The Super Eagles camp has been bubbling since Monday as many of the players invited for the pair of international friendly matches against Uganda and South Africa have arrived, goal reports. Among the early birds from Europe was Odion Ighalo. His arrival increased the number of players at the Le Meridien Hotel in Uyo as at dinner time on Monday. Godfrey Oboabona, Azubuike Egwuekwe , Kenneth Omeruo, Akeem Latifu, Ogenyi Onazi, Leon Balogun and Ahmed Musa were also already in camp.
England coach Roy Hodgson admitted his anger over training ground ‘espionage’ after a picture showing Harry Kane in a possible starting line-up emerged. Photographers watching Kane’s first training session with the senior squad on Tuesday seemed to stumble on Hodgson’s possible selection for Friday’s European Qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley. They took shots of an England formation on a scrap of paper in Hodgson’s hand, which showed Spurs striker Kane partnered with captain Wayne Rooney.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo could face punishment for his goal celebration when he netted the equaliser in Sunday’s La Liga ‘Clasico’ at Barcelona. Ronaldo, not for the first time when he has scored at the Nou Camp, appeared to be urging the Barca fans to calm down when he struck to make it 1-1 for Real in the 31st minute. “We have to be careful with provocative gestures by a player when he scores a goal or with any other provocation or conduct that could incite violence among spectators,” said Spanish League (LFP) president Javier Tebas. “It must be sanctioned, from a fine up to a suspension,” he added. “We will look into it.”
The English Women’s Super League One gets under way this evening, with defending champions Liverpool Ladies (featuring Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala) looking to win the WSL crown for the third year in a row. The Reds host newly-promoted Sunderland.
Spanish club Barcelona declares three days of official mourning in memory of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash. One hundred and fifty people were killed when the flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday. The club says its Catalan, Barcelona City and Club flags are all being flown at half-mast as a sign of respect for the victims. The club’s handball and roller hockey teams wore black armbands during their games yesterday and the basketball side will do the same for their Euroleague match against Zalgiris Kaunas this evening.
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel will serve a three-match ban after an independent FA disciplinary panel rejected his appeal against a violent conduct charge. The Slovakia international stood on Manchester United keeper David de Gea in the last seconds of Liverpool’s 2-1 home defeat at Anfield on Sunday. The incident was missed at the time by referee Martin Atkinson.
Sprinter Justin Gatlin has been given a new sponsorship deal by US sportswear giant Nike. The 33-year-old American dominated the 100m and 200m in 2014, and is many experts’ favourite to win a golden double at August’s world championships. “But Gatlin has served two doping bans, including a four-year suspension between 2006-2010. He was sponsored by Nike prior to his second ban but has been wearing Chinese firm Xtep’s kit since 2012.
Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt will make his first appearance in the United States in five years when he competes in the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meeting in New York on 13 June. The Jamaican sprinter set his first 100 metres world record at the meeting in 2008 when he clocked 9.72 seconds. His only other appearance in the U.S. since then was to anchor a Jamaican 4×100 metres team at the 2010 Penn Relays.
Former Manchester United skipper Nemanja Vidic will not leave Inter Milan at the end of the season, claims his agent. The Serb, 33, has been strongly linked with a return to England after joining the Nerazzurri as a free agent last summer. Asked if Vidic would stay at Inter, his agent Silvano Martina told Gazzetta dello Sport: “I think he should, yes, because he has another two years left on his contract. “In fact, I want to reveal something. Last year he made a specific choice to come to Milan, even though Manchester United wanted to keep him and kept calling up to December.” Vidic was dropped by the Nerazzurri earlier in the season, but has since re-established himself under Roberto Mancini.
Injured West Brom striker Brown Ideye is hopeful of returning for next week’s Premier League home match against QPR. The Nigeria international, 26, missed the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City with a knee problem, which also forced him out of his nation’s friendly against Uganda. “I thought I could be fit for Nigeria. I thought I could even be fit for the game at Manchester City,” the Baggies’ record signing tells the club’s official website. “But I couldn’t run and I have had to stay back instead of risking it by going to internationals. “I just have to rest. The pain is still there but the doctors and physios have been doing their best to make sure I’m fit for the QPR game.”
Few Premier League fans could quite believe that Brazil superstar Robinho was leaving Real Madrid in 2008 for…Manchester City. City, of course, were then simply just a mid-table top-flight side. Almost seven years on, Robinho admits he was quite surprised by the £32.5m move too. “I knew I was going to play in England but I didn’t know for which club!” says the 31-year-old, who was also linked to Chelsea before going to City. Now back at Santos, Robinho discusses his brief, but sometimes brilliant, time at Eastlands on City’s official website.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech’s long-term future at Chelsea is in doubt after he suggested he could not spend another season as understudy to Thibaut Courtois. The 32-year-old Czech Republic international has started just four Premier League games this season, with Courtois preferred as Chelsea’s number one. “I don’t know what the club’s idea will be. It looks like it works well with me and Thibaut as a duo,” Cech told the Idnes newspaper. “But that can work for one season only. I don’t want another one like this.”
Here’s Vinicius, the mascot of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, atop a Sugar Loaf mountain cable train car in Rio de Janeiro. Today marked the start of the 500-day countdown to next year’s Games.
Germany’s players will wear black armbands during Wednesday’s friendly against Australia in honour of the victims of the Germanwings air crash. The plane, which was carrying 150 people, crashed in the French Alps on its way from Barcelona to Dusseldorf earlier today. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off in Kaiserslautern. “It’s had an impact on everyone and it overshadows everything,” said German FA president Wolfgang Niersbach. “As a football family, we owe it to the victims and their families to pay our respects.”
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel denies a charge of violent conduct over an alleged stamp on Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. The incident happened in injury-time during the Reds’ 2-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield on Sunday. The Slovakian, 30, was charged on Monday and faces a three-match suspension. But he claims the incident was accidental and not intentional.
Diego Simeone extends his deal as manager of reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid until 2020. The ex-Argentina midfielder guided Los Rojiblancos to their first Liga since 1996, as well as last season’s Champons League final where they were beaten by neighbours Real Madrid. Simeone once played for Atletico Madrid when Fernando Torres was captain. Today they are coach and player respectively for the club and they are good friends.
Radamel Falcao wants to leave Manchester United in the summer even if he is offered a permanent deal, reports the Manchester Evening News. According to the newspaper, the Colombian striker is understood to have indicated his intention to leave Old Trafford – after being largely being frozen out this season. Liverpool and Chelsea are rumored to be interested in Falcao.
Michel Platini was re-elected by acclamation as UEFA president for a third term at the European confederation’s 39th Congress on Tuesday (today). The 59-year-old former France international, who has been president since 2007, was handed another four-year term by delegates of UEFA’s 54-member nations after standing unopposed.
Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli had to be restrained by the Liverpool fans from clashing with Chris Smalling after taking offence to a tackle. The fiery Italian reacted to being forced into the advertising boards and was quick in his attempts to grab the Manchester United defender before being held back by proactive fans. This was after Steven Gerrard had been sent off for stamping Hererra. Why always Mario?
Ugochukwu “Ugo” Chiedozie Monye has announced his retirement from the game at the end of the season. The 31-year-old won 14 caps for England and played two Tests for the Lions in 2009, scoring a crucial try in the third Test victory against South Africa at Ellis Park. Monye has played over 200 times for his club Harlequins, winning the Premiership title in 2012. The 31-year-old, who was born in Islington, London to Nigerian parents.
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