Harry Kane will be rested for Tuesday’s friendly against Switzerland at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium with manager Gareth Southgate keen to protect his talisman. Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane, who won the Golden Boot at this year’s World Cup with six goals, has started 61 matches in all competitions since the start of last season. “I thought this is a good opportunity to do it,” Southgate said on Monday. “Harry falls in the category in which we have several players where we have to watch how much they play.” Southgate could make up to nine changes from the team that…
Author: David Folami
Diego Simeone has said he has no doubt that Antoine Griezmann was the best footballer in the world over the course of the past year. The Atletico Madrid striker was left off The FIFA Best Players podium with Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah named instead. “In the last year he was, without doubt, the best player in the world,” Simeone says after naming off all the trophies and individual accomplishments Griezmann won during 2018. “Without doubt.” Griezmann was close to leaving Atletico Madrid in the summer but made a decision to stay, which he documented in a television…
Hugo Lloris has said after being arrested on drunken driving charges last month that he made a mistake and that he must accept the repercussions. Lloris is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday on charges of drunken driving after being stopped by police in central London on Aug. 24 after an evening out with France teammates Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud. He failed a breathalyser test and issued an apology for his behaviour later that day, and on Monday, he said he would keep moving forward with his career without forgetting what he had done. “Just like…
Diego Maradona says he has left his off-the-pitch issues behind. Maradona was formally introduced Monday as the new coach of Mexican second-tier club Dorados de Sinaloa. He was jovial and said he didn’t come to Mexico for a vacation. Maradona said: “I came here to work, and I came to give my heart.” The 57-year-old has publicly struggled in the past with alcohol and drug addiction. His new club is located in a city considered the heart of the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful drug smuggling gangs. Maradona said “we are all judged” and added, “How many people…
Luis Enrique is surprised his former superstar at Barcelona, Lionel Messi, was not included on the World Player of the Year shortlist. Asked in a news conference if Modric — the star player of Spain’s opponents, Croatia, on Tuesday in Elche — deserved to win the award after contributing to Real Madrid’s third consecutive Champions League triumph in the 2017-18 campaign and then helping his country reach the World Cup final, Luis Enrique answered: “When speaking of Croatia, I would talk about [Luka] Modric and [Ivan] Rakitic, the two deserve all the individual awards. “The award for the best player…
Early in England’s UEFA Nations League match against Spain, Marcus Rashford gave a taste of what might yet be. The forward strolled onto a sublime through-ball from Luke Shaw, his Manchester United teammate, and finished with a single, supremely confident touch. His movement and self-assurance were of the highest quality. For some, there may have been a reminder of his breakthrough season for United, when he played as an orthodox centre-forward and briefly looked as though he would play there for most of his career. Subsequent months and years have seen him out on the wing and — at times…
Senate President Bukola Saraki is not slowing down on his presidential ambition and this is evident with the appointment of Ilemona Onoja as his campaign spokesman. Wakil also said Onoja had always advocated for the respect for human rights and upholding the principles of the rule of law. Onoja’s appointment, according to Wakil, is to take effect immediately from today, Saturday, September 8, 2018. Bukola Saraki has picked up his presidential nomination form at the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but he’s yet to submit.
Ahead of the primary elections of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Board of Trustees (BoT) has barred members from campaigning for all presidential aspirants on the platform. So far, former Senate President David Mark, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo and a former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa have all indicated interest in becoming the party’s presidential flagbearer at the February 2019 election. Also in the race are a former Minister of Special Duties and…
Dr Bukola Saraki on Friday in Umuahia urged Nigerians to make informed decisions during the election season, to ensure that Nigeria is put in the right direction. He said that decisions on whom to vote for ought to be based on merit. “We are in a time when we owe it to ourselves and the future generations that we do the right thing. “Let us elect a leader that has capacity, knows issues and knows how to make Nigeria better. “A president that represents all Nigeria; in whom everybody will feel a sense of belonging, because today, we know the…
Dr. Kayode Fayemi said he has left incumbent Governor Ayo Fayose to God to judge after leaving office. He said he was leaving the outgoing governor and his regime to God over the alleged mismanagement of state funds and resources. He promised to make a drastic change in the life of the people the moment he is sworn to office on October 16. NAN reports that the governor-elect was reacting to the latest debt figure released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) which revealed that the debt profile increased from N18 billion during Fayemi’s era to N117 billion, under Fayose’s…
Lai Mohammed, the Minister for Information and Culture, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC), would win the 2019 general elections as there is no viable opposition to the party. He said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that would have provided a “kind of opposition” is in disarray. He attributed the reason the APC would win the elections to its performance in the last three years. He also stated that the ruling party is not in the least threatened by the noise of the PDP. “I don’t fear any opposition in the elections. The opposition is in disarray. “We believe…
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Sunday called for support for the party’s candidate in the Sept. 22 governorship election in Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. Tinubu said in Lagos that Oyetola was the best man for the job and the one to beat in the race. He said he was backing the renowned insurance guru and corporate player to help replicate the economic and infrastructure development witnessed in Lagos State in Osun. “With the impeccable credentials, competence and the sterling performance of the outgoing Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, the APC flag bearer is the best man for the job and the one to…
Exactly 35 days to his leaving office, outgoing Ekiti state governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose on Sunday says his handover note is ready for the scrutiny of people making enquiries about his government. He claimed the committeee is illegal. Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, urged the Governor-Elect to stop spreading falsehood about him or the finances of his administration. He described as mere fabrication, the claim that his government had accumulated a debt of N117 billion as against the N18 billion it inherited. Fayemi was “already preparing excuses for his…
Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has called on members of his cabinet aspiring to contest elective positions in the 2019 general elections to resign immediately. The governor said that it was mandatory that they resign their appointments immediately, adding that some of them no longer have time for their jobs. The governor stated that resigning would give them the opportunity to concentrate on their aspirations while providing others opportunity to serve. “We still have some months to the end of this administration. They either stay or leave for others to have the opportunity to serve. “You will see that…
Adams Oshiomhole has disclosed that it would have been impossible for Ekiti governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to have engaged in vote-buying to win the Ekiti gubernatorial election. He said, “I was not in Ekiti so I can’t claim to be a witness to vote-buying and I did not participate in any decision to buy votes in Ekiti, and I have my doubts as to if votes were to be bought and sold. “No one can claim that Fayemi is a rich man. I know that he was struggling to find money to mobilise and sustain his campaign that he could…
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Osun state has no funds for Gboyega Oyetola, the All Progressive Congress, APC, governorship candidate, to steal if elected. The APC National leader said this during the campaign of Gboyega Oyetola ahead of the Osun state governorship election. Speaking in Yoruba language, Tinubu said the APC candidate and ex-Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola is trustworthy and dependable in a three minutes long video. “We would have said Rauf should continue but we have seen your son, who is equally illustrious, Gboyega Oyetola. I will hand him over to you. He’s trustworthy and…
France beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the Nations League on Sunday night and then proceeded to turn the postmatch into one giant celebration of their World Cup triumph. Playing at home for the first time since, Les Bleus staged a mass party at the Stade de France as the squad and fans caroused en masse. Of course, we were also treated to the now-obligatory Icelandic thunderclap in the terraces. Then came a wonderful moment as the entire Stade de France joined together once again to serenade a suitably bashful N’Golo Kante with his own song. All together now: “He’s small,…
Sergio Ramos believes Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric deserves to beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s to the FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award despite competing against “players with more marketing” for the prize. “We will see [who wins The Best],” Ramos said when asked whether Modric should win ahead of fellow nominees Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. “There are few players that I am as proud of having in my team as him. “He is a great friend and a great player. He is one of the few players who [if he wins] would make me as happy as if they had given…
Real Madrid and Spain captain Sergio Ramos revealed that his family received “death threats” in the aftermath of the Champions League final against Liverpool. Ramos, 32, was reacting to the treatment he received from fans who jeered and booed him throughout Spain’s 2-1 victory over England on Saturday at Wembley. Los Blancos beat Jurgen Klopp’s side 3-1 in May to claim their third successive Champions League title, with Mohamed Salah being forced off with a shoulder injury midway through the first half following a challenge by Ramos. Ramos was also involved in a collision with Loris Karius before the goalkeeper…
Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the contenders in the reckoning to feature in FIFPro and FIFA’s World XI. FIFPro and its affiliated player associations asked professional footballers to pick a team from the best players in world football last season. It will include one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers who were the best at their position in 2017-18. The XI will be unveiled by FIFA and FIFPro during the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in London on Sept. 24. Luka Modric is named after his stellar season in 2017-18, helping Real Madrid to…