JERUSALEM, April 15 (Reuters) – An Israel Football
Association appeal court on Sunday deferred a three-point
deduction against Premier League strugglers Maccabi Petah Tikva
until next season, easing their relegation plight.

Last week a lower tribunal docked the club three points and
suspended a player and a coach as punishment for an on-pitch
brawl that broke out following their 2-1 league win against
Hapoel Haifa on March 31.

JERUSALEM, April 13 (Reuters) – Maccabi Tel Aviv have named
former Dutch international Jordi Cruyff as sports director and
he will start work at the end of the season, the club said on
Friday.

The ex-Manchester United and Barcelona forward, who is
leaving as director of football at Cypriot club AEK Larnaca,
will be presented at a news conference on Sunday.

JERUSALEM, April 10 (Reuters) – Maccabi Petah Tikva were
docked three points and had a player and a coach suspended by
the Israel Football Association (IFA) on Tuesday after an
on-pitch brawl broke out following their 2-1 Premier League win
against Hapoel Haifa.

The IFA also suspended three Hapoel players after the ugly
scenes on March 31 led to Haifa striker Ali Hatib being head
butted by Petah Tikva goalkeeping coach Ami Genish.

KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel (Reuters) – New Israeli soccer champions Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona have won their first major title, bringing hope, joy and vitality to a place better known as a target for rockets fired by militants from nearby Lebanon.

The club from Israel’s most northerly town secured the title with five matches to play after opening an unassailable 16-point lead over their nearest challengers following Monday’s 0-0 home draw with Hapoel Tel Aviv.

KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel, April 2 (Reuters) – New Israeli
soccer champions Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona have won their first
major title, bringing hope, joy and vitality to a place better
known as a target for rockets fired by militants from nearby
Lebanon.

The club from Israel’s most northerly town secured the title
with five matches to play after opening an unassailable 16-point
lead over their nearest challengers following Monday’s 0-0 home
draw with Hapoel Tel Aviv.

JERUSALEM, (Reuters) – Hapoel Kiryat Shmona won their first
Israeli league title on Monday after a 0-0 home draw with Hapoel
Tel Aviv gave them an unassailable lead over their nearest
challengers with five matches remaining.

The victory gave Kiryat Shmona 67 points from 32 matches and
opened a 16-point gap over Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv,
both on 51 points with only 15 points left to play for.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel will give sanctions on Iran a chance to work and will not attack its nuclear installations in the coming days or weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday after returning from talks in Washington.

“I am not standing with a stopwatch in hand. It is not a matter days or weeks, but also not a matter of years. Everybody understands this,” Netanyahu told commercial Channel 10 in an excerpt from a recorded interview.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Forty years after 11 Israelis were killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich Games, the families of the dead are urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize an official commemoration.

Two widows of athletes who were killed have long campaigned for the 1972 victims to be remembered at Olympic opening ceremonies – either through the IOC president’s welcome speech or with a moment of silence – but they fear their call for a commemoration in London on July 27 will again be ignored.

TEL AVIV, March 7 (Reuters) – Forty years after 11
Israelis were killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich
Games, the families of the dead are urging the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) to organise an official commemoration.

Two widows of athletes who were killed have long campaigned
for the 1972 victims to be remembered at Olympic opening
ceremonies – either through the IOC president’s welcome speech
or with a moment of silence – but they fear their call for a
commemoration in London on July 27 will again be ignored.

PETAH TIKVA, Israel, Feb 29 (Reuters) – Euro 2012
co-hosts Ukraine gave Eli Guttman a losing start to his reign as
Israel coach by registering a 3-2 victory in a friendly on
Wednesday.

The visitors dominated the first half and capitalised on
Israeli defensive errors in a fast-paced match played in driving
rain.