Digest

SOCCER

Messi, Bonmati lead Ballon d'Or nominees

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are among the leading contenders to win this year's men's Ballon d'Or, while Spain World Cup star Aitana Bonmati leads the nominees announced on Wednesday for the women's prize.

Messi, who recently left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami, is in with a chance of succeeding Karim Benzema and winning the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his remarkable career after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.

Haaland may be his main rival for the prize after scoring 52 goals in 53 games to help Manchester City win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season.

PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Haaland's City teammate Kevin De Bruyne also feature among the 30 nominees for the prize, the winner of which will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Oct 30.

New UEFA revenue plan to boost smaller clubs

Smaller clubs who do not qualify for European competition are set to receive a greater share of revenue from UEFA from next season under a new agreement announced on Wednesday.

UEFA's new deal with the European Club Association (ECA), which will run from 2024 to 2030, will "bolster long-term stability and sustainable growth in European club football," the federation said in a statement.

The change coincides with a new format in the lucrative Champions League, Europa League and Conference League which will move from groups to a mini-league system in 2024.

Under the new conditions, teams that do not qualify for European club competitions will share seven percent of the overall pie, mainly the revenue from television, rather than the current 4 percent.

That will raise the sum to 440 million euros per season and 1.32 billion euros over the entire cycle, the body said.

GOLF

McIlroy will be 'totally fine' for Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy is still recovering from a back injury but said he will be "totally fine" in time for the Ryder Cup.

The 34-year-old Northern Irishman hurt his lower back ahead of last month's PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, New York.

McIlroy, the world's No 2-ranked player, is competing in the Irish Open at the K Club this week on the DP World Tour.

"I would say it's at 90 percent, 95 percent," McIlroy told Sky Sports on Wednesday.

"It's not 100 percent better. I just happened to take care of it a little bit but it's not preventing me from doing anything I want to do. Just being a little mindful, I guess."

He said he isn't concerned about his fitness level.

"No, not at all," McIlroy said. "I've had much worse (injuries). I had much worse back issues when I was 21, so this is fine. This is a bit of tightness, a bit of a muscle spasm.

"This is nothing compared to some I've had. I've had a herniated disc and I've had stuff that would be a lot more worrying than this is, and I've got really good people around me that know what to do. It's fine. It's totally fine. I maybe don't heal quite as fast as I used to but it's all good."

TENNIS

New mother Osaka targets Aussie return

Naomi Osaka said she plans to compete at January's Australian Open and will maintain a busy schedule next year when she returns to competition after giving birth to her first child.

The four-time major champion withdrew from this year's Australian Open due to her pregnancy and welcomed daughter Shai in July.

"It's definitely way more tournaments than I used to play," Osaka told ESPN when asked if she had set a schedule for 2024.

"I think some people will be happy with that."

She also confirmed she would compete at the Australian Open.

The former world No 1, who represents Japan, said she agreed to the larger workload next year because she is unsure how she will fair when she returns and wants to ensure she gets enough playing time as she eases herself back onto the tour.

"At least I'm going to set myself up for a very good end of the year," she said.

Agencies