Ernesto Valverde has insisted he still feels supported by the club after coming in for criticism in the wake of an unexpected midweek loss to Leganes. However, talk over a new deal has been replaced by discussions over his short-term future following a disappointing week which saw Barca give up their 100 percent start to the season. “Of course I feel backed [by the club],” he said in a news conference on Friday before adding that he is “feeling fine” despite the scrutiny he has been under. Barca went unbeaten until the penultimate game of last season, but the Leganes…
Author: David Folami
Jose Mourinho was special, once. But a previously captivating, successful figure is a shadow of his former self, his Manchester United side cast in his sullen, dour image. If now isn’t the time to sack him, when should it be? Just because there’s no eye-catching alternative, it doesn’t mean the incumbent deserves a reprieve. Give the job to Michael Carrick, Zinedine Zidane, Fred The Red — anybody. This is the club’s joint-worst Premier League start, mirroring the wretched 2013-14 season. Saturday’s defeat to West Ham featured a team who sacked David Moyes, losing limply to a team who sacked David…
Juventus CEO and general manager Beppe Marotta will leave his roles with the team when his contract expires next month. Marotta revealed his plans in a surprise announcement after Juventus defeated Napoli 3-1 on Saturday. “The club is carrying out an extensive renewal,” Marotta said. “My mandate as chief executive comes to an end on Oct. 25 and the list of board members, which will be presented on Monday, will not contain my name. “For the time being I will remain in place as chief executive but I wanted to make this statement in order to avoid any speculation. I…
Lionel Messi has said Barcelona have good enough players to not have to depend on him to bail them out every week after helping salvage a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao. Messi, who was introduced in the 55th minute, had already hit the post and seen a free kick cleared off the line when he set up Munir El Haddadi to equalise with five minutes to play. “We have the squad and the players to be a great team, to be a strong team and not depend on anyone,” Messi told BeIn Sports when asked if Barca were too reliant…
Cristiano Ronaldo played a part in all three goals as Juventus came from behind to defeat title rivals Napoli on Saturday. Ronaldo was the star, though, and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri praised Juve’s new signing after the match. “We started a little tense, gave away too many balls and conceded the goal. Cristiano Ronaldo did well to create two or three promising situations,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia. “Once Napoli went down to 10 men, we stopped playing, and that made me angry. We ran a big risk on Jose Callejon’s chance and they could easily have equalised. “Ronaldo is…
Frank Lampard will make a quick return to Chelsea as his Derby County side drew his former club from his playing days in the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw on Saturday. Less than two months into his first season as Derby manager, Lampard’s reward for winning at Manchester United in the previous round is a trip to Stamford Bridge, where he spent most of his playing career. In his time at Chelsea from 2001-14, Lampard became the club’s record scorer with 211, made 649 appearances, and was the heartbeat of teams that won three English Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, the…
Manchester United are not in the process of lining up Zinedine Zidane as their next manager despite mounting pressure on current boss Jose Mourinho, sources have said. United were beaten 3-1 by West Ham on Saturday to extend their winless run to three and prompt renewed speculation former Real Madrid coach Zidane, who was in London this week, is in the frame to take over at Old Trafford. However, sources close to the club told ESPN FC dismissed talk of an approach to Zidane, who is available after leaving the Bernabeu in the summer, as “nonsense.” Mourinho’s position is under…
Daniel Sturridge has said his spectacular goal in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday was probably one of the best of his career. The striker was introduced as a substitute four minutes from time at Stamford Bridge, with his equaliser cancelling Eden Hazard’s first-half opener. “It was a good goal, the boys worked tirelessly all game,” Sturridge told BT Sport postmatch. “We created a lot of chances in the first half and we were unlucky not to score in the first half. But it was a nice goal at the end for myself. “I’d like to think [I’ve scored…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election conducted on Friday, by Ogun APC, across the state was successful and peaceful, as the party delegates unanimously adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as their candidate. Osoba, while addressing the party faithful, explained that there was need for unity among party members and leaders in order to succeed in the coming 2019 elections. “I have come here today to preach unity to our members. They should embrace peace and forget all differences that might have happened in the past. “My message is simple: we must learn serious lesson from Osun. “We must not…
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, has urged party supporters in his ward to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term bid. Enang made the call during the monitoring of primaries in Ward 2, Ididep clan in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom on Friday. He reminded them that President Buhari had done enough in terms of infrastructure development and appointments of indigenes of the state into political offices. He said the party had put in place an Appeals Committee so that aspirants dissatisfied with the outcome of the gubernatorial primary…
Bukola Saraki has condemned the conduct of the Osun governorship rerun election on Thursday, accusing the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC) of committing electoral fraud that puts Nigeria’s democracy in danger. The state’s rerun election took place on Thursday, September 27, 2018, just days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the original September 22 election to have been inconclusive. This was because the victory margin of 353 votes of first-placed contestant, Senator Ademola Adeleke (254,698 votes) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), over APC’s second-placed Gboyega Oyetola (254,345 votes) was less than the 3498 votes cancelled in seven…
The APC Campaign Council for the Osun governorship election has advised the PDP to stop issuing threats and take full advantage of the democratic process if it has any grouse with Thursday’s supplementary election result. In a statement issued in Osogbo, the Chairman of the Council’s Media Committee, Alhaji Lai Mohammed expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the supplementary election. Mohammed who is also the Minister of Information and Culture said with the results, the people had emphatically pitched their tent with the ruling party. ”When the PDP led in the main election, which was declared inconclusive, we did not…
Nyesom Wike of Rivers has expressed sadness over the fire incident at the Fruits and Vegetables Market in Port Harcourt, declaring that his administration will assist the affected traders. The Governor made his feelings known when he led some members of his cabinet and some leaders of the state for on the spot assessment of the fire outbreak. An eyewitness, who simply identified himself as the Market Leader, said the fire started at about 7 p.m on Thursday. He also alleged that it was impossible to control the youths that prevented the Fire Service from carrying out their responsibility. Wike…
Ademola Adeleke has vowed to use both physical and legal means to upturn the results in his favour. He alleged that he was robbed at the polls, assuring that no effort would be spared in the effort at upturning the results. The PDP flag bearer urged the people not to be low spirited, adding that the defeat was a temporary setback, which would be a victory, at last. The senator said he sympathised with those wounded during the election, promising that those arrested would be released soon. He also expressed gratitude to the domestic and international observers for their impartial…
Sen. Ademola Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Osun governorship election, has rejected the result of the rerun poll. Oyetola scored a total of 255,505 to defeat Adeleke who scored 255,023. Adeleke, however, alleged that voters were deliberately refused access to polling points at gun points while those allowed to voting centres were forced to vote for APC. He said PDP party agents were arrested, beaten up and shut out of polling centres while the roads were blocked to stop voters and observers. “Applying all standards, today’s supplementary poll is a non-event as all norms of the…
David Mark, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, on Friday promised to tackle the security challenges facing the country, if he emerge as the PDP candidate and wins the 2019 presidential election. Mark said this in Minna while on consultation visit to solicit support from the PDP delegates in Niger. ” I understood the challenges of our country and in better position to address them once and for all if given the mandate. ” Senseless killings among Nigerians must be stopped once I became President of the federal republic, “he said. He promised to introduce security measures that will…
Timi Frank has called for the resignation of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, over the conduct of the Osun Governorship election. His words: “We saw it in Ekiti State. We have seen it in Osun State. Democracy in Nigeria has been hijacked by demagogues. The open electoral robbery in Osun is a clarion call to all Nigerians to rise up and defend democracy in the country beginning with the demand for the urgent restoration of the mandate of the Osun people freely given to the PDP on September 22. “We must rise up to…
Adams Oshiomhole has denied giving a dime to former Senator Iyiola Omisore. Oshiomhole said that the party did not offer Senator Iyiola Omisore any financial inducement to gain his support during the supplement election conducted on Thursday, September 27. New Osun State Governor-elect, Gboyega Oyetola, has thanked the people of the state for granting him victory in the state’s recently-concluded governorship election. The Osun State governorship rerun election took place on Thursday, September 27, 2018, just days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the original September 22 election to have been inconclusive. This was because the victory margin…
Italy international Jorginho has said he chose to join Chelsea over Manchester City because of Maurizio Sarri’s arrival at Stamford Bridge. However, City were unable to finalise an agreement with Napoli, and Jorginho joined Chelsea in a deal worth €60 million. “There are a lot of things behind a negotiation process,” Jorginho said, when asked about his decision to join Chelsea over City. “I believe Sarri’s arrival played a big part on it. “And there’s also the greatness of Chelsea, such a big club. So these factors helped me making my mind.” Despite Jorginho having already been at Napoli for…
The Spanish Referee Committee (CTA) has requested a review of the tool used to determine offside positions in Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. Reports in Spain said Leganes’ opening goal in their 2-1 win over Barcelona on Wednesday should not have been awarded because Jonathan Silva was offside when he received the ball before setting up Nabil El Zhar. El Chiringuito TV reported that the lines drawn by VAR when looking at the position of the striker and the defender were off and, had they been straight, Silva would have been shown to be ahead of play by 16 centimetres.…