The NFL is receiving increased criticism in its second week of games without regular officials.

The regular officials are locked out having failed to reach a new labour agreement with the NFL. The replacement officials have been recruited from the second level of college football and lower.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and quarterback Joe Flacco were among the most vocal critics, saying there were several officiating errors in their team’s 24-23 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles.

“There’s some serious calls the refs missed, and it’s just the way it is all around the league,” Lewis said.

Flacco told reporters the substitutes are “affecting the integrity of the game.”

Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, said that the work of on-field officials “is never perfect.”

“The current officials have made great strides and are performing admirably under unprecedented scrutiny and great pressure,” the league spokesman said. “As we do every season, we will work to improve officiating and are confident that the game officials will show continued improvement.”

Pay, pensions and operational issues have kept the NFL and the referees’ union from reaching a new labour deal. To date the league has made a schedule for the replacements to work through Week 5 of the regular season.

“We are ready to negotiate at any time with the National Football League Referees’ Association,” Aiello said.

Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour chief Brad Drewett admitted today there were “frustrations” among tennis players but played down swirling talk of a strike after several spoke out over pay and conditions.

The new  men’s boss was speaking after an outcryl of discontent prompted strike rumours and a brief rift between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Drewett said he heard “loud and clear the other night about their issues” after meeting players on the eve of the Australian Open, which is continuing in Melbourne.

“There are frustrations out there. As I said, I plan to take them on board. I’ve heard them,” he said, adding: “Nothing’s ever perfect in any world, and certainly not in the tennis world.”

“The player meetings are a very rare opportunity for these guys to get into one room. You have 150, 200 players. That only happens once, maybe twice a year,” said the Australian.

“Last weekend they were very vocal about a number of issues, but that is not new. I mean, I’ve been in plenty of player meetings where the guys get in there and voice frustrations.”

Players have long complained about the tough tennis calendar, often blaming it for injuries, and they are reportedly unhappy over Davis Cup scheduling and their share of prize money at grand slams, among other issues.

A number of the top male tennis athletes have spoken out this week, including former world number one Andy Roddick, who said there was a strong mood for change after the “passionate” pre-tournament meeting.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic said he also supported improvements and Nadal accused Federer, the ATP Player Council president, of not doing enough to back his fellow players.

When asked about the possibility of a strike, Drewett said: “I’ve read the articles. I think they’re quite sensational in lots of ways. I’m obviously not going to go there.”

Drewett, who took up his post at the start of the year, refused to be drawn on any initiatives he was planning but highlighted a shorter season in 2012, by two weeks, and a 20 percent increase in prize money over the next three years.

Despite the frustrations, Drewett said the men’s game was riding the crest of a wave and was “in an unbelievable position, arguably the best ever”.

Roddick yesterday became the latest top player to speak out, saying the circuit needed “fundamental” change to give more power to the players.

“U2 doesn’t ask to go on tour. They go on tour. So I think that’s the fundamental issue at hand,” he said.

Australian Open top seed Djokovic also spoke of the need for changes but said he preferred to keep talks behind closed doors.

Russia’s Alex Bogomolov Jr, who earlier tweeted strong support for a players’ strike, said yesterday it was inspiring to see players united — but he was more circumspect on calls for a walk-out.

“Everybody is on the same page and everybody wants to grow the game and make it better. We’ll see what happens,” Bogomolov Jr said.

Federer and Nadal quickly made up their differences, with the Swiss saying he had “no hard feelings”. Spain’s Nadal said he regretted making his feelings public.

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A Chinese referee, considered one of China’s best, has admitted in court to taking bribes to fix local and international matches, including making sure a local team won the toss in a friendly involving Manchester United, state media has reported.

The case of Huang Junjie, a referee for more than 20 years who has been nominated as one of the country’s best, is one of a number of hearings under way following a probe into Chinese football corruption.

He accepted $245,000 of bribes to fix two international friendlies and taking 20 bribes from six Chinese clubs between 2005 and 2009, Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

The international matches included a 2007 exhibition match between the English Premier League’s Manchester United and China’s Shenzhen. Huang took 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($13,000) in bribes to let Shenzhen win the coin toss, Xinhua said. Manchester United went on to win the game 6-0.

The other international match was a 2009 fixture between Shanghai Shenhua and Australian club Sydney, which the Chinese club won 2-1.

“At no stage during the trip or the match was there anything that would have alerted Sydney FC to the situation that has been raised today,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

Coach Vitezslav Lavicka said he remembered nothing suspicious about the match.

“I remember that game … but there’s no point to give it any credit, it’s a very strange situation,” he said. “I don’t remember anything out of ordinary … that’s in the past now.”

Huang, who was nominated as China’s referee of the year in 2009, also took bribes from his colleague, referee Zhou Weixin, to sway results, Xinhua said. Zhou is charged with corruption and bribing civil servants.

Their trials in northeast China are part of a crackdown on Chinese football corruption that has implicated players and top officials including the former head of the Chinese Football Association.

Queens Park Rangers is cutting season ticket prices a week after the takeover by AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes.

Supporters of the Premier League club who’ve bought tickets will receive a “significant” refund, allergist the team said on its website. There will also be reductions on match-day tickets, QPR said.

Fernandes is reacting to complaints by fans of the west London club after prices of season tickets were raised by the previous owner, Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone, for its first season in English soccer’s top flight since 1995-96. Prices were raised as much as 40 percent.

Jenny Elliott, QPR’s box office manager, said on the website: “This is a major step forward in terms of rebuilding the bond between the club and its supporters.”

Fernandes’s Tune Group last week bought a 66 percent stake in QPR from Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore. The Guardian reported it was worth $56 million.

Fernandes has become chairman of QPR Holdings Ltd. with Amit Bhatia resuming his role as vice-chairman. Bhatia, the son- in-law of billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, whose family owns the remaining 33 percent in the club, quit the board earlier this year because of differences with Ecclestone and Briatore over ticket prices among other matters.

Spanish La Liga side Real Mallorca has appealed against Europe’s football governing body, UEFA, decision to ban them from next season’s Europa League competition because of their financial situation.

In addition to the official appeal, Mallorca has also issued a statement about its intent to fight, and defeat the ban.

The statement says the decision threatens to deprive “the club of a series of revenue in different concepts such as ticketing, sponsorship and income from the competition.

“Ethically and legally, RCD Mallorca believes reason is on their side and [the club] will not relent in the effort to show that he has earned the right to challenge the Europa League.”

New manager Michael Laudrup is confident the decision can be overturned. He said: “I’m optimistic – I know Platini [michel, president of UEFA] and I know he’s fair.

“The committee [of control and discipline] took the decision, but we’ll see what happens. There has been no final word.”

A date for the appeal hearing has yet to be confirmed.

China is the latest venue to be added to the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) series schedule.

Qingdao will host the ‘Qingdao Match Cup’ which has been added to the 2010 tour, and will take place between 19-25 October.

President of the Qingdao Yachting Association, Wang Xiulin, and Peter Gilmour, President of the WMRT signed a five-year agreement through to 2014 for Qingdao to host an annual stage of the WMRT.

Gilmour said: “The ability of the city of Qingdao to organise a stage of the WMRT in such a short amount of time was something we analysed carefully.

As both a competitor and organiser I am delighted to see that the penultimate stage of the 2010 Tour will be simply outstanding as the city of Qingdao is now ready for the Tour.”

Qingdao was home to the sailing events for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have announced the appointment of Micky Lawler as President of the WTA.

Lawler has close to 30 years of experience at Octagon, Lawler will report to WTA Chairman & CEO Stacey Allaster and be responsible for driving the WTA’s international growth strategy, business development, marketing and new fan engagement programs, and member and industry relations. Lawler will begin in her new role on January 1, 2015 and be based out of the WTA’s global headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“Micky Lawler has been at the center of the growth of professional tennis for nearly three decades, driving innovation and business across athlete representation, events, international expansion, governance and sponsorship,” Allaster said.

“In her 11 years as a WTA Board Member and 27 years as a leader of tennis at Octagon, she has been instrumental in shaping and contributing to our strategy for growth, importantly including opening new markets for the sport. As we embark on a new strategic business plan to support our members’ business and increase our fan base, I cannot think of a better executive to join our senior leadership team.”

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work even more closely with Stacey and her team at the WTA at this fantastic moment for women’s professional tennis,” Lawler said.

“The sport has reached new levels of popularity, social and digital interconnectivity, and globalization, while the next generation of exciting champions is now emerging alongside the game’s current iconic superstars. I am excited to help lead women’s tennis to even greater success through continued international growth, enhancement of the fan experience across multimedia channels and in-stadium, and the development of new products and assets to support the business of women’s tennis.

“As this evolution in my professional career is set to begin, I want to thank Phil de Picciotto and all of my friends and colleagues at Octagon, who have given me so much both personally and professionally for the past many years and who continue to do so. Their ongoing support was an essential consideration in my decision to accept this position.”

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) have announced that the Chinese city of Putian will host the 2016 FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. 

President Grandi and FIG Secretary General André Gueisbuhler met with the Vice Mayor of Putian Ms Zhang Libing (CHN) and Chinese Gymnastics Association President Dr Luo Chaoyi (CHN) on Monday at the Zhenbao Holiday Hotel, the official FIG hotel at the Nanjing 2014 YOG.

According to the contract that was signed by the three parties, the championships will be held in March / April 2016 in Putian, in the eastern Fujian province in China’s South-east.

China has a strong Acrobatic Gymnastics programme with the federation’s most recent success being the World title won by the Chinese Men’s Group at the 2014 World Championships in Levallois-Paris (FRA) in July.

The Rugby Foobal League have revealed they will increase their disability participation within Rugby League by promoting a series of ground-breaking initiatives.

The initiatives include the development of comprehensive online guidance, buy disability access audits of Kingstone Press Championship clubs and disability awareness training for Championships club staff.

The governing body is keen to promote the inclusion of disabled people within Rugby League and has worked in conjunction with national disability sports organisations across the country to provide a comprehensive online guide of all available options.

There is also information regarding the adaption of playing and coaching for disabled participants, generic and a Rugby League Case Study, allergist all available to view for free.

RFL Equality and Diversity Manager Sarah Williams MBE, who compiled the guidance, said: “I have been overwhelmed by the support and time that organisations have given to ensuring that the information is up to date. The guidance offers Rugby League-specific content as well as generic information.

“Most importantly, in compiling the case studies, I have been privileged to meet and talk to some inspiring people and clubs who have worked together to ensure that individual disabled people have the chance to achieve their full potential and be a part of the wider Rugby League family.”

English Foundation for Disability Sport Chief Executive Barry Horne said: “EFDS strongly believes that sports clubs play a key role in ensuring disabled people are active for life.

“It is fantastic to see the RFL develop this specific resource to support their clubs to develop inclusive environments, enabling disabled people to access their sport however they choose, whether as a player, coach, volunteer or spectator.”

Also, in partnership with Level Playing Field, the RFL Facilities Trust has begun a programme of disability access audits of all Kingstone Press Championship clubs, with a view for the audit to be completed by the end of the 2014 season.

Level Playing Field Chairperson Joyce Cook said: “We value our close relationship with the RFL and Facilities Trust and are pleased to be working together to improve stadium access and match day inclusion for disabled rugby fans.

“We are also delighted that the RFL has chosen to launch its new disability awareness online service to coincide with this year’s Level Playing Field weeks of action.

“Awareness goes a long way towards breaking down the barriers many disabled people still face and the new online pages will provide a useful resource for all. Congratulations and many thanks to everyone who has been involved. It is a pleasure to work with the RFL.”