AMERICAN FOOTBALL

LONDON - The German government has set 14 conditions to be met to consider positively any bid from Opel, including the location in Germany of the headquarters of the company, the soundness of the financial plan, in which the nation would pay the taxes of the new aggregation and the degree of consent of workers.

That would be, according to a confidential document seen Executives of Berlin by the Financial Times, one of the obstacles faced by the CEO of Fiat Sergio Marchionne to the planned merger between the activities of automotive Fiat, Opel and Chrysler, which aims to create the second World Group of the car.

Unions in alarm. Workers' representatives are concerned about the Opel. According to Klaus Franz, the leader of the union of the German car manufacturer and a member of the supervisory board of the company, Marchionne's plan would cut the 9-10 thousand jobs. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, on the other hand, will publish an article stating that the plan provides for the Fiat closures ten o'clock plant in Europe, with the loss of about 18mila jobs. The Faz cites the contents of a strategy document to Fiat as "strictly secret" and entitled 'Project Football'. Immediate refutation of Fiat: "This is not information that comes from Fiat or form part of any plan prepared by".

Marchionne: "Do not close establishments. In an interview with Bild, the Fiat to reassure the company expects to maintain the four Opel plants in Germany, where the acquisition of the German subsidiary of GM went to port, but can not avoid cuts to staff. "We need these factories to build enough machines in the future," Marchionne said, adding that "we will certainly reduce the level of staff. No one can avoid it. The factories need to become more productive."

Latin America. Fiat's interest for the activities of GM but is not limited to Europe. According to industry sources, Fiat Punto to the operations of General Motors in Latin America. And some analysts, quoted by Bloomberg yesterday, does not preclude negotiations to expand production in the U.S., Russia and China.

Other interested groups. But there would be other suitors for Opel, as well as Fiat, according to The Financial Times, citing two sources close to the parent General Motors. Among the groups involved, Magna International and the Russian Gaz, but also the sovereign funds of Abu Dhabi and Singapore and three private equity groups.

The Lingotto to the USA. Meanwhile Marchionne is back in the United States for talks with the management of Chrysler. E 'party last night for the States from Turin Caselle, at the end of the day in Germany for the possible acquisition of Opel.