Nigeria international striker, Alex Iwobi says Mesut Ozil has been extremely important to his professional football development. The German international last week offered lavish words of praise on his Arsenal teammate who has now taken the time to reveal the special interest Ozil has taken in his progress. Iwobi revealed via the club’s official website that Ozil has been one of the main reasons for his recent impressive displays with consistent words of encouragement. “Mesut just tells me that I’m young and need to express myself on the pitch. “Obviously I need to listen to other people’s advice as well,…
Author: David Folami
Arsene Wenger insisted on Tuesday there was never any danger of Theo Walcott leaving Arsenal despite a reduced role with the Gunners last season. The England international started just 15 league games and scored five goals in the 2015/16 season. But Walcott, 27, has already matched that goal tally this term following a double in Arsenal’s win over Swansea City on Saturday. Arsenal manager Wenger, speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Ludogorets, said of winger Walcott: “Look, I haven’t spoken to anybody because I was not ready to let him go. I always wanted to keep him. “What…
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has denied a Mundo Deportivo report that he tried to sign strikers Lionel Messi and Neymar from former club Barcelona in the close season. The newspaper also suggested that Guardiola attempted to buy Barca forward Luis Suarez and midfield pair Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. City did bring keeper Claudio Bravo over from the Nou Camp as a replacement for Torino-bound Joe Hart and the former Bayern Munich boss acknowledged he had also spoken to Marc-Andre ter Stegen who missed the majority of the club’s La Liga games last season. “There are some wars you…
The Football Association has asked Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to explain comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor before his side’s goalless draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Monday, it said on Tuesday. Mourinho said it would be “difficult” for Taylor, who is from the Greater Manchester area, to have “a very good performance” after being put in charge of the game between two fierce rivals. FA rules prohibit managers and players from making comments about officials which could be viewed as intimidatory or influential before games. Mourinho has until Friday to respond.
Wayne Rooney has insisted he’s got a “lot of football left” amid suggestions his days as a regular starting player for Manchester United could be coming to a close. United and England captain Rooney, who made his name as a goal-scoring forward, has been a substitute in five of the last six matches for club and country, including the Red Devils’ goalless draw away to arch-rivals Liverpool on Tuesday where he failed to find the back of the net after coming on for Marcus Rashford. And Rooney has no time for suggestions that he is now a 25 games a…
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique insists he will not reverse his decision to retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup. Pique announced his intention to leave La Roja after having to demonstrate he didn’t cut the colours of the Spanish flag off his kit during a 2-0 win in Albania last week. The absurd incident was the latest in a string of accusations concerning Pique’s commitment to play for Spain due to his outspoken calls for a referendum on Catalan independence. “The decision is final. Events in Albania brought it forward, I didn’t want to say it at that…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes a serious challenge for trophies will go a long way towards convincing influential winger Alexis Sanchez and midfielder Mesut Ozil to sign new long-term deals at the club. Ozil and Sanchez have entered the last 20 months of their current contracts at the Emirates Stadium and will hope to secure hefty pay rises to their reported 140 000 pounds ($171 654.00) per week salaries to stay beyond 2018. Wenger admitted that while the financial aspects of contract negations were important, it was Arsenal’s on-field progress that would prove decisive. “I think these kind of players…
Manchester City defender John Stones is relishing the prospect of coming up against “the best player in the world” in Lionel Messi when they face Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the Champions League on Wednesday. “He’s one of a kind,” Stones told British media. “I think we, as footballers, appreciate it even more when you come up against him and see what he can really do. “I’ll be looking forward to that challenge. But it’s not just him, it’s everyone in that team. I think Luis Suarez has taken his game to another level since he was at Liverpool.”…
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has said that President Muhammadu Buhari needs to include the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his government. Okorocha also said that Buhari needs to carry members of the party along in his administration of the country. The governor made the comments on Sunday, October 16, while speaking to journalists in Abuja. “If there is a clarion call for Mr President to take a look at his cabinet and bring in more people, there is nothing wrong for Mr President to take note of comments by people because if everyone keeps saying the same thing, there…
Former Ogun State Senator, Femi Okurounmu has said that President Muhammadu Buhari should resign from office and apologize to Nigerians. Okurounmu also said that that Buhari lacks knowledge on how to end the current economic crisis. He made the comments during an interview with Vanguard. “Buhari who is carrying the change mantra all about, his administration is worse than Jonathan’s. The whole country now has degraded very much, our leaders have degraded our humanity to animal kingdom,” he said. “Buhari has no clue on how to revive the economy and yet we are carrying ‘change’ all about. I am happy…
President Muhammadu Buhari will tinker with his cabinet in the coming weeks, following the blistering criticisms he received concerning the composition of his team from his wife, Aisha Buhari. Aso Villa sources said over the weekend disclosed that the President was stung by the interview granted the BBC by his wife, even though he’s maintained a stoic, unruffled demeanour in public. Buhari doubled down on his “my wife belongs to the Kitchen” comment in a chat with Phil Gayle of Deutsche-Welle, shortly before he left Germany. In an interview granted the BBC, Ms. Buhari had hinted that a cabal has…
The Islamic State-allied faction of Boko Haram which last week freed 21 of more than 200 Chibok girls kidnapped in April 2014 in northeast Nigeria is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls, the president’s spokesman said on Sunday. Around 220 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. A faction of the militant group released 21 of the girls on Thursday after the Red Cross and…
Imo State Governor, Mr Rochas Okorocha, has urged Nigerians to stop criticising President Muhammadu Buhari over the comment he made about his wife, Aisha. Okorocha said the President’s controversial response to his wife’s BBC interview was taken out of context. In the interview, the First Lady said unless Buhari shakes up his government, she would not support his re-election in 2019. She revealed that her husband does not know a large number of the people he appointed to top positions, noting that a “few people” are behind the presidential appointments. Buhari, however, played down his wife’s claims, saying she should…
Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro has arrived Nigeria from the United States of America. Obanikoro is in the country to honour an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is accusing him of fraud. The former minister was alleged to have participated in the arms deal fraud after N4.75bn was supposedly traced to him. The EFCC is also investigating the roles of his sons, Babajide and Gbolahan in the alleged fraud. Meanwhile, Obanikoro has denied all the charges and insists that he’s innocent.
Professor Itse Sagay has said that Nigeria would have collapsed if President Muhammadu Buhari had not taken over. Sagay, who’s the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), also said that any judge found guilty of corruption should face the consequences. He made the comments on Monday, October 17, after presenting the committee’s report on a new legal framework for fighting corruption, The Cable reports. “We know of some governors who are not supposed to be there, but found themselves on the bloody seats with the help of some judges,” he said. “If Buhari had not come, I…
Mr Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, said on Monday in Jos that the Federal Government was working assiduously to finalise work on the new draft National Policy on Information. Mohammed spoke at the stakeholders’ conference on ‘National Communication Policy and Strategy,’ held at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos. Mohammed was represented by Mr Peter Dama, Director, Press and Publicity in the Federal Ministry of Information at the conference with the theme ‘Towards a Comprehensive National Communication Policy and Strategy.’’ He said the theme of the conference was apt, considering the ongoing efforts…
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the FG will only continue negotiations with Boko Haram if the Red Cross remains involved. In a recent statement by the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, Buhari made this known while commending the role played by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the release of the 21 abducted Chibok schoolgirls. “As long as they (Boko Haram) agree to involve international agencies like ICRC. We’ve seen the result of recent talks, 21 of the Chibok girls are back,” the President said Buhari, who who met with the President of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer,…
Embattled former spokesperson of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, has revealed plans to replace one of his sureties with Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. Metuh made the decision known when his counsel, Dr Olugbumi Onyechi Ikpeazu filed an application praying the court to allow him replace Usim-Wilson, with the Deputy Senate President. According to the application presented to Justice Okong Abang, Metuh’s application was dated October 14, 2016. Meanwhile, Counsel to the Dr Usim-Wilson, Clement Chinaka, urged the court to hear the application for withdrawal first and not the one for replacement. However, Ikpeazu observed that if the application for withdrawal…
Ex-Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, will be pass the night at the EFCC’s custody, where he is reportedly being interrogated. According to a report by Premium Times, the men of the Economic and Financial Crimes headquarters in Abuja, have been grilling Obanikoro since he arrived Nigeria to honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation. Confirming the tale that the ex-Senator will be spending the night in the EFCC’s custody, his counsel, James Onoja SAN said the politician submitted himself but won’t be out again till Tuesday, October 18, 2016. “He submitted himself to them upon returning to the country this…
Precious Fani-Kayode, wife of ex-Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has been reportedly detained by EFCC in Ado Ekiti. In a report by Punch Newspaper, Mrs Fani-Kayode was detained on Monday afternoon, October 17, 2016 at about 3pm when she had gone to an Access Bank branch for a financial transaction. The report further alleged that the ex-Minsiter’s wife was in Ekiti, on the invitation of the state’s governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose. Mrs. Fani-Kayode was reportedly delayed by the Access Bank officials, who cted on the instructions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The ex-Miss United Nations was also reported…