WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014 SPORTS Real seals deal with Abu Dhabi state fund MADRID: Real Madrid have agreed a “long-term strategic partnership” with Abu Dhabi fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) that will strengthen the club’s status as the world’s richest, and help fund a planned stadium overhaul. The agreement includes setting up Real museums and expanding their soccer schools around the world, as well as creating content for digital media platforms, IPIC, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi government, said on their web- site (www.ipic.ae) yesterday. “The commercial arrangements will enable Real Madrid to meet one of its most fundamen- tal future challenges, to convert the (Bernabeu) stadium into the best sporting venue in the MEXICO: In this Aug. 28, 2013 file photo, Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela of Mexico, cele- world,” they added. Both parties had agreed not brates after scoring. —AP to divulge the length or the value of the deal, IPIC said. Real became the first soccer club to amass Vela gets Mexico call-up annual revenues of more than 500 million euros (635 million US dollars) in the 2011-12 season MEXICO CITY: Real Sociedad midfielder under-17 champion with Mexico in 2005, a and president Florentino Perez announced last Carlos Vela was called up by Mexico for CONCACAF Gold Cup winner with the sen- month that income had surged to 604 million in November tour friendlies yesterday after ior team in 2009 and played at the 2010 2013-14. turning his back on his country since March World Cup finals in South Africa. The European champions last year agreed a 2011. Herrera, who steered Mexico to the last five-year shirt sponsorship deal with Dubai- Vela, one of the most gifted players of 16 where they lost to the Netherlands in based airline Emirates that Spanish media his generation in Mexico, was named by this year’s World Cup in Brazil, has also giv- reported was worth 30 million euros a season. coach Miguel Herrera among 10 European- en a first call up to Twente Enschede mid- Real chose a design led by German architects based players for matches against the fielder Jesus Manuel Corona. GMP for the remodelling of the Bernabeu, which Netherlands on Nov. 12 and Belarus six The other eight on the list are goalkeep- was opened in the 1950s and holds just over days later, the Mexican federation said. er Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga), defender 80,000 spectators, at an estimated cost of 400 The 25-year-old has constantly turned Diego Reyes (Porto), Hector Herrera (Porto), million euros. down call-ups from a string of Mexico Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven) and The club hopes the work, which would see a coaches since winning his 35th cap in a Jonathan Dos Santos (Villarreal) and for- striking new roof and exterior added to the cur- March 2011 friendly against Venezuela wards Javier Hernandez (Real Madrid), Raul rent structure and include a hotel and a shop- claiming poor form but appears to have Jimenez (Atletico Madrid) and Giovani Dos ping centre, can be completed by 2017. been persuaded to return by World Cup Santos (Villarreal). Herrera is expected to However, a Madrid court has thrown the plans coach Herrera. complete the squad with home-based into doubt by ruling that a deal between Real The former Arsenal player was a world players next week. —Reuters and the Madrid council, which would allow land adjacent to the stadium to be incorporated into the project, should be suspended because the European Commission is examining it for possi- Germany dominate ble illegal state aid. NAMING RIGHTS Ballon d’Or list Spanish media have speculated that IPIC could buy the naming rights for the revamped BERNE: Germany dominated the FIFA candidates for both awards, officially arena and Perez said the deal announced on MADRID: Real Madrid’s Pepe (left) celebrates his goal with teammates in this file photo. —AP Tuesday marked “the start of a long journey and Player of the Year shortlist, with six nomi- known as the Ballon d’Or, would be Meanwhile, Real Madrid will appeal a three- authorised by the French football federation nees among the 23 candidates announced announced on Dec 1 with the award cere- the beginning of a strong partnership”. It “will no doubt prove to be vital for meeting month suspension slapped on assistant B team (FFF) to work as a head coach in the category yesterday, while the 10-man coaching mony in Zurich on Jan 12. coach Zinedine Zidane for not having the cor- Real Madrid Castilla currently play in, as the cer- shortlist was full of anomalies and contro- “The list of 23 male candidates has been one of our biggest challenges: turning the Santiago Bernabeu stadium into one of the best rect licence, the club said on Monday. tificate issued by the federation from Oct. 2014 versy. drawn up by football experts from the FIFA The former Real and France midfielder was states,” they added. Juergen Klinsmann was included among Football Committee and by a group of stadiums in the world, into a unique architectur- al landmark for the city of Madrid and a symbol sanctioned by the Spanish football federation A World Cup winner with France in 1998, the coaches after leading United States to experts from France Football,” FIFA said. for allegedly acting as head coach of third tier when he scored two goals in the final against the last 16 of the World Cup but Jorge Luis “The list of ten coaches has been drawn up of innovation for our country,” the construction magnate told a news conference. “As of today, Real Madrid Castilla even while Santiago Brazil, Zidane played for Real from 2001 until his Pinto and Jose Pekerman, who took Costa by the committee for Women’s Football Sanchez, who was also banned for three months, retirement in 2006. Rica and Colombia respectively to the quar- and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the IPIC will become a key partner that shares our values and will help us promote and strengthen nominally held the post. The 42-year-old also netted a spectacular vol- ter-finals, were overlooked. FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a In a statement on their website (www.real- ley for Real to win the 2002 Champions League Jorge Sampaoli, whose hugely enter- group of experts from France Football.” the Real Madrid brand throughout every conti- nent,” he added. madrid.com), Real expressed their “absolute dis- final against Bayer Leverkusen. Castilla were rele- taining Chile side knocked out defending agreement with the decision” and said they gated from the second division last season, champions Spain on their way to the last Player of the Year shortlist: “From now on, as one of our most important sponsors, they will be instrumental in carrying would “pursue every available legal avenue so before Zidane joined the coaching staff. They are sixteen, and Vahid Halilhodzic, who took an Mario Goetze (Germany) out a series of crucial projects for Real Madrid’s that this decision is overturned”. currently 14th in Group 2 of the regional four- inspirational Algeria to the knockout Toni Kroos (Germany) “Not least because Zinedine Zidane has been group “Segunda B”, or third tier. —Reuters stages, were also ignored. future.” Philipp Lahm (Germany) On the other hand, there was room for Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola, even Thomas Mueller (Germany) though his team’s most important match of Manuel Neuer (Germany) the year, a Champions League semi-final at Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) Referees urged to get home to Real Madrid, ended in a 4-0 defeat. Angel Di Maria (Argentina) Almost inevitably, Chelsea’s Jose Javier Mascherano (Argentina) Mourinho also sneaked in despite failing to Lionel Messi (Argentina) land a trophy on his return to Stamford to grips with grapplers Bridge. The players’ list showed similar Andres Iniesta (Spain) anomalies and appeared to be based more Sergio Ramos (Spain) LONDON: Referees need to clamp down on seri- preventing goals from being scored. club before the start of the season to discuss the on European club football than FIFA’s flag- Diego Costa (Spain) al holders and grapplers who are getting away “Giving a penalty is a massive thing for a ref- interpretation of the laws of the game, neither ship tournament. Karim Benzema (France) with “cheating” according to former Premier eree, but interrupting the game before a corner the players nor the managers at each club saw Manuel Neuer, Thomas Mueller, Toni Paul Pogba (France) League official Graham Poll. or free kick can be taken to issue a yellow card to grappling in the box as a problem to be Kroos, Mario Goetze, Philipp Lahm and Manchester United players, defending a free culprits is easily enforceable. addressed. Gareth Bale (Wales) Bastian Schweinsteiger were six players kick, wrestled two Chelsea players to the ground If clubs did want officials to tackle the issue from world champions Germany to be Eden Hazard (Belgium) in the penalty box at Old Trafford on Sunday, the MODERN PHENOMENON they could raise it with the Referees’ Association included and beaten finalists Argentina Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) latest in a series of goalmouth grapples. “We already see referees prevent corners but until there is a groundswell of support for had three, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Referee Phil Dowd was unmoved by protests being taken so they can verbally warn players tougher action from teams, the league will not Javier Mascherano. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) from John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic and the about holding and grappling.