Sporting Digest: Fencing

ITALIAN Serie A clubs have signed a three-year deal with Tele+2, a cable television station, which will screen a live broadcast of a leading fixture every Sunday evening (except during the last six weeks of the season). The station will also televise a live Serie B match on Saturday evenings.

ROMARIO, PSV Eindhoven's Brazilian international striker, is negotiating a pounds 2m transfer to Barcelona, the Spanish champions.

ATLETICO MADRID have appointed Jair Pereira, who was in charge of the Brazilian club, Cruzeiro, last season, as their coach. Pereira is the fourth coach the Spanish club have had this year; he replaces the Argentine, Ramon Cacho Heredia, who will stay on as his No 2.

COPA AMERICA Semi-final (Guayaquil, Ec): Argentina 0 Colombia 0 (Argentina win 6-5 on penalties and meet Mexico in tomorrow's final).

WORLD CUP Asian zone first round Group B (Damascus): Iran 1 (Hamid Forkoush 35) Oman 0; Syria 8 (Abdullatif Helou 2, 70, Jamal Kazem 6, Mounaf Ramadan 13, Ali Cheikh Dib pen 17, Mohammad Afash 29, 45, Nizar Mahrous 82) Taiwan 1 (Chen Jiun-ming 37). Standings: 1 Syria (P 4, Pts 6); 2 Iran (4-6); 3 Oman (4-4); 4 Taiwan (4-0).

BRAZILIAN SQUAD (World Cup South American qualifying Group B, July-September): Taffarel (Parma), Zetti (Sao Paulo); Jorginho (Bayern Munich), Mozer (Benfica), Ricardo Gomes, Valdo, Rai (all Paris Saint-Germain), Ricardo Rocha (Real Madrid), Branco (Genoa), Leonardo (Valencia), Dunga (Pescara), Mauro Silva, Bebeto (both Deportivo La Coruna), Luiz Henrique (Monaco), Careca (Napoli), Zinho, Evair (both Palmeiras), Palhinha, Elivelton, Valber, Muller, Cafu (all Sao Paulo).

MARK BOSNICH, the Aston Villa goalkeeper, and Swindon's Dave Mitchell have been called up by Australia for their World Cup qualifiers against Canada in Edmonton on 31 July and Sydney on 15 August. Both will miss the first weekend of the FA Premier League season. The Australians visit Europe to play warm-up matches against the German club, MSV Duisburg, on 16 July and two Dutch clubs: NEC Nijmegen on 20 July and NAC Breda three days later.

TRANSFER: Steve Brown, striker, Southend to Scunthorpe, free.