Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 937 Wed. January 17, 2007  
   
Sports


Calderon launches Becks broadside


Real Madrid chairman Ramon Calderon said Monday that Los Angeles-bound David Beckham had effectively misled the Spanish club as he claimed the former England star agreed his lucrative deal with Los Angeles Galaxy before the winter transfer window opened.

"Beckham messed us around for two months," Calderon told Onda Madrid radio, in allusion to Beckham finally deciding to end his Spanish adventure and not sign a proposed two-year extension with Real.

"Neither he nor his representatives told us he had signed for a club, nor that he had bought a house and that he was all ready to leave. His time at Real Madrid did not deserve to end like this.

"I didn't like his behaviour, nor did the coach, who understood his mind was elsewhere," Calderon added of Beckham, whose professionalism he had previously lauded.

"His agent was in discussions with (sporting director Pedja) Mijatovic for the past two months and he never let on to him" of the impending Los Angeles deal, Calderon added.

"Beckham was a model player and a model person but he didn't act as he should have done with the videoconference in which you could see he felt he was already the player of another club."

Although Beckham is not officially due to link up with LA Galaxy until August Real coach Fabio Capello said Saturday that he would not play for the Spaniards again and the former England man sat in the stands Sunday as Real bagged their first win in four matches with a 1-0 win over Real Zaragoza.

Ruud van Nistelrooy got the only goal to keep the Spanish giants in third place but move them to just two points behind league leaders Sevilla.

Capello was firm in closing the door on Beckham. "Beckham signed a contract with another club before talking to Real Madrid and I think this is a bad thing," the Italian said.

"It's not just Fabio Capello who is saying this. The whole club has seen that at this moment we can't count on him."

Picture
Outcasts: Real Madrid's outgoing midfielder David Beckham (R) and out-of-favour striker Ronaldo at a training session in Madrid on Monday. PHOTO: AFP