Football | Rule-makers discuss approving video replay trials

Martin Glenn

Soccer’s rule-makers are discussing whether to approve trials of video replays to assist referees who find it harder to keep up with the faster, modern game. The International Football Association Board was meeting yesterday in London, and in-game tests, which England is keen to host, could be sanctioned. English FA chief executive Martin Glenn told AP “referees have never been fitter but players are getting quicker. So those difficult snap-shot decisions at high speed are ones where certainly the English FA would think technology might help, and we’ve just got to test that.” FIFA controls half of the eight votes on IFAB, which also features four United Kingdom football associations. Six votes get a motion approved. Systems that determine if the ball crossed the line were approved in 2012.

Terence “Bud” Crawford

Boxing | Terence Crawford will defend title against Lundy on Feb. 27

Unbeaten Terence “Bud” Crawford will defend his WBO junior welterweight title against Hank Lundy on Feb. 27 at Madison Square Garden. Crawford, from Omaha, Nebraska, is 27-0 with 19 knockouts. Crawford stopped Dierry Jean in the 10th round in his last fight, in November, and had hoped to get a shot at Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao, however, chose Timothy Bradley as his final opponent before he retires. Crawford, who also holds the WBO lightweight belt, is 5-0 in title fights. Lundy, from Philadelphia, is 26-5-1 with 13 knockouts. Top Rank also said yesterday that WBO Latino lightweight champ Felix Verdejo of Puerto Rico will fight William Silva of Brazil as part of the card.

Russian Athletics Federation President Valentin Balakhnichev, right, and deputy mayor of Moscow Alexander Gorbenkov, left

Athletics | Diack’s son, 2 Russians banned for life in IAAF scandal

The son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack and two Russian officials were banned from track and field for life on Thursday after an investigation into blackmail, extortion and doping cover-ups. A fourth official, former IAAF anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle, received a five-year ban from the ethics commission of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Banned for life were Papa Massata Diack, who worked as an IAAF marketing consultant; former Russian athletics federation head Valentin Balakhnichev, who was also honorary treasurer of the IAAF; and Alexei Melnikov, former head coach of Russia’s race-walking and long-distance running programs. The sanctions centered on the case of Russian marathoner Liliya Shobukhova, who was allegedly extorted out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid a doping ban before the 2012 London Olympics.