Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he will no longer feel a sense of invincibility when he returns to Stamford Bridge with Manchester United on Sunday. Mourinho avoided a home league defeat in his first three-year stint at Chelsea and prior to a 1-0 Champions League victory there with Inter Milan in March 2010 he said the stadium was “lucky” for him. But he presided over four defeats at the Bridge last season as Chelsea’s title defence descended into turmoil and was sacked last December before resurfacing at United. “When I play there with Inter, before that I never…
Author: David Folami
Jose Mourinho should be given a warm welcome when the Manchester United manager returns to Chelsea, on Sunday said present Blues incumbent Antonio Conte. Conte, who took over in July after Guus Hiddink had stepped in when Mourinho was fired last term, added that the Portuguese coach who guided Chelsea to three league titles merited his place in the club’s folklore. “I have great respect for him,” said Conte. “He won three championships and I think he was an important man for the club. “I think he deserves a good reception, because he wrote with the club, with his players,…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger compared the Premier League to “a jungle” on Friday saying every day was a fight for survival. The 66-year-old Frenchman — whose side are on a hot streak of form with seven successive wins in all competitions — will hope his players heed such words when they host struggling Middlesbrough on Saturday. Victory over ‘Boro would move them top of the table three points clear of Manchester City, who play on Sunday. “I believe that humility is to understand that you start again from zero and that you are in a jungle,” said Wenger. “We live…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Friday rejected speculation star Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero and injury-plagued club captain Vincent Kompany are not part of his long-term plans. Neither player started in City’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday which has cast an element of doubt over both their futures. Belgian international defender Kompany has struggled with injuries in recent seasons while Aguero has often been linked with a return to Spain’s La Liga. Guardiola dismissed out of hand the link between their absence from the starting line-up and being considered surplus to requirements. “I am sorry,…
Chelsea forward Victor Moses is not happy with the way his former coach Jose Mourinho treated him ahead of the Portuguese’ return to Stamford Bridge with Manchester United. Mourinho who won three Premier League titles with Chelsea will be returning to Stamford Bridge for the first time since he was sacked in December 2015. Ahead of the coach’s visit, Moses is not fond of their time together, revealing that the Mourinho never spoke to him. The Nigeria international was sent out on loan three times- to Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham- during Mourinho’s time at Chelsea. “He never spoke…
Leicester strikers Shinji Okazaki and Ahmed Musa ended lengthy goal droughts as the Premier League champions beat Crystal Palace 3-1 on Saturday. Claudio Ranieri’s side were on course for their first win in four league matches after Nigeria international Musa claimed his first Leicester goal in his 10th appearance since a pre-season move from CSKA Moscow. Japan forward Okazaki doubled Leicester’s lead in the second half at the King Power Stadium with his first goal in 14 league appearances. Austrian defender Christian Fuchs sealed the points in the closing stages with his first goal for the Foxes and Yohan Cabaye’s…
Manchester United star Wayne Rooney took a swipe at former team-mate Michael Owen for expressing support for his club’s bitter rivals Liverpool. Owen has a foot in both camps after making his name during a glittering spell at Liverpool and also playing for United in the twilight of his career. But the 36-year-old, who played alongside Rooney for United and England, appeared to irrate his old colleague when he posted an encouraging message during Liverpool’s Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. “Come on Red Men. A win by two goals and it’s ‘top of the league’,” Owen…
Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho scored a pair of crackers to give Liverpool a 2-1 win over West Brom on Saturday but Gareth McAuley denied them a place at the top of the Premier League. The impressive Merseysiders needed to win by at least two goals at Anfield if they were to climb to the summit of English football for the first time since May 2014. They were on course until nine minutes from time when McAuley volleyed in from close range for West Brom following a Chris Brunt corner that Craig Dawson had touched into his path. The result…
Popular author, Chimamanda Adichie has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption. According to Adichie, arrests made in connection with the anti-graft war have been selective and have mostly targeted people opposed to Buhari’s government. She made the comments in an opinion article published in The New York Times on Tuesday, October 18. The article reads: “Mr Buhari ascended to the presidency with a rare advantage — not only did he have the good will of a majority of Nigerians, he elicited a peculiar mix of fear and respect.” “For the first weeks of his presidency, it was said that…
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has said that it’s not President Muhammadu Buhari’s duty to end Fulani herdsmen attacks in the country. Obasanjo made the comment on Tuesday, October 18, during a conference on agriculture and poverty alleviation in Abuja. “Some of the words that have been coming from our leaders, particularly from state governors are not helpful! This issue is not a federal issue and another thing, I don’t like about it is that when you talk of Fulani herdsmen, people talk of the President,” he said according to Punch “Now because the President of Nigeria is a Fulani man,…
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said the Federal Government would ensure that the released 21 Chibok school girls would be fully integrated into the society and their needs provided. The president stated this while receiving the girls at the Presidential Villa from the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the girls regained freedom from their Boko Haram abductors on Thursday while the president was leaving to Germany on official visit. They were kidnapped in their Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, on April 14, 2014. Buhari said that the girls had experienced the…
Nigeria will double down in its efforts to bring home the rest of the more than 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok in 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday. “We shall redouble our efforts to bring the rest back home,” Buhari said while meeting 21 Chibok girls which were released by Boko Haram last week after talks with the government brokered by Switzerland and the International Red Cross.
Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers has expressed shock over the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa (Jnr), the son of the late Rivers-born environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. A statement by the governor’s Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, on Wednesday in Port Harcourt quoted Wike as saying that the death was a huge loss. “This death is needless, untimely and a huge loss to Rivers, Nigerians and the whole of humanity,’’ he said. Wike said that the late Saro-Wiwa (Jnr) devoted his life to the service of humanity, adding “his transition to glory has left a vacuum that will be…
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has sacked three members of his cabinet. The commissioners involved are Folorunsho Folarin-Coker (Tourism), Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi (Finance) and Dr. Ekundayo Mobereola (Transport). This was disclosed via a statement released by Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello on Wednesday, October 19. The statement added that the Special Adviser on Arts and Culture would take over as the Acting Commissioner for Tourism and Culture while the Special Adviser on Transportation will take over as Acting Commissioner for Transportation. Also, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance will take over as the Acting Commissioner for…
Two commissioners in Enugu, Charles Egumbe and Rita Mba, have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Punch reports that the commissioners were arrested in connection to their alleged involvement in a N23billion allegedly disbursed by Diezani Alison-Madueke in the run-up to the 2015 general election. Before their appointments as Commissioners for Water Resources – Charles Egumgbe and Commissioner for Tourism – Rita Mba, the politicians held sway as the chairman and secretary for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign in the state during the 2015 election. “They were detained, they made statements and they were later…
The governor-elect in Edo, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Wednesday pledged his loyalty to the throne of Oba of Benin and the Bini traditional institution. In a statement in Benin by his Transition Committee’s Media Team, Mr John Mayaki, Obaseki said “my loyalty to the royal family, the Benin tradition and the entire traditional institutions in the state is unalloyed.” “For guidance and advice, I will be counting on the Oba to succeed as governor. “It is particularly auspicious and most heart-warming that the events leading to the Oba’s coronation are coming at a time when I am fortunate to be…
Abubakar Marafa, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) has reiterated that bail remains free. The man in charge of Zone 6 re-affirmed that bailing of suspects remain free while road blocks remains banned. Marafa said this in on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State when he visited the state police command. “There should not be any form of payment for bail as the Inspector-General of Police has mandated that this instruction should be carried to the latter,” he said. Continuing, the AIG said: “I have received many cases of loss of firearms and any officer who is careless…
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United will entertain Fenerbache in the UEFA Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday night. The football tie will see Robin van Persie return to a club where he once scored goals for fun. The reunion of Van Persie and Manchester United in the Europa League however had a small glitch ahead of the fixture. A plane carry the Fenerbache team to Manchester for the UEFA Europa League game had an emergency landing after a bird shattered the windscreen. Although Fenerbache says there was no panic over the incident, the Turkish club had to land in Budapest,…
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City cannot be expected to compete on equal terms with Barcelona due to the clubs’ respective history in the Champions League ahead of their showdown clash on Wednesday. Guardiola won the Champions League twice in four glorious years as Barca coach between 2008 and 2012 and returns to the Camp Nou for the second time as a visiting boss just two months into his reign at City. “Manchester City was 35 years without competing in Europe. That is a long time,” Guardiola said on Tuesday. City reached the last four for the first time in their…
Nollywood actor has reached out to actors and Nigerians to help out Nollywood veteran Prince James Uche, who has been ill for over two years now. Desmond took to his Instagram page to share a photo of the actor in the hospital with the caption below; “When God blesses u, remember others, Prince James Uche Nollywood actor has been in hospital struggling to live for over one year now (kidney failure), my fellow artists, great people & friends pls support him, he needs dialysis, medical care & food to survive. Prince James Uche, WEMA bank PLC 0232151677 or Zenith bank…