Midfielder John Obi Mikel wants interim manager Guus Hiddink to extend his stay at Chelsea beyond the current season, despite the Dutchman confirming his intention to leave the club in May. Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho in December and has lost just once in 13 games in all competitions with the same squad that suffered their worst start to a league season since 1978 under the Portuguese. “Obviously, definitely I want him to stay,” Mikel, who has featured in 11 games for Hiddink after falling out of favour under Mourinho, told British media. “It is the choice of the owner, the…
Author: David Folami
Liverpool’s German coach Jurgen Klopp had fun with an English translator after his side’s goalless Europa League draw at Augsburg on his first trip to Germany with the Reds. Having previously said Liverpool have a good chance of winning what he describes as “the little Champions League”, Klopp was frustrated as his side failed to take their chances in the round of 32, first leg in Bavaria on Thursday. Liverpool must now win the return leg at Anfield next Thursday, while his former club Borussia Dortmund won their corresponding match 2-0 at home to Porto and could potentially meet Klopp’s…
Louis van Gaal insists Manchester United still have “a lot of chances” for success this season as they prepare to face FC Midtjylland in a make-or-break Europa League tie. United extended their FA Cup run with a comfortable 3-0 win over Shrewsbury on Monday to secure a tie against West Ham United in the quarterfinals. And Van Gaal has now begun preparing his side for Thursday’s crucial home game with Midtjylland as they try to overturn an embarrassing 2-1 deficit from the away leg in Denmark. The United manager’s future remains uncertain despite the routine win against League One Shrewsbury,…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal may have goalkeeper David De Gea back for Thursday’s Europa League Last 32 match against Danish side Midtjylland. De Gea injured his knee before the 2-1 first leg defeat in Denmark last week with Argentine Sergio Romero stepping in for the Spaniard. “I don’t know (if De Gea will be fit for Thursday), it is not so heavy but we have to wait and see when we can start him again,” the Dutchman told the club’s website (www.manutd.com) after Monday’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Shrewsbury Town. United have more than 10 first team…
Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham has urged Louis van Gaal’s critics to be patient by giving the Dutch coach time to spark a turnaround in his old club’s fortunes. Van Gaal has been under the microscope all season, not only because of a string of indifferent results but also due to the team often failing to show the flair and dynamism traditionally associated with United teams. The Old Trafford club, down in fifth place in the Premier League, ended a three-match sequence without a victory in all competitions when they beat League One Shrewsbury Town 3-0 on Monday to…
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expects goals galore but hinted he would settle for a scoreless draw against Bayern Munich in a mouthwatering first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash on Tuesday. “I expect a lot of goals,” Allegri told media in Turin on Monday, admitting that one of his pre-match predictions last year prompted hundreds of insults from fans. “When I said I’d settle for a scoreless draw last year I received hundreds of insults from angry fans. “But it would be a good result all round. At the very least, it’s crucial we don’t concede.” Having upset…
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State says a major restructuring of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) is imminent for better service delivery. This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Yomi Layinka, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications and Strategy, made available to newsmen on Sunday in Ibadan. It said that the governor, during an unscheduled visit to the station in Ibadan, told the management that the worn-out analogue broadcast equipment at the station would soon be replaced with state-of-the-art digital facilities. Ajimobi, according to the statement, called for attitudinal change and paradigm shift among…
Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has insisted that the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff occupies a major role in terrorist sect, Boko Haram. Fani-Kayode had earlier described Sheriff as the sect’s founder while condemning his appointment by the party. He made the renewed claims while speaking on Channels TV’s ‘Sunday Politics Today’ on February 21, 2016. “In terms of his person, he is intrinsically linked with Boko Haram. At the inception, he was one of those that created the Boko Haram and terrorised our nation,” the former minister said. “A man that is so badly stained….…
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu-Sheriff, has congratulated the Senate President, David Mark, on his victory in Saturday’s Benue South Senatorial re-run election. This is contained in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Sunday in Abuja. Modu-Sheriff said that the development left no one in doubt of the popularity of Mark and that of the PDP not only in Benue, but also in other states of the federation. He described Mark as a valuable statesman and national leader intensely needed in the Senate. He also commended Nigerians for…
A group of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elders, under the aegis of PDP Rescue Group, have asked the newly selected party chairman, Ali Modu-Sheriff, to resign. The leader of the group, Wilberforce Juta said “most PDP members did not see in Sheriff a model of impeccable integrity that the party badly needed to lead it at this critical moment. “We are upset by the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in appointing Ali Modu-Sheriff as national chairman.” He also said “We are convinced that this decision is against the will and wish of the generality of…
Senator Kabir Marafa has accused Senate President, Bukola Saraki of using the 2016 budget to whip up controversy, so as to blackmail President Buhari. Marafa is the Spokesman of Senate Unity Forum (SUF), a group of Senators allegedly opposed to Saraki’s continued stay as Senate President. The group that has called for the resignation of Saraki following his trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The Senator said “Honestly speaking if am to comment on the controversy that has been trailing the 2016 budget in the Senate, I will say it is all the work of the 5th columnists…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied reports that it congratulated Senator David Mark on his victory in the Benue South Senatorial rerun elections which held on Saturday, February 20, 2016. The APC made the denial via a statement released on Sunday, February 21. It reads: “The attention of the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to some false online publications reporting that the party has congratulated David Mark, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Saturday’s Benue south senatorial rerun election.” “The APC has not issued any congratulatory message on the Benue south senatorial…
The Director General of the National Taskforce (NATFORCE), Dr Emmanuel Osita has reportedly said that all persons found guilty of corruption should be executed by firing squad. Osita made the comment on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, during a briefing in Abuja, The Tribune reports. “Corrupt officials should face firing squad. So, we are of the opinion that Nigerians should support Buhari. If Buhari fails, that means Nigeria has failed,” he said. “This is our only opportunity. Corruption saga is our main problem in Nigeria. If we do not fight it now to a standstill, we are in trouble,” he added.…
The spokesperson for the Catholic Church in North-Eastern Nigeria, Reverend Father Gideon Obasogie has said that corrupt politicians who looted funds meant for the purchase of arms are worse than Boko Haram terrorists. He also said that the politicians betrayed public trust and caused loss of lives due to the theft of the funds. “The anti-corruption war is a new page of development in the history of Nigeria,” he told Punch during an interview on Saturday, February 20. “It is unfortunate that the funds meant for the prosecution of the war against the Boko Haram sect were diverted by corrupt…
The Supreme Court on Monday said the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in Taraba, Aisha Alhassan, had no locus standi to challenge the nomination of Gov. Darius Ishiaku by his party. The apex court made the declaration while giving reasons for dismissing the appeal of APC and Alhassan in its judgment on Feb.11. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who read details of the judgment, said the appeals and cross appeals had no redeemable substance. The court held that the governor was duly sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest in the election, adding that evidence brought before…
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has said that some Nigerian politicians supported the activities of terrorist sect, Boko Haram due to their lust for power. Soyinka also reportedly said that the sect had begun to rebel against the forces that led to its emergence. The Nobel Laureate is said to have made the comments during an interview on British Television station, Channel 4. “This is what is happening right now: in Nigeria, and I think that many people are admitting it today, there were politicians who actually supported what Boko Haram was doing,” Soyinka said. “They supported them for various…
Chocolate City act, Jesse Jagz will headline this week’s edition of Industry Nite on Wednesday February 24, 2016. The event will hold at its usual venue, Spice Route, Victoria Island, Lagos. It’ll be anchored by Spanky while Dj Consequence will be on the wheels of steel. Jesse Jagz will be joined by other Choc City acts including MI Abaga, Ice Prince, Koker, Loose Kaynon and others.
The Australian leg of The Game‘s The Documentary 2 Tour has been cancelled due to the country’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection turning the rapper around at the airport. According to TMZ, the Compton, California rapper was held and turned back at the airport for not having the proper visa documents. The Game’s Australian leg had six performance dates set to kick off yesterday, February 21. ‘Unfortunately the tour by The Game is now cancelled,’ reads a press release from Metropolis Touring. ‘All ticket holders will be entitled to a refund from point of purchase. ‘Please allow a few…
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are reportedly having a lake built in the garden of their Hidden Hills home. The ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ stars are currently having work done on their mansion and have decided to revamp the current swimming pool and make it into a much more sizable lake, TMZ reports. Meanwhile, the couple are ‘sparing no expense’ on the fixtures and fittings for their new home. A source said: ‘They both make a ton of money but they also spend a ton. ‘And they are sparing no expense with their new house. $20k fixtures, the perfect…
Sam Smith would love to collaborate with Lady Gaga as he is her ‘biggest fan’. The ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ hitmaker has praised the ‘Pokerface’ singer and gushed about a possible collaboration. He told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I’m the biggest Gaga fan there is. I queued up for her shows when I was 17!’ ‘When I was 16 years old I was living in a tiny village in Cambridgeshire,’ Smith wrote in a note in his tour book. “I had such huge dreams of being a singer and an artist and had been trying my hardset to break out for…