* Nantes were fined a total of €21,000 (US$23,800) by the French league's disciplinary committee on Wednesday (Feb 20) after supporters set off flares during tributes for the late Emiliano Sala.
* Kylian Mbappe scored his 20th goal in 19 Ligue 1 appearances this season as French champions Paris St Germain thrashed Montpellier 5-1 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday to go 15 points clear at the top.
* Roger Federer confirmed his participation for this year's Madrid Open on Wednesday (Feb 20), marking his return to the European clay court season after two years away.
* Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber suffered a surprise last 16 exit from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after being beaten by unseeded Hsieh Su-wei 5-7 6-4 6-0 on Wednesday.
* Manchester City's owners City Football Group announced the purchase of Chinese third-tier club Sichuan Jiuniu on Wednesday (Feb 20) - in partnership with a Chinese investment fund and a company that makes robots.
* Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira could be out of action for over a month while he undergoes treatment after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, according to reports in Italy on Wednesday (Feb 20).
* Former world number two Steve Stricker will captain the 2020 United States Ryder Cup team, the PGA of America said on Wednesday. Stricker, 51, was clear favourite to succeed Jim Furyk as captain for the biennial event against Europe, which will next be played at Whistling Straits in his home state of Wisconsin.
* Arsenal manager Unai Emery has challenged troubled star Mesut Ozil to prove his worth after a season marred by injuries and illness. Ozil has failed to repay Arsenal's decision to hand him a lucrative new contract last season that made him one of the Premier League's top earners.
* Russian returnee Daniil Kvyat put his Honda-powered Toro Rosso on top of Formula One's testing timesheets at the Circuit de Catalunya on Wednesday with the fastest lap yet in 2019. After former Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen led the way for Alfa Romeo in the morning, Kvyat went quicker at the end of the day with a lap of one minute 17.704 seconds on the softest and fastest type of tyre.
* The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday it had banned United Arab Emirates-based coach Irfan Ansari from all cricket for 10 years after he was found guilty of corruption.
