Three French sports personalities are among 10 people killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina, the French presidential office confirms. Eight French nationals and their two Argentine pilots died when two helicopters collided in La Rioja province in the country’s north-west. Yachtswoman Florence Arthaud, Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine all died, BBC reports.
Tuesday 10 March 2015:
FC Porto v FC Basel 8:45 pm
Real Madrid v Schalke 8:45 pm
Wednesday 11 March 2015:
Chelsea v PSG 8:45 pm
Bayern Munich v Shakhtar Donetsk 8:45 pm
Saturday 18 April 2015:
Aston Villa v Liverpool/Blackburn 4 pm
Bradford/Reading v Arsenal 4 pm
Zola
Gianfranco Zola has been sacked as manager of Cagliari after just 10 games in charge, with the Serie A club reappointing Zdenek Zeman as coach. Former Chelsea striker Zola replaced Zeman as manager in December but won just eight points from a possible 30.
Southampton officially have the most profitable youth academy in Europe, a new study has found. Saints academy graduates have generated transfer fees of £65m since July 2012, with Calum Chambers, Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana among the lucrative deals. Lille were second in the study by the CIES Football Observatory, with Real Sociedad third and Sevilla fourth.
Cologne’s Anthony Ujah has apologised for grabbing the club mascot Hennes VIII the goat by the horns when the striker celebrated a goal on Sunday. The 24-year-old Nigeria international struck his side’s fourth goal in their 4-2 win against Eintracht Frankfurt. He then ran to Hennes VIII, grabbed the animal by the horns and tried to drag it on to the pitch. “Sorry Hennes. I was a bit too rough on him,” Ujah wrote on his Twitter page next to a picture of the incident. The animal’s handler was initially taken by surprise by Ujah’s actions but managed to quickly recover and pull the goat back before the forward returned to the pitch as Cologne celebrated their first home win since October. Cologne sports director Joerg Schmadtke said: “Hennes is used to such stuff. He may have a bit of a sore neck.”
Lionel Messi scored a record-breaking 24th La Liga hat-trick and Luis Suarez struck twice as Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 6-1 at the Nou Camp to return to the top of the table in emphatic style. The Uruguayan got the ball rolling with an early goal and Gerard Pique doubled the lead shortly after the break, before Messi scored a treble inside 12 minutes which took him one hat-trick clear of Cristiano Ronaldo. And Messi’s hat-trick – his sixth of the season and 32nd for Barca in all competitions – takes him level with Ronaldo at the top of the league’s scoring charts with 30 goals from 25 starts.
Saturday 7 March 2015:
Bradford 0 – 0 Reading
Aston Villa 2 – 0 West Brom
Sunday 8 March 2015:
Liverpool 0 – 0 Blackburn
Monday 9 March 2015:
Man Utd 1 – 2 Arsenal
Monday 16 March 2015:
Reading v Bradford (replay) 9pm
Tuesday 7 April 2015:
Blackburn v Liverpool (replay) 8:45 pm
*Time = Nigerian
English Premier League Result:
Saturday 7 March 2015:
QPR 1 – 2 Tottenham
Nigeria’s dominance in athletics on the African continent has again been proven as the country’s contingent to the 12th edition of the Africa Junior Athletics Championships which ended Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, finished tops in the four-day event, premium times reports. The Nigerian team, led by Ese Brume and Divine Oduduru, finished top of the medals table with 12 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze medals.
Sunday March 8:
Senegal 1 – 3 Nigeria
Congo 1 – 1 Ivory Coast
Taiwo Awoniyi scored the first two goals for the Flying Eagles of Nigeria in the 10th and 13th minutes respectively while Sidy Sarr pulled one back for hosts Senegal in the 27th minute. Ifeanyi Matthew made it 3 – 1 for Nigeria in the 44th minute.
Yakou Meite scored for Ivory Coast in the 37th minute while Silvère Ganvoula M’boussy equalized for Congo in the 75th minute.
AFTER allowing South Africa and host Ethiopia to dominate proceedings on Day one of competition at the on-going Addis Ababa 2015 African Junior Athletics Championship, Team Nigeria rose to the occasion Friday, picking four gold medals to jump to the top of the medals table, Guardian reports.
The Football Association has banned Manchester United’s Jonny Evans for six games and Newcastle’s Papiss Cisse for seven matches for spitting. Defender Evans, 27, had denied the charge which related to an incident with striker Cisse in the Red Devils’ 1-0 win over the Magpies on Wednesday. Cisse, 29, has been suspended for an extra game as he has already received a ban this season. There is no right of appeal and the bans will take immediate effect. As a result, Northern Ireland international Evans will miss Monday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. “Mr Evans denied the charge but it was found proven,” said an FA statement. The flashpoint between the two was not seen by referee Anthony Taylor or his assistants, but was caught on video. A three-man panel of former referees reviewed the footage on Thursday and agreed the players should have been sent off, prompting the FA to bring a charge. Evans’ statement on Thursday said: “I would like to make it clear that I did not spit at Papiss Cisse. Having woken up this morning, I am shocked to have seen the media coverage from last night’s match.” Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said: “I don’t think Jonny Evans is a spitter. He was not aware he was spitting. He has said that also. I believe him. For me, the matter is done.” After accepting the charge for his role in the altercation, Senegalese Cisse, who accepted the charge, issued an apology, adding: “I reacted to something I found very unpleasant.” An independent regulatory commission heard the charge and decided both players should be banned.
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has accepted a Football Association charge for making abusive comments towards a Tottenham fan on Twitter. The 31-year-old reacted to a comment on social media after a 2-2 draw between the sides on 22 February, where he went off injured having been subbed on. An FA independent commission will now meet to decide his sanction. In April 2011, he was fined £20,000 by the FA for comments he made on Twitter during England’s friendly with Ghana. On that occasion, he wrote: “Immigration has surrounded the Wembley premises! I knew it was a trap!” before deleting the comments. “The only way to get out safely is to wear an England jersey and paint your face w/ the St George’s flag!” He later apologised for the comments, describing them as a “light-hearted joke”. Cole has made 17 appearances for the Hammers this season and scored three goals.
The thing is they get charged all the time yet they wont learnt. I wonder o. Sorry o brother Cole (has a Nigerian father and a Sierra Leonean mother). His full names are Carlton Michael George Cole Okorie. His dad is from Omoku in Rivers state but he played for England at youth and senior levels.
Saturday 7 March 2015:
Bradford v Reading 1:45 pm
Aston Villa v West Brom 6:30 pm
Sunday 8 March 2015:
Liverpool v Blackburn 4 pm
Monday 9 March 2015:
Man Utd v Arsenal 8:45 pm
*Time = Nigerian
The Football Association is pleased to announce that Martin Glenn has been appointed as the organisation’s new Chief Executive Officer. Glenn, 54, is a veteran of industry and has built up a reputation for making well-loved British brands more dynamic, competitive and international in their reach. He will join The FA on 18 May, leaving his current role as CEO at United Biscuits, a £1bn company which is home to the McVitie’s and Jacobs brands and with a rapidly growing international division. Glenn, a Wolverhampton Wanderers FC supporter, said: “I am incredibly proud to have been chosen to play my part in shaping the future direction of The FA. There are few more important and interesting places to work than Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park and I am very much looking forward to meeting the staff and leading them into an exciting new period. “I have coached football at grassroots level, have sat on the Board of a Premier League football club and have spent my time on the terraces at Molineux where I have a season ticket. I hope this informs my work at The FA as we look to inspire everyone to be involved in what is the nation’s most watched and played team sport. “I very much hope my personal experience of operating in highly competitive global markets will help The FA in its own drive to promote greater success for our all of our national teams in international tournaments.” FA Chairman Greg Dyke added: “On behalf of The FA Board I am delighted with the appointment of Martin Glenn as Chief Executive Officer of The Football Association. He brings with him a wealth of experience as a CEO to what is an extremely important role in English football, and he will play a key part in helping us shape and deliver our new strategic priorities for the years ahead. “I know, as a football fan, he will take great pride in the job and he will be an asset to The FA and will lead the organisation through a significant period of change. “Martin came through a highly competitive process, and we are delighted that he has chosen to join us. He is a natural leader and I look forward to working with him.”
FIFA’s new independent ethics chief says “nobody will interfere” with his task of keeping corruption out of football’s world governing body, BBC reports. Swiss attorney Cornel Borbely has succeeded Michael Garcia, who quit in protest in December. Garcia was unhappy at how FIFA officials handled his investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Borbely said: “I don’t take any orders at all from FIFA – none whatsoever.” He added: “I alone decide whether to open, conduct and conclude an investigation and on its result.” The 36-year-old – who was Garcia’s deputy – told Reuters: “I am completely independent of any FIFA officials. Otherwise I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, do this job. Nobody interferes – neither the FIFA executive committee nor anybody else.” Borbely headed an economic crimes investigation unit in Zurich for three years and has worked as a prosecutor for a military tribunal. He said anyone coming forward with information about alleged FIFA corruption could do so in confidence, with any tips “carefully evaluated”. And the Swiss added: “I also have my eyes and ears open and if I see something that calls for it, of course I open a preliminary investigation.” FIFA has suffered a series of damaging allegations in recent years, including claims of corruption in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. US lawyer Garcia was called in to investigate those allegations and a 42-page summary of his findings said there had been no wrongdoing. However, Garcia questioned that summary and complained to FIFA about its “erroneous” representation of his work. But FIFA dismissed his appeal, prompting his resignation. FIFA has since agreed to release a redacted version of Garcia’s full 430-page report.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association following the match against Hull City on Tuesday. The charge relates to kicking a water bottle as he was sent to the stands in the 35th minute of the Premier League match, which finished 1-1. Bruce has been contacted by the FA over a touchline row with Poyet and formally reminded of his responsibilities. Poyet has until 18:00 GMT on Monday to respond to the charge. The incident at the KC Stadium occurred with Sunderland trailing 1-0. Poyet was sent to the stands by referee Mike Dean for reacting badly to a yellow card for midfielder Jack Rodwell, who was booked for diving. The Sunderland manager kicked over a water bottle carrier in the dugout and then confronted Bruce, who had to be restrained by an assistant referee and his own coaching staff. Bruce described it as “grown men acting like children”, blaming the incident on the “heat of the moment”. Poyet refused to talk about the incident after the game, telling reporters: “What happens on the pitch stays there.”
Newcastle United’s Papiss Cisse has accepted a Football Association charge of spitting at Manchester United defender Jonny Evans. The striker, 29, faces a possible seven-game ban for his part in the incident, which happened during Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Newcastle on Wednesday. Evans, 27, has yet to respond to the FA after being charged on Thursday. However, he has denied deliberately spitting at Cisse. Senegal international Cisse had earlier issued a statement apologising for his actions.After the striker accepted the charge, Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley said: “Both ourselves and Papiss agree that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. “When you do something wrong you have to front up, admit your mistakes and accept the punishment. “Papiss was proactive this morning in making a full and heartfelt apology, which he did in advance of any notification from the FA regarding this charge. “This was something he felt strongly about and we fully support him in quickly accepting the charge.” The FA charge read that “in or around the 38th minute of the game the two players spat at each other” and Cisse could receive a ban of up to six matches for the offence after admitting his part in the incident. He would also have to miss an additional game, having already received a ban this season. Charnley said Cisse recognised his importance as a role model to young fans and was eager to atone: “He is keen to carry out extra community activities on behalf of the club during his ban.” Evans has until 18:00 GMT on Friday to respond to the FA charge.
Five Kano Pillars players have been shot by gunmen in an attack on the club’s entourage as they travelled to Owerri for the start of the new Nigerian Premier League season.
Naija Sports Crib 