Many of Manchester United's millionaire superstars have been banned from accepting free luxury sports cars as part of a lifestyle crackdown from hardline manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sir Alex Ferguson (REUTERS)The English Premier League club recently completed a lucrative sponsorship deal with car giant Chevrolet that will kick into place in two years time and will see the company's logo featured on United's club jerseys.

As part of the arrangement, Chevrolet has immediately offered the United squad free choice of its fleet of high-end vehicles. Several, including veteran Ryan Giggs, whose love of fast and expensive cars has been well documented, are expected to opt for top-of-the-range Corvettes.

However, only players above the age of 23 will be allowed to accept sports-car models, as Ferguson attempts to ensure his young squad members do not fall into the lifestyle traps that have disrupted many a promising career.

Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman revealed that younger players will have to check with

Read More »from Ferguson bans Manchester United young guns from getting a free sports car

Lance Armstrong's former team captain and close confidant George Hincapie begins life in cycling retirement this week, leaving behind the burning question: Was his cooperation with doping investigators the reason Armstrong decided last week to quit trying to clear his name?

George Hincapie, left, helped pace Lance Armstrong to all seven of his Tour de France wins. (Getty Images)According to a source with intimate knowledge of the United States Anti-Doping Agency's case against Armstrong, Hincapie, once described by the Texan as his "best bro in the peloton," provided the organization with information pertaining to a systematic doping program that involved Armstrong and the teams he rode for en route to his seven Tour de France titles.

"Most definitely," the source responded when asked by Yahoo! Sports if Hincapie's information was a critical element of the evidence of doping it had connected with Armstrong.

While 10 other former colleagues had come forward accusing Armstrong of doping, Hincapie was the one that USADA desperately wanted. Armstrong has repeatedly poured scorn on the

Read More »from Lance Armstrong's closest confidant may have forced him to quit fight against doping charges

LONDON – Monty Python star Eric Idle shocked television executives at NBC but delighted the Olympic Stadium crowd by uttering a cuss word during his performance at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Games on Sunday.

Idle's rendition of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," from the iconic Monty Python movie "Life of Brian" was one of the most popular segments of the $40 million spectacular that drew 17 days of sporting festivities in London to a close.

However, NBC chiefs were originally left with a decision on whether or not to censor Idle's utterance for its delayed network telecast, after it was heard on its live internet stream.

"Not sure yet,” was the response of an NBC employee based in London when messaged by Yahoo! Sports asking if NBC would alter the primetime telecast. "Difficult one."

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"Life's a piece of [expletive], when you look at it," Idle sung, keeping with the correct wording of the tune, although

Read More »from London closes the 2012 Olympic Games with a hootenanny of local flavor

Stephen Kiprotich approaches the finish line to win the men's marathon (REUTERS) LONDON – Stephen Kiprotich didn't just overcome 26.2 miles and world-class Kenyan runners to win the Olympic men's marathon on Sunday.

The 23-year-old produced an upset on the streets of London to win Uganda's first Olympic gold medal in 40 years just days after being completely written off by his nation's media.

"To say that the Ugandan team will return from the Olympic Games with a medal is similar to believing that Uganda will qualify for the 2014 (soccer) World Cup," Ugandan daily newspaper The Observer wrote. "See, both scenarios are realistically possible but executing them is anything but attainable. Kiprotich is not expected to mount any challenge in Sunday's marathon."

Other Ugandan publications were just as dismissive about Kiprotich. But with a superb run that saw him go head-to-head with two members of the world's most dominant marathon nation and then charge away with a devastating late burst, he carved out his own niche in Olympic history.

Kenya, which remarkably

Read More »from Stephen Kiprotich beats Kenyans, long odds to win marathon and Uganda's first gold in 40 years

Brazilian former Olympic athlete and a member of the International Olympic Committee Joao Havelange (REUTERS)LONDON – The first controversy of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics erupted this weekend before London 2012 was even complete.

Rio organizing committee chiefs had hoped to give a glowing account of their progress at a press conference here in front of the world's media, but instead they were forced to defend the highly questionable decision to name the main stadium after a corrupt former soccer administrator.

Rio's showpiece arena is named in honor of Joao Havelange, the ex-president of FIFA, soccer's world governing body. Havelange, now 96, was found by a Swiss court to have accepted nearly $1 million in bribes from a marketing company in the 1990s.

Despite the obvious negative connotations of having links with Havelange, whose reputation in soccer is beyond repair after the revelations about his abuses of power, Rio 2016 CEO Leonardo Gryner defended him.

"We are very proud of what Mr. Havelange has done worldwide and for sport in Brazil in particular," Gryner said at the

Read More »from Rio Olympics organizers defend naming stadium after former corrupt soccer president Havelange

LONDON – It is not particularly unusual for an Olympic champion to be unable to defend his title. Some gold medalists retire, some get injured. Some just fail to qualify after seeing their performance decline.

The absence of 2008 men’s marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru is a different story.

The brilliant Kenyan, who scorched the streets of Beijing with an incredible run of 2:06:32, is not in London because he died last year after falling from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu.

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Fifteen months later, Wanjiru's death is still shrouded in mystery, a saga that is full of controversy and intrigue.

For Wanjiru’s fellow athletes, the smiling champion will be missed at the starting line for what should have been an opportunity to defend his title.

"I know we have two things to do here in London," Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai said. "Firstly, we have to retain the title of the late Samuel Wanjiru.

Read More »from Beijing marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru's death remains a mystery

LONDON – Video games giant EA Sports has received criticism for failing to include women's players and teams on its popular title "FIFA" in the wake of the United States' dramatic victory for the Olympic gold medal.

The Americans' 2-1 triumph over Japan was watched by an audience of 4.35 million, a new record for NBC Sports Network. The program's standard of play at major events like the Olympics and Women's World Cup has improved dramatically.

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Yet, there are still no soccer video games that feature women, denying fans the opportunity to perform as stars like Abby Wambach or Hope Solo on "FIFA," a new version of which is released every year and has sold more than 100 million copies.

Frustrated fan Fernanda Schabarum from Boca Raton, Fla., began a petition this week to try to force EA Sports to change its policy and respond to the additional exposure of women's soccer following a remarkable Olympic tournament.

Read More »from Fan campaigning for EA Sports to add women's soccer team to 'FIFA'

Mexico's players celebrate their victory over Brazil at the men's soccer final gold medal match (REUTERS) LONDON – Mexico took less than a minute to set itself on the road to the Olympic men's soccer gold medal on Saturday, but the foundation for its triumph was laid a decade ago.

The Mexicans outdueled Brazil 2-1 in front of a packed Wembley Stadium to earn their nation's first gold of the Games and send a warning message to the soccer world.

Oribe Peralta struck with the fastest ever goal in an Olympic final to stun Brazil after only 29 seconds and added another with 15 minutes left to provide a lead big enough to survive Brazil's inevitable late rally.

With the World Cup less than two years away, the victory was proof that Mexico can be a serious contender on the international stage. Olympic soccer, with its under-23 format, does not always translate into senior success, but Mexico's golden generation has been grown, developed and carefully managed for 10 years with the specific intention that they will one day help lift a major international trophy.

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Read More »from Mexico's master plan produces soccer gold