Disgraced Lance Armstrong's fate was sealed on Monday, as cycling's under-fire world governing body decided to back a life ban for doping and strip him of his record seven Tour de France titles.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) said it supported a decision by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to erase the Texan's career and his place in the sport's history.

Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has been ruled out for six weeks after suffering a left foot fracture, the French Ligue 1 club said on Monday.

Gignac, who has scored five goals this season, picked up the injury during Sunday's 1-0 league loss at Troyes.

Even though world number one Victoria Azarenka is this week on the brink of one of her finest achievements, she admits that she looks back with amazement at the day when she nearly gave it all away.

The 23-year-old from Belarus needs only two wins at the WTA Championships which start tomorrow to become the year-end world number one for the first time, yet she vividly remembers that not long ago her despair had decided her to quit.

Serena Williams may silence some of her remaining critics if she caps a tremendous comeback year by regaining the title at the WTA Championships which start at the Sinan Erdem arena on Tuesday.

Having won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and an Olympic singles gold medal for the first time in the last few months, Williams is unofficial favorite to deny top-seeded Victoria Azarenka and second-seeded Maria Sharapova at the women's tour's season-end event.

Barcelona entertain Celtic on Tuesday looking to maintain their winning start to Champions League Group G with an in-form Lionel Messi but the Catalans continue to struggle at the back with injuries.

Barca are in pole position after back-to-back victories and can now take a significant step towards qualifying for the last 16 if they come out on top against Celtic who managed a surprise win away to Spartak Moscow in their last game to leave them second on four points.

Wayne Rooney shrugged off an own goal blunder to score twice as Manchester United maintained their Premier League title challenge with a 4-2 victory over Stoke on Saturday.

Rooney gifted Stoke a surprise early opener at Old Trafford, but he recovered to equalize and further goals from Danny Welbeck and Robin van Persie extended the lead before Rooney's second brought up his 200th goal in club football.

Swansea got back on track as second half goals from Pablo Hernandez and Michu sealed a 2-1 win against Wigan at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

Michael Laudrup's side had gone five league games without a victory amid growing rumors of player unrest at the Dane's tactics and management style, so this was a welcome success for the south Wales club.

Bayern Munich set a new Bundesliga record on Saturday to claim their eighth straight victory since the start of the season with a 5-0 hammering of Fortuna Duesseldorf to stay top of the league.

Bayern in 1995, Mainz in 2010 and Kaiserslautern in 2001 had all previously held the joint record, but Munich went one better in Duesseldorf.

Former England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was punched to the ground by a pitch invader amid violent scenes in a second-tier League Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds on Friday, bringing further shame at the end of a difficult week for English football.

Kirkland had just conceded a 77th-minute equalizer as Leeds came back to draw 1-1 in the Yorkshire derby at Hillsborough when a man ran onto the pitch from the Leeds supporters' end and struck the 31-year-old keeper in the face. Kirkland received treatment before continuing the match.

The inaugural American Grand Prix scheduled to take place at New Jersey next June has been postponed for a year, according to local news reports confirmed by Bernie Ecclestone.

The race was due to take place on June 16, but is understood to be re-scheduled for 2014, according to a report in the Jersey Journal, due to rising doubts about the progress being made in preparing for the event.