Sunderland winger Adam Johnson will return to training after the Premier League announce his suspension following arrest has been lifted. The 27-year-old England international’s police bail has been extended following his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. Johnson is available to play in the Black Cats’ visit to West Ham on Saturday.
Tuesday 17 March 2015:
Athletico Madrid 1 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen
Monaco 0 – 2 Arsenal
Wednesday 18 March 2015:
Barcelona 1 – 0 Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund 0 -3 Juventus
Bolivia have pulled out of the international friendly against the Super Eagles billed for Uyo on March 26, 2015. The Bolivian Football Federation said on its websites that it had to rescind the decision to face Nigeria because of “civil war which is going through Nigeria.” However, La Razon, a Bolivian newspaper noted that the FBF called the game off owing to security fears as the game comes up two days before Nigeria’s highly heated presidential elections. “The armed conflict in Nigeria has forced the cancellation of the game,” said president of the FBF, Carlos Chavez, in a press conference in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. “That game is not going to be held. Now the FBF seeks to raise a strong defence because Nigerians will protest and request sanctions for non-compliance.” La Razon had earlier reported that the Bolivian FA was engaged in talks on how to withdraw from the friendly “with the intention of avoiding a financial penalty for breach of contract” though a decision has been taken to withdraw. Chavez is now hoping that there will be no financial implication for breach of contract with Full Play and Fifa match agent Jairo Pachon. The Nigeria Football Federation had said that the game would go on after the Bolivian head coach, Mauricio Soria, called for the game to be cancelled. Nigeria will play South Africa on March 29 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
Interim Nigeria Coach, Daniel Amokachi has called up 28 players to the Super Eagles camp for the Bolivia friendly billed for the Akwa Ibom International Stadium Uyo on March 26 and against South Africa three days later in Nelspruit, South Africa.
Denmark coach Morten Olsen will step down after the Euro 2016 finals. Olsen, who took charge after Euro 2000, is Europe’s longest-serving international manager – a full six years ahead of his nearest rival. A former Danish international with over 100 caps, he has led the Danes to the finals of two World Cups and two European Championships.
Mongolia fans, look away now. Your boys have become the first side to be knocked out of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Today sees the second leg of the first round of qualifying in the Asia confederation, and Timor-Leste have proved too strong for the Mongolians, winning 1-0 in Ulaanbataar to wrap up a 5-1 aggregate victory.
West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster has been ruled out for at least four weeks with a knee injury, BBC reports. The England international, 31, damaged cartilage during West Brom’s Premier League win over Stoke on Saturday. Boaz Myhill will start against Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday, with former academy player Jack Rose, 20, deputising for him. “It’s rotten news for Ben because he’s been so consistent,” West Brom head coach Tony Pulis said. “He kept seven clean sheets in 10 games but we have a very able man to step forward in Boaz, who has performed well when he’s come into the team.” Foster will likely miss Premier League matches against Manchester City, QPR and Leicester City. He will also be absent for England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley on 27 March and the international friendly against Italy in Turin four days later. “We’ve got the international break coming up, which I hope will give our medical team the chance to work on Ben’s rehab and we will reassess later,” Pulis continued.
Sunderland have appointed Dick Advocaat as their new manager until the end of the season, BBC reports. The former Netherlands coach takes over a day after the sacking of Gus Poyet with the Black Cats one point above the Premier League relegation zone. “We have one aim only now – to climb the table – and everyone is fully focused on the task ahead of us,” said Sunderland chairman Ellis Short. Advocaat, 67, said: “I can’t wait to get started.” Sunderland is a big club and I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead,” said the Dutchman. “We must now concentrate on Saturday as a priority.” Zeljko Petrovic will be Advocaat’s first-team coach, while former Swansea and England Under-20 goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker will also be part of his backroom staff.
Paris St-Germain defender Serge Aurier is facing a UEFA charge for insulting a Champions League referee on social media. The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international who won the 2015 African Cup of Nations with his country has been charged with ‘insulting acts’ after posting a video on Facebook last Wednesday after PSG knocked Chelsea out of the competition. Aurier, who missed the game through injury, appeared to insult Netherlands referee Bjorn Kuipers, who sent off PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
Dolphins of Port Harcourt was bundled out of the tournament even without kicking a ball after their opponents, Club Africain explored the game’s technicalities to walk them over in Tunis on Saturday. Their media man China Acheru told the story as below:
Saturday 14 March 2015:
Shooting Stars 1 – 2 Heartland
Kano Pillars 2 – 0 Bayelsa United
Sunday 15 March 2015:
Nasarawa United 2 – 0 Wikki Tourists
Akwa United 0 – 1 Taraba United
Sunshine Stars 2 – 1 Ifeanyi Uba FC
Kwara United 2 – 0 El-Kanemi Warriors
Enugu Rangers 2 – 1 Sharks
Wednesday 18 March 2015:
Lobi Stars 1 -1 Enyimba International
Warri Wolves 3 – 0 Giwa FC
Thursday 19 March 2015:
Abia Warriors vs Dolphins FC (postponed)
Wednesday 18 March 2015:
Nigeria vs Ghana 5pm
Thursday 19 March 2015:
Mali vs Senegal 5pm
Sunday 15 March 2015:
Ghana 0 – 1 Mali
South Africa 5 – 2 Zambia
Mali and Ghana has qualified for U-2o world cup from Group B.
Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele has pulled out of next month’s London Marathon because of an Achilles tendon injury. The multiple Olympic and World track champion had been scheduled to make his debut in the London race which takes place on 26 April but he picked up the injury while competing in January’s Dubai Marathon. Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai, the two-time New York Marathon winner, has been added to the field for the men’s race which already features current marathon record-holder Dennis Kimetto and former record-holder and defending champion Wilson Kipsang.
Hetha Berlin star Salomon Kalou could be fined up to 10,000 euros (£7,122) for using a hammer and chisel on the Berlin Wall, which is under a protection order. The Ivory Coast striker was being filmed by a Berlin TV station as part of a report on their 2-2 Bundesliga draw with Schalke on Saturday. He mimicked breaking off a piece of the wall with the tools at the tourist attraction, the Eastside Gallery. Anyone defacing the wall can be heavily fined with the authorities set to investigate whether any damage was done.
Sunderland have sacked manager Gus Poyet after a run of just one victory in 12 Premier League games. The Black Cats are one point above the relegation zone after Saturday’s 4-0 home defeat by Aston Villa. “Sadly, we have not made the progress that any of us had hoped for this season,” said chairman Ellis Short. “We find ourselves battling, once again, at the wrong end of the table. We have therefore made the difficult decision that a change is needed.” A Sunderland statement also added that an announcement about Poyet’s successor would be made “in due course”. The Uruguayan leaves with the club 17th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone.
Seven stadia in six cities will be used as soccer venues for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Rio will host games at the Olympic Stadium and the Maracana while the other games will take place at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, the Amazonia arena in Manaus, the Fonte Nova arena in Salvador and the Corinthians arena in Sao Paulo. Sixteen men’s sides and 12 women’s teams will play 58 matches between 3-20 August 2016 with Brazil chasing their first Olympic gold in the men’s competition.
Nigeria’s Brown Ideye continued his fine form in the English Premiership as he scored the only goal for his team West Brom with a flying header as they beat Stoke. Ideye who is the record signing for West Brom started slowly in his West Brom career but has hit form recently.
Three Ajax youth team players have been suspended amid an investigation into an alleged beating of a female officer, BBC reports. Dutch police questioned forwards Zakaria El Azzouzi, 18, Samet Bulut, 19, and midfielder Ashraf El Mahdioui, 18, in connection with the incident. It is alleged that a plain clothes policewoman sounded her car horn at another vehicle on Thursday night and there was a confrontation. Ajax said it takes the allegations “very seriously” and is investigating. In a statement, the club added that it is “doing everything it can to find out what happened. “Until then the players will not take part in any football-related activities.”
Serie A side Parma have had two points deducted by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for failing to pay their players’ salaries, BBC reports. The cash-strapped club’s players have not been paid all season and the Crusaders have a debt of 197.4m euros (£145m). They are bottom of the league, 15 points from safety and have already been docked a point. last December. The two-time UEFA cup winners have a bankruptcy hearing set for March 19. Former club president Tommaso Ghirardi and director Pietro Leonardi were also handed four-month bans by the FIGC. They were loaned 5m euros last week by the other Serie A clubs to help them complete the season. Should the club be wound up the rest of their fixtures could be declared 3-0 victories for their opponents. Parma returned to action last weekend to earn a draw with Atalanta Bergamo after their two previous games were called off by the FIGC to allow the club time to solve its problems. Ownership of the club has already changed hands twice this season. They were first bought by a Russian-Cypriot conglomerate and then acquired by the Slovenia-based Mapi group. The side finished sixth in the table last year, but missed out on the Europa League for not meeting Uefa’s club licensing criteria because of unpaid bills.
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