Kalu Uche Can’t Stop Scoring

One Nigerian that has taken the Spanish Primera Liga by storm this term is Kalu Uche who scored after just 26 minutes on Sunday as he continued his fine run for Almeria.
However, his goal was not enough to see them through as they lost 3-2 to Malaga despite going two goals up earlier on.

In France, Onyekachi Apam found incredibly found a goal for OGC Nice who went two men down losing at home to league champions Lyon.Taye Taiwo was immense in Olympic Marseilles's 1-0 victory over Bordeaux.

Adebayor Out for 3 weeks

Adebayor has scored 12 goals for Arsenal this season and did so 30 times last season. However, recently he seems to be struggling for form and many fans have attributed it to lack of credible competition upfront.
The team has had to depend too much on Robin van persie who seems to be having a rare Injury free season this term.

The Arsenal hitman, Emmanuel Adebayor has been ruled out of action for three weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Tottenham.

He was stretchered off after pulling up in the 35th minute of the north London derby.

Adebayor will now miss league games against Sunderland and Fulham, the FA Cup replay with Cardiff and the Champions League game with Roma all of which are very critical to the North London Club.

It would have been time for regrets and more frustration for fans had they failed to get the signature of Andre Ashavin as they were set to miss out. Good enough, it seems just the right time as Eduardo returns to full fitness despite lacking games. The Croatian international has been invited for his country’s forth coming international friendly and Arsene Wenger thinks it will be good for him to get a few more games under his belt just before a full premiership return.

Croatian striker Eduardo returned to the squad for the first time since breaking his leg almost a year ago, while young Mexican forward Carlos Vela has struggled to force his way into the first team. But Arsene insists he has enough strikers available for the task ahead.

"Adebayor is out for three weeks with a hamstring," Wenger said.

"We have Carlos Vela, we have Nicklas Bendtner, we have Eduardo we have Andrey Arshavin and we have Robin van Persie. We have plenty of strikers.

Can Ashavin step in after all the expectations?

Former Arsenal Captain and Portsmouth Gaffer, Tony Adams Sent Packing

In the last eight games involving Portsmouth, only one has not been a loss. Following Saturdays 2-3 loss to a rampaging Liverpool side Tony Adams has been shown the way out from the Pompey job and rumor has it that Avram Grant, former Chelsea man who took over from Jose Mourinho is being lined up for the job.

A statement released by the club claims it was a "difficult decision", taken after Pompey won just two out of 16 Premier League games since Adams took charge.

Adams said he was surprised to be sacked despite agreeing Pompey hasn’t been having good results since he took over from Redknapp about four months ago.

"Results have not been good, it must be said, but we're not getting done sixes and fours and performances on the whole have been good."

One should only be surprised he was sacked after claims by management, sacking him wasn’t an option.

"In the running is Avram Grant, who was director of football at Fratton Park three years ago, ex-West Ham boss Alan Curbishley.

"Grant is considered to be the favourite."
Prior to the defeat by Liverpool - their seventh loss in eight games - Adams had insisted he had the backing of the club chiefs.

Portsmouth are currently 16th in the table, one point above the relegation zone, with 14 games to play.

The club's statement added: "The owner and the board feel they have been as supportive as they can during a period when results have been poor.

"The priority for the club is to remain in the top flight and we feel the appointment of a new manager will give us the best opportunity to enable us to do this."

Adams was appointed at the end of October when Harry Redknapp, who guided Pompey to FA Cup glory last season, decided to take the Tottenham job.

Portsmouth have put in some terrific performances but they just could not get a win, and individual errors have cost them dearly in several games this season. In all, it seems like management appears to be talking with both sides of their mouths. Who sells his best players and expect to perform well in the league. In January alone, we have seen Diara and Jermaine Defoe sold out to Real Madrid and Tottenham respectively despite bringing in Pennant from Liverpool.

One would have expected that Pennant should have been brought in only to add to the existing legion-Poor Tony.

Arshavin Moves to Arsenal as Anichebe Prepares for Hull City Switch

Arsenal completed the signing of Zenit St Petersburg forward Andrei Arshavin only minutes before the transfer window slammed shut. Arshavin has signed a deal worth £70,000 a week, which ties him to the Emirates Stadium until 2012.
The Gunners have paid £10m for Arshavin, rising by a further £2m based on success-related clauses being met. Arshavin is said to have been so keen to move to to the Emirates. So keen was Arshavin to complete his move to Arsenal that he hired a private jet to fly him into London on Sunday night.

He has also accepted a £20,000 a week pay cut to join Arsene Wenger's men.
The sticking point in the deal was a huge loyalty bonus received by Arshavin upon signing for Zenit. It was awarded on the understanding that he would complete his four-year contract but having spent a little over two-and-a-half years in St Petersburg the club's board demanded the difference be returned by the player.

Zenit spent Monday ringing round Premier League clubs - targeting Tottenham in particular - in a bid to find a buyer who would pay more than Arsenal. But as it seems now, Arsenal won and zenith couldn't get the prohibitve fee they've been looking for and were forced to sell at just 12M pounds compared to the initial 20M they were asking for in the summer.

In order news, Nigeria's Victor Anichebe's move to Hull city is about to be announced. A few teams in the Premiership are awaiting FA confirmation.

So much for a mad tranfer day dealine where Premier League clubs splashed a record £178m in the January transfer window, compared with £146m in 2008, £63m in 2007 and only £35m when this was introduced in 2003. Thism kind of spending spree makes us wonder if there really is a credit crunch. Probably not in the Premier league.

We are expecting Arshavin's tranfer to be announced any moment from now.

5pm - THE TRANSFER WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED! - New Arshavin news Yet!

5pm - THE TRANSFER WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED!
4.56pm - Ipswich defender Richard Naylor has signed a 2½-year contract with Leeds.
4.55pm - Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam has signed for Blackpool on loan.
4.54pm - Chelsea midfielder Jimmy Smith has gone to Leyton Orient on loan.
4.52pm - Blackburn striker Jamie Clarke has joined Rotherham on a free transfer.
4.50pm - Chelsea have denied TV reports they want to sign Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma.
4.41pm - Despite reports, Roque Santa Cruz will NOT be joining Manchester City from Blackburn.
4.38pm - TV reports say Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma is a last-gasp target for Chelsea.

Transfer Deadline Day-30 mins to Go! Asharvin Completes Arsenal Medical but........

4.33pm - Chelsea winger Scott Sinclair will stay at Birmingham for the rest of the season.
4.30pm - Manchester City have rejected Newcastle's £8million bid for midfielder Michael Johnson.
4.27pm - Olivier Dacourt has signed for Fulham from Inter Milan on loan.
4.23pm - Andrei Arshavin has completed his medical at Arsenal - but Zenit are still holding out for a payment from the player himself.
4.18pm - Youssouf Mulumbu has signed on loan for West Brom from Paris St Germain with a view to a permanent deal.

Transfer Deadline day-All Transfer talk and Rumours

4pm - ONE HOUR TO GO!
3.55pm - Liverpool reveal they have agreed a fee with Tottenham for Robbie Keane.
3.54pm - Arsenal have finally found a comprimise for Andrei Arshavin and the deal should go ahead before the 5pm deadline.
3.45pm - Wigan have signed Charles N'Zogbia from Newcastle. Ryan Taylor joins the Magpies as part of the deal.
3.37pm - Arturo Lupoli is a reported target for Sheffield United who want him to replace James Beattie.
3.35pm - Giovani Dos Santos' proposed £7million switch to Portsmouth from Tottenham is off.
3.30pm - Wigan chairman Dave Whelan confirms Charles N'Zogbia will sign for Wigan today with Ryan Taylor heading in the opposite direction.
3.28pm - Norwich have taken Fulham's Aussie defender Adrian Leijer on loan.
3.20pm - Portsmouth youngster Khaleem Hyland has joined Belgian club Zulte Waregem on loan for six months.
3.11pm - Andrei Arshavin's switch to Arsenal from Zenit St Petersberg could be back on. A deal could be agreed if the Russian club settle a dispute with Arshavin over a loyalty payment.
3pm - TWO HOURS TO GO!
2.43pm - West Ham defender Calum Davenport could follow Tal Ben Haim to Sunderland.
2.34pm - Leeds United have snapped up USA youth international Mike Grella on a free transfer from Toronto FC.
2.27pm - Sunderland have sealed their move for Manchester City defender Tal Ben Haim.
2.18pm - The Premier League have given permission for deals to go through after 5pm, provided they receive email notice that the moves have been confirmed in principle beforehand.
In addition, clubs will have to prove that the adverse weather has caused the delay.
2.13pm - Striker Henri Camara has left Wigan for Stoke on loan.
2.10pm - Everton have completed their move for Manchester City striker Jo. The Brazilian has joined on loan for the rest of the season.
2.08pm - Blackpool have made their sixth signing of the January transfer window after midfielder Francesco Carratta joined on a free transfer from Royal Antwerp.
2pm - THREE HOURS TO GO!
1.51pm - Stoke have made a late attempt to capture Cardiff midfielder Joe Ledley. The Potters are also interested in bringing Henri Camara and Nicky Shorey to the Britannia.
1.45pm - Doncaster have swooped to sign striker Dean Shiels from SPL side Hibernian.
1.15pm - Liverpool have confirmed they are in talks to sell Robbie Keane to Tottenham. A club spokesperson said: "We've allowed Robbie to talk to Spurs but we've not yet finalised a deal with them for the player."
12.50pm - Barnsley have completed a double loan swoop for Andranik Teymourian from Fulham and Adam Hammill from Liverpool.
12.47pm - Portsmouth have signed Greek defensive midfielder Angelos Basinas from AEK Athens. The Euro 2004 winner, 33, has penned an 18-month deal at Fratton Park.
12.45pm - Liverpool's Hungarian keeper Peter Gulacsi has joined League One Hereford on loan for the rest of the season.
12.40pm - Charles N'Zogbia is having a medical ahead of his switch from Newcastle to Wigan.
12.35pm - TV reports suggest Liverpool striker Robbie Keane is having a medical at Tottenham.
12.30pm - Barsnley have signed Coventry striker Michael Mifsud on loan until the end of the season.
12.25pm - Nottingham Forest have failed with an offer for Hibernian captain Rob Jones.
12.21pm - Hearts skipper Christophe Berra has completed his move to Championship leaders Wolves.
12.15pm - Fulham boss Roy Hodgson ends speculation linking the Cottagers with a move for Leeds United starlet Fabian Delph. He says: "We’re not looking for 19-year-olds like Delph who may be good some time in the future."
12.11pm - Manchester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel wants to leave the club on loan. He is currently third choice at Eastlands behind new signing Shay Given and England Under-21 star Joe Hart.
12.03pm - Manchester City striker Jo is at Everton's training ground ahead of a potential loan move.
11.50am - Sunderland defender Michael Liddle’s loan deal at Carlisle has been extended until the end of the season.
11.40am - The Premier League have confirmed they are in talks with the FA and FIFA over whether an extension to the transfer window deadline can be given.
The adverse weather conditions are hindering the ability for clubs to arrange medicals and negotiate personal terms with players.
11.20am - Blackburn could move for Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi if they lose Roque Santa Cruz to Manchester City.
11.15am - Bolton are weighing up a last-minute move for Lyon's Brazilian striker Fred.
10.53am - Ricardo Quaresma left out of Inter Milan's European squad amid talk of a bid from Tottenham
10.46am - Television reports claim Andrei Arshavin has failed to agree terms with Arsenal.
10.21am - Hull City have failed in a bid to bring Italian veteran Christian Panucci to the club.
10.05am - Portsmouth have offered Sean Davis a new 3½-year contract after rejecting a bid from Bolton.
9.53am - Rangers striker/midfielder/winger Alan Gow has joined Norwich City on loan for the rest of the season.
8.32am - Rumours abound that Tottenham will go back to Liverpool with a cash bid for Robbie Keane.
Overnight - Shay Given has wrapped up a move to Manchester City from Newcastle.
Portsmouth sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Theofanis Gekas on loan.

The Rise and Rise Of Mikel

Believe it or not John Mikel Obi has become a contact fixture at the midfield for Chelsea dn is fast gaining the reputation of one of the best holding midfielders in the premiership.
He has improved in so many ways and i shouldn't fail to mention that, he has also droped the habit of picking up yellow and red cards. I have been one of Mikel's greatest critics and i think i have been vindicated. I have always known that Jose Mourinho was killing Mikels carreer.
He now does what mid fielders do, create chances, and tackle and create free kicks putting the opposition under constant pressure.

One of such days wen Mikel won accorlates from the fans was in the last Champions League group matches against FC Cluj. Mikel has now gone more 12 games without a card.

Chelsea fans have voted the Super Eagles midfielder John Mikel Obi as their best player in Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League victory over Romania Champions FC Cluj.


Mikel was in impressive form in the encounter, was responsible for keeping the score line in favour of chelsea by clearing off the line to prevent Cluj in the 17th minute and also started the move that lead to Didier Drogba’s 71st minute winner.

Fans of the club voted the Nigerian international their Most Valuable Player in the game . Mikel won with 40% of total votes, Closely followed by Drogba abd Solomon Kalou and Peter Cech.

Mikel, who has been consistent for the Blues under Brazillian manager Luic Felipe Scolari, is now ranked second with 27 points behind England midfielder Frank Lampard in the club’s best player standing so far this season.

Cech is third with 22 points in the total ranking by the fans, a poll that will be used to decide the club’s best player at the end of the season.

What all this mean for us is that we now see a more effective Mikel transfering his current fine form and technical improvement into the super Eagles. I can not forget the Mikel of Holland 2005. Welcome Back Mikel!

Arsenal can win league - Scolari , plus Kaka may Move to Inter

some funny stuffs won't you say? At the time Arsenal is having their worst ever outing, Scolari is only completing the ridicule by saying the Gunners may win the league.
The Gunners are 10 points behind Scolari's Premier League leaders, and are down in fifth place.

But scolari thinks they still have a chance. Hear him, "Even if you're 15 points clear with five games to go, you're not champions. You're only champions at the end of the last game.

"This is a big game. Wenger's team play football, so it's difficult to win."

"This is the first time I'll have played against Wenger," said the Brazilian, who was appointed as Chelsea boss in June but who used to coach in Japan alongside the Frenchman in the 1990s.

"I met him for the first time in Japan - he's been my friend for 10 or 12 years now.

"I like him as a coach. If I chose five coaches in the world as the best, he'd be one of the five.

"I watched their game against Manchester United and it was one of the best games in the Premier League. This game against Chelsea will be like that as well."

Chelsea will be without their point man Didier Drogba, who is serving a three-match ban for throwing a coin at Burnley fans during Chelsea's shock Carling Cup defeat. He is however, being properly replaced by Anelka.
Drogba is back in the news and his touted to be planning to move to Inter Milan come the summer transfer window.

But Scolari, thinks Drogba is still very much in his plans.

"Every minute in the day, I think he's happy," he added.

"He has my support every day - injured or not injured. I'm sure he's 100% committed to the club.

"All I know is that he can't play against Arsenal. I have to be thinking about the Arsenal game, not what might happen in 2010 or 2011."

On the other end, Manchester City is still waxing in the Euphoria. AC Milan superstar Kaka has opened the door for a move to Manchester City and a link-up with his Brazilian team-mate Robinho.

Arsenal Captain Gallas out; Cesc Fabregas To the Rescue

Earlier today, news came filtering that Cesc Fabregas has been named the new Arsenal Captain. Many people including myself believe it is long overdue but that is suprising especially when you consider his age.
Many people say he is young, but forget that he is the best player Arsenal has, at his aged he seems to have seen it all.
Winner of the golden both in U-17 world cup, has played in the champions league final, 2008 Euro Cup winner and many other first including becoming the youngest player to play for arsenal in the league.
His dedication is not in doubt and his elevation is one event Arsenal fans all over the world has been waiting for.
Ever since i started watching watching, i have never known a captain more hated by the Fans than William Gallas.

Well he had it coming.

Cesc Fabregas has described his elevation to the Arsenal captaincy as “a great honour”.

The Spaniard was handed the armband on Monday as a replacement for William Gallas.

At 21, Fabregas is one of the youngest captains in the Club’s long history and he admits it will be emotional experience to lead the side out for the first time against FC Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night.

"It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Fabregas. “It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential."

Let;s wish him well and hope he lifts the team to greater heights.

Did Amodu Shuaibu Fail His First Real Test? : Columbia1-0 Nigeria

Within 24 hours Nigeria's football teams, male and female put out an uninspiring display in Cali, Columbia and Malabo, Equitorial Guinea respectively. Well the Falcons are in danger of not qualifying from the tournament's group stages for the first time. For the falcons, commentators across the country have given several reasons why the Falcons have played two games against Ghana and Tunisia and garnered just 2 points. They now must win against a well poised South African team who defeated Ghana 2-1. Whether that is possible is yet to be seen.

In Far away Cali, Columbia, a more appalling situation occurred, though it was a friendly match, it was enough to show that as usual we are set for failure to qualify for the world cup, and if we do qualify,it may be just another charade of just showing up to be counted in the world cup without any genuine intentions to create an impact. That will be true if we continue the way it is currently. Yes, we missed some players but when i saw the line up, it was actually a 'strong' team that set out to play in Cali. With the likes of Austin Ejide, Onyekachi Apam, Danni Shittu, Taye Taiwo, Christian Obodo, Sanni Keita, Solomon Okoronkwo, Chinedu Ogbuche, Ikechukwu Uche, Uche Kalu, Kanu Nwankwo, Obina Nsofor, Yakubu Ayegbeni all featuring, the technical crew probably has no excuse as far as availability of players is concerned. Nigeria is such a big football nation that, the absence of John Mikel Obi, Joseph Yobo, Obafemi Martins, Osaze and Vincent Enyeama alone should be insignificant.

For the entire duration of 90 minutes i think the super Eagles was at the receiving end. If anyone has a contrary opinion, it could be that i was watching a different game. I set the alarm on my Nokia E61 phone to wake me up at exactly 3.00 am and as expected it didn't fail me(i was sure its traditional 70s ring tone will wake me up). The reason i was so determined to watch this game was so i can have a fair idea and opportunity to give the players and technical crew an unbiased judgement. The team's performance this morning was far below average. They played with no aggression to win and sparingly troubled the Columbian goalie. Whereas Austin Ejide was called to action from the start to finish and i must say that he made some silly mistakes but who wouldn't under that amount of consistent pressure from an obviously superior Columbians.The fact that the score line stayed that low was mostly due to his heroics at goal; I think the players did all they could especially in defence where Danny Shittu and Nwaneri were never allowed a moment of rest as Camilla kept probing centrally.

For some reasons the midfield just didn't click and even when Nsofor tries to make a run along the lines, such runs always ended abruptly probably due to lack of ideas as none seems to be coming off the bench. Nwankwo Kanu was thoroughly marked and kept quiet for 90 minutes.

A more disgraceful event was Sanni Keita's sending off as the team and the entire bench protested what i think was a beautiful goal scored by the Columbians- a well deserved one- it was just a matter of time. I was really surprised! They all protested so vehemently i started doubting what i saw despite watching four replays of that goal. AIT wasn't very clear on my TV so I hope to have a fifth look at that goal. They just might be right but even if they were and the game ended goalless, we have seen enough already to know that the technical crew has nothing to offer Nigerians

We have been celebrating wins against teams like Uganda, south Africa and Equitorial Guinea and for me, this was Amodu's first real test. Who isn't doing something right, Amodu, NFF or the Players? Definitely not the players!

Please leave your comments.

Catania Players Go Naked To Score Goals

In the latest fashion statement out of Italy, soccer players are dropping their shorts to score goals.

Catania, a team in the country’s top division, unveiled the new look while taking a free kick. The players lined up in a wall and dropped their shorts in an effort to block the goalkeeper’s vision.

The Sicilian team carried out the maneuver to perfection Sunday. Three players dropped their shorts practically to their knees so Torino goalie Matteo Sereni couldn’t see the kick by Giuseppe Mascara, who scored during Catania’s 3-2 victory.

Catania is coached by Walter Zenga, a former goalkeper on Italy’s national team.

“This is a strategy that Zenga tries continually in training,” Pietro Lo Monaco, the club’s chief executive, told RAI state radio Monday.

Former referees coordinator Paolo Casarin called the move “unsportsmanlike and in bad taste.”

“It’s a trick that should not be tolerated anymore by the referees,” he said.

Lo Monaco replied: “A trick? I wouldn’t say so. It’s up to the referee to decide if it should be penalized, otherwise I don’t see where the problem is. … Good taste is relative.”

NFF and Amodu to blame as players refuse to show up for Columbia

The crisis of administration is in Nigerian Football Federation is about to bring us another national disgrace. There is the tendency to want to blame players when they refuse to honour National Call-ups for games especially when we are playing friendly matches. Then you wonder if John Terry or Lampard will give excuses just because England has a friendly game with Estonia or Belarus.

In all of this i still choose to blame the football officials in this country for failure to do what they need to do to instill discipline in the team. Amodu Shuabi is one coach in this country that has been recycled as Super Eagles coach more than any other and in all of these occasions has failed to show adequate grasp and control of his players. The choice of Amodu is wrong and will always be wrong. I have said that before on this blog and I am saying it again. Soon the honey moon period of playing teams below FIFA's Top 50 ranking will be over and we will begin to see the true team Amodu claims to be preparing to take us to 2010. He has failed many times in the past nothing so far shows he has improved.

Any discerning coach will make his players understand one thing, that football is a team game and if you do not work as a team on and off the pitch, there would be no place for such players in the team come the next qualifying game. But our quick fix attitude will never give way for proper planning and implementation of policies. It was due to refusal to honour national call-ups for friendlies like this that Nigeria lost for the first time in history to South Africa.

If we have a rule book, it should be adhered to. To this extent, nobody has to complain when players refuse to honour invitation for matches but punish offenders according to the rules. Where no exceptions are allowed, players will fall in line. Amodu does not have the guts to do that, neither does the NFF and so we will continue like this for a long time.

We should be ready to sacrifice whatever it takes to build a strong. I said this when we still had 4 years before 2010. But right, we have less that 2 years left. Do we really want to have an impact in 2010?

News In The News

Kano Pillars

The management committee of Kano Pillars Football Club has sacked the club’s goalkeeper traineer, Ali Muhammad Zoff and redeployed Coach Abdu Ahmad Pele to the State Sports Council for what it described as part of re-organization in the team.
According to the source close to the club management, the decision took place on Monday after Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima presided over the meeting between the Continental Committee and the club management as part of the plan to repositioning the team both in the Nigerian League and CAF Champions League.
Daily Triumph Sports gathered that the former Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Alhaji Galadima was not happy with the way and manner things are going in the club and directed the club management to seriously warn the players and the technical crew to change their attitude as the state government will not condone indiscipline and fake injury among players.
It could be recalled that with this approval, the present management of Kano Pillars Football Club led by Alhaji Tukur Babangida was said to have received almost N400million from the state government to run the affairs of the club.
Pillars received N70 million out of N100 million approved by the state government as take-off grant three months back.  

Oje Sweet Gives further Insight on the U-17 Bruhaha

Barely a week after it announced Nigeria’s inability to host next year’s Federation of International Football Association’s (FIFA) World Cup due to cash crunch, the Federal Government did a rethink and accepted to go ahead with hosting the world youth soccer championship. This was after the initial budget of N37 billion was drastically scaled down to N9 billion.
The government, through former Sports Minister, had earlier written to the global soccer governing body, FIFA that the country lacked the capacity to deliver a world-class event as it was faced with a myriad of challenges including a deficit budget and the effects of the global financial meltdown. The letter informed FIFA that “Government efforts are now being channelled towards pruning down on expenditure and in the light of challenges confronting Nigeria, it regrets its inability to host the U-17 World Cup as earlier undertaken”.
Government’s earlier repudiation of the hosting agreement it entered into with FIFA two years ago could be traced to the scary N37 billion budget submitted to it by the event’s Local Organising Committee (LOC). Not even the hurried review of the budget to N35 billion could persuade the government of the feasibility of the project. And so, it initially appeared as if the Yar’Adua administration had made up its mind not to have anything to do with the 2009 junior world football championship, which it said was not on its priority list, until a sudden u-turn about a week later.
Several reasons have been given for the policy reversal. They include the fear of FIFA’s sanctions and possible damage the breach of agreement could do the country’s external image and the development of its youth soccer in particular.
But now that the country has managed to avoid these untoward repercussions by agreeing to host the championship as planned, we are still worried about what the international community would think about our leaders. Why, for instance, would the government take such precipitate, spur-of-the-moment decision when it was clear that all remedial avenues had not been exhausted? This apparent indiscretion has brought a lot of embarrassment not only to the government but also to the country. It would appear that the Presidency over reacted on theN37 billion-budget proposal and that shouldn’t have been the sole basis for foreclosing the hosting of the championship. If the government thought the budget was unrealistic, as it surely was, it could have called for its downward review rather than resorting to throwing the baby away with the bath water.
Although some Nigerians have said the revised budget may be too low to host a global event of that magnitude, we want to believe that the Local Organising Committee showed lack of sincerity and concern for the country’s financial position. This definitely cannot continue. What Nigeria needs now as we finally prepare to host the U-17 World Cup next year is a body of genuine patriots to organise a tournament that would be economically rewarding to the country and ultimately beneficial for the development of its game of soccer. The LOC should be spared selfish people who think more of what would accrue to their individual pockets from the “spoils” of tournament hosting. Every effort must be made to ensure that the country maximises the gains of hosting the games, which must include brilliant performance of our team at the tournament as well as a boost to the nation’s economy. The nation’s dilapidated sports infrastructure are also expected to benefit a great deal from hosting the tournament, as they must be enduringly rehabilitated. It is only an efficient LOC that can achieve these lofty goals

CHIMAOBI UCHENDU write in the  Sun News on an allege plot to desolve the NFF board.

Former chairman of Gombe State Football Association and founder of the infamous Stakeholders Forum which ousted the Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima-led Nigeria Football Association (NFA) board, Shaibu Ahmed Gara Gombe, says Nigerian football will soon experience turbulent times from tyrants, who are bent on realising their dreams from a disunited football house.
He said a plot to dissolve the present Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Board, led by Sani Lulu was in the offing and he puts the time set for the plot to hatch between now and April next year.
Speaking to Daily Sunsport last weekend, Gombe said the Congress, which was made up of state FAs and clubs had already been penetrated into and warned the NFF and the Nigeria Premier League Board to guard their loins because the crisis is targeted to start there.
“Nigerian football will soon experience earthquake,” Gombe started. “I have it on good authority that Dr. Amos Adamu has recruited men to cause problems that will lead to the dissolution of NFF.
He is bent on reconstituting the NFF board to include himself, this is because of the ambition he is nursing at CAF. Remember that one cannot aim to become the CAF president without being a member of a national football federation.
“Already, I am aware of moves by his foot soldiers at recruiting state FAs and some clubs who make up the Congress to impeach the board when the crisis starts.
“The grand plan also include causing an artificial crisis between NFF and NFL, which will result into inviting stakeholders for mediation.
“At this point, the Congress would be invited to settle, the impasse and immediately this happens, the hatchet men will move for a dissolution of the board.
“I know they are playing to realize this dream before the commencement of the World Youth Championship (WYC) scheduled for Nigeria next year. Read Full Story SUN News 

Finally Kenya and mosambique are both threatening to stop Nigeria from 2010 as reported by Taiwo Adelu by PM NEWS

President of Kenya Football Federation (KFF), Mohammed Hatimy, has boasted that the Harambee Stars will stop the Super Eagles of Nigeria from playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in South Africa.

Hatimy is confident his country will feature in the World Cup finals after they must have scaled the hurdles of Nigeria, Tunisia and Mozambique, who are their group opponents in the qualifying series for the 2010 World Cup.

“I believe Kenya can stand on the way of Nigeria to the World Cup,” said Hatimy, in a live interview on Brila F.M., early today. “We want to qualify for the 2010 World Cup at all cost, we are expecting a tough opposition from Nigeria, but Kenya will be there.

“Stopping Nigeria is possible and I believe we can as well celebrate our qualification just as we celebrated the victory of Barack Obama in the just concluded American election,” he boasted.

Hatimy noted that since he took over as the President of Kenya Football Federation, there have been notable achievements to his credit. He said Kenya, in the FIFA ranking, used to be below 100, but he can proudly say that Kenya was last ranked Number 79 in the world.

 

Harry Mangulenje, AfricaNews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi 

Mozambique has served notice to their Nigerian opponents in the World Cup zone qualifiers to be vigilant or risk being pushed out of contention. Despite miraculously squeezing through to the current stage, Mozambique team is raising hopes of going further to Africa Nations Cup in Angola 2010.

The Black Mambas say they are not taking a challenge in their tough group and are ready to make it to the Nations Cup for the first time since 1998. Coach Mart Nooij has said he is aware that other members of the group Kenya, and Tunisia are working at turning tables when the games kick off in March next year.
But the coach said he has troops that can beat any team in the World given same conditions. The Mambas passed the first round tests by a miracle after they ended as best runners-up in their group which comprised teams like Ivory Coast.
“We will not change our offensive attacking football, all Africa should know is that Mozambicans can play and they play their own game in their own way but at the end of the day they win and usually win impressively,” he said. “There are so many good things now in our country, Mozambique and I as coach and my players on the other end, we are motivated,” he said.
Nooij, a former Burkina Faso coach said he targets Nigeria for their first win. He however said the worst they want to do is to end third in the group and not slip through.
“Nigeria is the same as Ivory Coast, they play same football, have similar trend of players, we drew with them in Maputo and we nearly drew with them again at their own backyard in Abidjan, what can distract us from pushing them out,” he said.

Saturday Round-up-Unlikely Losers, Man U down, Hull City continues free fall...............

The Wanderers keeper made some sensational saves to deny the rampant Tigers, who threw everything at the visitors. Ever since they lost at Chelsea, this is their third defeat in a row.

But it simply was not enough as Matt Taylor's 51st minute strike separated the sides.

Hull boss Phil Brown hailed Jaaskelainen's performance. He said: "He's had a blinder

"He pulled off a couple of great saves, with the one from the Geovanni header the turning point.

"I was  ready to run onto the pitch with both arms raised because we had scored an equalizer and we were going to be in with a chance to win the game.

"But he had one of those days, although he is a world-class 'keeper anyway, and I've nothing but admiration for him.

"He is certainly one of the best in the Premier League, and that's the standard we have to attain.

"He has been around for 10 or 11 years now, and I remember a number of sterling performances like that when I was at the club."

Bolton manager Gary Megson also singled out Jaaskelainen.

He said: "Jussi will get the headlines, and rightly so because his performance was unbelievable, as good as you are ever going to see.

"Some of his saves, like the one from the free kick - which was bad defending from ourselves - at point-blank range was good enough.

"But to then spring onto his feet and palm it away from the other forward coming in was top-class goalkeeping.

"There are some good goalkeepers throughout the world, and we certainly wouldn't swap him for anybody.

"He is not just a terrific goalkeeper, but a good lad, a good pro, and everything that comes his way he deserves because he works his socks off in training."

Hull had fielded all their lethal attackers including the dangerous Geovanni supporting strikers Marlon King and Daniel Cousin.

It was the Brazilian who had the first chance with a low 25-yard shot that Jaaskelainen smothered. As usual, when Bolton does something extr ordinary away from Reebok, Kudos always goes to Jaaskelainen.  Hull was so dominant everyone gave them the game especially considering their form and wonders they created so far in the league.

Despite Hull's domination, it was Bolton who took the lead on 51 minutes.  Bolton Carried the day and all Kudos to their goalie who worked so hard.

Earlier on, Manchester United full of confidence visited and injury ravaged Arsenal side with confidence at an all time low.

Earlier on,  SAMIR NASRI struck twice to put Arsenal's Premier League title challenge back on track.

Arsene Wenger admitted his team's bid would have been dead in the water if they had failed to win at the Emirates against United on Saturday after.

That was on an all time low of confidence having lost a 2 goal advantage to spurs, lost to stoke and held to a goalless draw against Fernabache all within 10 days would have found it difficult if they didn't win.

Nasri got the opener on 22 minutes thanks to a deflection off United skipper Gary Neville.

He made it two after a sublime passing move found him on the edge of the box where he hammered home.

Brazilian youngster Rafael Da Silva grabbed a late consolation for United.

United's Michael Carrick fired wide from the edge of the area before Dimitar Berbatov had a goal ruled out for offside.

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner headed over from Gael Clichy's cross and Abou Diaby had a clear sight of goal but his effort was blocked by Carrick. In my opinion Arsenal should have scored at least 5 goals with Rio's poor defending if Nicholas Brendtner was worth the confidence reposed on hi my Arsene. He wasn't just there. They game should have ended 5-2.

Wayne Rooney wasted Cristiano Ronaldo's intelligent cut-back when he smashed over on 17 minutes.

And he was made to pay when Nasri netted the opener just minutes later.

Patrice Evra fouled Bacary Sagna on the right wing and Cesc Fabregas' set-piece was only cleared to Nasri on the edge of the box.

The France star's powerful drive took a wicked deflection off Gary Neville and flew past Edwin Van der Sar in the United goal.

Ronaldo almost replied when his free-kick was nearly clipped in off Clichy. But unitl Rafeal came on to do what Ronney Berbatov and Tevez couldn't do, the game was heading to 2-0 especially with 6 minutes of added time that followed ALumnia's prolonged treatment time on the pitch. Can Arsenal Start getting consistent and take the battle to Aston Villa and Chelsea?