Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Wenger makes his point with customary elegance
"Highly intelligent" and "Arsene Wenger" sit neatly together in countless newspaper columns outlining the exploits, achievements and travails of the cerebral Arsenal manager.
Consequently there was no elaborate deconstruction required following an interview with a French television channel at the club's training ground this week.
Wenger, who habitually brushes aside any question of his allegiance to the north London club, was asked his thoughts about yet another approach from Real Madrid if Florentino Perez returns as president.
"With Florentino Perez in charge, the project he has put forward would be interesting for any coach but I would prefer not to comment on this," Wenger replied.
Wenger was fully aware that he had already commented. His response followed a sometimes acrimonious question-and-answer session with the Arsenal shareholders on the previous night and grumbling among fans who have been forced to absorb higher season ticket prices during a fourth consecutive season without a trophy.
The prospect of Wenger defecting to the Bernabeu after 13 years at Arsenal inspired an instant response in north London and one gratifying to the many supporters of a sensitive man committed to his vision of the beautiful game and convinced that style and success are not mutually exclusive. The group Redaction has mobilised a march of supporters for Sunday's home match against Stoke and online petitions backing Wenger have been launched.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
The Real Madrid Presidential Candidacy ‘Promisometer’
The campaign to be the next president of Real Madrid Football Club has finally kicked into gear with the claim from the little known Eduardo Garcia that, if elected on June 14, he will bring with him the Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
Promising big-name signings has long been an easy way for candidates to drum up support for the presidency at Real and Barcelona, the two member-owned Spanish clubs, but ever since Florentino Perez came from nowhere to take the 2000 election what was once an entertaining sideshow has become the key battleground.
Perez, you may remember, outrageously delivered on a promise to sign Luis Figo from Barcelona in 2000 and the grandmaster is set to announce he is standing again, after resigning in 2006.
Garcia, the 29-year-old director of an IT consultancy, is considered a huge outsider for the position but he earned a bit of publicity with his claim that he could land Drogba, as well as Palmeiras attacking midfielder Keirrison and Racing Santander left back Ivan Marcano. (The fact the interview was hidden away on page 6 of sports daily AS shows how seriously his candidacy is being taken in the local media.)
The latest election campaign at Real was ushered in by the resignation of Ramon Calderon, who failed to deliver on his pre-election promises of bringing Kaka and Cesc Fabregas in 2006.
While agents rub their hands, clubs in Europe and South America will bracing themselves for a flurry of interest in their players, as candidates try to outdo each other in the rush to win the votes of club members.
The other candidates will have to work pretty hard to outdo Florentino.
