Diego is to travel to Beijing and represent Brazil at the Olympics following talks with Werder Bremen, but the club-versus-country row has escalated after Schalke filed a complaint over Rafinha’s departure.
Werder Bremen had been strongly opposed to Diego, their 23-year-old playmaker, making the trip as it would rule him out of at least the opening two games of the Bundesliga season, but he emerged from talks on Tuesday morning in a rush to make it to the airport.
“I am flying to our meeting point in Paris and have got to get there,” said Diego as he breezed past awaiting journalists at Bremen’s training facilities.
Bremen have yet to comment on Diego’s departure, but members of Diego’s entourage revealed the club will continue talks with FIFA and hope to recall the 23-year-old if, as they believe to be the case, they can show that his release for the games should not be mandatory.
Diego had chosen to hold talks with Werder on Tuesday rather than follow the example of his international team-mate Rafinha, 22, who chose to skip the start of Schalke’s training camp on Monday and travel to Paris because of the club-versus-country row.
His actions led Schalke to file a complaint to FIFA on Tuesday, a move which earned the support of the German Football Association (DFB).
“The DFB supports the protest and shares the legal viewpoint of the football club that there is no obligation to release players since the Olympics football tournament is not in FIFA’s international calendar of events and FIFA’s executive committee have not presented a resolution obliging clubs to release players of a certain age,” read a press release from the DFB.
“The Brazilian travelled to the meeting point of the Brazilian Olympic team on Tuesday against the expressed will of his club.
“Schalke has announced it will start legal proceedings.”
DFB vice-president Dr Rainer Koch added: “It is not right that a top European club like Schalke 04 is surprised with such a development three weeks before the start of the season.
“We are standing by Schalke 04 and the Bundesliga.”
Schalke are considering internal disciplinary action against Rafinha and have already asked the DFB for advice on their options.
FIFA have said publicly that it is “mandatory” for clubs to release players aged 23 and under for the Olympic Games, but several clubs in Germany have questioned the validity of the rule, and the German league claims to have received word from FIFA that clubs will not be punished for preventing their players from travelling.
FIFA have so far declined to comment further.
Hertha Berlin have reiterated their opposition to striker Marko Pantelic, 29, playing in the Olympics after he was named in the Serbia squad.
The player emerged after a meeting on Monday afternoon resigned to the fact he would not be travelling to China.
Clubs are under no obligation to release overage players for the tournament.
(re-opens) FIFA said they were keeping a watch on developments but reiterated clubs had to release their under-23 players for the Beijing Olympics.
A FIFA spokesman said: “In view of the importance of the Olympic Tournament for the entire sporting movement in general and football in particular, as well as on the basis of customary law, the release of players younger than 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs. For Beijing 2008 the same principle shall apply.”
source: sportinglife.com
