<!--h3>Kooi Soon Leong</h3-->
Barcelona
president, Joan Laporta has insisted the club wants
to retain the services of their Cameroonian hot-shot,
Samuel Eto’o,
but it is now up to the player to take the next
step.
As the contract wrangle
continues, both parties are blaming the other for stalling in what
is quickly turning into a chess match. And Laporta has just made
his move by swinging the responsibility over to the
striker.
“It depends on what he wants.
He has a contract with us and we want him to continue, but at the
club, we love players who are committed. If he is uncomfortable
here, then we have no intention of retaining him,” the president
said during the press conference to announce their next sponsorship
deal.
The focus then shifted to the
next pressing matter, the Primera Division title race with arch
nemesis, Real Madrid: “They already completed a
comeback against us two years ago and they are trying to do it
again now. “But I hope that with the experience that
we have gained, we won't make the same mistakes again,” he
affirmed.
Finally, Laporta spoke about
the new €12 million sponsorship deal with United Arab
Emirates telecommunications giants,
Etisalat.
“This is an important
sponsorship agreement at an international level and the bond will
be expandable to correspond with the desire of the club and our
marketing policies.
“There is an enormous
following and passion for Barca in that region [where Etisalat
operates] and the audience ratings reflect that. We want to make
our presence felt,” he concluded.
