Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson claimed Robin van Persie could have been killed after the Dutch striker was hit on the back of the head with the ball in the 1-1 draw against Swansea.

Ferguson vented his fury at the 75th-minute incident at the Liberty Stadium that led to Ashley Williams and van Persie being booked.

The Miami Heat warmed up for a Christmas Day blockbuster by beating the Utah Jazz 105-89 on Saturday, with LeBron James scoring 30 points.

The Heat's next game is on Christmas Day against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a reprise of last year's NBA finals series.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was under renewed pressure on Saturday after his team lost 3-2 at Malaga, a defeat which left the champions 16 points behind leaders Barcelona.

The disappointment of the defeat was compounded by Mourinho's controversial decision to drop goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas from the starting line-up.

Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi and Cristian Tello steered La Liga leaders Barcelona to a 3-1 win at Valladolid on Saturday giving stricken coach Tito Vilanova a timely boost in his battle against cancer.

Vilanova left hospital earlier in the day, 48 hours after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor in his saliva gland.

Germany can win the 2014 World Cup, team manager Oliver Bierhoff believes, pointing to the presence of three Bundesliga sides in the Champions League last 16 to support his assertion.

"Naturally we want and we can win the title," he said in an interview in the German weekly Focus on Saturday.

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff has inaugurated the second stadium designated to stage 2014 World Cup matches.

The Mineirao venue at Belo Horizonte, which has undergone a $1,750 million renovation, was given the presidential seal of approval on Friday, five days after the first arena at Fortaleza was given the all clear.

UEFA has banned Champions League contender Malaga from European club competitions for one upcoming season for failing to pay players wages and tax bills on time.

UEFA says the Qatari-owned Spanish club could be banned for a second season within the next four years if it misses a March 31 deadline to pay its debts.

Rafa Nadal said he is nervous about his return to tennis after a seven-month injury layoff, and believes it may be some time before his injured knee is completely healed.

Nadal told Canal Plus television on Friday that "I'm prepared to accept that my knee may not respond well at the beginning" and has considered playing off and on during the first three months of 2013.

After nearly two years of war, fate smiled on Syria for a brief moment on Thursday as its national football team scored a historic 1-0 victory in the West Asia Cup.

Twenty-one months into a conflict that has killed more than 44,000 people, Syria's national team lined up against Iraq in Kuwait, and in the 73rd minute Ahmed Saleh scored the winning goal.

Oklahoma City Thunder's 12-game winning streak was ended on Thursday by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were guided to a 99-93 victory by J.J. Barea, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

In Thursday's other games, the Miami Heat closed within a game of the Eastern Conference lead with a win over Dallas while Portland defeated Denver.