Iran have protested against the already controversial logo of the 2012 Olympic Games, saying the emblem is racist and spells the word "Zion," the ILNA news agency reported on Monday.

The jagged, multi-colored emblem, which reportedly cost 400,000 pounds (nearly 650,000 dollars) features four bold numerals representing 2012, with the signature Olympic Rings emblazoned within the digit zero.

Al Jefferson scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter Friday as Utah defeated Indiana 95-84 for their first NBA victory since longtime coach Jerry Sloan stepped down.

Paul Millsap added 23 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for Utah, who had dropped four straight since interim coach Tyrone Corbin took over after Sloan's abrupt departure.

Manchester United's American owners insisted the club was not for sale on Friday, following recent speculation of a mammoth offer from the Qatar Royal family.

In a statement released alongside the club's second quarter financial results, the Glazer family said they remained "fully committed" to the long-term future of the English Premier League giants.

Malaysia's Sepang Formula One event is losing traction, according to the circuit's boss who admitted the shabby stadium and tropical temperatures have caused ticket sales to plunge.

The Malaysian event has also been outshone by neighboring Singapore, which offers not just adrenaline-packed night racing on a street circuit, but teams it with live entertainment by big-name performers like Beyonce.

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola will remain with the Spanish champions until June 2012 after signing a one-year extension to his current contract on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old's current deal was due to expire at the end of the season but earlier this month the club announced he had agreed to stay for another year.

Novak Djokovic's first match since winning last month's Australian Open brought him a notable atonement and created the impression of a player significantly better than three years ago.

Djokovic's smartly taken 6-3, 6-3 win over Michael Llodra in the first round of the Dubai Open reversed the result of their encounter in the Paris Masters three months ago.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho admits his side have two major psychological barriers to overcome when they travel to Lyon on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Nine-time winners Real have fallen at the last 16 stage in each of their last six seasons and Mourinho believes that is something his team have to get over along with the fact that Lyon eliminated Real 2-1 at this stage of the competition last season.

Caroline Wozniacki regained the world number one ranking from Kim Clijsters when she reached the semi-finals of the Dubai Open with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Shahar Peer on Friday.

The top-seeded Dane also avenged herself for her loss last year here to Peer, who was the first Israeli woman ever to compete in the UAE, reaching the semi-finals.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, who missed six match points while losing the longest match in Grand Slam history in Melbourne last month, missed six more whilst gaining revenge over Francesca Schiavone in the Dubai Open today.

The former French and U.S. Open champion from Russia beat the French Open champion from Italy 1-6, 6-0, 7-5 in another extraordinary match in which picking a winner was like trying to understand the motions of a seismometer.

Vera Zvonareva, the Russian who came within a couple of wins of becoming a surprise year-end world number one, continued her bid to reach the pinnacle with a fine start to the two-million-dollar Dubai Open.

Zvonareva overcame Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-1, finishing the second round match with such panache that she reduced the capable top 40 Italian to an unexpectedly pedestrian second best.