Manchester United will persist with their attempts to bring France international Paul Pogba back to the club, sources have said. United sold a young Pogba to Juventus in 2012 before the midfielder had forced his way into Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team plans. But Pogba has gone on to develop into one of the most sought-after players in the world, winning four straight Serie A titles and impressing for both club and country in the past four seasons. Manchester United are keen to bring Pogba back to Old Trafford, but have been told by Juventus that he could cost up…
Author: David Folami
Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has cautioned against anyone burying this generation of Spanish players after the defending champions’ Euro 2016 exit to Italy on Monday. Del Bosque’s men won the competition in 2008 and 2012, while adding a World Cup triumph in 2010. But they crashed out in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, an elimination highlighted by a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Netherlands in their opener. The former Real Madrid boss, however, doesn’t believe the book has been closed on his group just yet, despite Monday’s 2-0 defeat to the underdog Italians…
Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi took great pride in steering his country to victory in Sunday’s Copa America final against a team he believes to be the best side in the world with the best player in history. The 4-2 penalty shootout victory was the second in a row for Chile, who also triumphed over world number one Argentina and their lynchpin Lionel Messi after a 0-0 stalemate in last year’s final at home in Santiago. “It’s always very hard to predict when a match is going to be decided by penalty kicks,” Pizzi, who took over the fifth-ranked Chileans…
Southampton’s Senegalese striker Sadio Mane will undergo a medical at Liverpool on Monday after the clubs agreed a 30 million pounds ($40.2 million) transfer, British media reported. The 24-year-old is expected to sign in the next couple of days if personal terms are agreed. Mane joined Southampton for $15.8 million from Red Bull Saltzburg two years ago and has scored 11 goals in 37 Premier League appearances, including two against Liverpool in a dramatic 3-2 win at St Mary’s on March 20. Mane is set to become Liverpool’s fourth signing of the summer after Joel Matip joined on a free…
Iceland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history when they stunned abject England 2-1 in Nice on Monday, leading Roy Hodgson to quit and sending the tiny nation into a quarterfinal against hosts France. Although the soccer pedigrees of the two countries could not be more different, Iceland looked the better team in just about every aspect of the game and fully deserved to extend their dream run on their first tournament appearance. After falling behind to a fourth-minute Wayne Rooney penalty they levelled almost immediately through Ragnar Sigurdsson and struck again in the 18th with…
Manuel Neuer could set a German safe hands record in Saturday’s Euro 2016 quarterfinal against Italy as the world champions’ bid to add the European crown. Neuer kept a fifth straight cleansheet for Germany in Sunday’s 3-0 last 16 win over Slovakia, which leaves Germany as the only team yet to concede in the tournament. In the proud 108-year history of the German FA (DFB), no other goalkeeper has managed five consecutive cleansheets for die Mannschaft. The run includes the 2-0 warm-up win at home to Hungary and four matches at the European Championships finals. Neuer can break another German…
Argentine football legend Diego Maradona on Monday urged Lionel Messi not to follow through on his vow to quit the national team after its defeat in the Copa America Centenario. “Messi has to stay in the national team. He has to stay because he still has playing days ahead of him,” Maradona was quoted as saying by La Nacion newspaper online. “He will go to Russia in form to be world champion” at the 2018 World Cup, he added. Messi, 29, told reporters in the United States he had decided to quit after Argentina’s defeat on penalties to Chile there…
Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle scored as Italy exacted revenge for their Euro 2012 final hammering by dumping Spain out of Euro 2016 with a deserved 2-0 last 16 win in Paris on Monday. The landmark victory set up an epic Italy-Germany quarterfinal. Chiellini forced home the first goal from close range after goalkeeper David de Gea could only parry Eder’s fiercely struck free-kick. Pelle volleyed in a deflected cross in injury time to complete Spain’s heartbreak. Outgoing Italian manager Antonio Conte danced along the Stade de France touchline to celebrate while his players credited his tactics for the win.…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reacted to the claim that the Ekiti state Governor, Ayo Fayose cannot be investigated due to the immunity he currently enjoys. The commission said that the immunity being enjoyed by any governor does not prevent the commission from investigating suspicious movements of money into his accounts. Speaking with Vanguard, Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren stated that the anti-graft agency has the right to investigate any governor whose account is being used to move funds. He said: “Immunity does not prevent EFCC from investigating suspicious accounts of those enjoying immunity and Fayose…
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has said the agency will go after banks and their personnel involved in money laundring. According to reports, Magu said he has urged the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop private banking, saying its illegal. “I insisted that this so-called private banking should be stopped. It is illegal. It is wrong. We are not only going after the personnel of the banks but also after the banks,” the EFCC boss said. “What happens is that when a staff of the bank is involved in such activities,…
The Kwara State Government says it is doing everything in its power to find a sustainable solution to the salary crisis in the state. Dr Muyideen Akorede, the Senior Special Assistant to the state Governor on Media and Communications, stated made this known in a statement released in Ilorin. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the statement was issued in the wake of a call by the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) on the state government to prioritise the payment of salary arrears to teachers, local government workers and others. Akorede said the inability of the state…
Electricity consumers in the North-Central states of the federation have decried the “outrageous bills” they receive from power distribution companies, saying the billing system is “too harsh” on them. Some of them, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Plateau, Benue, Niger, and Taraba states, said the situation was particularly “annoying” because there was no commensurate power supply to match the high bills. “I hardly get four hours of power supply in three days, but I am always asked to cough out thousands of naira at the end of the month,” Mrs Mary Pam, a…
The Kogi Government said on Sunday, June 26, that it had the best interest of its workers and the entire state at heart. This is contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mohammed Imam. He said it was for that reason that the state government began payment of salary arrears of workers in some of the state’s MDAs two weeks ago. He said 48 MDAs out of a total of 55 had been paid, while seven MDAs were yet to be paid because the correct grade levels of the workers were being verified. Imam…
The Kogi Government said on Sunday that it had the best interest of its workers and the entire state at heart. This is contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mohammed Imam. He said it was for that reason that the state government began payment of salary arrears of workers in some of the state’s MDAs two weeks ago. He said 48 MDAs out of a total of 55 had been paid, while seven MDAs were yet to be paid because the correct grade levels of the workers were being verified. Imam also said…
No fewer than 120 suspected drugs traffickers and addicts have been arrested by the NDLEA in Kaduna State from January to date. The State’s Commander, Mr Samuel Azige, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Sunday in an interview that 20 convictions were recorded in the period under review. Azige, who spoke on the sideline of road walk to mark the 2016 International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit Drug Trafficking, added that 15.599 tons of drugs were also recovered from the suspects. “The agency arrested 74 suspected drug traffickers, seized 15.342 tons of illicit drugs, secured…
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), an NGO, says the freezing of Gov. Ayodele Fayose’s account by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is lawful under Section 308 of the 1999 constitution and international law. The Executive Director of SERAP, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday. “The freezing of accounts of sitting governors and other high-ranking public officials accused of corruption is essential for the flow of investigation which is allowed under Section 308.’’ The group explained that “the freezing of the account…
The wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has urged women to use this Ramadan period to pray for peace and security of the nation. This is contained in a Ramadan message issued on Sunday and sent to women in Oyo state. “As women we have to pray for the peace and security of the nation in this holy period,” she said. The wife of the president, who also sent foodstuff to the women, called on Nigerians to embrace peace and selflessness. Distributing the items, the Oyo State Governor’s wife, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, urged Muslims to emulate such act during…
The security details of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki are currently in the news for reportedly attacking photojournalists at the court premises. A tweet by SaharaReporters indicated that some of the policemen attached to the Senate President attacked the photographers who were trying to cover the proceedings of the Court trial involving Saraki. It was further alleged that the security aides didn’t only attack the journalists but barred them from entering the courtroom to cover his trial for alleged forgery. Senator Saraki is currently faced with charges bordering on forgery in the law court as well as a trial with…
Foremost disc jockey, DJ Jimmy Jatt has expressed satisfaction that the association of Nigerian DJs would henceforth be taken seriously, following Terry G‘s rude behaviour. Having lifted the ban placed on all Terry G’s music as a clamp down on the singer for slapping DJ Phreez, Jimmy Jatt says the power the association of turntable specialists wield is now evident. ‘The incident has sent a strong signal that there is a vibrant DJ association. Some other things have happened in the past that people have done and they got away with them but that would not happen again because an…
The one year feud between Nigerian act, Oritsefemi and his former manager, Danku (Yusuf Adepitan) may have hit its climax. Industry sources confirm to Theinfostride that the singer had Danku arrested by the Lagos State police command at Muson Centre right on the red carpet of the comedy concert ‘Pencil Unbroken’. ‘It was life a Hollywood movie, they just stormed the red carpet and whisked him away’ a source tells us. Sources from Oritsefemi’s camp also corroborate the arrest story saying, ‘After months of hide and seek, the long arm of the law caught up with Danku last night and…