* Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala's body is to be returned to Argentina on Friday, the mayor of his hometown of Progreso, Julio Muller, told AFP on Tuesday (Feb 12). Sala's body was recovered from plane wreckage in the English Channel last week.
* Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman has said the club will pay the 15 million pound transfer fee to Nantes for Emiliano Sala "if contractually obliged".
* Badminton great Lee Chong Wei aims to make his comeback in April at the Malaysia Open after a cancer battle, a month later than he originally hoped, an official confirmed Tuesday. The three-time Olympic silver medallist and former world number has been on the sidelines since July last year when he was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer.
* Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus has been ruled out of the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday due to a thigh injury, the club has said.
* Japan swim queen Rikako Ikee, the poster girl for next year's Tokyo Olympics, has been diagnosed with leukaemia, the 18-year-old tweeted on Tuesday.
* Gordon Banks, the goalkeeper in England's 1966 World Cup-winning team, has died at the age of 81, his former club Stoke City said on Tuesday. Banks won 73 caps for England between 1963 and 1972 and made nearly 200 appearances for Stoke before his playing career was brought to an end in a car crash that cost him his sight in one eye.
* In memory of Emiliano Sala, a minute's silence will be observed at all Champions League and Europa League games this week, UEFA said on Tuesday.
* Former Germany and Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger was named the new sporting director of Bundesliga strugglers VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday. The 36-year-old takes over after predecessor Michael Reschke was sacked as Sunday's 3-0 defeat at Fortuna Duesseldorf left them winless in their last six games.
* Ramon Zenhaeusern skied a superb final heat to snatch gold for Switzerland in the team event at the Alpine skiing world championships in Are, edging out Marco Schwarz of Austria in the last leg of the final.
* Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has backed the introduction of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) into the Champions League ahead of their last-16 first leg at Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday.
* The governing body for chess launched a campaign on Tuesday for the game to be included at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) called for faster formats of traditional chess, called rapid and blitz, to be included on the Olympic programme.
