KARACHI: Pakistan's new cricket chief Mujeebur Rehman has asked former South Africa coach Bob Woolmer to take charge of the national team for the coming season, The Dawn newspaper reported today.

Woolmer, who has already turned down coaching offers from England and Sri Lanka, is yet to reply to the offer.

`No smoke without fire'

MUMBAI: Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan there is no smoke without fire, when asked about the match-fixing controversy ravaging Pakistan cricket.``I do not know which of the individuals have indulged in it. I have no proofs... I think at some stage maybe four or five years ago the team was involved in match fixing. I think that was the time four or five years ago when this thing erupted when action should have been taken. Not taking action at that time has caused huge amount of damage to Pakistan cricket team.''

Visas refused

EINDHOVEN: Players representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have been refused visasfor the 45th World Table Tennis Championships.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry said that without valid visas the Yugoslav team could not enter the country. However, any Yugoslav competitors playing for clubs based in the European Union in possession of a so-called Schengen passport under rules of the European treaty of that name will be admitted. Slobodan Grujic is one player who can attend because of that rule.

Jalabert in ICU

MADRID: French rider Laurent Jalabert was recovering in intensive care in a Madrid hospital today after suffering a serious fall in the Tour of Castilla and Leon.

Jalabert crashed out on the seventh stage of the event near Palencia yesterday, breaking his right collarbone and a bone in his right ear.The 1995 Tour of Spain winner was taken to the Ramon Cajal Hospital in Madrid.

Bribe probe

LONDON: The Football Association are to investigate Sir Alex Ferguson's claims that he was offered a 40,000 pounds (about Rs 29 lakh) bribe.The Manchester United boss reveals inhis autobiography, Managing My Life, that he was handed the money in a parcel by Grigory Essaoulenko, who was the Russian agent of Andrei Kanchelskis, in 1994.

Sir Alex notified United straight away and the money lay in the club safe for nearly a year before he handed it back to Essaoulenko.

Suker for Anelka

LONDON: Arsenal moved swiftly to replace outgoing French striker Nicolas Anelka by picking up Croatian striker Davor Suker. With Anelka on the verge of signing with Real, ending three months of transfer negotiations with other big European clubs including Serie A teams Lazio and Juventus, Arsenal moved to buy Suker from Real Madrid.

Platt signs Mannini

LONDON: Nottingham Forest manager David Platt has signed veteran Italian defender Moreno Mannini on a free transfer from Sampdoria.Platt, a former team mate of Mannini at the Serie A club, described the 36-year-old as ``the shrewdest defender I've ever played with''.

-- Agencies