MARSEILLE: Hong Kong, the former British colony which returned to Chinese control after 156 years in June, will remain a full member of FIFA, general secretary Sepp Blatter said today.

"Fifa's legal affairs committee have closely studied the situation and have done a lot of work in maintaining Hong Kong's status as a full member of Fifa," he said. Peter Velappan, the general secretary of the Asian Confederation, said he was delighted with the outcome of negotiations which maintain Hong Kong's status.

Velappan said that a number of technicalities still had to be resolved regarding issues such as voting rights and holding positions of power in the confederation's executive committee but that these were not expected to pose any problems whatsover.

AC Milan president sentenced for fraud

MILAN: AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, whose fortune helped build the most successful European soccer side of the last 10 years, was sentenced to 16 months in jail today for false accounting.

But a judge said he would not have to serve the term. Under Italian law sentences of under two years are rarely served. Instead, Berlusconi, a former prime minister and one of Italy's richest men, was fined 60 million lire ($36,000) for his part in setting up a secret slush fund during a company acquisition by his fin-invest media group in 1988. The fine was later reduced to 10 million lire ($ 6,000).

Pele attains British Knighthood

LONDON: Football legend Pele, who is today Brazilian minister of sport, became an honorary British Knight today, receiving his insignia from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham palace in London.

He was given the blue cross of a Knight of the order of the British empire to wear on a red ribbon around his neck. Because he is not a British subject, he did not kneel before the queen and will not be entitled to be called sir Pele, but can write KBE after his name.

Havelange will leave lucrative legacy

MARSEILLE: Joao Havelange, who steps down after 24 years as Fifa president after next year's World Cup finals in France, will leave his successor a four billion dollar legacy.

"I don't believe in leaving problems," said the 82-year-old Brazilian who has ruled world football with an iron fist since 1974. He said all the 200 federations would receive one million dollars a year for the next four years and the confederations would have 10 million dollars annually to improve the game in their region.

Shearer vows to lead in World Cup

MARSEILLE: England striker Alan Shearer, who has not played since suffering a serious injury in a pre-season friendly in August, said yesterday he would be fit for the World Cup finals.

Shearer has endured an exacting battle to overcome the career-threatening injury which involved a broken fibula and severely-ruptured ligaments on either side of an already dislocated right ankle.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.