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Sports in brief

 
Published March 15, 2016

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

NICKERSON, HAYES-STOKER JOIN LOVIE

New Illinois coach Lovie Smith officially hired former Bucs assistant Hardy Nickerson as defensive coordinator. Smith also named Colts assistant Andrew Hayes-Stoker as wide receivers coach. Nickerson, who had been hired to coach the 49ers linebackers this season, and Hayes-Stoker both worked with Smith in Chicago and Tampa Bay.

FLORIDA: Coach Jim McElwain said offensive lineman Travaris Dorsey and K Austin Hardin are transferring.

TENNIS

Murray falls at Indian Wells

Andy Murray was upset in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., losing 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) to 53rd-ranked Federico Delbonis of Argentina. Delbonis scored the biggest win of his career, outlasting the second-seeded Murray in a 2-hour, 46-minute struggle.

SOCCER

Three South Africans banned

FIFA banned three more former South African Football Association officials over match-fixing in friendly games ahead of the country's hosting of the 2010 World Cup. Former SAFA chief executive Leslie Sedibe was banned for five years and fined $20,200. The governing body also banned Steve Goddard and Adeel Carelse, both former officials at SAFA's referees department, for two years each.

WORLD CUP: FIFA canceled Kuwait's two scheduled qualifying matches this month and opened a disciplinary case against its soccer federation.

PREMIER LEAGUE: Shinji Okazaki's overhead kick gave leader Leicester a 1-0 victory over Newcastle.

CEO TO RESIGN: Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre, who restored stability to a club that was on the brink of bankruptcy six years ago, has decided to leave the role next year.

FA CUP: Manchester United will play Everton in the semifinals if Louis van Gaal's side beats West Ham in a quarterfinal replay. The other semifinal on the weekend of April 23-24 at Wembley Stadium will see Crystal Palace play Watford.

ET CETERA

AUTOS: Four-time IndyCar Scott Dixon and four-time Champ Car champ Sebastien Bourdais were named to Chip Ganassi's four-car Ford team for June's 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Bourdais, a Le Mans native, resides in St. Petersburg.

IDITAROD: Reigning champion Dallas Seavey leads the 2016 race as mushers move up the Bering Sea coast.

Times wires