Sports News Roundup: Soccer-With stadium beer ban, World Cup fans look for sip of hope; Soccer-Saudi crown prince MbS in Qatar for World Cup opening ceremony and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-With stadium beer ban, World Cup fans look for sip of hope

Soccer fans who travelled thousands of kilometres to get a glimpse of the sport's most prestigious event savoured their first sips of beer at the launch of a fan festival on Saturday, a rare place where they can drink alcohol at the World Cup. In a last minute U-turn, two days before the tournament's opening match, international soccer governing body FIFA said on Friday that alcoholic beer would not be sold at Qatar's World Cup stadiums.

Soccer-Saudi crown prince MbS in Qatar for World Cup opening ceremony

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, arrived to Doha late on Saturday to attend the 2022 Qatar World Cup's opening ceremony on Sunday in a show of Gulf solidarity after a three-year regional dispute ended last year. Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, the deputy of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, was at the reception of Prince Mohammed upon his arrival to Doha, the Amiri Diwan of Qatar said in a statement.

Soccer-'I feel gay', FIFA chief attempts to empathise with marginalised

FIFA President Gianni Infantino raised eyebrows on Saturday when he attempted to show empathy with marginalised groups by telling reporters in Qatar 'I feel gay ... I feel like a migrant worker. Infantino opened the traditional pre-World Cup news conference on Saturday with a lengthy monologue lambasting the critics of Qatar hosting the tournament because of the country's human rights record.

Tennis-Djokovic sets up meeting with Ruud in ATP final championship

Norwegian Casper Ruud is all that stands between Novak Djokovic and a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title, after the Serbian former number one beat American Taylor Fritz 7-6(5) 7-6(6) in the Turin semi-final. The 21-times major champion overcame a barrage of aces from Fritz, outlasting the Indian Wells winner despite having a bad day in his own opinion, and produced fewer errors at the Pala Alpitour to move to within one win of matching Roger Federer's record at the season finale.

Soccer-France striker Benzema out of World Cup with injury

France striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar after suffering an injury in training, the French football federation said on Saturday. The Ballon d'Or winner, who has been struggling with a muscle problem, was forced to leave defending champions France's training session earlier on Saturday.

Motor racing-Retiring Vettel comes alive in final F1 qualifying

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel rolled back the years as he starred in his final Formula One qualifying session at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 35-year-old, who is calling time on his career after Sunday's race, looked absolutely inspired as he attacked the floodlit Yas Marina track and scythed through slower-moving traffic, dragging his far-from-top-tier Aston Martin to a ninth-place grid spot.

High stakes for Qatar as World Cup starts

The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday in a high-stakes event for the tiny nation which has faced a barrage of criticism and staked its reputation on delivering a smooth tournament, the first held in the Middle East. The opening ceremony in a tent-shaped stadium will be held at 1440 GMT, ahead of the first match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.

Tennis-Mental health not helped by tough tour demands says Federer

The demanding schedule on the ATP and WTA circuits can have a negative impact on the mental health of players, tennis great Roger Federer said on Saturday. The 20-time grand slam champion retired from the sport in September after travelling around the world a number of times during a career that spanned almost a quarter of a century.

Alpine skiing-Shiffrin starts the season with her 75th World Cup win

Mikaela Shiffrin won the first race of the Alpine ski season in Levi, Finland, to secure the 75th World Cup victory of her career on Saturday. World Cup champion Shiffrin won the slalom in front of Sweden's Anna Swann Larsson (+0.16), with Petra Vlhova (+0.20) from Slovakia taking third place.

NBA-Nets Irving apologizes 'deeply,' says he is not anti-Semitic

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said on Saturday that he was "deeply" apologetic after his team suspended him earlier this month for sharing anti-Semitic content on social media and not disavowing anti-Semitism. Irving was listed as "questionable" for Sunday's game at home against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Nets have kept him off the court for the last eight games after he "refused to unequivocally say he has no anti-Semitic beliefs."

(With inputs from agencies.)