Ishaku Musa Dodo, a retired referee who was listed as a Grade One referee in 1999, slumped and died while jogging inside the Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin on Monday, goal reports. The death of the 44-year-old was confirmed at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) where he was taken to. His shocking death was listed as a result of heart failure. His remains have been kept at the UITH mortuary in Ilorin awaiting his family’s arrangement for burial. RIP.
Saturday 14 March 2015:
Shooting Stars vs Heartland 4pm
Kano Pillars vs Bayelsa United 4pm
Sunday 15 March 2015:
Nasarawa United vs Wikki Tourists 4pm
Akwa United vs Taraba United 4pm
Sunshine Stars vs Ifeanyi Uba FC 4pm
Kwara United vs El-Kanemi Warriors 4pm
Enugu Rangers vs Sharks 4pm
Wednesday 18 March 2015:
Lobi Stars vs Enyimba International 4pm
Warri Wolves vs Giwa FC 4pm
Thursday 19 March 2015:
Abia Warriors vs Dolphins FC 4pm
Joachim Low has extended his contract as coach of world champions Germany until the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The 55-year-old’s previous contract took him through to Euro 2016, but he said the chance to extend the deal could not be turned down. “I said yes with my heart and my head,” Loew said. “We feel incredibly good working together and we have shared goals. We were crowned world champions and we want to experience that feeling again.”
Saturday 14 March 2015:
Crystal Palace v QPR 1:45 pm
Arsenal v West Ham 4 pm
Leicester v Hull 4 pm
Sunderland v Aston Villa 4 pm
West Brom v Stoke 4 pm
Burnley v Man City 6:30 pm
Sunday 15 March 2015:
Chelsea v Southampton 2:30 pm
Everton v Newcastle 5 pm
Man Utd v Tottenham 5 pm
Monday 16 March 2015:
Swansea v Liverpool 9 pm
Wednesday March 11:
Nigeria 4 – 1 Congo
Ivory Coast 2 – 2 Senegal
Nigeria’s goals = Ifeanyi Matthew – 4th minute, Musa Muhammed – 35th and 56th minutes (both from penalty kicks) and Taiwo Awoniyi – 87th minute.
Congo’s goal = Silvere Ganvoula M’boussy – 61st minute
Ivory Coast’s goals = Victorien Angban – 8th minute and Chris Bedia – 89th minute.
Senegal’s goals = Ibrahim Wadji – 51st and 56th minutes
Thursday March 12:
South Africa 1 – 2 Mali
Zambia 1 – 2 Ghana
South Africa’s goal = Madisha Modjeka – 72nd minute
Mali’s goals = Hamidou Traoré – 78th and 87th minutes
Zambia’s goal = Dave Daka – 3rd minute
Ghana’s goals = Asiedu Attobrah – 26th minute and Samuel Afful – 86th minute
So far, Nigeria, Ghana and Mali have all qualified for the U-20 World Cup coming up later in the year in New Zealand. The last qualification spot is still open to Ivory Coast, Senegal and Congo (all in Group A with Nigeria).
The March 2015 world ranking was released yesterday March 12, 2015. The top 50 are:
Former Super Eagles striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Kalu Uche have emerged as the highest paid Nigerian football players in the recently compiled report of Nigerian footballers’ earners list, Supersport reports. The new report has it that the former Super Eagles striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni has been named the ‘Richest Nigerian Player’. The pundit report also explained that Reading FC of England striker, Aiyegbeni and Kalu Uche are Nigerian highest earners in Europe in the 2014/15 season. The two Nigeria internationals who were formerly players in the oil rich Quatari club Al Rayyan earns over $2.5 million each year. Next in the list comes the Chelsea FC midfielder Mikel Obi and Sounder Seattle striker, Obafemi Martins who are earning $2 million per year. Emmanuel Emenike, the Fenerbahce striker is the fifth on the list considering his contract terms of ‘tax free’ at the Turkish club. Brown Ideye who is the West Bromich Albion of England striker, who also recently signed a three-year contract with the English Premier League club is the sixth on the list. But there is no Nigerian player that made it to the yearly rich list , which other African players like Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure were included.
And did we forget? Oh no… so sorry…. here are they:
Saturday 7 March 2015:
Heartland FC Vs Kano Pillars FC (Postponed)
Sunday 8 March 2015:
Bayelsa United 1 – 1 Lobi Stars
Enyimba Int’l FC 0 – 0 Akwa United
FC Taraba 3 – 2 Rangers Int’l FC
Sharks FC 0 – 0 Sunshine Starts FC
Giwa FC 0 – 0 Abia Warriors FC
Dolphins FC 0 – 0 Kwara United FC
El-Kanemi FC 1 – 0 Nasarawa United FC
Wikki Tourists FC 2 – 0 Shooting Stars FC
Ifeanyi Uba FC 2 – 0 Warri Wolves
Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis has signed a one-year contract extension at the club. The Argentina international’s current deal was set to run out at the end of this season. The new one will keep him at the club until the end of 2015/16. Demichelis, 34, has made 30 appearances in all competitions this season. “I want to say that I am really proud and happy to have extended my contract for another year,” he told the club’s website. Demichelis joined Manchester City in September 2013 from Atletico Madrid for a reported £4.2m.
David Luiz has apologised to Chelsea after celebrating his goal for Paris St-Germain that helped knock his former side out of the Champions League. Luiz scored an 86th-minute header to send the last-16 tie in to extra time. “I’m sorry for the emotion I showed,” said the defender, 27. “It was difficult because I was so happy to win, but I was also happy at Chelsea.” PSG progressed to the quarter-finals on away goals after the second leg finished 2-2 and 3-3 on aggregate. Brazil international Luiz made 143 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea and scored 12 goals before moving to Paris for a reported £40m last June. He said: “I said before I wouldn’t celebrate but there was so much emotion, I couldn’t control it. I am so happy to qualify. “All the supporters and every single person in the club tried to help me from my first day at Chelsea to the last day.”
FIFA has expelled Zimbabwe from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after they failed to pay their national team coach. FIFA’s disciplinary committee says it took the action “as a result of the non-payment of an outstanding debt” by Zimbabwe’s football federation to Brazilian coach Jose Claudinei Georgini, nicknamed Valinhos, who managed the national team from January to November 2008. They payments were not made, despite a grace period.
Tuesday 10 March 2015:
FC Porto 4 – 0 Basel
Real Madrid 3 – 4 Schalke
Wednesday 11 March 2015:
Chelsea 2 – 2 PSG
Bayern Munich 7 – 0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Monday March 9, 2015:
Ghana 2 – 0 South Africa
Mali 1 – 0 Zambia
South Africa’s Thamsanqa Masiya scored an own goal in the 9th minute while Benjamin Tetteh made it 2 – 0 for Ghana in the 44th minute.
Alassane Diallo scored Mali’s solitary goal in the 75th minute to secure their victory over Zambia.
Today is Joseph “Sepp” Blatter’s birthday. Blatter is the eight and current FIFA president. He is the man in charge of world football. He is a Swiss national and was born on March 10, 1936. He has been married three times and has one daughter named Corinne Blatter.
Nigerian international and FC Cologne striker Anthony Ujah has taken his apology one step further. Today happens to be Hennes’s birthday, and Ujah has been to visit him to smooth things over with a bunch of carrots.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane says manager Louis Van Gaal must be given “two or three years” to rebuild the club, following the FA Cup defeat by Arsenal. Keane said on BBC Match of the Day: “They should have given David Moyes more time but didn’t. What are they going to do? Chop and change again? Van Gaal has been in the door two minutes. It takes time. It’s literally a rebuilding job. “It would be a disaster [if United don’t finish in top four]. The big problem with people at the club and ex-players is they keep looking back comparing teams from 10 years ago. They have got to look forward. Focus on the players, focus on the manager… get right behind him. I still think they have enough to get in that top four.”
Who agrees with Roy?
Championship strugglers Millwall have sacked manager Ian Holloway. The 51-year-old, who was appointed in January 2014, had his contract terminated with the Lions second from bottom after five defeats in six games. Ex-Millwall striker Neil Harris will take charge for the rest of the season. “This was a hard decision to take because we very much hoped that Ollie would prove to be the man to take us forward and on to the next level,” said chairman John Berylson.
Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini is interested in taking Manchester City’s Yaya Toure to the San Siro if the Italian club can make a deal within financial fair play rules. Mancini, who managed Toure at Manchester City, returned for a second spell at Inter in November of 2014. “It’s a question mark, we’ll have to see what financial fair play brings,” he told Gazzetta TV in an interview. “I’m sure we’ll do some good business. Yaya Toure? He’s played in almost every league, except for Germany and Italy. “If, as seems to be the case, he wants to try Serie A we’ll look into the possibility, but it won’t be easy. He’s a player with incredible technical ability. I’ve not come across many like him.”
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has spoken exclusively to BBC World Service and defended Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria, stating the winger’s sending off against Arsenal was out of character. Di Maria received two quick-fire bookings in FA Cup defeat to Arsenal on Monday, the second for pulling the shirt of referee Michael Oliver. Asked if Di Maria showed such a temper in Spain Calderon says: “No he wasn’t like that, I was really surprised to know what he did. “He was a really good player with good behaviour here, never anything like this. Maybe he’s a bit nervous because up to now his change (to Manchester United) hasn’t been the right one. “I know him, he’s not a player who does things like that and I’m sure he will be regretting it.”
Burnley have signed Norwegian midfielder Fredrik Ulvestad on a three-year deal. Ulvestad was a free agent but had previously played at Aalesunds FK, scoring 14 goals in 106 appearances. He made his international debut for Norway in August.
Naija Sports Crib 