SPORTING DIGEST: FOOTBALL

Dino Zoff, the Italy coach, has called up the two young strikers Nicola Ventola and Francesco Totti for next weekend's Euro 2000 qualifier against Switzerland. Zoff has also selected two inexperienced goalkeepers, the 20-year-old Gianluigi Buffon and Francesco Toldo, as part of his 20-man squad for the Group One match on Saturday at Udine. Christian Vieri and Roberto Baggio, Italy's first choice forwards at the World Cup are out injured.

ITALY SQUAD (European Championship qualifier vs Switzerland, Sat 10 Oct): Goalkeepers: G Buffon (Parma), F Toldo (Fiorentina); Defenders: F Cannavaro (Parma), G Favalli (Lazio), P Maldini (Milan), C Panucci (Real Madrid), G Pessotto (Juventus), M Torricelli (Fiorentina); Midfielders: D Albertini (Milan), J Bachini (Udinese), G Giannichedda (Udinese), D Baggio (Parma), D Fuser (Parma), L Di Biagio (Roma), E Di Francesco (Roma); Forwards: E Chiesa (Parma), A Del Piero (Juventus), F Inzaghi (Juventus), F Totti (Roma), N Ventola (Inter).

GERMAN SQUAD (European Championship qualifiers vs Turkey, Sat 10 Oct and Moldavia Wed 14 Oct): Goalkeepers: O Kahn (Bayern Munich), S Klos (Borussia Dortmund), J Lehmann (AC Milan); Defenders: M Babbel (Bayern Munich), M Dogan (Fenerbahce Istanbul), Y Eigenrauch (Schalke), J Nowotny (Bayer Leverkusen), M Rehmer (Hansa Rostock); Midfielders: S Beinlich (Bayer Leverkusen), M Bode (Werder Bremen), J Heinrich (Fiorentina), J Jeremies (Bayern Munich), C Nerlinger (Borussia Dortmund), C Ramelow (Bayer Leverkusen), L Ricken (Borussia Dortmund), M Tarnat (Bayern Munich), R Weber (Eintracht Frankfurt), D Wosz (Hertha Berlin); Forwards: O Bierhoff (AC Milan), C Jancker (Bayern Munich), U Kirsten (Bayer Leverkusen), O Neuville (Hansa Rostock).

Lionel Charbonnier, the Rangers goalkeeper, is in line to start France's Euro 2000 qualifier against Russia on Saturday after Fabien Barthez was ruled out with an injury. Barthez failed to make the Monaco line-up for Saturday's French league encounter with Rennes because of a strained right thigh. The France coach Roger Lemerre has called up Paris St Germain's former West Ham keeper Bernard Lama to join Charbonnier in the squad.

Doncaster Belles denied the defending Premier League champions their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory at Everton - their second defeat from three matches. Croydon also won today 3-0 over hosts Liverpool FC Ladies.

Alan Dick, the former general manager and director of Motherwell, is to become the new chief executive of Partick Thistle. Dick will leave his present position to take up his new role with the Glasgow club.

Agustmn Aranzabal, the Real Sociedad defender, has been called into the Spanish squad for the Euro 2000 qualifier against Israel in Tel Aviv on 14 October. Aranzabal replaces Barcelona's Sergi Barjuan who limped out of Saturday's 3-1 Spanish championship win over Valencia with a calf muscle strain. Sergi is expected to be sidelined for about three weeks.

The former Australian national coach Frank Arok called Australia's surprise Confederations Cup qualifying series loss to New Zealand an "incredible catastrophe" and called for a review into the coaching set up yesterday. Arok also said Soccer Australia should call off a planned Cup warm-up match against the United States next month in San Jose.