Archive | April 7, 2016

Sylvain Wiltord may stage a comeback….

Apr7

Remember him? Former Arsenal forward Sylvain Wiltord announced on Twitter that he intends to return to playing at the age of 41, saying: “After much reflection, I have decided to make my grand return to football. Tune in on 20 April for my press conference.” We are waiting Sylvain.

Iwobi wants to play for Nigeria at Rio Olympics….

Apr7

Alex Iwobi celebrates after scoring the second goal

Nigerian international Alex Iwobi has declared his intention to represent Nigeria at the Rio Olympics this summer. The Arsenal forward could miss the start of next season if he gets on the plane to Rio with the Dream Team VI of Nigeria. The 19-year-old, who has two goals in two Premier League starts for the Gunners, made his competitive debut for Nigeria last month and now wants to play for the Under-23 side in Rio. The men’s Olympic football schedule runs from August 4 to August 20, meaning not only would Iwobi be likely to miss Arsenal’s pre-season but also the first month of Premier League action. “I am looking forward to the forthcoming Olympics and if I am invited, I will do my best to make a meaningful contribution,” Iwobi said. “I believe that Nigeria has a crop of excellent players who are capable of doing great things at the Olympics. Coach Samson Siasia deserves a lot of praise for securing a place for the nation at the Olympics.”

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Claude Leroy is Togo’s new coach….

Apr7

Claude LeRoy

Togo have appointed Claude LeRoy as their new national team coach to replace Tom Saintfiet. Frenchman LeRoy, 68, has worked on the continent for almost 30 years and has coached at a record eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He has signed a three-year contract and is tasked with trying to qualify Togo for the 2017 Nations Cup in Gabon. Togo are third in their qualifying group, two points behind leaders Liberia, who they play away in June. LeRoy admitted: “We need a miracle to qualify for the 2017 Nations Cup, perhaps as the best second-placed team.” However, Le Roy has the pedigree to turn around Togo’s fortunes. He guided Cameroon to the 1988 Nations Cup title and has only failed to reach the quarter-finals once. Among the other countries he has coached at the continental championship are Senegal, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.