Fla. International penalized

? Florida International was placed on four years’ probation by the NCAA on Wednesday and will lose scholarships for a variety of infractions.

More than 40 athletes who competed for the school from the 2002-03 through the 2006-07 academic years violated rules, said Josephine Potuto, chairwoman of the NCAA committee on infractions. The school, which jumped from NCAA Division I-AA to Division I-A, misapplied enrollment and financial-aid rules, transfer requirements and eligibility rules, the NCAA found.

The men’s basketball program lost one scholarship, and its baseball program lost 1.5. The football program was stripped of three scholarships.