Schumi back at home

Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has left a Swiss hospital and will continue his treatment at home after a devastating ski accident in December, his family said yesterday.

In a surprise announcement, a spokesman for the family of the retired German racing star said he was being moved from a top-notch hospital in the Swiss city of Lausanne to his home in nearby Gland.

"Henceforth Michael's rehabilitation will take place at his home," Sabine Kehm said, stressing that "considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months".

Asked when Schumacher had moved from the hospital, she told AFP in an e-mail that "Michael is home since today".

Kehm stressed that the racing star was still facing "a long and difficult road ahead" and the move should not be interpreted as a sign of massive changes in his health status.

The 45-year-old slammed his head on a rock while skiing with his son and friends at Meribel in the French Alps on December 29.

The seven-time world champion underwent two operations to remove life-threatening blood clots after the freak accident before being plunged into a medically induced coma.

Schumacher, long a resident of Switzerland, emerged from the coma in June and was transferred from a French hospital to the University Hospital of Lausanne, renowned for its neurology experts.

In June, doctors had voiced grave doubts about the chances of Schumacher making a full recovery.

Amid a dearth of information about Schumacher's condition and prospects, media speculation has been rampant.

Schumacher's move to Lausanne in June was marred by the theft of his medical file by an employee of the Swiss company organising the transfer.

The suspected thief, who attempted in vain to sell the documents to different media for à50000, committed suicide in detention last month.

Yesterday's statement also dismissed Swiss media speculation that Schumacher's wife, Corinna, had their expansive property in Gland, idyllically set on the shores of Lake Geneva, adapted for Schumacher's care.

The German won an unprecedented 91 races, and seven world titles including five in a row with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004.