Ravanelli's early reunion

By Pete Sanderson

Fabrizio Ravanelli's allegiance to Dundee FC will be put under severe scrutiny just five days into his Dens Park career. The Italian, who signed for the Dark Blues on Saturday, will tonight watch his new team-mates take on AC Perugia - the side that launched his football career - in an appetising UEFA Cup first-round contest.

Unable to play
Ravanelli, who was born in Perugia, started his career with his hometown club in 1986, going on to score 41 goals in 90 league appearances over three seasons. Sadly he will not be eligible to play against his former club as manager Jim Duffy signed the former Juventus FC star after the 1 September UEFA Cup registration deadline.

Scottish shake-up
Nevertheless, the arrival of the former Italian international, Dundee's biggest signing since Argentinian forward Claudio Caniggia in 2000, has sent shock waves through Scottish football. For the last decade, Rangers FC and Celtic FC have been seen as the country's only two genuine contenders in Europe. But the man behind Dundee's renaissance - Giovanni di Stefano, an Italian lawyer - is anxious to challenge this duopoly.

Swoop for Gazza
Di Stefano, who arrived as a new director at Dens Park in August, is keen to invest the €36m he made from the sale of Belgrade club FK Obilic in Dundee. And after failing to bring former England international Paul Gascoigne and Georgian playmaker Georgi Kinkladze to Dens Park, Ravanelli is the first major piece of his jigsaw.

Local delicacies
The man dubbed the White Feather may not have been lured to Tayside by the prospect of sampling the famous local Dundee cakes or even to work on his fading suntan. But Ravanelli, who scored in Juventus FC's 1996 UEFA Champions League final victory against AFC Ajax, insists he has arrived with the best of intentions.

 Ambition a factor
"I'm very happy to be here and I love this country," said the former Olympique de Marseille, S.S. Lazio, Middlesbrough FC and Derby County FC forward. "This club has a very good future and speaking to the manager and Giovanni di Stefano showed there is a lot of ambition. I can't wait to get my Dundee career started."

New Firm?
His signing illustrates Dundee's intentions to challenge the Glaswegian dominance of the Scottish Premier League and Di Stefano insists this is possible. "We are hoping to be able to match the Old Firm," Di Stefano said. "The Old Firm is the Old Firm, but they are going to have to make way for the New Firm."

New stand
Di Stefano's involvement with Dundee began four years ago when he failed in an attempt to buy the club. Part of his investment will be the financing of a replacement for the south stand at Dens Park, which itself will cost up to €5.8m.

European aim
But his ultimate ambition is to take Dundee to the UEFA Cup final - a stage which will certainly not add any grey hairs to the sliver short back and sides that Ravanelli so famously sports. And, should Dundee get as far as the third round, Ravanelli will be leading their attack.