Tycoon Ronaldo backs Blatter ‘slave’ outburst
LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo believes FIFA president Sepp Blatter was right to controversially describe him as being treated like a “modern-day slave” by current club Manchester United.
Ronaldo was responding to Blatter’s comments made earlier in the day, in which the head of world football insisted the player should be allowed to join Spanish giants Real Madrid if he wants to.
“I completely agree with the FIFA president,” said the player currently resting in Portugal after undergoing an ankle operation.
He added: “The president is correct, but I do not want to say more.”
Ronaldo currently earns £120,000 a week at Old Trafford, lives in a £4mil mansion, has ordered an £835,000 Bugatti Veyron and is close to agreeing a new £23mil Nike sponsorship deal!
Real Madrid are believed to be prepared to offer around 85mil euros for the 23-year-old and pay him 9mil euros in a five-year deal.
Ronaldo, a boyhood Real fan, has consistently been linked with a move to the Spanish capital since the end of last season after scoring an impressive 42 goals last term as United won both the Premier League and Champions League.
“There is no agreement with Real Madrid and I still don’t know where I will be playing next season,” Ronaldo said on Thursday, adding that he will be out for “10 to 12 weeks” to recover from his operation.
Wading into the protracted wrangle over the player’s future, Blatter said that the current practice of tying players to long contracts amounts to “modern slavery”.
And he urged Manchester United and Real Madrid “to sit together” if Ronaldo wants a move to the Spanish club. “The important thing is we should also protect the player,” Blatter told Sky News.
Blatter believes the issue raises questions about the way transfers and contracts are dealt with in the game.
“I think in football there’s too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere,” he continued.
United issued a swift rebuke to Blatter’s outburst, insisting that all their players were happy to sign contracts with the club and knew the consequences of entering into such an agreement.
UEFA communications director William Gaillard, who serves as special advisor to European football governing body president Michel Platini, was also unimpressed by Blatter’s outburst.
“It would be useful to remind people that slaves in all of the slavery systems never earned a wage,” said Gaillard.
In contrast, Gaillard fears the Bosman ruling, which allows for free transfers at the end of contracts, has given players the upper hand and contributed to spiralling wages.
“It is obvious that today players have a lot more power than they did 20 years ago, undoubtedly, and agents have a lot more power than they did 20 years ago.
“It seems that both clubs and players are trying to negotiate an exit before the player is free,” Gaillard said.
– AFP
