After loss, McClaren is fired as England’s coach

England fired Coach Steve McClaren on Thursday, a day after failing to qualify for the 2008 European Championship by losing at home to Croatia.

Football Assn. Chairman Geoff Thompson said McClaren’s contract had been terminated along with that of assistant Terry Venables.

Needing only a draw at Wembley Stadium to qualify for Euro 2008, England was beaten, 3-2, by Croatia on Wednesday night. Croatia had already qualified, and the other spot from Group E went to Russia.

It was the first time since the 1994 World Cup that England had failed to qualify for a major championship and first since 1984 that the team will miss the Euros.

Some Croatian soccer players will get Mercedes cars from Russian oil billionaire Leonid Fedun for their part in eliminating England from the 2008 European Championship.

“I will carry out my promise,” Fedun, deputy chief executive and shareholder of OAO Lukoil, said, according to the Moscow-based company’s news service.

MISCELLANY

Legal dispute postpones 2009 America’s Cup

The 2009 America’s Cup was postponed because of a legal dispute between Golden Gate Yacht Club and two-time defending champion Alinghi’s Societe Nautique de Geneve over the rules for the next race.

Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith has agreed not to move Lowe’s Motor Speedway from Concord, N.C., in exchange for $80 million in government perks, the Charlotte Observer reported.

The Washington Capitals fired Coach Glen Hanlon and replaced him on an interim basis with minor league coach Bruce Boudreau.

The Minnesota Wild claimed left wing Todd Fedoruk off reentry waivers from the Dallas Stars.

The International Ski Federation banned Austrian cross-country skiers Martin Tauber, Johannes Eder and Roland Diethart for two years for their role in the doping scandal at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

Monaco will play host to the start of the Tour de France in 2009.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, who suffered a concussion last weekend at Texas Tech, was cleared to play Saturday against Oklahoma State.

The United States defeated Bulgaria, 29-27, 20-25, 28-30, 25-22, 15-12, at the volleyball Men’s World Cup at Toyama, Japan.

The International Assn. of Athletics Federations, the world governing body of track and field, will meet today to discuss Marion Jones’ doping case, including whether to officially erase her Olympic and world championship results. Jones’ relay teammates could also lose their medals.

PASSINGS

Johnson coached Bruins to Stanley Cup win in 1972

Tom Johnson, the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman who coached the Boston Bruins to their last Stanley Cup title in 1972, has died. He was 79.