Jose Mourinho hailed new signing Nemanja Matic “a genius” who “thinks football” as the holding midfielder made his Manchester United debut in convincing fashion. Matic starred for the Red Devils in their 2-1 friendly win over Sampdoria in Dublin following his £35 million switch from Premier League champions Chelsea. He played just 45 minutes, with Mourinho admitting the Serbian still lacked full match fitness. “He needs time but [his] experience, intelligence, a genius in the way he thinks — he thinks football,” Mourinho said. “We will help him to be ready sooner rather than later.” On Phil Jones’ ban by…
Author: David Folami
Nemanja Matic made his Manchester United debut as Jose Mourinho’s side warmed up for the UEFA Super Cup with a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria in Dublin. The latest addition to the team played the first 45 minutes at the Aviva Stadium, his first action of the summer after training alone at Chelsea before his move to Old Trafford. The Serbian impressed enough to suggest he will start against European champions Real Madrid in Macedonia on Aug. 8. Henrikh Mkhitaryan as well, too, after he scored another sensational preseason goal to put United ahead against Sampdoria. The Serie A side equalised…
Jurgen Klopp hopes the transfer fee in Neymar’s impending world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain is an “exception” and questioned whether UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) has any effect on any club’s spending power. Barcelona, who confirmed Neymar intention to leave the club, are demanding PSG pay the Brazilian’s €222 million buyout clause, which would break and bury the previous transfer record of Paul Pogba moving to Manchester United from Juventus for £89.3 million last summer. La Liga president Javier Tebas has said he is prepared to file a complaint about PSG to UEFA and the European Union for what he…
Jose Mourinho has said Neymar’s inevitable world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain is “not expensive,” but added the consequences of the fee could be. Neymar is on the verge of a €222 million move to Paris after Barcelona stated on Wednesday the Brazilian wants to leave the Camp Nou. He said: “When we paid that amount for Paul I [said] that he was not expensive. Expensive are the ones that get into a certain level with a certain quality, I think Neymar is going to happen the same, I don’t think he’s expensive. “I think he’s expensive now because you are…
Neymar’s imminent move to Paris Saint-Germain has surprised European football, and the insanity of the transfer market is likely to worsen things in the next few weeks as reports have it that Monaco starboy Kylian Mbappe is ready to push for an exit. Barcelona, who appear very weak after losing a third of the “MSN”, will be in crazy mode to acquire another superstar to appease their disgruntled fans and lead the race, according to the report. As straight replacements go, the Blaugrana could strike it lucky, though the 18-year-old may have his heart set on Real Madrid, given neither…
The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo has said that Buhari will fulfil his campaign promises to Nigerians. The Acting President said this while attending the Progressives Governors’ Forum in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state. Osinbajo also said “The people have not lost faith in us, they understand that the task of clearing decades of debris will take time but we must also jointly keep faith with them. “The people expect us to deliver on all of what we have promised. They expect a better life, we have assured them of a better life, and I can say for all of us who…
Chelsea wing-back Victor Moses will be available to play in August 6 Community Shield against Arsenal despite serving a one-match domestic ban. Moses’ one-match ban is as a result of the red card he received in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup final in May. The Nigeria international was shown the second yellow card and a red card for diving in the FA Cup final. The FA consider the Community Shield as a friendly game and allow suspended players to participate. Moses and Koscielny will however not be available for Arsenal and Chelsea’s opening day fixtures respectively.…
Joseph van Vicker, better known as Van Vicker, is a Ghanaian actor. Vicker started out in the entertainment world on radio as a presenter at Groove 106.3 fm and Vibe 91.9fm (2001–04) and was a television personality for TV3 Ghana (1997–99) and Metro TV (2000–04). He appeared in his first series ”Suncity”, the series ran for a total of 10 episodes. Vicker was then cast in his first film “Divine Love” as a supporting character. Vicker has appeared in numerous Nollywood films alongside prominent Nollywood actors, including Tonto Dikeh, Mercy Johnson, Stephanie Okereke, Chika Ike and Jim Iyke. His Nollywood…
Lionel Messi has said his goodbyes to Neymar on Instagram after the Brazilian striker told him and other Barcelona teammates he was leaving, saying it was a “huge pleasure” to have played with him. The Catalan club confirmed Wednesday that Neymar wanted to leave after weeks of frantic speculation, taking the 25-year-old closer to a potential world record move to Paris Saint-Germain. “It was a huge pleasure having shared all those years with you, my friend @neymarjr,” Messi wrote on Instagram next to a montage of pictures of both football stars high-fiving, embracing or laughing. “I wish you lots of…
Some understood, others were pissed, but most supporters of Barcelona reacted with anger and frusration on Wednesday to news that star striker Neymar was leaving, in all likelihood to PSG in the French league. The Catalan club announced that the 25-year-old wanted the exit, insisting however that the Brazilian’s 222 million euro ($260 million) buyout clause must be met in full. “It’s a blow,” said Javier Barranco, a 19-year-old psychology student in Barcelona. “It hurts because I thought he was going to grow here like (Lionel) Messi, that he was going to spend his entire career here and that he…
New Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur because he was wary the competition from striker Harry Kane, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed. Morata, 24, joined champions Chelsea from Real Madrid last month for a reported fee of £58 million ($76.8 million, 64.7 million euros). “Morata talked about myself, in the media he said: ‘Mauricio called me.’ That was two years ago or more,” Pochettino said, in comments published by several British newspapers on Wednesday. “He said to me: ‘Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane?'” Spurs have challenged for the title in…
Senator Dino Melaye has asked Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to declare a state of emergency in Kogi State. Melaye said the declaration by Yemi Osinbajo will go a long way to save people of the state from anarchy. According to reports, Melaye also said “The draconian Idi Amin approach to governance by Yahaya Bello today as displayed by his criminally minded hooligans and hired killers in usurping the legislative powers and priviledges of the Parliament is a clear manifestation of satanism. “The unwarranted attack on Hon. Friday Sani Makama shall not be swept under the carpet. “We are not in…
An assigned set of the All Progressives Congress (APC) members paid a condolence visit to Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola over his mother’s death. The delegation was led by former Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and former Osun state governor and national chairman of the party, Bisi Akande, as they met with the governor on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, at the Government House in Osogbo, the state capital. Governor Aregbesola’s 85-year-old mother, Alhaja Saratu, died in the early hours of Tuesday, August 1, while he was away in Kebbi state for the Federal Government-Progressive Governors Forum Parley on Policy…
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has called for better unity among Nigerians as he criticised the thinking of hate speech in Nigeria as free speech. While speaking at the Institute for Security Studies’ seminar themed: Unity in Diversity, on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, Osinbajo noted that “hate speech precedes tragedies in human history”. Osinbajo said, “It is a false narrative that nations formed the way ours was formed is bound to fail. “It is also a false narrative one group is more corrupt than the other. Not so. If you look at a corruption charge sheet, there is unity you find…
Tonto Dikeh and filmmaker Ada Slim are at each others throat on Instagram. Their public feud started when the actress and filmmaker took to her page today, August 2, 2017, to accuse the actress of mocking her behind her back, dismissing her as a ‘fan’, and not returning her car. Tonto has replied and according to her, she never lied against Ada Slim, nor did she dismiss her. She also didn’t hesitate to sub the hell out of her former friend. “I can’t remember having your car in my possession nor owing you or having your clothes with me but…
Yoruba movie producer Kenny Adams is accusing Mercy Aigbe’s husband of sending him death threats following claims he slept with his wife. Kenny Adams shared a video via Instagram begging Lanre Gentry to please leave him alone. “I don’t have anything with Mercy she is a good friend of mine.” Opening up on when the death threats started, the producer said, “He accused me in person sometime last year that I call and text his wife too much. I have witnesses that were there when he confronted me. Help me just beg him to leave me alone because I have…
One mpnth and twp weeks after the birth of their twins Rumi and Sir Carter, power couple Beyonce and Jay Z have hit the gym. The duo was spotted heading to a SoulCycle class over the weekend. The music hitmakers were pictured sharing a kiss outside the fitness centre in Santa Monica, where they both attended a fitness class. The couple have reportedly taken several classes with SoulCycle instructor Angela. The Carters who welcomed twins Rumi and Sir in mid-June hired six nannies at $100,000 a year each for their babies. A source told OK! Magazine US, “The twins don’t…
The return of the Premier League’s top clubs will make this season’s edition of the Champions League more difficult, Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti has said. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham have all guaranteed themeselves automatic passage to the group stage this campaign, while Liverpool could be set to join them if they can make it through the playoff. The clubs are among the biggest splashers of cash in European football and possess some of the game’s best managers, including Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. And Ancelotti — a three-time winner of the competition…
Serge Aurier’s exit from Paris Saint-Germain this summer has been slow to develop — and it seems that has made him lose a number of potential suitors. Le Parisien reported on Monday that the 24-year-old right-back, who made his request for a transfer known before PSG began preseason training in the United States, is unlikely to join three top clubs to which he was once linked. Juventus have reached their limit on international players, Manchester City moved for a pair of defenders in Kyle Walker and Danilo, and Barcelona added Nelson Semedo from Benfica. Aurier’s exit would create space on…
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will be competing for the Premier League title this season and also mentioned where the club stands in the current Philippe Coutinho saga. Liverpool achieved a top-four finish last term for only the second time in eight seasons and now face a two-legged playoff to reach the group stages of the Champions League. Klopp’s side were title contenders at some point during the opening months of the 2016-17 campaign, but that soon collapsed when injuries and fixtures began to pile up. “Yes, we will be playing for the championship,” Klopp told a news conference. “We don’t…