Ronaldinho's Olympic dream turns sour

(BEIJING, July 9) -- Despite being included in the Brazilian Olympic squad announced on Tuesday, football star Ronaldinho's road to Beijing is bumpier than expected. His club FC Barcelona has refused to release him for Beijing 2008.

FC Barcelona justified the move on its official website by saying that "the Olympics do not form part of the official FIFA calendar, and no official decision has ever been made in that respect, so the club is under no obligation to allow its player to travel."

The statement also says the club's objective is to "have as many players as possible ready in time for the Champions League qualifying games."

Another star from Barca, Lionel Messi, who has expressed many times his wish to play for his country Argentina in the Olympics, may also be affected by the club's hard-line decision.