Author: Nurudeen Obalola
Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho’s four-match suspension has been halved by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) following a review of the club’s appeal. Mourinho was handed a fine and the ban over his comments about Turkish referees after a game at rivals Galatasaray, where he criticised the match officials in a press conference following the 0-0 Super Lig draw on Monday. The TFF fined the 62-year-old Portuguese 1.6 million Turkish lira ($43,963.89) but that was reduced to 558,500. The penalties were due to “derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee” and accusations of chaos and disorder in Turkish football, according to the TFF. The…
Manchester City survived an FA Cup scare for the second straight game as they beat second-tier strugglers Plymouth Argyle 3-1 to reach the quarter-finals on Saturday, with fellow English Premier League clubs Bournemouth and Crystal Palace also progressing. Teenager Nico O’Reilly saved City’s blushes with two headed goals after Maksym Talovierov had sent thousands of visiting fans into delirium by heading Plymouth into the lead at the Etihad Stadium. Plymouth were unable to emulate their shock victory over Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round and City will now be big favourites to win the Cup for the third…
By Korede James Belgian Pro League club Royal Antwerp have signed Nigerian youngsters Orseer Achihi and Gabriel David. “Orseer Achihi and Gabriel Jesus David sign a contract at the Bosuil. Both Nigerians come from P Sports Football Academy,” Royal Antwerp stated on Friday. “With Achihi (18) RAFC brings a Nigerian winger to the Bosuil. He signs a contract for 5 seasons. “The attacker Gabriel Jesus David (18) makes a temporary transfer to The Great Old until the end of the season with an option for a permanent transfer.” Royal Antwerp is the former club of Super Eagles midfielder Alhassan Yusuf…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said his players must be at their best to overcome Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round of the English FA Cup on Saturday. City have just the FA Cup still to play for in terms of silverware after the collapse of their English Premier League title defence and their ouster in the UEFA Champions League defeat by holders Real Madrid. Plymouth, who are in the Championship relegation zone, stunned runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool 1-0 in the fourth round. Guardiola, whose side are trying to reach the FA Cup final for a third consecutive…
By Korede James West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray has bemoaned Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi’s latest injury. Ajayi, who had only just returned from a previous injury, will not play against Leeds in the Championship this weekend or the next few matches. The Nigeria international could hopefully be back for a play-off push after suffering a fresh hamstring injury. He came off in the 41st minute of the first half during last weekend’s 2-0 win against Oxford United and will now enter a period of rehabilitation. “It’s disappointing for him, frustrating for him and for us,” Mowbray was quoted…
By Korede James Nigeria’s Flying Eagles lost 2-0 to Cote d’Ivoire in a friendly match at the Stade Félix Houphouet Boigny in Abidjan on Friday. Friday’s friendly was the second in three days between the two teams, who are both preparing for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which Cote d’Ivoire will host from April 26 to May 18. In their first encounter on Wednesday, the Flying Eagles won 2-0 thanks to goals from captain Daniel Bamayi and Divine Oliseh. The U-20 AFCON hosts got their revenge on Friday, winning with the same score. The Flying Eagles are in Group…
The Nigeria Football Federation has continued the search for clarity concerning the tragic death of former Nigeria U-20 player, Abubakar Lawal, in Uganda on Monday. NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, reiterated on Friday that the country’s football-ruling body has been monitoring the situation, and will not relent until the truth is revealed. Lawal, 29, who was playing for Ugandan top flight club Vipers SC, died on Monday morning, with initial reports claiming he lost his life in a car crash. Hours later, the Ugandan Police stated that Lawal died after falling from the third floor of a hotel at…
By Nurudeen Obalola Former Super Eagles captain Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has lambasted football pundit Jamie Carragher for disregarding the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and claiming it is not a major tournament. Carragher has been at the receiving end of relentless backlash since suggesting that Mohamed Salah’s Ballon d’Or chances were limited because the Liverpool forward plays for Egypt. In spite of pushback from his fellow pundits on Sky Sports Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards, Carragher held his ground while they were analysing Liverpool’s 2-0 English Premier League win over Manchester City last weekend. Carragher, a former England and Liverpool…
By Korede James Rivers United defeated Katsina United 1-0 in a rescheduled week 26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixture on Friday in Port Harcourt. The match kicked off on Thursday, but was called off at half-time due to heavy rain with Rivers United 1-0 ahead, Ubong Friday scoring the goal in the 17th minute. The game resumed at 9am on Friday from the second half with the home team holding on to clinch the three points. The victory took Rivers United up to second place in the table, nine points behind leaders Remo Stars, while Katsina United are 14th.…
Jose Mourinho has been hit with a four-game ban and fined £35,000 after the Fenerbahce boss sparked fury with comments about their rivals. The Portuguese coach made comments after the derby with Galatasaray where he claimed in a press conference that the opposition bench were “jumping like monkeys”. Galatasaray have announced that they intend to bring criminal proceedings over Mourinho’s comments which they alleged to be racist. The Special One also claimed that the match was better because it was not officiated by a Turkish referee having been vocal about the quality of the officiating in the Super Lig, previously suggesting he would not have taken the…