Barcelona's Brazilian fullback Daniel Alves has complained of racist abuse following Wednesday's King's Cup semi-final first leg at Real Madrid and said Spain was a 'lost war' when it came to tackling the issue.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and passed the landmark of 300 club goals as Real Madrid put a turbulent week behind them with a 4-0 win at home to Getafe in La Liga on Sunday to close to within four points of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid took full advantage of Barcelona's defeat at Real Sociedad and closed to within eight points of the La Liga leaders when Adrian and Koke struck in a 2-0 win at home to Levante on Sunday.

Barcelona's David Villa proved he still has a sharp eye for goal by scoring twice as the holders cruised into the King's Cup quarter-finals by beating second division Cordoba 5-0 at the Nou Camp on Thursday.

Dunga took charge of Porto Alegre club Internacional on Wednesday, his first coaching job since leading Brazil at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Mueller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year will stand for a little longer after Barcelona decided to rest Lionel Messi for a midweek outing in the King's Cup against lowly Alaves.

Mistakes Like Love and Sex by media professional Madhuri Banerjee is a follow-up to her 2011 bestseller Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas. We bring you an excerpt.

Real Madrid strikers Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain are doubts for the trip to play Levante in La Liga on Sunday, a ground that has proved an uncomfortable venue for Jose Mourinho's side over the last two seasons.

Former World Player of the Year Kaka is set to play his first match for Brazil for more than two years after being recalled on Thursday for next month's friendlies.

UEFA will share 100 million euros among the clubs who released players for the Euro 2012 soccer finals and qualifying competition, the European Clubs Association (ECA) said on Tuesday.

New Real Madrid signing Michael Essien is confident he has put a series of serious injuries behind him and is ready to fight for a place in the La Liga side after completing a loan move from Chelsea on Friday.

English Premier League club Arsenal were the only club not to have won the Champions League to be placed among the top seeds for the 2012/2013 draw, later on Thursday (1545GMT).

A Spanish Super Cup comeback against arch rivals Barcelona and the arrival of Croatia playmaker Luka Modric may provide the perfect springboard for Real Madrid to kickstart their season.

An error from Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes allowed Real Madrid to grab a late second goal, which kept them alive in the Spanish Super Cup, after Barcelona ran out 3-2 winners in Thursday's first leg.

The Badminton Association of India too would hope Saina has gold to declare when she lands at Delhi airport after the Olympics. For that would establish the BAI as a soothsayer of sorts, writes TS Sudhir

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas is set to miss a big chunk of Spain's preparations for Euro 2012 after being ruled out for seven to 10 days with a hamstring strain, the Spanish club said on Saturday.

Barcelona striker David Villa ruled himself out of the running for a place in Spain's squad for Euro 2012 on Tuesday after failing to fully recover from a broken leg.

World No 3 Roger Federer had to use all his guile and experience to battle back from a set down to see off fast-rising Canadian Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 in the Madrid Open second round on Wednesday.

McLaren ace driver Lewis Hamilton has demanded an investigation following the blunders during the Bahrain Grand Prix, and believes his team has to go back to the drawing board to re-ignite their championship credentials this season.

Following is a selection of Spanish words and phrases which help explain the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona played out in the El Clasicos

Next week's Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead unless local officials decide otherwise, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Thursday.

Soccer's governing body FIFA has ordered clubs to release Under-23 players called up by their national teams for the Olympic Games soccer tournament.

India should focus on how many are living below the poverty line, says Professor of Global Strategy Pankaj Ghemawat.

Brazil could field Ronaldinho, Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso, a key trio in their 2014 World Cup ambitions, when they meet Bosnia in a friendly in Switzerland on February 28.

Barcelona set up a King's Cup final against Athletic Bilbao when Cesc Fabregas scored one goal and created another for Xavi in a 2-0 win over 10-man Valencia in their semi-final second leg on Wednesday.

Seydou Keita has emerged as the undisputed leader of an exciting young Mali side six months after returning from a 20-month hiatus from the international game.

Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o has had a 15-match ban reduced to eight months, meaning the former African Footballer of the Year will miss just four competitive matches before August.

Tighter rules should be introduced by FIFA to stop European clubs from "stealing" talented young players from other countries, England manager Fabio Capello said on Thursday.

Lionel Messi scored two wonder goals as European champions Barcelona ripped apart Brazil's Santos 4-0 to win their second Club World Cup in swashbuckling style on Sunday.

A second-string Atletico Madrid missed a penalty and had a man sent off in a 2-1 defeat at third-tier Albacete in their King's Cup last-32 first-leg match on Thursday.

Arsene Wenger is one of the world's greatest managers and his future at Arsenal is assured for as long as he wants to stay, the club's owner Stan Kroenke said in a rare interview on Friday.

European champions Barcelona have refrained from making an official complaint against Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for last week's eye poking incident and have called for an easing of tensions with their arch-rivals.

Lionel Messi's Copa America dream lay in tatters on Saturday after Argentina were beaten by old rivals Uruguay in a dramatic quarter-final.

Newly-appointed India football coach Armando Colaco says he wants to apply the 'possession football' he employs with his club, Dempo, but clarified that he had not talked about playing like FC Barcelona.

Formula One will have 20 races next year and not the record 21 listed on a calendar published last week, according to International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt.

The Indian Grand Prix could be moved to the second weekend in December as Formula One's season-ending race, Ferrari principal Stefano Domenicali said on Friday.

Nemanja Vidic fears Champions League heartbreak for Manchester United if they become obsessed with shackling Lionel Messi in Saturday's final against Barcelona at Wembley.

The UEFA on Thursday also opened disciplinary probes into the Portuguese coach's sending-off at the Bernabeu and subsequent outburst after Wednesday's bad-tempered clash, which Barca won 2-0.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, the world's two richest clubs, have already played each other twice in five days in La Liga and the King's Cup, and now face off again over two legs for a place in the Champions League final.

Jose Mourinho is ready to haunt Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals again on Wednesday, this time with Real Madrid.