Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s apparent kick at Francisco Molinero on Sunday has been labelled an “ugly gesture” by the Real Betis defender. Ronaldo appeared to kick out at Molinero during the second half of the 1-1 La Liga draw at the Estadio Benito Villamarin — just a week after being accused of deliberately kicking Sporting Gijon midfielder Nacho Cases in Madrid’s 5-1 win. Molinero said after the game that he was not impressed by the behaviour of the Portugal captain and felt he should have been punished by the referee for his actions. “It was an ugly gesture by…
Author: David Folami
La Liga’s transfer deadline was again moved so that it now closes on Feb. 1 (23.00 GMT) at midnight. The league sent a news release on Monday confirming the Feb. 1 date and confirming that a previous league document which specified that the transfer window in Spain would be open from Jan. 4-29, was incorrect. The first document was sent to media outlets on Dec. 16 and signed by the league’s legal director, Maria Jose Lopez Lorenzo. The clarification now leaves Real Madrid and Barcelona with three more days to strengthen their squads and puts the window’s closing on the…
Chris Smalling believes only the Manchester United players can inspire a revival at Old Trafford. United’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Saturday means they have only won three of their last 13 matches. And they are now five points behind fourth-place Tottenham, meaning their task of securing qualification for next season’s Champions League is growing ever harder. United were booed off at Old Trafford after mustering a solitary shot on target and Smalling accepted a team who have only scored 17 goals in 19 games are not playing the brand of football supporters expect. “The fans want to see goals…
Petr Cech called on Arsenal to move on from the disappointment of another defeat to Chelsea to steer their Premier League title challenge back on course. The Gunners had Per Mertesacker sent off after 18 minutes and Diego Costa scored the decisive goal in Sunday’s 1-0 win for Chelsea, which leaves Arsene Wenger’s men three points behind league leaders Leicester with 15 games to go. The immediate focus is on the FA Cup, which Arsenal have won in the last two seasons — the Gunners play Burnley in the fourth round at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. But the next…
Guus Hiddink says Diego Costa “likes to fight — in a good way” and warned any defenders facing the Chelsea striker that trouble awaits. Costa scored the decisive goal in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Arsenal on Sunday, not long after being tripped by Per Mertesacker, who was sent off after 18 minutes. The striker now has six goals in six games under Hiddink, who hopes he will shake off a knee problem which forced his early withdrawal at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger again bemoaned the influence of Costa, who antagonised the Gunners last September when Gabriel saw…
Sceptics are actually helping Leicester City to maintain their remarkable Premier League run, midfielder Danny Drinkwater has said. Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Stoke City helped the surprise leaders open up a three-point gap with second-placed Manchester City, who are above Arsenal on goal difference, after 23 games. Prior to the win, Leicester’s credentials were questioned after just one win in their previous five league matches. “If anyone doubts us still, it is up to them – as long as we keep proving them wrong,” Drinkwater told British media. “I think it does help when people write us off. There has…
Bookmaker Williams Hill has cut its odds to 2/5 that Manchester United’s Louis Van Gaal will be the next Premier League manager to leave his post after Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Southampton. “For the first time, even Louis Van Gaal has admitted that he has failed and if he is not pushed, he could well walk,” William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said on Monday. “The fans have – or they had – great expectations of me, and I cannot fulfill them, so I am very frustrated because of that,” Van Gaal said after his team’s sixth league loss of…
Manchester United may officially be keeping quiet about the future of Louis van Gaal but the manager accepts his position is being increasingly called into question by the club’s fans. The mood turned sour at Old Trafford during the course of Southampton’s 1-0 win over United on Saturday. Some fans didn’t even wait until the final whistle to jeer Van Gaal, venting their frustration as soon as Charlie Austin headed in the Saints’ 87th-minute winner. Jeers rang out around the ground and the Dutchman received further taunts as he headed down the tunnel at fulltime. United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward…
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said he was ready to give injury-plagued striker Daniel Sturridge all the time he needs to recover from a hamstring injury sustained against Newcastle United last month. Sturridge has played just 108 minutes of football since Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers in October and has missed the Merseyside club’s last 11 matches in all competitions since the 2-0 defeat by the Magpies on December 6. “I had 15 months with Ilkay Gundogan (at Borussia Dortmund) where we had to all wait but it was his back and we had no chance to force it. It’s…
Brazilian Roberto Firmino has proved he is a real striker who can score goals regularly for Liverpool, according to manager Jurgen Klopp. A double in the dramatic 5-4 victory at Norwich City on Saturday followed two goals in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal 10 days earlier, the 21 million-pound ($30 million) Firmino having been chosen ahead of even more expensive striker Christian Benteke in both games. When he failed to score in between times against Manchester United, questions were asked about whether he could play up front on his own, but Klopp says the Norwich match answered the question. “Three…
Everton manager Roberto Martinez conceded he is worried with his team’s poor home form after the Toffees slumped to their fifth loss at Goodison Park this campaign in Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat by Swansea City. Gareth Barry’s deflected effort was cancelled out by Gylfi Sigurdsson’s opener from the penalty spot, but the relegation-threatened Swans clinched the three points thanks to a 34th minute strike from winger Andre Ayew. The Merseyside club have managed three wins from their 12 league games at home and only bottom side Aston Villa, who have one win in 11 at Vila Park, have a…
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insisted he was proud of his side’s display despite slipping further behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race with a 1-1 draw at Real Betis on Sunday. Zidane had cruised to victory in his first two games in charge since replacing Rafael Benitez earlier this month, scoring five goals against Deportivo la Coruna and Sporting Gijon. However, Los Blancos were stunned by Alvaro Cejudo’s early opener and, despite dominating the majority of the match, could only reply through Karim Benzema’s 21st goal of the season 19 minutes from time. “I am very proud of…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Diego Costa had got Per Mertesacker sent off after his side’s Premier League title hopes were dented by Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea. Mertesacker was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul on Diego Costa in the 18th minute and Costa scored the game’s only goal five minutes later, dispatching a cross from Branislav Ivanovic at the near post. Costa had been the catalyst behind Gabriel’s dismissal in September’s reverse fixture, goading the Brazilian defender into kicking out at him as Chelsea won 2-0, but while Mertesacker’s foul on him seemed clear-cut,…
Arsenal missed their chance to go back to the top of the Premier League after being forced to play with 10 men for much of the game against London rivals Chelsea on Sunday. Defender Per Mertesacker was sent off in the first 20 minutes for a foul on Diego Costa, who scored the only goal shortly afterwards from a cross by Branislav Ivanovic. The 1-0 result preserved the defending champions’ unbeaten record under experienced Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who took over as interim manager last month following Jose Mourinho’s sacking. Chelsea moved up to 13th, while Arsenal were left in third…
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari will meet their expectations. Osinbajo also expressed optimism that the situation in the country would keep getting better by the day. The Vice President made the comments on Sunday, September 6, 2015, at the 33rd Holy Ghost Convention of the Sword of the Spirit Ministry in Ibadan. He said: “We know that it’s been very good; I think that the nation has high expectations and I know that things are just getting better by the day.” “I believe that by the grace of God, all of those expectations and…
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has urged Nigerians to be more concerned with the progress of the country than President Muhammadu Buhari’s wealth. Okowa made the statement on Sunday, September 6, 2015, following Buhari’s public declaration of his assets. The governor said further, while speaking at the 13-year anniversary of Rock of Ages Christian Assembly, that asset declaration was a personal decison. Okowa said: “I don’t comment about asset declaration; assets declaration is personal, the man has declared his asset which is a welcome idea. But his personal wealth and all he has at the moment is not supposed to…
The former National Legal Adviser of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Barr Mark Jacob, has said that circulating two different version of budget in the National Assembly by the presidency is a national embarrassment. Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki has acknowledged that the SSA to the President on National Assembly matters, Sen Ita Enang, circulated a budget version different from the one President Muhammadu Buhari tabled at the red chamber. But Barr Mark Jacob, a former commission for Justice in Kaduna state told Pulse that there is substance to the issue of the missing budget in the Senate. He said:…
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has said that no individual can be considered as the leader of the Yoruba tribe. Obasanjo said further that even among the Yoruba monarchs “there is equality, but mutual respect.” The former President made the comment in his autobiography, “My Watch: Political and Public Affairs,” under the heading “Nigerianness and Yorubanness.” Obasanjo said: “Just as there was no single oba having sovereignty over the whole of Yorubaland, there was no individual as leader of the Yorubas in Yorubaland. As it was then, it remains till now.” The former President also spoke on the need for Nigerians…
Former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba has condemned ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo for being overly critical and refusing to see good in anyone. The former governor also criticized Obasanjo for saying that Yorubas have no leader. Osoba made the comments while speaking to journalists in Lagos on Saturday, August 8, 2015. He said: “I would not like to judge Chief Obasanjo because as I am trying to put the facts straight, I don’t want to join him in condemnation of individuals. I respect him for his own strong points and weaknesses. But one thing I disagree with him is his condemnation…
The former Governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, has kicked off plans to return to the All Progressives Party, APC, several months after he defected to the Social Democratic Party, SDP. According to a report by Punch Newspaper, the current leader of the SDP confirmed his plans to return to APC though he strongly stressed that he’s yet to return to the ruling party as talks are ongoing to ensure his reconciliation. Speaking on the reconciliatory moves and plans, Osoba said, “No, no. But there is an ongoing discussion between us but there is no final decision yet. I believe…