dallas 129-91 on Sunday, spoiling the NBA return of German star Dirk Nowitzki.

Frenchman Tony Parker added 18 points and Tim Duncan contributed 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Spurs, who hit 20-of-30 3-point attempts, powered by Green's 7-of-8 showing from beyond the arc.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points and Jamal Crawford added 22 as the Los Angeles Clippers stretched their team-record NBA win streak to 13 games by routing the Phoenix Suns 103-77 on Sunday.

The Clippers, a laughingstock of the league for years, have not lost since November 26, shattering the old club mark of 11 consecutive triumphs established in the 1974-75 season when the team was based in Buffalo.