Man City accuses Milan of reneging on Kaka deal

MANCHESTER, England (AP)—Manchester City accused AC Milan of reneging on an agreement to sell Kaka to the Premier League club and blamed the Brazil star’s father for being greedy.
City executive chairman Garry Cook sharply criticized the Serie A club, a day after leading the team’s delegation to Milan hoping to complete a transfer thought to be worth a record $147 million. Kaka and Milan announced Monday night that the 26-year-old midfielder, FIFA’s 2007 player of the year, will remain in Italy.
“Milan bottled it—they lost their nerve,” Cook said in an interview with two reporters. “They had agreed to sell their prize possession and we had agreed to buy him. We had decided to build a business model around it which was a little sophisticated for them to understand.”
Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan led a takeover of City in September, and team hopes to become one of the world’s top clubs. Manchester City hasn’t won a major trophy since the 1976 League Cup.
Cook met Monday with Kaka’s father and chief adviser, Bosco Leite, and presented a vision that City thought would appeal to Kaka’s deeply religious side.

In this Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 … AP - Jan 14, 6:16 am EST
“We really believed and we do believe Kaka has the capability to be the next “We really believed and we do believe Kaka has the capability to be the next global ambassador for the game,” Cook said. “We wanted to help develop that through a foundation. He is truly a humanitarian of the highest order and we truly respect him not only for his capabilities for this, but also his approach to humanity, and we wanted to work on it.
With Kaka backed by 20 personal sponsorship deals linked to him remaining at Milan, City was presented with a complex scenario.
“If each one of those sponsors decides if the player goes to Manchester City they are pulling out, there is a consequence for the player,” Cook said. “There is a long-term impact, both financial and on his image.”
Cook said City still plans to turn City into a global football force, noting Monday’s signing of Craig Bellamy, a 29-year-old forward who appeared in only 24 league matches and scored seven goals in 18 months at West Ham.
“If we don’t get Kaka it is not the end of the world, we got Craig Bellamy,” Cook said.