Monday International Sports News

Ronaldinho to quit Barca
for Beijing
Agencies . Sao Paulo/Rome
Ronaldinho will reportedly break his contract with FC Barcelona if need be to go to the Beijing Olympics.
Newspaper O Globo reported on Saturday that the two-time FIFA player of the year will next week tell the Spanish club of his plans to help Brazil win its first Olympic gold medal.
‘On Tuesday, Ronaldinho will announce that nothing will keep him away from the Beijing Olympics,’ the newspaper said. ‘And if Barcelona insists on not allowing him to play, he will break his contract with the Spanish club.
‘The first demonstration of his determination will take place on Monday when he will not report to (Barcelona coach) Josep Guardiola for training.’
The Associated Press was unable to contact Ronaldinho’s agent and brother, Roberto de Assis, for comment.
The Brazilian Soccer Confederation said on its website that Ronaldinho is in the southern city of Porto Alegre where he is ‘training intensely to play for Brazil in the Beijing Olympics.’
The confederation said Ronaldinho will hold a news conference on Tuesday in Porto Alegre.
Earlier this week, Barcelona said Ronaldinho ‘will have to report for training on Monday, the first session of the 2008-09 season.’
‘The Olympics do not form part of the official FIFA calendar, and no official decision has ever been made in that respect, so the club is under no obligation to allow its player to travel,’ the club said in a statement.
The Brazilian star, who last played on March 9, is under contract with Barcelona but has been linked with transfers to Manchester City and AC Milan.
Meanwhile, there has been a muted response to the impending transfer of Ronaldinho to AC Milan by a number of the club’s past players, according to La Gazzetta Sportiva. AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani is expected to meet Barcelona officials and the Brazilian’s agent and brother, Roberto De Assis, in the Catalan capital in the next 48 hours to finalise the move and pay a deposit of 10 million euros.
Despite the 28-year-old’s pedigree as a two-time world player of the year, there is a feeling amongst former stars of the Italian club that perhaps he isn’t the type of player they need.
Pierino Prati, who helped Milan win the 1969 European Cup, believes that the club still requires a target-man. ‘He’s definitely a quality player, but is he what Milan needs? Perhaps not. Looking at the squad it’s evident that there is a need for an out and out centre-forward,’ he said.
Another European Cup winner with the club, Dejan Savicevic, is more concerned about the type of form Ronaldinho will be in as and when he arrives in Italy.
‘If he starts training well and finds the form he had before, then he can be the star who makes things happen for Milan. His understanding with Kaka could be perfect,’ he said.
One person who is in no doubt that the ex-Paris Saint Germain player will be a star in the San Siro is fellow Brazilian, Jose Altafini, who played in AC Milan’s first ever European Cup triumph in 1963.
‘Last season Roma played the best football with one striker and three others playing off him. If Milan want to play this type of beautiful football, this system is the best and would be perfect for Ronaldinho,’ he said.


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Robinho: I won’t swap
with Cristiano
Agence France-Presse . Madrid
Brazilian international striker Robinho said on Sunday he didn’t want to be sold so Real Madrid could afford to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Spanish champions Real Madrid from English Premiership titleholders Manchester United.
The 24-year-old told sports daily AS that he wanted to stay at Real where he has been for the past three years and not be offloaded to United’s Premiership rivals Chelsea for a reported 40 million euros as Real attempt to finance the 85 million they wish to pay for Ronaldo.
‘I hope to stay at Real this year,’ said Robinho, who cost Real 24 million euros when they secured him from Santos.
‘I don’t want to be part of the Ronaldo deal.’ Robinho, capped over 50 times by Brazil, has been selected for the Brazilian Olympic squad which Real have reluctantly accepted he can play in.


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Cavendish does a Tour double
Agence France-Presse . Toulouse
Britain’s Mark Cavendish reinforced his claim to be the world’s fastest man on two wheels by claiming his second stage win on the Tour de France here on Saturday.
Luxembourg’s Kim Kirchen, also of the Columbia team, retained the race leader’s yellow jersey six seconds ahead of Australian Cadel Evans ahead of Sunday’s first day in the high mountains.
After a rain-lashed day of racing out of the Massif Central towards the foot of the Pyrenees Cavendish’s team once again proved strongest in the final kilometres of the 172.5km eighth stage which began in Figeac.
Setting up a ‘train’ to help deliver Cavendish to the finish with as much punch in his legs as possible, the 23-year-old from the Isle of Man repaid their efforts with a victorious drive across the line.
In second place was Cavendish’s lead-out man, former under-23 world champion Gerald Ciolek of Germany, while Frenchman Jimmy Casper took third place ahead of Spain’s three-time world champion Oscar Freire.
Cavendish’s maiden stage win on the Tour came in similar fashion on the fifth stage at Chateauroux, after which he claimed that with a team like his to help him, he couldn’t help being the ‘best sprinter in the world’.
Ahead of potentially race-changing stages in the Pyrenees, Columbia have become the dominant force on the Tour - a fact Cavendish was quick to confirm after their disciplined lead-out train worked again to perfection.
‘It was brilliant. Once again you can see how well my team performed,’ said Cavendish.
‘They nursed me back after I dropped off the back on the third category climb, they controlled the day, brought in the breakaway and then led me out excellently.
‘The flat run in was ideally suited for us and you can see how well Gerald did to lead me out because he took second. To hold on to the yellow jersey and to get both first and second in the stage – it can’t really get any better can it?’
Ahead of two days of tough climbing in the Pyrenees, the yellow jersey battle took a virtual back seat leading the peloton gradually towards the foot of the mountains. Early attacks were kept on a tight leash, and it took the determination of Laurent Lefevre to finally break the peloton’s resistance.
After being at the front over three small climbs he was joined by Euskaltel’s Amets Txurruka, Bouygues Telecom teammate Jerome Pineau and Christophe Riblon finally joined him.
But their five-minute lead at the halfway stage was eventually slashed after the Credit Agricole team of sprinter Thor Hushovd and Freire’s Rabobank team took over the chase.
Only Pineau and Txurruka remained in the final 3km, after which Columbia appeared at the front to help set up their train for Cavendish, with Kirchen not far behind as he aimed to keep hold of the yellow jersey.
A late attempt by the Quick Step team of Gert Steegmans, who has yet to win a stage on this year’s race, pulled up the left hand-side in the final 600 metres.
However Columbia were not to be denied. Cavendish stayed on the wheels that mattered and pulled out from behind Ciolek to seal the win. In the melee Kirchen lost the points competition’s green jersey to Freire, but for the moment the Luxemburger is enjoying his time in a more prestigious one.
‘It’s been three days in a row in the yellow jersey, I can’t believe it. All the people on the side of the road have been really good to me,’ said Kirchen, who on Thursday became the first cyclist from his country to wear the yellow jersey since the great Charly Gaul last wore it in 1959.
‘It’s every rider’s dream – and I’ve waited ten years to achieve it.’


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Berbatov’s agent confirms
MU interest
Sofia
Manchester United are interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgaria captain’s agent said on Saturday.
The media earlier reported that the European and Premier League champions had made a 20 million pounds bid for the gifted marksman, saying
United were prepared to
offer Berbatov 80,000 pounds
a week to move to Old Trafford.
‘I know for certain Manchester United have shown interest in signing Dimitar Berbatov,’ agent Emil Danchev told Bulgaria’s Darik radio. ‘But I’m not entitled to make any more comments.’
Last year, United also made enquiries about the possibility of signing Berbatov but he stayed with the north London club.
The striker turned down an offer from United when he joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen for 16 million euros (13 million pounds) in 2006.
The 27-year-old has been linked with some of
Europe’s other top clubs following excellent performances in his first two seasons in England.
He was instrumental in helping Tottenham win the League Cup last season—their first trophy since 1999.