Barcelona star Lionel Messi insists there is a mutual respect between himself and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi and Ronaldo are widely considered the best players of the modern era, with the debate over which of the two is the greatest splitting players, pundits and fans alike. No player outside the superstar duo has won the Ballon d’Or since 2007 and the battle for number one, as well as their allegiance to Spanish football’s rival superpowers, has led to rumours they dislike each other. Argentina star Messi, though, has rejected those claims. “We are professionals that defend our teams, and…
Author: David Folami
Former Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyeama has been honoured by world football governing body, FIFA. Enyeama shared a photo of himself with the plaque he was presented to by FIFA. “This is how goodness and mercy will follow you all this month of March. First day of the month, FIFA got me a trophy for hardwork, dedication, success. Thank you @fifa. I want to wish everyone reading this message a wonderful month of March. God did it for me. God will do it for us,” Enyeama wrote alongside the photo on Instagram. The award is for his exploits with his…
Manchester United forward, Anthony Martial was seen shopping with his wife at the Trafford Centre. Martial’s wife, Samantha was celebrating her 23rd birthday and the forward took her shopping after lunch at Nando’s. Martial and Samantha were childhood sweetheart before they got married. They have a daughter together. The 20-year-old forward bought three designer handbags during the shopping. Martial was dressed in a while shirt, jean and red sneakers while his wife wore same with white sneakers. A hamstring injury kept him away from United’s 3-2 win over Arsenal over the weekend but he will be expected back in action…
Manchester United midfielder, Bastian Schweinsteiger was recently seen on a shopping trip with his girlfriend and tennis star, Ana Ivanovic. The veteran midfielder who has been out of action due to a knee injury spent a day last week with Ivanovic. The couple spent the day food shopping. They were seen pushing a shopping cart as they held hands together.
Manchester City have entered ‘hunting season’ and know what is required to chase down the 10-point gap on surprise Premier League leaders Leicester City, captain Vincent Kompany said. City have 12 games left, two more than Leicester, and head to Anfield to face Liverpool later on Wednesday after beating the Merseysiders on penalties in the League Cup final on Sunday. “What we’ve learned in our recent history is that in moments like this, you just have to get your head down and start racing as much as you can. It’s what we call the hunting season,” Kompany, who led City…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Tuesday labelled criticism of his team’s faltering Premier League title challenge “excessive” and “too emotional”. Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at injury-ravaged Manchester United left Arsenal five points below league leaders Leicester City, compromising the London club’s chances of ending their 12-year wait for the title. Media pundits rounded on Arsenal afterwards, former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness branding them “weak and insipid” and ex-Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson saying Wenger should leave if they do not win the league. “I’m never surprised by the criticism that comes,” Wenger told a press conference ahead of his side’s home game…
Arsenal’s title hopes took another heavy blow on Wednesday after a 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea that gave the visitors’ Premier League survival hopes a big boost. Third-placed Arsenal dominated the early stages and went ahead on 15 minutes when Joel Campbell slid along the ground to half-volley home a pass from Alexis Sanchez on the turn. Fifth from bottom Swansea equalised against the run of play after 32 minutes as Wayne Routledge slotted in a ball from Jack Cork that had sliced the home defence in two. The game became stretched in the second half. Arsenal twice came…
Manchester City’s Premier League title hopes were dealt another stinging blow as Liverpool gained revenge for their League Cup final defeat with a comprehensive 3-0 win at Anfield on Wednesday. Three days after City lifted the first silverware of the season, their hopes of claiming another trophy in Manuel Pellegrini’s final season were hit by first-half goals from Adam Lallana and James Milner and a late strike from Roberto Firmino. City have now lost three successive Premier League games and are 10 points behind leaders Leicester City. Lallana opened the scoring with a speculative effort from distance, Milner doubled the…
Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City remain sitting pretty at the Premier League summit after their closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City remarkably all contrived to lose on Wednesday. Leicester had dropped points in a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday, but they remain in pole position after Spurs lost 1-0 at West Ham United, Arsenal crashed 2-1 at home to Swansea City and Liverpool claimed revenge for their League Cup final defeat by crushing City 3-0. The results kept Leicester three points clear of second-place Tottenham, with Arsenal, booed off at the Emirates Stadium, three points further…
A late free kick by midfielder Juan Mata gave Manchester United a laboured 1-0 home win over Watford after the visitors missed a flurry of chances in their Premier League clash on Wednesday. The 27-year old Spaniard curled a superb shot from 25 metres into the top right corner in the 83rd minute, much to the relief of his manager Louis van Gaal, whose decision to play two strikers almost backfired. “It was a good night for us but we have to keep going,” Mata said a post-match interview. “We are Manchester United, we don’t give up and we have…
Tottenham Hotspur are favourites to win the Premier League this season according to table-topping Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, because their title charge has virtually gone under the radar. Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who are hoping to end their 55-year wait for a top-flight title, are second in the table on 54 points, two behind Leicester with 11 games remaining. “Tottenham are strong in every situation. Everyone is speaking about Leicester but nobody about Tottenham,” Ranieri told British media. “Tottenham, in my opinion, are favourites. When they defend and when they attack, they know what they want. “We are the surprise,…
The abducted 14-year-old girl, Ese Oruru, whose story had flooded social media platforms since Sunday, February 28, has been rescued. According to recent reports, Ese is now in the custody of the Federal Government. The Women Affairs Minister, Senator Jummai Alhassan, had vow to ensure the teenager’s release following the public outrage the story caused shortly after a campaign tagged #FreeEse was launched. Ese was abducted in Bayelsa state on August 12, 2015, she was 13 years old at the time, by Yinusa, who was said to be a long standing customer of the victim’s mother, Mrs Rose Oruru, a…
The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari at no time promised to pay N5,000 stipend to unemployed graduates. Speaking to State House correspondents today, Monday, February 29, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said the current budget before the National Assembly only makes provision for N5,000 monthly for extremely poor people. Buhari, in a recent statement credited to him, had ruled out the possibility of his government paying unemployed youths N5,000 monthly. “The budget for 2016 which has been submitted to the National Assembly has made an allocation of half…
The Presidency has issued a statement saying President Buhari never promised to pay N5,000 to unemployed graduates. Speaking to newsmen, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said what was stipulated in the budget was that N5,000 will be paid to 1 million extremely poor Nigerians and not unemployed graduates. Reports have it that Akande said “The budget for 2016 which has been submitted to the National Assembly has made an allocation of half a trillion naira, the first time in the history of this country’s budget where you have…
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would review obsolete laws to meet current economic challenges. This is contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the president of the Senate, Mr Sanni Onogu in Abuja on Monday. Saraki, according to the statement, gave the assurance when a team of consultants from the Department for International Development (DFID) paid him a courtesy visit. The statement noted that the experts had informed Saraki that 54 of the country’s existing laws should either be amended or repealed to attract investors and become business…
A High Court in Abuja has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release the former Aide de Camp (ADC) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Colonel Ojogbane Adegbe on bail. Adegbe was arrested by the EFCC in connection with the ongoing $2.1 arms deal fraud probe. The ruling was given by presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu today, March 1, 2016. Halilu also criticized the EFCC for claiming that it was only keeping Adegbe in custody on behalf of the Nigerian Army. “While respondent (EFCC) is dancing makossa in one side, it is singing another song on the other side,”…
The Nigerian Army has arrested and paraded a man who is allegedly a Boko Haram spy. The suspect, who is alleged to have participated in a 2011 bombing, was paraded by the army on February 29, 2016, in Bauchi, Daily Trust reports. He was identified as Victor Moses from Benue State and was arrested in the Alkaleri area of the state. “Our troops on duty in Alkaleri arrested Victor Moses after receiving a report from people in the area that the suspect had been loitering around the mosque claiming he was a Christian and wanted to convert to Islam but…
Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam has been asked to refund over N3billion, which he allegedly stole from the state coffers when he served as Governor between 2007 and 2015, SaharaReporters reports. The recommendation was said to have been made by a panel of inquiry – a six-man commission, headed by Justice E.N Kpojime, and constituted by incumbent the Governor, Samuel Ortom, last July to examine Suswam’s tenure. According to the state government white paper on the report of the commission, obtained by SaharaReporters, Suswam and officials of his administration were recommended for prosecution and declared unfit to hold…
The Governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose has accused the former Governor of the state, and minister of solid minerals, Kayode Fayemi of misusing the N852.9m State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) counterpart funds. Fayose said Fayemi’s improper handling of the funds was what led to the blacklisting of Ekiti state, by the education board. Punch reports that Fayose alleged that the “misappropriation of funds by Fayemi hindered the state from accessing the 2013, 2014 and 2015 grants, amounting to over N2.8bn.” The Ekiti Governor, through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said “It is…
The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, says the party is putting its house in order to achieve victory in future elections. Sheriff made the observation when he received a delegation of PDP in Benue State led by its Chairman, Mr Agbo Emmanuel in Abuja on Monday. He said by the time the party reconciles with its aggrieved members, it would make the desire attainable. “Winning rerun election at this time in Benue state is very important to us in PDP because we always say that Benue State is for PDP. “It is our in…