Barcelona forward Neymar says he would love to play under former Barcelona and current Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola. Guardiola coached the Catalan club before Neymar’s arrival from Santos in 2013. Last month he said he will join a Premier League side at the end of the Bundesliga season with Manchester City reported to be his favoured target. Asked if there was one manager he would particularly like to work with, Neymar told Red Bull: “Yes, there is one: Guardiola is a guy who I really admire and who I would love to work with.” The 23-year-old said he was…
Author: David Folami
Luis Suarez’s goal for Barcelona on Wednesday night saw him become the first player across the top five leagues in Europe to reach 30 goals in all competitions. Suarez scored in the 53rd minute in a 3-1 win for Barca over Athletic Bilbao that booked the club’s place in the Copa del Rey semifinals. The Uruguay international, who scored 23 times last season, now stands on 30 goals from 24 appearances, while his teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar have 20 and 21 respectively. Suarez’s goals have come in La Liga (18), the Champions League (five), the FIFA Club World Cup…
Louis van Gaal insisted he has never offered to resign as Manchester United manager — but accepted he could be sacked if his side are knocked out of the FA Cup by Derby. Van Gaal railed at what he claimed has been “awful and horrible” coverage in the media after reports this week that he had offered to quit after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton. But the Dutchman, whose team have only won three of their last 14 matches, said he is worried United fans believed such stories. “I think I don’t have mentioned that [offering to resign] ever,” he…
Tottenham Hotspur can already feel the benefit of their training camp in Barcelona after a gruelling period of matches in recent weeks, striker Harry Kane said. Spurs have already played 12 fixtures since the start of December and there is no let-up as they play three matches in eight days, starting with Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round clash with third tier side Colchester United. “It has been great to get away and recharge the batteries – a bit of sunshine on your back can only help,” Kane, who has started every one of the North London side’s Premier League games…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has his back to the wall once again ahead of his side’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at second-tier Derby County on Friday. Saturday’s woeful 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton prompted press reports that Van Gaal had offered to resign and although those claims were rebutted by figures within the club, defeat at Derby will see the speculation ramp up all over again. United needed a stoppage-time Wayne Rooney penalty to overcome third-tier Sheffield United in round three and the United captain is anticipating another testing evening at the iPro Stadium, where United won…
After suffering two setbacks in the space of a week, Atletico Madrid will be looking to avoid a third when they travel to La Liga leaders Barcelona for Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash at the Nou Camp. Atletico, who won the title at the stadium two years ago, surrendered top spot in La Liga to the Catalan side last weekend and were then eliminated from the King’s Cup quarterfinals by Celta Vigo on Wednesday. Beating Barcelona would send Atletico back on top but the goals have not been flowing of late. Diego Simeone’s side failed to find the net against Sevilla last…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal thanked executive vice chairman Ed Woodward for his support on Thursday as he denied reports he had offered to resign. Van Gaal has faced a trying week following the home defeat by Southampton which saw the Old Trafford crowd turn on the veteran Dutch manager. But Woodward has been steadfast in his support of van Gaal, who has 18 months remaining on his contract, and appears determined to keep him in place until at least the end of the season. Reports suggested van Gaal had even offered to resign following the Southampton setback and…
Liverpool’s transition under Jurgen Klopp will become easier if the team can win the League Cup title, according to midfielder James Milner. England’s second most successful football club have won just one trophy in the last nine years, the League Cup in 2012, and will face Manchester City in the February 28 final. Milner said the change of manager, from Brendan Rodgers to Klopp, has been difficult but believes the Merseyside club can lay foundations for further success by winning the Wembly contest against his former club. “This club is built on success – they’re used to winning trophies. It’s…
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne could be out of action for up to six weeks after injuring his knee and ankle in the League Cup semifinal win over Everton, his agent said on Thursday. The Belgian scored an important if controversial goal, when he turned in a pull-back from Raheem Sterling that appeared to have gone out of play, and set up another after coming on as substitute during City’s 3-1 second leg the Etihad on Wednesday. But towards the end of the match, the 24-year-old appeared to get his studs caught in the turf and then landed on…
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday said his ministry had dismissed 13 staff members in one of its agencies for alleged job racketeering. Mohammed, who declined to mention the name of the affected agency, said this at a news conference in Abuja. He said the affected staff members who were between grade levels nine and 16 were already helping the police investigating the alleged job racketeering. “Actually, it is my ministry – Information and Culture. This was what had happened before we got here. “One of the parastatals actually there was a racket in which…
The Federal High Court, Abuja Division has admitted into evidence, documents detailing how the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) electronically transferred N400 million to the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olisa Metuh. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) tendered the three sets document, which was admitted by Justice Okon Abang, through a senior official from the ONSA, Mr. Baleh Ndam. Marked Exhibits A, B and C, the documents included a petition named “Payment To Companies With No Contract Awards and Approval”, which the ONSA forwarded to the Chairman of the EFCC on…
The traditional ruler of Amassoma kingdom, Major Graham Naingba (rtd) and first cousin of former Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha had refuted reports that the late leader faked his death to avoid being extradited to the UK. He said the funeral of the ex-governor, which was initially scheduled for November 16, 2015, will commence on March 24 to 26 this year. Naingba said the diseased would have been buried on November 16, which would have been his 63rd birthday, but date was canceled due to preparations for the state governorship election and lack of agreement between the state government and…
The Federal Government is set to recover an additional 750 million dollars of Abacha loot, Abubakar Malami, the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has said. Malami made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during an interactive session with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Justice. He said that his ministry also intends to recover 6.9 million pounds “Ibori loot” on behalf of the Federal Government. He said: In respect of the recovery of looted assets, the ministry will engage in an agreed waive policy of using Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements or other bilateral and…
Workers of Kwara State Water Corporation on Tuesday embarked on indefinite strike following the refusal of the management to pay their four months’ salary. The workers under the aegis Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) accused the management of not paying September to December 2015 salaries. Chairman of the union, Mr Murtala Kadir told newsmen that the workers would not return to their duty post until their four months salaries were fully paid. He also accused the management of not remitting deductions of workers cooperative dues from February to July 2O15, which he…
Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Monday, January 25, 2016, inspected some ministry projects in the North Central Zone. The visit was part of a nationwide tour of projects embarked on by Fashola and Minister of State, Mustapha Baba Shehuri. The projects inspected include the ongoing Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road, the Geregu II Power Plant in Kogi State and the Apir 330/132/33KV Transmission Station in Makurdi, Benue State.
President Muhammadu Buhari, today, January 27, 2016, travelled to Kenya on a three-day official visit. Buhari is expected to preside over the Kenya-Nigeria Business Forum, along with Kenyan counterpart, President Uhuru Kenyatta, during his stay. The Nigerian president will also attend a memorial service for Kenyan soldiers who were killed by Al-Shabaab in Somalia before holding bilateral talks with Kenyan government officials on Thursday.
Olusegun Obasanjo has written a letter to Senate President, Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara over plans by the National Assembly to buy 469 vehicles. Obasanjo, in the letter dated January 13, 2016, criticized the legislators for being insensitive to the economic situation in the country, The Cable reports. “The recent issue of cars for legislators would fall into the same category. Whatever name it is disguised as, it is unnecessary and insensitive. A pool of a few cars for each Chamber will suffice for any Committee Chairman or members for any specific duty,” the former president…
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on Tuesday, January 26, disclosed that the federal, states and local governments shared N387.8 billion as revenue for December, 2015. The Minister, who was represented by the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, said this in Abuja while speaking to news men on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting. According to her, the shared fund comprised the month’s statutory revenue of N315 billion. She said: “Also, there is the exchange gain of N4.5 billion which is proposed for distribution. Adeosun also said that the money shared included…
Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad Elrufai, has promised to rebuild the burnt railway round about market in Kaduna South Local government Area of the state which was gutted by fire on Tuesday. Also, Senator Representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Comrade Shehu Sani, has expressed sadness over the inferno and promised that he would ensure that government support the traders. But El-Rufai, who paid a visit to the traders at the popular Station Market, Kachia road said plans were underway for the building of a state of the art neighborhood market centre behind the rail lines…
The wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has appealed to government to strive toward prompt payment of entitlements to the families of fallen soldiers. She made the call at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna on Wednesday where soldiers who sustained injuries while fighting insurgents were being treated. “The families of the gallant soldiers who lost their lives in the course of fighting insurgency in the North-East must be promptly paid because they are national heroes.” She said that the regular payment of such entitlements had become necessary as the families left behind would need basic things…