Cech, who has played nine internationals, becomes the eighth signing since Dutch coach Co Adriaanse took charge of Porto in June.

Porto have started the season with two successive wins.

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Peru's Solano returns to Newcastle

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Peruvian midfielder Nolberto Solano has rejoined Newcastle United after 18 months at Aston Villa, Newcastle said on their website on Wednesday.

Solano, 30, left St James' Park for Villa in January 2004 after making over 200 appearances in nearly six years at Newcastle.

The Peruvian, who has signed a two-year contract, cost Newcastle a reported 1.5 million pounds ($2.68 million) with forward James Milner joining Villa on loan as part of the deal.

"It's great to be back at Newcastle and I hope we can have a really successful season here," Solano told the Newcastle website.

Solano will replace Jermaine Jenas, who joined Spurs on Wednesday, in the Newcastle squad and will link up with England striker Michael Owen, the club's major signing of the week as they try to improve on a dismal start to the season.

Newcastle are one place off the bottom of the Premier League table with just one point from four matches.
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Miccoli signs for Benfica on loan deal

LISBON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Italy striker Fabrizio Miccoli has joined Benfica after the Portuguese champions agreed a one-year loan deal with Juventus, the club said on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old international, who scored 12 goals last season for Fiorentina, completes Benfica coach Ronald Koeman's transfer dealings after Greek midfielder Giorgos Karagounis signed a three-contract on Tuesday.

Benfica have made their worst start to a season since 1977, with one draw and one defeat and no goals in two games. The Lisbon side are 14th in the 18-team Portuguese standings.
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Scottish league leaders Hearts sign Camazzola

GLASGOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Scottish Premier League leaders Hearts signed Brazilian midfielder Samuel Almeida Camazzola on a season-long deal on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, who moves from Brazilian side Juventude, becomes the eighth signing since George Burley took charge in June.

"We have said all along that to qualify for Europe we need to add depth in certain areaas of the squad and this is a signing which does that," Burley told the club's website.

The Edinburgh side have made a perfect start to the season with five consecutive league wins.

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LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Real Madrid signed Spanish defender Sergio Ramos for 27 million euros just before the end of a hectic transfer deadline day on Wednesday.

Real used the funds from the sale of Michael Owen to buy Ramos, stealing the thunder of England's Tottenham Hotspur who had been the busiest club with the signings of Jermaine Jenas and Lee Young-pyo and sale of Erik Edman.

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Real bought Ramos out of his contract with Sevilla after the player's brother deposited the money with the Spanish Professional Football League (LFP) just 10 minutes before the deadline expired.

"Real Madrid and the player Sergio Ramos deposited the buy-out clause after an assurance from Sevilla that this would not be seen as a hostile move," Real Madrid said in a statement.

The highly rated 19-year-old, who will sign an eight-year contract with Real, is the sixth most expensive signing in the club's history and the first Spaniard to arrive since president Florentino Perez took power in 2000.

Tottenham swooped for England midfielder Jenas, 22, who left Premier League rivals Newcastle United after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Jenas cost Spurs a reported fee of seven million pounds ($12.49 million), and Newcastle had spent around 1.5 million of that by the end of the day to lure Peruvian midfielder Nolberto Solano back to the club after 18 months at Aston Villa.

Spurs also paid Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven around two million euros ($2.44 million) for international defender Lee, South Korea's KBS TV news reported.

Lee became the second South Korean to move to the Premier League, after former PSV team mate Park Ji-sung signed for Manchester United in June.

Sweden defender Edman left Spurs for French Ligue 1 club Stade Rennes for an undisclosed fee.

Edman, who made 31 appearances for Spurs after signing from Dutch side Heerenveen last year, put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Rennes.

PSV acted swiftly to sign a replacement for Lee when Middlesbrough's former Dutch international defender Michael Reiziger agreed a two-year deal with the Eindhoven club.

The Italian Cup winners let Dutch international midfielder Andy van der Meyde move to Everton for an undisclosed fee and allowed Greek striker Lampros Choutos to join Real Mallorca on a season-long loan.

Among the other deals to go through were Italy and Juventus striker Fabrizio Miccoli's one-year loan to Portuguese champions Benfica and Slovakia defender Marek Cech's transfer from Sparta Prague to 2004 European champions Porto.

Unbeaten Belgian first division leaders Standard Liege also swooped to sign Romania striker Marius Nicolae from Portugal's Sporting, and English Premier League Portsmouth captured Uruguay striker Dario Silva from Sevilla for an undisclosed fee and Senegal midfielder Salif Diao on loan from Liverpool.

Sunderland's Estonian international goalkeeper Mart Poom joined Arsenal on loan until January and Wigan Athletic paid an undisclosed fee to lure Ireland striker David Connolly from second division Leicester City.

Sunderland goalkeeper Poom moves to Arsenal on loan

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Sunderland's Estonian international goalkeeper Mart Poom has joined Arsenal on loan until January, the clubs said on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old Poom, with 101 Estonian caps to his name, has not played for Sunderland or his country since October 2004 after suffering a knee injury that required surgery.

He is back to full fitness but has not been able to regain his place in the first team at Sunderland, although he has been included in Estonia's squad for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

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South Korea's Lee signs for Tottenham

(Confirms with Tottenham quotes, changes dateline)

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - South Korea defender Lee Young-pyo has joined Tottenham Hotspur from PSV Eindhoven, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old is the second South Korean player to move to the English top flight after former PSV team mate Park Ji-sung joined Manchester United in June.

"He has played at PSV for three years and was in the South Korea side which reached the semi-finals of the World Cup," Tottenham head coach Martin Jol said on the club's website.

"He has played in the Champions League -- reaching the semi-finals last season -- and is the best left back in Holland.

"A number of Italian clubs would have liked to have taken him and we are happy to have got him to our club."

Lee's agent had earlier said the player had signed a contract with the London club.

"He signed the contract in the early hours of this morning," Chin Sung-won, said by telephone.

"As soon as Lee receives a work visa he will have an official ceremony to mark his joining the team."

The agent declined to give details of the terms of Lee's contract but South Korea's KBS TV news reported the transfer fee would be around two million euros ($2.47 million).

Lee and Park were both signed for PSV by Guus Hiddink after the Dutchman led South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup.

The two Koreans helped PSV win the Dutch title and reach the Champions League semi-finals last season.

原版新闻大放送(四)

Celta Vigo sign Brazilian striker Baiano

MADRID, July 22 (Reuters) - Promoted Celta Vigo have signed Brazilian striker Fernando Baiano on a three-year contract, the Primera Liga club said on Friday.

The 26-year-old Baiano joined Malaga on loan from Brazilians Sao Caetano in January and was the Spanish side's leading scorer with nine goals from 17 games.

Protracted negotiations led to Malaga, Celta and Galician rivals Deportivo Coruna competing for the player's services in the close season before he eventually agreed to join Fernando Vazquez's side.

Celta were relegated last year but returned to the top-flight after one season when they finished as runners-up to Cadiz in the second division.

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Georgian federation sack Giresse

July 22, 2005
TBILISI (AFP) - France's Alain Giresse was sacked as coach of the Georgia national team after the country's dismal performance in World Cup qualifying, the federation president Nodar Akhalkatsi said.

"Giresse has broken one of the main conditions of his contract - to clinch one of two top places in our qualifying group," Akhalkatsi said.

Giresse, 52, took over the Georgia national team in March 2004.

Georgia are currently sixth in Group Two with five points from seven matches, four points behind the fith-placed Albania.

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Brazilian coach Wortman joins Dynamo on one-year deal

MOSCOW, July 22 (Reuters) - Dynamo Moscow presented their new coach Ivo Wortman on Friday, hoping the Brazilian can turn around the fortunes of the Russian premier league club.

"I'm honoured to work with such a great European club and my aim is to make Dynamo even better and stronger," said Wortman, who signed a one-year contract on Friday.

The 55-year-old, who quit Brazilian club Juventude earlier this month, becomes the first top level coach from Latin America to work in Russia.

"I know that I'm the first Brazilian coach to come to Russia but hopefully my stay here will be a pleasant one," said Wortman who has extensive coaching experience at domestic and international level.

Dynamo's caretaker coach Andrei Kobelev, who had been in charge since former Russia manager Oleg Romantsev quit in mid-May, became Wortman's assistant.

On Friday Dynamo also unveiled four new signings, a pair of Nigerian internationals Joseph Enakarhire from Sporting Lisbon and Krylya Sovietov Samara's Patrick Ovie, Russia defender Denis Kolodin also from Samara and Porto goalkeeper Nuno.

Nuno's addition brings the number of Portuguese-speaking players at Dynamo to nine.

"It's always difficult to join the team in the middle of the season but at least, I shouldn't have any language barrier," Wortman said. "Our goal this season is to fight for the championship or at least for places in the UEFA Cup."

Dynamo have struggled since the start of the season despite their flamboyant owner Alexei Fedorychev spending almost $100 million on players since taking control of the club last year.

They are now in seventh place with 22 points from 16 matches and 16 points behind runaway leaders Lokomotiv Moscow following a 2-1 home defeat by Zenit St Petersburg on Sunday.

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Bordeaux sign Brazilian Menegazzo on loan

BORDEAUX, France, July 22 (Reuters) - Girondins Bordeaux have signed Brazilian Fernando Menegazzo from Italian Serie A club Siena on a one-year loan deal, the Ligue 1 side said on Friday.

A powerful defensive midfielder, Menegazzo is a former under-21 international who had been on loan at Serie B club Catania.

The 24-year-old is expected to play alongside French international Rio Mavuba in front of the Bordeaux defence.

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Desailly, Benarbia join Qatar Sports Club

DOHA, July 22 (Reuters) - Marcel Desailly, the former captain of France and Chelsea, has left Qatar champions Al Gharafa for first division rivals Qatar Sports Club (QSC).

The 37-year-old central defender scored six goals in 27 games to help Al Gharafa collect their fourth Qatar title last season.

Algerian midfielder Ali Benarbia, formerly of Manchester City, has also joined QSC from Qatar's Al Rayyan club.

"We are happy that these two fine players have agreed to join us. I think we now have a formidable line-up," said Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani, QSC's director of football, on Friday.

Former Argentine World Cup strikers Claudio Caniggia and Gabriel Batistuta, who were playing for QSC and Al Arabi Sports Club respectively, announced their retirements towards the end of last season.

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Guus Hiddink factbox

SYDNEY, July 22 (Reuters) - Factbox on Guus Hiddink following his appointment as Australian national coach on Friday:

1946 - Born November 8 at Wisch, Netherlands

1967 - Begins professional playing career as a midfielder at De Graafschap

1970 - Joins PSV Eindhoven

1971 - Returns to De Graafschap

1976 - Begins two year spell in U.S with Washington Diplomats and San Jose Earthquakes.

1977 - Returns to the Netherlands where he spends three years at NEC Nijmegen

1981 - Completes playing career with a final year at De Graafschap

1982 - Begins coaching career at De Graafschap

1984 - Appointed assistant manager at PSV Eindhoven before becoming manager two years later.

1986-90 - PSV win Dutch league four times in a row and Dutch Cup three times.

1988 - Treble-winning year with European Cup and Dutch league and cup triumphs

1990 - Takes over as coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce.

1991 - Spends first of spells coaching in Spain with two years at Valencia.

1995 - Appointed Dutch national coach, leads the Netherlands to quarter-finals of Euro 96, followed by semi-finals of World Cup in France in 1998.