Arsenal announced the capture of Swiss international defender Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus on Tuesday — new manager Unai Emery’s first signing for the Premier League club. The 34-year-old was out of contract at the Serie A champions and joins the Gunners on a free transfer before captaining Switzerland at the World Cup in Russia. Lichsteiner moved to Juventus in 2011 and won seven successive league titles with the Italian club. “It is a great moment for me, after Juventus, to come to Arsenal,” Lichtsteiner told the Arsenal website. “It is a project to come back into the Champions League, it…
Author: David Folami
Ronaldo has returned to training with Portugal national team after Champions League victory over Liverpool on Saturday, May 26. After his triumph with Real Madrid in the Champions League, Ronaldo has been on vacation with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and children. The 33-year-old has however ended his vacation to resume training ahead of his fourth World Cup appearance after failing to win in the last three editions. Ronaldo took time to sign autographs of Portugal supporters before he joined up with his teammates in training. Despite being out of full training for a while Ronaldo showed he was in high…
Dani Alves went under the knife Tuesday for the injured knee that ruled him out of the World Cup, his club Paris Saint-Germain announced. The 35-year-old former Barcelona star Alves suffered knee ligament injuries on May 8 during the French Cup final, meaning Brazil lost a senior player with 107 international appearances for the World Cup. “We waited for the right moment to operate so he would be fit again as soon as possible,” the club said. In his 17-year career, he won his first trophy with boyhood club Esporte Clube de Bahia followed by five at Sevilla, 23 with…
Nothing less than winning the World Cup in Russia next month will be satisfactory despite England’s failure to even progress to the later stages in recent tournaments, insist Three Lions’ stars Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli. Gareth Southgate’s men travel to their base in Repino, north-west of Saint Petersburg, next week looking to end 52 years without winning a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup. Sterling was part of the England sides that crashed out at the group stages four years ago and exited in humiliating fashion to Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. But the Manchester…
Ola Aina is hopeful of making the 2022 FIFA World Cup after he was dropped from the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Aina who was included in Gernot Rohr’s initial 30-man provisional list for the World Cup played in the Super Eagles 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Port-Harcourt. Brought in as a substitute, Aina was responsible for the penalty awarded to DR Congo which led to their equalizer. He was not given any game time in the 2-1 loss to England and was not included in the final 23-man list for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Rohr…
New Manchester United midfielder Fred was forced out of Brazil training with an ankle injury on Thursday. The 25-year-old, who is set to move to United next season after the Premier League club agreed a €55 million deal with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, was caught by a tackle from Casemiro as Brazil prepare for the World Cup. Fred tried to remain on the pitch but could not continue and was treated with ice on the sidelines. He sat out for at least the rest of the portion of training in London that was open to the media. “It is too…
Pires said at Puma’s launch of Arsenal’s new away kit in Leicester Square in central London that his knowledge of the squad means he can help as Emery takes over following Arsene Wenger’s 22-year-reign. “If I join Unai Emery’s staff, I think it should be good for me, and I hope it should be good for Unai Emery,” Pires said. “I could be like a bridge between him and the players. Because I know the players. For two years I have trained with the guys. So all of them, they respect me. And I respect the players, I was an…
Manchester United’s imminent new signing Fred is joining “one of the best teams in the world,” according to Brazil teammate Willian. The Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday that they have reached an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for midfielder in a deal believed to be worth around €55 million, which could rise to €60m with add-ons. Chelsea star Willian, who has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, has “no doubt” that Fred will make the grade in England’s top flight. “Of course, no doubt, no doubt about that,” Willian said. “He has a lot of quality, he…
Jose Mourinho has predicted that the Super Eagles of Nigeria will progress from Group D to the second round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn in Group D of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. For the 2018 World Cup, Mourinho has been paid £1.7m to work as the main pundit for Russian TV RT during the tournament. Ahead of Russia 2018, the 55-year-old has given his predictions on the Group Stage where he expects Nigeria to progress out of Group D. Talking about Group D, he said; “In Group D…
Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said the Federal Government would establish six innovation hubs in the country. Osinbajo made the disclosure at the launching of the North East Humanitarian Innovation Hub in Yola. The vice president said that the six innovative centres would be spread among the six geopolitical zones in the country. He said that the hubs would be used to foster creative local solutions that could tackle humanitarian issues within their locations. Osinbajo said that the centres would provide opportunities for youths to think and innovate technologies that could address the problems affecting immediate communities. He said the administration…
Buhari has once again urged Nigerians to vote for anyone of the choice in the 2019 general elections with an assurance that their votes will count. The president said this while speaking at the valedictory Federal Executive Council (FEC) session for outgoing former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, held at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, June 6, 2018. The president emphasised the importance of permanent voter’s cards (PVC) and voter education in elections. He said, “Let Nigerians be aware that they can vote anybody across any party in any constituency, and that their votes will count.”…
Any move to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari would be unsuccessful at the Senate, a source has said. This, the source said, is as a result of the recent treatment being meted out to Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye. After two separate meeting on Monday, June 4, 2018, a source said that some lawmakers had proposed the commencement of President Buhari’s impeachment process over the purchase of two Tucano fighter jets without Senate’s approval amongst others. The move was rejected by some members of the National Assembly who were “very jittery” following recent happenings in the polity. Senator…
The Senate on Thursday adjourned plenary till July 3 to proceed for Sallah break. The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki made the announcement shortly before adjourning plenary. The Senate had in the course of the day’s plenary, deliberated on declaration of June 12 as public holiday by President Muhammadu Buhari. The senate also confirmed Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati among other things.
The National Assembly has again passed a vote of no confidence on Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris. The lawmakers made the resolution, among others, after an emergency joint session which was held behind closed doors. Reading the resolutions, the Senate President Bukola Saraki said the IGP Idris performs his duties with “outright disregard for the constitutional authority of both the executive and the legislature”. “We also hereby reaffirm our earlier resolution on the vote of no confidence on the Inspector General of Police, who does nothing but preside over innocent Nigerians with an outright disregard for the constitutional…
Mr Rotimi Amaechi said on Tuesday that the ministry would partner with state governments to create easy pathways for bicycles across the country. Amaechi said this when he received a delegation of Cyclists led by the President of Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN) in Abuja. He said that the use of bicycles on the road as an alternative means of transportation would help reduce traffic, stating that bicycles was not for the poor as perceived by some people. “Apart from competing in sports, cycling also assists to improve the mental wellbeing of an individual, creating a path for cyclists is…
Chief Ayo Adebanjo has urged the National Assembly not to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari now to avoid unnecessary tension in the polity. He, however, said Nigerians should tolerate the President till 2019 when they should vote him out. “We should allow him go peacefully in 2019. We have just little time between now and the next election. Trying to impeach him now is not ideal. All everybody should do now is to ensure that we have a credible election and allow him go peacefully,” the Independent newspaper quoted the elder statesman as saying. The National Assembly had on Tuesday, June…
Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday chaired a valedictory session in honour of former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi resigned his appointment as minister last week to enable him contest the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the valedictory session was held before the commencement of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). President Buhari lauded the former minister for his contributions to the successes being recorded by the All Progressives Congress led Federal Government. He described Fayemi as a man of sound intellect whose contributions helped the…
The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, says declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day has vindicated age-long agitations by some Nigerians for same. Obasa made the assertion in Lagos in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Musbau Rasak, on Thursday. He praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the declaration on Wednesday. “This is because it was the day that Nigeria had the freest, fairest and most peaceful election. “It was June 12, 1993, that gave birth to what we are enjoying today as democracy. “I want to congratulate the president, his vice, the APC…
Justice John Tsoho of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court has ruled that the Central Bank of Nigeria does not have to make the medical expenses of President Muhammadu Buhari public if he doesn’t agree to it. The Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI) had approached the court to compel CBN to disclose the financial information relating to the cost of the president’s several medical trips to London. In a letter dated October 19, 2017, the group filed a Freedom of Information request for the financial institution to disclose Buhari’s medical expenses and how much…
Bambam and Teddy A, play lovers in new Nollywood movie titled “The Gift.” For the upcoming movie, the reality stars join Oge Okoye, Lota Chukwu and Paul Sambo. The movie is directed and produced by Princely-will. “I love you so much,” Teddy A says to a crying Bambam in the teaser. He kisses her forehead and says, “we will go over to yours, and pack your things over to mine” Their undisclosed roles in “The Gift” comes weeks after they joined cast of one of the most star-studded films of the year, “Foreigner’s Gods.” An actress even before she went…