Ronaldo Is Ready to Play
Ronaldo is expected to play today in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Monaco, Real Madrid said Monday on its website.
The Brazil international resumed training with the rest of his teammates after recovering from a torn muscle in his left leg, which he injured earlier this month during a Spanish league match.
Ronaldo “completed the training session, he touched the ball and said he felt fine,” the club said.
Ronaldo sat out league matches against Zaragoza and Athletic de Bilbao, a Champions League game against Bayern Munich and last week’s Copa del Rey final against Zaragoza.
Real Madrid said Raul Gonzalez is doubtful for the game because of a muscle injury, and Roberto Carlos is sitting out because of a ban imposed by UEFA, soccer’s governing body in Europe, for hitting an opponent in the face.
Coming to Grips
Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has decided against lodging another appeal against his eight-month ban for missing a drug test.
Ferdinand was banned by the Football Assn. in January for failing to report for a random doping control at United’s training site in September. His appeal to shorten the ban was turned down by an independent appeals commission Thursday.
Ferdinand said he won’t appeal his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport at Lausanne, Switzerland, the last recourse for an appeal.
“I still think the ban was harsh and that I have been made an example of,” Ferdinand told The Sun newspaper.
“I’ve had a chance to think about it and don’t feel it would serve any purpose by dragging it out.”
Ferdinand will sit out the European Championship in Portugal this summer, two 2006 World Cup qualifiers and the first five weeks of the next Premier League season.
Awaiting Decision
Israel will soon learn whether UEFA will end a 2 1/2-year ban on international games in the country.
UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson said that members of the group’s “emergency committee” will visit Israel next week to assess whether security at sporting events can be guaranteed.
He said UEFA will decide whether to lift the ban before Israel begins World Cup qualifying in the fall.
Quick Passes
Turkey’s soccer federation canceled the contract of national Coach Senol Gunes, who led Turkey to the 2002 World Cup, the first time in half a century the country advanced that far. Gunes has been strongly criticized since Turkey failed to qualify for this summer’s European championship in Portugal after a humiliating playoff loss to newcomer Latvia last year.
Former Galatasaray star Gheorghe Hagi returned to the team as its coach. As a player, Hagi helped lead Galatasaray to four Turkish league titles and the UEFA Cup in 2000.
Ramon Maradiaga, a former Honduras international, was hired to coach Guatemala’s national.
Norwegian striker John Carew is on the national team roster for a game next week for the first time since he started a boycott of its former coach, Nils Johan Semb. Aage Hareide replaced Semb in January and immediately sought Carew’s return. Norway plays at Serbia and Montenegro on March 31.
Former coach Edson Tavares has returned to take over Vietnam’s national team. The Brazilian became Vietnam’s first foreign coach in 1995.
Police at Portsmouth, England, were investigating “large-scale” crowd violence before and after the Premier League game Sunday between south coast rivals Portsmouth and Southampton. Eight people were arrested, several injured and one man was taken to a hospital.
