Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has voiced his admiration for Zinedine Zidane, but has stressed a return to Real Madrid or another Spanish side is not an option at this stage. The Germany international left Madrid for Arsenal in 2013 and has since developed into a key figure at Emirates Stadium. Ozil was reported to be considering his options, with speculation claiming he had “lost patience” with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, although the 27-year-old has since dismissed those suggestions. And, speaking to Spox, Ozil said: “Zidane was an amazing player. He did not just play football, but lived for the game.…
Author: David Folami
Coach Thomas Tuchel will be able to claim that Borussia Dortmund have achieved their pre-season target with six Bundesliga games to spare if they secure a Champions League berth by beating Werder Bremen on Saturday. Tuchel’s side have enjoyed a stellar season in his first campaign in charge since replacing Juergen Klopp, with his team having gone unbeaten so far this year, winning 13 and drawing two matches in all competitions in 2016. Dortmund, better than championship leaders Bayern since the winter break, are in second place on 64 points, with the Bavarians, on 69, chasing a record fourth consecutive…
Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes Pep Guardiola will need time to adapt to Premier League football when he takes charge of Manchester City in July but has tipped the Spaniard to be a success. Guardiola has won numerous trophies in Spain and Germany with Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively but Ferguson feels the English game, known for its fast-paced and physically demanding nature, will pose a completely different challenge. “Without question Pep has got a fantastic work ethic about him. He has got great coaching ability, there is no doubt about that. Man City have made a real…
Antoine Griezmann has backed France team-mate Karim Benzema to respond on the pitch following a difficult few months. Benzema was indefinitely suspended from the France team in December after being placed under investigation over an attempt to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena for a sex-tape. The Real Madrid striker was left out of France’s upcoming friendlies against Netherlands and Russia and will find out if he is eligible to play at Euro 2016 next month. However, Griezmann has backed Benzema to respond on the park, but said France still have the talent to do the job without him. “Whatever’s going…
Having scored seven goals in two games without the suspended Karim Benzema, France could be forgiven for thinking the Real Madrid striker is not essential for the Euro finals. France beat the Netherlands 3-2 away last Friday and Russia 4-2 at home on Tuesday with forwards Olivier Giroud, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Dimitri Payet, Kingsley Coman and Antoine Griezmann all finding the back of the net. Benzema has been provisionally suspended by the French federation (FFF) after being put under formal investigation by a judge for alleged blackmail over a sex video involving France team mate Mathieu Valbuena. FFF President Noel Le…
Manchester United legend, Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Premier League leaders Leicester City to lift the title. Claudio Ranieri’s men are currently leading the league table with five points off second place Tottenham and 11 off third place Arsenal with just seven games to play. Although Ferguson foresees a few more twists and turns, he predicts that the Foxes will hold on to win the title. “It’ll be testing times for them. They have to get it in their mind that they’ll drop a point or two, they may drop three points, they may lose a game,” Ferguson told Sky…
Jamie Vardy will have a long international career despite breaking into the England team in his late 20s, Roy Hodgson has predicted. Vardy scored in both of England’s recent international friendlies, a 3-2 win over Germany and a 2-1 defeat to Netherlands, to open his international account. Although Vardy is 29, Hodgson is confident that the Leicester City striker can remain at the top of his game for a few years to come. “We’re happy with him,” said the England coach. “His task first off is to fire Leicester to a Premier League win. “That will be his major goal…
A former aide of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Waripamowei Dudafa has opted to be on the safer side of the fence. Reports say Dudafa who was the special assistant on domestic matters to Jonathan, is now an informant of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Leadership reports that a source who was a key member in the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan said he was surprised that Dudafa has not been invited for questioning by the EFCC yet. The former special assistant on domestic matters’ name was mentioned by Colonel Ojogbane Adegbe, GEJ’s former Aide-de-Camp (ADC), during interrogations by…
Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has asked President Buhari not to devalue the Naira. Anyaoku said Buhari should seek the advise of economists on how best to go about solving Nigeria’s current economic challenge. He said “A case has not been convincingly made that the devaluation of our naira in our present circumstance will truly serve Nigeria’s national interest. “President Muhammadu Buhari should, in my view, stick to his anti-devaluation position but he should also urgently appoint a team of knowledgeable expert economists to advise him on how to approach Nigeria’s current economic crisis” . Anyaoku said this at…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday commiserated with victims of the Sabon Gari market fire incident which razed over 3,800 shops in Kano state. He made the remark when he paid a sympathy visit to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje at the Government House, Kano. He described the incident as “very unfortunate, considering the monumental losses incurred by victims in the inferno.’’ The former President, who also used the occasion to condoled with Ganduje over the death of his mother, prayed God to replenish the victims of the fire diasater. He said “God knows why He allowed things to happen, but let…
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will not sign the 2016 budget bill passed by parliament last week unless lawmakers provide more details of the legislation, a government official said on Tuesday. Parliament had earlier sent the bill, which calls for record spending, to Buhari’s office but it had contained only highlights of the budget, no details, the official told Reuters, asking not to be named. “As a result, the president has been unable to sign the bill because he does not know what is contained in the details and what adjustments the National Assembly must have made to the proposal sent…
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has accused his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi of being desperate to control the state. Wike also accused Amaechi of being behind the constant redeployment of security officers from the state. “It is difficult for anybody to defeat us in Rivers State because of the projects I have done in my short stay in office, and the fact that Rivers is a PDP state. The civil servants are happy with us. Nobody would be happy when, at the end of the month, they cannot take their wages home,” he said on Monday, March 28, 2016, while appearing…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT) has urged the party’s National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, not to stay in office beyond his tenure – May 21. The acting BOT Chairman, Walid Jubrin, said this in Abuja on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, while addressing newsmen. Jubrin said that the advice becomes necessary “following calls by praise singers who were calling on Sheriff to extend his tenure.” According to him, following the unanimous approval of Sheriff by PDP Governor’s Forum, the National Caucus, BOT and the National Executive Committee, the tenure, as well as that of the National Working…
The minister of transportation and former Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has warned the current Governor, Nyesom Wike not to play politics with the lives of Rivers state people. This is coming on the heels of comments attributed to Wike where he said he would not continue with the monorail project which the minister started. Amaechi ‘s media aide who spoke to Vanguard said “We watched with disbelief the recent television interview of Governor Wike, excerpts of which had also been used in some newspapers. It was the typical Wike, twisting, butchering and turning the truth upside down and in…
The Senate is yet to send the approved budget to President Buhari for assent, reports say. According to Cable News, a source in the presidency said “The president has been handicapped because he does not know what is contained in the details and what adjustments the national assembly must have made to the proposal sent to them. “Although he is anxious to sign the document so that implementation of the provisions could start immediately and ease the tension in the economy and polity, he is afraid he may later discover, when the details are sent, that what is contained therein…
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has said that his wife, Remi is making politics sexy. Tinubu made the comment on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, during the 8th Bola Tinubu colloquium, which held in Abuja in commemoration of his birthday. “My wife, as you have (seen) from the documentary, was one of the youths who were criticising us, the politicians. She said ‘make politics sexy so that youths can participate,” he said according to The Cable. “I got to the podium and said look at my wife, if politics is not sexy, what is she…
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not have won the 2015 general elections without the contribution of the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Buhari made the remark in a recorded tribute which was presented at the 8th Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Abuja on Tuesday, March 29, 2016. “If Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not participate, there wouldn’t have been a merger and there wouldn’t have been an APC government at the centre. That is absolutely clear,” the president said according to Punch. “He should thank God that he has gone through so much and…
Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe in an interview with Encomium magazine has set the record straight regarding her outburst at Thisday Style after she failed to make their Nollywood’s Best Dressed cover. According to the actress who recently revealed she can never act nude, it had nothing to do with being best dressed, but everything to do with the fact that Yoruba actors are not regarded as part of Nollywood. She told Encomium magazine, “Why will I be fighting because I was not on the list of the best dressed actresses of any paper or magazine? After all, I don’t dress…
Nollywood actress, Clarion Chukwura has just been honoured with the Danny Glover Humanitarian Award in New York. The actress who is currently in the United States where she recently got married for the third time, took to her Twitter and Instagram accounts to share the news. Dressed in a flowing yellow maxi dress, Clarion glowingly posed with her award and her husband, Anthony Boyd full of smiles. Clarion recently got married in a third attempt to U.S. based Anthony Boyd, and she seems so excited about it. She has been quite unfortunate in her marriages, her last break-up being her…
Popular rapper, Lil Wayne is suing Universal Music Group (Cash Money’s distributor) for withholding his royalties and that of the artistes that his label, Young Money helped build up. Wayne claims that Universal gave an advance of $100 million to Cash Money and had been using his (Young Money) profits to repay the loan to itself. According to the law suit, Wayne is seeking $40 million in damages . The lawsuit reads: “With Universal’s knowledge of Lil Wayne’s rights to partial ownership and profits from those artists, Universal and Cash Money entered into a series of agreements which, among other…