It wasn’t just another fixture, despite its date. It was a final and Zinedine Zidane’s starting XI showed that the French manager was keen on winning it. Ten of the 11 players who started in the Champions League final in Cardiff made the lineup, the only difference being Cristiano Ronaldo waiting on the bench, and Gareth Bale taking the Portuguese’s place. Even though it’s obviously not yet time to speak about the end of the “BBC” (Bale, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo) as a unit, injuries and form issues impacting the trio have led Zidane to try other formations in recent…
Author: David Folami
Neymar, the world’s most expensive athlethe, may have to keep waiting until after Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Guingamp on Sunday to make his first start for the club. Neymar’s world-record €222 million move went through last week and he was unveiled at the Parc des Princes before Saturday’s Ligue 1 win over Amiens. But he is still yet to make his PSG debut because his international transfer certificate has not been received by the Ligue de Football Professionnel LFP) from Spain’s La Liga. Reports had it that the LFP had still not received the paperwork on Monday. That means it…
EPL executive chairman Richard Scudamore is happy it wasn’t an English club who spent a world record fee to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, he told Sky Sports. The Ligue 1 side paid a €222 million buyout to secure the Brazilian’s signature from former club Barcelona last week, very well doubling the previous transfer record Manchester United sent Juventus for Paul Pogba last summer. “There is a point where you say actually ‘no,'” Scudamore said. “I am glad that is not us who has got that particular record. “That is an unusual set of events I think. The Qataris –…
Antonio Conte has accepted that Nemanja Matic’s exit to Manchester United is a “great loss” for Chelsea and said that more signings are required for the Blues to have any hope of winning the Premier League title twice in two seasons. Matic completed a £40 million transfer to Old Trafford recently, having been excused from Chelsea’s preseason tour of the Far East when it became very clear that his mind was made up to leave the Premier League champions in search of regular first-team football elsewhere. “Matic knows very well what I think about him — the importance for me…
Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has said Jose Mourinho’s team will fight for “every title” when their new season begins on Sunday. United — narrowly beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid in the Super Cup in Macedonia on Tuesday night — won the Community Shield, the EFL Cup and the Europa League last season but did not challenge for the Premier League. He said they could take a lot of positives from the defeat to Madrid and told United’s official website: “The Premier League starts on Sunday, and there is no time to be upset — we want to be contenders…
Nemanja Matic is very sure Manchester United will do better than last season in the Premier League despite their Super Cup narrow defeat against Real Madrid. United lost 2-1 to Madrid in Skopje in a game that was highly competitive. Jose Mourinho’s team start their domestic campaign against West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday and Matic, who played amazingly well on his competitive debut following his move from Chelsea, says United are in good shape to challenge for their main aim in the Premier League. He said: “We have to rest well because we have a very important game…
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has shared how uncertainty over his future last season created a “lack of clarity in the dressing room” and saw players asking him what was really happening. Wenger eventually signed a new two-year contract extension following a mixed end to a campaign with victory in the FA Cup final after failing to secure Champions League qualification for the very first time under his long stint at the club. During a panel discussion, Wenger allowed questions from the audience and was asked directly if the tantrum from some sections of Arsenal fans over his future had spread…
Liverpool have rejected a second bid from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho, a source has said. Barcelona have seen their latest offer of €100 million — an initial €85m and then €15m in add-ons — ignored by Liverpool. Reports came out on Tuesday, citing a sources close to Barcelona, that the clubs had agreed on a deal. A source in Liverpool disputed that on Wednesday, saying that Coutinho will not be sold and that the club considers the matter closed. The back-up bid comes after the Klopp’s club rejected a £72 million offer from Barcelona last month. Barcelona have abundance of…
Jose Mourinho has come out to say that the level of expectation on Manchester United is hindering their bid to get back their rightful place at the top of European football — but insists he will get them there soon enough. United, who lost narrowly in the UEFA Super Cup to Real Madrid on Tuesday, are playing with “a giant on the chest,” according to Mourinho, who says they are still a bit behind europe’s biggest clubs after four seasons of massive failure following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Mourinho believes it will take two more years to get back to…
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool are fully focused on their opening Premier League fixture against Watford before thinking about the important Champions League qualifying game against Hoffenheim next week. Despite some injury concerns Klopp gave an optimistic summary of preparations for the new campaign and said Liverpool are indeeed in a good shape. Klopp said on Wednesday: “When we finished last season in fourth position everybody was really happy about it — it was really a good result for a big effort. “We knew also there would be a qualification game, and now it is coming up. But the first challenge…
The youth section of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has spoken strong words against eccentric artist and activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy. Charly Boy and a civil society organization on Monday, started a daily protest to demand President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to Nigeria or resignation because of lack of good health. In a statement, the APC Youth Renaissance described Charly Boy as “an incurable attention seeker.” “The planned protest against President Muhammadu Buhari by a coalition of civil society groups led by Charly Boy has come to the notice of the national leadership of APC Youths…
The National Working Committee of the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) has made the suspension of Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Dan Iwuayanwu, and Mainasara Ilo from the party known to the public. The party disclosed this in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Dr Emeka Okengwu, on Tuesday in Abuja. The party said that Raymond and the two others were suspended for unlawful gathering in the name of the party and violating APDA constitutional provision of holding illegal National Executive Council meeting sacking the National Working Committee of the party. “In their desperation to factionalize the party and move to…
The Director of Primary Health Care in Akoko-Edo Local Government Council of Edo, Dr Sunday Yerumoh, on Monday confirmed two cases of Lassa fever in the locality. Yerumoh made the confirmation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Igarra, the administrative headquarters of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. He revealed that the patients were hurriedly admitted in the Surveillance Unit of the local government health care centre, when health personnel saw that they displayed symptoms of Lassa fever. “The patients were brought to the surveillance unit of the local government and their blood samples were positive.” “And…
The Chairman of National Caretaker Committee of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, has warned that the political party has stopped condoning any act of indiscipline from its members. Makarfi gave this warning while inaugurating a 37-member Caretaker Committee for the Anambra chapter of the party on Tuesday in Abuja. He reiterated that the party’s leadership was already witnessing some form of indiscipline from some members, and warned that any undisciplined act would be addressed immediately. “It is no longer going to be business as usual. What we are saying is that any future act of indiscipline will be…
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has begged the church to collaborate with the government in the development of a strong, peaceful and corruption-free society. Obaseki made this known when he received the President of Evangelical Church Winning All, the Rev. Jeremiah Gado, at Government House in Benin on Tuesday. He said when crises took place in the society, the society resorted to the church hence the need for the church to take crucial steps to build the society with the government. ‘’The church has a role to ensure stability in the society and partnership with the church is something we…
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the Federal Government will soon ensure that all the states are connected to rail services to promote commercial activities. Rotimi Amaechi revealed this to newsmen after the monthly inspection of the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Railway Line in Lagos on Tuesday. He said “As you know, every month we must meet to review the challenges that we have encountered from the project and the achievements the contractor have made. “So far; today we have assessed them, and we are maintaining that by December 2018, we will commence…
The Rivers Government has shut down no fewer than 1,886 schools operating without government’s approval, Gov. Nyesom Wike said in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. Nyesom Wike disclosed this when the management staff of Jesuit Memorial College, Mbodo-Aluu, paid him a courtesy visit. According to him, the government will fully implement measures aimed at strengthening the state education sector by September. “We want to maintain standards that will uplift education in the state,” Wike said. He condemned examination malpractice associated with some illegal schools operating as West African Examination Council (WAEC) centres in some remote parts of the state. Earlier, the…
The Governor of Anambra state has said that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) cannot halt the upcoming governorship elections. The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu had earlier said that no election will take place in the state. Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, at the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) headquarters, Willie Obiano urged Nigerians to dismiss IPOB’s threat. Responding to questions from journalists on Kanu’s comment, the Governor said “That is not correct. They did not say there will not be any election. By the way, yesterday (Monday) you would have heard the war veterans who met with me, these…
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has blasted the Nigerian police for attacking protesters in Abuja. The Senator also rubbished the security personnel for harassing his employee at Silverbird, Amadin Uyi. He said “I condemn the police brutality on Silverbird TV’s Amadin Uyi. I don’t have staff. I have family and an attack on them is an attack on me. “Amadin Uyi was doing his duties as provided by the law. Why should my family member be thus treated! This is an attack on press freedom. “I call on the Inspector General of Police to launch an investigation into the attack on Amadin…
The last episode of “Game of Thrones” served viewers what they have been waiting for – an fantastic Westeros battle involving the dragons. Titled “The Spoils of War,” the episode ended with Jaime Lannister’s unsure fate. Jaime made a confident run at Daenerys while she was trying to pull out the sword from her injured dragon. The episode ended on a high as Jaime was rescued into the water by Bronn as the angry dragon unleashed fire that narrowly missed The Lannister. Speaking in an interview, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime spoke about the epic scene and his future in…