Inter Milan President Massimo Moratti denies the club is blackmailing Wesley Sneijder into signing a new contract, saying the Netherlands midfielder is not playing purely for footballing reasons.

Club director Marco Branca said over the weekend that Sneijder wouldn't play again for Inter until he made a decision about his future, and a new deal which requires him to take a pay cut.

Ferrari is considering an appeal that could result in Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel being stripped of his Formula One title for an illegal overtaking maneuver in the season-ending race.

Video footage from Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix appears to show that Vettel passed Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso's while there was a yellow caution light being shown.

Joe Johnson scored 18 points, and Andray Blatche had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Boston Celtics 95-83 on Wednesday after Rajon Rondo was ejected for fighting.

The Celtics point guard was ejected after he shoved Kris Humphries to retaliate for the Nets forward's hard foul against Kevin Garnett. Humphries and Brooklyn forward Gerald Wallace were also sent off the court for their roles in the second-quarter skirmish.

Robin van Persie's first-minute strike earned Manchester United a nervy 1-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday, keeping the team top of the Premier League by a point ahead of archrival Manchester City.

The Netherlands striker grabbed his ninth league goal when his shot deflected off James Collins and over the head of goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen after just 32 seconds, making it the quickest goal in the league this campaign.

Two goals by David Villa on Wednesday eased Barcelona into the fifth round of the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 home win against Alaves to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

Alaves silenced the Camp Nou ahead of celebrations to mark its 113th birthday later this month by taking the lead when Borja Viguera headed Miquel "Miki" Martinez's long-range cross into the net in the 17th minute.

Chelsea was held to a second straight 0-0 draw under interim manager Rafa Benitez as Fulham claimed a deserved point at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, dropping the hosts further off the pace in the Premier League.

Benitez was hoping a victory against Chelsea's west London neighbor would kick start the process of winning over fans unhappy about his controversial hiring last week, following the firing of Roberto Di Matteo.

Gareth Bale was involved in all three goals Wednesday as Tottenham beat Liverpool 2-1 to end the visitors' eight-match Premier League unbeaten run.

The Spurs winger eluded several defenders after collecting the ball in his own half before crossing inside the box for Aaron Lennon to tap in at the far post in the seventh minute at White Hart Lane.

Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas will be the Williams team's drivers for the 2013 Formula One season.

Bottas has been promoted from reserve driver for the past two seasons and will take the place of Bruno Senna, the team announced Wednesday.

Even when it comes to basketball, no one in Lebanon seems to forget who worships in a mosque and who prays in a church.

Only three weeks after it started, the country's basketball league was postponed indefinitely as Beirut's two rival teams — one backed by Christian politicians, the other by Muslims — fight over who has control of Lebanon's most popular game.

The Philadelphia 76ers held on in a nervous finish to edge the Dallas Mavericks 100-98 on Tuesday and move within one game of the lead in the NBA's Atlantic Division.

The Sixers finally created some space in a back-and-forth game when they broke a tie with a 10-0 run midway through the fourth, only for the Mavericks to fight their way back.