The Hindu : Sport / Football : Ronaldo practises alone

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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Ronaldo practises alone

Parreira may have closed training sessions to avoid fan hysteria

WEGGIS : Ronaldo practised separately from the rest of Brazil's squad on Wednesday in the defending champion's first training session ahead of the World Cup.

Ronaldo, who had various injuries at the start of the year, ran by himself for 40 minutes while the other players underwent a series of physical drills.

Only 16 of Brazil's 23 players participated in the team's first practice session in the 5,000-seat arena built to accommodate the five-time World Cup champion at the lakeside resort city of Weggis.

The remaining seven — including Ronaldinho, Cafu and Dida — were completing a series of physical examinations at a clinic near Lucerne.

Brazilian doctors had already stated that each player would undergo specific training depending on the results from their physical tests.

Dr. Jose Luis Runco said earlier this week that Ronaldo had been training normally for the past two weeks.

In great shape

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said the striker will play in Brazil's tournament opener against Croatia on June 13. "He's in great shape and will be ready," Parreira said.

Meanwhile, Parreira has said that his team may keep the public from attending the training sessions if the hysteria surrounding the national team begins interfering with its preparations.

"We want tranquility," Parreira said at a news conference. "If anything gets in our way, we will consider making some changes."

The team has even chosen a secret training location in case it needs to move away from the festivities that have taken over the usually serene setting of Weggis.

"If necessary, we have the option of practicing secretly, without anybody watching us," said Americo Faria, supervisor of Brazil's World Cup delegation.

Parreira said he might interrupt training at anytime at the Weggis arena if the public jeopardise his work.

Fan following

"Our main responsibility is with the Brazilian national team," he said. "We can't have our players being distracted."

The hotel where Brazil is staying also has been constantly visited by fans, even though local police fenced off the location and restricted access on nearby streets. The hotel is being used exclusively by the Brazilian delegation.

Weggis, located by Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps, was chosen after some 40 offers from around the world, including from locations in France and the United Arab Emirates.

Brazil will play two friendlies in Switzerland — against FC Lucerne on May 30 in Basel and against New Zealand in Geneva on June 4 — before leaving for Germany to defend its title. — Agencies

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