Sports News Roundup: Nadal no fan of replacing line judges with technology; Epstein steps down as Cubs president; Hoyer named and more

Soccer: 29-0 loss reopens debate on women's football in Brazil When the women's team of Taboao da Serra lost a league match 29-0 last month it looked like things could hardly get much worse for the small club based outside Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Inspired Thiem outshines Nadal at ATP Finals

Austria's Dominic Thiem produced a stunning display of attacking tennis to beat Rafa Nadal 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in a high-quality duel at the ATP Finals and seize control of their group on Tuesday. World number three Thiem saved a couple of set points in the first tiebreak before whipping away a forehand to take an opening set in which there was barely anything between the two.

Olympics: Athletes' Village must be safest place in Tokyo, IOC official says

The purpose-built Athletes' Village must be the safest place in Tokyo during next year's Olympics, a senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) official said on Wednesday after meetings with the Tokyo 2020 organisers. IOC President Thomas Bach and other officials have been in the Japanese capital this week as a show of support for the organisers as they try to arrange the Games despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soccer: 29-0 loss reopens debate on women's football in Brazil

When the women's team of Taboao da Serra lost a league match 29-0 last month it looked like things could hardly get much worse for the small club based outside Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo. The horrific loss made headlines around the world but it wasn't the final straw. They lost their next three games 14-0, 10-0 and 16-0 and were eliminated from the Sao Paulo state championship at the group stage.

Pro Bowl will be contested on Madden NFL 21

The Pro Bowl, previously canceled by the NFL due to the coronavirus pandemic, is back on -- albeit with a major twist. The game will be conducted virtually using the Madden NFL 21 video game.

IOC and WADA question why U.S. sport exempt from Rodchenkov Act

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday acknowledged the passing of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA) in the U.S. Senate but questioned why American professional and college athletes are exempt from the legislation. The Rodchenkov Act, named after the whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov who helped expose Russia's state-sponsored doping, will give U.S. justice officials the ability to pursue criminal penalties against anyone involved in doping at international events involving American athletes, sponsors or broadcasters.

Tennis: Government declines to guarantee Australian Open, ATP Cup schedule

Australia's Victoria state government is confident the Australian Open will go ahead but offered no assurances on Wednesday that players would be allowed to arrive in time for the season-opening ATP Cup and other events in January. The men's ATP Tour told players on Tuesday that the start of the 2021 season remained up in the air due to "challenges" in Australia, which is effectively closed to international arrivals due to COVID-19 protocols.

Soccer: Egypt's Salah, Elneny test positive for COVID-19 again

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny have returned another positive test for COVID-19, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on Wednesday. Salah had previously tested positive for the coronavirus last Friday, on the eve of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo, while Elneny tested positive three days later.

Nadal no fan of replacing line judges with technology

Rafa Nadal may appear an unlikely traditionalist given the way he has ripped up the tennis blueprint in the past 15 years but some aspects of the sport, he believes, should not change. Fans are not the only thing missing from this year's ATP Finals which is being held in London for the 12th and last time.

NFL digs into alleged October 15 Antonio Brown incident

Antonio Brown's alleged off-field conduct has the attention of the NFL once again. The league is investigating an incident reported by the Miami Herald in which Brown was accused of breaking a surveillance camera and heaving a bicycle at a security guard on October 15.

Epstein steps down as Cubs president; Hoyer named

Theo Epstein, the executive who brought a World Series title to Chicago after a century-long drought, has stepped down as president of baseball operations for the Cubs and will be replaced by Jed Hoyer, the team said Tuesday. Epstein, 46, was the architect of the Cubs' World Series title in 2016, the club's first in 108 years. Epstein was entering the final year of his contract and leaves after nine seasons.