| FC Thun players charged for alleged sex with minor
Six current and three former FC Thun soccer players were charged Tuesday for allegedly having sexual relations with a minor. Five other individuals, who are not soccer players, also face charges, the office of the investigating magistrate of the Bernese Alps said. .
Balanced schedule on NHL agenda
The NHL owners have a busy agenda as they gather this week in picturesque Pebble Beach, Calif., but they'll still find time to squeeze in a little golf. The annual two-day board of governors meeting, the most important of the year, goes tomorrow and Friday and should finally bring about a new format for the schedule. It means every team will play one another starting next season. "There's quite a large sentiment for change," said Edmonton Oilers president and CEO Patrick LaForge. Other main items on this week's agenda include: - A vote on the sale of the Predators to a local group in Nashville. - A thorough discussion of the on-ice product. Scoring is down, but what should be done? - A look at the finances, including last season's final numbers and an early season projection on this season's revenue figures.
VAT wants a piece of the action
The customs agency is seeking to levy a new tax worth tens of millions of shekels on soccer clubs that import foreign players, the Israel Football Association claimed yesterday. The IFA has already helped clubs petition the courts against this demand.
Since Arcadi Gaydamak took over Beitar Jerusalem, competitiveness - and thus salaries - has jumped significantly, and the tax authorities apparently want in. .
Wood is first-team All-American
• Penn State's Kiersten Wood, a senior from Warwick, was named to the NCAA Division I All-America first team in field hockey last week.
Wood, a midfielder, had six goals and five assists for 17 points for the Nittany Lions (16-8).
Penn State (16-8) beat No. 3 Maryland and No. 2 Wake Forest before falling to No. 1 North Carolina 3-0 in the NCAA title game last Sunday in College Park, Md.
Wood was one of four Lancaster County players named to the All-America team, which is voted on by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Temple's Alli Lokey, a senior from Elizabethtown, was a second-team selection. Lokey, a midfielder, led the Owls with 18 goals and 10 assists for 46 points.
Iowa's Meghan Beamesderfer and Michigan's Paige Laytos, both sophomores from Warwick, were named to the third team.
Flyers hit quarter in stride
The Flyers reach the quarter mark of the season with today's Black Friday matinee against the Washington Capitals. So, where is John Stevens' team right now? It already has seven more wins than it had last season at this point. This is Game 2 of a five-game segment that closes out November. "We're pretty happy where we are right now," defenseman Kimmo Timonen said. "Our team can get better; we can play better. I expected us to win games, and we have. But it's time to get it going." The feeling on the team and staff is that the Flyers' true face still hasn't appeared. Some players, such as Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall, need to boost their games. Carter, in particular, began the season with four goals in his first seven games but has just one goal in his last 11. "I was happy with the start; I got some bounces and things going my way," Carter said.
England's McClaren given boot
England has the wealthiest soccer league in the world, with matches screened across the globe and business tycoons from the United States, Russia and Asia lining up to own the clubs. So why can't England put 11 Englishmen on the field to succeed on the international level? Steve McClaren became the latest coach to pay the price Thursday, getting fired after England's 3-2 loss Wednesday at home to Croatia meant the team failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship. While the likes of World Cup champion Italy, Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal will be out to try to take the title away from Greece, England's stars — including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen — will have to watch the games on TV. The Football Association now has plenty of time to search for a coach who can lift the nation credited with establishing the modern game to the same level.
Cruel defeat snuffs out European dream
IN THE end, the emotions were not so much mixed as scrambled to the four corners of Hampden. We had seen Italy score in 70 seconds, we had seen them dominate the early minutes with some chilling football that not only took the fire out of the home support but also shocked Alex McLeish's team to the core. But in the final stages of the game it was the world champions who had the heat coming on them, their lead wiped-out by a scrambled Barry Ferguson goal just after the hour, their assurance of before in danger of being stripped away. With ten minutes remaining, Scotland drove forward once again, the substitute Kenny Miller linking with James McFadden and sending the most delicious ball across the Italian penalty area. The Azzurri were at sixes and sevens, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta, two of the game's pre-eminent defenders from two of the world's most glamorous clubs, were over-run.
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