Rivaldo Stays On

Brazilian player remains despite no contract

European champions AC Milan said on Monday that Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo was staying with them after all, despite last week agreeing to cancel the player's contract.
"Rivaldo remains at Milan and tomorrow will leave with the squad for Vigo," Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told the club's official website after a meeting with the player on Monday.
Milan faced Celta Vigo in the Champions League on Wednesday and Rivaldo was named in a travelling party of 21 players. After announcing last Friday that he was leaving Milan, with the club's blessing, Rivaldo, who has not featured for Milan in Serie A or the Champions League this season, had said he was considering offers from English clubs.
But last Sunday, after the Brazilian was given a warm 'send off' from Milan fans at the San Siro before the 3-0 win over Lecce, Galliani asked him to reconsider his decision.
The documents relating to the cancellation of the player's contract had not been lodged with the Italian Soccer Federation, and so Rivaldo remains under contract.
While the former Barcelona forward's decision to stay with Milan is a remarkable turnaround, it means, at the very least, the player can keep in training and match fitness until the transfer window opens in January.
Had he left Milan now and become a free agent, he would not have been able to play for a new club for three months. Such a lengthy absence from competitive football might have brought his place in the Brazilian national side into question.
His future now depends on whether or not he can gain a regular starting place in the Milan line-up and few doubt that, if he is still on the fringes when the transfer market re-opens, he will look for a new team.
The Brazilian, who arrived in Italy fresh from helping Brazil win the 2002 World Cup, was left on the bench for the semi-finals and final of last season's Champions League, which Milan won on penalties against Juventus in May.
Meanwhile on the playing field, Rivaldo's teammate Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko struck twice for AC Milan as the European champions beat Lecce 3-0 in Serie A last Sunday.
Second half goals from Vincenzo Montella, Francesco Totti and Marco Delvecchio helped AS Roma to a comfortable 3-0 home win over struggling Ancona. But Lazio needed a late equalizer from Stefano Fiore to take a 2-2 draw from their trip to lowly Empoli.
Milan and Roma join Juventus at the top of the standings on 10 points each after four games. Defending champions Juventus won 2-0 at Reggina while Inter Milan were held to a goalless draw at Udinese.
With Filippo Inzaghi sidelined through injury the pressure was on Shevchenko, partnered by Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, to deliver the firepower for Carlo Ancelotti's side and he responded in style.
The Ukrainian put Milan in front in the 21st minute. The former Dynamo Kiev striker doubled the advantage in the 69th minute with a superb solo strike. Shevchenko also had a hand in Milan's third, scored by Tomasson.
Roma coach Fabio Capello can take much of the credit for his team's fine second half performance against Ancona, which ensured their third win in four games.
After a frustrating opening 45 minutes, Capello brought on Greek defender Traianos Dellas and striker Vincenzo Montella with the latter providing the breakthrough just three minutes after the restart.
Totti eased the pressure with Roma's second in the 78th minute - driving home from the edge of the area after an intelligent free-kick from the impressive Brazilian full-back Mancini.
Two substitutes combined for the third when Marco Delvecchio headed in a cross from Dellas, four minutes from the end, to complete another impressive display from Roma.
Empoli had picked up just a point from their opening three games but they caused plenty of problems for Roberto Mancini's Lazio. Serbian Dejan Stankovic fired Lazio into a 38th minute lead.
But Empoli were a different side after the interval and deservedly drew level in the 74th minute, when Italy international Antonio Di Natale levelled the scoreline.
Three minutes later, Empoli took the lead when Di Natale turned provider with a beautiful through ball, which Francesco Tavano blasted past Peruzzi.
The Tuscan side looked poised for their first win of the season until three minutes from the end when Stefano Fiore scored to salvage a point for Lazio.
Parma needed a 79th minute equalizer from Brazilian Adriano to give them a 1-1 draw at home to Siena, while Sampdoria scored twice inside the last three minutes to beat Brescia 2-1. Andrea Zanchetta scored twice for Chievo, including a stunning 30-metre free-kick, as the Verona side crushed Perugia 4-1.
Off the playing fields of Serie A, Ancona's Leonardo Menichini became the first coaching casualty of the Serie A season when he left the club on Monday after four games in charge.
Ancona, whose 3-0 defeat to Roma left them bottom of the table with just a point, said on their website that the decision had been taken by "mutual consent".
Menichini had worked for many years as assistant to Carlo Mazzone but took the Ancona job during the close-season after Mazzone, now with Bologna, left Brescia.
Nedo Sonetti, 62, has been appointed to replace Menichini. Sonetti's 30-year coaching career includes previous experience in Italy's top flight with Atalanta, Torino and Lecce.
While there will be no player movements until the transfer window opens up in January, Roma and Ajax Amsterdam have settled their differences over Romania defender Cristian Chivu's protracted move from Ajax to AS Roma.
The issue has been settled after a wrangle over the transfer payment was resolved, the Dutch club announced on Monday on their official website.
"The Rome club have fulfilled their obligations with a one-off payment rather than the originally agreed bank guarantee," Ajax said in a statement.
Chivu, who is already at Roma on loan, would officially transfer to Roma as of January 1, 2004.
Ajax said on September 1 that the transfer would not go ahead because the Italian side had failed to secure a bank guarantee for the transfer sum. Later that day, they agreed to loan Chivu to Roma while a final deal was hammered out.
Ajax had agreed in July to sell Chivu to the Serie A side for 18 million euros and the 22-year-old signed a five-year deal.
But two days later, Roma were banned from international transfer deals by world soccer's governing body FIFA because of an outstanding debt to a Peruvian club.
Ajax said in August they would turn to FIFA to force AS Roma to come up with a bank guarantee for the transfer, and would not release Chivu until the guarantee arrived.
Chivu, one of the best young defenders in the European game, had also been linked with Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Publication Date: 2003-10-05
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3221