Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak signed a one-year extension that will keep him under contract in the Spanish capital until 2021, the club announced on Tuesday. Slovenia international Oblak, 23, joined Atletico from Benfica last season, becoming the club’s first-choice keeper after displacing Miguel Angel Moya. Oblak has excelled for Atletico this season with Diego Simeone’s side having conceded a league-low 11 goals in 23 matches. He has also kept 18 clean sheets in 29 appearances in all competitions this term.
Author: David F.
Barcelona’s star attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all left out of coach Luis Enrique’s squad for their Copa del Rey semifinal, second-leg against Gary Neville’s Valencia on Wednesday with Barca already leading 7-0. Messi underwent treatment on kidney stones which affected his participation in the Club World Cup last month on Monday and Tuesday, but is expected to be fit to face Celta Vigo on Sunday. Suarez, who scored four times in the first-leg, and Neymar have been rested along with the likes of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique as Enrique takes advantage…
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said on Tuesday he was confident that Brazilian star Neymar would commit to the Catalan giants beyond his current contract in 2018. Asked at the team’s press conference if the Brazil captain was ready to extend his stay in Barcelona, Luis Enrique said: “I believe so, yes.” Neymar, 23, has himself remained vague concerning his future plans, and after stating last month that he was in talks with the club concerning a new contract, he added: “I don’t know, life is very long.” This has lead to speculation of a possible move, including to Liga rivals…
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique refused to give any hints about his line-up for Wednesday’s King’s Cup semifinal second leg against Valencia. Barcelona lead 7-0 from the first leg which should give Luis Enrique the chance to rest players including forward Lionel Messi, who is having treatment for kidney problems. “We have prepared for the match in the same way as if we didn’t have the result of the first leg,” Luis Enrique told a news conference on Tuesday. “I haven’t got anything to say with regards to Messi,” he added. “Tomorrow I will give the (team) list, as always. Our…
Lionel Messi is undergoing treatment on kidney stones which floored the Argentina superstar at the Club World Cup in December, Barcelona announced on Monday. The five-time world Player of the Year “will be submitted to various tests on Monday and Tuesday to assess the development of kidney problems he suffered last December”, the Spanish champions said in a statement. Messi is due back on Wednesday, when Barca face Valencia in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg, with the Catalans firmly in control after the 7-0 first leg drubbing they handed Gary Neville’s team as Messi bagged a hat-trick. The…
Jurgen Klopp predicted brighter days ahead for his Liverpool youngsters after they fell to an Angelo Ogbonna buzzer beater against West Ham United in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Tuesday. A team featuring two players aged 20, a 21-year-old, two 22-year-olds and 18-year-old midfielder Pedro Chirivella stood toe-to-toe with West Ham at Upton Park until Italian centre-back Ogbonna headed home in injury time of extra time to give the hosts a 2-1 win. It leaves the Europa League as Liverpool’s only realistic hope of silverware this season – they are currently 12 points below the Champions League places in…
Cape Town will experience the Barclays Premier League like never before when the official fan park, Barclays Premier League Live comes to the Mother City. Soccer fans will get the chance to get up close and personal with the Barclays Premier League Trophy, meet former players, visit team tents and watch matches live on a 100-metre screen. BPL Live will take place at Camps Bay High School on the 19th and 20th March 2016. It will be free, interactive experience designed for the entire family to enjoy. Hosted by the Premier League and their title sponsor, Barclays, the park will…
The pressure is now on Leicester City’s title rivals to remove the Foxes from the top of the Premier League table, manager Claudio Ranieri said after Saturday’s thumping 3-1 league victory over Manchester City. A brace from defender Robert Huth and another strike from winger Riyad Mahrez meant Leicester managed to open up a five-point gap with second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. “The pressure was on us at the beginning because our goal was to maintain our Premier League status, but now the pressure is on the other teams who spent a lot of money to win the Premier League and Champions…
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey hopes the North London can choke Leicester City’s unexpected Premier League title charge after picking up their first win in five matches in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth. Arsene Wenger’s men, who are third in the table after 25 games, host the table-topping Foxes on Sunday seeking to reduce the gap between the two sides to two points. Arsenal were tipped to win their fourth league title under Wenger when they started 2016 on top of the league, however, they went off the boil in January, winning just one of their four league games that month.…
Leicester City’s rapid counter-attacking game has bamboozled defences during a remarkable ascent to the Premier League summit but manager Claudio Ranieri also credits having bright players as another reason for their success. Leicester top the division after 25 games, five points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, having been relegation candidates 12 months ago. “If you have intelligent men you can improve the players. You can be a fantastic player but a stupid man and you cannot improve,” Ranieri, in his first season in charge, told the Leicester Mercury newspaper. “My players are very intelligent in every situation.” A 3-1…
7000 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in a bid to show their support for Senator David Mark who will be contesting the February 20 Senatorial rerun elections. Following the event, the former Senate President announced to newsmen that he is prepared for the upcoming elections. Senator Mark also said that the encouragements from his people, is a morale booster, adding that he is also psychologically ready. Punch reports that Mark, in a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Mumeh said “I am psychologically and emotionally prepared for…
The Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike has accused the minister of transportation and former Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, of using state funds to sponsor the All Progressives Congress (APC). Punch reports that Wike said Amaechi took $150m from the state coffers to bank roll major election campaigns of the APC. Wike said this at a thanksgiving service organised to praise God for the Supreme Court judgement upholding his election, at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. The Rivers State Governor, also warned that anyone caught rigging elections in the state would be treated like…
Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state has asked President Buhari to tell Nigerians the truth about his widely reported vacation. The Governor said Nigerians deserve the truth, adding that the information of his vacation was vague. Reports have it that Fayose said “Nigerians deserve to know the truth about their President because the President is an open book that every Nigerians should be free to read.” The Ekiti Governor also said he was aware of a plot by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to get the Supreme Court to overturn his elections. He added that he will continue speaking…
Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called on the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki to resign from his position. This is following a Supreme Court ruling, dismissing an appeal by Saraki, challenging his trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). He said “Having undertaken to prove his innocence at the Code of Conduct Trubunal Senator Saraki should resign as senate president so as to preserve the integrity of the National Assembly. “When Senators Chuba Okadigbo and Adolphus Wabara were indicted they were made to step down as senate presidents.” The Supreme Court on Friday,…
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Sunday said the red chamber would support for states’ governments agitation for refund of funds they spent on rehabilitating federal roads. Saraki made the pledge at Nkalagu, Ishiellu Local Government Area of Ebonyi during a thanksgiving held by Sen. Obinna Ogba (PDP-Ebonyi Central). According to him, rehabilitating federal roads in their states was a huge sacrifice from state governors for the development of the country. “The state governments need to be encouraged to get the refunds because if this is not done, they will be discouraged to do more. “The senate would definitely…
Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2015 general elections because it chose former president, Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate. Fayose also said further that he wouldn’t have contested if he was in Jonathan’s shoes. He made the comments during a recent interview with Premium Times. Excerpts below: Do you agree with the Ekweremadu Committee that the party should zone the presidency to the North? Fayose: You see, time will take care of that. In the first place, we lost the election because we did not pick our candidate from the north,…
The Ekiti State Government is said to have given its workers a rude shock on Thursday, February 4, 2016, after it withdrew salaries which had already been paid into the staffs’ accounts. The two months’ salary was paid last week and then quietly taken back by the government, according to Punch. “I had gone to the bank on Friday to withdraw money from the Automated Teller Machine but was disappointed when there was no money in my account. On enquiry, I was told that the government had instructed banks to recall payment,” a civil servant, identified as Akindele, told Punch.…
Lai Mohammed has said that Nigerians misinterpreted the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) promise of change during the 2015 elections. Mohammed made the comments on Monday, February 8, 2016, during an interactive session with members of the Advertising Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), The Cable reports. “It is true we campaigned on the change mantra, but this change mantra is largely misunderstood by Nigerians,” he said. “They misinterpreted it to mean that as soon as Buhari is sworn in, immediately things will change in Nigeria. It does not happen that way. Nigerians cannot continue to do things the same way and expect…
edium wp-image-113182″ />Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said that he won’t support President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption. Wike further accused Buhari of being one-sided in the anti-graft war, according to The Cable. The governor made the comments on Sunday, February 7, 2016, while celebrating his recent electoral victory at the Supreme Court. “We will not support the fight against corruption. People took our money from the state, and we wrote to the police asking them to go and make a statement; nothing has come out of it,” he said. “We won’t take anybody to the EFCC because I…
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State faces prosecution if indicted by the military panel set up to investigate the alleged rigging of the 2015 governorship election in the state. The report of the panel, which was submitted to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, in January, had recommended the compulsory retirement of two officers, the prosecution of one officer for collecting bribe and asked that three other officers lose their command. It also recommended further investigation of of nine officers by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Speaking to Punch,…