Tuesday, August 1, 2006; E02
Two Israeli clubs in the UEFA Cup will play their home qualifying matches in neutral countries.
UEFA said yesterday it made the decision in view of the security situation in the region, where Israel is fighting Hezbollah. UEFA still hasn't decided on the venues.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC will play its home tie against Domzale of Slovenia on Aug. 8, and Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv is at home against Lokomotiv Sofia of Bulgaria on Aug. 10.
Israel Football Association chairman Iche Menachem rejected the decision and asked UEFA officials to visit the country.
UEFA said it will decide next Monday whether Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem will host Romania's Dinamo Bucharest in a second-leg match on Aug. 24.
Meanwhile, UEFA will also decide Monday whether Maccabi Haifa will play in Israel against Liverpool in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.
Liverpool is at home for the first leg on Aug. 9, with the second leg set for Israel two weeks later.
· TRACK AND FIELD: Justin Gatlin 's coach could face a two-year suspension if the Olympic and world champion sprinter is found guilty of a second doping violation, the sport's international governing body said.
"Once we have enough evidence to prove it, then we have the power to prosecute him," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said of Trevor Graham .
The International Association of Athletics Federations will only act should evidence link Graham to any doping violations and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency decides not to take action against him, Davies said. Gatlin said Saturday he had been informed by the USADA that he tested positive for testosterone or other steroids after a relay race in Kansas in April. He said he has never knowingly taken banned substances.
Graham is under investigation by authorities for his links to the BALCO doping case.
· AUTO RACING: The Busch Series team that put David Gilliland on the NASCAR map folded, an indication that the upstart driver has accepted a better ride.
Gilliland shocked the NASCAR world by winning the Busch race at Kentucky Speedway in June driving for Clay Andrews Racing, a part-time team. The victory earned Gilliland numerous offers from top-level organizations, and he said two weeks ago that he was talking to 10 different car owners.
Andrews apparently saw it as a sign that he couldn't keep the 30-year-old Gilliland and decided to close his operation. . . .
The turmoil at Robert Yates Racing continued when crew chiefs Tommy Baldwin and Slugger Labbe were released from their contracts.
Their departure comes during a chaotic time for the once-proud team. Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler are leaving at the end of the season, giving Yates two empty seats to fill and a lack of quality drivers to choose from.
Yates gave no reason for the crew chief departures, announcing only that Cully Barraclough would take over Sadler's team and Butch Hylton will be in charge of Jarrett's team beginning with Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· SWIMMING: Germany set a world record in the women's 400-meter freestyle relay at the European championships in Budapest. The time was 3 minutes 35.22 seconds.
The record was held by Australia with a time of 3:35.94, set at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The Germans swimmers were Petra Dallmann , Daniela Goetz , Britta Steffen and Annika Liebs .
· PRO BASKETBALL: The Milwaukee Bucks traded center Jamaal Magloire to the Portland Trail Blazers for former Maryland guard Steve Blake , forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin . . . .
The Memphis Grizzlies re-signed guard Chucky Atkins to a one-year contract. Atkins averaged 11.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 43 games with the Grizzlies after signing with them on Jan. 23 -- five days after agreeing to a buyout of his contract with Washington.
· RUNNING: A 43-year-old man died Sunday while running the San Francisco Marathon in what appeared to be the first fatality in the race's 29-year history.
William Goggins , of San Francisco, collapsed from apparent heart failure as he was approaching the 23-mile mark of the 26.2-mile race, authorities said.
-- From News Services