AC Milan ropes in Redondo from Real

“Signing Redondo effectively brings our transfer activity to an end,” he said.

Galliani said the transfer, bitterly opposed by Real supporters, had reminded him of the signing of Dutch international Frank Rijkaard from Sporting Lisbon 12 years ago when Milan were the dominant power in Europe.

“They didn’t want him (Rijkaard) to go. The same thing happened on Thursday outside the Bernabeu. We had to leave through the back door in the end but it all went okay,” he said.

Galliani said he had met Redondo at Real’s training camp in Switzerland and the player had told him “that his father had always hoped to see him play for Milan.”

He said the contracts had been filed with the league authorities and Redondo would link up with the team next week and would be available for Champions League selection.

FIFA refuses to comment

Zurich: Soccer’s World governing body FIFA has confirmed it had received South Africa’s appeal against Germany’s winning bid to host the 2006 World Cup, but declined further comment.

Spokesman Andrin Cooper said FIFA would not comment until general secretary Michel zen Ruffinen, a legal expert, returned later this week from vacation.

In Beijing on Thursday, Walter Gagg, director of FIFA’s development division, was reported saying South Africa’s appeal had no chance.

Cooper said Gagg’s statement should not be considered official. He said he was only “referring to the position FIFA took on July 10” that the vote was fair and irreversible.

Overmars, Petit join Barca

LONDON: English Premiership club Arsenal on Friday confirmed they have agreed to sell French midfielder Emmanuel Petit and Dutch winger Marc Overmars to Spanish giant Barcelona.

A club spokesman refused to disclose the combined fee for the two players but suggested the figure was close to 27 million pounds ($40.5 million). Both players have yet to agree personal terms and pass medicals.

It was believed that Overmars was valued at round 20 million pounds and Petit in the region of seven million.

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein spent hours locked in overnight talks with Barca’s new president Joan Gaspart until the early hours of this morning to settle the fee.

Paraguay hold Bolivia

LA PAZ: Bolivia and Paraguay played to a grim goaless draw on Thursday, the third of five South American qualifiers this week to end 0-0.

Paraguay, fresh from last week’s 2-1 win over brazil, celebrated as they picked up a valuable away point in La Paz, which lies 3,600 metres above sea level and is always a difficult venue for visiting teams.

Bolivia, who depend heavily on the advantage of playing at high altitude, were left to curse the loss of two more home points.

The point allowed Paraguay to move into fourth place in the South American World Cup qualifying group with 10 points from six games.

Bolivia stayed ninth with five points, behind Peru on goal difference and with a 2002 World Cup appearance begining to look like a distant dream.

Anti hooligan law

LONDON: The British Parliament passed emergency measures to counter football hooliganism by English fans on Thursday, despite reservations regarding the implications for civil liberties.

The Football (disorder) Bill looks set to become law during August ahead of international games in September and after it was rushed through the lower and upper houses in response to violence by England fans in Charleroi and Brussels during the Euro 2000 tournament last month.

international matches and the parliamentary summer recess. Dpa ag db0541 pne

Skibbe to assist Voeller

FRANKFURT: Former Dortmund coach Michael Skibbe has been appointed to assist German National football team chief Rudi Voeller, the German football federation (DFB) announced on Thursday.

The appointment, which had been expected for several days, is part of a complete revamp of the German coaching staff following the team’s disappointing showing at the recent Euro 2000.

Korean chief plans to resign

SEOUL: The chairman of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup organising committee, who was under pressure from the South Korean government, announced on Thursday that he planned to resign from his post.

Park seh Jik, who was elected committee chairman in 1998 and confirmed in the post two years later, will leave office early next month unless he is persuaded not to do so by South Korea’s president Kim dae Jung, a committee spokesman said.

Thw 67-year-old Park said he decided to step down in order to guarantee “a successful hosting of the World Cup”. South Korea and Japan are the co-hosts of the 2002 world football championship tournament.