German Football Association general manager Oliver Bierhoff has admitted it could have been a mistake to take Mesut Ozil to the World Cup amid the controversy involving Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The day before the announcement of Germany’s preliminary squad, Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan had their picture taken with Erdogan during the president’s visit to London, sparking a barrage of criticism. But while Gundogan published a statement on social media committing himself to “German values,” Ozil remained quiet throughout and became a topic of debate, and Bierhoff told Die Welt that as a result the federation should have handled…
Author: David Folami
Manchester United will raise the curtain on the new 2018-19 Premier League season when they take on Leicester City at Old Trafford on Friday, Aug. 10. The game was confirmed to kick off 24 hours ahead of previously scheduled when U.K. television broadcast rights holders Sky Sports and BT Sport revealed their selections for the first two months of the campaign. It is the second season in a row that Leicester, shock champions in 2015-16, have been chosen for the opening game. They were involved in a thrilling 4-3 defeat at Arsenal last term, with the Gunners scoring twice in…
Harry Kane has said Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain the benchmark for the world’s leading players, despite both being unable to inspire their countries to World Cup glory in Russia. England captain Kane, who leads the race for the World Cup Golden Boot with six goals, insists that Messi and Ronaldo are still the best in the business. “You can never write off Ronaldo or Messi,” Kane said. “They’ve probably not had the tournaments they set out to have, but they’re still two of the best players in the world. “For me and the other young players coming through,…
Jack Wilshere is in advanced talks with West Ham United over a move to the London Stadium, sources have said. Wilshere is a free agent after leaving Arsenal last month following the expiration of his contract at the Emirates Stadium. Fenerbahce are among several clubs to have expressed an interest in signing Wilshere, but sources have said that Wilshere would prefer to stay in the Premier League. The 26-year-old has held talks with West Ham officials who are confident about agreeing a three-year deal. There have been concerns over Wilshere’s fitness after a number of injuries during his time at…
Sweden can beat England in Saturday’s quarterfinal and eventually win the World Cup in Russia if they can handle the pressure, former captain and record goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said. He said the stakes are getting higher in the knockout stages, but his nation stand a good chance after seeing off Switzerland in the round-of-16. “Now it’s not just about how good you are. Now there are a lot of emotions in the picture, because it’s about quarterfinals,” he said. “The team that can handle their feelings best will have an advantage. “Yes, I think Sweden can become world champion,…
Gianluigi Buffon has begun his new adventure with Paris Saint-Germain following 17 years with Juventus. Buffon, 40, signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional seasons, just weeks after he was expected to retire from football. Instead, he will resume his career outside of Serie A for the first time and be tasked with adding his significant experience to PSG as they continue to pursue Champions League success. “It is with a great feeling of happiness that I join Paris Saint-Germain,” Buffon said. “For the first time in my career, I am leaving my country and only a…
The gods of football are powerful entities. In Kazan on Friday, they recalled what happened the previous time that Brazil met Belgium in a World Cup. Back in 2002, in a round-of-16 game, Belgium appeared to have a perfectly good goal disallowed at 0-0. They went behind after a vicious deflection, and were probably the better side in a 2-0 defeat. And so the gods of football evened it up. In a splendid game that could have gone either way, Belgium got the breaks; the balls bouncing around their penalty area that just failed to find a Brazilian foot, the…
Arsenal have completed a deal for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos for an undisclosed fee. The Gunners reportedly paid around £16 million for the 30-year-old Greece international, who had a year left on his Dortmund contract and signs on a long-term deal. Papastathopoulos, who will wear the No. 5 shirt, becomes new head coach Unai Emery’s third signing after right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner arrived on a free transfer from Juventus and goalkeeper Bernd Leno joined from Bayer Leverkusen. The Gunners are also expected to finalise a deal for Sampdoria’s defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira as well after his World Cup campaign with…
England take on Sweden in Samara on Saturday with a place in the World Cup semi-finals at stake, and while some may be surprised to see the Scandinavians in the last eight, defender John Stones says they cannot be underestimated. The fact that England needed extra time and penalties to defeat Colombia in the last 16 shows that while the supposedly easier half of the draw may not have the heavyweight names, it is still going to produce tight contests. “There are no easy games. I think if you say it’s an easy game in a quarter-final of a World…
Roberto Martinez has said he would be “very surprised” to be offered the Spain job amid reports he is the federation’s preferred candidate to become manager of the national team. When questioned about those reports, Martinez told Cadena Ser that he is not expecting an approach. “I would be very surprised. I’m not that well known in Spain,” he said. “When it came to football, I never considered what I could do tomorrow. “I’ve gone from project to project, living the day-to-day with a lot of intensity. What I’ve learned is that in football you can only focus on today…
Willian does not know if Barcelona want to sign him this summer but says now is not the time to talk about his future as he prepares for Brazil’s World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium on Friday. However, there are unlikely to be any developments until Brazil’s participation in the World Cup is over. “People speculate a lot and we see a lot of things on the Internet but this is not the time to talk about this,” Willian said in a news conference. “I’ve not received any information about whether [Barca’s interest] is true. I’m trying to focus on the…
Fabinho has said that he was “never close” to joining Manchester United as the Brazilian revealed his keenness to move to Liverpool once their firm interest was known. “I was never close to signing for Manchester United, no,” Fabinho said. “I heard things said about it, but the truth is it was never a strong possibility. “I won’t deny there were a few conversations about my situation with Monaco, but there was never an official offer from United.” He continued: “I was sad to leave Monaco, a club that gave me a lot of great moments, but in football sometimes…
Naby Keita’s first training session with his new Liverpool teammates this week may have been a bit of an eye-opener. The first day back sees Liverpool’s players undergo various fitness assessments and tests of endurance. Much is made of the lactate test in particular, essentially a “last man standing” trial of stamina. Players run laps of the training field until they can no longer do so. Being an extremely fit lad, Keita will have expected to fare well in these tests, and as a new boy he would have been keen to make an impression. Yet he was left trailing…
Kieran Trippier has defended England’s gamesmanship in their contentious win over Colombia in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Gareth Southgate’s side, who went through on penalties, were criticised outside of England for what many perceived to be Three Lions players going down too easily and over-embellishing in the face of aggressive opposition. When speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trippier didn’t run away from those suggestions and hailed England’s “game management” as “being clever.” “Sometimes it’s about being clever,” the Tottenham man said. “If someone touches you… and it’s about game management as well. “You see Colombia had 20-25 minutes…
Legendary Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is expected in Paris on Friday to undergo his Paris Saint-Germain medical and put pen to paper on a two-year contract, a source close to the transfer has said. In May, sources said PSG offered the 40-year-old shot-stopper a two-year deal and Buffon’s agent Silvano Martina, as well as his lawyer Luca Miranda, swiftly visited the French capital to iron out the details. And after a significant waiting period because of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP), the former Juventus man is finally expected in France this week and should be unveiled by the…
Jamie Vardy is “looking doubtful” to be able to face Sweden in the World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, said coach Gareth Southgate, who also expressed concerned over “two or three” other players. Southgate compared the trainer’s room to a “scene from M*A*S*H*”, though he also believes that the other seven teams left in the competition have similar concerns. “Vardy didn’t train today, so is looking doubtful for this game,” Southgate said on Thursday. “But we’ll know a bit more tomorrow, really. The others were all on the pitch. We didn’t do a lot. “I think at this stage, minimal time…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent has spoken of a “new challenge” for his client “should Cristiano leave Real Madrid,” amid burgeoning reports that Juventus are closing in on a deal. “If he leaves, it will be a new challenge for him,” Mendes said. “Should Cristiano leave Real Madrid he will be eternally grateful to the club, to the president, to the entire front office, the medical team and all the staff, without exception, as well as all the fans all around the world.” Mendes’ statement is not confirmation that a move is in the cards, as he and Ronaldo have pushed for…
Mike Adenuga Jr has received his third highest national honour in the last six years across West Africa and Europe. The third national honour was bestowed on the African billionaire by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Nigeria. Macron conferred France’s highest national honour of Commander of the Legion of Honour on Mike Adenuga, in Ikoyi Lagos. The conferment by Macron makes Adenuga the first Nigerian to be decorated with the award in the history of France. In September 2012, Adenuga was honoured with Nigeria’s highest honour for a civilian who is not in government, Grand…
Dr Maikanti Baru has said the corporation will remain globally competitive. Baru, who described his two years in the saddle as “exciting”, said since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, he had enjoyed a great level of support from all staff in moving the corporation forward. ”Going forward, our priority will be to remain globally competitive. ”In pursuing this, we will ensure the gradual transition of NNPC from an integrated oil and gas company to an energy company. “‘We will also review our business models to reflect current operations reality with improved profitability, transparency and accountability as the cornerstone,”…
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo on Thursday reiterated the commitment of his administration to bridge the housing gap in the state. He explained that his administration was happy to start the project because easy access to affordable housing was one of the cardinal programmes for the good of the people. “I want to assure you all that our government will not depart from this noble path, but with renewed vigour and commitment we will pursue our housing programmes to its logical conclusion. “We are not oblivious of the staggering statistics of housing deficit in Nigeria and in our state which…