Sports News Roundup: Ice Hockey-Former Maple Leafs great Salming left "shaken" by ALS diagnosis; Rockies pound 22 hits in blowout of Cardinals and more

News of the pending retirement of Serena Williams overshadowed proceedings at the tune-up for the year's final Grand Slam but there were no shortage of first-round upsets for fans to enjoy, including one by local Bianca Andreescu. Soccer-CAF set to back Infantino for new term as FIFA president Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe says the continent will throw its weight behind incumbent FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the latter seeks a third term in office at the 73rd FIFA congress next year.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Ice Hockey-Former Maple Leafs great Salming left "shaken" by ALS diagnosis

Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Borje Salming announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with the progressive nervous disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and that the condition has left him "shaken". The news came in an emotional joint statement issued by the 71-year-old National Hockey League Hall Of Famer and the Maple Leafs, the club where he spent 16 seasons blazing a trail for European players in North American pro hockey.

Soccer-Qatar World Cup to begin one day earlier than planned - sources

The World Cup in Qatar will kick-off a day earlier than scheduled if FIFA's ruling bureau agree to a plan to hold the opening ceremony and the host nation's first match on Sunday Nov. 20th, a source close to the discussions told Reuters. The original plan was for the opening ceremony to be held before Qatar's game on Nov. 21 against Ecuador -- which created the unusual situation of two matches being held before the ceremony.

Soccer-Barca's new signings offer hope of comeback - if they can be registered

Robert Lewandowski is the man of the moment in LaLiga with the Poland striker among a number of new signings for Barcelona as they try to dethrone Real Madrid, who added a Champions League title to their league triumph last season. Barcelona became Europe's biggest spenders in the close season, investing around 150 million euros ($155.21 million) to sign Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, Brazil winger Raphinha from Leeds United and defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla.

Analysis-Tennis-Serena's impact to be felt long after pending retirement

Serena Williams announced her forthcoming retirement on Tuesday but even when her illustrious tennis career comes to a close her impact on the game she dominated for over two decades will be felt for generations to come. Williams, who made her professional debut in 1995 a year after her older sister Venus, has been one of the game's most marketable stars. She has a slew of corporate partners and in 2019 became the first athlete to land on Forbes' list of America's richest self-made women.

MLB roundup: Rockies pound 22 hits in blowout of Cardinals

Randal Grichuk had a career-high five hits, including a home run, Ryan McMahon hit a 495-foot homer and the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 16-5 in Denver on Tuesday night. C.J. Cron also went deep and finished with two hits and five RBIs, Brendan Rodgers had four hits on his 26th birthday, Jose Iglesias had three hits and Elehuris Montero and Elias Diaz had two hits each for Colorado, which set a season high for runs and hits (22) in a game.

Soccer-Arsenal reprimanded for second time for fan token adverts

Britain's advertising watchdog upheld a ruling against Arsenal over their promotion of fan token company Socios on Wednesday, determining that the two ads posted on the club's website and Facebook were "misleading" and irresponsible". The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) said the adverts had failed to make clear the tokens had to be bought with a cryptocurrency, taken advantage of fans' inexperience and did not warn of the risk of trading crypto.

Trial over Kobe Bryant crash photos begins

A trial begins Wednesday in Los Angeles in Vanessa Bryant's invasion of privacy lawsuit regarding photos of her late husband Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in September 2020 seeks undisclosed damages and claims that members of the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments shared gruesome images of the crash in unofficial settings, including to patrons in a bar.

Tennis-Serena retirement heralds sunset of sport's golden era

Serena Williams' decision to bow out has left tennis staring at the beginning of the end of the sport's golden era, a dreaded but inevitable prospect that has long been on the horizon. The American, who will turn 41 next month, said that the countdown has begun for her to quit playing and devote more time to her family and business.

Tennis-Osaka retires, Raducanu exits, Andreescu upsets in Toronto

A tearful Naomi Osaka retired injured and U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu fell at the first hurdle as the top women's players continued their preparations for Flushing Meadows at the Toronto Open on Tuesday. News of the pending retirement of Serena Williams overshadowed proceedings at the tune-up for the year's final Grand Slam but there were no shortage of first-round upsets for fans to enjoy, including one by local Bianca Andreescu.

Soccer-CAF set to back Infantino for new term as FIFA president

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe says the continent will throw its weight behind incumbent FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the latter seeks a third term in office at the 73rd FIFA congress next year. Motsepe confirmed all 54 member associations of CAF have resolved to vote for Infantino, despite the fact that the identity of any potential challenger is not yet known.

(With inputs from agencies.)