Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez expects no repeat of the biting incident that led to Luis Suarez’s international ban as the forward nears a return. Suarez was suspended for nine internationals after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, as well as being fined and banned from taking part in football-related activities for four months. The Barcelona star is set for a return when his nation face Brazil on Friday and Peru four days later in World Cup qualifiers. Speaking at a news conference, Tabarez said the least he expected was that Suarez would avoid another biting incident.…
Author: David Folami
Juventus forward Paulo Dybala says hearing praise from Lionel Messi has emboldened him to keep improving. Argentina captain Messi has described his compatriot as a worthy successor to his place in the national team after his outstanding form since joining the Serie A champions from Palermo last year. Dybala was proud to hear Messi’s encouraging remarks and hopes to enjoy playing alongside him with Argentina over the coming years. “To have an idol in a player like Messi and to have him say these things makes me proud,” he told El Chiringuito, as Argentina prepare for World Cup qualifiers against…
France coach Didier Deschamps says the pressure of a big-money move has not hampered Anthony Martial’s development since signing for Manchester United. The Frenchman has scored 12 goals in all competitions since completing the move from Monaco to Manchester in September??and was named in Deschamps’ latest squad??for matches against Netherlands and Russia. And the France coach said Martial – who has six caps to his name already – possesses??all the assets required to build on his impressive start to life in the Premier League. “Anthony is young but he has confirmed his potential in Manchester despite the weight of the…
Gerard Pique has named Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba and Robert Lewandowski as the toughest opponents he has faced in his career. The Barcelona defender, a former team-mate of Ronaldo at Manchester United, admits the Real Madrid star has to be considered one of the very best players in the history of football. Pique also praised Drogba – who faced him during his Chelsea career – for his pace and power, and revealed that Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski is supremely difficult to mark. Asked to name his most formidable opponents, he told a video hosted by Unscriptd: “One of them was…
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes it would be wise to offer Gareth Bale a new deal at the club. Reports over the weekend suggested Bale could be in line for a two-year extension to his existing contract – which still has three years left to run – and a pay rise. The Wales international became the top-scoring British player in La Liga history on Sunday when he netted for the 43rd time in 76 appearances for Madrid during the 4-0 win over Sevilla. Bale has 15 goals in 18 Liga games this season – an excellent return on…
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo returns to the national squad after missing their last three games for friendlies against Bulgaria on March 25 and Belgium four days later, coach Fernando Santos said on Friday. Defender Ricardo Carvalho, midfielder Adrien Silva and strikers Danny, Rafa, Ricardo Quaresma and Eder also return to the 24-player group, with Joao Moutinho and forward Nelson Oliveira both injured. Moutinho has picked up a left ankle injury which will rule the Monaco midfielder out of action for a month. Eighteen-year-old midfielder Renato Sanches has been rewarded for his impressive season with Benfica by getting his first call-up.…
Manchester City supporters are considering walkout protests after criticising the club’s ticket prices for the forthcoming Champions League quarterfinal showdown against Paris St Germain. City claim the £60 cost of top-priced tickets is a “fair reflection of the profile of the game”, with the cheapest seats available for £45. However, City fans angry at the large increase on prices from the previous round against Dynamo Kiev last week (£30-£40), and from the group stage matches against Juventus, Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach (£20-£40). The 1894 Group claim the situation has so alienated fans that even if the club were ever to…
Super Eagles interim coach Samson Siasia has picked six home-based players for the Marc 25 clash against Egypt. The coach has decided to retain six players who will now join the Kaduna phase of preparation alongside the foreign based professionals who are expected to turn up in camp from Sunday, March 20. The six players retained from the home base camping are goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Chibuzor Okonkwo, Etim Matthew, Kalu Orji, Ifeanyi Matthew and Oghenekaro Etebo. There is no place for 2016 CHAN revelation Chisom Chikatara as well as Godwin Obaje who has been turning heads with Wikki Tourists. Abia…
Manager Guus Hiddink is determined to take Chelsea to the “best position possible” in his final eight games in charge as the defending Premier League champions aim to close out a forgettable season on a high note. After a dreadful start, which led to the departure of manager Jose Mourinho, Chelsea have partially resurrected their league journey by avoiding defeat in 13 games under Hiddink. Nevertheless, the London club has bowed out of both the Champions League and FA Cup under the Dutchman, and a top-four finish looks improbable for 10th-placed Chelsea. Hiddink, however, has set goals for his players…
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is readying his squad for a final tilt at the Premier League title, aware that he can ask his players to remain focused on one game at a time when a bulk of them return from the international break. Spurs are second in the table, five points behind Leicester City with seven games remaining, but after being knocked out of the cup tournaments, Pochettino is happy to be concentrating on just the league. “It’s true we go into a different period now to recently,” the Argentine told British media. “After the international break, we’ll play one…
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has threatened to release a video showing alleged atrocities committed by the military during the senatorial rerun election which took place on Saturday, March 19. Wike, who made threat on Monday, March 21, accused the military of staging violence in the state, as a scheme to declare a state of emergency in the state. “We have videos of the atrocities committed by the military across Rivers State. We shall release them at the appropriate time,” the Governor was quoted as saying. “There is an attempt to cause violence to declare a state of emergency in…
The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu said “We were handed a way of governance in which anything goes and too much went – as if gone with the wind. Our present was squandered and future mortgaged.” The APC leader also said his party has brought cure for the Nigerian economy, adding that change process is not easy. The APC leader also said “Nigeria has the greatest opportunity to get it right with a leader like Mr. Muhammad Buhari. “There is much to…
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said that it will be difficult for the elections in the state to be rigged by the All Progressives Congress (APC) despite the fact that the ruling party has the country’s security agencies at its beck and call. Wike made the comment on Sunday, March 20, 2016, during a press conference in Port Harcourt, the state capital, The Cable reports. “Remember I warned that today’s Nigeria is not yesterday’s Nigeria. Things that were done wrongly before cannot be done wrongly now. I warned that the people will resist any attempt to rig,” he said.…
All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside has alleged that gunmen hired by Governor Nyesom Wike attempted to kill him on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Peterside made the allegation via a statement released by his media aide, Sylvester Asoya, The Cable reports. The statement reads in part: “Our car however did a detour to first Aba road then old GRA with the two jeeps still trailing us. We drove to the DSS office to seek refuge and on getting to the gate the unknown gunmen opened fire again at the SSS men on guard.” “The exchange…
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he does not regret helping his successor, Goodluck Jonathan become Nigeria’s number one citizen. Obasanjo said further that he supported Jonathan in order to grant the minority a chance to rule the country. The former president made the comments during a recent interview, according to Vanguard. “I believe that Nigeria politics will be strengthened even more if we have the opportunity to allow the minority in its own right to emerge as President, and I do not have any apology for anybody because the purpose I wanted Nigeria to achieve had been achieved,”…
Since coming into office on May 29, 2015, the state government under Elrufai appointed Interim Management Committee (IMC) who manned the local councils for a period of six months. Upon the expiration of the six month tenure, Elrufai dissolved the earlier appointees and sent another set of names to the Kaduna State House of Assembly for confirmation as IMC. The IMC have already been screened by members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and now waiting for swearing in by the governor. Speaking on Saturday, March 19, 2016, during a programme in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State, the…
This was disclosed by INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi via a statement released on Sunday, March 20. The statement reads: “The elections witnessed the disruption of the process, including the barricading of some of the INEC Local Government offices and Registration Area Centres(RACs) used for the distribution of Electoral materials which led to the late commencement of the exercise in some places and consequently, its smooth take off.” “Of more serious concern was the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well-armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said that Governor Ayo Fayose once shot at his own car and then blamed the act on armed robbers. The Ekiti APC also gave other examples of antics supposedly carried out by the governor as “blackmail stunts”. The claims were contained in a statement released by Ekiti APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun. It reads: “In 2005 when Fayose was facing impeachment over alleged N1.3b poultry fraud, he accused Chief Afe Babalola of the brain behind the impeachment, alleging that the eminent lawyer wanted to be governor. He blackmailed the senior lawyer…
The Rivers State Government has accused All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2015 elections, Dakuku Peterside of ordering his men to kill an aide of Governor Nyesom Wike. The Rivers government also vowed that Peterside would be tried for murder. This was contained in a statement released by Wike’s media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu. It reads: “Peterside directed his security details to murder an aide to the Chief of Staff to Governor Wike while fleeing with some result sheets from Ikwerre Local Government Area.” “The incident took place at the UTC junction in GRA after Dakuku Peterside instead of…
Ekiti State House of Assembly members have called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Amnesty International to intervene in the continued detention of one of its members, Hon. Afolabi Akanni, by the Department of State Services (DSS). The lawmakers said the DSS failed to release Akanni, representing Efon Constituency, despite a court order directing his immediate release. They accused the security agency of wanting the lawmaker and others in its custody to die so that their positions can be occupied members of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The DSS had presented a sick-looking Akanni to the press on Thursday,…