Manchester United have been given the green light to sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid, but he would set them back around £50 million, according to the Mirror. With the Copa America Centenario set to conclude this weekend, Rodriguez, 24, will soon be free to resolve his future at club level following a frustrating season that culminated in him being an unused substitute for the Champions League final. Rodriguez shares the same agent as United boss Jose Mourinho and is said to have put his house in Spain on the market as he prepares for a fresh start in the…
Author: David Folami
Argentina striker Lionel Messi admitted he made a mistake with his vocal criticism of his country’s FA, but refused to use the situation as an excuse should the Albiceleste lose their Copa America finals rematch against Chile on Sunday. The Barcelona star made his feelings clear about the AFA on Thursday when he uploaded a photo to his social networks, with the clear message: “What a disaster the AFA are.” Argentina captain Messi didn’t want to expand too much at the team hotel on Friday, saying he made a mistake with the Instagram post, but only because it is so…
Croatia will be focusing on containing Cristiano Ronaldo as well as bidding to score a first ever goal against Portugal when they meet in the last 16 at Euro 2016 on Saturday, coach Ante Cacic said. Croatia beat holders Spain to win Group D and their reward is a tough game against a Portuguese side that struggled to third place in Group F despite having three-times world player of the year Ronaldo in their ranks. “Ronaldo is their main player, so what we have to do tomorrow is not to allow him to show how strong he is, we have…
England striker Harry Kane laid bare his team’s attacking problems on Friday when he said that he has not had one clear scoring opportunity at Euro 2016. The Tottenham Hotspur striker started England’s first two games in the tournament, against Russia and Wales, but was substituted at halftime against Wales and played only 14 minutes of the 0-0 draw with Slovakia. Kane therefore faces a fight for a starting place in Monday’s last 16 game against Iceland in Nice, but he does not believe that he has been given a chance to prove how clinical he can be in front…
The prize on offer for the winner is a quarterfinal against England or Iceland, who play on Monday. France coach Didier Deschamps has been given food for thought in midfield. A purposeful display in the goalless draw with Switzerland means Newcastle United midfielder Sissoko is pushing to keep his place at Blaise Matuidi’s expense. Despite a low-key start to Euro 2016, Juventus’ Paul Pogba was one of the few French stars to shine against the Swiss as he hit the woodwork twice. The profile of West Ham forward Dimitri Payet has gone through the roof in his host country, thanks…
Both the Republic of Ireland and France camps have played down Thierry Henry’s infamous handball, but Irish fans will be hoping for revenge in Sunday’s Euro 2016 last 16 clash. It was at the Stade de France in Paris on November 18, 2009 that Henry used his hand – twice – to control the ball in the buildup to William Gallas’ late goal. The incident, dubbed ‘Le Hand of God’, helped seal France’s 2-1 aggregate win and left Irish fans feeling robbed of a 2010 World Cup place. Both squads still contain players who were involved that night. France’s goalkeeper…
Lionel Messi will bid to gild his legacy as the greatest footballer of his generation on Sunday by ending Argentina’s 23-year wait for a major title in a dream final against holders Chile in the Copa America Centenario. For Messi’s many millions of admirers, the five-time world footballer of the year has already achieved enough in his glittering career to be considered in the same bracket as Pele and Diego Maradona. Yet the only hole in the Barcelona superstar’s CV – a major tournament title with Argentina – is invariably, and somewhat unfairly, cited as a justification to delay his…
Militants in the Niger Delta might be happy with themselves, as their activities made the Federal Government lose N16.2b in the month of May. Crude oil production and exports also went down due to the repair of the pipeline at the Farcados terminal. This was revealed to newsmen by the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosuun, during the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting. Adeosun Said “As a result, federation export revenue declined by $57.88 million even though the average price of crude oil increased from $29.02 in January. “Company Income Tax recorded a marginal increase even as the time for…
The businesses owned by the Silverbird Group re-opened for business today, Friday, June 24, 2016. The Asset Management Corporation Of Nigeria, (AMCON) shut down businesses belonging to Senator Ben Bruce over an N11b debt on Thursday, June 23, 2016. Announcing the latest development, the Silverbird Group issued a statement saying “The Management of Silverbird Communications Ltd, owners of Rhythm Fm and Silverbird TV sincerely apologise to its numerous viewers, Listeners and on line subscribers over the disruption of our operations across Television, Radio and online Media.” They also said “This was due to a situation beyond our control; however, we…
Ekiti state workers have called of their strike and entered into an agreement with the state government. Speaking to newsmen, the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) chairman, Comrade Oladipo, said the suspension of the strike will give room for more consultation. The industrial action was called off following the signing of a seven point resolution by the state government and the workers. The resolutions include the payment of the January 2016 salary, negotiations with commercial banks to reorganise loan repayments, payment of leave bonuses etc. Daily Post also reports that the Head of Service, Dr Gbenga Faseluka commended the worker and…
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state has said his government will make sure anyone caught in the act of rape will be properly dealt with. El-Ruafi also called on residents of the state to call the following phone numbers: 08064810576, 08050366625 and report any case of rape. The Kaduna state Governor said “The State government is giving a lot of priority to security through multi dimensional approaches to nip the menace in the bud. We are recording success in the fight against kidnapping and other vices since this administration came on board. “One measure the government has taken is the…
In a bid to provide affordable housing for Nigerian, the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing is set to convene the first National Summit on Affordable Housing. A statement signed on Wednesday in Abuja by Mrs Eno Olotu, Assistant Director of Information of the ministry, stated that the summit would hold from June 27 to June 28, 2016. It said that the summit is being organised in collaboration with German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and other private development partners. It noted that the summit was in line with the change mantra of the present administration to vigorously pursue infrastructural development and…
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday in Abuja urged the Federal Government to fashion out measures to stimulate the economy. A statement signed by the NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, stated that such measures would help to cushion the harsh effects brought on the average Nigerian by the harsh economic realities. “These measures should operate at various tiers of government or sectors of the economy and could be short- term or long-term. “In plain language, the CBN has devalued the naira once again. “The proof of which is that within 24 hours of this policy announcement, the naira in…
The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has revealed why the president didn’t sack former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase when he assumed office on May 29, 2015. Arase was one of the last minute appointments made by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, but was the only one who was retained by Buhari. According to Adesina, Buhari explained, during a farewell dinner for Arase, that he retained him because of the quality of his mind. “When it was the turn of the President to speak, he explained why he kept Arase as IGP,” Adesina…
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, on Thursday, June 23, 2016, launched a book “Cascade of Change: A Decade Of Liberal Thoughts” at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island. The event, which also featured discourses on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s first year in office, was attended by former Ogun State Governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba who served as the Chairman. Also present at the event were the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, former Managing Director of Concord Newspapers, Dr Doyin Abiola and prominent economist, Pat Utomi. “In the last one year we have laid…
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has threatened to arrest former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase. The threat was made by IPOB via a statement issued by spokesman, Dr Clifford Iroegbu on Thursday, June 23, 2016. It reads in part: “It is very important to keep a record of his movements so that when the ICC finally issues the long-awaited international warrant order for his arrest, it will be easy to locate, apprehend, handcuff and fly him to The Hague for prosecution at the ICC. “If anyone happens to see him fleeing the country, please make calls to alert…
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, plans to launch Nigeria’s first private crude oil refinery by 2019 while almost doubling his cement production on the continent by adding plants in eight countries as he shrugs off a regional economic downturn. Dangote told Reuters the $12 billion refinery would have a capacity of 650,000 barrels a day, cornering the market in Africa’s most populous country, where fuel shortages are a perennial problem. Until recently, Nigeria was Africa’s biggest crude oil producer but it imports 80 percent of its fuel because poor maintenance means its four refineries never reach full output. Its current…
Yesterday, June 22, 2016 popular blogger, Linda Ikeji was accused of evading tax and denying her Banana Island mansion. The former model was said to be in trouble with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for evading N75 million tax bill. Reports suggest that the FIRS slammed her with a staggering N75 million tax bill and some of the tax levies are reported to be related to the purchase of her N500 million mansion. Now, Linda exclusively said those rumours are false as she works as an individual and not a company. According to her, “First go after companies not…
Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo in an interview with Hip TV reveals she got married because of an unplanned pregnancy. According to Ojo, she had a fall out in her marriage long before she became famous as they both didn’t marry for love but because a child was now involved. She said, “If I had problems with my marriage, it had nothing to do with my acting profession. I wasn’t even a star when I got married. And when I got out of my marriage, I still wasn’t a star. Up until I got married, I’d only featured in one film…
Mike G, the rehabilitation manager of R&B singer, Chris Brown, has filed a law suit against him for an alleged assault. According to TMZ, the singer hired Mike in 2012, to repair his social image, among other things, after the popular girlfriend beating incident with Rihanna. The image maker has now claimed to have suffered the same fate as Rihanna, as Brown allegedly beat him to a pulp without any provocation. Mike, who is the victim in the law suit claimed to have been admitted at an emergency room following the attack that involved repeated punches to his face and…