Let's get it on

I haven't posted in a while because of the tiresome saga of Ronaldo. It seemed a little pointless to continually quote contradictory reports day after day, preferring to wait until something actually happens. Today there is at least some news onRonaldo that is solid:

Fifa issued a statement saying it had asked the Spanish football federation to "remind" Madrid to act within the rules, but would itself not take the matter further because "from the documentation received, no breach of contract appears to have occurred yet". Sir Alex Ferguson had hoped that Fifa would issue Madrid an official warning but the verdict will be seen as a minor victory at Real.

A Fifa statement read: "The Spanish football federation has been informed of the complaint lodged by the English club and asked to remind Madrid about the potential legal consequences of a breach of contract and of a possible inducement to such a breach of contract."

The other story today is the unveiling of the Premier League fixtures for the new season: full list of them here. A couple of articles look at our tough start. This one from The Times:

United’s home match against Fulham, scheduled for August 30, will be postponed because they face Zenit St Petersburg in the Super Cup the night before. If the game cannot be rearranged in the first two months of the season, four of the champions’ first six assignments will be away to sides who have caused them huge problems in recent years.

Any of Ferguson’s players still partying after last season’s heroics will have sobered up quickly yesterday when the fixtures were released. While home matches against Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers should not prove too tricky, United must travel to face Portsmouth (one win in past five visits), Chelsea (no victories in seven trips), Blackburn Rovers (two wins in ten at Ewood Park) and Liverpool (outplayed on past two visits despite winning both games). Add the possibility of being a match behind their rivals and Chelsea and Co could be over the horizon.

Andy Hunter in The Guardian adds in Champions League commitments to the mix:

If, as the United manager often states, fixtures between the "Big Four" and post-European exertions decide the destination of the title then Ferguson must have viewed the 2008-09 schedule with conspiratorial eyes. Luiz Felipe Scolari has cause to follow suit once his attention shifts from plotting to win the European Championship for Portugal to delivering the Champions League to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea.

United are involved in the first two meetings between the usual title contenders next season, away at Liverpool on September 13 and at Chelsea the following weekend, with the opening group game in their defence of the Champions League sandwiched in between. The trip to Stamford Bridge on September 20 sets the tone for a series of difficult assignments following Champions League group games for United, with Blackburn, Everton, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all in wait following midweek European games. All six matches are away from Old Trafford.

The champions' season is also complicated by their commitments in the European Super Cup and the World Club Championship, forcing games against Fulham on August 30 and Wigan on December 20 to be rearranged, although United do face Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all at home in the second half of the campaign.