( ESPN )- ON A COOL February afternoon, one of Syria's greatest soccer players sits outside a mall on the Persian Gulf, paralyzed by a decision that he fears could kill him. For five years, Firas al-Khatib has boycotted the Syrian national team to protest dictator Bashar al-Assad, who...

Rafael Nadal snapped a seven-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic in commanding fashion as he romped into the final of the Madrid Masters 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday. The Spaniard looks in ominous form with just over two weeks to go till the start of the French Open as he stretched his...

Ousted FIFA Ethics investigator Cornel Borbely said Wednesday his committee were looking into "several hundred" cases of possible wrongdoing, some involving senior officials. FIFA's ruling council decided Tuesday not to renew the mandate of Borbely and chief ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert,...

Lionel Messi's appeal against a four-match ban in World Cup qualifying for insulting a referee's assistant was being heard by FIFA Thursday. Messi, who was to testify by video, is not expected to get an immediate verdict. The FIFA appeals panel typically gives a detailed verdict within...