South Korean footballers departed for Pyongyang on Monday to play a World Cup qualifier against North Korea amid deadlocked talks over the North's nuclear arsenal.

Spanish champions FC Barcelona on Monday criticized the jail sentences handed nine Catalan separatist leaders over their role in a failed 2017 independence bid, saying "political dialogue" was needed instead.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has scrapped plans to attend a football match between France and Turkey Monday in what is expected to be a tense game as Ankara presses its military operation in Syria.

Police reinforcements were drafted in Monday amid fears of violence at France's Euro 2020 qualifier against Turkey, a match overshadowed by diplomatic and security tensions after Paris condemned Ankara for its military offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria.

France host Turkey in a crunch Euro 2020 qualifier on Monday with the teams vying for top spot in Group H and diplomatic tension simmering between the two nations after Turkey's bombardment of Syrian Kurds this week.

Six of the eight places at the ATP Finals in London have been decided, following the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. 

Roberto Mancini has succeeded with stage one of his mission to bounce back from failing to qualify for the last World Cup by sealing Italy's place at Euro 2020 with Saturday's 2-0 win over Greece that pushed their perfect qualifying run to seven matches.

Coco Gauff won her first WTA title on Sunday following a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 final win over Jelena Ostapenko that saw her take the trophy aged 15.

FIFA on Friday banned a former general secretary of the Afghanistan Football Federation for five years for covering up sexual abuse of female players.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said that he scares the "Big Three" after the young Greek stunned world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on Friday.