Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/201600
21 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2013 SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL Balotelli's agent hints at Chelsea move MASSIMILIANO Allegri has insisted he has no worries that Mario Balotelli could leave AC Milan following fresh speculation linking the striker with a move to Chelsea. Balotelli only joined Milan in January following an eventful two-and-a-half-year spell with Manchester City, but there continue to be regular rumours about his future. A recent spell of poor form has reignited the transfer talk but Allegri is adamant that the 23-yearold will not be on his way out of the San Siro this winter. He said at a news conference: "I have absolutely no fear of losing Balotelli in January. "He is a Milan player who is now living in a time when he's not playing well, but it can happen." Allegri was speaking after Balotelli's agent, Mino Raiola, had sug- gested in the Italian media that a move to Chelsea was a possibility for his client. Balotelli played under Jose Mourinho during his time at Inter Milan and they still have a good relationship, although Raiola accepts that AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani would not be keen to let him go. "Balotelli and [Chelsea boss] Jose Mourinho could be reunited because they know each other and they didn't leave each other with hate," Raiola is quoted as telling TikiTaka on Italia 1. "There was a not very nice incident between them, but they parted company on good terms. They have remained in contact and there is mutual respect. "Balotelli to Chelsea could happen because Balotelli is a great striker, but Galliani doesn't want it." FORMULA 1 Mercedes refuse to deny Brawn exit Ross Brawn MERCEDES has refused to confirm or deny reports that its team principal Ross Brawn will leave the outfit at the end of the year. Brawn's future has been the subject of speculation since the start of the campaign, with the outfit openly admitting that it was making plans for a long-term handover to Paddy Lowe - with the key decision being when the handover will take place and whether or not Brawn would remain in another management role within the Mercedes corporation. Reports claim that Brawn has lost patience with the team finalising that plan and will now leave the outfit. There have been countless stories surrounding Ross Brawn's future this season, and it has always been a question of waiting for a decision to be made. The looming end to the campaign has increased pressure to make that call, and talk that Brawn is leaving is nothing new, with a German report in Sport Bild earlier this month claiming the same thing. What is new with the latest report, however, is that Mercedes has issued a 'no comment' rather than a denial as they did last time. With the end of the current campaign looming, talks have intensified in recent weeks to sort the situation, and Brawn has made it clear several times that he will only remain if he maintains his strong influence. Mercedes refused to elaborate on the situation, with a team spokesman issuing a firm 'no comment.' Although the shift in official response to the story may be subtle, the fact that Mercedes has not elected to dismiss the news this time is perhaps significant. All the focus will now be on what Brawn says when he arrives at the Abu Dhabi paddock on Thursday. Mario Balotelli Blatter says sorry as Ronaldo, Portugal and Real react to 'hairdresser' jibe CRISTIANO Ronaldo, the Portuguese Football Federation and Real Madrid have responded angrily to comments from FIFA president Sepp Blatter that appeared to mock the Real and Portugal forward. Blatter, who was forced by the reaction to apologise while insisting he meant no disrespect, was asked at the Oxford University Union on Friday for his opinion on Ronaldo and Barcelona's World Player of the Year Lionel Messi. The 77-year-old Swiss said they were both exceptional athletes but added that, unlike Messi, Ronaldo resembled "a commander on the field of play". He then rose from his chair and strutted on the stage in military fashion in apparent imitation of the Portuguese. "One (Ronaldo) has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other but that doesn't matter," he added to widespread laughter. "I cannot say who is the best, there will again be a contest this year - I like both of them but I prefer Messi." The last player to land the World Player award in 2008 before Argentine Messi won four in a row, Ronaldo posted a link to a video of Blatter's comments and a heavily ironic response on his Facebook and Twitter pages. FPF president Fernando Gomes described Blatter's remarks as "unfit and inappropriate". "It was with surprise I watched and analysed the words of Sepp Blatter about the captain of our national team," Gomes said in a statement. "I think the comments ... show a clear lack of respect both towards Ronaldo and Portugal, a country that lives its football intensely." Gomes also said it was "inappro- Cristiano Ronaldo and Sepp Blatter priate" that only a few days before Ronaldo was nominated as a candidate for FIFA's World Player award on Tuesday, the head of soccer's governing body expressed a preference for Messi, who is also a candidate. "We sent FIFA a letter asking for the president to tell us what are the real intentions of his words since we do not understand how he could make such comments," added Gomes. Earlier, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said club president Florentino Perez had written to Blatter to ask for clarification of remarks the Italian said showed "a lack of respect to a very serious and very professional player". Real later published Perez's letter on their website (www.realmadrid. com), as well as Blatter's reply. The FIFA chief's comments were "unfortunate and unacceptable" and had caused "enormous disappointment" to the club and their fans, Perez wrote. Blatter's admission that he preferred Messi over Ronaldo could also affect the voting for the World Player award, due to be announced in January, the construction magnate added. Blatter, who also referred to Messi as "Leonard" during his appearance in Oxford, wrote in his reply to Perez that he had been surprised by the reaction. "I want to make clear that for me Cristiano Ronaldo is at the same level as Messi and that the two are exceptional players, each in their own way," he added. "I regret very much that this situation arising from a university event is causing so much pain and I apologise for that. It was never my intention to annoy or show a lack of respect to Real Madrid, or one of their players or their fans." Ancelotti said he was "completely in agreement" with Perez. "I haven't spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo about it," he told a news conference ahead of Wednesday's La Liga home game with Sevilla. "He trained very well today, as always. He is showing every day he is a great player and that he respects everyone."