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Sports Briefs

■Soccer
Beckham a pop star: Pele
English soccer captain David Beckham may be a hero to millions of fans worldwide, but for Brazilian soccer legend Pele he is more a pop star than an athlete. "The problem with Beckham is that he married the most famous Spice Girl and now he is more of a pop star than a soccer player," Pele told reporters on Thursday during a visit to Mexico City to promote the impotence drug Viagra. "People want players to be stars rather than footballers," Pele added.

■ Field Hockey
Dutch aim for title defense
The Netherlands will aim to be the first country since 1992 to retain the Champions Trophy when they begin the defense of their title today. The Dutch side's toughest opposition is likely to come from Australia, India and Pakistan after world champions Germany decided to send only their development squad to the Amsterdam tournament. Germany chose not to field their strongest team because of the Trophy's close proximity to September's European Nations Cup in Barcelona, the winner of which gains automatic qualification to next year's Olympic Games in Athens.

■ Football
49ers beat Raiders
Ken Dorsey threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to fullback Matt Stanley with 2:19 left, giving the San Francisco 49ers a 14-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Thursday in the annual Battle of the Bay exhibition game. Rick Mirer led the Raiders to the San Francisco 9 in the final minute, but the veteran quarterback fumbled a fourth-down snap with 26 seconds remaining. Dorsey, who led the University of Miami to 38 victories and a national title during a prolific college career, had another strong game in his fight to make the 49ers' roster. Playing for his favorite childhood team against its cross-Bay rivals, the seventh-round draft choice was just 6-of-15 for 47 yards -- but he made all of the most important throws during a 71-yard drive.

■ Motor racing
F1 boss confirms GP loss
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone confirmed on Thursday that the Canadian Grand Prix won't be on the schedule next season. Race organizers last week said Ecclestone told them in a letter the race was to be dropped because of a ban on tobacco advertising in Canada that goes into effect in October. Ecclestone initially denied the claim, but issued a statement on Thursday saying the Montreal event would be scrapped. "I can confirm that a letter was written to the Canadian race promoter following a meeting I had with him when I informed him the Canadian round of the FIA Formula One championship would not be included in the 2004 calendar," Ecclestone said.

■ Basketball
Bryant 911 mystery solved
The emergency call Kobe Bryant made the day before he surrendered to police on a sexual assault charge was for medical assistance for his wife, city documents showed. Police found no criminal conduct, and no report was taken, according to the documents released Wednesday by the city attorney's office. The documents were supplied to several media outlets that had requested transcripts of the 911 call early on July 3. Those requests were denied. Police said previously the Los Angeles Lakers star hung up the phone without talking, but a dispatcher called back and spoke to three people, including Bryant. Paramedics arrived 15 minutes later.

Agencies
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