Colautti free to play for Israel

Maccabi Haifa FC's Argentinian-born striker Roberto Colautti has been given international clearance by FIFA and UEFA to represent Israel in their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers against Estonia and Andorra.

Airport dash
Colautti received his official documentation from the Israeli authorities on Tuesday, was notified of his eligibility to play on Wednesday, then dashed to the airport to board Israel's flight to Tallinn as his team-mates waited on the runway. The 24-year-old, who has scored 33 goals in 59 games for Haifa since arriving from CA Boca Juniors in 2004, said: "I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to play for Israel. The Israel Football Association deserves a lot of credit. I am delighted to join the national team."