Faustino Asprilla yesterday completed his £6 million-plus return to Parma from Newcastle. The Colombian international signed a contract running until June 2001 with the Italian club.

In a move that may well have a bearing on Asprilla's future, Italy's players and coaching unions gave their full support yesterday to a bid by Deputy Prime Minister Walter Veltroni to limit the number of foreigners in Serie A.

Veltroni wants EU and non-EU players to be treated the same - and for there to be a maximum of five on the pitch at any one time. He will press his case on January 30th in a meeting with Marcelino Oreja, the Spaniard who is currently Culture and Sports Commissioner of the European Union.