Burnley: Burnley have appointed first-team coach Steve Davis as caretaker manager as they prepare for the imminent departure of manager Owen Coyle to Premier League rivals Bolton. Davis will take charge for Burnley's league match against Stoke on Saturday with the support of goalkeeping coach Phil Hughes.
Ferguson Jr: Darren Ferguson, son of Manchester United boss Alex, has been appointed Preston manager. Ferguson, 37, left fellow Championship side Peterborough United in November having taken the club to successive promotions.
Stankevicius: Sevilla have agreed a deal with Sampdoria to take defender Marius Stankevicius on loan until the end of the season. The agreement includes an option for the Andalusians to buy the 28-year-old Lithuania international.
Ronaldo: Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo is the most popular sports star on Facebook, the sports daily Marca reported. The flamboyant footballer could count 3.2 million fans on his social network site yesterday, putting him ahead of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer with 3.18 million and US swimmer Michael Phelps, 2.86 million.
Berger quits: Sparta Prague's former Czech international midfielder Patrik Berger has announced that he is retiring because of recurrent injuries. Sparta Prague coach Jozef Chovanec said that the 36-year-old had informed him of his decision on Tuesday. Berger was capped 44 times and scored 18 goals for the Czech Republic between 1993 and 2001.
Chygrynskiy: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has backed Dmytro Chygrynskiy after a poor performance by the Ukraine defender in Tuesday's 2-1 King's Cup defeat by Sevilla provoked whistles from the home fans at the Nou Camp. "Dima is a fantastic player and the more he gets whistled the more support we will give him because he has many years ahead of him here," Guardiola said.
King's Cup: Last 16, first legs - Celta Vigo vs Villarreal 1-1; Valencia vs Deportivo 1-2; Alcorcon vs R. Santander 2-3. Played Tuesday - Barcelona vs Sevilla 1-2.
Formula One: Sauber will launch their 2010 car at Spain's Valencia circuit on Jan. 31. Sauber have signed Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi with his team-mate yet to be decided.
Rallying: German driver Mirco Schultis will not be prosecuted over the death of a female spectator during the opening stage of the Dakar Rally at the weekend, a judicial source confirmed yesterday. Prosecutor Walter Guzman has decided not to take action against Schultis because the 28-year-old victim was standing in a "non-authorised" sector.
Cricket: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will take no action against England players for allegedly interfering with the condition of the ball during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands. The ICC said the umpires had viewed the footage of the incidents and decided not to bring a charge against any player.
Basket, NBA: Miami Heat have transferred guard Chris Quinn and a 2012 second-round draft pick to the NJ Nets in exchange for a 2010 conditional second-round draft pick, the NBA team said. Quinn, who joined the Heat in 2006 as an undrafted free agent, has not appeared this season for Miami but has played in 168 games with 26 starts with the Florida team.
Rugby Union: Leinster and Ireland centre Brian O'Driscoll has been named as the player of the last decade by Rugby World magazine. O'Driscoll, who last year skippered Ireland to their first Six Nations Grand Slam and helped Leinster win the European Cup, has been a major figure in world rugby since 2000. Richie McCaw, the only player to win the IRB award twice, had to be content with a place in Rugby World's team of the decade, with England's 2003 World Cup winning captain, Martin Johnson, deemed the best choice as skipper.