EXTRA TIME
WANCHAI RUJAWONGSANTI
The Olympic football tournament may be just an Under-23 event but it has been one of the most popular sports at the Games since professional players were first allowed to take part.
With each side allowed to have up to three overaged players, some teams are basically their full national squads.
When Argentina won gold at the 2004 Olympics, they had the likes of Roberto Ayala, Javier Mascherano, Javier Saviola, Gabriel Heinze and Carlos Tevez.
But while the Olympic football tournament has become more interesting, it has also triggered the club-vs-country rows and several stars could be deprived of a once-in-a-lifetime chance of playing in the Games.
The most controversial sides are defending champions Argentina and their bitter-rivals Brazil who are fighting with certain clubs who refuse to release their players.
Argentina have called up Barcelona's sizzling young star Lionel Messi to their 2008 Olympic squad.
While Messi, who is under 23, has made it clear that he wants to play in the Beijing Games, Barcelona say he must help the club in the Champions League qualifying round which clashes with the Olympics.
Brazil could be the biggest losers in the rows. They have already lost Real Madrid forward Robinho and could fail to get the services of several other players.
Real have been successful in preventing Robinho from joining the Brazil squad. The Spanish giants claimed the forward was injured and he was dropped from the Olympic side.
Bundesliga sides Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen have also refused to release Brazilians Rafinha and Diego respectively.
The clubs are backed by the European Clubs Association and its German president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Rummenigge said in a statement that there is no legal obligation on clubs to release their players for the Olympic tournament as it is not included in the harmonised international match calendar.
But Fifa president Sepp Blatter has insisted that clubs must release under-23 players for the Beijing Games as this has been madatory for all clubs.
If this is a obligation for clubs, then Blatter must exercise his authority or he would be seen as a paper tiger.
The football supremo received harsh criticism recently when he said Manchester United should allow Cristiano Ronaldo to join Real Madrid if the player desires so.
Understandably, clubs do not want their players to play in the Olympics as the new season is drawing near.
Players could get injured and after their return to their clubs they need time to regain fitness.
After Man U bought Heinze in 2004, he joined Argentina's Olympic squad before even kicking a ball for his new club.
He returned from the Athens Games with not only a gold medal but also an injury. It took months for him to get ready for his first game for Man U.
This time round, Man U lose Anderson, an under-23 player, to Brazil. However, United manager Alex Ferguson has not complained about this as he has a large number of midfielders to choose from.
But it is a different story for Liverpool who could be hardest hit by the Beijing Games.
Three of their stars - Mascherano, Brazil's Lucas Leiva and Dutchman Ryan Babel - have been called up by their countries.
Worse is that all are midfielders and Reds manager Rafa Benitez has limited players for that position.
He has been trying to sign England midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa but the clubs have not yet reached a deal.
There should be a way out of the club-vs-country rows regarding the Olympics.
One of the best ways may be allowing the players to decide whether they want to play at the Olympics or not and their clubs and countries must respect their decision.
Wanchai Rujawongsanti is the Bangkok Post's Sports Editor
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