Sporting News and Events

Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed is particularly taken aback by the reported $147 million transfer offer that Manchester City is offering for AC Milan’s Kaka. Terming the offer as absolute madness, he called on the Premier League and Football Association to take strict measures so that such outrageous incident, which according to him apparently has potential to shake the very foundation of the football leagues in Europe, doesn’t take place in the future. The best way to negate such aggressive pouching by clubs is to impose transfer and salary caps, he sited.

Man City is believed to be in the advanced stages of the deal with Kaka. The player has apparently sought the advice of his father and adviser, Bosco Leite, to chalk out the nuances of the deal.

While interacting with BBC Radio on Sunday, Al-Fayed said that it is now in the hands of the Premier League and the FA on how they approach the matter so that it may not instigate other clubs to follow suite. Whilst there have been many other expensive offers in other sports, baseball’s Alex Rodriguez received a $250 million contract, and basketball’s LeBron James got a $90 million endorsement deal to promote his Nike Zoom Lebron 6 basketball shoes, the intended football transfer fee amount is still completely unprecedented. He further stated that it is high time the management walk from their slumber and understand the gravity of the situation.

He simply called the entire drama a complete nonsense, saying that no one player on his own can change the fortune of his team. He asked, if the club is so obsessed with this one particular player what about the rest of the team, the players around him. He didn’t shy away from terming it as one of the dark days of football.

Mohamed Al-Fayed, citing his own example said that money alone is not the cornerstone to build a great team. It may be mentioned here that though Al-Fayed, using his wealth and ambition, has managed to make Fulham a first tier team, yet despite his best efforts it is still struggling to establish itself as a major force.