St Gallen sign third Brazilian

The defending Swiss football champions St Gallen have signed their second striker in less than a week, after securing the services of Brazilian forward Alexandre Jefferson Batista from Russian club Uralan Eliste.

The 25-year-old player agreed terms with St Gallen just five days after Yugoslavian striker Ivan Stefanovic joined the Swiss side. Both players have signed contracts which run until June 2004.

Manager Marcel Koller has been keen to fill the void left by last season’s league top scorer Charles Amoah, following the Ghanaian star’s transfer to Austrian side Sturm Graz.

St Gallen have hardly suffered since Amoah’s departure, though, and have already overtaken winter champions Lugano at the top of the championship table.

Stefanovic is available for Saturday’s trip to Servette Geneva but Jefferson will have to wait and see if the Swiss football association process his permit in time.

The new arrival brings St Gallen’s Brazilian contingent up to three, with Jefferson set to join forces with midfielders Jairo and Guido.

The side from east Switzerland also announced extensions to two players’ contracts on Wednesday. Defender Daniel Imhof and midfielder Sergio Colacino have both agreed to stay with the club for at least another three years.

swissinfo with agencies