THE bribes case against Marseille is crumbling, with two key witnesses

retracting statements implicating the deposed French champions.

Marseille player Jean Jacques Eydelie, who alleged he was given

#33,000 to bribe an opponent with Valenciennes to fix a league match on

the run-in to the championship last season, has changed his tune.

So, too, has Valenciennes' president, Michel Coancas, who is now

maintaining that he knew there had been an attempt at match-rigging but

never at any time linked Marseille owner Bernard Tapie with the scandal.

This leaves only former Valenciennes coach Boro Primorac as a witness

for the prosecution. If the case does not proceed through the courts,

the consequences for the world's two governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA,

could be both embarrassing and costly.

Marseille were ejected from the Champions' Cup and replaced by AS

Monaco after a specially convened meeting between them last September.

Threats were also made to ban France from international competition

unless action was forthcoming.

The French FA refused to act, insisting that a miscarriage of justice

could occur if they pre-empted police inquiries into the charges of

corruption.

Veteran German striker Rudi Voeller faces a disciplinary hearing in

Paris for critising the FFA.

''The FFA are cowards. If they really thought this club acted wrongly

they would have done something about it before now,'' he said. ''Any

sanctions they take would be a joke.''

Real damage could be done by Monsieur Tapie. If there is no case to

answer, it is being hinted at the Stade Velodrome that he will sue FIFA

and UEFA for the money lost by being banned from Europe.

* MARSEILLE'S Brazilian striker Anderson da Silva, who is on loan from

Servette, has the distinction of being among the top four scorers in

both France and Switzerland.

The 23-year-old scored 11 goals for Servette before moving to France

last autumn and has claimed another dozen for Marseille.

His prolific strike rate will earn him a #3m move to Juventus next

season. A pre-contract has already been agreed, but it will not earn him

a call up to his country's World Cup campaign.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Pereira explained: ''More players than da

Silva will shed tears when my final plans are known. I could field an

entire team of strikers in America.

''Talents like Romario, Bebeto, and Muller took us to the finals and

they can make us World Champions.''

* PRESSURE is mounting on Silvio Berlusconi to step down as chairman

of AC Milan following the success of his right-wing Forza Italia party

in last week's elections.

Berlusconi may emerge as his country's political leader but after last

week's goalless draw with Anderlecht in the Champions' League, FIFA

president Joao Havelange told him: ''You must give up the presidency of

Milan. Football and politics do not mix.''

For his part, Berlusconi has no intention of selling Milan, which has

provided such a successful vehicle for his political ambitions.

* OTTAVIO Bianchi, former coach at AS Roma and Napoli, has taken over

at trouble-torn Inter-Milan. His first decision last week was to reject

an approach from Iwata Jubilo to take Salvatore ''Toto'' Schillaci to

Japan.

* MARLON Brandao was a star with nine of his team-mates at Real

Valladolid last week. He correctly forecast 15 results in the Spanish

fixtures, including a goal-less draw between Valladolid and Deportivo la

Coruna, to net a #180,000 pools win.