Korean hero to stay with Italian club

South Korea's Ahn Jung-hwan will be allowed to stay at Perugia.

The Serie A club had threatened to fire him after his golden goal put Italy out of the World Cup.

Perugia had Ahn on loan from Korean club Busan Icons and have now decided to buy him, a Perugia spokesman said.

Ahn has been with the Italian side since the start of the 2000-2001 season, spending most of the time on the bench.

After Ahn scored the golden goal, Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci told an Italian newspaper: "I am not going to pay the salary of a guy who has been the ruin of Italian soccer."

The Asian Football Confederation threatened to tell all Asian players to stay away from Perugia and a British MEP accused the Italians of breaking EU discrimination laws.

Perugia spokesman Paolo Giovagnoni said the chairman's words were ''an emotional reaction, a provocation", adding the team's decision was made independently of the World Cup game.

The agreement was reached after a phone conversation on Friday between Alessandro Gaucci, Perugia's chief executive, and the player.