Welcome To Dipo Liadi's blog: January 2014

31 January 2014

FOOTBALL CHALLENGE: Watch Baloteli Outshine Fabregas & Reus In Contest

AC Milan’s Mario Balotelli, Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus and Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas descended on Barcelona for a Puma event. The three stars went head to head (to head) on a footballing challenge, testing their power and their accuracy. Cesc Fabregas did not fare so well and Mario Balotelli impressed greatly.

Kanu Nwankwo's Net Worth Is Around N18 Billion

If his investments at home and abroad is anything to go by, Nigeria soccer idol, Nwankwo Kanu should arguably be rated as Nigeria’s wealthiest footballer at the moment. He might not have signed mega contracts during his playing career, but he was wise enough to have invested heavily on real estate and hospital businesses at the twilight of his career as a retirement investment. A peep into his multi billion property shows that the ex-Nigeria skipper owns a mansion at Opebi area of Lagos which is being valued at about N150 million and an estate in Owerri.

However, insiders say his biggest asset is his Hardley suite located in Victoria Island, Lagos. It is one of the biggest hotels in Lagos and sources close to him say though he recently lost about N1.4 billion to fraudsters in his hotel business, he rakes over N2 million daily as profit.

Nigeria International, John Utaka in this interview with Johnny Edward says he hopes to be back in Eagles for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Firstly, let me start by thanking you for finding time to chat with Complete Sports…

You are welcome.

Everything seemed to be going so well for you in France yet you ditched Montpellier for Sivasspor in the Turkish league. What happened?

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho cranked up the mind games ahead of Monday's heavyweight clash at Manchester City by suggesting that Lady Luck had been smiling on the Premier League leaders in recent weeks.

"Their players are obviously very good and their manager (Manuel Pellegrini) is also doing a good job," Mourinho told a news conference on Friday.
"On top of that, and this is just pure coincidence, the reality is they have had many crucial decisions in their favour.
"They were lucky against Liverpool, against Newcastle and against Tottenham. But I repeat this is just pure coincidence."

Arsenal have announced the loan signing of Kim Kallstrom from Spartak Moscow until the end of the season. The Gunners have confirmed that he will be eligible to take part in the remainder of their Champions League fixtures - despite featuring for his Russian employers in the Europa League play-offs. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger welcomed Kallstrom with a statement to the club's official website: “Kim Kallstrom is a hugely-experienced player.

"He is a midfielder with proven quality at both club and international level. We welcome Kim to Arsenal.”
Kallstrom added: “Arsenal is an amazing club with a lot of great players and a coach who has done really well here for a long time. I am so pleased to come here to learn as much as possible.

A former African Boxing Union light heavyweight champion, Joe Lasisi, on Wednesday threw a challenge to fight Bash Ali, for the “Guinness World Book of Records” title fight. Mr, Lasisi, 60, said in Lagos that “Ali should accept my challenge if he really wants to prove he deserves to be in the record book.

“I have decided to come out of retirement; I’m fit and ready and Ali should accept my challenge and let us see who is truly Nigeria’s great.”

The National Sports Commission on January 7 in Abuja inaugurated a Local Organising Committee for the proposed Bash Ali Guinness World Book of Records title fight.

The final days of the special one at the Bernabue looked quite promising with the prospect of a Copa Dey Rel final to be played against Atletico Madrid on home soil. The surprise that springed up later was a defeat on home soil which ended a disappointing season for the Madristas. Jose described that season has the worst of his career as various factors were responsible for the failure including a fall out with most players.

Mourinho's move to Chelsea hasn't been disappointing but a more competitive Premier League as made the job harder. A more attacking Manchester City and a now spending Arsenal have both made Chelsea hopes short. With Chelsea attackers mis firing the job as been harder for Jose and the absence of quality strikers in the January transfer market has hindered Mourinho from signing a striker which is most needed.

The Greek Super League outfit has confirmed the acquisition of the Olympic silver medalist and former Nigeria international defender for five months. Ergotelis FC have announced the capture of centre-back Ayodele Adeleye for the remainder of the season with an option of a year's extension. The Greek side confirmed via a statement on its website thus: “The Ergotelis FC has acquired the services of Ayodele Adeleye until 30/06/2014, with the possibility of extending cooperation for another year.”

The 26-year old joined the Cretans on a short spell after forcing through a loan move from Russian money bags Anzhi Makhachkala following poor playing opportunity that saw him only make thirteen appearances for the Russian giants in all competitions.

Australia took control of the second T20 against England in Melbourne courtesy of an outstanding performance in the field, and no example of that was better than Glenn Maxwell's run and throw to run out Joe Root.
Australia added the Twenty20 series to their victories in the Ashes and one-day internationals, as an eight-wicket win over England gave them a 2-0 lead. England lost four wickets in as many overs early in their innings after opting to bat and only Jos Buttler (22) passed 20 in their mediocre 130-9.

Ejike Uzoenyi has vowed that disappointed Nigeria will still fight to win the third-place at CHAN against Zimbabwe on Saturday. Uzoenyi, who said he was disappointed the Eagles lost to rivals Ghana on penalties in Wednesday’s semi-final, has promised that the team will fight to win the bronze to make up for not reaching the final.

“It’s the only thing we have to leave here with and we are determined to compensate Nigerians with a third-place finish,” the Enugu Rangers winger said.

Uzoenyi almost passed out when Ghanaian defender Kwabina Adusei, elbowed him around his neck leading to a minor concoction mid-way into the first half of the CHAN semi-final in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Watch Shakira's Frustrating Reaction When CR7 Scored Against Barcelona

This Goal scored in the Cope Dey Rey final delivered Mourinho's first Trophy in Madrid. Full of emotions for her boyfriend Shakira's reaction speaks it all when Ronaldo scored the winner for Madrid. So much love for her man's club.....

BOXING: Floyd Mayweather Wins Top Boxer Of The Year Again

Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., who dominated both of his world title fights in two different weight divisions in 2013, was voted winner of the Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year award in balloting results announced by the Boxing Writers Association of America on Tuesday. It is the second time Mayweather has won the award. He also won in 2007, the last time he fought at least two times in a calendar year.

"It is a great honor to be voted by the BWAA as fighter of the year. To be recognized by this organization is special and I truly appreciate it," Mayweather said in a statement given to ESPN.com. "I also want to congratulate the other winners and also recognize my fellow nominees, whose achievements in the ring this past year afforded them nominations too."

In spite of their victory over Nigeria on Wednesday, Ghana’s coach Maxwell Konadu insists his Nigerian counterpart, Stephen Keshi, is still the best coach in Africa.

Ghana beat Nigeria 4-1 on penalties in the semi-finals of the African Nations Championship (Chan) on Wednesday, but Konadu believes the result does not taint the reputation of Keshi, who was crowned the continent’s coach of the year at the Glo/CAF African Football Awards.
“I do not think this game will change his status in Africa. I know Nigerians are behind him. They all respect him and what he has done with the local team,” Konadu told reporters in Bloemfontein on Thursday morning.

Ghana will play Montenegro in their first pre-World Cup friendly on 05 March, the Ghana Football Association has confirmed. The game will be played at the Stadium Pod Goricum in Podgorica.

A Ghana FA statement on Thursday read: “The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has concluded plans for the international friendly with the Brave Falcons on 5 March.

Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid all face difficult games this weekend as they return to La Liga action after qualifying for the Copa del Rey semifinals in midweek.

Just one point separates the top three with Barca and Atletico leading the way on 54 points, but a five-game winning run in the league has brought Madrid right back into the hunt with 17 games still to go. It is Real who appear to have the stiffest test of all this weekend, though, as they travel to the in-form Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Athletic suffered their first defeat in 13 games since moving to the new San Mames as they bowed out to Atletico in the Cup on Wednesday night.

Nigerian midfielder, John Obi Mikel has spoken of the frustration after Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by West Ham United in a Barclays English Premier League game at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

The Blues dominated the game for long spells but were unable to make the decisive breakthrough, bringing an end to their seven-match winning streak. A win, by a two-goal margin, would have seen Chelsea move up to second place on the Premier League standings and Mikel spoke of his sadness at the result.

“Coming into the game we knew how they were going to approach it,” Mikel told the club’s official website, www.chelseafc.com.

NFL: Nigeria's Ayanbadejo Testifies That Players Smoke Before Matches

Former NFL linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo hasn't been shy about discussing hot-button topics both within and outside the realm of football, and he has continued his controversial ways by levying some allegations against former teammates.

Ayanbadejo revealed that some of his teammates smoked marijuana just days before one of his Super Bowl appearances.

Ayanbadejo played 10 NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens. He competed in Super Bowl XLI in 2007 and Super Bowl XLVII last year, but he declined to say before which Super Bowl the alleged incident occurred.

Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema have both been acquitted of charges of soliciting an underage prostitute.
Neither Ribery nor Benzema attended the trial in the French capital. Ribery, 30, and Benzema, 26, faced up to three years in prison if found guilty of having sexual relations with Zahia Dehar, now 21, when she was under 18.

Bayern Munich forward Ribery, who admitted having sex with Dehar in Munich in 2009, argued he had not known how old the Algerian-born woman was at the time, while Real Madrid striker Benzema denied Dehar's claims the pair had spent the night together in Paris in 2008. Dehar had always insisted she had lied about how old she was, and neither player had been aware of her true age.

Doctors treating injured Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher are reducing his sedation to prepare to bring him out of a coma, his manager says. This step will allow the "waking up process" to start, Sabine Kehm said in a statement.

But bringing the seven-times champion out of the coma "could take a long time", she added.
Schumacher suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps on 29 December. He was put into a medically induced coma by his doctors at a clinic in Grenoble following operations to remove blood clots from his brain.

Forbes dropped their list of the top earning players in the NBA and Kobe Bryant leads, especially with him being in the final season of his three year 83.5 million dollar contract with the Lakers back in 2010. He is the first player since Jordan to top $30 million with his playing salary. The NBA’s 10 highest-paid players will collectively bank $358 million this year, including $149 million from sponsors.

Check out the list after the cut....

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says it is “fantastic” that Arsenal are rewarding Arsene Wenger with a new contract despite their lack of silverware in recent years. Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis said this week that Wenger, whose current deal is due to expire at the end of the season, will extend his 17-year stay at the club.

Mourinho, who has underlined the importance of stability and spoken of his desire to remain at Stamford Bridge long-term, said he believes that is the right decision, in spite of Arsenal’s failure to win a trophy since 2005 FA Cup.

He told the media: “I’m happy that a club like Arsenal trusts the manager so much, gives him a new contract even without knowing if they are going to win the title.

FIFA says it imposed a worldwide lifetime ban on Lebanese referee Ali Sabbagh, who agreed to fix an April 2013 match in Singapore in exchange for sexual favors.

The Asian Football Confederation had already banned Sabbagh from refereeing and attending stadiums this month. FIFA also extended 10-year bans on Sabbagh’s assistants, Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb, to apply globally.

CHELSEA 0 WESTHAM 0: Watch Mourinho's After Match Interview

The funny quotes have been doing the rounds, and the video clip is now up of Jose Mourinho and Sam Allardyce’s war of words following Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with West Ham. The beef originated with Mourinho’s sour grapes at being unable to breach West Ham’s parked bus, with Big Sam’s side deploying ‘tactics from the 19th century, in Mourinho’s words.

Nigeria skipper Joseph Yobo has sealed a loan move to return to the EPL with Norwich City, his Turkish club Fenerbache have announced.

Fenerbahçe, who are a listed company, said in a statement to the stock market: "Our talent Michael Joseph Yobo temporary transfer until the end of the 2013-2014 season for Norwich City FC. "

Several other media reports also said Yobo will return to England to feature for Norwich City till the end of the season and he will earn about 800,000 Euros.

Michael Schumacher's sedation is being reduced to allow the "waking up process" to start, his manager says.
Bringing the Formula 1 legend out of his coma could take a long time, Sabine Kehm said in a statement.
Schumacher suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps on 29 December.

He was put into a medically induced coma by his doctors at a clinic in Grenoble after operations to remove blood clots from his brain. Doctors have kept him asleep to help reduce the swelling.

FORMULA ONE: Micheal Schumacher Still In Coma After One Month

One month after his skiing accident, Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is still in a medically induced coma, his manager has said. Sabine Kehm told the BBC the seven-time world champion remained in a "stable" condition at a clinic in Grenoble.

She has rejected as "speculation" a French media report saying Schumacher was being woken from his coma. The German suffered a severe head injury on 29 December when he fell and hit a rock in the French Alps. Surgeons have performed two operations to remove blood clots around Schumacher's brain. He is being kept asleep to reduce swelling.

Nigeria will go into their semi final clash at the on going Chan 2014 Championship against the Black Stars buoyed by their near miraculous come from behind him win against Morocco and will hope to edge out Coach Maxwell Konadu and his charges. The Super Eagles will look to beat their neigbours and rivals for the first time in a senior competitive match since 2010.

The clash is another meeting of two eternal rivals, and the West African derby promises to be a tough contest as both coaches have been talking tough in the build up to the match.

Nigeria and Ghana's journey to the final has been a case of contrasting fortunes as Nigeria's debut in the tournament looked to be over before the tournament started as the Super Eagles lost to Mali 2-1 in their first Group A game but bounced back to hit seven goals in two games to reach the quarters.

Emmanuel Emenike is in a face-off with a top car company over a jeep he bought for more than $100,000 but which has since developed a fault.

The World Cup-bound Nigeria striker told us he is now at a loss as to what to do after the BMW X6 he bought for 18 million Naira developed a problem a year after. And the car company has yet to return the car to him three months after he sent it back for repairs.

Fenerbache striker Emenike is so frustrated about the situation that he has been forced to splash another 10 million Naira on a Siena Jeep in the interim.

England have retained the Women's Ashes after winning the first Twenty20 international by nine wickets to take an unassailable lead in the series. Skipper Charlotte Edwards (92 not out) and Sarah Taylor (50 not out) saw them home with an unbeaten stand of 114.

Earlier, Australia skipper Meg Lanning (78 not out) won the toss and added 67 for the fourth wicket with Ellyse Perry (29 not out) as the hosts made 150-3.

England lead the multi-format series 10-4 with two T20 games remaining. In the end, it proved a stroll in the Hobart sunshine for Taylor and Edwards - ranked first and third in the International Cricket Council's T20 rankings - as Australia's bowlers had no answer to the determined second-wicket pair, who rounded off the victory with 13 balls to spare.

MANCHESTER UNITED 2 CARDIFF 0: Watch David Moyes After Match Talk

The face of a happy man....

LEBRON JAMES: Kevin Durant Is Unstoppable

LeBron James says no one can guard Kevin Durant without help.

"Individually, he can't be stopped by any 1-on-1 player," James said. "There's nobody that can guard him 1-on-1." James, in a reversal from his pleas in previous seasons, also says he'd like to play more minutes.

"I'm not playing as many minutes as I would like but Spo is in control of that," James said Tuesday of coach Erik Spoelstra as the Heat prepared to face the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN). "I don't like playing less, I don't feel like I need to play less."

Nigeria Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi is expected to fly into South Africa today for tonight's Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) semi final match between Super Eagles and Black Stars of Ghana.

Mallam Abdullahi will connect a domestic flight from O.R Tambo International airport in Johannesburg to Bloemfontein, with the game slated for Mangaung stadium. Players and officials of the second string senior national team are not blinking an eye over the Minister's pronouncement of another N16m reward if they dim the Black Stars of Ghana.

Arsenal are targeting a central midfield signing in the final days of the window after being rocked by Aaron Ramsey’s injury blow, Goal can reveal. Arsene Wenger is in the market for a midfield operator who can protect the defence and link with the team’s attacking players.

The Frenchman played down the severity of Ramsey’s new thigh injury in the immediate aftermath of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Southampton on Tuesday but Goal understands the Welshman will be out for up to another six weeks.

There are also growing doubts about Jack Wilshere’s recovery from his latest ankle problem after he saw a specialist in London on Tuesday. The England international has been ruled out of Arsenal’s league match against Crystal Palace on Sunday and is also now rated doubtful for the crunch clash against Liverpool six days later.

Australia defeated England by 13 runs in Hobart in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international series.
Openers Cameron White (75) and Aaron Finch (52) shared 106 inside 11 overs, with 11 fours and seven sixes as the hosts posted 213-4 after opting to bat.

Needing to equal their highest ever T20 total to win, England soon lost three wickets for seven runs in 13 balls. Ravi Bopara struck seven sixes in an unbeaten 65, the fastest England T20 fifty, as they finished on 200-9.

Wenger Hits Back At Mourinho

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has rejected Jose Mourinho’s claims that his side have an advantage in the Premier League title race due to their extended recovery time following matches.

The Chelsea boss hit out before his side’s 1-0 home victory over Stoke on Sunday, two days after Arsenal beat Coventry 4-0 in the FA Cup at the Emirates.The break gives the Gunners, who travel to Southampton on Tuesday, 24 hours more to prepare for their match than Chelsea, who entertain West Ham on Wednesday.

“It is simple. If you look at the fixtures and analyse them you can see that Arsenal is behind all the other teams,” said Wenger.

As Russia's laws against homosexual "propaganda" become an increasingly widespread debate topic with the Sochi Olympics encroaching, President Barack Obama used his State of the Union Address to put in no uncertain terms where he stood on the matter.

Speaking Tuesday night (Jan. 28) for his annual address, Obama said that the United States' identity is in part defined by the respect in the "inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual orientation," per Michael Gold of The Baltimore Sun, and pointed to the Sochi Games as "one expression of that commitment."

Los Angeles Times reporter Melissa Rohlin has Bryant's description of the swelling in his knee:
Kobe Bryant discussed his injury status and potential return during a press conference, documented by NBA.com's Staff

Q: On the general update in his recovery/rehab process:
Bryant: It’s the same old, same old. Riding the bike, trying to stay in shape that way. Not much I can really do in terms of running andthings of that nature, so mainly focusing on bike work.

Six-time champions Enyimba on Tuesday won the Super 4 after they pipped Kano Pillars 1-0 in a final match of the pre-season competition. The People’s Elephant’ maintained a 100% record after they won three matches without conceding a goal.

Warri Wolves finished second with six points, Pillars third with three points while Bayelsa United ended the round-robin competition without a point. Sibi Gwar headed home the Enyimba winner against Pillars in the 76th minute to ensure go home with 1.5 million Naira prize money as the winners.

Manchester United's record signing Juan Mata enjoyed a winning debut on Tuesday as his new club recorded a 2-0 victory at home to Cardiff City in the Premier League.

Leaders Arsenal, meanwhile, spurned an opportunity to move four points clear after drawing 2-2 at Southampton, but Liverpool tightened their grip on fourth place with a superb 4-0 defeat of derby rivals Everton.

Mata started at Old Trafford, three days after making a £37.1 million move from Chelsea, as former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returned to his old stomping ground as Cardiff manager.

HENRY: Ribery Should Have Won Ballon d'Or

Thierry Henry believes the good and the great of world football made the wrong call by not awarding the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or to his former France team-mate Franck Ribery.

Ribery won five trophies with Bayern Munich over the last calendar year, including the treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, yet found himself finishing third behind Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona star Lionel Messi in the voting at Fifa's Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich.

In an interview at a launch event for for the PUMA evoPOWER boot, Henry told Goal about the 30-year-old's sensational year and how he believes missing out on the Ballon d'Or will not impact on his performances in 2014.

Traditional rivals Ghana and Nigeria contest an all-west African semi-final at the ongoing African Nations Championships on Wednesday in what promises to be a high-octane thriller.

Nigeria's debut at the CHAN has been somewhat underwhelming, although Stephen Keshi's team have won all but one game, namely, a 2-1 loss to Mali in their Group A opener. In front of goal, the Super Eagles have been absolutely prolific, firing in goals at will. Twice at the tournament, Nigeria have put four past their opponents - the latest coming in a rousing comeback from three goals down against Morocco in the quarter-finals stage - and have racked up a total of 12 strikes.

If you’re not accustomed by now to Kobe Bryant sitting out and the Los Angeles Lakers losing, weeks more are still to come.

The fractured lateral tibial plateau in Bryant’s left knee hasn’t healed yet, even though the Lakers had initially been pointing to a medical re-evaluation Tuesday as a point at which he might be cleared to play. Bryant’s level of discomfort is such that his visit with Lakers doctor Steve Lombardo on Tuesday evening before the Lakers face the Indiana Pacers will not even include an MRI or any other diagnostic procedure to judge the bone’s healing, according to a team source. Bryant is expected to miss at least two more weeks, perhaps even another month.

Formula 1 teams start their on-track preparations for the 2014 world championship at this week's first pre-season test at Jerez in Spain. All teams bar Lotus will run their new cars as they face the biggest set of rule changes for a generation.

Turbo engines are being used for the first time since 1988 and there will be greater use of energy recovery - or hybrid - technology than ever before. A number of new cars will also appear publicly for the first time on Tuesday. Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Force India, Lotus and Sauber have already released images of their cars, while Toro Rosso launch theirs on Monday.

However you feel about the NBA and the way it conducts its business, you can't accuse the league of being oblivious to public complaints from its players. A recent piece for Bleacher Report that polled players about the league's foray into sleeved uniforms prompted a conversation between B/R and Sal LaRocca, the NBA's executive vice president of global merchandising.

The primary points LaRocca hoped to make in light of accusations from many of the 21 players polled about the purpose (additional revenue for the league and its owners) and quality (too constrictive, poor at wicking away sweat) of the alternate uniforms:

IFFHS Names The Top Elite Coaches Of 2013

Felipao was voted among the top three coaches in international football in 2013 by the iffhs after leading Brazil to Confederations Cup glory

Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has been rated among the top three national team coaches in world football for 2013 by the Internartional Federation of History and Statistics (IFFHS).

Newcastle and Paris St-Germain have agreed a fee that could pass £20m for France international Yohan Cabaye. The French champions had a £14m bid for the 28-year-old midfielder rejected on Sunday.
But a £19m deal, that could rise beyond £20m with add-ons, has now been reached.

Cabaye will fly to Paris for a medical on Tuesday and will not play a part in Newcastle's Premier League game with Norwich.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew said earlier on Monday that he could not guarantee that the former Lille player, who joined the Tyneside club for £4.3m in June 2011, will remain at St James' Park beyond the end of the month.

French club Sochaux are the latest suitors of Nigeria defender Joseph Yobo, according to media reports in Turkey. Maraton.com.tr has reported that a bid of 600,000 Euros has been tabled before Fenerbahce for Yobo's services.

The Nigeria star has been frozen out of the Fenerbahce squad and needs a change of base to have a chance of being part of coach Stephen Keshi's Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.

Golden Eaglet Captain, Musa Mohammed Set To Sign For Besiktas

Golden Eaglets World Cup-winning skipper Musa Muhammed is close to sealing a deal to top Turkish club Besiktas.

His agent Adam Mohammed told MTNFootball.com that he and the player have arrived Istanbul, Turkey, and are in “advanced negotiations” with Besiktas.

The 17-year-old defender has attracted from several English premier League clubs including Everton and west Ham as well as firm offers from Libya and Tunisia.

Arsene Wenger will sign a new contract to keep him as Arsenal manager beyond the end of the 2013-14 season, the club's CEO Ivan Gazidis has confirmed.

The 64-year-old's current deal is due to expire this summer, but the club are set to wrap up negotiations with the Frenchman regarding new terms, with a huge cash injection from a club-record new kit deal set to give Wenger even greater spending power.

"We've always supported Arsene. The board has always been completely behind him, and Arsene has always been committed to this football club," said Gazidis. "We are comfortable in our position, we're relaxed about it, and Arsene will be extending with us. At the right time we will make that announcement."

Nigeria’s under-20 women’s team have booked a place in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, after beating South Africa 1-0 in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Striker Adeboyejo Yetunde scored the the match winner in the first-half as the Falconets sealed a 7-0 aggregate victory against Batsesana.

Juan Mata believes Manchester United can still win the title this season despite sitting seventh in the Premier League table. Mata completed a £37.1 million move from Chelsea to Old Trafford on Saturday and was unveiled by the reigning league champions on Monday.

Arsenal are currently 14 points ahead of United, but the Spain international thinks his new club has the character to take top spot.

"To be honest, what I like most about Manchester United is the character," he told reporters. "I think for other clubs to be in this position down in the league it would be very, very difficult for that club to come back and take first position. I think this club can do it. Always [they] can do it.

The Super Eagles have received a financial boost ahead of their semi final CHAN clash against rivals the Black Stars in Bloemfontein on Wednesday

Bolaji Abdullahi, Nigeria’s minister of sports, has offered a bonus of $100,000 (16 million Naira) to the Super Eagles if they defeat Ghana in Wednesday’s semi final of the African Nations Championship (CHAN).

With a similar incentive in their quarter final game, Nigeria came from a 3-0 first half deficit to defeat Morocco 4-3 after extra time in Cape Town on Saturday.

Juan Mata has written an open letter to fans explaining the reasons for leaving Chelsea for Manchester United. The Spanish playmaker became the most expensive player in the Red Devils’ history when he joined for £37m on Saturday evening.

Following his official unveiling at United’s Carrington training complex, Mata issued an open letter to the Chelsea fans thanking them for their support. In it he blamed the “complicated situations” he was forced to endure at Stamford Bridge.

“As you can imagine this is a very important day in my life, and with these lines I would like to express the memories and emotions that come to me as I write,” Mata explained.

Champions Nigeria will be the top seed for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series, according to CAF. Their top ranking was summed up based on a points system from recent AFCONs, the 2013 AFCON as well as their performance in the qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Other top seeds for the qualifying tournament for the 2015 AFCON include Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Zambia.

The 2015 AFCON will be hosted by Morocco in four cities from January 15 to February 7.

31 January 2014

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28 January 2014

27 January 2014