Sports News Roundup: Vettel fined 5,000 euros for track scooter ride; Ronaldo back for Man Utd but injured Shaw faces weeks out and more

Ferrari's championship leader Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets with a lap of one minute, 18.978 in second free practice after being second to team mate Carlos Sainz in the first. Soccer-UEFA allocates 240 million euros for clubs in 2020-24 benefits programme UEFA has allocated 240 million euros ($260 million) to pay clubs for releasing their players for national team competitions in the 2020-24 cycle as part of its benefits programme, European soccer's governing body said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf-Oosthuizen withdraws from Masters with injury

South African Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, withdrew from the second round of the Masters due to injury, Augusta National Golf Club officials said on Friday. Oosthuizen, who was partnered with Tiger Woods and Chile's Joaquin Niemann, had been scheduled to go out in the afternoon wave at 1:41pm ET (1741 GMT).

Golf-Woods again in Masters spotlight as second round underway

South Korea's Im Sung-jae takes a one shot lead into the second round of the Masters on Friday but the spotlight remains locked on Tiger Woods as he looks to take the next step in his comeback from a career-threatening car crash by making the cut at the year's first major. Woods had Augusta National and the entire golf world buzzing on Thursday as he carded a one-under 71 in what was his first competitive round in 508 days to start Friday in a tie for 10th, four back of the leader.

Tennis-Becker found guilty of four charges in bankruptcy trial-reports

German tennis great Boris Becker was on Friday found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act following his bankruptcy trial in London, British media reported. The 54-year-old six times Grand Slam champion, who was on trial at Southwark Crown Court, was facing 24 counts under the act relating to the period from May to October 2017.

Motor racing-Vettel fined 5,000 euros for track scooter ride

Four-times Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was fined 5,000 euros ($5,420.50) on Friday for riding a scooter around the Australian Grand Prix circuit after his Aston Martin broke down in first practice. It was not quite the return to action the German had expected after missing the first two races of the season due to contracting COVID-19.

Soccer-Liga MX, MLS and NWSL teams unite in bid to eliminate homophobia

Teams from Liga MX, Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and others have formed a coalition to eliminate homophobia from soccer, the group said on Friday. Play Proud United will bring together Angel City FC, Chicago Fire, Philadelphia Union, San Diego Wave FC and Tigres to a five-day residential training program in Los Angeles on April 11, under the auspices of the "Common Goal" soccer movement.

Soccer-Ronaldo back for Man Utd but injured Shaw faces weeks out

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo will return for their Premier League clash with Everton after overcoming illness but defender Luke Shaw will be unavailable for up to three weeks, interim manager Ralf Rangnick said on Friday. Ronaldo, United's top goalscorer this season with 12 league goals, will be back after missing their 1-1 draw with Leicester City last weekend while Shaw is set for a spell out due to follow-up treatment for a broken leg sustained in 2015.

Motorcycling-Marquez can win title even if he's not 100% fit, says Dovizioso

Marc Marquez may never be as strong as he was at the peak of his MotoGP career but even with an injury-ravaged body functioning at less than 100% he is capable of winning the title, his age-old rival Andrea Dovizioso said. Six-times MotoGP champion Marquez has been nowhere close to challenging for the title since 2020 due to a season-ending crash in the first race that year, followed by bouts of double vision due to concussions in 2021 and 2022.

Motor racing-Ferrari on top in Australian GP practice, more Mercedes disappointment

Ferrari's promising start to the Formula One season continued on Friday as the glamour team dominated free practice at the Australian Grand Prix but there was more gloom for struggling Mercedes at a revamped Albert Park. Ferrari's championship leader Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets with a lap of one minute, 18.978 in second free practice after being second to team mate Carlos Sainz in the first.

Soccer-UEFA allocates 240 million euros for clubs in 2020-24 benefits programme

UEFA has allocated 240 million euros ($260 million) to pay clubs for releasing their players for national team competitions in the 2020-24 cycle as part of its benefits programme, European soccer's governing body said on Friday. The club benefits programme is based on the amount generated by the European Championship final tournament and paid to clubs that have contributed to the successful staging of all of UEFA's national team competitions.

Cycling-Transgender women unable to compete in British Cycling events as policy suspended

British Cycling suspended its Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy with immediate effect on Friday, denying transgender women the chance to compete in domestic women's races until the policy was reviewed. British Cycling said it had taken the decision to suspend the policy due to differences between its own policy and that of the world governing body (UCI).