I’m with Bayern, says Ballack

Germany captain Michael Ballack wants to stay with Bayern Munich for the 2005/06 season and hinted on Wednesday he would like to extend his ...

Germany captain Michael Ballack wants to stay with Bayern Munich for the 2005/06 season and hinted on Wednesday he would like to extend his contract beyond next year. ‘‘We’re all assuming that I’m going to be playing here at least until 2006’’, Ballack told journalists after joining his team at the end of a three-week holiday. ‘‘That’s why I’m here.’’

‘‘Bayern have big aims: We want to defend the league championship as well as the German Cup and go far in the Champions League. And I want to be part of that.’’

Ballack is Bayern’s most influential outfield player and took a key role in last season’s league-cup double.

His current deal runs out at the end of the 2005-06 season, meaning he could leave at the end of the campaign on a free transfer, or before then for a cut-price fee. There have been reports that Bayern would be prepared to offer the 28-year-old midfielder a salary of 10 million euros ($12.07 million) to avoid such a situation but Bayern director of football Uli Hoeness rejected that sort of deal outright. (Reuters)

A court in Antwerp passed the order initiating the formal process of bringing Choksi back to India. But, he still has options to challenge the order passed by the lower court.

Belgian court clears fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi’s extradition to India

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