Jamie Vardy has decided to step away from international football, telling England manager Gareth Southgate that he will “not shut the door completely” but would rather focus on club football. Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is also set to make his exit from the national team, saying is is “the right moment” to take time away from international competition. Vardy, 31, was part of England’s World Cup squad, but he told the Guardian that his infrequent appearances — four in seven games, with a start only in the final group-stage game against Belgium — contributed to the decision. “When you get…
Author: David Folami
Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela are two of the notable absentees as Mexico announced a youthful squad — featuring young star Hirving Lozano — for upcoming friendlies against Uruguay (Sept. 7 in Houston) and the United States (Sept. 11). Only five Europe-based players were named, with Andres Guardado, Diego Reyes, Miguel Layun, Nestor Araujo, Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, Hector Herrera and Hector Moreno all missing out along with Hernandez. MLS-based duo Vela and Giovani dos Santos were also left out by interim coach Ricardo Ferretti, although LA Galaxy midfielder Jonathan dos Santos was included in a squad in which only goalkeeper…
Ryan Giggs has dismissed the prospect of taking over as Manchester United manager if Jose Mourinho is sacked, calling for unity at Old Trafford. United legend Giggs, a former assistant to Louis van Gaal, is one of the bookmakers’ favourites to take over if Mourinho is axed. Asked on Wednesday about his shortening odds to replace the Portuguese coach, Wales boss Giggs said: “I would keep your money in your pocket if I were you.” United travel to Burnley on Sunday looking to get their season back on track after consecutive defeats to Brighton and Tottenham. Burnley are also struggling…
Anthony Martial has not ruled out staying at Manchester United and is still talking to the club about signing a new contract, sources have said. The Frenchman made it clear to United chiefs in the summer he wanted to leave Old Trafford but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has so far refused to listen to offers. Martial has admitted privately it is now unlikely he will be sold before the transfer window shuts in Europe on Friday. United are still hoping to tie down the 22-year-old with a new deal and discussions are ongoing with Martial’s representatives over a four-year contract…
Major League Soccer has issued LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic an undisclosed fine for putting his hands on an opponent last week. Ibrahimovic put his hand on the cheek of LAFC forward Lee Nguyen during a brief clash in Friday night’s 1-1 draw. Nguyen highlighted the incident in a post on Twitter, writing: “Not too sure about the rules MLS, but I guess slapping other players is OK these days.” Earlier this summer, Ibrahimovic received his first red card in MLS for slapping Montreal’s Michael Petrasso. Also on Wednesday, MLS fined Real Salt Lake midfielder Damir Kreilach for the same…
Leroy Sane has returned to the Germany squad for next month’s matches against France and Peru, but there is no place for Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira. Sane was a surprise omission from the squad that, as holders, crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage. “I spoke to Leroy on that day [of the World Cup squad announcement]”, coach Joachim Low told a news conference. “I told him that his national team future must begin after the World Cup, that we are aware of his qualities. “We wanted to take an intensive look at his style of play…
Liverpool could face a more difficult Champions League group in Thursday’s draw after Benfica secured their place in Pot 2 on Wednesday night. Benfica got past PAOK 5-2 on aggregate in the playoff round to secure safe passage into the group stage, and that rubber-stamps Liverpool’s berth in Pot 3. Had Benfica failed to qualify, Liverpool would have moved up to Pot 2. Pot 1 contains Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid as Champions League and Europa League holders, along with last season’s champions of the top six European leagues. Liverpool will be drawn with one of those clubs (except Premier…
Somewhere, caught between the anger and the frustration he displayed in the media suite at Old Trafford on Monday night, Jose Mourinho made a lot of sense. Manchester United had been better than Tottenham for 50 minutes. At one point during the first half he turned to his bench holding up three fingers to illustrate the three chances missed by Romelu Lukaku. Harry Kane had one opportunity all night and scored. He was right, too, to point out the difficulty in balancing results with performances. In a perfect world, United supporters want to watch a team winning games while employing…
Gareth Bale can handle the pressure of having a more critical role at Real Madrid following the departure Cristiano Ronaldo, says his Wales manager Ryan Giggs. Bale has scored in both of Madrid’s games to open the season in La Liga, and Giggs believes the 29-year-old has grown used to the spotlight in his first five years at the Bernabeu. “When someone like Cristiano leaves there is always going to be a spotlight on who is going to replace him goal-wise and threat-wise,” Giggs said. “It’s a massive void to fill but Gareth has the experience now of being at…
Cardi B has welcomed a baby girl with husband, Offset. The rapper took to her Instagram page on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, to announce the news, revealing her daughter’s name as Kulture Kiari Cephus. “Kulture Kiari Cephus 07/10/18 @offsetyrn,” she wrote. Congratulations Cardi B on the arrival of your baby. Cardi and Offset secretly got married back in September 2017. The private ceremony took place in the couple’s bedroom in Atlanta. After months of speculation, she officially confirmed her pregnancy in April during a performance on Saturday Night Live. Shortly after she confirmed her pregnancy, she performed at Coachella, but…
Timaya has said he’s a better father than many husbands, who are legally married and have children with their wives. In an interview with Punch, Timaya said that as a father to three children from two different women, he is a better than many husbands. “People fail to understand that a lot of baby daddies are better fathers than a lot of husbands. “The kind of role I play in my children’s life, I don’t think some husbands do that. I have time for my children, I love my children but some married men don’t even have time for their…
2019 will be Waje’s 10th year in the industry, and the singer has shared her plans to go on a nationwide tour and also release a Reggae album. W.A.J.E, acronym for ‘Words Aren’t Just Enough’ is the known name by which Aituaje Iruobe is addressed. From coming unto the scene with her powerful vocals on P-Square’s 2008 hit single ‘Do Me’ to imposing herself on M.I Abaga’s ‘One Naira’ two years later. Waje has come a long way, with the release of her self titled album in 2013 and a strong set of singles, have helped maintain her place as…
Idris Elba has reacted to latest rumors linking him to the role of the new James Bond. On Sunday, August 12, 2018, after his name was, for the umpteenth time, linked to the role of 007, the British actor tweeted: “My name’s Elba,” an obvious allusion to the famous line spoken by Bond. Hours later, Elba, who has for years been rumoured as the next 007, tweeted a photo of the rap group Public Enemy alongside a lyric from one of their favourite songs: “Don’t believe the HYPE …” The tweets came days after a report in Daily Star alleged…
Akpororo has revealed that it is impossible to create new jokes ahead of every show as expected by fans of the comedy industry. The comedian noted that it’s a tough task to meet up with the expectations of fans, who turn out in large numbers to laugh and enjoy new jokes at every show. In a chat with Punch, Akpororo said: “Fans always want me to come up with new jokes for every show, but this is not possible because I am not a computer.” Continuing, the comedian said: “I rely on freestyle and spontaneity to come up with fresh…
Tonto Dikeh is raising alarm over plans by the police to storm her house. The actress made this known via her Instagram page on Monday, August 20, 2018. A fearless Tonto says she is waiting for the police and also went to say that she is not intimidated by anything in this life. “I guess I am now a criminal..MY STOMACH OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO And they are even coming with Press to record my arrest Lmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.. #IF THE HAIR ON MY SONS BODY IS TOUCHED OGA POLICE YOU WILL HAVE TO BURY ME,YOU WILL HAVE TO KILL ME,HAaaaa OGA POLICE there is…
Tiwa Savage has for the first time come out to speak about her relationship with music star, Wizkid. In an interview with Soundcity radio’s OAP, Awazi, Tiwa Savage got to talk about how she has been able to handle the rumoured relationship between Wizkid and herself. “We are friends definitely. To be honest, I think I have been in this industry for a long time, I have grown a thick skin so comments like that, genuinely, honestly don’t bother me that much. I am kinda used to it. Today is humblesmith, tomorrow it’s Wiz, it’s just what it is, its…
Duncan Mighty might be veteran in the game but it doesn’t change the fact that he is the man of the moment as he shows off some bundles of dollars given to him by E-Money. The singer took to his Instagram page on Monday, August 20, 2018, where he shared two videos holding on to some bundles of dollar bills. He went on to caption the video with praises for E-Money. “#AZA What a way to start my week ,,,,,, #speachless GOD of heaven may u continue to bless @iam_emoney1 more abundantly and give him longevity. My oga I dobale…
Damilola Adegbite has taken a swipe at male folks, who she said are, creating monsters out of several women with the way they are being treated. In an Instagram post, the ‘Flower Girl’ actress poured out her heart on men that cause more pain than joy to their women and family as a whole. The actress posted a picture with quotes, which read, “Broken hearts everywhere. Some men are wicked. Continue, some of these girls you are hurting are witches. They will soon carry your names to their meeting.” The picture was accompanied with a lengthy caption, where the actress…
Toke Makinwa might be one of the most successful celebrities around but she has also faced some obstacles in life which are worth telling like the time she was robbed, her marriage failed and was ridiculed about it. The gorgeous multi-talented media personality made this known on her Instagram page on Friday, August 17, 2018. If you are very conversant with Toke’s Instagram page, you will notice that she regularly post messages about her Christian faith and her latest post gives a download of her experience in 2015. “Felt led to share this here. I was on a workcation sometime…
Cesc Fabregas will not feature for Chelsea against former club Arsenal as he deals with a “very unusual” injury, but Mateo Kovacic could make his debut, head coach Maurizio Sarri said on Friday. The Spain international remains unavailable but Kovacic is likely to be on the bench, though Sarri said he is some way short of peak fitness. “Fabregas is out for this match. I hope he will be able to be on the pitch [training] next week. I’m not sure,” Sarri said. “[It’s] nothing serious, but he has a very unusual injury. [It’s] nothing serious, but he has a…