Bayern Munich wins fourth successive Bundesliga crown

Bayern Munich notched its 26th Bundesliga crown thanks to a 2-1 victory away to Ingolstadt Saturday.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scored both Bayern goals as the Bavarian club became the first in Germany to win four successive league titles.

Borussia Dortmund was the only team that could have possibly caught Bayern coming into Saturday's fixtures.

But it stumbled to a frustrating 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Frankfurt as Bayern was wrapping up the title.

Bayern players danced on the pitch at the final whistle as they celebrated a happy end to what has been a difficult week for the club.

Defeat to Atletico to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semifinal Tuesday was followed by manager Pep Guardiola telling the media he believed there was a mole within the Bayern Munich dressing room undermining his work.

Guardiola went on to say that because he will be leaving for Manchester City in the summer such indiscipline was no longer his problem.

Yet there were few visible signs of discord in the Bayern ranks Saturday as it efficiently disposed of its mid table opponents.

Bayern took the lead when Lewandowski fired home from the penalty spot after Franck Ribery had been felled in the box by Ingolstadt captain, Marvin Matip.

Lewandowski then doubled Bayern's advantage when he finished from a tight-angle shortly after.

Although Moritz Hartmann pulled one back for Ingolstadt from the spot just before halftime, Bayern saw out the second half to secure the win and the title.

"We've played brilliantly together. It's a great achievement to have won this title," said Bayern forward Thomas Mueller in comments carried by the AFP news agency after the match.

"To have won four in a row is special. It has never happened before, despite all the great teams who have played in the Bundesliga. It's a great relief to have done it," Mueller added.

Bayern will now look to do the double by adding the German cup to the Bundesliga when it faces Borussia Dortmund in the final of that tournament on May 21.

Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo 'mutually agree' to end partnership

 

Two years and seven trophies later, Andy Murray and coach Amelie Mauresmo have parted ways.

The former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion announced on her Facebook page Monday that the pair had "mutually agreed" to end their successful tennis partnership.

"Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me," Mauresmo said in a joint statement

"I've thoroughly enjoyed being part of the great team of people he has around him. Dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge for me.

"I wish him and team well and I hope he goes on to win many more titles."

Murray appointed Mauresmo in June 2014 following his split with Ivan Lendl, and a year later the Frenchwoman guided him to significant victories in Munich and the Masters 1000 event in Madrid -- his first titles on clay.

Murray asked Mauresmo to succeed Ivan Lendl, who guided him to grand slam success.

However, the Scot was unable to add to his two grand slams under her tutelage and relinquished his Madrid crown to Novak Djokovic Sunday, losing to Serbia's world No. 1 in the final.

"I've learned a lot from Amelie over the last two years, both on and off the court," Murray said in Monday's statement, having dropped to third in the world rankings after failing to defend his title.

"She's been a calming influence in the team and we will all miss having her around," the 28-year-old added.

"I'll take some time to consider the next steps and how we progress from here, but I'd like to thank her for everything she has done, she's been an invaluable member of the team."

Murray's decision to appoint former world No. 1 Mauresmo made waves in the sport, after he became the first prominent male tennis player to hire a female coach.

Murray talks with Mauresmo during a practice session for Wimbledon in 2014.

The 2012 Olympic champion last year declared himself a feminist after several leading figures in the game criticized his decision to hire a woman.

"Have I become a feminist?" Murray wrote in French sport paper L'Equipe. "Well, if being a feminist is about fighting so that a woman is treated like a man then yes, I suppose I have."

Upon hiring Mauresmo, Murray said he has always had a strong female influence in his career, with his mother Judy -- former captain of Great Britain's Fed Cup team -- the one to get him into the sport.

Mauresmo, who is France's Fed Cup captain,  where he lost in the round of 16.

Murray also became a parent this year, 

Michel Platini: Frenchman resigns as UEFA president after CAS decision

 

Michel Platini resigned as UEFA president Monday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the Frenchman's bid to overturn a six-year ban from working in football.

The 60-year-old, sanctioned over a $2 million payment he received from FIFA, saw CAS -- sport's final court of appeal -- cut his ban to four years, but it's a ruling that effectively leaves Platini in limbo.

He is unable to engage in any football-related activity at national or international level, although CAS did cut a FIFA fine imposed on Platini from $82,500 to $62,000.

"I accept today's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport but I consider it a profound injustice," said Platini in a statement.

"As agreed with the national associations, I resign as president of UEFA to pursue my fight before the Swiss courts to prove my probity in this case.

"Life has always kept beautiful surprises for me, now I am free to live them."

CAS said that its arbitrators were of "the opinion that a severe sanction could be justified in view of the superior functions carried out by Mr. Platini (FIFA vice president and UEFA president), the absence of any repentance and the impact that this matter has had on FIFA's reputation."

In December 2015, Platini and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter were each banned for eight years after the FIFA Ethics Committee found that the former had received a two million Swiss franc ($2.02 million) "advisory payment."

The committee found that both had  with regards to conflicts of interest, breach of loyalty and gifts. The pair were cleared of bribery and corruption allegations.

In February, denied appeals from Blatter and his one-time heir apparent Platini to strike down their bans from "all football-related activities."

But FIFA did reduce both men's bans from eight to six years, citing their service to football as justification for the decision.

The contract between Platini and Blatter, signed in 1999, ended in 2002 when the Frenchman became a member of FIFA's executive committee.

"It was not until 1 February 2011 -- four months prior to the FIFA presidential elections and at a moment when Sepp Blatter and Mohamed Bin Hammam were both still candidates to the election that FIFA paid the amount of CHF 2'000'000 in favour of Mr. Platini," said a CAS statement.

"Mr. Platini justified such payment as back pay, explaining that he had orally agreed with Mr. Blatter in 1998 when the future FIFA President was negotiating with him, to an annual salary of CHF 1'000'000.

"The Panel, however, was not convinced by the legitimacy of the CHF 2,000,000 payment, which was only recognized by Mr. Platini and Mr. Blatter, and which occurred more than eight years after the end of his work relations."

UEFA's Executive Committee will meet in Basel on May 18 to schedule an elective congress to appoint Platini's successor, though European football's governing body has no plans to make an interim appointment.

Miracle at Leicester? Sporting upsets to remember

 

Upsets or shock wins in any sport are what put bums on seats and drive television audiences, whether it's a shock K.O. in the ring, or a last-minute goal.

CNN looks back at some of sport's most memorable surprises.

Leicester City

When bookmakers are prepared to offer you odds of 5,000-1, they're pretty certain they won't be paying out, comfortable in the knowledge your team has a snowball's chance in hell of winning that trophy or title. But sometimes fairytales do happen -- seismic sporting events that defy logic. Enter Leicester City.

Only a year ago, this team of made up of footballing journeymen and youngsters with potential were fighting relegation at the foot of England's Premier League. Once survival was assured they appointed  with a fairly checkered record of success, as their new manager.

Where once he was maligned for an almost obsessive tendency to alter his team's tactics and formation, earning him the moniker "The Tinkerman," this season he has demonstrated a Zen-like calmness -- his tactics were measured and his man-management flawless.

The likeable Italian had identified survival in a league dominated by multi-billion-dollar behemoths like Manchester United and Arsenal as his club's priority.

But then they started to win games on a regular basis -- including famous victories over free-spending Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea. When Leicester climbed to the league's summit, no-one believed they would stay there. But they did. Ranieri had fashioned a team with an astonishing spirit and a buccaneering style that would not give up.

Russian Grand Prix: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff blasts 'lunatic' theories

 

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has hit out at the "bunch of lunatics" putting forward "conspiracy theories" that the team is sabotaging Lewis Hamilton's chances this season.

Wolff responded angrily as allegations swirled on social media after the Russian Grand Prix, which was Although Hamilton -- who has endured a frustrating campaign -- came second to Rosberg in Sochi, his race was affected by an engine problem.

He was a little over seven seconds behind Rosberg when told of the problem and went on to finish 25 seconds adrift of his colleague, who is now 43 points clear of him at the top of the standings.

That led some to advance theories that Mercedes, a German team, were "sabotaging" Hamilton's efforts so German driver Rosberg could win the drivers' title.

But an angry Wolff said: "The team has been abused in some of the social media, and conspiracy theories are out there.

"I think it is very difficult to take people seriously out there when they are lying on their beds with their laptops on their chests and sending out those abusive messages.

"Of course we don't do it deliberately. My response to this is that I don't want to ignore this bunch of lunatics who think we would harm a driver who has been a double world champion for us.

"He hasn't let us down, and we wouldn't let him down. This is a mechanical sport -- these things happen."

Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo reach Champions League final

 

In the end it will come down to a tale of one city.

For Real Madrid, which booked its place in the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons Wednesday, it is the chance to write yet another chapter in its illustrious history.

For AtletIco Madrid, it is an opportunity for sporting immortality. No team has enjoyed as much success as Real in this competition -- victory in Milan on May 28 would secure an unprecedented 11th triumph for Europe's most successful club side.

But for the players and supporters of Atletico, this is an opportunity to bloody the nose of its neighbor and right the wrongs which still rankle to this very day.

Two years ago, these clubs met in Lisbon to decide which would be crowned champions of Europe -- a night which could scarcely hold more contrasting memories for a city divided by red and white.

The memories of Real Madrid players the skipping and the dancing after securing a 10th title remain fresh in the mind, especially for those who hold Atletico in their hearts.

For all the glory of Real's "La Decima" and that magical night in Lisbon there is another tale to tell.

Freediver plunges 407 feet, breaks two world records

 

Freediver William Trubridge is diving to new depths, shattering two world records just days apart.

The New Zealander held his breath for four minutes and 24 seconds to break his own  on Saturday. He broke that record two days later on Monday, plunging 124 meters -- almost 407 feet -- while holding his breath for four minutes and 34 seconds.

He surpassed his previous mark of 121 meters, which he achieved in another world record dive in April 2011.

Monday's dive marks the 17th world record for Trubridge, 35.

Freediving is an underwater sport where people hold their breath and dive without external breathing devices. In his new record dives, Trubridge dove in free immersion, which involves a diver holding onto a rope during their dive.

There are dangers involved with the extreme sport. In August 2015, the world's best freediver,  was presumed dead after she failed to surface during a recreational dive in Spain. Her body was never recovered.

Bayern Munich: German club dumped out of Champions League by Atletico Madrid

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

Pep Guardiola's reign at Bayern Munich will finish without the one thing he and the club desired more than any other -- the Champions League trophy.

Ousted by Atletico Madrid on away goals, despite winning the second leg of its semifinal tie 2-1, Bayern's dreams of a sixth European title are over.

It is three years since Guardiola arrived in Munich with the club having just won Europe's most prestigious club competition -- a triumph which completed a famous and historic treble under Jupp Heynckes.

Bayern was unstoppable, playing football which left opponents trailing in its wake, and had dominated the Bundesliga after wrestling control back from Borussia Dortmund.

Guardiola, the man who had revolutionized football with the "tiki-taka" style so beautifully played by his Barcelona teams, was supposed to be the man to take Bayern to the next level.

And yet, despite winning two league titles, soon to be three, and three cup competitions, it is the failure to win the biggest prize of all which will leave a blemish on his otherwise near perfect resume.

Instead, he will soon depart Munich for Manchester City, a club which could yet win this season's competition, to try his luck in England's Premier League.

Rio Olympics: Torch touches down in Brazil ahead of 2016 Games

 

he Olympic torch has finally arrived in Brazil -- but the burst of enthusiasm might be short-lived.

President Dilma Rousseff lit the torch at the presidential palace here while school children cheered, Air Force jets looped overhead and a group of some 100 demonstrators shouted their support for the embattled leader.

The first torch bearer was Fabiana Claudino, who has led Brazil's female volleyball team to Olympic gold two times. During its spin around the country's capital, the torch was also carried by surf champion Gabriel Medina and a 12-year-old refugee girl, Hanan Khaled Daggah.

She is one of about 2,000 Syrian refugees welcomed by Brazil over the past couple of years.

After her 400-meter run, Hanan told CNN it was an exhilarating moment.

"I don't feel like a refugee, I feel like a Brazilian, a Brazilian carrying the Olympic torch!" she said, still wearing a white and gold uniform and clutching a replica torch she received as a gift.

She said she was headed home to Sao Paulo "with this beautiful torch."

"I'm going to visit other refugees and send the message to be strong and don't be afraid," she said. "All of the refugees in Sao Paulo are afraid they won't get work, they won't be able to pay rent, so don't be afraid, just believe in yourself."

Hanan and her family, who are from northeast Syria, came to Brazil in 2015 after more than two years in Jordan.

Miracle at Leicester? Sporting upsets to remember

Upsets or shock wins in any sport are what put bums on seats and drive television audiences, whether it's a shock K.O. in the ring, or a last-minute goal.

CNN looks back at some of sport's most memorable surprises.

Leicester City

When bookmakers are prepared to offer you odds of 5,000-1, they're pretty certain they won't be paying out, comfortable in the knowledge your team has a snowball's chance in hell of winning that trophy or title. But sometimes fairytales do happen -- seismic sporting events that defy logic. Enter Leicester City.

Only a year ago, this team of made up of footballing journeymen and youngsters with potential were fighting relegation at the foot of England's Premier League. Once survival was assured they appointed with a fairly checkered record of success, as their new manager.

Where once he was maligned for an almost obsessive tendency to alter his team's tactics and formation, earning him the moniker "The Tinkerman," this season he has demonstrated a Zen-like calmness -- his tactics were measured and his man-management flawless.

The likeable Italian had identified survival in a league dominated by multi-billion-dollar behemoths like Manchester United and Arsenal as his club's priority.

But then they started to win games on a regular basis -- including famous victories over free-spending Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea. When Leicester climbed to the league's summit, no-one believed they would stay there. But they did. Ranieri had fashioned a team with an astonishing spirit and a buccaneering style that would not give up. 

Just 30 miles north of Leicester is another town with an equally remarkable footballing story. When the inimitable Brian Clough arrived at Nottingham Forest's City Ground stadium in the mid-1970s they were languishing in England's second-tier, perennial underachievers.

They secured promotion to England's top league in 1977, before going on to actually win the title in 1978. Clough was universally lauded for doing a remarkable job.

But this was only the beginning.

Forest had qualified for the European Cup, the continent's biggest club competition now known as the Champions League. Their European adventure got off to a flying start with a win over holders Liverpool. This was followed by wins over AEK Athens, Grasshoppers Zurich and FC Cologne as they marched to the final. A solitary Trevor Francis goal was enough to defeat Malmo of Sweden in Munich and take one of football's most coveted trophies back to a town associated with Robin Hood more than the beautiful game.

What makes this story truly remarkable is that this unfashionable club defended their European title the following season. They defeated European heavyweights Ajax in the semi-final, before taking on Hamburg in the final at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Despite being the defending champions, Forest were rated as underdogs going into the match against the Germans, who fielded England star Kevin Keegan in their line-up. But the tactical nous of Clough allied to a strike from John Robertson -- his 19th of the season -- was enough to see Forest across the line.

 

La Liga: Barcelona one win away from title as Atletico Madrid falters

Barcelona hammered city rival Espanyol 5-0 Sunday to ensure it will become La Liga champion for the second year in succession should it win its final game of the season away to Granada next weekend.

The Catalan club started the day level on points with Atletico Madrid but ahead in the standings thanks to a superior head-to-head and goal difference.

However, Atletico was downed 2-1 at already relegated Levante meaning it slips back to third position behind city rival Real Madrid which overcame Valencia 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barca now has a one point lead over arch-rival Real atop the table going into the final round of fixtures and can no longer be caught by Atletico.

"We deserve the league title and I hope we can be precise in the final game to win," Barca boss Luis Enrique said after the match in comments carried by Barcelona's official Twitter account.

Muhammad Ali: Five things you never knew about the boxing legend

There's not much that hasn't been written about Muhammad Ali.

A boxing legend who transcended his sport, the 74-year-old is known to many and will be forgotten by few.

But there still remains an element of intrigue surrounding the three-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist -- as his biographer and lifetime friend tells CNN.

1. He changed his name more than once

The man, the myth, the legend ... the name.

It's common knowledge that Cassius Clay chose to change his name to Muhammad Ali in the 1960s following his conversion to Islam -- but not so many are aware of his original rebranding plans.

"The legend is known that when a young Kentucky-born Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam his name was immediately changed to the now iconic Muhammad Ali," Miller says. "But few know that his first name change was to Cassius X.

"It was February 26, 1964 -- the morning after he knocked out Sonny Liston. But nearly two weeks later, on March 6, he announced that religious and political leader Elijah Muhammad (who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975) had given him the new name of Muhammad Ali."

Miller says the name may have originally been intended for Malcolm X, who split with Nation of Islam soon after Ali joined and was assassinated the following year.

2. He's a Sufi

Miller (left) has written a number of books about Ali.

It's well documented that on April 28, 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army and was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title.

Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo military service.

Early on Ali was closely involved with the often militant pro-African American goals of Nation of Islam, but later in life switched to a more mystical Muslim sect.

"Ali announced that he is a Sufi around 2005, saying that of all of the sects of Islam, he feels the closest connection to Sufism," says Miller, whose book "Approaching Ali" was released in late 2015.

"Sufism is arguably the most peaceful sect of any major or minor religion. Sufis believe that to purposely harm any person is to harm all of humanity, to harm each of us and to damage the world.

"It is the perfect fit for Ali, who had been living in the ways that Sufis do for decades before he'd heard of the religion.

"Few people have heard about the profound ways Ali's faith has evolved over the years. He has been a world soul for many decades; he has grown from separatist to universalist."

3. He had to fight injured during his big comeback

As a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title and banned from boxing for almost four years.

The scene is Atlanta, October 26, 1970.

Ali's first comeback fight followed his enforced exile of three years and seven months -- after refusing to be inducted into the armed forces -- against No. 1 heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry.

Then 28, he would go on to make a successful return to the ring, winning by TKO in the third round -- but the fight nearly didn't happen.

"Ali had only six weeks to prepare for this contest," Miller says. "In training, his boyhood friend and former heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis badly fractured one of Ali's ribs.

"Even with this injury, Ali did not reschedule the fight, being entirely uncertain that if he did, he would ever get the chance to fight again."

4. Parkinson's disease has taugh

 

Leicester City: Foxes edge closer to English Premier League crown

Leicester City must wait at least one more day for the happy ending to its remarkable fairytale.

The league leader's hopes of celebrating its first ever English Premier League title were put on hold Sunday after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

The Foxes, who at the start of this season were ranked as 5000-1 outsiders to win the league, needed victory at Old Trafford to secure the title.

But United started the match determined to spoil the party, playing with verve and freedom and looking nothing like the side that has appeared shackled in attack so often this season.

The 20-time champion quickly deflated the traveling Leicester fans with a goal inside 10 minutes.

Antonio Valencia stood up a cross that evaded everyone in the penalty area, before Anthony Martial ghosted in at the far post and swept the ball past Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester, conversely, looked edgy and nervous and had Schmeichel -- son of legendary United goalkeeper Peter -- to thank for not going two goals down after he pulled off a brilliant save low to his right.

Sunday was the first time that the Leicester keeper had played at Old Trafford, where his father won five Premier League titles during his spell as a United player.

Morgan equalizer

However, a spirited Leicester team haven't come this far -- the draw put them eight points ahead of second place Tottenham Hotspur -- for nothing.

Nine minutes after Martial put United ahead, Leicester captain Wes Morgan got his head onto Danny Drinkwater's free-kick to divert the ball past a helpless David de Gea.

With tensions rising, United's Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini was lucky to escape a red card after appearing to land an elbow on Robert Huth's throat.

If referee Michael Oliver failed to see the incident, Fellaini potentially faces a retrospective ban.

Trump: 'We can't continue to allow China to rape our country'

Donald Trump on Sunday compared the U.S.'s trade deficit with China, which he
to rape.

"We can't continue to allow China to rape our country, and that's what they're doing," Trump said during his second rally Sunday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, referring to China's high number of exports relative to the U.S.

Trump has repeatedly accused China of manipulating its currency to make its exports more competitive on the global market and has claimed that China is "killing" the U.S. on trade