It seems FIFA have mistakenly announced the winner of the 2015 Ballon d’Or. The winners of various categories of the Ballon d’Or are supposed to be announced at a ceremony which has been scheduled to hold on January 11. Lionel Messi and Celia Sasic’s names were placed on the top of the list of winners on the FIFA website, alongside the year 2015. FIFA on Wednesday, January 6 however momentarily placed Lionel Messi and Celia Sasic at the summit of their list of winners on their website, alongside the year 2015. Their names were swiftly removed. The names are however…
Author: David F.
Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol says Lionel Messi continues to get better and has backed him to win his fifth Ballon d’Or next week. The four-time winner is a firm favourite to lift the 2015 prize at Monday’s gala in Zurich ahead of team-mate Neymar and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo. Puyol says the Argentina captain remains a cut above the rest in global football and is amazed at the hunger he has to continue to win titles despite his glittering career to date. He told Omnisport: “I don’t know who’s going to win. In my opinion, Leo Messi is…
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has highlighted the importance of Lionel Messi’s tactical flexibility ahead of this weekend’s La Liga encounter with Granada. The Argentina international put in a man-of-the-match performance in Wednesday’s 4-1 Copa del Rey win over Espanyol as he featured in a more central role than normal, scoring twice and setting up two more. According to Luis Enrique, Barca seek to utilise Messi in different ways to get the best out of the star forward. “The team always looks for Messi to take part in play as much as possible,” he told a news conference. “We have a…
Luis Suarez has received a two-match ban from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for his part in a post-match altercation following Barcelona’s 4-1 Copa del Rey win over Espanyol on Wednesday, with the club announcing its intention to appeal the punishment. Barcelona overturned an early strike from Felipe Caicedo in the first leg of the last-16 tie at the Camp Nou thanks to a Lionel Messi brace and goals from Gerard Pique and Neymar. But derby-day tensions threatened to boil over during the second half as Espanyol duo Hernan Perez and Pape Diop were sent off. In referee Juan…
New Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane says he is not planning for any transfer business during the January window. Spain international Isco has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, although the departure of Rafael Benitez has prompted talk that the attacking midfielder will opt to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu. Speculation has also mounted over the future of Gareth Bale, who has been touted for a return to the Premier League despite Zidane’s assurances that he is firmly in his plans. Madrid have also been linked with a bid for Wolfsburg defender Ricardo Rodriguez, with the…
Few Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s attacking football may be welcomed by the players but he will need to deliver results he was unable to achieve when in charge of the club’s reserve team. James Rodriguez and Isco are set to be two of the main beneficiaries from the arrival of Zidane who has shown versatility in his limited coaching career but prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation similar to that employed by Jose Mourinho at Real. Both had their options limited under former coach Rafa Benitez who opted for a more solid approach and often employed the defensive Carlos Casemiro in…
Chelsea duo Diego Costa and Oscar have made up after they clash and fought each other in training on Thursday, January 7. The duo had to be pulled apart from by teammates following a challenge from behind by Oscar. Speaking about the clash, Chelsea interim coach Guus Hiddink said the two players attacked each other ‘like two bulls’. “It was a pity that our photographer yesterday had a day off because he would have had some wonderful pictures of the two bulls after the charge from behind by the smaller bull Oscar,” Hiddink said. “He took a charge from behind…
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will be able to proceed with appeals against their eight-year bans after FIFA’s ethics committee provided the two presidents with the full written reasons for their suspensions. Former FIFA president Blatter and ex-UEFA president Platini had to wait until receiving the document before they could take their cases to FIFA’s appeals committee. A statement from FIFA’s ethics committee read: “The adjudicatory chamber of the independent ethics committee has fulfilled its commitment to provide the grounds for the respective decisions to Mr Blatter and Mr Platini within the first half of January 2016 as they had…
Interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink wants his side to continue their improvement in form against League One Scunthorpe in the FA Cup third round and avoid the possibility of a humiliating exit. Hiddink won the competition during his first caretaker spell in 2009 and, although he did not watch last season’s fourth-round loss to Bradford — another League One side — the Dutchman called on the Blues to prevail. “I didn’t see it [the Bradford game], but I know you must not stumble again,” he said. Chelsea are unbeaten in four games since Jose Mourinho’s departure last month, and Hiddink…
Jurgen Klopp said people should blame him for his inexperienced Liverpool team’s shortcomings in Friday’s 2-2 FA Cup draw at Exeter City — and hinted he may pick the same side in the replay. The youthful selection sent out by Klopp were shown up at times in twice fighting back from a goal down against the League Two side. There were three debutants at St James Park and six additional players with four or fewer Reds games behind them, while seasoned players such as Adam Lallana and Lucas Leiva looked on from the bench. But the manager — who had…
Louis van Gaal has said it is possible Manchester United could make signings in the January window. United have been linked with a host of players as they look to kick-start their season after a disappointing end to 2015, when they went six Premier League games without a win and exited the Champions League. Van Gaal said he did not favour doing business in the winter window but was willing to make a move if the right players were to become available. Writing in his programme notes ahead of the Sheffield United game in the FA Cup, Van Gaal said:…
Chelsea’s interim manager Guus Hiddink said on Friday that he is certain to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. Hiddink, 69, has presided over two wins and two draws since the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December opened the door for him to return to Chelsea following a previous short-term stint in 2009. Pep Guardiola’s announcement that he intends to move to England after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season has prompted speculation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could make another move for him. In any case, Hiddink intends to…
The Minister of Defence, retired Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali, said on Friday that the Federal Government would introduce insurance package for soldiers fighting insurgency in the North-East. Dan-Ali made the disclosure while briefing newsmen shortly after a Special Juma’at Prayer to mark the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration in Abuja. He said that already there were numerous packages enjoyed by the military as a way of motivating them to ensure the success of the ongoing counter insurgency operation. “Normally we have package for the families of the fallen heroes but recently we are introducing the death insurance which has not…
The Cross River Government has said that it was ready to contain any possible outbreak of Lassa fever in the State. The Director of Public Health in the state’s Ministry of Health, Dr Sunny Omini, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Calabar on Friday. He said the department has put Disease Surveillance Control Officers in all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state on alert. He said the DSCOs have been told to report any suspected case to the Epidemiology Unit of the ministry for immediate action. “We have told all the…
Professor Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health has confirmed the spread of Lassa Fever across 10 states in the past 6 weeks and also stated that 40 people have been confirmed dead. The states affected include Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo state. “In the last six weeks Nigeria has been experiencing Lassa fever outbreak which so far has affected 10 states in the country, ” Adewole said. “The states affected include Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo state. “The total number so far reported is 86 and 40 deaths with…
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Tony Anenih has a heart condition, reports say. The former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman is said to have undergone open-heart surgery in the United Kingdom in December 2015, according to The Cable. Anenih is said to have complained of an “irregular heartbeat” while in the UK and was speedily rushed to a hospital. “The ambulance arrived within five minutes and he was taken out on a stretcher, with paramedics giving him oxygen support,” a family member told The Cable. “It was at the hospital that it was discovered that he had some heart issues…
President Muhammadu Buhari won’t interfere in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) case against All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Jafaru Isa. Isa, who is one of Buhari’s political associates, was arrested by the EFCC on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, on allegations of corruption. “It is true that Isa has been with Buhari from the days of the ANPP and CPC and was equally a member of the Transition Committee and actually headed the Defence Committee,” a presidential aide, who chose to remain anonymous, told Vanguard. “That does not mean that Buhari knows anything about the N100 million said to…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in FCT on Friday commenced the training of 120 INEC staff and National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members on Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). The FCT Administrative Secretary of INEC, Mr Abdulrazaq Adamu, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Adamu said that the staff from Grade levels eight to12 and NYSC members were being trained on computer compliance and registration processes. He said the training would prepare them for the forthcoming exercise on Jan. 13, to the capture the data of Nigerians who did register during…
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has faulted the ongoing anti-corruption war by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. Reacting to the recent arrest and detention of the spokesman for the People’s Democratic Party (PDD), Olisa Metuh, the senate leader stated that the party is in full support of an objective anti-corruption crusade, but not a selective prosecution, which he said the Economic Financial Crimes Commission has embarked on. Ekweremadu spoke through his Special Adviser, Uche Anichukwu. “An anti-graft trap that catches only members of the opposition and those with axe to grind with the government of the day is compromised”, he…
Former Governor of Anambra state, Chief Jim Nwobodo and Senator Fidelis Okoro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State. The ex-PDP loyalists declared their defection to the ruling party on Friday, at a state APC stakeholders meeting hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jeffrey Onyeama. Nwobodo, who was recently fingered by the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) as one of the beneficiaries of the $2.1 billion arms funds scam currently undergoing investigation, denied the allegation. He said N500 million released to him by the…