2012 Laureus Interviews: Gullit Backs Capello, Rosell Keeps Quiet over Targets

Over the course of this weekend, I have been privileged enough to sit down with a number of sporting greats while covering the Laureus Awards for Bleacher Report in London.

Laureus is a foundation backed by many of sport’s greatest champions and I have had the opportunity to quiz stars from football, tennis, golf, rugby and more.

Laureus offers an open policy to all accredited journalists throughout their weekend. The press can register their interest in interviewing particular stars or can simply attend a ‘cluster’ interview with a few others.

Acclimatising to the surroundings on the first day, I tried my hand at a few cluster interviews, targeting some of rugby’s finest with a handful of other press.

Sean Fitzpatrick, Serge Betsen, Hugo Porta and Morne du Plessis all gave valuable insights into the work of Laureus and its connection with sport and rugby in particular. Later on, Steve Waugh—former Australian cricket captain—was similarly insightful, describing his current career path and the state of the Australian cricket team.

All of these legends are personal heroes of mine—although perhaps not central to sports that dominate in America. However, a lot of the conversation flowed around Laureus, and it was interesting to gauge their views on the project—some of which can be read here.

Away from the topic of Laureus, I asked Waugh to talk about England’s nomination for Team of the Year, to which he responded:

"

They thoroughly deserve it, they've had a great year and really dominated…I know as an Australian cricketer, when we got nominated three years in a row and won in 2002, that was one of the highlights of our careers. Just to be nominated in that category, for them, is a great achievement and recognition of how good a year they've had.

"

Next, seeking a change of genre to more familiar territory, namely football, I sought out Ruud Gullit and Franz Beckenbauer, although sadly the latter was not available.

Deciding that Gullit would attract significantly more attention from the hordes of world media camped around than the cricketers and rugby players did, I applied for a one-on-one interview.

Deal done and interview fixed, I prepared my questions and arrived 15 minutes early, but only to find a mass of bodies surrounding his interview room. It soon became apparent that the world did indeed want to hear from him and my one-to-one took place at the same time as most other journalist's one-to-one.

Scrummaging my way through the crowd, all crammed into a tiny room, I found Gullit surrounded by nine cameras and facing a row of microphones, to which I added my own. 

Probed heavily on the current John Terry and Fabio Capello saga, Gullit expressed his admiration for Capello and, when asked if he thought he might walk away, he stated: "Not at all, not at all. He wants to do the European Championship.”

The Dutchman, who played under Capello at AC Milan, shed some light on his assumption, mentioning how he had been with the England coach on Sunday, where he: “…didn’t get the feeling he was concerned about anything.”

Gullit also joked that he hopes the FA do suspend John Terry so his Dutch side have a greater chance of winning this summer, but he finished by saying: “I don't see why he should not go to the Euros.”

It was then off to the official press conferences which began halfway through the actual ceremony. That meant dividing time between hearing from winners and covering what was transpiring at the actual Awards.

Wanting to hear from Darren Clarke, I arrived at the end of Oscar Pistorius’ conference.  He appeared humbled to have won and, slightly unexpectedly, I found out he is a passionate Lazio fan.

Clarke then appeared and offered insight into his life since winning the Open. When asked which athletes inspired him during his darker times, he replied: “All of them, I am a huge sports fan. I have watched Boris Becker do what he’s done, I watched Seve, Greg Norman...Last week, Djokovic beat Nadal…the will to win was so much, just incredible.”

He spoke at length about how one should never give up in any avenue of life, and if you ever want to, perhaps it’s not for you. He continued praising Laureus, pointing out: “For me to be in the company of these guys and to receive this award is a huge honour.”

Finally, he was asked whether he had believed in his heart of hearts he could still win a major just before his shock Open triumph last year, he answered: “Yes…100%, I knew I had the game to win.”

Skipping the next couple of conferences to track the ceremony, I returned to the press conference for Barcelona's President, Sandro Rosell, who attracted a crowd of journos hoping to hear some breaking transfer gossip. With only a 10-15 minute window, there was very much an air of impatience, with some excitable Spanish journalists fighting over the microphones.

However, Rosell resolutely avoided dropping any mischievous quotes or toying with the press, and refuted a claim that Guardiola’s contract situation was hindering Barcelona’s current temperamental form.

On Guardiola’s contract, he doused the speculation, and said: “We hope that in the coming weeks he will renew.” He then added: “One day it will not happen…we hope this will not happen in 10 years time but, when it will not happen, another person will take his position. I hope this will not happen during my mandate…It will happen for the next president.”

Questioned whether Barcelona were already targeting players for the summer, Rosell tactfully replied: “This is not my area, this is (Andoni) Zubizarreta’s job. But, no doubt Barcelona needs to be aware of football all over the world.”

When another journalist attempted another slant on transfer speculation, asking if Robin van Persie or Gareth Bale would improve Barcelona, he smiled, before continuing his cloaked responses, saying: “This is a question for Zubizarreta or Guardiola.”  

Finally, a jovial, smartly suited Novak Djokovic appeared for the media. Of course, he was Laureus’ winner of the Sportsman of the Year Award. As with all the winners, he seemed genuinely elated at receiving the trophy, which was tennis’ sixth triumph in this category over the past eight years.

The Serb seemed determined to maintain his firm grip on men’s tennis, hinting he would be prioritising the French Open in May: “I have proven on numerous occasions that I can really be one of the candidates to win every Grand Slam on every surface…Roland Garros is the one to win this year.”

A repetitive theme aroused throughout his press conference too, with Djokovic asked to prioritise a Grand Slam or Olympic crown. Initially, when asked outside, he ducked the question, saying what was most important was the break in between. Once questioned again inside the press conference, he fired back: “Why not both?” 

Ominous signs for the world of tennis.

2011 was a truly spectacular year for Djokovic, and indeed all those honoured during last night's lavish festivities. Laureus acclaimed their feats accordingly, attracting an audience of sporting luminaries and presented a truly memorable occasion for all involved. 

Follow @Matt_Cheetham.