Serena Williams has no plans to retire any time soon, insisting there is nothing “boring” about her dominance. The American world number one moved level with Steffi Graf on 22 grand slam titles – the most in the Open era – with a 7-5 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final. Williams has won five of the past eight majors, while also making the final in two others. But the 34-year-old is still enjoying herself, saying: “I would obviously like to keep it [winning titles] up for as long as I’m still out here playing professional tennis. “Boring?…
Author: David Folami
Xabi Alonso has said that he hopes he and new Bayern Munich signing Renato Sanches can learn from each other. In May, Bayern completed the signing of midfielder Sanches from Benfica for an initial €35 million. Sanches, 18, has been tipped for a bright future and he impressed for Portugal on their route to glory at Euro 2016 this summer. Bundesliga champions Bayern have also added defender Mats Hummels to their squad, with the defender re-signing for the club from Borussia Dortmund. In an interview with Rafa Honigstein, Alonso said: “So far I think [the club has made] great additions.…
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has plenty of time for the talents of Paul Pogba but insists his own current squad is “difficult to improve.” France midfielder Pogba has been linked with a big-money move away from Juventus, with a return to former club Manchester United reported to be in the pipeline as new Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho looks to further bolster the team. The European champions, meanwhile, are also long-term admirers of the 23-year-old, who left Old Trafford in July 2012 after rejecting a new contract offer. Madrid are currently at a preseason training camp in Canada ahead…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho can be the new Sir Alex Ferguson, according to Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri. Louis van Gaal’s United finished the 2015-16 season in fifth place, 15 points behind title-winning Leicester, but the arrival of Mourinho to replace the Dutchman has changed expectations. Leading bookmakers are all offering much shorter odds on United becoming champions rather than Leicester retaining their crown — with United being considered second favourites behind Manchester City, while Leicester are not seen to be among the frontrunners. In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Ranieri said: “Mourinho can be the new Ferguson.…
Italian champions Juventus are set to pay a hefty 94.7 million euros ($105m) release clause in Gonzalo Higuain’s contract with Napoli to lure the Argentina star to Turin, reports claimed on Monday. Higuain joined Napoli for 40 million euros from Real Madrid in 2013 and has since gone on to become one of the most exciting, and bankable stars in Italy’s top flight. The 28-year-old centre-forward hit a stunning 36 goals last season to break Gunnar Nordahl’s 66-year-old record of 35 goals for AC Milan in a 20-team season, which he achieved in 1950. Now the Argentina star is set…
Manchester City starlet Kelechi Iheanacho has been speaking about life under the club’s new manager, Pep Guardiola. Iheanacho enjoyed a breakthrough campaign under Guardiola’s predecessor, Manuel Pellegrini, last season and is looking to go one better this season. The 19-year-old has now kicked off life at City under the much respected Guardiola and took the time to explain how it has been since the Spaniard took the reins. “Guardiola is a good manager, everyone knows that. “He’s bringing fresh thoughts and his own style. Everything is different and everyone is adapting to what he’s teaching us. “We need to understand…
There might be a bit of silver lining for Osaze Odemwingie after newly promoted Premier League side Hull City handed the 35-year-old a trial. The Tigers are short of strikers and have handed the former West Brom striker a trial with a view to offering the veteran a deal. Odemwingie was released by Stoke City at the end of last season and has been without a club since then. He was part of Nigeria’s squad at the Fifa World Cup two years ago in Brazil and scored Nigeria’s goal in a 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in a group…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has urged patience with new recruit Eric Bailly, saying that the defender will take time to adapt to the demands of England’s top flight following his move from Spain. Bailly, Mourinho’s first signing since he took over from Louis van Gaal, put on an impressive display for United as the visitors beat Wigan 2-0 in a friendly on Saturday. The 22-year-old was part of a Villarreal defence that conceded just 35 goals in 38 league matches last season. “He’s a very young boy coming from a completely different environment, but you could see what he…
Leicester’s record signing Ahmed Musa admits the best decision he ever made was giving up goalkeeping to become a striker so feared that he is looking to make an immediate impact on the Premier League. The 23-year-old Nigeria international moved to the King Power Stadium for £16.5 million (19.7 million euros) from CSKA Moscow earlier this month and, having given up his goalkeeping ambitions as a schoolboy because of his diminutive stature, the 5ft 7in tall forward has no worries about coping with the physical challenge of the English top flight. Musa became a striker while still at school when…
Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has cautioned Chelsea fans not to expect quick fixes under new manager Antonio Conte who began his tenure on a losing note on Saturday. In the first friendly match under Conte, Chelsea, despite the presence of the likes of captain John Terry, Willian, Diego Costa and Begovic, lost 2-0 to Rapid Vienna. The former Premier League champions endured a disappointing campaign last season, finishing 10th, and will rely on Conte’s fiery touchline presence and work ethic to propel the side back to their winning ways. “We’re buying into what the manager wants us to do, we’re working…
Victor Moses has expressed his desire to stay at Chelsea and make his mark this season under new manager, Antonio Conte. The 25-year-old Nigeria international has found playing time at Chelsea hard to come by since joining the Blues from Wigan for a transfer fee of around £9 million four years ago. But Moses is now hoping that he will get his chance under Chelsea’s Italian gaffer when the season commences next month. However, Moses recognises that he will have to put in a decent performance to worm his way into the heart of Conte to have a chance of…
Michael Emenalo has leapt to the defence Chelsea new manager, Antonio Conte, after losing his first game in charge to Rapid Vienna 0-2 in Saturday’s pre-season friendly. The Chelsea technical believes that Conte needs time settle into his new role as manager of the club. Emenalo also explained that the Italian could need time to influence “his methods” on the Chelsea playing personnel though he acknowledged that his experience will come through for him. “The only thing that is difficult for him (Conte) is that he’s just come from working with players who understood his methods and it was probably…
Gov. Muhammadu Jibrilla of Adamawa said on Saturday that the era of allocating fertiliser to politicians was over in the state. Jibrilla made the declaration in Yola when he launched the 2016 cropping season sales of fertiliser. “There is no more allocation of fertiliser to politicians in Adamawa; the era of allocation is over, we want real farmers to get the commodity,” Jibrilla said. Jibrilla said that this season fertiliser would be distributed at ward levels. “We are going to start with the deployments of fertiliser trucks to all the 226 wards in the state. “We have subsidised the commodity…
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state has warned the Kaduna State Traffic and Environmental Law Enforcement Agency (KASTELEA) Road Marshals not to arrogate powers to themselves but to operate according to the law. El-Rufai gave the warning on Saturday at a public lecture organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in collaboration with the ICPC for KASTELEA Marshals at the NUJ secretariat. El-Rufai, who was represented at the event by the Director General KASTELEA, Col. Ahmad Zubairu (Rtd), said the agency was established to guide the public on strict adherence to traffic laws and ensure a clean environment. He…
Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla of Adamawa on Saturday launched the construction of 37 kilometres Kiri-Shelleng road project. Speaking at the launching in Kiri village, Gov. Jibrilla said that the occasion was historic in view of the various failed attempts made by past administrations to construct the important road. “It is on record that the first attempt at constructing a road to Shelleng when it was under Guyuk Local Government Area in 1996 actually started during the civilian administration of Gov. Abubakar Barde. “Indeed, Gen. Abdullahi Shelleng also made attempted, Gov Boni Haruna also made attempt without success as well as Gov.…
Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, said on Saturday that the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigerian President, had saved Borno from extinction. Garbai stated this when he received the new Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, in his palace in Maiduguri. He said that but for the election of Buhari in May 2015 and his dogged determination in fighting the insurgents, the story would have been different today. “We wish to express our gratitude to the president for his concern for us here. “But for his coming, Borno would have been nowhere by now due to…
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara has approved the elevation of eight traditional rulers in the state, to First Class status. This is contained in a statement issued in Ilorin Saturday, signed by Alhaji Haruna Mohammed, the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development. The statement indicated that the staff of office would be presented to the newly upgraded monarchs on Monday, July 18, at the Government House, Ilorin. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the upgraded chiefs include Alhaji Idris Abubakar, Emir of Okuta; Alhaji Sabi Idris, Emir of Gwanara; Prof Halidu Abubakar, Emir of Ilesha-Baruba.…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday urged the Federal and State Governments to give priority to agri-business and treat farming a business for the nation to make progress. Obasanjo made the call at the First Eminent Persons Business Lecture entitled: ‘Agribusiness: Time to Act is now’. The lecture was organised by the University of Ibadan, School of Business (UISB), in collaboration with International Institute of tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan. “It is now time for the country to move into agriculture as there is decline in oil prices, inadequate food supply, need to create employment, raw material for industrialisation, among others.”…
Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State said on Saturday that only creative unemployed youths would benefit from the first tranche of the N25 billion State Employment Trust Fund loan scheme. Ambode made the disclosure at a Youth Empowerment Programme organised by the `Eleniyancare Leadership Foundation’ in Epe, Lagos state featuring over 1,000 youths drawn from across the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the empowerment programme is entitled: “Unlocking the Potentials Within: Making your Ideas Work.” The programme is convened at the instance of Mr Segun Olulade, Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health Services.…
Sokoto State Government said it would from Monday conduct a census of farmers to determine the number under the Fadama farming programme in the state. Alhaji Chuso Abdullahi, Chairman of Committee for the Revitalization of Agriculture in the state, disclosed this while inaugurating the committee for the census in Sokoto on Saturday. He said that the state was targeting no fewer than 93,000 Fadama farmers in census to be conducted across the across the 23 local government areas of the state. Abdullahi, a former deputy governor in the state, said that the farmers’ census would be conducted by 191 enumerators…