As a dozen scantily clad Brazilian Samba dancers gyrated on to the stage, rocking peacock-style headdresses and glittery thongs, Usain Bolt was not about to be intimidated or upstaged.
FIFA defended the harsh punishment it handed down to Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for biting an opponent during the World Cup, despite complaints on Friday from his coach, politicians and even the man he bit that the record penalty was excessive.
Blatter quits FIFA; under investigation by US prosecutors, FBI.
On planes, on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Zee5, Hulu, MUBI, Kanopy, film festivals... Aseem Chhabra tell us how he watched 309 films in 365 days.
FIFA chief Sepp Blatter, who is standing for re-election as FIFA president on Friday, added that the investigations will help to reinforce measures world soccer's governing body has already taken.
Factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who became his country's all-time top goalscorer on Tuesday when he scored his 55th international goal.
Football legend Pele has termed Argentine forward Lionel Messi as the "best in last 10 years", but also spoke highly of his fellow Brazilian Neymar and Portugal's Ronaldo.
Frenzied scenes were witnessed at the airport this morning when Pele landed in the Kolkata after 38 years as the 74-year-old Brazilian turned emotional and stood on the floor of his SUV to wave at the crowd, who kept chanting his name.
A round of Wednesday night's Champions League group stage matches.
Johan Cruyff, the legendary Dutch soccer striker and coach, died aged 68, according to a message posted on his website.
IOC president tells FIFA it's time to clean up its act.
'The stigma that FIFA is a corrupt body has to be erased once and for all. One fears that will not happen until Sepp Blatter goes'
If history ultimately judges the finest talents by their achievements on the international stage, where neither player has tasted success, then the Portuguese captain could use Sunday's Euro 2016 final to land a haymaker blow in one of football's great rivalries.
If England win their Euro 2016 last-16 clash on Monday they can add the prized scalp of Iceland to those of Paraguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Denmark, Ecuador and Spain - the only teams they have beaten in a tournament knockout game since 1966.
Laggards in international rankings, India finally made their presence felt by pulling off an impressive under-17 World Cup that drew all-round praise even though the country was eliminated in the very first round.
Carlos Tevez has been included in the squad for the first time in three years for next month's friendlies in England against Croatia and Portugal.
'We will have a big say in Delhi in 2018 or 2019 (whenever the elections are) in the Lok Sabha.'
No one expects Nigeria to win, but by now everyone knows that shirt...
Two goals in three devastating second-half minutes helped Napoli reach the Italian Cup final on Wednesday with a 3-0 win over AS Roma in the second leg of their semi-final in Naples, to clinch the tie 5-3 on aggregate.
From developing the right partnerships to employing strategies that help you to turn the game in your favour, the world of sports is full of lessons for your life and career.
As the mercurial Messi rings in his 28th birthday, Rediff.com brings you all the exciting moments from the ace footballer's life.
A round-up of Wednesday's night's UEFA Chmpions League matches.
A factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi
Some of the men who might be candidates for FIFA president.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Argentina reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 24 years on Saturday when an early goal by Gonzalo Higuain and a strong defensive display proved enough to beat a disappointing Belgium side 1-0.
Reaction to the death of football great Johan Cruyff, who died in Barcelona on Thursday following a five-month battle with lung cancer.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has denied he deliberately stamped on Liverpool's Emre Can.
River Plate could face a Monumental Stadium ban after a fan threw a piece of wood and hit Godoy Cruz defender Leandro Grimi as he celebrated scoring the equaliser in his team's 2-1 upset win on Wednesday.
But how much has the national team actually improved?
Women's World Cup officials and sponsors expressed concern over the corruption scandal swirling around world soccer's governing body.
From the debate-arousing introduction of VAR to maximum number of Penalties to the superb Ronaldo, here are the A to Z of the ongoing 2018 World Cup
Here is a look at how foreign media has reacted to this news.
Flustered FIFA officials shut down a media conference in New Zealand on Thursday after being inundated with questions about the sport's latest scandal.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Cricket aficionados' love, even passion, for their "god" Sachin Tendulkar is unlikely to recede even after his playing days.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
World Cup sponsors are in an awkward position, experts said, because they are under pressure from consumers to distance themselves from any corruption, but such sponsorships are lucrative in the long term.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
