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Soccer / Spurned Spungin has Spanish suitor, says his agent By Moshe Harush Yuval Spungin's agent says the disgruntled defender of Maccabi Tel Aviv has an offer from a Spanish first division team and will likely leave for Europe sometime this year. "Yuval's place is in Europe," said Ronen Katzav, Spungin's agent. "The goal is to find him a team there during the transfer window or at the end of the season." The young defender, who was much admired by Ran Ben Shimon, Maccabi's first coach this season, has not found favor with Avi Nimni, the general manager now running the team from the sidelines, according to team sources. Advertisement They say the poor relations between the two stood out in particular in a long, special team meeting that Nimni called Friday after the team lost to Hapoel Jerusalem in a friendly match. Spungin had not entered the game until the 50th minute and then was pulled after playing just 20 minutes. Nimni had a comment for each player, but Spungin caught his wrath in particular, players on the team say. "You're not shutting down your player like you should," yelled Nimni, referring to the first goal scored by Guy Ovadia. "Because of that we're conceding goals." Spungin's problems may have started with his injury-plagued season. He has been sidelined three times, and returned from his last absence just a month ago. Since then, he has spent most of his time watching Dor Malul filling his spot on the field. According to one member of the coaching staff, "Yuval got his chance, but he didn't take advantage of it." The problem from the player's perspective, however, is that that same chance came in a single, 45-minute appearance in the Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel. "Spungin is the best defender in the country," says one source in the team. "It's too bad the only one who doesn't think that is the general manager. No one knows what Avi Nimni has against the kid, but it's clear he doesn't count on him." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Humanitarian initiative There is a way for Israel to prove it is committed to universal moral values. Top Targets An Islamist site is compiling a list of U.K. Jews to target over Gaza op.

Read & React Bradley Burston / A Jew's prayer for the children of Gaza Responses: 52 IDF: Shelled UN school in Gaza used as hideout by Hamas Responses: 100 ANALYSIS / Using aggressive tactics in Gaza to save soldiers' lives Responses: 23 Venezuela's Chavez: Gaza operation is a Palestinian 'holocaust' Responses: 26 Amira Hass: Lucky my parents aren't alive to see Israel bomb Gaza Responses: 40 More Headlines 23:29 Israel bombs south Gaza tunnels, tells local residents to flee 01:09 Barak: If cease-fire deal doesn't meet Israel's demands, Gaza operation will continue 21:55 Clashes resume in Gaza City after 3-hour humanitarian truce 22:58 Rice: Gaza truce needed, but must not allow return to 'status quo ante' 18:30 Defense sources: Even if Hamas agrees to truce, its armed wing may resist 23:37 25 Gaza rockets strike Negev over course of Wednesday 21:27 Obama vows to 'engage immediately' on Mideast once inaugurated 12:57 A Jew's prayer for the children of Gaza 18:20 Get up to the minute coverage of the warfare in Gaza directly to your email 11:35 ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza 14:34 Report: Islamist site compiling list of U.K. Jews to target over Gaza op 20:40 In battle for public opinion, IDF Web site puts female face forward 16:14 Israel defers vote on expanding Gaza ground op amid growing truce bids 22:00 Joe the Plumber named conservative Web site's war correspondent in Israel 14:53 Nasrallah: Hezbollah will make Lebanon war look like 'a walk in the park' 01:51 German court rules Nazi hit man unfit to stand trial 01:24 IDF reserve forces receive fictitious calls for duty in Gaza 21:35 WATCH: Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Zalman Shoval on Gaza conflict 21:33 U.S. rabbi raises $100,000 to buy care packages for IDF troops in Gaza 14:19 Amira Hass / 86 hours after Gaza home shelled, family still lacks medical aid Previous Editions Select Day 07 jan 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 29 dec 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec

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