Archive | May 2015

Drogba exits Chelsea for second time….

 

Didier Drogba

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is leaving the club for a second time. The 37-year-old first signed for the club in 2004 and has scored a total of 164 goals in 381 appearances. “I want to play for at least one more season and in order to play more football I feel I need to go to another club,” he told Chelsea’s website.  Drogba scored a late equaliser and the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final. The Ivorian rejoined the Blues in 2014 when manager Jose Mourinho returned to the club, collecting his fourth Premier League winner’s medal this season.

 

Terry unsure about management….

John Terry admits he is unsure whether he wants to become a manager despite once being keen on the idea. The Chelsea defender will lift the Premier League title for the fourth time on Sunday after his side’s clash with Sunderland, and is currently on a one-year rolling deal. The 34-year-old has enjoyed a fine season at Stamford Bridge, and is currently juggling playing with a coaching course. But, in a revealing interview with Soccer AM’s Tubes, Terry admits he may not want to be in that pressurised environment every day. He said: “I’m doing my badges at the minute. It’s long, it’s difficult at the minute while I’m still playing, with not many days off and Champions League football and everything. “But I’m getting there and it’s something I want to look into doing, but I’m not sure. I was keen for three of four years… I’ve got to later on in my life now where I’m 50/50. “I don’t know whether I want to be in that every day. “My dream was to manage Chelsea, it was, it really was, but the more I’ve been doing it, I don’t know.” Terry has been at Chelsea for his entire career, and while admitting he wants to stay beyond his retirement from playing, it may not be in a managerial role. “Maybe a role within the club would be more up my street,” he added. “The pressures of playing all my career, to kind of throw myself back in that for the rest of my life. “And also you can’t start at Chelsea, you can’t start at the very top. You have to go out and learn your trade.”

Barca players to wear ‘thank you Xavi’ shirts….

Xavi

Barcelona players will wear special shirts in their final league game of the season to honour Xavi as he ends a 24-year association with the club. The midfielder will get a special send off against Deportivo La Coruna at the Nou Camp on Saturday. Xavi, 35, who will earn his eighth La Liga medal , announced on Thursday that he would leave Barcelona at the end of the season to join Qatari side Al Saad. “I couldn’t have had a better career,” he said. “It was a tough decision.” He could still win this season’s Champions League and the Copa del Rey to add to his 23 club trophies. The former Spain international, who is the most decorated player in the country’s history, has won three Champions Leagues as well as two European Championships and a World Cup. Players will don shirts that will say “Thank you Xavi” before Barcelona celebrate their 23rd La Liga title with Xavi – who joined the club aged 11 – set to lift the trophy.

Xavi man and boy

Barrow picks The Gambia over Sweden….

Modou Barrow

Swansea forward Modou Barrow has committed his international future to The Gambia. The 22-year-old was also eligible to play for Sweden, where he lived from the age of 11. He is set to make his competitive debut for The Scorpions in June’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in South Africa. “I am pleased to say that I have decided to finally play for the Gambian national team at senior team level,” he said. “I believe even though Sweden have some very big and great players, I’ll be able to be part of history in The Gambia, the country I was born in, and help it achieve its aims of an African Nations Cup and World Cup appearances,” he added. “I know my decision would be a disappointment for some who expected me to play for Sweden but believe me, it is something I have thought about and I do hope people understand my decision. “Sweden has been a country that has given me my chance in professional football and it’ll always be in my heart and be my second country. “Thank you and looking forward to playing my first match with Gambia!” He becomes the second British-based player to commit his international future to The Gambia in recent weeks after Middlesbrough’s Mustapha Carayol made a similar move earlier this month.

Mourinho will not walk away from Chelsea….

Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he would not choose to leave the Premier League champions but is prepared to manage another English club. Mourinho, 52, began his second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge in 2013. His first stint, from 2004-2007, ended after his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich became strained. “I see myself coaching another club, yes, but I love Chelsea and I am in Mr Abramovich’s hands and until then I am here,” Mourinho told Football Focus. “The day Mr Abramovich thinks I am not good enough for Chelsea, I want to work, and if possible in England too.” In September 2007, the former Porto boss left English football after Chelsea suffered an indifferent start to the season. He went on to manage Italian side Inter Milan where he won the league, cup and Champions League treble, before joining Real Madrid, capturing the La Liga title and domestic cup in his three-year spell in the Spanish capital. After returning to Chelsea, the Portuguese boss – who has been named manager of the season – led the club to their fourth Premier League title this season – a third under him – as well as winning the League Cup. “Until Mr Abramovich says, I don’t see myself going,” added Mourinho. “Any club comes to me now and offers me a fantastic project, offers me twice my wages in the contract at Chelsea, no chance.” He also told Football Focus that periods of “clear domination” enjoyed by Manchester United and his previous Chelsea side are no longer possible.

Coach Didier Six banned from Cosafa Cup….

Didier Six

Mauritius coach Didier Six has been banned from the rest of the Cosafa Cup and fined $2,000 for poor behaviour. The Frenchman, only months into the job, was sent off during his side’s 2-0 defeat by Namibia on Tuesday. That followed a warning over his refusal to talk to media after a 2-0 loss to Zimbabwe in their opener. Also, Cosafa officials said Six had “thrown a tantrum” at a pre-tournament meeting over the non-registration of two of his players. The 60-year-old appeared in front of a disciplinary committee on Thursday – the first time of such a hearing in tournament history. Cosafa general-secretary Sue Destombes said: “We are disappointed in his behaviour, his general attitude and conduct was not can be expected of an experienced and senior coach. Cosafa will tolerate this sort of behaviour.” Six was shown a red card on Tuesday following a running argument with officials from virtually the start of the game at the Moruleng Stadium in South Africa’s North West province. He ordered all his substitute back into the change room midway through the second half after Namibia had been awarded a controversial penalty. Accusing officials of a conspiracy, Six also stormed off the bench and headed down the tunnel, had a cigarette and then sought to return – only to be promptly sent packing by Lesotho referee Osiais Kote. The day before he had been called in by tournament officials after refusing to talk to the media after Mauritius first game at the southern African championship. They had to remind him of regulations that insist coaches give a brief television interview one hour before kick off, speak to the cameras immediately after the final whistle and then attend a post-match press conference. Six did talk to television after the warning ahead of Tuesday’s match against Namibia but after his red card was absent again. Cosafa also insisted that Six’s anger at the the fact two of his payers were not registered for the tournament was misdirected, insisting the Mauritius Football Association is to blame. Six won over 50 caps for France and played at Marseille, VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga and for one season at Aston Villa as a sprightly left winger. He was Togo’s coach when they reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa two years ago.

Renard quits as Ivory Coast coach….

Herve Renard

Herve Renard has resigned as coach of Africa Cup of Nations winners Ivory Coast to pave the way for a move to French Ligue 1 side Lille, the Frenchman announced on Friday. The 46-year-old led Ivory Coast to only their second Nations Cup title in Equatorial Guinea in February, defeating neighbouring Ghana in a dramatic penalty shootout, just two years after Renard had won the title with Zambia. Renard cited a new challenge as the reason for his departure. “My adventure with Ivory Coast was exceptional. And I sincerely think that the best moment to end our collaboration is after such a success,” he told reporters in Abidjan. “In all likelihood, I’m going to Lille barring a catastrophe.” Rene Girard, the current Lille coach, will end his two-year stay at the Ligue 1 side following Saturday’s match against Metz. Lille are sitting in eighth place in the league. For Renard, a move to club football opens up fresh opportunities. “I hope that my future club will allow me to advance to another level, and I hope, like any self-respecting coach, to one day participate in the European Champions League,” Renard added. Ivory Coast signed Renard on a two-year contract in August 2014, setting him the task to improve the fortunes of a side including the likes of Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony and Didier Drogba – although the Chelsea forward retired before the 2015 Nations Cup. “We thank Mr Renard for our collaboration, for the work he did at the head of the national team,” said Pierre Gondo, spokesman for the Ivorian Football Federation. “We expressed to him our regret to see this collaboration end so soon.” Renard did not offer details concerning the intricacies of the termination of his contract, saying only that there would be discussions between his future club and the Ivorian Football Federation.

Klopp to say goodbye….

Borussia Dortmund fans

Jurgen Klopp’s last home game as Borussia Dortmund manager is a sell-out. The real question is what kind of a tribute the 80,667-strong crowd can be expected to make as they say goodbye to the floppy-haired maverick, who announced in April that he will be leaving at the end of the season. “There will be a special atmosphere and I don’t know what will be going on inside me if we win,” said Klopp, whose side play Werder Bremen in a 2:30pm Nigerian time kick-off on Saturday.

Leicester City declare free beer….

 

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and a beer

Leicester City’s owners will dip into their pockets and buy the first round of beers  during Sunday’s final game of the season against QPR. The Foxes secured their Premier League status last week and vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “We want to say thank you to our fans for their incredible support this season. “It’s been key in the team securing another season in the top flight.” Supporters will be given a voucher to claim a beer – or a bottle of water – at the King Power Stadium. QPR fans travelling to Leicester and hoping to drown their relegation sorrows on the cheap will be disappointed though, as the offer only extends to home fans. The BBC Sport’s Price of Football study found that the Foxes offered the cheapest day out in the Premier League this season, with a ticket, pie, programme and a cup of tea costing as little as £27.50. Leicester’s owners have been spoiling their fans recently, having provided breakfast for the 3,000 supporters  who travelled to Sunderland last week.

 

Nigerian Premier League fixtures….

Sunday 24 May 2015:

Warri Wolves vs Kano Pillars 4pm

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Taraba United 4pm

Abia Warriors vs Sunshine Stars 4pm

Wikki Tourists vs Enyimba 4pm

Nasarawa United vs Akwa United 4pm

Kwara United vs Enugu Rangers 4pm

Giwa vs Ifeanyi Uba United 4pm

Dolphin vs Sharks 4pm

Heartland vs Bayelsa United 4pm

Shooting Stars vs Lobi Stars 4pm

English Premier League final day fixtures….

Sunday 24 May 2015:

Arsenal v West Brom 3pm

Aston Villa v Burnley 3pm

Chelsea v Sunderland 3pm

Crystal Palace v Swansea 3pm

Everton v Tottenham 3pm

Hull v Man United 3pm

Leicester v QPR 3pm

Man City v Southampton 3pm

Newcastle v West Ham 3pm

Stoke v Liverpool 3pm

 

Adebayor on compassionate leave….

 

Premier League - Emmanuel Adebayor given compassionate leave after Facebook post

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor will miss his club’s final game of the season at Everton on Sunday after being allowed to return to his native Togo on compassionate grounds. Adebayor published the latest in a series of lengthy Facebook posts this week in which he revealed he had contemplated suicide due to a family feud. And concerns over the player’s mind-set have prompted Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino to step in on his behalf, Press Association Sport understands. The 31-year-old, who has already been granted compassionate leave once this season, is also set to miss the club’s post-season tour of the Far East, and his future at the club must now be in doubt. Adebayor has used his Facebook account three times to reveal his complicated family issues. In his first post earlier this month, he accused his brother Rotimi of stealing mobile phones belonging to team-mates at a leading French football academy. Adebayor’s third installment on Wednesday was the most striking as he said arguments with his brothers Kola and Peter, who died in July 2012, drove him to consider taking his own life. ”Many times I wanted to give up,” Adebayor wrote. “Ask my sister Iyabo Adebayor how many times I have called and was ready to commit suicide. ”I kept these stories for years. But if I die, no-one would know my story, no-one would learn from it. Some people say I should keep these stories private, but someone has to sacrifice himself, someone has to talk about it.”

 

Ghent win Belgium league….

Ghent celebrate

Ghent have finally won the Belgian league after 115 years of trying. The Buffalos’ 2-0 win over Standard Liege on Thursday clinched the title and secured a place in next season’s Champions League. The Flemish club have twice finished second in the league, have won three Belgian Cups and reached the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup in 1992. League success this season breaks the traditional domination of Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Standard Liege. Ghent were struggling with debt of more than 20m euros (£14m) in the late 1990s. However, they eliminated the debt by 2012 and a year later moved from a 13,000-seater stadium to the multi-purpose 20,000 capacity Ghelamco Arena – the first new-build Belgian football stadium in almost 40 years.

Nigerian Premier League results….

Wednesday 20 May 2015:

Sharks 1 – 1 Giwa

Taraba 1 – 1 Dolphin

Enyimba 3 – 1 El-Kanemi Warriors

Bayelsa United 1 – 0 Wikki Tourists

Akwa United 2 – 1 Shooting Stars

Lobi Stars 1 – 0 Heartrland

Enugu Rangers 0 – 0 Nasarawa United

Sunshine Stars 1 – 0 Kwara United

Kano Pillars 2 – 1 Ifeanyi Uba United

Friday 22 May 2015:

Warri Wolves 3 – 2 Abia Warriors

Luiz dismisses virgin reports….

 

David Luiz

Paris St-Germain defender David Luiz has accused the media of a lack of respect after dismissing widespread stories that he is a virgin. The reports started after the former Chelsea man, 28, said on Instagram he “would wait” until he is married before having sex with his girlfriend. “People are saying things everywhere about whether I’m a virgin or not,” Luiz told BBC’s Football Focus. “I’m not a virgin. I’ve had more than one girlfriend in my life.” He added: “Some people in the press don’t respect people in life. I can put my head on my pillow and sleep great because I respect everyone.”

 

Chelsea celebrate awards double….

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho celebrates winning the Barclays Manager of the Season Award with his back room team from Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are celebrating an awards double with Jose Mourinho and Eden Hazard being voted the Premier League’s manager and player of the year respectively. Mourinho led Chelsea to their first League title in five years, while forward Hazard led the way on the pitch with 14 goals and eight assists. The duo were selected from the Barclays Panel that included a group of former players, journalists and football stakeholders. Mourinho was chosen from a five-strong list of candidates drawn up by the Premier League, the others being Ronald Koeman, Garry Monk, Nigel Pearson and Arsene Wenger. Koeman, of Southampton, has guided Saints into Europa League contention despite losing a number of key players last summer. However, the Dutchman recruited well and – with one match remaining this season – the south coast club have the joint-meanest defence in the Premier League. Swansea’s Monk is nominated after leading his team to their highest ever points total in England’s top flight. An excellent end to the season for Leicester City earned Pearson a nominee, as the Foxes collected 19 points out of 24 to reach Premier League safety having, at one stage, being seemingly cut adrift at the base of the table. And Wenger maintained his record of securing Champions League football for the Gunners for an 18th consecutive season. Meanwhile, four Chelsea players were among the list of eight from which Hazard was chosen. The others were John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic but the Belgian international made it a personal treble having already claimed the PFA and Writers awards. The other four in contention were Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, goalkeeper David de Gea of Manchester United, Tottenham’s PFA Young Player of the Year Harry Kane and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal.

Jose Mourinho and Eden Hazard

Burundi President plays football amid protests….

Burundi leader playing football

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has been photographed playing football as protests continue over his bid to run for a third term in office. Mr Nkurunziza was playing in his daily kickabout with friends in the capital, Bujumbura. In the latest unrest, a protester was shot dead in Bujumbura. Last week, there was a failed coup against Mr Nkurunziza. Senior officials from both the army and police have been accused of involvement. The protester was shot in the back by police in the opposition stronghold of Musaga, a witness said. On Wednesday Mr Nkurunziza said in a speech on state radio that an insignificant part of the capital was experiencing unrest while the rest of Burundi was peaceful. He urged those who have fled the country to return.

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This entry was posted on May 22, 2015. 1 Comment

Figo pulls out of FIFA presidential race….

Luis Figo

Luis Figo has joined Michael van Praag in withdrawing from the FIFA presidential election on 29 May. Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo, 42, pulled out on the same day as Van Praag, 67, to leave Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan as Blatter’s only rival. Blatter is favourite to win a fifth term as president and Figo said: “This process is anything but an election. “This process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man – something I refuse to go along with.” Figo also highlighted the need for change in his withdrawal statement. “I travelled and met extraordinary people who, though they recognized the value of much that had been done, also concurred with the need for change, one that cleans up FIFA’s reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption,” he said. “I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing FIFA leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ. Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes.” He also questioned an election process in which a main candidate – Blatter – had not produced a manifesto “so that federation presidents know what they’re voting for”. Figo added: “There has not been a single public debate about each candidate’s proposals.”

Benitez lined up by Real Madrid….

 

Rafael Benitez

Napoli boss Rafael Benitez has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next Real Madrid manager. Current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is widely expected to leave his post after this weekend’s final game of the season against Getafe. Talks between the parties are under way, with 55-year-old Benitez’s Napoli contract due to expire next month, although no agreement has been reached. West Ham have also made contact with the former Liverpool and Chelsea boss. Sam Allardyce, currently preparing West Ham for Sunday’s game at Newcastle, is set for talks about his future early next week. Benitez began his coaching career at Real Madrid B and has also managed Valladolid, Osasuna, Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia and Inter Milan. While at Liverpool, he famously led the side to victory in the 2005 Champions League final and also tasted success in the FA Cup and Uefa Super Cup. In a brief spell in charge of Chelsea in the 2012-13 season, he steered the Blues to victory in the Europa League. During his time in Italy with Napoli, he has won the Coppa Italia and led the club to the semi-finals of this season’s Europa League.

 

Van Praag drops out of FIFA presidential race….

Van Praag, who is president of the Dutch Football Federation, says he has switched his support to Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan for the FIFA presidency contest. The election takes place on 29 May with Sepp Blatter, who is tipped to win a fifth term, and former Portugal great Luis Figo still in contention along with Prince Ali.