Welcome To Dipo Liadi's blog: March 2015

16 March 2015

GETAFE vs REAL SOCEIDAD PREVIEW: All The Facts & Statistics You Need To Know

SWANSEA vs LIVERPOOL PREVIEW: All The Facts & Statistics You Need To Know

12 March 2015

Ibrahimovic's Red Card Against Chelsea Will Stand - UEFA

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be banned for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final after UEFA confirmed the club cannot appeal his red card against Chelsea.
Ibrahimovic was sent off in the 31st minute of PSG's dramatic 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, which sent the Ligue 1 champions into the last eight on away goals.

The decision appeared harsh on Ibrahimovic, who was dismissed for a foul on Chelsea midfielder Oscar when challenging for a 50-50 ball. PSG went on to produce a superb performance with 10 men to progress against the odds after extra time, with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho calling for Ibrahimovic's red card to be rescinded in the aftermath.

BAYERN MUNICH vs SHAKHTAR PREVIEW: All The Statistics & Facts You Need To Know

Read more after the cut.......

Angel Can Inspire FA Cup Glory - Ryan Giggs

Angel Di Maria, whose form has declined since his British record transfer from Real Madrid to Manchester United, can still play an important role in his side's quest for success this season, according to assistant manager Ryan Giggs.

The 27-year-old Argentine became the most expensive player signed by a British club when he joined United for 59.7 million pounds ($90.3 million) last year but after scoring three times in his first five league matches, he has not found the net since January.

Supersport.com can reveal that former Nigerian league and Cup champions, Lobi Stars, will re-open the Aper Aku Stadium with a friendly match against Nigeria’s Under-23, fondly called Dream Team, on Saturday, March 14.

Lobi return to the Aper Aku Stadium, which is their traditional home ground this term, after several years playing at different stadia as their home ground.

As Chelsea search of a trophy treble, Gary Cahill intends to treat every game as a "cup final", starting with Paris Saint-Germain. Gary Cahill has warned Paris Saint-Germain that Chelsea's recent League Cup victory has left the team hungry for more silverware as the sides prepare to meet in the UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg.

Premier League leaders Chelsea won their first silverware since Jose Mourinho returned as manager when they defeated London rivals Tottenham 2-0 in the Wembley showpiece at the start of this month.

Paul Scholes Condemn Fumbling Ozil

Paul Scholes has criticised Mesut Ozil, claiming he is just "going through the motions" at Arsenal and his poor form is down to a lack of leaders at the Emirates Stadium. The World Cup winner arrived in north London in the summer of 2013 for €50 million and hit the ground running with two goals and three assists in his opening five games.

However, Ozil has struggled for form and fitness since and ahead of Arsenal's FA Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester United, the retired midfielder has believes the German international has shown a lack of ambition in joining the Gunners.

Eden Hazard can reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and win the Fifa Ballon d'Or, according to Chelsea team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta.

The 24-year-old has notched 14 goals and eight assists in 33 appearances this season and scored the only goal at Upton Park on Wednesday as Jose Mourinho's men preserved their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought victory over West Ham.

Great Jairzinho Made Brazil's Guest Coach

The 1970 World Cup-winner, who scored in every game of the tournament, has been drafted in to help the Selecao become less dependent on Neymar He scored goal in every game he played for Brazil at World Cup 1970, making the difference time and again in a side that included the likes of Pele, Rivelino, Carlos Alberto, Tostao and Gerson.

And now, at 70, Jairzinho, the 'World Cup Hurricane', will have the chance to make a difference with the current Brazil side after coach Dunga confirmed he will be joining the coaching staff for the Brasil Global Tour friendlies with France and Chile this month.

Chichi Igbo is 28, a professional footballer who is now based in Denmark after representing Nigeria with the Super Falcons team in 2007 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup game. Chichi loves to call herself Chified and she likes to entertain her followers on instagram with beautiful photos of herself almost on a daily basis. She is just one interesting lady who has come to love herself despite some people rudely referring to her as a man. You will agree with me that her abs are like no other.

TOTTENHAM 3-2 SWANSEA: Watch The Goals & Highlights

Bash Ali Has Refused To Leave Jail Despite Meeting Bail Conditions

He must have been so hurt. NAN is reporting that after Bash Ali and four other men were arrested at a bank premises last month in Abuja for trespassing and causing obstruction in public way, they were remanded in prison till their bail conditions would be met, but now that it has been met and Bash is now free to go, he has refused to leave the prison. Below is how NAN reports yesterday’s court hearing.

A Wuse Zone 6 Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja on Wednesday fixed April 2 for hearing in the criminal case brought against Nigerian boxer, Bash Ali, and four other accused persons. Meanwhile Bash Ali has refused to leave jail despite meeting bail conditions. The four others are Gabriel Ikyowe; Timothy Ugbede; Daniel Otoski and Jones Ebele.

VOTE: 48% Of Players Want Jose Mourinho Has There Ideal Manager

Almost 50% of professional footballers would pick Jose Mourinho as their ideal manager, according to FFT's Players' Poll. Players play for Mourinho. Look what he did at Inter. Players would run through walls for him. That's 99% of winning

As part of the April 2015 issue of FFT, 123 players currently plying their trade in the Premier League, Football League and Scottish Premier League were quizzed about everything from refereeing to racism in the game.

MANCHESTER CITY vs LEICESTER PREVIEW: All The Facts & Statistics You Need To Know

NBA: Rockets' James Harden Suspended For Kicking LeBron James

The NBA suspended Rockets SG James Harden one game for an incident in Sunday's overtime win over the Cavaliers.

With 2:08 remaining in the third quarter, LeBron James tried to strip the ball from Harden. In the fight for the ball, Harden was knocked to the floor. He then lifted his foot and kicked James in the groin.

Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola intends to fulfil his contract with the Bundesliga leaders, despite reports of a move away. Pep Guardiola has no intention of leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season, despite speculation linking him with the Premier League.

The Spanish coach is currently enjoying his second campaign in the Bundesliga, with leaders Bayern eight points clear at the top of the table and still in the DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League.
Reports in England have suggested that Manchester City are monitoring his availability should they opt to replace Manuel Pellegrini.

Louis van Gaal has leapt to the defence of under-fire Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria, claiming it could take up to a year for him to settle in England. Di Maria arrived at Old Trafford in August among much fanfare in a British-record £59.7 million transfer from Real Madrid.

However, the Argentina international has flattered to deceive at times this season and has managed just three goals in 19 Premier League appearances. Di Maria was hauled off at half-time of Saturday's 2-0 victory over Sunderland, but manager Van Gaal stated that moving to a new team has been a learning curve for all his signings - not just Di Maria.

Manuel Pellegrini has rubbished speculation that his job as Manchester City manager will be under threat if he fails to deliver silverware this season. The Chilean's position at the Etihad Stadium has come under scrutiny after last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Liverpool left the champions five points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who also have a game in hand.

Media speculation has suggested that City who appointed Pellegrini ahead of the 2013-14 campaign could attempt to persuade Pep Guardiola to leave German champions Bayern Munich to take the reins.

SEX SCANDAL: Sunderland's Adam Johnson Arrested Over Sex Accusation With Under 16 School Girl

Sunderland midfielder Adam Johnson has been suspended by the club after being arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a girl under 16. The 27-year-old England international was due to travel with the rest of the squad to east Yorkshire on Monday afternoon for Tuesday night’s Barclays Premier League fixture at Hull.

A club statement said: “Sunderland AFC has confirmed that Adam Johnson has been suspended from the club, pending the outcome of a police investigation. No further comment will be made at the present time.”

Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha has commended the Nigeria Football Federation for organizing a 9 –day capacity building programme in the United Kingdom for a number of coaches and ex-internationals.

The new chairman of Delta State Football Association, who played for Nigeria at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup finals, told thenff.com at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport that the exercise will be hugely beneficial to Nigeria football development.

John Terry is not considering a possible return to the England setup, after lifting the League Cup at Wembley with Chelsea on Sunday. The Chelsea captain retired from the international game in September 2012 after claiming the Football Association made his position "untenable" in the wake of accusations he racially abused Anton Ferdinand.

When asked if Sunday's triumph at Wembley had prompted him to reconsider his position, Terry was unequivocal in his response.

Manchester City must win all 11 of their remaining Premier League games if they are to have a chance of winning the title, says Wilfred Bony. City missed the chance to cut the gap to leaders Chelsea on Sunday as they lost 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield.

That result means City are now five points behind Jose Mourinho's men, who also boast a game in hand having been on League Cup final duty at the weekend.

Though the country’s cadet side ended their campaign on a dull note, the Eaglets’ striker has given something to cheer about after he was adjudged the top scorer

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen emerged the highest goals scorer of the Niger 2015 African U17 Championship after his lone goal in the Golden Eaglets’ 1-3 loss to Guinea U17 in the third place match on Sunday evening took him to the top of the goals chart with four goals.
The Eaglets scored only seven goals during the championship with only two players accounting for all goals with Osimhen’s four goals adding up to the three netted by team captain Kelechi Nwakali.

GETTING MESSIER! QPR Announces £9.8 million Loss

From loosing a top quality manager and being relegation bound, Queens Park Rangers are passing through a hard tough time. One might think that Harry Redknapp probably saw all this coming before he took to his heels... lol. Read the story below.

This Is The First Trophy For A New Chelsea - Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho believes Sunday's League Cup triumph over Tottenham represents the first trophy for a "new" Chelsea. Chelsea lifted the League Cup after victory over Tottenham on Sunday, and Jose Mourinho sees it as the first silverware of many for a new crop of players.

In his initial spell at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup. Sunday's win at Wembley secured the first trophy of his second stint in charge, and Mourinho's first major silverware since winning La Liga with Real Madrid in 2012.

LEAGUE CUP FINAL: Which African Player Will Write History

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur meet on Sunday afternoon as a very familiar rivalry is to be played out in the refined surroundings of Wembley Stadium in the League Cup final. Both of these two have history in this competition; Chelsea have won it on four occasions, but haven’t lifted the trophy since 2007.

Spurs, meanwhile, have also won the competition four times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2008 when Juande Ramos’s side beat Avram Grant’s Blues to win their first major honour in almost a decade.

Read more after the cut.......

After a fraught beginning to the new year, calm appears to have descended once more on Real Madrid and on Cristiano Ronaldo in particular. He might not have fully got his customary sparkle back just yet, but he has once more been indispensable for Real Madrid over recent games.

Against Schalke 04 in the Champions League, he opened the scoring with a superb header and then laid on the second for Marcelo and set Real Madrid on course for the Champions League quarter finals. And then, last weekend at Elche, Cristiano sealed his side's victory with a fine header worthy of the legendary Santillana himself.

Arsene Wenger insists he is under pressure to deliver at Arsenal and believes his side’s home form will be “vital” for the remainder of the season.

The 65-year-old faced further scrutiny on Wednesday after the Gunners crashed to a 3-1 defeat at home to Monaco in the Champions League, leaving them on the brink of an exit at the last 16 stage for the fifth successive campaign.

World number four Rafael Nadal reached his first final since winning the French Open last June after beating Carlos Berlocq at the Argentina Open.

The Spaniard won 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 to set up a title decider against Juan Monaco. Nadal was 6-1 down in the first set tie-break before winning eight of the next nine points to claim the opener.

Read more after the cut.......

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique commended Luis Suárez's great game against Granada, though during the match he was annoyed by the poor condition of the pitch at the Los Cármenes stadium, and congratulated both sides "on keeping their feet on this surface"

"I'm very happy, and satisfied with the good work done by my team in the difficult circumstances surrounding the game. I congratulate the two sides on keeping their feet on this surface", he told the post-match press conference.

16 March 2015

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02 March 2015

01 March 2015