The Football Pools is being sold for £97.25m by current owners Sportech to a group of gambling industry investors. Sportech wants to sell the betting firm, which began 93 years ago and was once the main way to gamble on football, to focus on its US business. The pools are now played by about 300,000 people, although at their height 10 million players took part. Those Nigerians of age 40 and above should know when “pool” was popular albeit been seen as lazy man’s job.
Tuesday 13th September, 2016:
PSG vs Arsenal 7:45 pm
Barcelona vs Celtic 7:45 pm
Man City vs Borussia Mochengladbach 7:45 pm
Basel vs Ludo Razgd 7:45 pm
Benfica vs Besiktas 7: 45 pm
Bayern Munich vs FC Rostov 7:45 pm
PSV Eindhoven vs Atletico Madrid 7:45 pm
Tottenham Hotspur have announced that Eric Dier has signed a new contract with the club which will run until 2021. The 22-year-old holding midfielder has become an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s side since his arrival at the club from Sporting Lisbon in 2014.
San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick has continued his protest about racial inequality by kneeling as the national anthem was played before a 28-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Team-mate Eric Reid knelt with Kaepernick, while two others – Antoine Bethea and Eli Harold – raised fists during the Star Spangled Banner. The Rams’ Kenny Britt and Robert Quinn also held their fists in the air. Back-up quarterback Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem to highlight what he says is oppression of black people in the United States.
Manchester United paid out £8.4m to former boss Louis van Gaal and his coaches after they were sacked in May. United are also understood to have written off £6.7m on ex-Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger. They have not said the sum relates to the midfielder but it is understood he was only named in their domestic squad because of Premier League rules and is very unlikely to play for United again. The Old Trafford club posted record annual revenues of £515.3m on Monday. Van Gaal and his coaching team were dismissed 48 hours after leading United to victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. Assistant manager Ryan Giggs subsequently left following Jose Mourinho’s appointment as Van Gaal’s replacement. Mourinho left Schweinsteiger out of his Europa League squad and has told the 32-year-old he has only the remotest chance of playing this season, because the Portuguese manager will promote youngsters into his squad should injuries or suspensions affect his central midfielders. It is now known that the former Bayern Munich player only retains that chance because Premier League rules forced United to name any player over the age of 21 in their squad if they had room within their allotted 25 places. The situation surrounding the German – originally signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £11m – means United no longer think they will get their money back on the player, so have written off the £6.7m they had been valuing him at.
Former Burkina Faso international Ben Idrissa Derme has died during a French Cup tie for amateur side AJ Biguglia. The 34-year-old suffered a heart attack early in the second half of the third-round tie while playing for the French sixth-division side. The medical services treated him on the pitch but were unable to revive him. Derme had been capped four times by Burkina Faso and had played in the French lower leagues and in Moldova, as well as in Burkina Faso. May his soul rest in peace.
Team Nigeria today 12th September continued her fine run at the Rio 2016 Paralympics by winning two more gold medals in power-lifting. Ndidi Nwosu won gold medal in the women’s 73kg category while her compatriot Bose Omolayo won the gold medal in the women’s 79kg category. Team Nigeria is currently at the 9th position in the tournament’s medals table with six gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
Marcus Rashford impressed once again at the weekend, influencing the Manchester derby with his pace and direct running, although he couldn’t do enough to save his United side from falling to a 2-1 defeat by rivals City. And United team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic thinks the 18-year-old is set for a rather special career. “It’s not like he needs to take over the world today, the club knows that, the coach knows that and the team knows that,” Ibrahimovic told Sky Sports. “We know his quality and what he’s able to do. What the world is seeing now, we already know because we see it every day. “There is no need to rush to push him and put him in the heat zone and put a lot of pressure on him because that can have the opposite effect. “Time by time, he will take over everything. It’s about having patience.”
Newcastle United’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer had his own statue unveiled today at St James’ Park. #Honour.
Saturday 10th September, 2016:
Ikorodu United 4 – 1 Kano Pillars
Sunshine Stars 3 – 1 Plateau United
Shooting Stars 2 – 1 Enugu Rangers
Rivers United 3 – 1 Warri Wolves
Nasarawa United 2 – 1 Wikki Tourists
Ifeanyi Ubah 2 – 0 Akwa United
Niger Tornadoes 1 – 0 Enyimba
Sunday 11th September, 2016:
MFM 3 – 1 Lobi Stars
Michel Platini has been given permission to address European football’s governing body UEFA when it meets this week – despite the former president being banned from all football activity. Frenchman Platini, 61, was head of UEFA until his ban for breaching ethics rules over a £1.3m “disloyal payment”. UEFA is meeting to select the former France midfielder’s successor. It asked FIFA for permission for its ex-leader to attend the gathering.
Sunday 11th September, 2016:
Swansea 2 – 2 Chelsea
Monday 12th September, 2016:
Sunderland 0 – 3 Everton
Laurrita Onye’s rivals were no match for her in the women’s Shot put F40 as she totally dominated the event to win the country’s first Track and Field medal, and a GOLD one at that, on Day 4 of the Rio Paralympics. The Nigerian broke the World Record (WR) twice to distinguish herself from the rest of the field. Her first throw of 7.83m saw her break her WR of 7.72m set at the 2015 IPC World Athletics Championships in Doha. Her second throw landed at 7.54m, while she went 1cm further on her third attempt. Onye then went on to unleash an astonishing throw of 8.40m on her fourth attempt to secure the GOLD medal in the event. Incidentally, her first throw was good enough to clinch the title, seeing that Silver medallist, Tunisia’s Rima Abdelli had a best throw of 7.37m, while Lara Baars of the Netherlands won Bronze with 7.12m. Onye’s medal is Nigeria’s seventh at the ongoing Rio Games, and the fourth gold medal, following the footsteps of Roland Ezuruike, Paul Kehinde and Team Nigeria Captain Lucy Ejike. Latifat Tijani and Esther Onyema won Silver medals, while Nnamdi Innocent claimed a Bronze medal in his event. Nigeria’s is currently 12th on the medals table and apart from Onye’s gold medal, all the other medals so far are from powerlifting.
–
Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare is in hospital with thigh and jaw injuries after a car crash on Sunday. A Palace statement said: “The club are liaising closely with the hospital on his progress and we obviously wish him a speedy recovery. “Our thoughts are with Pape and his family at this time.” The 26-year-old was not part of the side that beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on Saturday.
Mario Balotelli seems to have found a home in Nice, but that hasn’t stopped him having a pop at former employers Liverpool. Of course. The Italian striker scored twice on his debut, as Nice beat Marseille 3-2. And after he served the world a reminder of his talents on the pitch, he didn’t hold back from following suit with his off-field antics either. Balotelli told Canal Plus that moving to Liverpool was “the worst decision of my life”, adding: “Apart from the fans, who were fantastic, and some players who I got on really well with, I didn’t like the club. “I had two coaches, with Rodgers and Klopp for a short time, but neither their methods nor their personality left me with a good impression. I never really felt right there. “Of course. It’s not too late [to win the Ballon D’Or]. I think I could have already won it by now, but by working hard in training I could still win it in the next two or three years.”
Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka beat world number one Novak Djokovic with a scintillating display to win his first US Open and third Grand Slam title. Wawrinka, seeded third, won 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 7-5 6-3 to add the US title to his 2014 Australia Open title and his French Open triumph last year. The 31-year-old hit 46 winners in a brilliant display of shot-making. Serbia’s Djokovic made a strong start but struggled physically as the final entered a fourth hour in New York. Wawrinka has now won all three Grand Slam finals he has played and his last 11 finals in a row, and has become the oldest male winner of the US Open since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970. “My goal is to give everything I have to be the best I can,” said Wawrinka, who saved a match point in the third round against Britain’s Dan Evans. “I never had a goal to win a Grand Slam but I am trying as best I can. Match after match I was playing better.” Djokovic, 29, was the defending champion and trying to win his third Grand Slam title of 2016 and 13th of his career. He required treatment for a blister on his big toe in the final set, prompting complaints to the umpire and tournament referee from Wawrinka as the interruption came before his service game. “Stan, sorry! I can’t stand,” Djokovic shouted across to him during the break. After the match, Djokovic said: “Congratulations, Stan, to your team as well. This has been absolutely deserved today. You were the more courageous player in the decisive moment and he deserves his title.”
Germany’s Angelique Kerber backed up her status as the new world number one with a thrilling win over Czech Karolina Pliskova in the US Open final. Kerber, 28, won 6-3 4-6 6-4 in New York to add the US Open to her victory at the Australian Open in January. Pliskova’s semi-final win over Serena Williams had already ensured the German will top the new rankings on today. “All my dreams came true today and I’m just trying to enjoy the moment,” said Kerber. “It’s incredible. I’m standing here with a second Grand Slam trophy and it means so much to me.” Kerber was appearing in her third Grand Slam final of 2016, and the German played with the authority of a world number one in waiting. Pliskova, 24, went into the final with a WTA Tour-leading 447 aces this year and on an 11-match winning streak that included victory over Kerber in last month’s Cincinnati final.
Saturday 10th September, 2016:
Manchester United 1 – 2 Manchester City
Arsenal 2 – 1 Southampton
Bournemouth 1 – 0 West Brom
Burnley 1 – 1 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1 – 2 Crystal Palace
Stoke 0 – 4 Tottenham
West Ham 2 – 4 Watford
Liverpool 4 – 1 Leicester
Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Odion Ighalo scored a goal each for Manchester City and Watford respectively.
Pep Guardiola emerged victorious from his first Premier League battle with old adversary Jose Mourinho as Manchester City secured a fully deserved win in a frantic Old Trafford derby. Kevin de Bruyne’s cool finish and Kelechi Iheanacho’s tap-in after the Belgian hit the post put City in complete control as they outclassed Mourinho’s Manchester United for most of the opening 45 minutes. United were handed a lifeline just before the break when City’s debutant keeper Claudio Bravo summed up his desperately uncertain display by dropping a free-kick to allow Zlatan Ibrahimovic to pull a goal back. They mounted an aerial siege in front of the Stretford End but City held firm to maintain their position at the top of the table, coming closest to scoring when De Bruyne struck an upright from Leroy Sane’s pass.
Hull’s Mike Phelan wins the Premier League manager of the month award for August, as Man City forward Raheem Sterling is named best player.
Naija Sports Crib 