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Antalyaspor Chairman Gültekin Gencer had claimed the club was in talks with Ronaldinho and that the ex-Brazil playmaker would come visit Turkey to discuss a transfer, but the rumors have been denied by brother and manager Roberto Assis.
The club has just been promoted to the Spor Toto Super League after a spell in the Turkish second division and is looking for some star power to give it a boost. Gencer wanted to go big, apparently choosing not to think about the pile of debt Antalyaspor has already amassed.
Antalyaspor is in financial trouble and owes nine of its footballers wages amounting to TL 7 million, once interest is accounted for. The club will have to cough up nearly TL 10 million in order to acquire the license just to play in the league. If the club fails to clear this debt, it will incur a hefty fee. Another 30 days of debt and it could be banned from signing new players and be docked points in the league. Given this state, it is surprising the team is talking about players like Ronaldinho.
Even if it wanted to, Antalya would not be able to afford the 3.5 million euro deposit Assis asked for. According to the Cihan news agency, without that money, Assis said that Ronaldinho is not going to take the offer seriously or take time out of his vacation in Miami to visit the club in Turkey.
His current club, Mexican side Queretaro, further dampened Antalya's hopes in statements at a recent press conference. “The player has one year more on his contract and as of today I have not gotten any signal about terminating the contract early from him or his agent,” Queretaro Chairman Arturo Villanueva said, according to Spanish sports daily Marca. “Nor have we received as of yet a formal proposal from another club to gain the services of the player,” Villanueva added.
Playing time problem
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Although the 35-year-old striker has had a rough season in Mexico and is headed steadily toward retirement, he is still a big name. He built up a reputation around the world while playing for Barcelona and AC Milan, not to mention the Brazilian national team. That sort of history comes with a price tag that cash-strapped minor clubs anywhere would be hard-pressed to deal with.
The aging Brazilian legend has spent just one year with Mexican outfit Queretaro but is already looking for a way out. He had a disappointing season, scoring just eight goals in 25 matches, and there have been some indicators of tension, such as storming out of the stadium after being substituted before halftime in his team's 2-0 loss to Pachuca in the semifinals in late May. Without Ronaldinho in the second-leg, Pachuco managed to win 2-0 to advance to the finals with a 2-2 draw and obtain a better in-season standing. The team lost to Santos Laguna in the final with a 5-3 aggregate. Second-half substitute Ronaldinho did not score.
The veteran striker, who was named in 2008 to the prestigious FIFA 100 -- a list of players legendary Brazilian player Pele deemed the top 100 footballers alive at the time -- has been linked with a number of teams in several countries, including LA Galaxy and Orlando City in the US and Brazilian club Vasco da Gama.
Neither he nor his brother have discussed where he will head to next, but they probably will not consider moving to a club in real danger of not getting a playing license. He is already upset with his lack of playing time so will probably opt for a team that is cleared to enter its local league, at the very least. Meanwhile, Antalya should think about spending within its means.Click & Close Ads
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Monday, June 15, 2015
