Sunday 22 March 2015:
Enyimba vs Bayeslsa United 4pm
Taraba vs Lobi Stars 4pm
Sharks vs Akwa United 4pm
Ifeanyi Uba FC vs Enugu Rangers 4pm
Giwa vs Sunshine Stars 4pm
Dolphins vs Warri Wolves 4pm
El-Kanemi Warriors vs Abia Warriors 4pm
Wikki Tourist vs Kwara United 4pm
Heartland vs Nasarawa United 4pm
Shooting Stars vs Kano Pillars 4pm
Saturday 21 March 2015:
Man City vs West Brom 1:45 pm
Aston Villa vs Swansea 4 pm
Newcastle vs Arsenal 4 pm
Southampton vs Burnley 4 pm
Stoke vs Crystal Palace 4 pm
Tottenham vs Leicester 4 pm
West Ham vs Sunderland 6:30 pm
Sunday 22 March 2015:
Liverpool vs Man Utd 2:30 pm
Hull vs Chelsea 5 pm
QPR vs Everton 5 pm
This year’s German Grand Prix has been withdrawn from the calendar after F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone failed to reach an agreement with the race promoters. Hockenheim, which hosted the 2014 race and is supposed to alternate each year with the Nurburgring, had been due to stage the event again this year after the Nurburgring deal fell through. However, Hockenheim’s owner told a German newspaper this week that the circuit would not be ready in time to stage the race on the weekend of 17-19 July. The FIA has now confirmed the race will not be on the calendar, meaning there will only be 19 races this season.
Johnny McKinstry, the 29-year-old Northern Irishman, has been appointed manager of Rwanda. McKinstry previously led Sierra Leone into the top 50 of the FIFA world rankings as the youngest manager in international football. “His new appointment will see him take charge of not only the Rwanda national Team, but also the U23 and U20 teams; with qualification games this year for AFCON 2017, the 2018 World Cup, as well as the 2016 Olympics.”
Relegation-threatened Romanian club Otelul Galati are taking legal action against a referee after his “disastrous performance” in their goalless draw in a domestic league match against CSMS Iasi on Wednesday. “Otelul Galati will sue referee Marian Balaci because he influenced the outcome of the game against CSMS Iasi,” Otelul, 2011 Romanian champions, said in a statement on Friday. “He came here to rob us,” Otelul’s administrative manager Vlad Rapisca said. After seven successive matches without a win, Otelul slumped to 17th place with 15 points from 22 games, nine adrift of safety.
Sue referee ke? Hmmmm…. wahala dey o!
A great swathe of the Earth’s surface was plunged into darkness today as the Moon came between the Earth and the Sun. This is called solar eclipse.
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Old Trafford until June 2016. Carrick, 33, has made 376 appearances in his United career and scored 23 goals, having joined the club in 2006. United boss Louis van Gaal described Carrick as his “second captain”
Sevilla vs Zenit St Petersburg
Dnipro vs Club Brugge
Dynamo Kiev vs Fiorentina
Wolfsburg vs Napoli
The first legs are on 16 April, with the return matches on 23 April.
Paris St-Germain vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
Porto vs Bayern Munich
Juventus vs Monaco
The first legs are on 14-15 April, with the return matches on 21-22 April.
Clubs will be paid a total of £142m for releasing players for each of the next two World Cups, Fifa has announced. The deal covers the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the winter tournament to be held in Qatar four years later. The agreement, which aims for stronger integration between international and club football, is a significant increase on the current deal of £47m. It comes as the United States emerged as early favourites to host the 2026 World Cup pending a decision in 2017. The player release deal was established before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. According to the world governing body, the agreement aims to “further enhance consideration of club football interests at Fifa level”.
Nigerian football officials have said Bolivia “chickened out” of an international friendly in the African country, BBC reports. The nations were due to meet on 25 March but the South American country pulled out of the fixture citing security concerns. Nigeria will now face Uganda instead in the of Uyo in Akwa Ibom state. The Nigeria Football Federation said: “Bolivia chickened out at the eleventh hour despite signing a contract.” In a statement on its website, the NFF official Jairo Pachon added: “We certainly will have time to deal with the Bolivia matter in a few days, but our concentration has been on getting a replacement for them. “Their excuses do not hold any water. But we have spoken to our lawyers and will approach Fifa on the matter.” Bolivia pulled out of the fixture because “armed conflict and the tense political situation in Nigeria” – Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group active in the north east of the country, has killed thousands of people in its drive to establish an Islamic state. Nigerian officials said everything was in place to ensure a hitch-free game. Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama will win his 100th cap if he features against the Cranes.
Sunday 22 March 2015:
Third Place Match:
Ghana vs Mali 4:30pm
Final:
Nigeria vs Senegal 7:30pm
Semifinal Results:
Wednesday 18 March 2015:
Nigeria 2 – 0 Ghana
Thursday 19 March 2015:
Mali 1 – 2 Senegal
Harry Kane has been named in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the first time. The Tottenham striker is in a 24-man squad to face Lithuania and Italy later in the month. His top form has yielded dividends. Congrats Harry.
Frenchman Alain Giresse has been appointed coach of Mali for the second time. The former France international was coach of the west African country from 2010 to 2012, taking them to third place at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations but quit soon after when he rejected new contract terms. Giresse had been Senegal coach for the last two years but his contract was not renewed after they failed to get out of their group at the last Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Russian side Torpedo Moscow are ordered to play two home matches behind closed doors after Zenit striker Hulk suffered racist abuse from their fans. The Brazil international was targeted in Sunday’s Premier League match, where he scored to earn a 1-1 draw for Zenit. “Due to the offensive racial behaviour of the Torpedo fans towards Hulk we have fined the club 300,000 roubles ($4,900) and they will have to play two home league matches behind closed doors,” says Russian Football Union disciplinary committee chief Artur Grigoryants. “If there is a repeat of this racial abuse there will be an even stronger punishment next time.”
Thumbs up to the Russian Football Union!
Floyd Mayweather, the five-division world champion has a share of the biggest purse in boxing title fight history, and rather than put it in an ISA or fix up the shed, Mayweather has decided to spend it with typical extravagance, splashing out $4000 a day on the services of a top chef. Las Vegas-based gastronomer Chef Q is the lady tasked with making sure Pretty Boy Floyd is in the right shape to take on Manny Pacquaio welterweight unification bout on 2 May. “His favourite dish is spaghetti or tacos,” Chef Q tells TMZ. “But for the Manny Pacquiao fight, he’ll be focusing on high-levels of protein with no carbs: turkey, chicken, beef and fish.”
Sunderland winger Adam Johnson will return to training after the Premier League announce his suspension following arrest has been lifted. The 27-year-old England international’s police bail has been extended following his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. Johnson is available to play in the Black Cats’ visit to West Ham on Saturday.
Tuesday 17 March 2015:
Athletico Madrid 1 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen
Monaco 0 – 2 Arsenal
Wednesday 18 March 2015:
Barcelona 1 – 0 Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund 0 -3 Juventus
Bolivia have pulled out of the international friendly against the Super Eagles billed for Uyo on March 26, 2015. The Bolivian Football Federation said on its websites that it had to rescind the decision to face Nigeria because of “civil war which is going through Nigeria.” However, La Razon, a Bolivian newspaper noted that the FBF called the game off owing to security fears as the game comes up two days before Nigeria’s highly heated presidential elections. “The armed conflict in Nigeria has forced the cancellation of the game,” said president of the FBF, Carlos Chavez, in a press conference in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. “That game is not going to be held. Now the FBF seeks to raise a strong defence because Nigerians will protest and request sanctions for non-compliance.” La Razon had earlier reported that the Bolivian FA was engaged in talks on how to withdraw from the friendly “with the intention of avoiding a financial penalty for breach of contract” though a decision has been taken to withdraw. Chavez is now hoping that there will be no financial implication for breach of contract with Full Play and Fifa match agent Jairo Pachon. The Nigeria Football Federation had said that the game would go on after the Bolivian head coach, Mauricio Soria, called for the game to be cancelled. Nigeria will play South Africa on March 29 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
Interim Nigeria Coach, Daniel Amokachi has called up 28 players to the Super Eagles camp for the Bolivia friendly billed for the Akwa Ibom International Stadium Uyo on March 26 and against South Africa three days later in Nelspruit, South Africa.
Naija Sports Crib 