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No early exit for Beckham, says Real coach Capello
MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello said here on Sunday that neither he nor the club would consent to releasing David Beckham early so that he could join his new American club Los Angeles Galaxy.
"It's not an issue for either me or the club. He has a signed contract and he's not going to go before the end of the season," said Capello.
With Beckham having a contract at Real until the end of June, the former England captain is now expected to start playing in Major League Soccer in July, although the league has already started.
Beckham made headlines around the world when he announced on January 11 that he was moving across the Atlantic for a breathtaking five-year deal worth potentially as much as 250 million dollars.
Two days later Capello axed him from the Real team.
"He's not going to play anymore. He can train but not play. I think you can't play with the same motivation if you have signed for another team," said Capello infamously on January 13.
Injuries and loss of form forced Capello to recant on his hard-line stance a month later but many pundits have continued to speculate that the Los Angeles Galaxy or the club's owners Anschutz Entertainment Group would try to buy out Beckham's contract or reach an agreement with Real to get the player released.
Beckham played his first game for six weeks on Saturday after recovered from a knee injury.
He made an immediate impact after coming on as a second half substitute, sending over a trademark free kick for Sergio Ramos to head home Real's winner 17 minutes from time in their 2-1 win over Valencia.
"He's only recovered from his injury this week. I asked him before the game about whether he felt he was in shape to come on and he told me 'yes'," said Capello.
"In the second half the quality of Beckham and Guti (Jose Maria Gutierrez) was the key to us winning the game," added the Italian coach, who is widely expected to be leaving Real Madrid as well in the close season.
The victory means that Beckham can still hold onto his dream of going to the United States with something to show for his four years in the Spanish capital.
Real have yet to win a major title since Beckham arrived in the close season of 2003, their longest barren streak in more than half a century.
However, the victory over Valencia moves them up to second place, two points ahead of Sevilla and two points behind bitter foes and league leaders Barcelona, although both of Real's rivals in the title race have a game in hand.
A strong showing from Beckham, while hopefully staying injury-free, in Real's next five league games, might also prompt England coach Steve McClaren to recall the 31-year-old player.
England have a vital Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia on June 6 and several players have openly called for Beckham's return in a bid to revive their dismal campaign.
"I'm not reconciled to not being part of the squad and it's always tough when it comes to international week," said Beckham last month.
Beckham has 94 England caps to his name but was dropped in the wake of England's lack-lustre 2006 World Cup, when McClaren took over at the helm last summer.
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