SPORTS GLOBE

Dragan Stojkovic, a former Yugoslavia's captain, has altered his earlier plan to retire at the end of this year when he signed a six-month extension to his contract with J-League club Nagoya Grampus Eight. Stojkovic will now end his successful career in Japan next July, when the contract expires.

Thirty five-year-old Stojkovic first came to Japan in 1994 when he signed for Grampus Eight and won the league´s most-valuable-player award the following year. However, Stojkovic has never won the J-League title with Grampus.

Stojkovic is expected to return to his home in Paris next year once he is officially retired.