Japanese midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata of Italian first-division club Fiorentina has been named among the world's top players invited to next month's match to help victims of the Asian tsunamis.
Soccer's world governing body FIFA said Tuesday that the "Football for Hope" match will be played in Barcelona on Feb. 15 between a side led by European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko and a team captained by FIFA World Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho.
Also joining Shevchenko, an AC Milan and Ukraine striker, and Brazilian Ronaldinho, who plays for Spanish club Barcelona, are about 50 stars including Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham of England and Brazilian Ronaldo.
The proceeds from the match will be donated to a tsunami relief fund founded jointly by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
Inamoto extends at Cardiff
LONDON (Kyodo) Japan midfielder Junichi Inamoto, who joined Cardiff from Premier League club West Bromwich Albion for a one-month loan in December, will extend his stay with the second-tier side by one month, club officials said Tuesday.
The move came after Inamoto helped Cardiff win two matches and draw four since his debut with the team on Dec. 26, spurring club officials to call for an extension of his services.
Cardiff and Albion had earlier agreed that his loan contract could be extended by up to three months depending on the results of monthly reviews of his performances.