Ali Daei at training camp

Iran’s coach Ali Daei launched a tirade against his football federation on Tuesday, threatening to quit and said he is still waiting for a contract to sign.
Daei, holder of the world record for international goals, was appointed in March to reverse the flagging fortunes of the national team in its World Cup campaign.
However with crunch qualifying matches approaching in June, it appears that relations between the former Bayern Munich striker Daei and federation head, Ali Kafashian have reached an all time low.
“If Kafashian does not have time to talk with me about friendly matches and my contract, then I am not free either,“ Daei told the Hamshahri newspaper.
“I have not won my honor so easily that I can lose it this way.
“If things go on like this, we should think about something else and they could appoint someone else whoever they like.“
There is apparent concern in the federation that Daei is still coaching Iranian club side Saipa and may be distracted from focusing the national team on its preparations for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Media have said that the federation is waiting for the current Iranian football league season to end to sign a contract with Daei.
However the football authorities played down the row with Daei and said the failure to sign a contract was unimportant.
“Daei has been busy with Saipa and Team Melli during this time and the fact a contract has not been signed is not a sensitive issue,“ said the deputy head of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj.
Daei’s appointment ended a months-long coaching vacuum at the head of one of Asia’s top sides which Iran had failed to fill despite an intensive search.

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti said on Tuesday Ronaldinho was expensive and the club were unlikely to try to outbid city rivals AC Milan to sign him from Barcelona.
“The price of Ronaldinho is a little high,“ Moratti told Reuters on Tuesday. “We are following the affair but I don’t think we are the most interested. Others have officially said they are. There is no derby (to sign him).“
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said that the player was worth at least Û40 million ($62.30 million).
AC Milan agreed personal terms with the Brazil forward earlier this month but the transfer has stalled over the Spanish club’s asking price.
Laporta said in an interview that Barcelona had received several bids for the twice former World Player of the Year, including from Premier League sides but AC Milan had shown the strongest interest.
“I only say that Ronaldinho is worth more than Û40 million,“ Laporta told Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport.
He added that the player might stay on at the Camp Nou.
“He has never created the slightest problem and I’m sure he will return to how he was before, as soon as he is well.
“He just needs to find new motivation but it are no foregone conclusion that he has to leave because he can find this with us, given that his contract runs until 2010.“

Wimbledon organizers have announced that the 2008 men’s and women’s champions will both receive £750,000.
In the second year of equal prize money for the winners of the men’s and women’s singles, the champions will each get £50,000 more than in 2007.
The All England Club said an enlarged Center Court with 15,000 seats and the return of its traditional roof will be ready for the June 23 start.
Work will be completed in 2009 with the addition of a retractable roof.
A new Court Two is structurally complete and will also come into use in the summer of 2009.
“At the moment we have no plans for a Sunday start Total prize money will rise by 4.7 percent, from £11,282,710 to £11,812,000. It is difficult to answer whether we felt the women give equal value for money compared to the men,“ Tim Phillips, chairman of the All England Club told BBC.
“Last year we had an extraordinary men’s final, the previous year we had an extraordinary ladies’ final. Each year, one event might be better than the other.
“But we felt that equal prize money was absolutely the right thing to do.“
Phillips added that there were no plans to follow the lead of the French Open and start the tournament on a Sunday.

A stunning goal from Paul Scholes gave Manchester United a 1-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday to set up an all-English Champions League final against either Liverpool or Chelsea in Moscow next month.
On a night of drama at Old Trafford in which Barcelona played some outstanding attacking football, it was hardly more fitting that Scholes scored the goal that secured his club their place in the showdown at the Luzhniki Stadium on May 21.
Scholes was suspended for United’s epic victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 final, and Ferguson had already said he would play in the final if they qualified.
He duly responded with a brilliant swerving shot that went high and wide of goalkeeper Victor Valdes in the 14th minute of the semifinal, second leg to give United a 1-0 aggregate victory.
“It was a fantastic goal,“ Ferguson told reporters. “He has come through the ranks here and is one of the great players this club has had.
“We can’t expect him to score 15-20 goals a season like he did when he was younger, but the one he got tonight makes up for all the ones he can no longer score.“
Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard rued his side’s inability to convert chances.
“We did everything but score. It was an even game. If anything we possibly had the better of the play, but the rules state that the team that scores more goals goes through, and we did not score.“