Chile`s Ponce moves to Racing Santander on loan

Santiago: Chile World Cup defender Waldo Ponce has joined Racing Santander on loan, the Spanish club`s president Francisco Pernia said on Tuesday.

Ponce, who played in central defence for Chile at the World Cup in South Africa, will be on a USD 400,000 loan to Racing with a USD 700,000 transfer option after a year, according to Spanish media."Ponce was one of the possibilities we had and he suits us best because of his characteristics as a player," Pernia said. Pernia said the 27-year-old, who moved from Argentina`s Velez Sarsfield to Universidad Catolica in Chile during the first half of the year, would have to work hard for a first team place."We already had two great central defenders, one is captain of Spain`s under-21 team, Marc Torrejon, and the other is Henrique, of the Brazilian national team, who is on loan from Barcelona," he said. Racing Santander lost 3-0 to champions Barcelona in their opening match of La Liga on Sunday. Bureau Report