End of Olympic dream for Mark van Bommel

27 February 2008

MUNICH – Mark van Bommel’s Olympic dream is over as he will neither be released by his German club Bayern Munich nor selected by the Dutch coach, it emerged on Tuesday.

Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the Dutch federation KNVB that they will not let van Bommwel go to the August 8-24 Games in Beijing because the Bundesliga season will have started by then.

Munich’s announcement buried the issue for good after Dutch Olympic coach Foppe de Haan had also effectively closed the door for the midfielder.

De Haan said he would have liked in principle to field van Bommel, but can not pick him because the player has refused since 2006 to play for the Dutch national team because of a row with coach Marco van Basten.

Van Bommel, 30, had earlier expressed his desire to play at the Olympics, for which a Dutch team qualified for the first time since 1952. The Olympic teams are under-23 teams but each side is allowed to select three older players.