Soccer: Natcho headed to Kazan

Draw will decide Israel’s Euro qualifying order.

By ALLON SINAI
Israel midfielder Bibras Natcho will officially sign for Russian champion Rubin Kazan on Monday after watching his new club claim the Russian super cup on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over CSKA Moscow.
The 22-year-old will undergo a medical in the Tatarstan capital on Monday after which he is set to put pen to paper on a four-year contract that will earn him a reported 500,000 euros a year.
“This has been my goal since I was a small kid,” said Natcho, who leaves Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he has played for his entire career.
“Things change quickly, but this is the life of a soccer player and I’m happy with where I am today.”
Hapoel, which was knocked out of the Europa League by Kazan just over a week ago, was desperate to hold on to Natcho’s services. However, with his contract at the club due to end this summer, Tel Aviv realized that this was its last chance to cash in on the midfielder and reluctantly accepted Kazan’s 650,000-euro offer.
Also Sunday, Hapoel Ramat Gan took a significant step towards Premier League survival with a surprise 2-1 victory at Bnei Yehuda.
Mor Golan (5) and Shay Hadad (50) scored for the visitors, with Eliran Atar (59) netting Bnei Yehuda’s consolation goal.
The win takes Ramat Gan eight points clear of the relegation zone, with Bnei Yehuda remaining in fourth position, just three points clear of Ashdod SC.
In other Israeli soccer news, the order of the matches in Israel’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign will be determined in a draw after four-and-a-half hours of discussions between the representatives of the six teams in Group F ended in a stalemate in Athens on Sunday.
“I’m sorry we didn’t manage to come to an agreement,” Israel Football Association chairman Avi Luzon said.
“A UEFA draw will now have to decide the order.”
Israel was placed in Group F with Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Georgia and Malta and its campaign will get underway in September.