Soccer stars may miss Olympics

Soccer stars may miss Olympics


Club restrictions may sideline Kaka, the world's No. 1 ranked player.
SOCCER
Soccer stars may miss Olympics
Kaka
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Club restrictions may sideline Kaka, the world's No. 1 ranked player.
Pro clubs battling to prevent Kaka, Messi, Robinho and other stars from playing in the Beijing Games.
By Grahame L. Jones, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 24, 2008
An Olympic gold medal sometimes hangs by a thread, not a ribbon.

Kaka, 26, last year was selected as the best soccer player on the planet and this year he was supposed to lead his country Brazil onto the victory podium at the Beijing Games.


But his soccer club AC Milan stepped in and said, no, sorry, Kaka would not be going to China.

Then there is Lionel Messi, who finished right behind Kaka in FIFA World Player of the Year voting and had said he wanted to help Argentina defend the title it won four years ago at the Athens Olympics.

But on Wednesday Barcelona stepped in and said, no, sorry, Messi would not be going to China.

The same story has been repeated all across Europe in recent weeks as clubs in Italy, England, Spain, Germany and elsewhere have balked at releasing their stars for the Olympics, an event they view as an irrelevant distraction. Matters have deteriorated to the point where FIFA, world soccer's governing body, on Wednesday issued a stern reminder to clubs that they are obligated to make their players available for the Olympics.

In a letter to all 208 of FIFA's member nations, Joseph "Sepp" Blatter, the organization's Swiss president, said "the release of players below the age of 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs. The same principle applies for Beijing 2008."

But Europe's leading clubs have scoffed at the suggestion or found ways around it.

Blatter's letter "changes nothing," Barcelona said, insisting that Messi, 21, would not be released.

Former German international Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of the European Clubs Assn., said the clubs, which train the players and pay their salaries, have "no legal obligation" to make their players available for the Games regardless of their age. "As the Olympics are not included in the harmonized international match calendar, the obligation to release players . . . does not apply," he said.

As a result, FIFA, under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, is threatening to suspend clubs that don't comply from taking part in any competition during the Olympics soccer schedule (Aug. 6-23).

The impasse has even led some players to take matters into their own hands, ignoring the potential consequences to their careers.

Defender Rafinha went AWOL from his German team, Schalke 04, after it refused to allow him to join Brazil's Olympic squad. Brazilian midfielder Diego followed suit, walking out on his German club, Werder Bremen.

Their clubs have since taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "FIFA is forcing clubs and players into breach of contract," Andreas Mueller, Schalke's sporting director, told Reuters.

Klaus Allofs, Werder Bremen's sporting director and a former German international, said, "Blatter bases his comments in principle on custom and practice . . . [but his] letter has no binding character whatsoever."

Real Madrid has tried to circumvent FIFA's demand by claiming that Robinho, 24, who was selected for Brazil's Olympic team, has a groin injury and could not go to China.

Brazil, already furious at the loss of Kaka and others, called the Real Madrid stance a "disrespect . . . to football and to Brazilian fans," and said that while the injury was legitimate it would have healed before the Olympics begin.

This squabble could help the U.S. men's Olympic team. The Americans play Japan, the Netherlands and Nigeria in the first round, but the Dutch are already facing the prospect of not having Liverpool's influential winger, Ryan Babel.

Babel suffered an ankle injury and pulled out of Euro 2008. Liverpool has since nursed him back to health in readiness for the English Premier League season that begins Aug. 16.

"But we are really worried because after getting him fit it is likely that we could lose him again if he is selected for the Olympics," said Liverpool Coach Rafael Benitez.