Sports Briefs

Phil Neville to leave women's coaching job next year

LONDON (AP): Phil Neville will step down from coaching the England women's team when his contract expires next year, missing out on leading the country at the rescheduled European Championship in 2022.

The former Manchester United player could still coach the British Olympic team. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Games have been pushed back a year to July 2021 — the endpoint for Neville's England contract.

Sue Campbell, the English Football Association's director of women's football, said she “will now discuss next steps” about the Olympics with the British Olympic Association and the federations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Olympics start in July 2021.

The 43-year-old Neville, who took charge of England in January 2018, took the Lionesses to the semi-finals of the World Cup last year in his first job in women’s football.

But seven of the last 11 games have been lost, a dismal run that started with the semi-final loss to the US and included a defeat in a reunion with the world champions at the invitational SheBelieves Cup last month.

 

Dier charged by English FA

LONDON (AP): Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier was charged with misconduct by England's Football Association on Thursday for climbing into the stands after a match to confront a fan who apparently had a disagreement with Dier's brother.

The FA says Dier's actions were “improper and/or threatening". He has until May 8 to respond.

Dier had to be held back after vaulting advertising hoardings and clambering over several rows of seats to confront the spectator after Tottenham lost to Norwich in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup on March 4.

Stewards intervened, and the 26-year-old Dier was escorted to the locker rooms.

The incident evoked memories of Eric Cantona's assault on a Crystal Palace fan after being sent off while playing for Manchester United in a Premier League game in 1995. Cantona was banned for eight months and also charged with assault by police.

 

Spanish court sentences nine to prison for match-fixing

MADRID (AP): A court in Spain sentenced nine former football executives, players, and businessmen to prison yesterday after finding them guilty of colluding to fix the result of matches.

It is the first time someone has been sent to prison for match-fixing in Spain.

The investigation focused on two matches at the end of the 2013-14 season in which Osasuna’s executives paid two Real Betis players to influence the outcomes.

A court in the region of Navarra issued a sentence yesterday that declared that former Osasuna executives paid former Betis players Antonio Amaya and Xabier Torres to encourage them to beat Real Valladolid in the penultimate match and then lose against Osasuna in the last match of the season. The court sentenced Amaya and Torres to one year of prison.

Former Osasuna executive Angel Vizcay received the longest sentence of eight years and eight months.