FIFA approve video technology trial
CARDIFF: Football’s rule-makers on Saturday approved in-game trials with video assistance for referees as Gianni Infantino used the start of his FIFA presidency to push innovation in the sport. Tests initially will be in private before moving to a live pilot phase with replay assistance by the 2017-18 season at the latest, the International Football Association Board’s annual meeting decided. IFAB rejected allowing coaches to have appeals where videos of incidents could be examined. The use of video will be restricted to referees ruling whether a goal has been scored, a penalty should be awarded and a player should be sent off or in cases of mistaken identity. A large multi-camera operation will be required for games where video assistance is used rather than just three cameras. The experiment is set to see a video assistant referee given access to replay monitors and will review actions on the request of the referee or by proactively alerting referees to uncertain incidents.
Indian TT team win two golds
Kuala lumpur: Indian men’s and women’s team scripted history by clinching the gold medals at the second division of the World Table Tennis Team Championship with superb victories over luxemburg and Brazil respectively here on Saturday. Indian eves beat luxemburg 3-1 in the event final of the Second Division, while their male counterparts overcame a stiff Brazil 3-2 here. India had sealed their entry in the Champions Division last night after reaching the finals. Incidentally, this was the first time ever that the women’s team kept a clean slate — eight wins — in the first and the second stages. The men, on the other hand, bounced back after losing their only group match against Nigeria to achieve the exceptional honours.
‘India, SA favourites for WT20’
New Delhi: Swashbuckling former India opener Virender Sehwag on Saturday picked India, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies as the teams which will make the semifinals of the World T20 starting in India on March 8. Sehwag has already picked hosts India as favourites to win the coveted title for the second time.”Apart from India I would pick New Zealand in their group. The teams to watch out from other group will be South Africa and West Indies. India remain favourites to repeat the feat of 2007. They are playing good cricket at the moment and the combinations are working well,” Sehwag told PTI on the sidelines of the Royal Stag Perfect Strokes event. India are yet to lose to Pakistan in a world event and of late have had an upper hand over the arch-rivals.
Mumbai hold Salgaocar 2-2
Vasco: Mumbai FC scored two penalty goals as they rallied to hold Salgaocar FC to a 2-2 draw in an 11th round I-league football match at Tilak Stadium on Saturday. The draw takes Salgaocar FC’s tally to nine points from 11 matches. With their third successive draw, Mumbai FC are now on 12 points from 11 matches. The match was fought evenly as both the teams tried to gauge each other’s strength initially which saw play confined mostly to midfield. Salgaocar FC, whose morale was high after they beat East Bengal, set the early tone as they tried to get past the rival defence. Both the teams were unable to break rival defence as ball was confined to midfield in the early part of the first half.