ubamobile

02
Mon, Nov

AFP – Disgraced Lance Armstrong’s fate was sealed on Monday, as cycling’s under-fire world governing body decided to back a life ban for doping and strip him of his record seven Tour de France titles.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) said it supported a decision by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to erase the Texan’s career and his place in the sport’s history.

“We will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and we will recognise the sanction

Read more ...

John Terry is considering an appeal after the FA's disciplinary hearing found him guilty of "using abusive language" towards QPR's Anton Ferdinand last October which "included a reference to colour and/or race"The independent regulatory commission delivered its verdict on Thursday after a four-day hearing, ruling that

Read more ...

 Former England striker believes the north London club's inability to hang on to its players suggests a lack of ambition in contrast to Manchester United's winning mentality.Alan Shearer has condemned Arsenal's display in its defeat away to Manchester United and hinted that the club can no longer be considered one of the top clubs in the world based on their recent record.

The defeat was the Gunners' third Premier League loss of the season, with their former striker Robin van Persie opening the scoring for the hosts after a mistake from defender Thomas Vermaelen, and Shearer has questioned whether Arsene Wenger's side is any longer in the top bracket of clubs worldwide.

"Which other big club around Europe would sit by and continue to employ a manager who has not won a trophy in seven-and-a-half years? Or do Arsenal no longer put themselves in their category," Shearer replied to The Sun.

"It is the ease with which their best players have walked out the door at the height of their powers that is so worrying — and the replacements have not been up to it."

Shearer believes that Theo Walcott will follow the footsteps of other top stars that have left the club over the past four years.

"People like Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and, soon, Theo Walcott. The Bosman ruling can often take things out of the manager's hands but why are the players allowed to get to a point where they can use it," he said.

"If the team was successful they would not be even looking at the exit door and therein we have the biggest problem. There is nothing to suggest this Arsenal side is going to change that trend. "

"The DNA has gone out the side. Arsenal just seem on a continual slide to a point where they are not even considered contenders."

Shearer also strongly criticized Arsenal left back Andre Santos, who could be seen swapping shirts with Van Persie at half time.

"I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. He's 29, not a young naive lad. He was absolutely all over the place on Saturday as were the whole Arsenal team in terms of defending," he said.

He went on to question the side’s mentality, contrasting Wenger’s fortunes with his counterpart at Old Trafford, pointing out: "Alex Ferguson also had a barren spell, when he went three seasons without the title between 2003 and 2007.

"People were even questioning him at that stage. But he rebuilt and produced another all-conquering team.

"You could argue this Manchester United team does not compare with that of 1999-2001 or of 2008 that had Cristiano Ronaldo in it. What it still has is that steel, desire and will to win."

 

Roberto Mancini, Manchester City boss called for more respect at his press conference on Monday following questions about his future at the club.

Hear him:

"Why do you keep asking me about last month and last season? Why do you keep asking me about last year?" he asked reporters.

"People should have more respect for me and the players at the club."

It was revealed last week that Mancini had spoken to "seven or eight" clubs last season when it looked like the Premier League title would slip away from Manchester City's grasp.

When asked whether he could understand the supporters' unease at the situation, Mancini responded furiously.

"I stayed here, my work is here. I believe in the future of this team. For 15 years the club won nothing and now we've won the Premier League and FA Cup in two years," he said.

He added, "I come here and I am polite and I answer your questions. Every year I may have one or two situations where I could leave the club but I want to stay here and work here."

Mancini's men faces Ajax at the Etihad Stadium in a must win Champions League fixture on Tuesday night but the Italian has conceded that it’s still too early for them to be contenders for the European title.

"In the future it will be easy," Mancini continued. "But what I've had for the first three years is a new team. That's not so easy."

The Italian has a selection headache for the visit of Ajax, with injuries piling up at the club. Mancini confirmed that defenders Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards and Maicon are all injured, while Kolo Toure is not registered for the Champions League.

The Blues are also struggling in midfield as Jack Rodwell, James Milner and David Silva are all still unavailable, though Javi Garcia is back from injury, after making a substitute's cameo against West Ham.

Manchester City coach, Roberto Mancini will not be punished by UEFA following his outburst at Danish referee Peter Rasmussen in the aftermath of Manchester City's draw with Ajax on Tuesday.

Mancini was angry at the final whistle after his side were denied a penalty late on in its Champions League clash with the Dutch champions.

Earlier in the game the hosts had also had a Sergio Aguero goal disallowed after Aleksandar Kolarov had been ruled offside.

However, UEFA has confirmed that the Italian coach will not be facing any disciplinary action as the match officials did not mention the incident in their match report.

"Nothing was reported neither by the delegate nor by the referee," a UEFA spokesperson told the Guardian. "No disciplinary proceedings are opened."

Mario Balotelli has also escaped punishment for his involvement in the closing minutes of the game, after the striker had to be held back by captain Vincent Kompany after also approaching the match official.

Didier Drogba, former Chelsea striker has disclosed that he hopes to train with the West London club following the conclusion of the Chinese Super League season.


Shanghai Shenhua finished a lowly ninth in the CSL, after the Ivorian's eight goals in his first 11 games came too late to save his new club's domestic season. With the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations approaching, the 34-year-old is keen to maintain sharpness and is hoping his former club will help him to do so.

"It will first be necessary that I ask permission to Shanghai and Chelsea also,” Drogba told France Football. “Then, if everyone agrees, it is possible that I will go and train there until the African Cup starts."

Drogba went on to dismiss claims that he was ready to leave China due to a salary dispute as "absolutely false."

"It is absolutely false that I have been paid late at any point - I've never had this problem here," Drogba said.


 

 

Chelsea has announced an annual profit of 1.4 million pounds for the year ending June 30, 2012.The declaration marks the first time the Blues have made a profit since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. The club also announced a record group turnover of 255.7 million pounds, putting the Stamford Bridge outfit into fifth in Europe in terms of generated revenue.

Chelsea’s profits in 2011-12 are a significant improvement on the club's 67.7 million pound loss for the previous financial year, while they also made a 28.8 million pound profit in the transfer market. The figures do not include the lavish investment spent on the likes of new recruits Eden Hazard and Oscar, as the money was spent in the new financial year.

However, Chelsea’s successful financial year will still not go unnoticed and was hugely attributable to the increased revenue gained from the Blues' UEFA Champions League win in May. In addition, the club was able to secure numerous commercial deals off the field, and the overall impact has delighted chief executive Ron Gourlay.

“Our club philosophy is built on success. We had that success on the field this year, as we were the first London team to win the Champions League, and we enjoyed it off the field as well and this helps us inject financial investment into the team," Gourlay said. “The big challenge is always to have a successful team on the field that wins trophies and to make a profit at the same time.

“The objectives have been set across the whole business, from the academy to Under-21s and all the way through to the first team.”

The figures place Chelsea in a much healthier position to deal with UEFA’s upcoming Financial Fair Play regulations, and chairman Bruce Buck was similarly pleased by the announcements.

“We will never forget that night in Munich and now we are celebrating serious progress off the field too," Buck said. “While we draw huge satisfaction from the achievements of the past 12 months, we are more than ever focused on continuing the story of on-field success supported by improving financial performance off the pitch.”

 

Mario Balotelli has no intention of leaving Manchester City despite the increasingly peripheral role he is playing for the club, culminating in being left out of the matchday squad for Sunday's win against Tottenham Hotspur.

Balotelli is still waiting for his first league goal of the season and watched the Spurs game from the stands after being informed his current form did not even warrant a place among Roberto Mancini's substitutes.

The £25.5m signing has frequently found himself out of the team – in 2012 he has started only 11 league matches – and this was the first time he had not even made the bench purely because of his form. Yet the message from the player's camp was clear. "He doesn't want to leave," his agent, Mino Raiola, said. "There's no player who is ever happy with not playing in a game, but he accepts it. It's all part of the game."

From City's perspective, there is clear frustration behind the scenes that a player who was recently nominated for the Ballon d'Or has done very little to justify it for his club, exacerbated by all the baggage that he tends to bring.

His relationship with Mancini has frequently been strained because of the length of time it has taken Balotelli to get anywhere close to the manager's impression of a footballer who could be regarded as next in line to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with better application.

Balotelli, however, remains convinced he can establish himself in Mancini's team on a more permanent basis and Raiola dismissed the latest reports about a possible move back to Italy. "There is no [transfer to] Italy and no plans to go there," Raiola said. "He'll work until the end of his contract. It [Sunday] doesn't mean he wants to leave Manchester."

City turned down an approach from Internazionale in the summer, as well as a counteroffer from two other Italian clubs and Paris St-Germain. Inter have also reputedly spoken to City about the possibility of negotiating a transfer that would take him back to his former club in January. guardian.co.uk

 

After Tuesday`s 3-0 defeat to Juventus, Chelsea FC Wednesday parted ways with its manager Roberto Di Matteo. The club in a statement published on its website, said,

“the team’s recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the Board felt that a change was necessary to keep the club moving in the right direction.”

Full text of the statement, reads

“Chelsea Football Club has parted company this morning with Manager Roberto Di Matteo.” 

“The team’s recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the Board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season.” 

“The club faces a difficult task ahead in qualifying for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as well as maintaining a strong challenge for the top of the Premier League while competing in three other cup competitions. Our aim is to remain as competitive as possible and challenge strongly on all fronts.”

“The owner and the Board would like to thank Roberto for all he has done for the club since taking over in March. Roberto helped guide us to an historic Champions League victory and a seventh FA Cup.”

 “We will never forget the huge contribution he has made to this club’s history and he will always be welcome at Stamford Bridge.”

 

 

 

Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Emmanuel Emenike, is in danger of landing an imprisonment term, after a Turkish court was told that he faked injury in order to avoid playing for his former club, Karabukspor, against Fenerbahce in a Turkish SuperLig fixture in May 2011.

If convicted, Emenike, who is widely tipped to make the country’s South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations squad and is a prominent member of Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League, will be sentenced to prison for three years — a judgement lawyers in Istanbul are already urging the court to make.

According to witnesses, Emenike’s agent was approached by Fenerbache officials before the match and prevailed on him to arrange the player’s injury so he would not feature against them.

The 25-year old attacker, who is standing trial alongside 92 other players for unethical practices in the Turkish first and second divisions in the 2010-11 season, has been accused of match-fixing in a crisis that has already claimed a high-profile casualty — President of Fenerbache FC, Aziz Yildirim, who was sentenced to six years and three months in prison.

Injured Nigerian midfielder, Joel Obi, has moved to quell doubts over his availability for the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which begins in 2013 in South Africa.

The Inter Milan regular starter has spent the bulk of the year on the sidelines, following a nagging muscle injury that relapsed in a Serie A encounter against Catania on 21st October.

Obi had made his return only days earlier in a Europa Cup fixture against Neftci PFK of Azerbaijan.

His long-running injury challenge is known to be a source of worry to Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen keshi, whose team is thought of by pundits as still lacking creativity in the middle of the park. And the consequence is that the highly rated youngster played only a cameo role in the qualifiers for the tournament

“I’m happy I’m back in training, trying to get 100 per cent fit and be ready for both my club and Nigeria,” Obi said on Thursday during a radio interview monitored by Mtnfootball.com. “I will be fit for the Nations Cup. I still have more to give to Nigeria.”

Obi, apparently hoping to be selected for the mundial, also promised that the Nigerian team “would not disappoint” but urged the fans to be generous in their “support.”

 

 

The board of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) chaired by Victor Baribote was on Monday sacked by the NPL Congress.

In the interim, the affairs of the secretariat will be run by Executive Secretary, Tunji Babalola.

The congress proposed February 16 as date of commencement of the new season, and in addition endorsed the hosting of the Super Four preseason tournament in Kano State. It equally overturned the expulsion of Ocean Boys Football Club from the league.

The decisions are expected to be upheld when the Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) holds on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Of the 20 NPL clubs, only Niger Tornadoes were not represented at the congress. Also in attendance, as observers, were Shehu Adamu, Yahaya Kwande and Emeka Inyama, who are members of the Executive Committee of the NFF.

Considering that the NPL Board had announced just on Monday that the Congress would no longer hold, there was heavy presence of security men at the Prixair Hotel in Zone 6, Abuja, where it finally held.

The board, though, mandated Baribote to relinquish chairmanship of the board to his vice Shehu Gusau in order to allow a three-man committee probe the crisis currently rocking the body.

FC Barcelona Club's Medical Services have announced that FC Barcelona's manager has suffered a parotid ailment relapse. Tito Vilanova will undergo surgery on Thursday

The Club’s Medical Services have issued the following medical report on the health of FC Barcelona’s manager, Francesc ‘Tito’ Vilanova:

“An extension of the pathology has been detected in [Vilanova’s] parotid gland. The manager requires surgery which he will undergo this Thursday. He is expected to remain in hospital for three to four days.

After the surgery, Francesc ‘Tito’ Vilanova will undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment for approximately six weeks. During this time, and depending on how well he recovers, Vilanova’s treatment may be compatible with his normal schedule.

In line with the patient’s wishes, we urge respect and privacy during this process.”

 

The Super Eagles will on Thursday, Dec. 27 depart for Faro in Portugal via  Accra, Ghana for the final phase of their preparation for the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.

The team would on Thursday morning in Abuja have their last training session in the local camping phase of their preparations.

The team of players, coaches and other members would then depart same day by 3 p.m for Accra.

Team head coach Stephen Keshi told newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja that players who would not be making the trip to Portugal would be decamped on Thursday.

“It’s a shame that we can’t take all of them to Faro, but what they have done here shows that they are true professionals.

“This is the type of high level commitment that I am looking for, especially when players know that they are not going to travel and they still put in their best.

“It breaks my heart that I can’t take everyone of them to Portugal, but it’s good that they gave a good account of themselves for the future,’’ Keshi said.

The Super Eagles would play a friendly match with Catalonia on Jan. 2 as part of their build-up for the 2013 AFCON, otherwise known as the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Eagles are in Group C alongside defending champions Zambia, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso for the competition’s 29th edition scheduled for Jan. 19 to Feb. 10 in South Africa.

Sandro Rosell, President of Barcelona FC has affirmed that Tito Villanova will return to his managerial duties within twenty one days.

The coach has been sidelined since mid-December, following a relapse with parotid gland cancer.

Rosell hopes that the Tito Villanova will be able to cope with his chemotherapy and coaching Barca, but insists that Vilanova’s recovery is the priority over footballing matters.

The club president told reporters in Dubai: "He will return to work in 15 or 20 days, but he will be going back and forth from the hospital and he will be resting.

“He's going to combine the treatment with his work. The most important thing is his health. For the moment, football comes second."

Rosell avoided stating that Xavi and Carles Puyol will be given new contracts at Camp Nou, but the chief insisted that he wants the Barca legends to stay with the squad.

"They are among the best players for Barcelona and for Spain, and they are important for society because they are a great example to young people,” he added. “I hope they will remain at the club in some capacity in the future."

While on the topic of contracts, Rosell also said he believed the fact that two recent signings took pay cuts to join the Blaugrana shows the commitment players have to the Catalan club.

"We have signed two players in Cesc Fabregas and Javier Mascherano who both earn a lower salary than at their previous club,” he said. “They also paid the commission on their transfer fee. They really wanted to play for us. It's a beautiful thing."

Argentine and Barcelona playmaker, Lionel Messi has been named winner of the 2012 FIFA Player of the Year award (also known as Ballon d’Or), thus completing a remarkable year in which he shattered series of histories.

Messi’s 91 goals in the 2012 calendar were the highest by any footballer, and he has now completed his record-replete year by becoming the first footballer to win the Ballon d’Or a whopping four times.

At the award, held in Zurich on Monday, Messi received 41.60 per cent of votes cast by coaches and captains of national teams. Christiano Ronaldo claimed 23.68 per cent of the votes to place second while Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta emerged third with 10.91 per cent of votes.

“To tell the truth, this is really unbelievable to get the fourth award. I am so nervous,” Messi said at the event.

In other award categories, the Female Coach of the Year 2012 award went to Pia Sundhage, former coach of US women national team

Coach of the Spanish national team, Vincent Del Bosque was named Male Coach of the Year while the FIFA Presidential Award went to German Franz Beckembauer.

The Uzbeskistan Football Federation won the Fair Play award, Miroslav Stoch won the Puskas Award for Best Goal of the Year, and Aby Wambach won the FIFA Female Footballer of the Year award.

Management of Startimes Nigeria on Tuesday unveiled plans to bid for the hosting rights of the forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Director Operations, Startimes, Maxwell Loko disclosed this at a press conference held in Abuja, saying the company has injected N15bn over the past two years since its entry into the Nigerian economy, via the digital terrestrial television network otherwise known as pay television.

Loko explained that the firm is currently perfecting negotiations to acquire hosting rights to air the forthcoming African Cup of Nations. He also unveiled additional packages to be provided by the company, including DVB-T2 decoder, M50 Mobile TV phone and the launch of the Door-to-Door service.\

According to Loko, the DVB-T2 technology’s unique advantage is its ability to offer more educative, informative and entertaining programmes, one frequency having the capacity for 25 channels.

Loko explained that the latest introduction places Nigeria at the same level with other African countries like Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda where, Startimes had introduced the technology.

"Besides the African Cup of Nations, which will be provided on the bouquet for Nigerians to enjoy, the Startimes DVB-T2 decoder will gather over seventy channels of great sport, music, movies, news, kids and teens entertainment, documentary, religion and lots more,” he assured.

“Other exciting channels to join the T2 decoder channel list soon are WAP TV, EuropeSports News, Africa Movie Channel, A Music Channel (AMC), Business TV, Freshwave among others.”

Loko also noted that the company has captured 16 states and promised that the expansion programme will establish its presence in 15 other states 

The Chinese company, currently sharing partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), described terrestrial broadcasting all over the world as being capital-intensive.

On his part, Chief Operating Officer of Starttimes, Joshua Wang reiterated that the focus of the company is beyond profit-making but rather the challenge of achieving its corporate social responsibility, especially in relation to migration policy from analogue to digital broadcasting in the country.

“Our mission is to ensure that every home in Nigeria enjoys affordable digital entertainment backed by the collaboration with NTA, a strategic partnership that will help Nigeria in actualising its 2015 transition deadline,” he added.

Nigeria Coach, Stephen Keshi released the final list of the Super Eagles squad to the 2013 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Portland Timbers of USA striker, Bright Dike, emerging the major omission from the initial 27-man contingent in camp.

Thirty-two-year captain of the team, Joseph Yobo will play in his sixth Nations Cup, which he long reckoned may be his final tournament.

Yobo began his career as a forward during the 10th FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999, which Nigeria hosted, and then went on to star for the senior team at the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 editions, four of which the country won bronze at.

A disappointed Bright Dike wished the team well and expressed hope that he would be considered for future tournaments, the World Cup especially.

“I am disappointed not to make the AFCON final list,” he said. “But I am thankful for the experience and opportunity. I was hoping to be at the tournament, that's soccer for you. Now I am looking forward to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and the tournament itself.”

Keshi had earlier dropped Papa Idris (Enyimba, Nigeria), Kalu Uche of Reizpur in Turkey (who was injured), Rabiu Ibrahim (Kilamrock, Scotland) and Henry Uche (Enyimba, Nigeria). And on the final day Raheem Lawal, Benjamin Francis, Solomon Kwande and Heartland Fc goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi joined Bright Dike on the rejection list.

Chelsea FC of England midfielder, John Mikel Obi will join other stars of the team such as 11-year veteran goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, and experienced forward Ikechukwu Uche at the tournament.

Below is the full list:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Be’er Sheba, Israel), and Chigozie Agbim (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria)

Defenders: Elderson Echiejile (SC Braga, Portugal), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod FC, Israel), Joseph Yobo (Fenerbache, Turkey), Efe Ambrose (Celtic FC, Scotland), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves, Nigeria), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag, Netherlands), and Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars, Nigeria)

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea FC, England), Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis, Spain), Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy), Obiora Nwankwo (Calcio Padova, Italy), Fegor Ogude (Valerenga FC, Norway), and Reuben Gabriel (Kano Pillars, Nigeria)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Emmanuel Emenike (Spartak Moscow, Russia), Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England), Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria), Ikechukwu Uche (Villarreal FC, Spain), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine), and Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria)

 

 

Former Barcelona FC coach, Josep Guardiola has been appointed the coach of Bayern Munich Fc of Germany, beginning from the 2013/2014 season. Guardiola departed Camp Nou in 2012 after winning a total of 14 trophies in a space of just four seasons.

At the bundesliga club where he has signed a four-year deal until 2016, he succeeds Jupp Heynckes, who ascended the position in 2011 but confirmed late last that he would be relinquishing the post at the end of the current season.

A host of top European clubs, including last year’s Champions League winners, Chelsea, and Manchester United had been linked to the Spaniard but he opted for Munich in the end. “We are very pleased that we have succeeded [in appointing] the football expert Pep Guardiola, who was courted by many famous clubs and contacts,” said Bayern CEO, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “Guardiola is one of the most successful coaches in the world and we are sure that he can [help] not just Bayern, but German football, shine.”

He also praised outgoing coach, saying, “As a club and as Jupp Heynckes' friends, we have to show understanding for this decision. We have to accept it and we have to respect it. “During personal talks with Jupp Heynckes, we assured each other that we will do anything we can, and now even more, to have a successful second half of the season, in which we want to get the title to Munich.”

Arsenal forward, Theo Walcott has signed a new three-and-a-half year deal worth £100,000 a week with the London club.

The deal ends weeks of speculation about the future of the 23-year-old who is the club’s top scorer yet this season, after he turned down a £75,000-a-week offer last August.

Earlier in the season, Wenger had secured new contracts for Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson. Joining Walcott to the list gives him a lot of happiness.

“We are all delighted that Theo has signed a new contract,” he said. “He joined us as a 16-year-old, and since then has developed very well to become an extremely important player for both Arsenal Football Club and England.

He described Walcott has a strong player and also a great person, saying the combination of his ability and pace makes him such a valuable asset either from the flanks or down the middle.

“Theo’s contract extension now gives us a strong nucleus of ambitious young players who have committed to the club and want to be successful with us as a group,” he added.

Walcott himself expressed happiness at extending his Arsenal career despite reported interest from the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

"I am very happy to have signed a new contract here,” he said. “Thanks to everyone for their continued support — the manager, everyone at the club and, most importantly, the fans.

“I have made it clear from the start that I wanted to stay at Arsenal, so I am pleased we have agreed a deal that everyone is happy with. What’s important now is for the team to realise its potential and win trophies.”

 

Well, Nigeria's team at the ongoing Africa Nations Cup met stiff challenges so far and the country can only hope for better days ahead (I genuinely believe so). While some people find it easy to make a case for strong criticism, others simply recycled vague allegations and to make matters worse Patrick Ekeji, the Director General of NSC was making legal threats to anyone who criticise NSC. He said and I quote, “ …that the time had come for the NSC to use all legal instrument at its disposal to protect its image from the utterances and activities of people who he said have turned the act of disparaging the NSC into a pastime as well as a means of livelihood...insisted that the criticisms were baseless.. The decision to include elite athletes in the National Sports Festival & sack Secretary-General of Federations were met with criticism. “

 Preamble

Firstly, Nigeria is in democracy and the government are led by people representatives and those individuals must act within established laws of the land as enacted by the legislative branch. However, there comes time when those laws failed to meet the current needs of the people where it becomes useless and hindrance to development. As a result, the people representatives in the legislative arms of the country leadership are empowered to amend and create new laws.

 Nitty Gritty (koko in Yoruba slang)

If people are fed up with useless policies and rules then they must be heard by all reasonable legitimate means (I think that is one of democratic principles). For example, if a house of representative individual failed to follow up on constituents’ grievance, then, the question, whether it is reasonable to approach the media and if so, what is disparaging about it? Again here, Nigeria Sports development policy turned out to be a piece of cotton candy where with one bite the whole policy melted as noticed in the Olympics Games and God forbid at the ongoing Nations Cup. Is it time for people to use the same media NSC, the House of Assembly and the Presidency used to take up their positions and make announcements? I think so.

 Ekeji Threat (alleged)

NSC was established by a federal legislative act and nowhere in such act that NSC was required to (or) becomes a corporate body under Company and Allied Matters Acts (Chapter 54 of Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) to be able to bring an action in civil court to repair its corporate image (if any). Based on NSC act, the entity is a commission within the executive branch of the federal government and its’ actions (Policies) are reviewable by the legislatures and the Presidency.

 It will be surprising however, in private law, whether NSC can bring action directly in a civil court because a Commission generally is at the convenience of a seating government to partake a highly technical aspect of governance, as such it has no image of its own (to protect), rather it is the Attorney General that can bring action on behalf of the federal government for any alleged tarnished Federal Government (via NSC) image if practicable (I doubt it will prevail).

 To do otherwise mean NSC is above public scrutiny and I doubt sincerely whether Ekeji threat can ever materialise into any legal victory. Imagine, the seating government telling opposition that they lacked any right to criticise. Is Nigeria in dictatorship?  Frankly, this threat suggests that NSC really need a competent legal adviser as soon as possible because going forward with establishing new rules for federation require this need as a necessity.

 Going forward

Clearly, Nigerians whatever their motives as suggested by Ekeji are within their democratic right of dissent to disagree with policies that affects them and the onus is on the federal government to mitigate such disenchantment with meaningful policies to meets current needs of the populace.

 

Go Eagles fly high.

 I rest.

 Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, LLB(Hons.), LLM(London)

 

 

While the fate of the Super Eagles hangs on the balance, Ivory Coast, South Africa and (wait a minute), Cape Verde have booked their tickets for the knock-out stages.

With two points and two goals from two games played so far, Coach Stephen Keshi’s “Plan

A” of topping the group to play a quarterfinal game at Nelspruit seems to have become a luxurious desire as Keshi comes under increasing pressure for his technical and tactical options, while his selection of some players has been called into question.

Keshi however remains upbeat about the Eagle’s chances of making the round of sixteen on Tuesday in their last group game against Ethiopia; arguably the whipping boys of the group.

 

Ethiopia tops the group from the bottom having been whitewashed (0-4) by Burkina Faso in their second game. Burkina Faso needs just a draw in their last game against reigning champions Zambia who have two points and just one goal scored in their first two matches.

All the permutations show the odds are against the Super Eagles who must beat Ethiopia to ensure qualification. Since Nigeria played a (1-1) tie with both Burkina Faso and Zambia, its goal differential with the two countries is (0). Should Zambia beat Burkina Faso in their final group match and Nigeria beats Ethiopia, Zambia and Nigeria will qualify from the group with five points each. Meanwhile, if Burkina Faso beats Zambia; Nigeria will need just a draw against Ethiopia to make the knock-out stages but Ethiopia will qualify with four points by beating Nigeria.

 

In the unlikely scenario of a (0-0) tie amongst all the four teams, Burkina Faso will top the group with five points and Nigeria will still be able to sneak into the round of 16 with three points from three draws. But if Zambia plays a (2-2) tie with Burkina Faso, Nigeria is out on goal difference.

 

Ahead of Tuesday’s crucial game, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has urged the Super Eagles to redouble their efforts to qualify for the quarter finals, warning that failure to make it to the next round of the competition would be an embarrassment to the nation. “It will be a shame to the whole country if we fail to pick a quarter final ticket,” the National League’s Ahmed Kawu said in an interview.

 

Before their second match, Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi gave the players $100,000 and promised more as they progress, a motivation the players could not build on. The Federal Government had released over N700 million for the team’s preparation and participation in the tournament but as the team struggled to grab another draw against Zambia, soccer aficionados have been questioning Keshi’s technical and tactical options, including the caliber of players he assembled for the tournament.

 

Although consensus opinion agrees the team is a work in progress, of particular worry is the fitness level of some of the players for the competition, whose performance have become the source of controversy and anger. For example, team captain Joseph Yobo has been facing some fitness issues in his club and was definitely not 100% fit for this competition, yet Keshi included him.

 

Yobo, who said he was making his last appearance at the Nations Cup for Nigeria was on the bench throughout the game against Zambia. Since injury did not allow Yobo to play in some of the qualifying games, Yobo ought not to have made the final 23. It is believed Keshi included him in the squad to offer him a befitting exit from the Eagles and to recognize his services rendered to the nation.

Besides Yobo, even Gabriel Reuben was injured, yet Keshi still included his name on the list.

 

It is also hard to understand Keshi’s preference for Ahmed Musa who has not been at his best, while a player like Ikechukwu Uche has started all the first two matches from the bench. Keshi has introduced Uche late in the two games despite his good run of form, suggesting there might be some locker room issues between the coach and the player. Also, questions have arisen as to the presence of Fegor Ogude in the team, with speculations rising that Keshi like his counterparts before him, has adopted a mercantilist quid pro quo attitude of using the Nations Cup as platform to expose players and later sell them to foreign clubs for a kickback.

 

Eyebrows have also been raised over the performance of John Mikel Obi who has been anything but convincing in the midfield. Mikel Obi has not been inspiring and creative and he compounded his poor performance by losing a penalty against Zambia.

“If he had scored that goal, perhaps we could have gone two goals ahead before Zambia got their goal and in that case Nigeria would still have won. When did Mikel suddenly become a penalty player for the Eagles? He clearly showed the keeper the direction he was kicking the ball. He did the same in our last qualifier against Liberia in Calabar though he scored. Mikel is not inspiring in the midfield and he needs to up his game,” an angry supporter told Huhuonline.com at the end of the match.

Meanwhile, host country, South Africa, debutants, tiny Cape Verde and tournament favorites, Ivory Coast, have booked their tickets in the knock-out stages. After edging a gutsy Togolese side (2-1) in their first game, the Ivorians defeated Tunisia (3-0) in their second game and have Algeria, already eliminated in their third group match. Togo battles Tunisia in another make or break match for second place.

Debutants Cape Verde qualified for the last eight after coming from behind to beat Angola 2-1 in Port Elizabeth. The Angolans took the lead through an own goal from Cape Verde defender Neves. The Blue Sharks equalized with nine minutes left, after defender Fernando Varela headed in from close range.  Substitute Heldon snatched the winner in the 90th minute to secure second place in Group A behind South Africa which played a pulsating (2-2) tie with Morocco.

The 36 year old Egyptian referee, who officiated the match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Chipolopo of Zambia on Friday January 25th, has been dismissed from the on-going 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as a result of poor officiating.

Ghead Grisha awarded a controversial penalty to Zambia in the 85th minute which enabled them draw level in the group C match. Grisha awarded the spot kick against Onazi Ogenyi for a supposed foul on Emmanuel Mayuka. However, television replays of the tackle on the stadium scoreboard showed clearly that the offence was clearly outside the box, yet the referee went ahead to award a penalty.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF immediately sent a protest letter to the Confederation of African Football, CAF, asking the football governing body to look into the questionable call by Grisha. After reviewing the action, CAF decided that it was a bad call. “Grisha has been sent home. He will have no further action at this Cup of Nations. His decisions did not tally with best practices of the refereeing profession and we would not allow anyone to start re-writing the rules of the game here.”

“He was sent home because of his mishandling of the match. Isa Hayatou, CAF President, admitted that the penalty call by the referee was wrong. If there was a foul, it was definitely outside the 18-yard-box, and not a penalty. Referees are not allowed to re-write the rule of the game,” Hayatou was quoted to have told the Nigerian delegation.

The was jubilation in Super Eagles camp Monday afternoon as news filtered in that the Egyptian referee who awarded the dubious penalty to allow Zambia equalize has been sent home by CAF. But a top NFF official however insisted that the damage has been done and the sending away of the referee means little as it will not change the result of the match.

 

Page 1 of 8
Today22
Yesterday26
This week22
This month48
Total1452027

Visitor Info

  • IP: 216.73.216.40
  • Browser: Unknown
  • Browser Version:
  • Operating System: Unknown

Who Is Online

1
Online
2026-11-02

Joomla! Debug Console

Session

Profile Information

Memory Usage

Database Queries