A group of Valencia supporters plans to take legal action against referee Pedro Tristante Oliva for awarding a last-minute penalty against their team in last Sunday’s Spanish league match with Real Madrid.
About 30 fans have said they hold Tristante Oliva, together with the Spanish football federation, responsible for ‘the penalty mistake” and have demanded one euro per person for causing them distress.
‘We want the error to be publicly acknowledged and compensation paid as professional negligence has been committed,” said Andrés Sanchìs, the lawyer representing the supporters.
Oliva ruled that the defender Carlos Marchena had fouled Raúl González in injury time, with Valencia leading 1-0 and about to rise above Madrid into top place in the table. Luis Figo converted the kick.
Meanwhile, Brazil striker Ronaldo has denied any interest in joining Chelsea and has repeated his desire to stay with Real Madrid.
Ronaldo has scored 19 goals in the Spanish league this season and insists he is staying put.
‘I have heard some English clubs are interested in me, but nobody has said anything to me officially,” he said. ‘Chelsea? I am not moving from Madrid; I am very happy there.”
In Germany, Ailton, the Bundesliga’s leading scorer, with 19 goals, has promised to marry his companion in a public ceremony at the Werder Bremen stadium if his club win the German championship.
‘If I become German champion, then Rosalie and I will marry on the pitch,” said the Brazilian. Bremen are nine points clear in the league.
Bayern Munich’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says his club have virtually no chance of beating Real Madrid when the two sides meet in the last 16 of the Champions League.
‘For Bayern to make it through to the quarterfinals, Real Madrid will have to have two very bad days and we will have to play two really good games,” said Rummenigge.
And in Italy Jaap Stam has said he will only consider a move to one of the Milan clubs if he leaves Lazio. Lazio said this week that they would consider offers for the 31-year-old defender after he rejected talks on extending his contract beyond June 2005. —