Notts County: The new owners of Notts County have appointed Steve Cotterill as manager and expressed confidence the troubled League Two club can survive without a move into administration. New chairman Ray Trew said a review of the club's finances had been reassuring. Former Burnley and Stoke boss Cotterill will take over from current caretaker manager Dave Kevan.
Eckersley: Burnley will discover this week how much they must pay Manchester United for defender Richard Eckersley. The two clubs attended an independent tribunal yesterday which sat to decide a fee for Eckersley, who joined the Clarets in July on a four-year deal after allowing his contract at Old Trafford to expire.
Pienaar: South Africa star Steven Pienaar has been charged with drink driving after a night out to celebrate Everton's 3-1 win over Manchester United at the weekend. The Everton midfielder was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning and charged later that day. He faces a fine and a ban from driving if convicted at a court hearing scheduled for March 9.
Panucci: Former Italy defender Christian Panucci has quit Parma for personal reasons. The 36-year-old's contract, which ran until the end of the season, has been torn up and retirement may now be on the cards. Panucci, who denied his departure was because of a disagreement with the coaching staff, played for Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Roma among others.
Tax cuts: Spain's professional football league (LFP) has called on the government to cut sales tax on match tickets to help the sport during a time of economic hardship. The same value-added tax (VAT) rate of seven per cent levied on tickets for theatres, cinemas and amusement parks should be applied to stadium ticket sales instead of the current 16 per cent, the LFP said.
Ewerthon: Former Brazilian international striker Ewerthon is to join Brazil powerhouses Palmeiras from Real Zaragoza ending a 10-year stay in Europe. The 28-year-old has barely played for Zaragoza this term, having played a major part in gaining them promotion last season when he scored 28 goals.
Sailing: Cape Town will be the first stop on the next Volvo Ocean Race around the world. It will be the eighth time that the South African port has hosted the competitors in the event, the world's most gruelling offshore race. The 11th edition, set to start in late 2011 from its home base in Alicante, will involve seven or eight legs, compared to 10 for the 2008-09 event.
Motor racing: Formula Two champion Andy Soucek has joined Virgin Racing as reserve driver for their debut F1 season. The 24-year-old Spaniard joins fellow tester Luiz Razia in supporting race drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi after reserve Alvaro Parente lost his position when the Tourism Institute of Portugal ended a sponsorship deal.
Tennis: Ana Ivanovic has appointed Steffi Graf's former coach Heinz Gunthardt to work with her. Gunthardt helped Graf to win 12 of her 22 grand slam titles in the 1990s. In 2008, Ivanovic won the French Open and was briefly world number one but her form has fallen off since.
Athletics: World 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot and Commonwealth Games 5,000 title holder Augustine Choge will lead Kenya's team at next month's World Indoor Championships in Doha. Also in the team are Samuel Mutai (3,000), Haron Kaitany (1,500), Gideon Gathimba (1,500), Boaz Lalang (800) and Silvia Kibet (3,000).
Rugby Union: France coach Marc Lievremont has organised head-to-head sessions between his players and a psychologist before Friday's Six Nations match with Wales in order to clinch an elusive third win in a row. Since Lievremont took over as coach following the 2007 World Cup, France have not managed to win more than two consecutive matches.