Jose Mourinho fears Manchester United’s bid to qualify for the Champions League will fail because of their inability to kill off inferior opponents at Old Trafford. United had most of the possession and chances against struggling Bournemouth on Saturday, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s penalty miss forced them to settle for a 1-1 draw. Mourinho’s side have dropped home points against a number of sides below them in the table this season, with Stoke, Burnley and Hull all picking up draws when second best. The United manager believes if his team had been more ruthless, they could even be challenging Chelsea for…
Author: David Folami
Liverpool are now off the Premier League roller coaster and looking in the right direction according to manager Jurgen Klopp, who saw his side dismantle top-four rivals Arsenal in a scintillating 3-1 win on Saturday. In recent months Liverpool have been a shadow of the vibrant attacking side that dazzled during the first half of the season, dropping out of title contention since the New Year. A run of just two victories in 2017 may have ended any realistic title chances but the panache with which they beat Arsenal will cause concerns for their top-four rivals. Liverpool climbed above Arsenal…
Arsene Wenger admitted his decision to drop Alexis Sanchez had backfired, but the Arsenal manager blamed “cheap goals” for his side’s damaging 3-1 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday. Wenger opted to leave star striker Sanchez on the bench for the first half at Anfield and the move failed miserably as Liverpool swept into a two-goal lead. The Gunners boss sent on Sanchez at half-time and the Chilean immediately provided the assist as Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck reduced the deficit. It was too late to spark an Arsenal fightback however and Wenger’s side crashed out of the top four after a third…
“Jenifa’s Diary” has won the Best TV series at the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. The series beat “Sokhulu and Partners season 3,” “Duplicity,” “Beneath the Lies” and “Beyond Your Sight: The Police Story” to win the award. Receiving the award, Funke Akindele who produces and stars in the series said, “I don’t actually have a life. Thank God I married this man [JJC]. I drink, eat and write “Jenifa’s Diary.” The actress dedicated the award to her family, cast and crew of the TV series, and her husband. The series which is currently in its ninth season on…
Funke Akindele has won the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. The actress beat Tina Mba – Meet the In-Laws, Uche Jombo – Wives on Strike, Dineo Moeketsi – Mrs Right Guy, Chioma Akpotha – Wives on Strike, Funke Akindele – A Trip to Jamaica and Omoni Oboli – Wives on Strike. The series which is currently in its ninth season on Television stars Akindele as the titular character; a secondary school dropout turned hairdresser, who lives in a backwater town called Aiyetoro. Over the years, the character has grown from a naive…
The fifth edition of the African Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) was another glittering night of the celebration of African films (mostly Nigerian), the display of many sharp designer suits and curvaceous bodies fitted into the tiniest of dresses. Eko Hotel & Suites (our own Staples Centre) was once again the venue that put together the gods and goddesses of Nollywood, Olu Jacobs, Richard Mofe Damijo, Rita Dominic together with up and coming talents such as Somkele Iyamah and Sambasa Nzeribe. The AMVCA started as scheduled- 7pm. The hall wasn’t filled to capacity but that’s because of Nigerians showing up…
For a night that recognized movies and actors that told stories of notable events in Nigeria, a win for a “Trip to Jamaica” in any category would have been an anticlimax. Fortunately for the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards on Saturday, March 4, 2017, it redeemed its image by not confusing effort and commercial success with true greatness. In December when the organizers of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards announced its 2017 nominees, AY Makun’s “A Trip to Jamaica” nabbed six nominations in major categories including Best Writer, Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Actor in a Comedy, Best…
Ghanaian artiste, Edem, has offered an animated video to his ‘Ride with me’ track featuring Seyi Shay. The clip is a romance themed visuals that embodies loyalty, bond and commitment between lovers. It also brought some liveliness, easily achieved through a sweet melody beat.
Hip-Hop artiste, YQ, makes another entry with his 2017 debut single, ‘Gbanjo’. The track follows more recent releases such as ‘Styles of making love’ and ‘Kogi United” Produced by Fredie Beat, the song is a shout out to the go-getters who never seem to relent in the face of hardship.
The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, 10 governors and ministers are among the 800 dignitaries expected in Benue for the coronation of the 5th Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the coronation of the new Tor Tiv is slated to hold on Saturday (March 4) at the JS Tarka Stadium in Gboko. The Chairman of the Venue Sub-committee of the Central Planning Committee for the coronation, Mr Emmanuel Manger, made this known to NAN on Friday in Gboko. He said elaborate arrangements were been made to…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Caretaker Committee has congratulated Justice Walter Onnoghen on his confirmation by the Senate as the 14th substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). The Committee’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeyeye in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, also commended the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for sending the name of Justice Onnoghen’s to the Senate for confirmation. Adeyeye said that the confirmation of Justice Onnoghen as the New CJN had renewed the confidence of Nigerians and the international community on the need to respect the principle of separation of powers. He said that the…
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has urged foreign airlines operating in Nigeria to reconsider their decision and make use of Kaduna International Airport during the six weeks closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Osinbajo made the plea in Kaduna on Friday in an interview with newsmen shortly after his on-the-spot assessment and readiness of the Kaduna airport. He urged the airlines to bear the situation and be ready to work with the Federal Government to achieve its objective of delivering a safe and secure aviation sector. According to him, one thing that is clear is that not all foreign airlines…
The Naira on Friday depreciated against the dollar at the parallel market after posting days of appreciation, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The nation’s currency lost N7 to exchange at N465 to a dollar after closing at N458 on Thursday, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro traded at N542 and N480. At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira traded at N399 to a dollar, CBN controlled rate, while Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N610 and N520. Trading at the interbank market saw the Naira sold at N305.25 to a dollar. NAN reports that…
The Kano/Jigawa Customs Area Command on Friday in Kano destroyed expired items worth millions of Naira. This is contained in a statement signed by the Commands Public Relations officer, Mr Danbaba Isah and made available to newsmen in Kano. According to the statement, the burnt items include expired foreign rice, computer scraps and expired bubble gum. Others were harmful and expired drugs including Dizapam, Heragra, Tranadol tablets and 250 cartons of expired liquid Indo food. According to the statement, the Command’s Area Controller, Mr Abutu Onaja led in the destruction of the expired items which took place in the premises…
The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki said on Saturday said the National Assembly would ensure that the Nigerian Navy received adequate appropriation for effective discharge its the constitutional duties. Saraki gave the assurance in his remarks at the closing ceremony of the 11th Nigerian Naval Games tagged, “Uyo 2017”. The senate president, represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Sen. Isa Hamman, said the Nigerian Navy had become a pillar that was critical to the continued unity, survival and prosperity of the nation. He urged all the tiers of government to support the Navy in its efforts in maintain…
Liverpool gave their fans palpitations after a dominant first half. Georginio Wijnaldum sealed the victory with a late breakaway goal after an Alexis Sanchez-inspired fightback from the visitors. Positives From the opening minutes, Liverpool’s intention to fight for every ball and hustle Arsenal out of their stride was first class. When they are this good, they are unstoppable. Negatives Where was this performance and attitude against Leicester? Or Hull? Or Swansea? The Reds could have achieved so much more this season, and that is a frustrating component despite the euphoria of tonight’s victory. Manager rating out of 10 7 –…
The moment that Arsene Wenger submitted his teamsheet at Liverpool without Alexis Sanchez in the starting XI, he ensured that this decision would be the story of a potentially pivotal game in Arsenal’s season. That’s the problem with big calls such as leaving your talisman and leading goal scorer out of the team: whichever way it goes, the decision will be the focus of the attention. Wenger has been around the game long enough to know how his selection would be dissected, so the Frenchman would also be fully aware that when you put your neck on the block, you…
That was the heroic performance Bournemouth desperately needed to get out of their bad run of form. To hold the newly crowned EFL Cup champions Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford is a decent result for any side, especially playing with 10 men for the entire second half. The Cherries will be hopeful it’s all up from here on. Positives The resilience and fantastic attitude on display by every Bournemouth player was the biggest positive of the day. Tyrone Mings finally put in a decent performance and seems to be growing with each game. Artur Boruc also…
With the news over the weekend regarding Fernando Torres positive, Atletico Madrid’s thoughts can now return to the pitch ahead of this weekend’s visit of Valencia. Unfortunately for the Vicente Calderon faithful, the La Liga table does not make pretty reading. The defeat to Barcelona and the draw in Galicia mean they currently sit outside the top four and trail Real Sociedad in the fourth and final Champions League place by two points. Before last weekend’s game with Barca, Diego Simeone said that the side’s objective was a third-placed finish, however even that appears a tall order. Sevilla are flying…
Neymar has said he is having his best season yet Barcelona and claimed the La Liga leaders are just beginning to find their best form. Barcelona are competing for silverware on three fronts — the Liga title, Champions League and Copa del Rey — and with 12 goals and 16 assists in all competitions Neymar has played a key role. “I think it’s my best season at Barca,” he told the club’s official website. “Both myself and the team are getting better and that is important.” Following Wednesday’s 6-1 La Liga victory against Sporting Gijon, manager Luis Enrique announced he…