Tag Archives: players

7 Cameroon players shun AFCON

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Seven Cameroon players have said they do not want to go to the African Nations Cup finals, setting them on a collision course with the country’s football federation and a possible ban from playing for their clubs while the tournament is on.

Joel Matip of Liverpool is one of the seven who told coach Hugo Broos they are not interested in being selected for the tournament in Gabon, which starts on January 14.

“These players have put personal interest above those of the national team and the federation reserves the right to take action against the players in accordance with FIFA regulations,” said Broos in a statement on Tuesday.

The other six are Andre Onana (Ajax Amsterdam), Guy Roland Ndy Assembe (Nancy), Allan Nyom (West-Bromwich-Albion), Maxime Poundje (Girondins-Bordeaux), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Olympique-Marseille) and Ibrahim Amadou (Lille).

All seven had earlier this month been named in a preliminary list of 35 for the tournament, where Cameroon are drawn in Group A with the hosts, Burkina Faso and Guinea Bissau.

Cameroon’s football federation (Fecafoot) can ask FIFA to suspend the players at club level for the duration of the tournament, which ends on February 6, if they so desire.

Matip did not want to play for Cameroon for the moment because of a “bad experience” with the previous coaching staff, the statement said.

The German-born defender has not featured for Cameroon since the World Cup in Brazil but Broos, who took over in February, has twice been to see him to try and persuade him to return to the side.

Nyom told Broos he wanted to stay at West Bromwich Albion to keep his place in the team, a sentiment shared by Amadou, Ndy Assembe, Onana and Zambo Anguissa.

Poundje, uncapped by Cameroon, said he preferred to concentrate on setting his sights on playing for France.

Cameroon are to name the final 23-man squad for the tournament next week.

BREAKING: Unpaid footballers of Taraba teams shut down Government House

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The players of Taraba State’s male and female football teams, Taraba FC and Taraba Queens, on Monday shut down activities at the government house in the state capital, Jalingo, to protest non-payment of backlogs of their salary arrears.

 

The players are demanding immediate payment of 21 months’ salary arrears from the Taraba State Government.

 

Security operatives were deployed to the government house to deny the players access into the building. The gate of the government house has since been shut.

 

Despite being tear gassed, the players vowed to spend nights there until they are paid.

 

Monday’s protest occurs barely a month after a similar one by the players.

 

More details soon.

Lagos Football Club Manager Arrested for Defiling Teenage Players

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The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a football club manager, Frank Darlington, for allegedly sodomizing three of his teenage players in the Agege area of the state.

It was gathered that Darlington, the manager of Soccer Warriors Football Academy, Pen Cinema, was arrested last Thursday by the Elere Police Division after one of the victims reported him to the police.

Darlington, a native of Imo State, allegedly took three footballers to his house on separate occasions after training sessions and sodomized them.

The police said the suspect allegedly penetrated the victims’ anuses and would be charged for sodomy.

The suspect told newsmen that he started to rape his players in February 2015.

He added that he committed the act to derive pleasure.

He said, “I have a female daughter, and she is three years old. I manage the Soccer Warriors Football Academy in the Pen Cinema, Agege area. It was in February 2015 that the rape started. I usually had sex with my boys just to play with them. It was romance. We had fun together. The last one I did was in July 2016, knowing that it could get me into trouble.

“I slept with only three of my footballers. There was one of my boys that had not been coming for training since last week. When I asked him, I was told that he was sick. I did not know that he had reported to his mother and she had told the police.

“I do not know what moved me to be sleeping with them. I have been coaching for about 12 years. My wife stays in the South-East. She left me in March 2016. The sex with the boys was not for any ritual. I only derived fun from it.

“I knew it was a crime and that was why I stopped this act since July. I pledged not to go back into this.”

One of the victims, Kehinde (pseudonym), told Punch that Darlington threatened him that he (Kenny) would die if he told anyone about the sodomy.

The 18-year-old said he was forced to tell his mother when Darlington made it a habit.

He said, “He always had sex with me and with most of us. He started last year. The first time he approached me was after a training session. We were on the football pitch and he said my performance was bad and I should meet him at home for a discussion.

“When I went, he and two boys were at home. His wife did not stay with him. He sent the two boys on an errand and asked me to come into his room. He then instructed me to remove my trousers, and he molested me.

“He did not use any protection. He did not give me any money, but he threatened that I would die if I told anyone. I cannot count how many times he had done this to me. I told my mother when I was tired of his abuse. My mother reported him at the police station.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the club manager, said the suspect would be charged to court at the end of the investigation.

“There is no place for criminals to hide in the state. We enjoin the residents of Lagos to report suspicious movements and persons to the police,” he added.

Taraba FC players protest non-payment of 12 months salaries.

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Players of Taraba FC on Thursday protested the failure of the state government to pay their one year salary arrears, saying it had brought untold hardship on them and their families.

The players, who blocked the entrance of the Government House, threatened to continue the protest until all their entitlements were paid.

The Team’s Captain, Kamil Sale, said the protest was the last resort since the government had failed to redeem its pledge to pay the salaries.

Sale said: “They promised to pay our one year salaries in instalment but it did not happen.

“The last time we received something was last year when they paid for two months and since then, no allowances, no bonuses.

“I think we should be commended for finishing fourth in the Nigeria Nationwide League Division One last season in spite of our predicaments.”

Wakin Katu, the Taraba Queens Captain, said both the male and female teams had reached out to some clerics and politicians to intervene in the mater but their efforts failed.

Katu said: “We are tired of empty promises from the Taraba State Government.

“Do you know that our players drink garri on the pitch as food because of hunger?”

When contacted, the Sports Commissioner, Gambo Ndafro, said efforts were being made to pay the players their entitlements.

International Rugby Player Apologizes for Having Sex With another woman in Airport Bathroom

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New Zealand Rugby star, Aaron Smith has issued out an apology after he was caught having sex with another woman whom he tagged as a ‘Female Friend.’ In a released statement, The All Blacks star, widely considered the game’s best player on current form said:

‘I’d personally like to say a huge sorry to my partner (girlfriend) Teagan, her family, my family. I’m also sorry to my teammates and the New Zealand fans. My behavior is unacceptable and if you could respect me and my partner in this situation.’ ‘I’m just trying to get home to deal with this. Thank you.’


The incident took place weeks ago, at the Christchurch airport bathroom following his team victory over South Africa in the Rugby Championship.

Too much sex killing Ghanaian players, says coach.

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Former Black Stars player and coach, Malik Jabir believes that Ghana’s club players are not doing well because beautiful Ghanaian girls have made them weaker.

Malik who coached the Black Stars in 2003 said in a national radio that Ghana players indulge in too much sex rather than train and improve their strength and skills.

“They are having too much sex, which is destroying the energy levels of the current national football,” he said.

“In Ghana there are very beautiful women who do not want to leave them alone. However, we must know the difference between sex and football. There is time for everything. It’s not possible to reach the top if both are mixed.”

“A lot of today’s players cannot play 90 minutes because they get tired so easily.

The 71-year-old who played for the Black Stars in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics is currently a technical adviser for Asante Kotoko, a professional club in the Ghana Premier League, and was speaking mainly about the level of the country’s top local league.

Avram Grant’s side are due to face Uganda on Friday as they get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway.

Arsenal ‘Ready’ To Spend Money In Transfer Market – Wenger

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Arsene Wenger says he is prepared to enter the transfer market before the window closes on 31 August.

 

The Arsenal boss has been criticised by fans for a lack of signings in recent years but his squad has suffered a spate of recent injuries.

 

“I can reassure people we’re ready to spend the money we have,” Wenger said.

 

“It’s important to spend money but more important to spend it the right way. There are two markets, one for English clubs, one for the rest of Europe.”

 

The Gunners saw Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi go off in their opening Premier League defeat against Liverpool on Sunday, while Per Mertesacker, Gabriel and Jack Wilshere were injured in pre-season and Danny Welbeck is a long-term absentee.

Wenger said Ramsey “should be back after the international break”, ruling him out of league matches at Leicester on Saturday and Watford on 27 August and making him doubtful for Wales’ opening World Cup qualifier with Moldova on 5 September.

 

The 66-year-old Frenchman, who has been in charge of the Gunners since October 1996, urged the fans to trust his judgement and said he had completed over 400 transfers during his time at Arsenal.

 

“It is dangerous. English clubs suffocate themselves by buying players at a high price with high wages, if it goes wrong you are left with players with high wages,” he said.

“The identity of the buyer multiplies transfers by two or three or even 10 times more.”

Footballer Shows Referee Red Card Seconds After Team Mate Was Red-Carded

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The kinda things that happen in the world of football. Trabzonspor player Salih Dursin was furious after a referee in a Turkish league match gave the marching orders to his teammate Luis Cavanda. Dursin picked up the referees card after it fell on the floor and shoved it in the referee’s face. The Referee, angry with such bizarre show of disrespect by the player, gave Dursin his own red card leaving his team with only 8 outfield players.

Violence and player disobedience to referees and racism is on the rise in Turkish football. In October 2015, Trabzonspor club president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu locked four officials in their stadium following a draw with Gaziantepspor. Turkish president Recep Tayyip was forced to later intervene and the referees were released after four hours.

Watch video below…

https://youtu.be/vYNrysqElak

KickandFollow.com: 5 Players That Have Knocked Out The Super Eagles From Cup Competitions

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The Super Eagles of Nigeria is a team to reckon with in world football. The team has participated in 5 world cups, but since its debut in the USA 94 world cup the team has not gone past the round of 16.

KickandFollow.com takes a look at 5 players that have upset the Super Eagles in the World cup and qualifying campaign.

 

  1. Roberto Baggio

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Nigeria put up a sensational performance under head coach Clemens Westerhof  to top group D on goal difference after defeating Bulgaria  3-o and Greece 2-0. Despite losing to Argentina 2-1, the super Eagles still progressed as group winners. The Super Eagles were then drawn with Italy in the knockout stage. The match ended in a drawby full time with goals coming from Emmanuel Amuneke in the 25th minute and Roberto Baggio in the 88th Minute.

It was a very feisty game as the Eagles were caged by the Azzurri for most parts of the game, the referee also dished out 9 yellow cards and 1 red card; as Gianfranco Zola was sent off.

The Azzurri had to rely on the Vision of Baggio who was open in the box after recieving the ball from Roberto Mussi, and the Italian wasted no time in slotting the ball past Peter Rufai in the 88th minute.

The Match had to go into penalties after extra time, with Baggio being the hero once again, as he sent the gallant eagles crashing out of the tournament.

  1. Henrik Larsson

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The former Celtic and Barcelona Forward sent the Festus Onigbinde led eagles crashing out of  the Korea/Japan world cup.

The Eagles had already lost to Argentina courtesy of a Gabriel Batistuta goal but needed a win against the Scandinavians to qualify. Unfortunately, the Super Eagles lost.

A superb goal from Julius Aghahowa put the Eagles ahead but two quick fire goals from the diminutive forward sent Nigeria out of the competition, as England defeated Argentina to book a qualifying spot.

The next match for the Eagles against England was dead rubber as England and Sweden had Qualified. Sweden took the top spot on goal difference and went to the knockout stage where they were defeated by Bruno Metsu’s Senegal.

  1. Paulo José Lopes de Figueiredo

The Angolan forward scored in the draw between Nigeria and Angola in the 2006 world cup qualifiers. Nigeria had already lost the first leg in Angola by a lone goal courtesy of an Akwa Strike.

The second leg was played in kano and JJ Okocha got on the score sheet. However with 60 minutes on the clock, Figueiredo equalized, and Angola progressed to the world cup finals at the expense of Nigeria based on the head to head rule.

  1. Didier Drogba

Despite the disappointment of missing the 2006 world cup, the eagles channeled their energy to the Nations cup and performed extremely well under the tutelage of Coach Austine Eguavoen.

The joy of the Eagles was however cut short by the Magnificent Didier Drogba, who pounced on a loss of concentration between the Nigerian centre backs and slotted the ball in between the legs of Goal-keeper Vincent Enyeama to send the Eagles out of the semi-finals in the 2006 African cup of Nations.

The Ivory Coast striker pounced on a lack of concentration between the Nigerian centre backs and slotted the ball in between the legs of Goal-keeper Vincent Enyeama, to send the Eagles out of the semi-finals in the 2006 African cup of Nations.

  1. Paul Pogba

The French Maestro got the better of the Super Eagles in the Knockout round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when he got on the end of the score sheet in the 79th Minute of the game. Sadly the match was done and dusted with an own goal by Joseph Yobo in Stoppage time which signaled the end of the Eagles adventure in Brazil.

 

 

Arsenal Paid Price For Stadium – Toure

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The former Gunners defender believes the club’s move from Highbury to the Emirates in 2006 cost them several Premier League titles

Former Arsenal defender Kolo Toure says the club’s Emirates stadium is the reason behind their 10-year wait for a Premier League title.

The Gunners played at Highbury before electing to build a new 60,000-capacity ground, which they moved into in 2006.

Arsenal’s last league title came in 2003-04, when the club went unbeaten for the whole season – and they have only won four trophies since.

But Toure has heaped praise on manager Arsene Wenger for his efforts since then, after the club forced to drastically reduce costs for several years to help balance the books.

“I am not inside any more but there has been a lot of change. A lot of players left the club, guys like Patrick Vieira, leaders left the club and it was quite difficult, but this policy started when they started the new stadium,” the Liverpool defender

“Everything changed. They needed to sell some players, cut the wage bill and that is all about it.

“I think they lost so many experienced players. Patrick Vieira was a leader, Robert Pires was a top player, Thierry Henry left and sometimes you need experience at the club and then a young player can learn, that is one of the things.”

He added: “Wenger is a top manager, he has shown that unbelievably. The thing I like is this manager can make an average player one of the best players in the world.

“He did that with so many players – [George] Weah… Vieira was in Milan not playing a lot… Thierry Henry was at Juventus and he made him one of the best ever.

“He did that with me because I started from nowhere. He took me to the next level and I always respect him for that.”

Arsenal are top of the Premier League ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Liverpool at Anfield.

Van Gaal: “I’m To Be Blamed, Not The Man United Players”

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal feels supporters should blame him for the club’s inconsistent form rather than taking their frustrations out on the players.

“I think the fans have to support the players, otherwise they make it very difficult for the players to play at Old Trafford,” he told reporters.

“Until now they were fantastic, so I cannot complain about the fans. I can only advise the fans to criticize the manager and not the players.”

More to follow…