Even before Coutinho almost broke the Argentina net in Brazil’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win on Thursday, his face was already plastered on to the front cover of Catalan newspaper Sport. The Liverpool midfielder has been linked with a Camp Nou move on and off for the best part of a year now. His form for club and country is only strengthening the idea that he could tread the same path to the one which Luis Suarez followed in 2014. Sport claim there’s been regular contact between the player’s representatives and Barca, although there’s nothing solid on the table at…
Author: David Folami
I want to be the first to congratulate Real Madrid on renewing the contract of Cristiano Ronaldo and keeping him tied to the club for another five years. It’s a searingly good piece of football business — utterly brilliant work. There isn’t another footballer like him anywhere in the world, and ensuring that his power, his goals, his ambition and his kudos remain tied to los Blancos is the kind of business all the other chairmen and presidents wish they were completing right now. The trophies that have come to the Bernabeu, thanks to CR7, represent merely a down payment…
Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen has said he opted against a move to Chelsea as a youngster because he felt there was “more chance to fail than succeed” at Stamford Bridge. Eriksen told Danish newspaper Fyens he had instead opted to join Dutch side Ajax at the age of 16 in 2008 after reportedly having trials with clubs including Chelsea and Barcelona. After five years in the Dutch top flight, he moved to Spurs in an £11 million deal and has since made almost 150 appearances for the White Hart Lane club. “In Denmark, you are sure to play if you…
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been ruled out of Spain’s matches against Macedonia and England through injury, the Spanish football federation said on Thursday. Costa had been struggling to shake off a groin injury he suffered in Chelsea’s 5-0 Premier League win over Everton on Saturday and immediately underwent medical tests when he met up with the Spain squad. Spain coach Julen Lopetegui had said that the Brazil-born forward’s recovery had been disappointing, and the team later confirmed on their Twitter account that Costa had left the squad and been replaced by Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas. Costa, 28, has…
Sunderland manager David Moyes is targeting a quick second Premier League win after finally registering a belated first with the Black Cats at the 11th time of asking when his side beat Bournemouth last weekend. The 2-1 away victory did little to improve Sunderland’s plight as they remain rooted to the foot of the table on five points from their opening 11 games but it did give the Scot some much-needed cheer after a miserable start to his tenure. “I’m very happy, it’s our first win of the season. We’ll not get carried away, we now need to go out…
Premier League side Everton are considering a move for Netherlands international Memphis Depay who has flopped at Manchester United. Depay has failed to meet up with the high expectation which came with his £25m signing of Manchester United from PSV. Everton manager, Ronald Koeman, a Dutch wants to bring in his compatriot on loan for the rest of the season. The Everton boss was at the Ajax’s Amsterdam Arena on Wednesday, November 9 to watch the 22-year-old in a friendly clash with Belgium. The former Dutch international was also keeping an eye on his players, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas…
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr claims Mikel Obi is being punished by Premier League club Chelsea for playing at the Rio Olympics. Mikel, 29, missed most of Chelsea pre-season as he helped his country win a bronze medal at the football event of the Summer Olympic Games. He has yet to play for his London club this season even after he rejoined them in August. Rohr was recently on a working visit to England and met with Chelsea officials. “There is a reason why Mikel is not playing for Chelsea right now and that reason is because he played for Nigeria…
It’s almost inevitable that barring any major disturbance to his Manchester City career, Sergio Aguero will become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. In netting to put his side in front in the first half of their 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough last Saturday, the Argentinian moved on to 150 for his career in England — two behind Joe Hayes and Billy Meredith, who are joint-fourth in City’s scorers list. Aguero needs 28 more to take top spot from Eric Brook, a feat that will surely come sooner rather than later. It may be a tough ask for the final two-thirds of…
Could Mesut Ozil abandon Arsenal in favour of a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford? According to the Sun, Manchester United are hoping to take advantage of the standoff between Ozil and Arsenal over a new contract and make an audacious bid for the Germany playmaker next summer. The paper claims United will offer Ozil a salary of £250,000 a week, way more than the £200,000 a week the Gunners are reportedly willing to pay. Ozil and Mourinho have a good relationship since their days at Real Madrid, so perhaps it’s not totally out of the question that such…
Lucas Vazquez believes Real Madrid’s attacking trio of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo must step up their contribution in defence as the club aims to win La Liga for the first time since 2012. Madrid sit two points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table, while they need just a point at Sporting Lisbon on Nov. 22 to qualify for the Champions League round of 16. However, Los Blancos have kept just three clean sheets this season and given away a total of 18 goals in all competitions, including 10 in 11 league games. “A team…
Antoine Griezmann has told Goal he believes that Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy was one of last season’s top three players. The Atletico Madrid star said Vardy, whose outstanding form helped propel the Foxes to the Premier League title, deserved praise for his achievements. The former non-league striker scored 24 goals as the rank outsiders swept to a stunning success. And France international Griezmann, asked to name his leading three players of the year, said: “Cristiano Ronaldo first, as he’s won two titles. Then Lionel Messi, because he’s unique, and after that maybe Jamie Vardy for winning the English title…
Poland’s World Cup qualifier in Romania was delayed in the second half on Friday when a firecracker exploded near striker Robert Lewandowski. Play was halted in the 54th minute in Bucharest when the Bayern Munich star collapsed in his own penalty area after a firecracker was thrown onto the pitch. It exploded about a metre away from Lewandowski, who grabbed his face as he fell. After a lengthy delay, Lewandowski was unhurt and free to continue and he sealed Poland’s 3-0 victory with two late goals. Earlier, flares had been were thrown by the crowd immediately after kickoff, with one…
A Serge Gnabry hat trick helped Germany remain on top of Group C with an emphatic 8-0 defeat of San Marino at the Olimpico di Serravalle. The defending world champions scored early and often against the last-placed side, with Sami Khedira breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute. Gnabry quickly followed with his first two minutes later and Jonas Hector added a third in the 32nd. The goals kept coming after the break and Gnabry nabbed his second 13 minutes after the team talk. Hector had his brace seven minutes later and Gnabry completed his hat trick a quarter-hour from…
Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet scored to rally France to a 2-1 win at home against Sweden and open a three-point lead over their opponents in Group A. Emil Forsberg supplied Sweden with the lead in the 54th minute with a free kick from over 30 yards out that wrong-footed France keeper Hugo Lloris. But Pogba brought Les Bleus back level within three minutes when he headed home Payet’s free kick despite Albin Ekdal’s attempt to hold the Manchester United player down. And Payet put them ahead on 65 minutes, tapping home after Sweden keeper Robin Olsen mishandled the ball…
England cruised to a comfortable 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Scotland at Wembley on Friday, overcoming an uncertain start thanks to goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill. The hosts led when Raheem Sterling’s blocked effort from the edge of the box fell to Kyle Walker, whose fine cross was headed home by Sturridge. Scotland were made to pay for some missed chances early in the second half, as Lallana guided a superb header home from an arrowed Danny Rose cross. Cahill was booked, meaning that he will miss England’s next qualifier, but that was forgotten soon…
Sixty percent of the 5.9 million children under five who died last year were in just 10 countries in Africa and Asia, an evaluation of global infant health revealed Friday. Pneumonia was the leading killer in five of them, all in Africa: Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania, said a study published in The Lancet medical journal. In Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and Pakistan, the main cause of death was preterm birth complications — also the global leader — while in China birth defects claimed most of the children who never made their fifth birthday. “Accelerated investment…
A lawyer, Kayode Ajulo has said that Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka could go to prison if he destroys his US green card. Ajulo gave the warning on Thursday, November 10, during an interview in Abuja. According to Ajulo, destruction of a green card would amount to willful destruction of government property and could attract a jail term of three to seven years. “I have no problem with Kongi; he is an opinion moulder, an elder statesman and nation builder, who should know the implication of such act,” he said according to Vanguard. “Under the American law losing or having…
Prominent lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay has condemned calls for the resignation of Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Sagay also criticized Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro of the Supreme Court for accusing Amaechi of bribery instead of defending themselves against corruption allegations. “Two Justices of the Supreme Court affected by the DSS raids of October 8, 2016, have been quoted as stating that Minister of Transportation, Mr. Amaechi, once attempted to induce them to favour the APC in an election petition,” Sagay said. “This outburst by the two Justices is surprising, considering that it is totally unrelated to the raids…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) guber candidate in the upcoming Ondo election, Jimoh Ibrahim has revealed that Prophet TB Joshua told him that he will become Governor. Ibrahim made this revelation on his Twitter timeline and told the Senior Prophet of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) to keep his prophecy to himself for now. He said “Even though TB Joshua has seen it that I’m the next Governor of Ondo State, please let him keep it to himself for now.” He said “Even though TB Joshua has seen it that I’m the next Governor of Ondo State, please…
The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside has described the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike as deceitful man. Peterside also called on Wike to resign as Governor of Rivers and join the Nigerian police force. This is following the Governor’s allegation that the police and All Progressives Congress (APC) are planning to sweep the case of the fake INEC ballot papers under the carpet. Peterside also said “Wike should be reminded that Rivers people and Nigerians are no fools to be treated to a circus show where a state governor is the complainant, arresting…