BEIJING The Chinese semiweekly **** "Football" **** in its latest edition has focused on the Iranian national soccer player Ali Karimi's transfer to the Al-Ahli team of the United Arab Emirates.

The Chinese-language paper wrote, "The playmaking midfielder of favorite team of Iran, Pirouzi, who had been repeatedly enticed by the Spanish Atletico Madrid, made his mind and contracted with the Emirati Al-Ahli with a purse of 1.3 million dollars."

The gifted footballer of Iran was to join Atletico Madrid on conditions that the Spanish team would promote to the first-division clubs but Atletico couldn't make it and Karimi refused to contract with the Spaniards, added the semiweekly.

Due to the better conditions and proposal of Al-Ahli, the Iranian midfielder Karimi decided to join the Emirati team for one year and if the relegated Atletico Madrid succeeds in promoting, Karimi may join the Spanish squad, **** Football **** quoted Karimi's attorney as saying.

Karimi said that he would return home to prepare for playing in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, IRNA reported.