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Park leaves Manchester United for QPR

July 9, 2012 -- Updated 1640 GMT (0040 HKT)
South Korean Park Ji-Sung first moved to Europe from Japan's J-League in 2002.
South Korean Park Ji-Sung first moved to Europe from Japan's J-League in 2002.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Park Ji-Sung completes his transfer from Machester United to Queens Park Rangers
  • The 31-year-old joined United from PSV Eindhoven in 2005
  • The midfielder won the English Premier League title with United on four occasions
  • Tottenham Hotspur reach an agreement to sign defender Jan Vertonghen from Ajax

(CNN) -- Midfielder Park Ji Sung ended his seven-year stay at Manchester United on Monday by signing a two-year contract with English Premier League team Queens Park Rangers.

The South Korean, who made 100 appearances for his country before retiring from international football in January 2012, has moved to the London club for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of $7.75 million.

"This is a real coup for QPR," manager Mark Hughes, who also used to play for United, told the club's official website.

"We are delighted Ji is going to join us because his record speaks for itself. He has been a big player for Manchester United and played a big part in their success in recent years.

Goal-line technology approved by FIFA
Deciding whether or not a shot has crossed the line has long been an issue in football. Arguably the most famous incident was in the 1966 World Cup final, when England's Geoff Hurst saw his shot in extra-time bounce down off the underside of the West Germany crossbar. A goal was awarded, giving England a 3-2 lead, with the hosts going on to win the match 4-2. Deciding whether or not a shot has crossed the line has long been an issue in football. Arguably the most famous incident was in the 1966 World Cup final, when England's Geoff Hurst saw his shot in extra-time bounce down off the underside of the West Germany crossbar. A goal was awarded, giving England a 3-2 lead, with the hosts going on to win the match 4-2.
A legacy of controversies
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"He is hugely respected there because of what he has achieved, his application to his work and the impact he has on games."

Have FIFA opened Pandora's Box?

During his time at Old Trafford, Park has won four Premier League titles and the European Champions League in 2008.

"I am delighted to be here and be a QPR player," said the 31-year-old. "QPR is a club with huge history and tradition, and a great ambition to achieve at the very highest level.

"(Owner) Tony Fernandes and the board are striving to accomplish big things at QPR and I wanted to be part of that.

"This project was simply too good to resist, and I am excited about getting started in preseason and going on our tour to Asia in the coming days."

Fernandes is a Malaysian businessman who also owns the Caterham Formula One team.

"I'm overjoyed and can't wait to see him in a QPR shirt," he said.

"I am the ultimate dreamer and myself and Mark have worked incredibly hard to make this happen. Ji has bought into the story and we couldn't be more delighted."

QPR will be without Joey Barton for 12 matches next season after the midfielder was handed a Football Association ban for violent conduct after he was sent off against Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with Dutch champions Ajax for the transfer of Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen.

The center-back revealed the switch via his Twitter account, saying: "It's official. I'm player of Tottenham Hotspur FC."

Vertonghen becomes new Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas' second signing after Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who joined from Hoffenheim last week.

The 25-year-old captained Amsterdam-based Ajax to a second consecutive Eredivisie title last season and he was named the league's Player of the Year.

"We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Jan Vertonghen, subject to a medical," read a statement on Tottenham's website.

Vertonghen is not the first Belgium star to move to England during the current transfer window.

Highly-rated attacker Eden Hazard moved from French team Lille to Chelsea in June.

He will come into direct competition with former teammate Thomas Vermaelen, who plays for Tottenham's north London rivals Arsenal.

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