Headline writers will have a field day alluding to a Shakespearean-style betrayal of Claudio Ranieri, as well as the fact that getting rid of the Italian was harsh and now, to maintain a theme, may be tempted to say “All’s Well That Ends Well.” But the truth is that, despite a recent upturn in form, Leicester aren’t safe from the threat of relegation and will be underdogs against Sevilla on Tuesday in the Champions League, despite having scored an away goal in Spain. Therefore, Shakespeare’s first task will be to remind his squad of underperforming Premier League champions that they…
Author: David Folami
Since winning at Chelsea in October 2012, on the way to a 20th league title, Manchester United’s record at Stamford Bridge is abysmal: no wins and only one draw in six subsequent games. Their most recent visit was the worst of all, a 4-0 hammering last October that was the low point of Jose Mourinho’s time in charge so far. As if history doesn’t make Monday’s FA Cup quarterfinal daunting enough, Mourinho and his men head to London following a 4,500-mile round trip to Russia for last Thursday’s Europa League round-of-32 first leg vs. Rostov. Chelsea, by contrast, haven’t had…
Barcelona feared a Champions League hangover after Wednesday’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain and that is exactly what they were served at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. Goals from Joselu and Alex Bergantinos sandwiched a Luis Suarez strike as Depor took the three points, denting Barca’s title hopes and bumping them back down to earth with a bang. The Blaugrana were always likely to receive a wake-up call after their Champions League heroics at some point — best to get it out the way as soon as possible? Luis Enrique’s new system had so far produced four wins — three of…
Sensational songster, Simi, is out with the premiere of her hit single, ‘Smile for me’. The X3M Music artiste, who is set to drop her first album in the year 2017 aptly portrayed her affection for a love interest played by actor, Ayoola Ayobami. Video director, Clarence Peters, brought on his magic once again on this one. Enjoy!
Following Kemen’s disqualification from Big Brother Naija for sexual misconduct, the housemates had a seminar on sexual consent. To celebrate International Women’s day, Housemates receive special guest to discuss boundaries around sexuality. The housemates who had not seen the viral video of Kemen touching Tboss while she slept, also watched the controversial video. On Sunday, March 5, 2017, after Kemen was disqualified, other housemates who were unaware of the incident said some harsh words to Tboss. However, Biggie had a conversation with Bisola and explained the events that led to Kemen’s disqualification. She in turn explained to other housemates who…
Since June 2016, fans of “Game of Thrones” have been anticipating a premiere date, poster or trailer for the seventh season of the show. Finally, something official from “Game of Thrones” season 7 has surfaced online – a teaser poster which can be viewed above. The poster teases an upcoming battle between fire and ice. While fans anticipate an official release date for the movie, Liam Cunningham who plays Davos Seaworth on the show mistakenly shared a release date during an interview with The Independent. According to him, the seventh season of “Game of Thrones” will premiere in July. The…
A member of the embattled Shiite sect fainted after hearing that President Muhammadu Buhari has returned. Buhari returned on Friday, March 10, 2017, after spending over 40 days in London reportedly because of a medical issue. According to Punch the sect member, a 58-year-old potato seller, Mallam Ibrahim collapsed in Mararraban market, Jos when he heard the news of Buhari’s return. As at press time, the reason Ibrahim collapsed has not been confirmed, reports say. You will recall that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lalwal had accused Christians of spreading rumours of Buhari’s death on…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday slammed a six-count charge on a former Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Andrew Yakubu. The charge was contained in court papers filed on March 9 at the Federal High Court Abuja. According to the charge sheet, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Yakubu was accused of failing to make full disclosure in his Assets Declaration form of the sums of 9,772 800 dollars and 74,000 pounds contrary to Section 27 (3a) of the EFCC act 2004. He was also accused of receiving a cash payment of…
The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd) seems to have drawn the battle line with the Senate. You will recall that the Nigerian Senate passed a unanimous resolution summoning Ali over the planned seizure of vehicles that have not paid duty. Senator Dino Melaye also raised a motion that the Customs boss should appear before the Senate with his uniform. In his response, Ali said “No! I was not appointed Comptroller General of Customs to wear uniform. “Does uniform work or the person behind the uniform?” Also speaking on the alleged raid which his men carried out in…
Security operatives in Borno State have intercepted a pregnant suicide bomber. The woman, and another female were reportedly killed as they attempted to attack a security post and refused to surrender. The incident was said to have occurred in Ummarari village along mulai axis of Maiduguri Damboa road at the outskirts of Maiduguri. The spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in North-East, Abdulkadir Ibrahim said that rescue workers have evacuated the bodies of the suicide bombers. “When we got the alert on the incident, the NEMA emergency workers in collaboration with other stakeholders moved to the scene and…
Lagos State government has earmarked N30 billion to fund the proposed Bus Reform Initiative aimed at discontinuing the use of the yellow commercial buses, popularly called Danfo. Governor Akinwuni Ambode disclosed this while speaking to journalists over the weekend. He said the initiative will phase out Danfo buses as means of transportation in the state within the next two years. Ambode said his government has identified the daily challenges of Lagosians while commuting via public transportation, adding that the new plan would provide a viable alternative. He stated that the Bus Reform Initiative is a three-year plan aimed at introducing…
President Muhammadu Buhari will resume his official duties on Monday, March 13, the Presidency has confirmed. He will also write the National Assembly on Monday, to officially notify the two chambers of his return from London. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this to Vanguard on Sunday. The President returned to the country on Friday, March 10, after 49 days of medical vacation in the United Kingdom. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been carrying out Presidential duties in Buhari’s absence. On media reports that Buhari may reshuffle his cabinet when he resumes, Adesina…
Manchester United will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge without a recognised forward on Monday after Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were all ruled out by manager Jose Mourinho. FA Cup holders United were already without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the quarterfinal tie against the Premier League leaders. But United sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that Rooney and Martial will miss out due to injury, with England youngster Rashford left behind because of an illness. All three players failed to join the rest of the United squad as they boarded a train to London from Stockport on…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says captain Jordan Henderson will miss the club’s next game against Manchester City and is unavailable for England selection later this month due to injury. Henderson, 26, has been forced to sit out Liverpool’s last three matches with a foot problem sustained in training. The midfielder is sidelined for Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad Stadium to face City next Sunday and will not recover in time for England’s games with Germany and Lithuania on March 22 and 26 respectively. Klopp was asked at a news conference whether Henderson would be available for an England call-up following…
Winning ugly isn’t something Liverpool usually do and that’s a big reason why they fell away in the title race. It’s impossible to play well every week but you need to be able to win, regardless of performance. The home side were terrible for much of this game but they battled and scrapped, which bodes well. Out-of-form Philippe Coutinho struggled to make an impression and was replaced by 17-year-old Ben Woodburn after an hour. Usually such a decision would send shockwaves through the crowd, but the fact that nobody was surprised, let alone upset, tells you everything about how disappointing…
Son Heung-Min’s hat trick fired Tottenham into the FA Cup semifinals but their 6-0 demolition of Millwall was marred by racist chants towards the South Korean from visiting supporters. Harry Kane also limped off injured in the sixth minute at White Hart Lane after appearing to hurt his right ankle but even without their star striker, Spurs, and Son, blew their League One opponents away. Son’s treble was particularly fitting given that he was subjected to abuse from Millwall supporters. The visiting fans sang “DVD” and “You’re selling three for a fiver” at the 24-year-old during the first half. Christian…
Barca made headlines around the world on Wednesday when they overturned a four-goal deficit against PSG to progress to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, scoring three goals in the final seven minutes on their way to a 6-1 win. However, four days later, they were bumped back down to earth on Sunday as they were beaten 2-1 to Deportivo in La Liga as they suffered a European hangover. “Everyone connected to Barcelona would have signed up to comeback against PSG and lose to Deportivo,” Pique told reporters after the shock defeat in the rain at Riazor. “That is sport.…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Feb. 16, 2019 for Presidential and National Assembly elections. Similarly, Governorship, State Assembly and Federal Capital Territory Area Councils polls will hold on March 2, 2019. Mr Solomon Soyebi, National Commissioner of the commission in charge of publicity, made this known on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference. He said that fixing of the dates was part of efforts by INEC to standardise and ensure certainty of timetable for general elections in the country. Soyebi gave instances that in the US, general elections always held on the second Tuesday of November…
Marouane Fellaini insists Manchester United are confident of avenging the worst moment of Jose Mourinho’s reign when they return to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday. Mourinho’s first visit to Stamford Bridge since his sacking as Chelsea boss last season ended in humiliation as his former club romped to a 4-0 victory over United in October. United have used the memory of that painful loss to fuel a dominant period which has seen them lose just twice in all competitions since then. They lifted the first major trophy of the Mourinho era with a League Cup final victory…
Borussia Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke says he expects star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to remain with the Bundesliga giants, for now. The Gabon hot-shot has hit 28 goals this season, including the hat-trick against Benfica on Wednesday which fired Dortmund into the Champions League’s quarter-finals. He has scored seven goals in three games prior to Saturday’s league match at Hertha Berlin. The 27-year-old has a contract with Dortmund until 2020, but admitted in January that he is considering leaving in June to take ‘the next step’ in his career. He has made no secret he wants to eventually join Real Madrid…