Mohamed El-Nenny became the second Egyptian player to sign for Swiss side Basel, having joined his compatriot Mohamed Salah after penning a six-month loan deal on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has impressed during his one-week trial at Basel, which prompted the club to sign him before the end of the January transfer window. According to the club's official website, Basel will have an option to sign El-Nenny permanently following the end of the season. El-Nenny, who shined during the last Olympic Games in London last year, has become a regular member of Egypt's senior team. More»

An attorney for Lance Armstrong said the disgraced cyclist will not meet the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's deadline for him to answer questions under oath, and suggested his client would rather participate in international efforts to "clear the air." In a letter to the USADA dated on Friday, attorney Timothy Herman said that while the athlete is willing to cooperate with the agency, its request to interview him in the next two weeks "cannot be accommodated." Herman blamed pre-existing obligations. The USADA set a February 6 deadline for Armstrong to fully cooperate in its investigation in return for a possible lifting of his lifetime ban from cycling, the agency's chief executive Travis Tygart said in an excerpt from an interview due to air on the CBS "60 Minutes" program on Sunday. More»

Serena Williams went down fighting like the five-times champion she is but bowed out of the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, hampered by a back injury and stunned in three sets by fellow American Sloane Stephens. The injury robbed Williams of her serve - the most effective weapon in women's tennis - but teenager Stephens will take much credit for holding her nerve to finish off the ailing 15-times grand slam champion 3-6 7-5 6-4. Stephens, one of a band of promising young American women, will next face defending champion and world number Victoria Azarenka, who earlier came through a first-set scare to beat experienced Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 6-1. "Oh my goodness," said Stephens, who was teary-eyed and lost for words after beating a player whose picture once adorned her bedroom wall to reach her first grand slam semi-final. More»

The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens won their National Football League championships in stunning fashion on Sunday to set up an extraordinary sibling rivalry in next month's 47th Super Bowl. The 49ers, coached by Jim Harbaugh, overturned a 17 point deficit to beat the Atlanta falcons 28-24 in the NFC decider before the Ravens, under the guidance of Jim's older brother John, stunned the highly-fancied New England Patriots 28-13 in the AFC title game. Sibling rivalries are not uncommon in sport, most notably with the Williams sisters in tennis, but it will be the first time that head coaches from the same family square off for the greatest prize in American professional sports. "I don't know if we had a dream this big," John Harbaugh told reporters. With a bit more luck, the pair might have met in the Super Bowl last year but both came up short with the 49ers losing the NFC championship in overtime to the New York Giants and the Ravens losing by three points to the Patriots in the AFC. More»

Veteran playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika has pledged his future to Ahly after signing a contract extension, the Egyptian giants announced on Saturday. The 34-year-old's future has been the subject of intense speculation after he received a lucrative offer to join United Arab Emirates side Bani Yas. "Abou-Treika is setting an example to follow in his loyalty to the club, having signed a new deal without any conditions, leaving Ahly officials to decide the value of the new contract," the Cairo club said in a statement on their official website. "He not only did that, but he also told football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz that he would give up 50% of the money he should receive after signing the new deal. He also rejected a loan offer to join Bani Yas for six months." Ahly did not disclose the length of the new contract. Abou-Treika's current deal was due to expire next summer. More»

Zamalek management decided Friday to release their Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi due to his unjustified absence from the team's training. "The management agreed to leave Omotoyossi out of the team's squad due to his absence," Zamalek board member Sabri Serag said.  Benin striker Omotoyossi, who took part in both the 2008 and 2010 African Cup of Nations, revealed that he won't return to Egypt if he does not receive outstanding unpaid wages from last season that was canceled after Port Said massacre. Zamalek owe Omotoyossi some $70,000 from the last campaign. "Razak will be a free agent to join any team in case he gives up his fees with Zamalek," he added. The 26-year-old striker has not attended Zamalek's training since the game against Mazembe in the fourth round of the last edition of the CAF Champions League. More»

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III underwent successful knee surgery on Wednesday and is expected to be ready for the 2013 season, his doctor said. The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, one of the top first-year players in the National Football League this season, underwent reconstructive surgery on his right knee to repair torn lateral and anterior cruciate ligaments suffered in Sunday's wildcard playoff loss to Seattle. "Robert Griffin III had successful knee surgery early this morning," his doctor, James Andrews, said in a statement. "He had a direct repair of his LCL and a re-do of his previous ACL reconstruction. "We expect a full recovery and it is everybody's hope and belief that due to Robert's high motivation, he will be ready for the 2013 season." The surgery was deemed necessary after Andrews discovered a complete tear of the patellar graft that was used to repair Griffin's torn ACL when he was at Baylor in 2009. More»

Chris Paul and the Clippers maintained a grip on top billing in Los Angeles with a tense 107-102 victory over the Lakers on Friday to cement their status as the city's best team. Paul withstood a fierce challenge from Kobe Bryant, recording 30 points and 13 assists to Bryant's 38 points, and the Clippers moved further ahead in both the standings and the crosstown rivalry. The Lakers did their best to tear up the script late on by climbing out of a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter and closing to 99-97 with two minutes remaining. However, Paul shut the door on the Lakers, scoring the final eight points for his team, including a tough step-back jumper over the outstretched Bryant in the waning moments. Blake Griffin added 24 points in the winning effort while Dwight Howard put up 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers (15-17), who have lost three of their last four. Despite sharing the Staples Center, the teams have had little else in common this season as the Clippers (26-8) have raced toward the top of the West while the Lakers are struggling to find an identity under new coach Mike D'Antoni. More»

Egypt’s national soccer league will resume next month, a year after more than 70 fans were killed in clashes following a game in Port Said. The Egyptian Premier League will start a new season on Feb. 2, the country’s soccer governing body said on its website following a meeting between the sports and interior ministers. The first round of games will be played without spectators. The competition will be divided into two pools, with the winners and runners-up of each qualifying for the semifinals, the Egyptian Football Association said yesterday. It’s the first time it’s used the format since 1976. Soccer matches in the country were suspended indefinitely when Al-Masry fans attacked visiting supporters from Cairo-based Al-Ahly last February, a year after a mass uprising forced former President Hosni Mubarak from office. Weapons in the soccer violence included knives, swords, clubs, stones, bottles, and fireworks. The resumption of the league “will be an indicator of Egypt’s stable security situation,” the EFA said. More»

The Milwaukee Bucks stunned the Miami Heat with a fourth-quarter blitz on Saturday to record a 104-85 blowout win over the NBA champions. With the Heat leading 71-69 entering the final period, the Bucks (16-12) kicked into high gear and outscored Miami 35-14 to blow them off the floor in the last quarter. Brandon Jennings scored 25 points, Mike Dunleavy scored 13 of his 18 in the fourth and Milwaukee forced Miami into errors and turnovers. It was Miami's second successive loss. "It was good to win a game like this against the defending champs," Milwaukee's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute told reporters. "We've got to enjoy this one and continue to go at it. We needed to win a couple of games in a row at home." More»