Archive | May 2016

La Liga to fine empty seats….

A kid at the Nou Cap

The Spanish league is planning to fine clubs that allow empty seats to be shown on television next season. New regulations require top-tier clubs to fill sections of the stadium which are shown by certain camera angles. The move is part of efforts to improve the league’s product for TV audiences and increase its competitiveness with England’s Premier League.

Nigeria confirm rescue of one of the kidnapped Chibok girls….

More than two years after the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by militant sect Boko Haram in Chibok, a town in Nigeria’s north east, the Nigerian army says one of the girls has been rescued. The girl, Amina Ali, was found by a local vigilante group in Sambisa Forest in the northeastern state of Borno—a known base for Boko Haram operations. Her parents later confirmed her identity as one of the kidnapped girls. Amina reportedly confirmed that other girls were still in the custody of Boko Haram but that as many as six have died in captivity.

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See the world’s worst-ranked cities for air quality….

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that four of the world’s 20 worst-ranked cities for air quality are in Nigeria (at least among cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants that monitor their air quality). Onitsha, a densely-populated commercial center in Nigeria’s east, had the worst air quality tested, judged by the annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM10). Onitsha recorded 30 times more than the WHO’s recommended levels of particulate matter concentration. Three other Nigerian cities—Kaduna, Umuahia and Aba—also feature on the list of the 20 worst-ranked cities. Two of those, Aba and Onitsha, are manufacturing cities in the industrial hub of eastern Nigeria. The list is dominated by cities in South East Asia and the Middle East. India, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia each have three cities on the list, while Bahrain and Afghanistan have two each. China, with well-documented air pollution problems, had only one city, Shijiazhuang, on the list.

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EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo disappears from radar….

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo has disappeared from radar with 66 people on board, the airline says. The Airbus A320 went missing over the eastern Mediterranean, soon after entering Egyptian airspace. EgyptAir says it received a distress signal before the plane disappeared from radar. There were 56 passengers – including three children – seven crew members and three security personnel on board Flight MS804, the airline said. The airline said the passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, one Briton, two Iraqis, as well as people from Canada, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Chad and Portugal.

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Sevilla defeat Liverpool to win Europa League….

Sevilla win Europa League

Liverpool suffered a dramatic second-half collapse as Sevilla claimed the Europa League for the third season in succession with a superb comeback. Jurgen Klopp’s side looked on course to secure the prize of Champions League football – on offer to the winners of the competition – when Daniel Sturridge’s magnificent strike with the outside of his left foot gave them the interval lead. The good work was wrecked in the first 17 seconds of the second half when Kevin Gameiro turned in Mariano Ferreira’s cross to put Sevilla level. Liverpool, who were denied a clear first-half penalty when Sevilla’s Daniel Carrico clearly handled as Roberto Firmino tried to weave past him, never recovered. Coke’s fine 64th-minute finish confirmed Sevilla’s superiority and he added a contentious third from close range, which was initially disallowed but was then given as Liverpool slumped to their second final defeat this season after losing to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup.

UEFA sets date for presidential vote….

Michel Platini

UEFA says it will elect a new president on 14 September, following Michel Platini’s resignation after nine years in charge. The Frenchman, 60, quit on 9 May after failing to overturn his ban from all football activities. Platini was found guilty of ethics breaches over a 2m Swiss Franc payment he received from FIFA. Possible replacements include Slovenian federation president Aleksander Ceferin and UEFA vice-presidents Angel Maria Villar and Michael van Praag. The deadline for contenders to register is 20 July.

Demichelis fined by FA….

Demichelis

Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis has been fined £22,058 and warned over his future conduct after accepting an FA charge in relation to betting. The Argentine centre-back breached FA Rule E8 in respect of 29 bets placed on football matches between 22 January and 15 February. New rules that came into force for the 2014-15 season mean players and coaches are prevented from betting on any worldwide footballing activity. The FA has the power to fine or suspend any person found guilty of a rule breach.

John Terry signs new Chelsea deal….

John Terry

Chelsea’s captain John Terry has signed a new one-year deal with the club. In a statement, Chelsea said the decision to offer Terry a new deal came after discussions between incoming manager Antonio Conte, owner Roman Abramovich, Terry himself, and the board. “I am delighted to sign a new contract with the club. Everyone knows I’m Chelsea through and through,” former England captain Terry said. “I am looking forward to next season under the new manager and hopefully we can make it a successful one.” Chairman Bruce Buck said: “We are delighted John will spend another year at the club. He has been the leader of the Chelsea squad throughout the most successful period in our history. He recently reached the 700-appearance mark, which is testament to his professionalism and dedication as well as his undoubted talent.” Director Marina Granovskaia added: “We look forward to another year with John at the club, and believe he will be an important figure in the dressing room and on the pitch as we look to bring success back to the club next season.” 

Ekeng’s Dinamo lose Romanian Cup final….

Patrick Ekeng

Tributes were paid to the late Cameroon international Patrick Ekeng at Tuesday’s Romanian Cup final but his Dinamo Bucharest side lost to CFR Cluj. Ekeng died aged 26 after collapsing on the pitch during a Dinamo match earlier this month. There was a minute’s silence before kick-off and the game was halted in the 14th minute in memory of Ekeng, who wore the number 14 shirt at the club. Cluj won 5-4 on penalties after the game ended 2-2 following extra time.

Jay Jay Okocha still has it in him as he trills Bolton fans….

Former Bolton Wanderers and Super Eagles of Nigeria captain, Jay Jay Okocha scored a hat-trick in the Bolton Wanderers legends match played at the Macron Stadium as John McGinlay’s All Star XI ran out 6-2 winners over Tony Kelly’s side. Okocha played and scored for the two sides in both halves of the game that featured the likes of Patrice Muamba.

Ancelotti takes aim at Bale….

Ancelotti takes aim at Bale

Former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has hit out at Gareth Bale over the Welshman’s decision to instruct his agent to talk to club president Florentino Perez over his unhappiness rather than approach him directly. Bale was a key figure for Madrid in Ancelotti’s first season in charge, scoring crucial goals in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey finals. Ancelotti’s relationship with the former Tottenham star deteriorated in 2014-15, though, as Bale demanded to play in a more central position, much to his coach’s dismay. “One morning in March I received a phone call from the Madrid general director saying that the president wanted to speak with me at the end of training that day. This was very unusual. When I visited the president, he told me that Bale’s agent had been to his office to speak about the ‘Bale situation’,” Ancelotti writes in his book ‘Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches’.

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Ancelotti says Abramovich is very demanding….

Carlo Ancelotti

Antonio Conte may be in for a bumpy ride when he becomes Chelsea manager this summer if his fellow Italian Carlo Ancelotti’s memoirs are anything to go by. Ancelotti, manager at Stamford Bridge from 2009 through 2011, has given an insight into the demanding role at Chelsea while working under the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich. In an extract of Ancelotti’s autobiography, Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches, published in The Times, the incoming Bayern Munich manager writes about his first warning from the Russian oligarch. It came following a 3-1 defeat to Wigan Athletic when Chelsea was top of the Premier League, having won 16 of the first 18 games in all competitions. Ancelotti, former AC Milan manager, describes it as a “blip” but says Abramovich came to the Cobham training ground “demanding answers.”

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Divock Origi makes 22-man squad for Liverpool’s trip to Basel….

Liverpool vs Sevilla, Europa League final: Divock Origi makes 22-man squad for Reds' trip to Basel

Liverpool have been handed a massive boost ahead of their Europa League final clash against Sevilla after Divock Origi returned to the first-team following his recovery from an ankle surgery. The striker has travelled with Jurgen Klopp’s 22-man team to Basel where they will try to deny the La Liga club a third consecutive Europa League crown. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Belgium international came through unscathed in Monday’s training session and will be included in the final 18-man squad on match day. Origi is likely to start on the substitutes’ bench with Daniel Sturridge leading the line as they look to seal a place in next season’s Champions League and win their first trophy under Klopp.

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Claudio Ranieri named manager of the year….

Claudio Ranieri

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has been named manager of the year by the League Managers’ Association. The 64-year-old Italian was honoured after leading the Foxes to their maiden top-flight title in his first season with the club. Ranieri is only the second non-British or Irish manager to win the prestigious accolade after Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, who won it in both 2002 and 2004. The Leicester boss had already picked up three manager of the month awards in the course of his side’s remarkable campaign, and was named Italian manager of the year in his homeland last month.

PSG to name stand after Ibrahimovic….

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi has revealed that the French champions plan to name a stand after departing striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic, 34, announced last Friday that he would be quitting the French capital this summer, although PSG said he had agreed to return in a management role once he has retired. On Saturday, the Sweden captain scored twice in his final home game for PSG in their 4-0 win over Nantes. In doing so, he surpassed Carlos Bianchi’s club record of 37 Ligue 1 goals in a single season, meaning he has now netted 154 times in all competitions since moving to Paris from AC Milan in 2012. Speaking on Saturday, Al-Khelaifi said that PSG would be “proud” to honour their all-time leading goal scorer when he leaves. “We tried to do everything for him because he deserves everything,” Al-Khelaifi told Swedish TV station SVT after the club and PSG supporters paid tribute to Ibrahimovic at the Parc des Princes. “Honestly one thing I forgot in my speech is that we’re going to call one of the tribunes [stands] under his name…I hope that we did enough for him because he deserves always more.”

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Nigerian Premier League table as at 15th May 2016….

 

Pos Team Team   P W D L             GF GA GD Pts
1 Enugu Rangers ENU 17 9 4 4 27 19 +8 31
2 Abia Warriors ABI 16 8 6 2 19 11 +8 30
3 Wikki Tourist WIK 16 8 4 4 24 8 +16 28
4 Kano Pillars KAN 17 8 4 5 24 17 +7 28
5 Lobi Stars LOB 17 8 4 5 20 14 +6 28
6 Rivers United RIV 17 9 1 7 20 16 +4 28
7 Akwa United AKW 17 8 3 6 23 16 +7 27
8 Ifeanyi Uba UBA 17 8 2 7 16 17 -1 26
9 Warri Wolves WAR 16 7 4 5 11 11 +0 25
10 Enyimba ENY 14 7 3 4 16 12 +4 24
11 MFM MFM 16 6 5 5 17 16 +1 23
12 Heartland HEA 17 6 4 7 14 16 -2 22
13 Sunshine Stars SUN 17 5 6 6 18 16 +2 21
14 Plateau United PLT 17 5 6 6 19 24 -5 21
15 Nasarawa United NAS 17 7 0 10 18 23 -5 21
16 Niger Tornadoes NIG 16 6 2 8 19 20 -1 20
17 El Kanemi Warriors WAR 17 6 2 9 18 22 -4 20
18 Shooting Stars 3SC 17 5 2 10 17 30 -13 17
19 Giwa GIW 17 4 2 11 11 26 -15 14
20 Ikorodu United IKO 17 2 4 11 13 30 -17 10

 

Kadiri Ikhana resigns as Shooting Stars coach….

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Kadiri Ikhana has resigned as coach of Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, Nigeria. The former Enyimba handler has been on the sideline because of an undisclosed ailment told Goal that his decision to quit the Oluyole Warriors stands and would not rescind it. “My time with 3SC is up and I have written my resignation letter hinting about my desire to leave,” Ikhana told Goal. “I cannot continue in a club where my contractual agreement has been breached. I was told necessary things that would make my work successful would be provided but till now none was kept.” He also said that the players have been playing on empty stomach and that some of their awful results away from home were not true reflection of the players’ ability but that they were let down by the team’s lacked of direction. Reacting to this development, team’s general manager Rasheed Balogun stated that Ikhana remains in charge claiming he is doing all it takes to ensure that the team would get a facelift soon. 3SC got trounced 4-0 by Wikki Tourists in Bauchi on Sunday and are 18th on the NPFL log with 17 points from 17 matches. They face Abia Warriors in a must win home tie on Wednesday at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.