ISRAEL: SOCCER - Real Madrid prepare for goodwill match

Record ID: 395475

  • Title: ISRAEL: SOCCER - Real Madrid prepare for goodwill match
  • Date: 20th June 2007
  • Summary: REAL MADRID PRESIDENT RAMON CALDERON (LEFT) WATCHES THE TRAINING SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (English) REAL MADRID PRESIDENT RAMON CALDERON SAYING: "For us it is fantastic to be here, it's a very good opportunity to help everyone who is suffering very big problems here. We are very proud to help. The Shimon Peres Peace Centre called us and that's why we're here." MEDIA LISTENING
  • Embargoed: 5th July 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA8AYNARB20KRXACZT280O2F0Y6
  • Story Text: The future of coach Fabio Capello continues to dominate the media's agenda as Real Madrid prepare for a goodwill match against a mixed team of Israelis and Palestinians. Real Madrid on Tuesday (June 19) played their final match of the season when they took on a mixed Israeli and Palestinian side of professional players as part of a goodwill trip to the Middle east.
    The match is sponsored by the Peres Centre for Peace - an initiative founded by veteran Israeli statesman Shimon Peres who was sworn-in as Israel's president last week.
    The Peres Centre aims to promote peaceful sporting interaction between Arabs and Israelis as a way of building bridges across the divides in the Middle East.
    But speculation over the future of coach Fabio Capello has overshadowed the trip and club president Ramon Calderon was again forced to answer questions on the issue.
    Real won their first title in four years on Sunday, the final day of the season.
    Despite Capello delivering the title in his first season back at the club, his future remains uncertain with Calderon offering only lukewarm support.
    As the team supervised training for some starry-eyed young players from the Peres Centre before the match, Calderon said: "We can't say anything until next week when the people who have to decide that will give us a report."
    He said the final decision would rest with the club's general manager, Predrag Mijatovic.
    Speaking about the match, Calderon said: "We are very proud to help. The Shimon Peres Peace Centre called us and that's why we're here."
    Capello was surrounded by the media when he appeared at the pre-match warm up but refused to comment. Earlier in the day he was quoted in a newspaper interview saying his chances of staying at Real Madrid were "like tossing a coin into the air".
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