Friday, May 31, 2013
International friendly Results: Nigeria 2-2 Mexico
It was a good game, and I will
leave it at just that- Mexico opened the goal lines earlier in the first-half
and it was on from there as Nigeria quickly responded with a goal of their own
in the same half and right before the end of the second-half, the Super Eagles
took the lead however in the second half, Mexico returned the favor by
equalizing making it a 2-2 game.
So here is a summary of the game,
Nigeria had the ball in the net 16
minutes into the first-half; however, the goal was ruled out by the referee for offside. Mexico increased their defense as they secured their first goal of the
game and Chicharito scores at the 21st minute.
On the move, Barrera
got caught as the last man, takes a shot to his midsection but hits it with his
hand. He's sent off for it and the
penalty is given. That changes this match entirely. Pablo Edson Barrera gets sent off while Brown Ideye makes the
penalty shot making it a 1-1 game.
With only 15 minutes left in the
first-half, Gerardo Torrado scores an own goal and Nigeria is ahead!! A low
ball in from the wing is hit first time, takes a deflection and the African Champion
is out in front.
Slower start to the second half of
the game, lots of substitution on both sides, the most significant for Nigeria
was goal keeper Vincent Enyeama coming in for Austin Ejide who did very little
to man the goal post in the first half. Michael Babatunde also came in for Brown Ideye.
Goal-72 minutes into the game, Mexico has tied it up and it's Chicharito again!
In the end, Nigeria came down hard
leaving Mexico defending crosses however after 90 +3 minutes of added time, it’s
a 2-2 draw for Nigeria and Mexico.
The Roaster for the Super Eagles:
Goalkeepers: Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel), Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Elderson Echiéjilé (Sporting de Braga), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag), Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars), Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars), Francis Benjamin (Heartland F.C.), Odunlami Kunle (Sunshine Stars FC)
Midfielders:Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Ogu (Academia de Coimbra), Obinna Nwachukwu (Heartland), Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers), Michael Babatunde (Kryvbas Kryvyi), Reuben Gabriel (Kilmarnock)
Forwards: Joseph Akpala (SV Werder Bremen), Brown Ideye (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Anthony Ujah (FC Koln), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Kalu Uche (Kasımpaşa Spor Kulübü), Gambo Muhammad (Kano Pillars F.C.)
Goalkeepers: Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel), Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Elderson Echiéjilé (Sporting de Braga), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag), Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars), Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars), Francis Benjamin (Heartland F.C.), Odunlami Kunle (Sunshine Stars FC)
Midfielders:Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Ogu (Academia de Coimbra), Obinna Nwachukwu (Heartland), Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers), Michael Babatunde (Kryvbas Kryvyi), Reuben Gabriel (Kilmarnock)
Forwards: Joseph Akpala (SV Werder Bremen), Brown Ideye (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Anthony Ujah (FC Koln), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Kalu Uche (Kasımpaşa Spor Kulübü), Gambo Muhammad (Kano Pillars F.C.)
Historic moment: FIFA elects Burundi's Lydia Nsekera as first woman executive
Burundi FA chief Lydia Nsekera has
been elected as the first woman to FIFA’s Executive Committee. The 46-year-old Executive
will serve a four-year term on the committee after winning the vote at the FIFA
congress in Mauritius. This is indeed a proud moment for women everywhere as HER election is coming after nearly 109 years of the governing body history, Nsekera became the first woman in history in the Executive committee today.
She collected a total 95 of the 203 votes
ahead of Australian Moya Dodd and Sonia Bien-Aime, of Turks and Caicos Islands.
Speaking right after the elections,
Nsekera told BBC Sport: "I am very happy to be the first woman elected. It
is important for Africa, it is important for Burundi, it is important for
women.
"In the executive committee,
we work as a team, but personally I will carry on working in order to have more
women as coaches in grassroots football.
"I will push for more women to
be elected and ask parents to let their daughters play football
Nsekera also said: "I will
inspire women to believe they can lead and I will support women in member
associations."
Burundi FA chief Lydia Nsekera is among candidates for first female FIFA's executive committee member.
Burundi’s FA chief Lydia Nsekera is
one of the three candidates vying to become the first female full-time member of FIFA’s decision-making
executive committee. The congress for of the representative is being held in
Mauritius and if elected, the female representative will serve a full
4-year term.
Well, this means that for the very first time in the 109-year history of the Football governing body, a woman will have voting
right.
Nsekera who was co-opted on to
Fifa's non-voting committee last year said at the time she was "very
pleased that Fifa put a woman in its board of directors" adding "it's
a very positive thing, especially for women fans of football".
Nsekera, who has headed up the
Burundi FA since 2004, is considered the favorite to win the upcoming election.
Other candidates vying for the
position includes former Australian international and vice-president of the
Asian Football Confederation, Maya Dodd, as well as Sonia Bien-Aime of Turks
and Caicos Islands.
New Zealand's Paula Kearns was also
to be considered but withdrew on the eve of the vote.
Best of luck ladies and thank
goodness FIFA is slowly getting over their phobia for including women in the committee, it’s about
time.
NFF vice-president Mike Umeh faces money laundering charges
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has arrested Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Vice-President
Mr. Mike Umeh on Monday for Laudering charges.
The Nigerian anti-corruption
agency said Umeh is an alleged accomplice in a multi-million-dollar operation
involving a former governor of one of Nigeria's states.
"Mike Umeh is an accomplice in
the case of money laundering and misappropriation of public funds to the tune
of 15 billion Naira ($94.8m)" EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren told BBC
Sport.
"It's a case for which former
Governor Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto State is standing trial."
Umeh, seen as one of the country's
most influential football figures, was arrested in Lagos on Monday and then
transferred to Sokoto, in North West Nigeria.
The top football official will
appear before Justice Bello Abass of the Sokoto high court on Tuesday.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Aww moment:David Beckham caught on KissCam with only daughter Harper
Newly retired football star David Beckham and
his precious baby girl Harper provided plenty of entertainment for onlookers as
the KissCam came their way at a Tuesday night hockey game. The father-daughter duo did not disappoint the kisscam as Beckham planted a cute kiss on his daughter.
The entire Beckham brood was in attendance — next to the soccer star were
his wife Victoria Beckham 39, and their three sons — Brooklyn, 14, Romeo,
10, and 8-year-old Cruz.
The famous family also shared space with action star Tom Cruise and his
teenage son, Connor.
Football fans and journalist mob Super Eagles team at Houston Airport.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria received very warm welcome in the US as journalists and fans mobbed them at the
Houston Airport on Tuesday. The team later held a work out session in the
evening ahead of Friday’s international friendly against Mexico.
The team arrived Houston Airport at
about 2.40pm local time (8.40pm West African Time) for the international
friendly match against the national team of Mexico scheduled for 31st
of May, 2013.
After airport formalities the team later
settled in at the Westin Galleria Hotel in West Alabama, Houston at 4.20 pm
local time, had lunch and trained at 7.30pm (1.30am WAT).
Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi at a brief press conference stated that Friday's friendly against Mexico will give him
the chance to run the rule over some new players ahead of key World Cup
qualifying games against Kenya and Namibia in June.
The African champions will play the
Mexicans in Houston, and Keshi said on arrival his team will give a good
account.
"We are here to give a good
account of ourselves as a team and also as the champion team of Africa.
“Definitely, we want to take a look
at a couple of new players and see what they have to offer. But we take this
match serious as it will prepare us for crucial encounters in the next few
weeks,” Keshi told the media at the Houston International Airport.
They are indeed looking forward to
the friendly: Coach Stephen Keshi said "All is well with the team and we
are looking forward to a great game against Mexico on Friday.
Nigeria play Kenya and Namibia away
in crucial 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifying matches on June 5 and June 12
respectively, before flying into Brazil through South Africa.
Chelsea winger Victor Moses has
pulled out of all these games due to injuries and his club recently announced
he will only be fit again by July 6th after undergoing treatment. The Chelsea starlet has since expressed his dissatisfaction
with the new development, on his Tweeter page Moses wrote Wednesday-
@VictorMoses: “Devastated not to be
able to represent my country this summer bt have to respect medical advice on
injury. I'll be supporting though #nigeria."
Well, now, both Mikel and Moses have been
ruled out for the friendly, but, Mikel Obi will later join the team for the
upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
SPOTTED:World music star Rihanna and Real Madrid's star Critiano Ronaldo at her Lisbon concert.
Ronaldo poses up a storm with Rihanna as the pair catch up backstage after her Lisbon concert.
Ronaldo captioned the shot with a casual: 'Yesterday at @rihanna' s concert.'
Real Madrid footballer posted a picture backstage with Riri following the show,
flashing the peace sign as the Diamonds singer pouted next to him for the
camera.
They both look great, what's that guys? they look good together? yes I think so.(just kidding)
Sidney Sam vs Nigeria Football Federation- NFF labels Sam 'disrespectful'
Sidney Sam is being labeled disrespectful by the Nigerian Football Federation after the 25-year-old midfielder who plays for Bayer Leverkusen stated he had no interest in ever playing for Nigeria.
Sam
who is half Nigerian and German was at some point interested in switching his
international duties from Germany to Nigeria; however, after he was called up for
Germany's friendlies against Ecuador and the United States, the Bayer
Leverkusen player claimed he never intended to represent the Super Eagles.
NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire told
BBC Sport: "It's disappointing, disrespectful and not correct.
"If he's not interested, he's
not interested and no-one is going to beg him to play for Nigeria.
"But to say he was never
contacted is false and ridiculous. At the appropriate time we will give more
details."
Despite Sam being included in the
German Squad, the NFF were positive that they could somehow persuade him to
play for Nigeria, however, ahead of Germany's friendly against Ecuador on
Tuesday and the US three days later, Sam told German sports agency SID:
"The 2014 World Cup is still far away but for me it is only Germany that counts.
We don't have to speak about Nigeria.
"I never really thought about
Nigeria and I do not know who invented that.
"I always wanted to play for
Germany and I know I was on the coach's list. It is a pity, I was often injured
but now I am here and want to prove my strengths."
Not sure which is more annoying,
the fact that the NFF are busy chasing someone they barely even know, or that
they are unable or refuse to discover
new talent right there in Nigeria.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
MARK YOUR CALANDERS!! THE BIGGEST AFRICAN COMEDY SHOW IN THE USA IS COMING TO WASHINGTON!
Now in its fourth year, Jedi Live in LWKMD Tour boasts of the biggest line--up yet in North America and Canada! Featured Comedians include: Gbenga Adeyinka, Basorge, Helen Paul, Princess, Wale Gates, Emeka Smith, Seyi Law, Arthur Simeon, Seyi Brown, Wamilele and of course , the incredible funny Host: Jedi!
When: Wednesday July 3rd 2013
Venue: Bowie Center for Performing Arts
15200 Annapolis Rd, Bowie, MD
Time: 7 PM (no African Time)
Tickets? Need more info? Call 202-649-0010 and visithttp://www.thelwkmdtour.com/www.thelwkmdtour.com/Intro.html
Tribex Marketing Group is a Proud Promotional Sponsor of the LWKMD
Monday, May 27, 2013
David Beckham bows out of football with gratitude and gifts for parents
 |
| David's Mom and Mother-in law |
Superstar English player David Beckham
bowed out of professional football by watching his most recent team PSG win from the bench. Bechkam watched from the sidelines as
his professional playing career came to an end with his Paris Saint-Germain
team-mates running out 3-1 winners over Lorient. Having played for the final
time last weekend, Beckham traveled to western France with PSG but was not
included on manager Carlo Ancelotti's team.
The 38-year-old newly retired
player has spent 60,000 pounds on thank you gifts for his family. The former
English captain splashed out on two Audi Q3s to thank his mum and his
mother-in-law for their constant support - and years of babysitting duties -
during his high-profile sports career.
They were a surprise gift to thank
them for years of babysitting and travelling around the world supporting him
and Posh, 39, as their careers went global.
A source told The Sun newspaper:
“They are gorgeous vehicles that Jackie and Sandra love. When you think about
how important their families are to David and Vic, and how huge both their
careers are, you can only begin to imagine the sort of work and commitment
their parents put in over the years.
“From babysitting and international
travel with zero notice to being counselors for Posh and Becks when they
couldn’t talk to anyone else — their closest family have done it all. The close
family friend said.-thesun.co.uk
Super Eagles of Nigeria are headed to Houston, Texas for friendly against Mexico.
The Super Eagles camp in far away Nuremberg,
Germany is coming alive. As of Monday, they already have 21 players in camp, defender
Efe Ambrose and midfielder Ogenyi Onazi are expected to join the rest of the team by Monday evening.
The team
trained for two hours on Sunday as Head Coach Stephen Keshi observed: “There is
very good team spirit in camp and I am quite happy about that. Everyone is in
great shape and rearing to go.
“I am expecting Efe (Ambrose) and
(Ogenyi) Onazi on Monday, and (Brown) Ideye will join us in America. Of course,
we’re not going to go with everybody to the USA, although I would have loved to
take everyone. There has been huge dedication and commitment here and I’m sure
that those we will pick for the match against Mexico will do Nigeria proud.”
In camp are stand-in skipper and
first-choice goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, goalkeepers Austin Ejide, Chigozie
Agbim and Daniel Akpeyi; defenders Solomon Kwambe, Elderson Echiejile, Godfrey
Oboabona, Benjamin Francis, Kenneth Omeruo, Azubuike Egwuekwe and Kunle
Odunlami; midfielders Emeka Ezeh, Sunday Mba and John Ogu and; forwards Nnamdi Oduamadi, Joseph Akpala, Anthony Ujah, Gambo Muhammed; Obinna Nwachukwu, Gomo Onduku and Michael Babatunde.
Odunlami; midfielders Emeka Ezeh, Sunday Mba and John Ogu and; forwards Nnamdi Oduamadi, Joseph Akpala, Anthony Ujah, Gambo Muhammed; Obinna Nwachukwu, Gomo Onduku and Michael Babatunde.
Keshi
expects to have midfielders John Mikel Obi, Fegor Ogude and forward Ahmed
Musa for the two FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Namibia, and the
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil.
The trio will be waiting to
join the delegation in Frankfurt, Germany after the high-profile friendly in
America against Mexico at the Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas on Friday.
The whole team ready on hand for the friendly will depart their
Novina Hotel Herzogenaurach base for Frankfurt Am-Main International Airport,
at 5.30am on Tuesday, and will fly out of Frankfurt at 10am (9am Nigeria time).
Super excited, only wish I was in Houston to cover the event but will be sure to keep you all posted.
Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi confirms his availability for upcoming World Cup qualifiers and the Confederation Cup in Brazil.
Nigerian international John Mikel
Obi who has been in major doubt due to club commitments and visa issues has
confirmed that he will be available for the upcoming World Cup
qualifiers in June as well as the Confederations Cup in Brazil.
The Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF) revealed that the Chelsea midfielder opted out of the upcoming friendly
in Houston against Mexico on May 31st in order to get some
well-deserved rest. However, the 26-year-old player will be available for the
qualifiers in Kenya and Namibia, as well as the Confederations Cup.
"I've sorted a visa
appointment date with the Brazil embassy in London, which really means a lot to
me," Mikel said.
"I would have loved to play
the friendly against Mexico but that will be impossible, considering the
timeframe.
"I will be available to play
against Kenya and Namibia. And the Confederations Cup is the sole reason I'm
applying for my Brazil visa now to enable me make the trip.
"I look forward to playing my
part for my country."
After three games, both the Super
Eagles and Namibia have 5 points apiece with only the top team in each group
going through to the next round to challenge for a place at the World Cup
finals in Brazil next year. The Super Eagles are level on points with the
Flames at the top of World Cup
qualifying Group F.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
CONGRATULATIONS Bayern Munich, 2013 Champions League champions. Dortmund 1-2 Bayern Munich
This was Arjen Robben's 25th shot
in a Champions League final. Perseverance is the key word today.
Indeed it was a final to remember
and after several months battling it out, it all came down to today’s game
between Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich at Wembley. Who would have thought
it will be this two at the end, this is one of the main reasons I love
football-its unpredictability.
Redeeming himself from last year’s
penalty miss against Chelsea, Robben’s last minute strike secured the Champions
League win for Bayern today. The 29-year-old Dutch international rolled in the
decisive goal against Borussia Dortmund in the 89th minute, having
twice been denied in the first half. He also set up the opener for Mario
Mandzukic earlier in the second-half of the game. He was the man of the match
and winning the cup was definitely reward for all that hard work.
Earlier in the first half, Dortmund
held their ground and they owe it all to their goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller,
he did everything possible but in the end, Bayern proved to be more determined
and eventually winning the cup.
Dortmund’s only chance for a goal
came when Bayern Munich’s Dante smashed into Marco Reus to give Ilkay Gundogan
the chance to level with a penalty in the 67th minute of the second
half.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
One Direction's Liam, Louis and Niall meet Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the team
Some members of boy band One Direction including Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Nial Horan visited the Primera Division giants Ciudad training base outside of Madrid in Valdebebas yesterday. The boys were greeted by majority of the club’s first team squad along with club manage Jose Mourinho.
The boys also got to catch up with football wonder Cristiano Ronaldo; one member of the international boy band Louis was particularly excited at the opportunity of meeting Ronaldo. Louis, a well-known Manchester United fan publicly proclaimed his admiration for the Portuguese player via twitter-"I have to confess I'm just in awe of @Cristiano's footballing ability! Wow," he told his followers on Twitter last month.
The 21-year-old One Direction star also shared his support for the social media campaign to get Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, after he left the recently crowned Premier League champions to move to Real Madrid in a £70million deal in 2009.
The very adorable 1D member Niall tweeted a picture of himself and fellow band members Louis
and Liam with the team, along with the caption: "Up there with some of the
best days of my life! Training with Real Madrid !dreams are made of that stuff.
"Massive thank you on behalf of me and the lads to Real Madrid, Jose
mourinho ,all the players! Unbelievable experience."
Top Nigerian players in Europe this season
With the European league reaching
its end for the season; it is about time to review some of the performances and
contributions made by some of Nigeria’s top stars players in Europe.
Nigeria started off 2013 on a good note,
winning this year’s African Cup of Nations can only be the beginning of better
things to come as the competition not only ended what many prefer to call our
dark days in football, but also exposed new and upcoming talents. The likes of
Mba, Emenike, and Victor Moses really had their time to shine and they are
still basking in that glory as their success in South Africa has apparently
spurred them on in their various clubs.
1-Victor Moses: The 22-year-old
Chelsea winger who transferred from Wigan Athletics became an instant hit with
Chelsea. Moses is able to play in a variety of position, however at
Chelsea, the Nigerian international is doing a fine job as a winger.
He scored four goals in the second-tier European competition, in total; the Chelsea winger who is valued at €15m has scored 8 goals for the Blues ever since his transfer last year.
He scored four goals in the second-tier European competition, in total; the Chelsea winger who is valued at €15m has scored 8 goals for the Blues ever since his transfer last year.
Fellow Chelsea player John Obi
Mikel continues to hold strong in the midfield, Mikel whose presence in the
Super Eagles squad was very much needed in the very successful AFCON has also
played a very important role in the Blues success this season. Although Mike
was unable to play in the last six games including the Europa League semi-finals
as well as the final due to an injury he sustained, we’re hoping that this
Nigerian star who renewed his contract last year and will now be with the Blues
till 2017 will soon return to join the rest of the team.
2- Danny Shittu: The
big defender was rock solid in the heart of the Millwall defence and the London
lions were at some point certain to gain promotion to the EPL until things
began to fall apart.
Shittu did well for the team and even led them as captain to semi-final of FA Cup. The 32-year-old scored the winning goal away to Blackburn Rovers in March to put Millwall into the FA Cup semi-final— the first time since 2004 when they reached the final— against Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium.
Shittu did well for the team and even led them as captain to semi-final of FA Cup. The 32-year-old scored the winning goal away to Blackburn Rovers in March to put Millwall into the FA Cup semi-final— the first time since 2004 when they reached the final— against Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium.
3-Victor Anichebe: after some long-term injuries, Anichebe, once again played himself into the
heart of Everton fans and ex-manager David Moyes with a series of superb
displays as a super sub which eventually led him to bench Nikica Jelavic.
He scored six goals in the EPL, a little short of the double digit figures he
had hoped for.
4- Odion Ighalo, in Spain, this
former Flying Eagles captain and Granada forward has proved to be Nigeria’s best
performer in the La Liga after the departure of Obafemi Martins to the MLS.
The 21-year-old has five goals to his credit, the latest, a winner against
Malaga la. He was a thorn in the flesh of the big sides Barcelona and Real
Madrid, scoring against the latter.
5-Kalu Uche of Kasimpasa emerged Nigeria’s highest scorer in Europe
this season. The former Spain-based midfielder is second top scorer in Turkey
with 19 goals, thus making a case for a return back to the national team.
6- Ahmed Musa, in Russia, the Nigerian international has been at his
prolific best scoring 14 goals for CSKA Moscow in the Eastern European nation’s
topflight league.
Emenike returned to training in
March but he was left ruing his fate when he sustained another injury in April which eventually ruled him out of the season.
The Nigerian international will be missing out on major World Cup qualifiers for Nigeria; however, he should be in good shape after his surgery in about 4 weeks.
The Nigerian international will be missing out on major World Cup qualifiers for Nigeria; however, he should be in good shape after his surgery in about 4 weeks.
WE ARE EXPANDING. Share your EVENTS WITH US
Hey all.
Read More
Okay, if you live in the US, or any
other country outside of Nigeria-1, you are African-2, have, or had an Event-3,
you can share your pictures with WASAAFRICA
So long as you-own rights to the
pictures, have a small background story to share and/or want to promote a cause.
So, go ahead, have the parry and to show the world that 'we like to parry' and
to rep your town, send us pictures, and videos from your events.
Don't dull, we are waiting; it’s
WASA (Play) TIME!
For all events, please send your
photos, the event date and venue to ojomajacobs@hotmail.com You will get a
feature on our site.
Small reminder, this is a
family friendly site, so, no raunchy pictures or else, we go tell
your mama :)
Monday, May 20, 2013
Women's team, FC Zurich challenge FC Barcelona to a friendly match via video.
The all-conquering female Swiss team have played 22 matches and won
all of them, scoring an average of 5.7 goals per game in the process. Their
overall goal difference record is 125:9.
With their unbeaten record of close
to 2000 minutes, the girls decided to question the machismo of the Barca boys
asking if they’ve got the balls to take up their unusual challenge.
The Challenge: Launched on their
official website and Facebook pages, FC Zurich’s ladies have created a
fierce, powerful advert calling for a match with the Catalans giants on their
own home turf.
In the promo video released, the girls are seen dragging a tractor across a pitch, some military style preparation and a little bit of target practice at Lionel Messi’s face.
In the promo video released, the girls are seen dragging a tractor across a pitch, some military style preparation and a little bit of target practice at Lionel Messi’s face.
This is no joke, Zurich offered May
25th as a possible showdown date at the Nou Camp. It’s free for Tito Vilanova’s
side, as they failed to make the Champions League final – which takes place on
the same evening.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Frank Lampard signs a 1-year extension to his Chelsea contract.
New Stuff:
Read More
Chelsea Football Club just announced that Frank Lampard has
signed a one-year extension to his contract.
Lampard who is the third-highest
appearance-maker in the club's history, will be the vice-captain's
13th at Stamford Bridge next season.
Ever since he joined the Blues from West Ham United in 2001, Lampard has won
the Champions League, the Premier League title on three occasions, the FA Cup
four times, the League Cup twice and last night in Amsterdam he lifted the
Europa League trophy.
Just this past Saturday, the
34-year-old midfielder became the Club’s record goal scorer at Villa Park,
breaking Booby Tambling’s 202 goals record.
Super Eagles coach Keshi invites 25 players for international friendly against Mexico (list included)
Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has
invited 25 players for the
international friendly match coming up later this
month on May 31st against Mexico in Houston, Texas.
The Super Eagles, mainly players
from the domestic leagues will be heading to their training camp in Nuremberg, Germany
later today from Abuja, and the foreign based players are expected to meet up
with the team early next week.
The Eagles will play against Mexico
next two weeks, in Houston, USA to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers and also
the FIFA Confederations Cup. The Super Eagles will then proceed to Nairobi
after the game in USA against Mexico, for the World Cup qualifiers on June 5,
and a week later play against Namibia in Windhoek, before jetting out to Brazil
for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Head Coach, Keshi made a few changes in the
team''s list, this time, we have 2 new additions to the team; Anthony Ujah of FC
Koln and Kano Pillars forward, Gambo Mohammed got their first Super Eagles call
up. However, Ahmed Musa and Fegor Ogude were left out of the friendly due to
prior club engagements.
All in all, the proposed team will
have 9 home based players and 16 foreign based players.
Super Eagles team:
Goalkeepers:Vincent Enyeama
(Maccabi Tel Aviv) Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel)
Defenders:Azubuike Egwuekwe
(Warri Wolves), Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Elderson Echiéjilé (Sporting de Braga),
Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag), Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars), Solomon
Kwambe (Sunshine Stars), Francis Benjamin (Heartland FC), Odunlami Kunle
(Sunshine Stars FC)
Midfielders:John Mikel Obi
(Chelsea), Victor Moses (Chelsea), Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Ogu (Academia de
Coimbra), Obinna Nwachukwu (Heartland), Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers), Michael
Babatunde (Kryvbas Kryvyi), Reuben Gabriel (Kilmarnock)
Forwards:Joseph Akpala (SV Werder
Bremen), Brown Ideye (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Anthony Ujah (FC Koln), Nnamdi Oduamadi
(Varese), Kalu Uche (Kasımpaşa Spor Kulübü ), Gambo Muhammad (Kano Pillars FC)
Peter Odemwingie: Expected to leave West Brom this summer, or earlier
No doubt, he had one of the most controversial seasons in the history of club transfers, but till date, both Odemwingie and the Management of West Brom are yet to move past
the very awkward situation that occurred earlier this year.-here
The future of 31-year-old
striker at Hawthorns became questionable upon his return to his club following
his failed move to QPR in January.
West Brom boss Steve Clarke has admitted he does not expect Peter
Odemwingie to be at the club next season.
"His future will be decided in the summer," said Clarke.
"Do I think he will be a West Brom player next season? No, I don't.
"I don't do the deals, I'm the head coach, but I was asked a
question and I gave an honest answer.
"I don't think he will be here next season."
The Nigerian international also claimed
last week that he was almost certain to leave the club this summer after coming
in for criticism from Baggies fans.
Odemwingie who joined the Baggies
from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow for £2.5m in 2010 and has made over 100
appearances, scoring 31 goals, however, ever since the episode in January, he
was featured only as a late substitute in the last seven league games.
Is this a case of good riddance, or
should they try and work it out?
Congratulations!!! Chelsea clenches Europa League title.
A third European final in a row for Chelsea looked to be heading for
extra-time after a Benfica penalty had levelled up Fernando Torres’s
second-half goal, however, Branislav Ivanovic defined the moment when he scored
a towering stoppage time header to ensure Chelsea clinched the Europa
League title after an absorbing encounter with Benfica at the Amsterdam Arena
on Wednesday night.
Branislav Ivanovic came in central
defense along with Gary Cahill to cover for John Terry who is still recovering
from his ankle injury. Frank Lampard who was Captain for the night played alongside
David Luiz in Midfield while Fernando Torres led the attack.
Portuguese side Benefica dominated
the first-half of the game , and only a lack of a decisive touch in the Blues'
area prevented Benfica from taking the lead, with Nico Gaitan and Cardozo both
wasting chances.
THE second half was a different
ball game as Chelsea’s Torres scored the very first goal of the match 14
minutes into the other half of the game. Benfica scored what will be their only
goal in the second half after Cardozo's header found the bottom corner, but the
Paraguayan was correctly judged to have been marginally beyond the Chelsea
backline.
Congratulations Chelsea!!!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Ajax Cape Town barred from playing against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C recently announced that it will
take part in a post-season friendly match with Ajax Cape Town in South Africa
later this month,precisely on the 21st. However, South Africa's Premier Soccer League
(PSL) are putting a stop to the
international friendly on the grounds that it would take publicity away from the
country's cup final.
Ajax Cape Town
have been refused permission by the league to play a friendly against the
English club in Cape Town on May 21 in a move that was immediately criticized.
South Africa’s cup final, sponsored by the banking group Nedbank, completes the season on May 25, four days after the proposed friendly. The last round of league matches is on May 18.
The league’s
general manager Mr. Derek Blankensee on Wednesday -"We don’t allow
international friendlies while the season is still on because it competes with
our own events and our own sponsors,"
"This is
the biggest game of the season for our sponsor and we want them to get the
exposure they deserve," Blankensee added.
Cape Town’s
municipal authorities, who were bankrolling the game, criticised the decision.
"I think
it’s short-sighted because we are trying to build brand South Africa, and
getting one of the greatest football teams in the world to play in this country
is a massive achievement for us," Cape Town city councillor Grant Pascoe
told local media.
"Football
attracts guests and what sort of message does this send out to our
guests?"
An invitation
side, made up of players from Ajax and other Cape Town professional sides, is
now planned to face Liverpool, although all the players are registered with the
PSL.
Last year Ajax
hosted Manchester United in a friendly two weeks before the start of the
season.
Obafemi Martins is the highest paid Seattle Sounders player in team's history.
According to a
very recent players’ union release by the U.S Major League Soccer (MLS),
Nigerian international, Obafemi Martins is the 5th highest paid
player in the League for the 2013 season.
Martins who completed his transfer from Spanish side Levante in March, 2013 is also the highest ever paid player for Seattle Sounders with an annual basic salary of $1.6million.
Martins who completed his transfer from Spanish side Levante in March, 2013 is also the highest ever paid player for Seattle Sounders with an annual basic salary of $1.6million.
According to a statement by MLS players’ union, Martins is on the basic wage of $1.6million per season and earn guaranteed compensation fee of $1.725million
His current salary beats Freddie Ljungberg’s record of $1.3million at Seattle Sounders as highest paid player ever in the club history in 2009/2010 season.
Robbie Kaene of Los Angeles Galaxy holds the No 1 position as highest paid player in MLS with $4million salary and $4.333million as his guaranteed compensation.
Following behind Kaene is former Arsenal legend and French international Thierry Henry who earns $3.75million with a guaranteed compensation fee of $4.35million.
Tim Cahill, also a New York Red Bull player is third on the list of highest players with an annual salary of $3.5million with guaranteed compensation fee of $3.625million.
L.A Galaxy's Landon Donovan is 4th on the highest paid players list with an annual salary of $2.5million and with a guarantee compensation fee of $2.5million.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Former Super Eagles super star Jay Jay Okocha joins twitter.
Former Super Eagles midfielder, and
Nigerian international Austin Okocha , better known as Jay-Jay Okocha has finally caught the twitter bug as he joined the social networking site yesterday.
Already, the 39-year-old soccer
wonder has over 2000 followers and I am sure in a matter of hours this number will
multiply following the amount twitter fans that have been waiting for their
star.
Can't help but notice the
caption on his page “The Football magician”, I have to agree with this one, he
was quite spectacular in his time.
Not that he needs any intro but soccer fans you can follow him at-@iamokocha.
Kobe Bryant in legal battles with mom over the auctioning of his personal mementos.
 |
| Kobe's mom Pamela on the left |
Kobe Bryant in legal fight to stop
his mom from selling off $1.5M worth of early-year memorabilia.
According to court filings, Pamela
Bryant struck a deal with Goldin Auctions in Berlin and received $450,000 up
front which she intended to use for a new home in Nevada
Goldin Auctions of West Berlin wants to sell over 100 items from the Los Angeles Lakers' pro career and his days as a high school player in suburban Philadelphia. The keepsakes — including uniforms, rings and trophies — would be offered on consignment for Pamela Bryant, the athlete's mother.
Goldin Auctions of West Berlin wants to sell over 100 items from the Los Angeles Lakers' pro career and his days as a high school player in suburban Philadelphia. The keepsakes — including uniforms, rings and trophies — would be offered on consignment for Pamela Bryant, the athlete's mother.
Well, Kobe Bryant is not taking this lightly as he is currently involved in a court battle to try to stop his mother from auctioning off his personal mementos worth upwards of $1.5 million from his high school days in Pennsylvania and his early years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
A New Jersey auction house filed a
lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday for the right to sell the
items after the NBA star's lawyers wrote the firm telling it to cancel a
planned June auction.
The question here-does his mom have
the right to sell off his old items or is Kobe being just a little
over dramatic.
.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Former Nigerian football stars play in memory of late Super Eagles legend, Rashidi Yekini
 |
| Amazing moments |
Former African Footballer of the
Year Rashidi Yekini who featured for Nigeria at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups was
on Friday remembered by a testimonial match in Ibadan a year after he died.
The former Shooting Stars and
Nigerian striker died at the age of 47 on May 4 2012 after a brief illness.
The memorial match was held at the
Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, Nigeria and was played between the All Stars of
Ibadan (Friends of Rashidi Yekini) against BRF All Stars of Lagos State on
Friday.
The late Yekini remains one of Nigeria’s
most prolific strikers with an all-time record of 37 goals and was the first
Nigerian star to be named Africa’s best player in 1993. His goals
qualified Nigeria for a first-ever World Cup in 1994 and he went on to score
the country’s first-ever goal at tournament.
Among many other tributes from past
Super Eagles stars, former -Eagles star Garba Lawal told MTNFootball.com
Yekini’s shoes are too big to be filled soon.
"Nobody is close to filling Yekini's shoes. He was a legend. There is one
and only ‘Gangling Rashidi’ Yekini. None of the present Eagles can be like him.
In fact no one can replace him in this century," said Lawal. mtnfootball
Ibadan All-Stars, renamed Yekini
Friends, beat their Lagos counterparts 2-1 on Friday to remember the legendary
Rashidi Yekini who died a year ago.
Nigerian striker Emmanuel Emenike will miss upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to knee surgery
Joint top scorer at the just
concluded AFCON, Emmanuel Emenike went under the knife Thursday for a knee
surgery, the Nigerian striker will be out for the next 6 weeks.
Well, while we wish Emenike all the best and quickest recovery too, for the Super Eagles, this means that the Spartak Moscow
striker will miss next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Namibia.
Emenike’s Russian club Spartak
Moscow released the statement on their website saying- "Emenike underwent
a successful operation on his meniscus and will miss four to six weeks," The
forward will miss the last four games of the season in Russia.
The upcoming World Cup qualifiers are very crucial
for the Super Eagles of Nigeria who are currently level on points with Malawi
at the top of their Group F. After three matches both Malawi and Nigeria have 5 points apiece, however, only the top
team in each group will be going through to the next round of the qualifiers for a place at
the tournament in Brazil next year.
The absence of the 25-year-old striker
will be greatly felt in these games as he is one of the leading strikers in the
Super Eagles camp till date. For now, the only hope is that Coach Keshi will be ready to
work his magic and find a suitable
replacement soon, if not, this could spell trouble for the Eagles.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Highly overrated players so far in 2013
Ready for this one? Well, here we go… football, or soccer whatever
you choose to call it is such an amazing sport and very unpredictable too.
Opinions are allowed here-not to say these players aren't great, they are, however, too much hype from both the media and fans makes it impossible not to notice that maybe they are a little overrated. So, for 2013, here’s a list of some
of the highly overrated players so far.
6. Papiss Cisse (Newcastle United)- Cisse had quite a good run in the start
of his career in the Premier League, he has scored many great goals-in only
half a year, Cisse scored 13 goals for Newcastle after joining the English side
in January of 2012 and he was instantly ranked in the Top 10 overall goal scorers in
the EPL. However, it seems the Senegalese striker is stuck in the past and is
finding it difficult to create those magical moments he once enjoyed not too
long ago for his side.
5. Tom Cleverly (Manchester United) - English footballer Tom Cleverly plays mainly as a central midfielder for
Manchester United and England. While
the 23-year-old midfielder is considered young, it is no excuse to be an average
player especially since they are a lot of talented players out there today. Cleverley
has started all of England's World Cup qualifiers this season and has left his
mark on none of them, with him being a virtual spectator.
4.Emmanuel Adebayor- the 29-year-old
Togolese striker who currently plays as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur and the
Togo national team has shown so many inconsistency in his recent performances, some
of which can be frustrating to watch. Moments of magic followed by poor
turnouts occur far too often for a player rated as highly as Adebayor. Adebayor who once had a career high of 30
goals in one year no longer enjoys the same stats. So far this year, he has scored a total of 6 goals under, his time at
Totenham Hotspur has been filled with ups and downs.
3. David Luiz (Chelsea FC) – As one of the
Samba boys of Stamford Bridge a group which consist of (David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires), it is easy to expect
wonders from this 26-year-old Brazilian defender. Ever since David Luiz moved to
Stamford Bridge on 31 January 2011, for an undisclosed fee, which Benfica, his
former club reported to be €25 million, on a five-and-a-half-year contract-wikipedia, his performance has left many wondering how Luiz was so highly rated in the first
place-In his defense, Brazilian players are not always best known for their
defensive talent. While he is seen as a long-term replacement for veteran John
Terry, it seems he lacks the discipline to play in that role, so he
therefore relies on moments of attacking brilliance to maintain his place in the
team even though he is a defender
2.Lionel Messi (Barcelona FC) - Surprise,
surprise, yes, Messi is highly overrated. Aside from the fact that he scored
the most goals in 2012 and went on to win FIFA’s Ballon d’Or an award which started
in 2010 after France Football Ballon d'Or and the men's FIFA
World Player of the Year merged, it is quite clear that Messi lacks the versatility
that past winners of the award (FIFA World player of the year) poses easily. His
comparison to Ronaldo is also quite unfair sometimes; to start with, Messi has been
with his current club (Barcelona) all his life, secondly, it is only expected
of him to score considering his position as a forward. Ronaldo on the other
hand plays center-forward which makes his goal scoring abilities even more
spectacular, also, Ronaldo moved from Man-U 2 years ago to waning Real Madrid and has since worked his wonder in the club to even their recent victories over Barcelona. This is where the personal opinion thing kicks in-Messi won’t be as
good if he played in a more competitive league. Challenge, he should play on
loan at Manchester United for half a season just to test his ability and
capabilities.
Aside from being a free-kick expert, the English midfielder lacks of any real footballing talent but is still held in the same esteem of that of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Andrea Pirlo and Xavi by many English football fans. Players like Frank Lampard who recently scored his 200th goal or even Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard whose career goal till date is 98, 1 goal higher than Beckham’s deserve the title of England’s best midfielder.
Other overrated players includes:
Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)
Mario Balotelli (AC Milan)
Michael Carrick (Manchester United)You can add to the list or remove some of the names, no problems, remember, your opinions are welcome here-:), so have fun with the list.
Mario Balotelli dumped by girlfreind (ex) Fanny after lewd bet
AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli had
reportedly said that if Real Madrid made it to the Champions League final he
would allow the entire team to sleep with his girlfriend. He later denied
saying it.
His girlfriend, Fanny Neguesha who
happens to be the subject of his ridiculous bet has reportedly dumped Balotelli.
A source told The Sun: 'This was a major bust-up and could spell
the end for Mario and Fanny.'
The 22-year-old Belgian model moved
out of the Balotelli’s mansion in Italy following fights over his joke remark
and partying, theSun reported.
Whether or not his (ex) girlfriend of 7 months or more will
take the Italian player player back is unsure, however, on Thursday, the Belgian model tweeted
a cryptic message in Italian which translates to: 'Love does not exist to make
us happy but to show us how strong our ability to endure pain.'
Justin Fashanu, the Jason Collins of his time.
Long before Jason Collins came out
of the closet on April 29, 2013 making Collins the first active male professional
athlete in a major North American team sport to publicly come
out as gay, 15 years ago, 37-year-old Justin Fashanu an English
professional soccer player who was also the first black footballer to command a
£1million transfer fee with his transfer from Norwich City to Nottingham Forest
in 1981 was the Collins of his time. Fashanu revealed his homosexuality midway
through a career that flirted with stardom and ended in tragedy.
The difference, Fashanu’s time
wasn't ready for him. Times have changed since, while Collins has been
lauded for his bravery after his revelation earlier last week, Fashanu's
sexuality made him a target. His own coaches, teammates and fans all made crude
jokes about him. Opposition fans concocted vile songs and chants about the
English player who at the time had played for various English clubs and even
the national team.
John Fashanu, Justin Fashanu's only brother described Justin as an "outcast" after his revelations about his
sexuality, lamenting the fact that he (John) would be the focus of extra
attention from jeering fans as a result of Justin coming out.
Justin Fashanu moved briefly to the
United States in the mid-1990s, finding work as both a player and a coach.
However, after accusations he had sexually assaulted a 17-year-old in Maryland
– where homosexual acts were then illegal – he fled back to England. Within
weeks he was dead, hanging himself in a storage unit after a visit to a gay
sauna.
Amal Fashanu, John Fashanu’s daughter
fondly remembers her uncle and admits the process of collecting material for her
documentary was both heartbreaking and joyous.
"It was like getting to know
someone all over again," she said. "The road to clearer thinking in
sport was never going to be an easy one and there is still a long way to go. It
needed someone like Justin to come along who had no fear of repercussions and
wasn't prepared to live his life as lie.yahoo sports
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