The 32-year-old, who dropped to third-choice 'keeper at Celtic last season, played 58 games for Sweden. In 2000, he was named Sweden's player of the year.

He was Sweden's first-choice 'keeper at the 2000 European Championship and 2002 World Cup, where Sweden won a first-round group containing England, Argentina and Nigeria before losing in the round of 16.

A substitute when Sweden finished third at the 1994 World Cup, Hedman had a five-year stint at England's Coventry City. He also played for Ancona in Italy.

LIVERPOOL ADMIT OWEN INTEREST
AP, Liverpool
Michael Owen could be going back to Liverpool after all.

Although rival Newcastle negotiated a transfer fee with Real Madrid for the England striker, Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said Friday that his club might make a move before next Wednesday's transfer deadline.

Owen has said he would prefer to move to Anfield.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has made little comment on speculation and consistently told reporters he prefers to hire a right winger and a central defender.

That prompted speculation that he and Parry had disagreed over whether to bring Owen back to the club where he spent the first eight years of his career before moving to Madrid a year ago.

"There has never been a split between us and Rafa over Michael Owen or any other player,'' Parry said.

"It's not a no or a yes. There has been plenty of speculation and we will see next week. It's always encouraging when a

player says he wants to come to Liverpool.''

POLICE ARREST VIETNAM REF
Ap, Hanoi
Vietnamese police have arrested a soccer referee and launched a probe against his three assistants for allegedly receiving bribes to fix the result of a soccer match in the country's first division, officials and state-controlled media reported Friday.

Luong Trung Viet was taken into police custody Thursday in the southern Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, some 150 kilometres southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, said Trinh Van Phan, director of Tra Vinh's Sports Department.

The initial investigation alleges that Viet and his three assistants received 20 million Vietnamese dong (2,940 dollars) from the Ho Chi Minh City-based East Asia-Povina Steel team to infuence an April match against Huda Hue in its favour, the state-run Youth newspaper said. East Asia-Povina Steel won the match 2-1.

This is the first time in Vietnamese soccer history that a referee has been arrested for bribery.