Kompany given permission to go to Olympics

Hamburg have reached a compromise with defender Vincent Kompany and the Belgian Football Association to allow the player to appear at the Olympics.

Over the next few weeks, the 22-year-old will divide his time between Belgium and Hamburg, playing in an international friendly against Holland on Wednesday and returning to represent his club in the Emirates Cup in early August.

He will then rejoin the national team in China for their group fixtures against Brazil and China before flying back to Germany in time for the start of the Bundesliga season.

'We have reached a compromise and can therefore accomodate the wishes of our player and, at the same time, get assurances from the Belgian FA that he will be back to us punctually at the start of the Bundesliga season while being able to take part in the whole of pre-season,' said Hamburg chairman Bernd Hoffmann on Tuesday.

Kompany was one of several high-profile Bundesliga players desperate to participate in the Olympics.

FIFA have said publicly that it is 'mandatory' for clubs to release players aged 23 and under for the Olympics, but several clubs in Germany have questioned the validity of the rule, and the German league claims to have received word from FIFA that clubs will not be punished for preventing their players from travelling.

While he and HSV have found a mutually beneficial solution, Schalke and Werder Bremen have lost patience with their respective players Rafinha and Diego, who joined up with the Brazil squad without permission.

General manager Andreas Muller has asked both the Brazilian Football Association (CBF) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prevent Rafinha from playing.

'We are not interested in an argument with Rafinha and I can understand that it is his dream to play at the Olympics, but the interests of the club always come first,' Muller told the club's website.

'He has listened to his Brazilian colleagues and has been wrongly advised in doing so.'

Meanwhile, Bremen have approached the Court of Arbitratrion for Sport in a bid to force Diego to return to them.