The gods of football are powerful entities. In Kazan on Friday, they recalled what happened the previous time that Brazil met Belgium in a World Cup. Back in 2002, in a round-of-16 game, Belgium appeared to have a perfectly good goal disallowed at 0-0. They went behind after a vicious deflection, and were probably the better side in a 2-0 defeat. And so the gods of football evened it up. In a splendid game that could have gone either way, Belgium got the breaks; the balls bouncing around their penalty area that just failed to find a Brazilian foot, the…
Author: David Folami
Arsenal have completed a deal for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos for an undisclosed fee. The Gunners reportedly paid around £16 million for the 30-year-old Greece international, who had a year left on his Dortmund contract and signs on a long-term deal. Papastathopoulos, who will wear the No. 5 shirt, becomes new head coach Unai Emery’s third signing after right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner arrived on a free transfer from Juventus and goalkeeper Bernd Leno joined from Bayer Leverkusen. The Gunners are also expected to finalise a deal for Sampdoria’s defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira as well after his World Cup campaign with…
England take on Sweden in Samara on Saturday with a place in the World Cup semi-finals at stake, and while some may be surprised to see the Scandinavians in the last eight, defender John Stones says they cannot be underestimated. The fact that England needed extra time and penalties to defeat Colombia in the last 16 shows that while the supposedly easier half of the draw may not have the heavyweight names, it is still going to produce tight contests. “There are no easy games. I think if you say it’s an easy game in a quarter-final of a World…
Roberto Martinez has said he would be “very surprised” to be offered the Spain job amid reports he is the federation’s preferred candidate to become manager of the national team. When questioned about those reports, Martinez told Cadena Ser that he is not expecting an approach. “I would be very surprised. I’m not that well known in Spain,” he said. “When it came to football, I never considered what I could do tomorrow. “I’ve gone from project to project, living the day-to-day with a lot of intensity. What I’ve learned is that in football you can only focus on today…
Willian does not know if Barcelona want to sign him this summer but says now is not the time to talk about his future as he prepares for Brazil’s World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium on Friday. However, there are unlikely to be any developments until Brazil’s participation in the World Cup is over. “People speculate a lot and we see a lot of things on the Internet but this is not the time to talk about this,” Willian said in a news conference. “I’ve not received any information about whether [Barca’s interest] is true. I’m trying to focus on the…
Fabinho has said that he was “never close” to joining Manchester United as the Brazilian revealed his keenness to move to Liverpool once their firm interest was known. “I was never close to signing for Manchester United, no,” Fabinho said. “I heard things said about it, but the truth is it was never a strong possibility. “I won’t deny there were a few conversations about my situation with Monaco, but there was never an official offer from United.” He continued: “I was sad to leave Monaco, a club that gave me a lot of great moments, but in football sometimes…
Naby Keita’s first training session with his new Liverpool teammates this week may have been a bit of an eye-opener. The first day back sees Liverpool’s players undergo various fitness assessments and tests of endurance. Much is made of the lactate test in particular, essentially a “last man standing” trial of stamina. Players run laps of the training field until they can no longer do so. Being an extremely fit lad, Keita will have expected to fare well in these tests, and as a new boy he would have been keen to make an impression. Yet he was left trailing…
Kieran Trippier has defended England’s gamesmanship in their contentious win over Colombia in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Gareth Southgate’s side, who went through on penalties, were criticised outside of England for what many perceived to be Three Lions players going down too easily and over-embellishing in the face of aggressive opposition. When speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trippier didn’t run away from those suggestions and hailed England’s “game management” as “being clever.” “Sometimes it’s about being clever,” the Tottenham man said. “If someone touches you… and it’s about game management as well. “You see Colombia had 20-25 minutes…
Legendary Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is expected in Paris on Friday to undergo his Paris Saint-Germain medical and put pen to paper on a two-year contract, a source close to the transfer has said. In May, sources said PSG offered the 40-year-old shot-stopper a two-year deal and Buffon’s agent Silvano Martina, as well as his lawyer Luca Miranda, swiftly visited the French capital to iron out the details. And after a significant waiting period because of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP), the former Juventus man is finally expected in France this week and should be unveiled by the…
Jamie Vardy is “looking doubtful” to be able to face Sweden in the World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, said coach Gareth Southgate, who also expressed concerned over “two or three” other players. Southgate compared the trainer’s room to a “scene from M*A*S*H*”, though he also believes that the other seven teams left in the competition have similar concerns. “Vardy didn’t train today, so is looking doubtful for this game,” Southgate said on Thursday. “But we’ll know a bit more tomorrow, really. The others were all on the pitch. We didn’t do a lot. “I think at this stage, minimal time…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent has spoken of a “new challenge” for his client “should Cristiano leave Real Madrid,” amid burgeoning reports that Juventus are closing in on a deal. “If he leaves, it will be a new challenge for him,” Mendes said. “Should Cristiano leave Real Madrid he will be eternally grateful to the club, to the president, to the entire front office, the medical team and all the staff, without exception, as well as all the fans all around the world.” Mendes’ statement is not confirmation that a move is in the cards, as he and Ronaldo have pushed for…
Mike Adenuga Jr has received his third highest national honour in the last six years across West Africa and Europe. The third national honour was bestowed on the African billionaire by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Nigeria. Macron conferred France’s highest national honour of Commander of the Legion of Honour on Mike Adenuga, in Ikoyi Lagos. The conferment by Macron makes Adenuga the first Nigerian to be decorated with the award in the history of France. In September 2012, Adenuga was honoured with Nigeria’s highest honour for a civilian who is not in government, Grand…
Dr Maikanti Baru has said the corporation will remain globally competitive. Baru, who described his two years in the saddle as “exciting”, said since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, he had enjoyed a great level of support from all staff in moving the corporation forward. ”Going forward, our priority will be to remain globally competitive. ”In pursuing this, we will ensure the gradual transition of NNPC from an integrated oil and gas company to an energy company. “‘We will also review our business models to reflect current operations reality with improved profitability, transparency and accountability as the cornerstone,”…
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo on Thursday reiterated the commitment of his administration to bridge the housing gap in the state. He explained that his administration was happy to start the project because easy access to affordable housing was one of the cardinal programmes for the good of the people. “I want to assure you all that our government will not depart from this noble path, but with renewed vigour and commitment we will pursue our housing programmes to its logical conclusion. “We are not oblivious of the staggering statistics of housing deficit in Nigeria and in our state which…
Babatunde Fashola has appealed to Nigerian homeowners to review the method of charging rent for their properties to help low-income earners cope with housing demands. Speaking on the theme “Innovative Housing Finance Model as a Catalyst for Home Ownership”, the former Lagos State governor said most low-income working class Nigerians don’t receive their salaries in advance, but in arrears. He said, “If you ask me to go and bring in advance one year’s rent from what I’m going to earn monthly in arrears, how feasible is that? “Even my salary as a minister is paid at the end of every…
Muhammadu Buhari is worried that he’s been accused of being behind the killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen across the country. Buhari said: “When some (people), for clearly political purposes, attempt to suggest that this government is doing nothing about the killings and that I, being Fulani, must be encouraging these satanic acts, it seems to me that there is no limit to the evil in the minds of these men.” Continuing, he said: “Otherwise, how can anyone in their right minds suggest that I, as an elected President even with substantial votes in the affected areas, will for any reason…
Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, believes one of the biggest problems with Nigerian politics is the lack of an ideological identity of its political parties. When asked why party loyalty did not stop him from making such a move to another party, he said parties are just a means to getting people into elective offices. He said, “The problem is that none of these political parties is ideologically-based. Political parties in Nigeria are mere vehicles, conveyor belts that convey people to various elective offices.” Since 2003, the governor has defected to the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), returned to the ANPP,…
Yakubu Dogara has said only by enthroning justice and equity that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will be able to silence voices of dissent and opposition. He noted that although there was no perfect human endeavor, the APC lawmakers only expect justice which is indivisible and universal. “In every family whether it is a nuclear, extended or an organisation there is bound to be problem and that is because we human that are running those institutions are not perfect ourselves. So we don’t expect perfection in from any quarters,” Dogara said. “Our only expectation is the issue of justice…
Adams Oshiomhole has said he won’t lose sleep if the leader of the Reformed All Progressive Congress, R-APC, isn’t happy with the party. He said that neither Galadima nor the R-APC is an issue to worry over. “There is no breakup in our party, if one Galadima is not happy, that is fine. He has a right no to be happy. “If he chooses to call himself whatever he wants to call himself, that is not the issue. I will not lose my sleep over that. We know those who are in the system. Those who are seeking breakup that…
Uche Secondus has mocked the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, saying the party has broken into two. Secondus said: “APC is broken into two. Can you ask Fayemi under which of the factions is he contesting? Because the broom has scattered, the broom has broken.” There are reports in the media that former President Olusgeun Obasanjo and a group of ex-Generals have come together to unseat President Buhari in 2019. President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Olusegun Obasanjo exchanging pleasantries at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, before OBJ later withdrew his support for the incumbent administration. (Bayo Omoboriowo) Secondus…