Internazionale determined to keep hold of Ronaldo
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Your support makes all the difference.The Internazionale president Massimo Moratti held an hour-long meeting with Ronaldo yesterday afternoon to discuss the Brazilian's future.
"All we will have to do is to look at each other and everything will be resolved," Moratti said. "I am convinced that Ronaldo wants to stay at Inter and is happy to do so."
However, the player's agents still insist the Brazilian wants to leave Milan.
Moratti was in an expansive mood the day after Inter's 2-0 win over Sporting Lisbon at San Siro guaranteed Inter a Champions' League berth. The win also proved to the fans that Inter could be high achievers without Ronaldo, who was not selected. But Moratti reckons the 25-year-old Brazilian will have many more opportunities to re-establish himself because he is not going anywhere.
"The situation is very clear, he is part of Inter," said Moratti. "Very soon things will return to normality."
However, the player himself continues to train alone and his reportedly strained relations with coach Hector Cuper could still be a factor.
Relatives of some of the 43 people who died in a stampede at a match in South Africa last year will sue for further compensation.
The disaster happened during a match between two of the country's most popular teams, the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates. It began when thousands of fans tried to force their way into Johannesburg's already full Ellis Park stadium. Besides those killed, 158 people were injured.
Last year a trust fund paid each of the victims' families 15,000 rand (£930) for funeral expenses and a further 2,500 (£155) rand in cash. On Tuesday, a final 3,500 rand (£217) payment was announced.
"I don't think it's enough," said Roy Nation, whose 11-year-old son was crushed to death. Nation was of one of several of the victims' relatives who said they would sue the Professional Soccer League.
A commission set up found that football officials, private security guards, the police and unruly fans were all to blame for the stampede.
Bolivian officials have imposed a maximum wage of £1,000 a month for players and coaches in an attempt to save the sport from collapse. In another cost-cutting move, referees have been banned from travelling to matches outside their home cities.
The Argentinian midfielder Rodolfo Garcia has been banned for six months for dropping his shorts during an Ecuadorean championship match at the weekend.
Garcia, who plays for the First Division club Espoli, was dismissed following the incident in Sunday's game at home to Liga de Quito.
Garcia was apparently angry at being ordered to tuck his shirt in as Espoli, a club founded by the Ecuadorean police force, crashed to a 6-1 home defeat.
The Macara goalkeeper Hector Chiriboga has been given a one-year ban after being sent off for attacking a referee in another Ecuadorean game.
Chiriboga was dismissed at the end of the 3-1 home defeat by Emelec. Both bans take immediate effect.
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