Rivaldo: Brazilian striker Rivaldo, who walked out of the stadium after being substituted last weekend, has said he will wait until the end of the season to decide on his future at Greek club Olympiakos Piraeus. "When the championship finishes, I'll think about my future," the 32-year-old World Cup winner said. "I'll stay until the summer to win titles and then we'll see." Rivaldo was angered by coach Dusan Bajevic's decision to substitute him at half-time during Sunday's match against Aris Salonika. He left the immediately and did not turn up for training on Monday, although the club has denied reports of any great disagreement with the coach.
Klinsmann: Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann says his team must end their four-year winless streak against top teams when they host Argentina in a friendly next week in Duesseldorf. Klinsmann sees the match against Argentina as a crucial test for Germany, who have not beaten a leading soccer power since a 1-0 victory over England in 2000. "It's time to bring this negative series to an end," said Klinsmann, whose are on a run of five wins, a draw against Brazil and one defeat by South Korea since he took over in August. "Argentina will be the first highlight of the year for us and our goal is quite clear: we haven't beaten a great football country since the 1-0 win over England on October 7, 2000."
Balde: Celtic defender Bobo Balde signed a four-and-a-half year extension with the Scottish premier league champions yesterday, ending several weeks of speculation over his future. The 29-year-old had been in discussions with Middlesbrough about a move but has decided to stay at the club he joined from Toulouse in 2001. "I have had many things to consider over the last few weeks and I appreciate the pre-contract offers given to me by a number of clubs. My heart has been with Celtic for some time and that was a big factor in my decision," the Guinea international said.
Chelsea: Chelsea have contributed around 40 per cent of the Premier League's overall transfer spending in the last two seasons, a study said yesterday. The Sports Business Group at accountants Deloitte said Chelsea had spent around £250 million on players since Russian Roman Abramovich bought the London club in July 2003, more than double the combined spending of rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. Chelsea filed record losses of £88 million for the 2003/04 season on Monday.
Dual Problems: Borussia Dortmund coach Bert van Marwijk has blamed the club's financial problems for the team's poor performances on the pitch. "If you are confronted with it, you simply cannot avoid it, and you are affected," he said. The Dutch coach said he would stay on despite his side languishing 13th in the 18-team standings. Dortmund, Bundesliga champions in 2002, stepped up their overhaul yesterday by firing a number of administration staff. The club posted the largest debts in German soccer history in 2004 along with record losses.
¤ Rampant Rangers stormed into the League Cup final with an emphatic 7-1 mauling of Dundee United at Hampden Park yesterday. They will now face Motherwell, managed by their former England defender Terry Butcher, in what will be their 30th League Cup final. Returning Rangers favourite and former club captain Barry Ferguson was given a standing ovation when he replaced stand-in skipper Alex Rae. The final is at Hampden Park on Sunday, March 20.
¤ VfB Stuttgart are hoping goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand will change his mind and stay with the club despite recently announcing his intention to leave at the end of the season, coach Matthias Sammer said. The 25-year-old keeper has reportedly severed ties with his agent and, apparently encouraged by his mother, is now negotiating directly with Stuttgart the management on his own. Hildebrand, Germany's number three goalkeeper behind Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann, has faced sharp criticism from fans since his January decision to turn down Stuttgart's offer of a new deal which would have tripled his pay. Hildebrand kept a clean sheet for 885 minutes last year, breaking Kahn's previous Bundesliga record.