Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Kaka's Olympic Participation In Doubt
Brazilian Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira has admitted that he is having trouble convincing some Europe clubs, including AC Milan, to part with their senior players for this year's Olympic football tournament.
The Olympics is the only international tournament that Brazil have never won and there is a concerted effort within the country to make sure that this is the year in which they finally take home the gold medal.
Key to these hopes is getting European teams to part with their players, especially the three overage players that are picked as part of the U-23 squad eligible for the competition.
AC Milan's Kaka is one such overage player and Teixeira has admitted that he is having troubles persuading the Rossoneri to part with him for the tournament in Beijing.
"I am finding it difficult to get some teams to release their players and I include Milan in this list. But, who knows, I think FIFA can help us on this issue," he told reporters at the press conference to open the 2008 Brazilian Championship on Tuesday morning.
Kaka has previously admitted that he would like to play a part in Brazil's quest for Olympic gold, but insisted that he would only be involved if Milan gave him the go ahead to do so. With it likely that Milan could be involved in Champions League qualifying rounds at the time of the Olympic tournament it seems improbable that they would allow him to take part.
Former Milan player Leonardo is currently being used as an intermediary in the Confederation's efforts to get Kaka on board, with there currently said to be an amicable relationship between the two parties as talks continue.
Brazilian Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira has admitted that he is having trouble convincing some Europe clubs, including AC Milan, to part with their senior players for this year's Olympic football tournament.
The Olympics is the only international tournament that Brazil have never won and there is a concerted effort within the country to make sure that this is the year in which they finally take home the gold medal.
Key to these hopes is getting European teams to part with their players, especially the three overage players that are picked as part of the U-23 squad eligible for the competition.
AC Milan's Kaka is one such overage player and Teixeira has admitted that he is having troubles persuading the Rossoneri to part with him for the tournament in Beijing.
"I am finding it difficult to get some teams to release their players and I include Milan in this list. But, who knows, I think FIFA can help us on this issue," he told reporters at the press conference to open the 2008 Brazilian Championship on Tuesday morning.
Kaka has previously admitted that he would like to play a part in Brazil's quest for Olympic gold, but insisted that he would only be involved if Milan gave him the go ahead to do so. With it likely that Milan could be involved in Champions League qualifying rounds at the time of the Olympic tournament it seems improbable that they would allow him to take part.
Former Milan player Leonardo is currently being used as an intermediary in the Confederation's efforts to get Kaka on board, with there currently said to be an amicable relationship between the two parties as talks continue.
