FIFA World Cup: Algeria truly the Desert Warrior

Germany booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Algeria in Porto Alegre on Monday night.

Following a goalless first period Germany claimed the lead in the second minute of extra time through Andre Schurrle before Mesut Ozil doubled their advantage with a late goal.
Abdelmoumene Djabou managed to pull one back for Algeria in the final minute but it was nothing more than a consolation as the referee blew his whistle for the last time.
The first half provided plenty of entertainment as Algeria started at a high tempo and went on to maintain it for much of the 45 minutes.

Algeria striker Islam Slimani was causing Germany centre-backs Per Mertesacker and Jerome Boateng plenty of problems early on, with his searing pace causing goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to rush out of his area several times to snuff out the danger.
Neuer was first called into action in the ninth minute, making a last-ditch tackle to dispossess Slimani after the striker had broken free of the defence.
Mertesacker was also facing some stern scrutiny from Slimani, who looked break the offside trap once more in the 11th minute following a mistake from Jerome Boateng. However, the Arsenal defender managed to get a foot to the ball at the crucial moment, before passing to safety.

Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball 2014 Ends in Grand Style

The 3rd Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament held between the 19th – 22nd February 2014 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos and drew participations from 27 States of the Federation as well as National Teams of Ghana, Liberia and Benin. Continue..

Bayern Munich President sentenced to 3 plus years in prison

 

62 year old football legend and President of German Football Club, Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness, has been sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of dodging 27.2million euros in taxes through an undeclared Swiss bank account. Uli who is one of the powerful figures in German football was charged and sentenced today Thursday March 13th by a German court

He was allowed to walk out of the court today because he has one week to decide whether to appeal the verdict.

Aliko Dangote ready to redeem $1million promise to Super Eagles

Billionaire business man Aliko Dangote says he is ready to redeem his promise of awarding $1m to the Super Eagles for winning the 2013 African Cup of Nations last year in South Africa. He said this a few days after goal keeper and Super Eagles vice-captain Vincent Enyeama begged him and others who pledged various things to the team to fulfill their promises.

"We understand the busy schedule of Alhaji Dangote, we are just asking his aides to help remind him of the promise to us. It’s just a reminder to patriots who are very busy and may not have been prompted after they made their pledges, because the players are determined to bring more honours to fatherland at the forthcoming World Cup” Enyeama said

Eto's poses like an old man to make fun of age falsification story

After scoring a goal against Spurs at yesterday's match, Chelsea footballer Samuel Eto'o celebrated the goal by posing as an old man, (pictured above) making fun of recent reports that he's closer to 40 than the 32 he's claiming. He also showed that he bears no hard feelings to his coach Jose Mourinho who was caught on camera saying he believes the Cameroonian striker is 35 and not 32.

"I didn’t suggest the celebration but I knew about it. We thought it was good because the best way to defuse the situation is to make fun of it." Jose Mourinho said of the pose

Barcelona title hopes now in terminal decline

  
The defending Liga champions have been in poor form throughout 2014 and, after a meek defeat at Valladolid, the title will now be contested by the teams from Madrid
Last weekend the Spanish title race seemed to have swung decisively back in the favour of Barcelona. A win at home against Almeria as routine as could be expected was preceded by a draw in the Madrid derby that did neither Real nor Atletico any favours. It's a very different picture this weekend as Barca, in as meek a fashion imaginable, had their grip on La Liga's trophy loosened as a result of a 1-0 defeat by Real Valladolid.

Leon Balogun to undergo surgery in Germany

       

The Fortuna Dusseldorf defender fractured his foot minutes after coming on for his debut in Nigeria's friendly with Mexico on Thursday

Debutant Leon Balogun is to undergo foot surgery in Germany after pulling out injured from Nigeria's goalless draw in Thursday's international friendly with Mexico.

He is expected to be out for up to eight weeks according to the Nigeria medical team. He will have surgery when he returns to Germany this weekend, said the team's media officer Ben Alaiya.

The Fortuna Dusseldorf defender came on as a second half subsitute for Efe Ambrose but had to leave the game minutes later after fracturing his foot.

The right back clattered into an advertising board after a challenge on a Mexican attacker. He hobbled back onto the pitch to continue but was unable to play further after a few minutes and had to be replaced by Azubuike Egwuekwe.

Balogun was a late replacement for captain Joseph Yobo who was recalled to the side for the first time since February 2013.

The 25-year-old was born in Germany to a Nigerian father from Ijebu Ode while his mother is half Italian and half German. He has expressed his intention to fight for a place in the Super Eagles squad to the World Cup in Brazil.

"I pray my injury heals on time so that I can return to playing football for my club and country,” Balogun was quoted by the Nigerian camp.

Balogun was expected to be a back up to Ambrose who has been the longstanding right back in the squad.

Michael Jordan earned $90m in 2013, more than nearly any active athlete

According to Forbes magazine, retired basketball legend Michael Jordan made more money in 2013 than any other retired athlete in the world, earning an estimated $90million, more than any active playing athlete aside from boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. who made over $100m. And where did all the money come for someone who hasn't played basketball in almost 10 years? Air Jordan of course!

Nike released the Air Jordan 10 “Powder Blue” retro sneaker on Saturday, 20 years after the first Jordan 10s hit shelves. Like all the Jordan retro releases, this one was highly anticipated and first-day sales hit $35 million. 

Retail shoe sales for the Jordan Brand in the U.S. grew 11% last year to $2.7 billion, with basketball making up 84% of that, according to Powell. Roughly 50% to 55% of that goes to Nike. If you factor in sales of Jordan apparel, the international Jordan business and sales at Nike stores, the Jordan brand is contributing roughly $2 billion of revenue to Nike, which posted sales of $26 billion over the last 12 months. Jordan, the man, gets a cut of every shoe, hoodie or pair of shorts sold by Nike under the Jordan Brand.

We estimate MJ’s take from Nike was at least $75 million last year. “Given that he is the name that launched the brand, you could argue that he deserves more,” says Phil de Picciotto, founder and president of Octagon. “Jordan is the perfect athlete.”

For perspective, in all of 2013, Adidas sold $40 million in the U.S. of the signature shoes of its top star, Derrick Rose. The Bulls’ current star guard isn’t the only one operating in the shadow of Jordan. Reigning MVP LeBron James is the top seller among current NBA players with $300 million at retail last year for his Nike shoes, according to data tracker SportsOneSource. Jordan crushed those numbers with $2.25 billion in U.S. retail basketball sales in 2013. It has been more than a decade since Michael Jordan last appeared in an NBA uniform, but MJ most certainly has still got it.

Michael Olaitan provides bright spot for Nigerians in Europe

Goal Nigeria look back over the last week in European football and consider the fortunes of the eight Nigerians to have been involved in the continental competitions.

Champions League
While Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o may have stolen the headlines and the attention ahead of the Champions League Last 16 first-leg matches, few African players could be happier with their showing than Michael Olaitan.
At the end of last year, the Nigerian forward was a back-up for Olympiakos, feasibly the weakest side to have escaped their Champions League group. At the time of writing, he leads the line for the Greek giants, slayers of Manchester United, and with one foot in the quarter-final.

Nigeria Football Federation unveils World Cup jersey for Brazil 2014

The Nigerian Football Federation today February 27th unveiled a brand new jersey our national team would use during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The jersey, which is lemon green, will be officially launched on March 5th when the Super Eagles meet Mexico in a pre-world cup friendly which will take place in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to the Head Marketing of the NFF, Adama Idris, the jersey was designed to suit the weather condition in Brazil. See more photos after the cut...

UEFA Trophy Storms Nigeria Courtesy Heineken

All is now set for Nigerian football fans, especially devotees of the UEFA Champions League, to feel and experience the elite league trophy which will berth in the country on March 13, 2014 courtesy of World’s leading international premium lager beer, Heineken. The trophy, which will be accompanied by Dutch football legend, coach and Heineken brand ambassador, Ruud Gullit, is expected to remain in the country till March 16, 2014. Continue...

Barcelona Suffer Sociedad Nighmare

Real Sociedad 3-1 Barcelona: Messi strike not enough as Barca suffer Basque nightmare

Antoine Griezmann and David Zurutuza scored the winning goals for the hosts following Alex Song's own goal and the record-breaking Argentine's equaliser

Barcelona lost ground in the La Liga title race as they were shocked 3-1 by Real Sociedad on Saturday evening.

An Alex Song own-goal 10 minutes from half-time was quickly cancelled out by a Lionel Messi goal that saw the Argentine surpass Raul's tally for Real Madrid and become the Spanish top flight's third top scorer in history, but things took a turn for the worse after the break for the Catalans.

President Jonathan to cheer Super Eagles in Brazil

The country’s number one citizen has declared his intention to be present at the World Cup in the summer to support the national team’s campaign in South America

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan could be in Brazil to support the Super Eagles during their World Cup campaign this summer.
The country’s number one citizen was on Wednesday installed as the Grand Patron of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club in Abuja.
"The Year 2014 is a very important one for our nation, as we have the FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games ahead of us. The Federal Government will not relent in giving support to all our athletes in all sports to excel,” President Jonathan said.
“I am indeed honoured to be officially recognised as Nigeria's Number One Supporter. I have always been a keen supporter of all our national teams, "he said.
A keen supporter of the Super Eagles, President Jonathan has put his money where his mouth is by visiting the team twice in the last two years, an unprecedented event among the country’s previous leaders.

President Jonathan gives N50million to Nigerian Supporters Club

President Jonathan this morning announced the release of N50million to members of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club as they prepare to go cheer the National team in the forthcoming Brazil World Cup tournament which starts in June.

 

In a ceremony where he was decorated as the Grand Patron of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club, President Jonathan said his administration will not relent in giving the support required to sports men and women to excel in all international football competitions, this by extension includes the Nigerian football supporters club. He also promised to seek the assistance of private organizations to help sponsor and bring more supporters to Brazil during the football challenge.

See photos from ceremony which took place at the State House today after the cut...

Mourinho: I'm always the bad guy

A dejected Chelsea manager faced the press following the FA Cup defeat to Manchester City and blamed the recent dispute involving him and Arsene Wenger on the media.
Jose Mourinho says he has been painted as "the bad guy" following the recent comments exchanged between the Chelsea manager and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger. 

On Friday, Mourinho called Wenger "a specialist in failure" after the Frenchman stated his belief that Mourinho's "fear of failure" was the chief cause for the Portuguese playing down Chelsea's title prospects
But when the Chelsea boss was asked about the recent media furore in his post-match press conference, he said he has been portrayed as the wrongdoer in the episode. 

"It's your [the media's] fault. It's always the same guy who is the bad guy," Mourinho told reporters.

"You like it that way. One is polite and the other one is the bad guy. I'm not surprised."

Lazio threatens legal action after claims that teenage footballer is 41

Italian giants Lazio have been forced to release official documents to prove that their player, Joseph Minala is actually 17 years old and not a man in his 40s. Most people don't believe Joseph (pictured left with a team mate) is a teenager. He sure doesn't look like one.

Lazio also threatened legal action after a Senegalese news reported that the Cameroonian footballer was actually 41. Lazio and Minala's agent have produced paper work to prove Minala is actually 17.

Last-gasp Bent equaliser stuns Old Trafford

Two goals in as many minutes from Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick looked to have secured a vital win for the champions, only for the visitors to fight back at the death

Half-time substitute Bent headed in during the fourth minute of added time as United's comeback, led by late goals from Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick, was ultimately denied.

Fulham – who sit bottom of the Premier League table and had lost their last 11 trips to Old Trafford – claimed a shock lead in the 19th minute through Steve Sidwell.

United struggled to break down a resolute Fulham side for long spells, and they were staring down the barrel of a ninth league defeat of the season at one stage as goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg excelled.

Fan's View: In Defence of Stephen Keshi

We present the views of one fan who is adamant that the Big Boss deserves maximum credit for his work as Super Eagles' boss

Melvin Ini's recent guest article, Is Keshi ready to take on the World prompted controversy among Goal Nigeria fans. In this piece, one reader explains why the Big Boss deserves all the credit he can get.

Let me first state that I disagree with Melvin Ini’s view that Stephen Keshi is 'miles' below par tactically. Team formations are decided based on the players at a coach’s disposal and on that basis, I see it as no tactical impropriety for the Eagles to set out in a 4-3-3 cum 4-2-3-1 system. Formations are what they are - formations. However, the approach and set up, styles and employment of personnel within these formations and results is, of course, the litmus test of a coach’s tactical know-how and not in the multiplicity and variant of formations a team can play. Great teams of the world are not known for their multiplicity of formations, but by their ability to adapt their style in a formation to every opposition.

CHAN has produced World Cup materials for Nigeria, says Keshi

The Super Eagles trainer is glad to have found a few good legs that will be part of his squad to the summer fiesta in Brazil

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has disclosed that his main objective of leading the team to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa has been met after discovering more than the three players he hoped to get from the competition.

The Super Eagles won bronze after defeating Zimbabwe in Cape Town on Saturday in the competition meant for only players based in domestic leagues.  

Speaking after his team defeated hard fighting the Warriors, the Big Boss said that he was happy to have had a good run with the squad and is now encouraged that a few of them could be in his plans for the World Cup in Brazil.

 “The major goal for me [in South Africa] was to expose the players and see if I can get two or more players to take to the World Cup in Brazil in five months’ time. I am happy to say that I have really gotten some,” Keshi told media.

 He said that there were no hard feelings not winning the competition after losing the semi final game to Ghana via penalties.

 “I don’t have bitterness for not winning CHAN, no bitterness at all. I am so happy with the boys for playing well and reaching this far in the competition. They have really grown to understand what I want from them just under three weeks of being together as a team,” he said.

Zimbabwe Coach Ian Gorowa also showered praises on his team for reaching this far in the competition adding that it has been the best achievement of the country in football in recent time.

Serena exit leaves Wimbledon in twilight zone

Wimbledon entered the twilight zone on Monday as Serena Williams became the latest high-profile champion to fade into oblivion at a tournament where reputations and star status are counting for nothing.

 Just when it seemed that this year’s grasscourt major had exhausted its quota of shocks with grand slam champions Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka all blotted out of the draw by the second round, along came Sabine Lisicki.

 

 

 

The German, playing a brand of fearless tennis that many dream of but only the brave produce, jettisoned the American holder 6-2 1-6 6-4 to leave Wimbledon gasping in disbelief once again.

Lisicki also struggled to catch her breath.