Milan May Stop Kaka From Going To The Olympic Games

Brazil's Olympic Games 2008 plans seem to have been scuttled by one of their own former World Cup winners as Milan Foundation general secretary Leonardo (a World Cup winner in 1994 with Brazil) says that the Italian club may not agree to release Kaka as one of the three overage players in the Brazilian squad for Beijing.

Leonardo, who himself had a glorious playing career with AC Milan, wouldn't go quite so far as to say that Kaka definitely couldn't go but the strong hints were there in his speech as he pointed out the far greater significance of the UEFA Champion's League preliminary rounds to Milan if they finished third or fourth in this season's Serie A.

The former international left back also pointed out that the Olympic Games football tournament is not directly a FIFA tournament and as such all clubs are not obliged to release their players under FIFA law as is the case for other international tournaments such as the World Cup or Copa America.

I can, of course, understand completely why Dunga and Brazil would want to include Kaka in their squad (who wouldn't want arguably the world's finest player at the peak of his powers?) but I can't see what Kaka gets out of the deal. He already plays for one of the world's biggest clubs and has a UEFA Champion's League winner's medal to show for it. He also plays for the full Brazil squad and has another World Cup to aim for in two years time. Does the Olympic Games really mean that much to a 25 year old Kaka at this stage of his career?