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"Eto’o
thinks European clubs should
increase access"
NEW YORK (AP)—Samuel
Eto’o thinks European
soccer teams would benefit by
increasing player availability
to the media.
While locker rooms are open
to reporters in the United States,
many big European soccer clubs
do not routinely make players
available to reporters.
“You don’t get information
firsthand, because you are not allowed
to get it,” the Barcelona forward
said during a weekend interview with
The Associated Press.
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“It would be a good idea to
probably implement the same system
that you have in the United States
in Europe in terms of access.”
Just last month, Eto’o went
on television in his native Cameroon
and apologized to a radio reporter
he allegedly head-butted. Local media
said the incident occurred when Philippe
Boney and other journalists walked
out of a news conference, protesting
that the team denied them access to
training sessions ahead of a World
Cup qualifying match.
Eto’o thinks media coverage
often is slanted for sales purposes.
“And because money today overrides
everything, the only thing that ends
up being interesting to sell”
is negative news, he said. “The
good doesn’t sell as much.”
European locker rooms generally are
closed to reporters. There is no pregame
access and postgame availability mostly
is restricted to “mixed zones,”
where players have the option of stopping
and speaking with media.
In Major League Baseball, for instance,
locker rooms are open to media for
about 2 1/2 hours before games and
one hour after.
“This should be brought up in
Europe,” he said in Spanish
through a translator. “In Europe,
it’s inconceivable.”
Africa’s player of the year
from 2004-06, Eto’o was in New
York for a media day en route to a
youth tournament in Blaine, Minn.,
sponsored by Puma. The 27-year-old
from Cameroon, like many soccer stars,
enjoys coming to the United States,
where is he relatively unrecognized.
“Whenever I can escape, I come,”
he said.
He can see himself playing in Major
League Soccer, although Eto’o
makes it sound as if that would be
a decision for his mid-30s.
“Five years is a little tight,”
he said.
Eto’o joined Barcelona for the
2004-5 season, but the club is in
transition under new coach Pep Guardiola,
who replaced Frank Rijkaard following
a third-place finish in Spain’s
La Liga. Deco, Edmilson, Giovani Dos
Santos and Gianluca Zambrotta have
left, and Eto’o and Ronaldinho
are expected to depart.
AC Milan and Chelsea have been mentioned
in European media as possible destinations
for Eto’o, whose current deal
runs until 2010.
“I am on vacation. I’m
not interested,” Eto’o
said. “I am at ease. I am under
contract, and right now I’m
relaxed.”
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