LISBON: Portugal midfielder Luis Figo is set to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, the Portuguese press reported yesterday.
Citing the club’s website, the reports said that the 34-year-old former captain would leave Inter Milan and sign a one year contract worth 4.5 million euros to play with Al Ittihad from January 5.
Figo has played little this season at Inter Milan under manager Roberto Mancini and was eager to leave despite having a contract with the Italian league leaders until the end of the season.
He retired from international football after Portugal lost to France in the World Cup semi-finals in July but said he wanted to play on in club football for a season or two.
Figo previously played with Sporting Lisbon (1989-1995), Barcelona (1995-2000) and Real Madrid (2000-2005) before joining Inter Milan. (AFP)
Adidas not to top Nike bid for Germany
FRANKFURT: German sporting goods firm Adidas will not enter a bidding war with rival Nike to keep its sponsorship of Germany’s national soccer team, Adidas’s chief executive told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Kicker newspaper said earlier this month Nike had offered the German Football Association (DFB) 400 million euros ($528 million) for an eight-year deal from 2011 plus a 50 million- euro signing bonus on top.
DFB had said it had received a “very interesting offer” from Nike for the period after its contract with Adidas expires at the end of 2010 but declined to provide further details.
In an interview published in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung yesterday, Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer said. “If we did that (enter a bidding war), everyone would say we were crazy. And we wouldn’t do that.”
The newspaper said Nike’s offer was almost five times as high as what Adidas currently pays.
Last week, DFB President Theo Zwanziger said that choosing whether to remain loyal to long-time sponsor Adidas or to accept a lucrative offer from Nike would be one of his toughest decisions in 2007.
Zwanziger said Nike’s offer was tempting because it could fund a lot of non-profit football activities in the country.
 Germany is more closely linked to the Adidas brand than any other team, with ties going back more than 50 years. France and Argentina are the only other major national soccer teams still in Adidas gear.
 Germany have won three World Cups wearing Adidas boots and enjoyed close ties with the Bavarian sportswear maker since founder Adi Dassler helped them win their first title in 1954 with his revolutionary screw-in studs.
 Sports goods firms battle to sponsor the world’s top soccer teams because it enhances their brand image and boosts sales of replica wear such as jerseys.
 Shares in Adidas were up 1.1 percent at 37.90 euros at 0958 GMT, compared with a 1.4 percent gain in the German blue-chip DAX index. (Reuters)