Welcome to Sport News and Entertainment: 09/10/13

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Balotelli must be more professional, says Rosicky

The midfielder feels the AC Milan star has plenty of potential and says he will improve even further if he changes his behaviour, Tomas Rosicky believes there is much more to come from Mario Balotelli - but only once he has "calmed down" on the pitch. The two players go head-to-head on Tuesday in World Cup qualification Group B as the Czech Republic take on Italy and the Arsenal midfielder hopes the Balotelli will begin to mature and fulfill his potential.

"I know Balotelli pretty well. Mario has a lot of potential. However, he will be even better if he calms down a bit on a professional level," Rosicky told Tuttosport. "Of course, his age plays a role in his behaviour, but he has already shown that he's a very interesting player at City and Milan. "Italy are very strong tactically and they have two superb strikers.

Balotelli made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the previous encounter between the two nations after he was dismissed in the second half after receiving two yellow cards within the space of four minutes. Czech Republic currently sit third in Group B with nine points from seven games, trailing leaders Italy by eight points and second-placed Bulgaria by one point.

Barcelona would not pay €100m for Bale

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell says he would never have allowed the club to pay the €100 million fee which Real Madrid spent on Gareth Bale. The Wales international secured his protracted move to Santiago Bernabeu shortly before the end of the summer transfer window, though the sum involved has attracted significant criticism, with Barca coach Gerardo Martino claiming it showed "a lack of respect for the world we live in."

While Rosell admits the timing of Martino's comments was ill-advised, he has voiced his own disdain for the world-record fee, claiming that his own club could never match such sums on a single player. "I wouldn’t have paid €100 million [for Bale]," he told TV3. "Barcelona cannot allow for that. If we pay €100m, people would go crazy. Madrid is a private institution and if their socios allow it, then I have nothing to say.

"We need to tell Tata that he can’t always say what he thinks, but he was speaking from the heart." Rosell was quick to praise Madrid for their decision to allow Kaka to return to AC Milan on a free transfer, however, stating that the departure of the likes of the Brazilian and David Villa from Camp Nou are useful in freeing up the wage bill.

"Madrid selling Kaka to Milan for nothing was a good move. That’s one huge salary off the books at least. Just like selling Villa was a good move for us," Rosell said. The 49-year-old also revealed he has been in touch with Tito Vilanova, who is continuing to battle cancer following his relapse earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Barcelona were handed a boost after Sergio Busquets returned to training on Monday. The midfielder, who injured his thigh in the 3-2 Liga win over Valencia, has stepped up his recovery after being forced to withdraw from the Spain squad for the matches against Finland and Chile.

Blatter: Summer World Cup in Qatar is a mistake

The Fifa president concedes he knew it would be problematic to host the event in the summer and will meet with governing body's board next month to argue for a winter tournament. Fifa president Sepp Blatter has admitted it may have been a mistake to give Qatar the World Cup in 2022, knowing full well that the tournament being played in the summer would cause serious problems.

The Arab nation was awarded the World Cup in 2010 but there have been significant concerns raised about players and supporters' safety holding the event in summer months where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius. Blatter, in February 2011, insisted the World Cup in 2022 would be held in the summer, but has had a change of heart and will next month make a proposal to Fifa's Executive Committee to alter the dates of the event to the winter.
"After many discussions, deliberations and critical review of the entire matter, I came to the conclusion that playing the World Cup in the heat of Qatar's summer was simply not a responsible thing to do - despite the fact that I know full well that Qatar has the means to develop the best cooling technology.

When it was suggested to him that he already knew it would be impossible to host the World Cup in the summer in Qatar, Blatter told insideworldfootball: "That may well be so, and it may well be that we made a mistake at the time.

"That is why I went public and suggested that the Fifa ExCo should review the period when the event shall be staged and see what consequences it would have to play in winter."

Key figures in the Premier League and Bundesliga chief Christian Seifert, as well as other European leagues, have raised concerns over the club calendar in Europe, which would face upheaval for three to four years should the change go ahead.

Nevertheless, Blatter will go to Fifa's board in early October to propose the event be changed to the winter.
"Once the Executive Committee of Fifa has agreed to that, we can take the next step which will include a close look at the international calendar and establish what consequences the change would have. And we would naturally need to speak to and consult with all interested parties and stakeholders."

Blatter had said in July that he is confident the move will be accepted: "The executive committee will certainly follow my proposal. Then we will have dealt with it for good."