Buhari’s cash: Short-changed basketballers still waiting

The U16 female national basketballers who won the African cup last year and were promised N400,000 by President Muhammadu Buhari but were short-changed are yet to be fully paid nearly two months after other athletes were paid.

The players received alerts for the payment on Tuesday, March 23 but were utterly shocked as only N300,000 was credited to their accounts instead of the amount the President announced publicly.

President Buhari

One of the affected players, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity for fear of being punished, said they were not told anything concerning the difference.

She said, “Yes, I got  an alert yesterday for the payment but it was for only N300,000 that was paid into my account. I have asked my mates and it’s the same amount they got.”

On Monday, April 4, our correspondent got a fresh call from one of those affected to complain about the endless wait and the silence coming from the Ministry of Youth and Sports officials. The PUNCH checks confirmed that the players were yet to paid the balance of N100,000 despite the assurances given by the sports ministry to The PUNCH that the issue would be thrashed out.

She said, “Please help us; we are counting on your newspaper (The PUNCH) to help us in this struggle. It is looking like impossible for us now even though our federation president has told us that he would do everything possible to ensure that the ministry officials pay us.”

A coach with the basketball team said he was hopeful that the matter would be sorted out given the assurances they had received from the basketball federation. The players assessment, pay advice and the payment itself, we learnt, was carried out by the sports ministry officials without any input from the federations.

Our  correspondent learnt that it was not only the basketballers who were complaining, as there were other who were said to be beneficiaries but were yet to be paid too.

In January 2016, when Buhari hosted the sportsmen, the names and pictures of Onye Lauritta, who won gold medal in F40 shot put at the 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Qatar and those of her coach, Anato Patrick, and the team secretary, Mrs. Olabisi Aziz, were included in the event’s brochure, but no reward was announced for them at the event. But Aziz, who later spoke with The PUNCH, said the situation had been explained to them prior to the final ceremony but they had been computed into the reward system and would be paid like the others.

In January she had said, “The President’s speech and many other things had been concluded before we returned with the gold medal. Every detail had been explained to us and it was therefore merged with those of the powerlifters. So it isn’t that we were forgotten; no we are still a part of the reception and the rewarded athletes.”

We understand that powerlifters were paid last week but Onye and the officials were not paid.

Buhari’s cash: Short-changed basketballers still waiting

I paid my brother N23m not to come out as gay - Fashanu

Nigeria’s ex-Super Eagles player, John Fashanu, has said he paid N23 million to his brother, Justin Fashanu, in order to prevent him from publicly announcing that he was gay.

The former Wimbledon striker made the confession a week after it emerged that two top footballers were planning to openly declare they are gay.

In his first in-depth interview about his brother, with the British newspaper, Daily Mirror, since his tragic suicide in 1998, Fashanu said, “I begged him. I threatened him. I did everything I could possibly do to try and stop him coming out. I gave him the money because I didn’t want the embarrassment for me or my family. Had he come out now, it would be a different ball game.

“There wouldn’t be an issue, but there was then. Things are different now. Now he’d be hailed a hero. I’ll never forget when Justin first told me. He called me in the evening time and said to me: ‘I’m gay’. Then he said to me: ‘I’m planning to go to a newspaper’. I said to him: ‘Oh heavens forbid… oh my God. We don’t need that. You’re mad’.”

According to the newspaper, the younger Fashanu requested for money to keep quiet about his homosexual status.

The older Fashanu said, “He promised when I gave him the money that he would not go out and say that. Two days later… bang… headlines in a newspaper. I looked like a sucker. For me and my family it was like Hiroshima or Nagasaki on our lives. It knocked us dead, it was a total shock.

“People might not like it, but I was trying to protect my family. You’ve got to remember the public’s perception of homosexuality at that time was that it was an abomination. It was taboo. Street boys were beating up gays in nightclubs. I give him credit for having the courage to come out and say it. But it caused a lot of confusion and animosity towards him, me, and my family.”

I paid my brother N23m not to come out as gay - Fashanu

Eto rises against Boko Haram, set up foundation to help victims

He’s one of world football’s best-known names — and now Samuel Eto’o is using that fame to draw attention to the ongoing crisis that “everyone stops talking about.”

Samuel Eto

The former Barcelona and Chelsea star has set up the Yellow Whistleblower FC foundation to raise funds and awareness to help people fleeing Nigeria and Cameroon amid a rising tide of attacks from Boko Haram militants.

Earlier this month, Oxfam revealed that more than 1.5 million people have fled their homes in Nigeria alone, while Cameroon — to which many have escaped — is an increasing target for cross-border terror attacks.

Islamist group Boko Haram has carried out bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and abductions in its campaign to impose its strict version of Sharia law.

Former Cameroon captain Eto’o, who retired from international football last year, told CNN it was time the world stepped up its response to an ongoing catastrophe.

The 34-year-old urged leaders and the media to react as they did to the terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris in January.

“It is important for us to talk about it — if we don’t do it, who will?” said the four-time African player of the year.

“We all tried to offer our support (after Charlie Hebdo). We saw African head of states coming to Paris to offer their support to France.

“Why, when it comes to Africa — when it comes to our continent — don’t we do anything? Maybe because the media are not doing what they should do.

“When it comes to Charlie Hebdo, we talk about it. The media were right: It was important to talk about that. However when it comes to Boko Haram, we need to wait for the most horrific things to happen for the media to say a word.

“After that, everybody stops talking about it. It is like nothing ever happened.

“I think journalists should have denounced this situation. We saw what happened in France. We were very sad about this. We were asking ourselves, ‘How can this happen? How can they succeed? How can these people take away lives of happy people who had families and friends?"”

Most formidable weapon

The soccer star’s foundation has already raised more than $75,000 to help displaced victims of Boko Haram terrorism, and Eto’o said he believed Africans in a position to do so must “raise their voices to denounce these horrors and raise awareness.”

“I was affected, like many of my African brothers, by Boko Haram. We haven’t been affected by such horrors in a very long time,” he said. “We are seeing these atrocities and we seem powerless.

“We need to cope with this situation. We need to denounce it and find solutions at our level while our armed forces do their own job on the ground.”

Eto’o said one of the most effective ways to defeat Boko Haram and its ideology would be through education, which he called “the most formidable weapon.”

“We need to create schools and give the possibility to these children to learn and understand,” explained Eto’o, whose illustrious career has taken him to Italy, Spain, Russia, England and Turkey, winning three European Champions League titles. He was reportedly one of the the world’s highest-paid players at Anzhi Makhachkala.

“Some of these children affected by the situation are young and are easily manipulable, and they are manipulated. These children are used and join this terrorist organization.”

Last month, an attack by Boko Haram militants on a market and an infirmary in northern Cameroon killed around 30 people and injured 145, according to a military official.

The attack provided another demonstration of the Islamist group’s reach in Africa.

Col. Didier Badjeck, a spokesman for Cameroon’s military, said the attackers “came in from across the hills in Nigeria” to launch the attacks in the town of Kerawa.

Eto’o, who now plays for Turkish club Antalyaspor, said: “We wanted to show the right way to our young brothers, but the ignorance that we have in Africa leads to our own brothers shooting at us.

“When you are African, and you are sometimes better (at something) than Europeans or Americans, you’re not considered African.

“It’s frustrating but you can’t be mad. I refuse to be ignorant. The only message that I want to give is that I want people to have easy access to education.”

Eto’o also believes that increased education and awareness will pave the way for other footballers to emulate the international success he and other African football stars have enjoyed overseas.

“I really hope there will be another Samuel Eto’o, another Yaya Toure and others who are part of history,” he added, referring to Manchester City’s Ivory Coast midfielder. “In order to be part of history, you need to have an impact several times.

“When you impact several times, that means you are out of the ordinary. That’s why in Africa we need to say no to ignorance while accepting and understanding our values. When we get to do that, it will be a big step forward.

“I am not getting into politics, but it is important for Africans to dream and to write their own history. They need to be responsible for their own destiny.”

This was first published by CNN.

Eto rises against Boko Haram, set up foundation to help victims

Aston Villa sack Sherwood

Aston Villa has sacked manager Tim Sherwood after eight months in charge, with the club 19th in the Premier League table.

The move follows a 2-1 defeat by Swansea on Saturday – Villa’s sixth straight loss in the league, the BBC reports.

“The board believes the results on the pitch were simply not good enough and that a change is imperative,” the BBC quoted the club as saying in a statement.

Under-21 manager, Kevin MacDonald, has been placed in interim charge.

Appointed in February, Sherwood reached the FA Cup final and led the club to a 17th-placed finish in his first season in charge, but has won one of 10 league matches this term.

Aston Villa sack Sherwood

Oliseh begins real coaching

…As he leads Eagles in Tanzania

By Jude Opara, Abuja

Coach Sunday Oliseh will be having his first taste of competitive football action this afternoon, when he leads the Super Eagles to battle Tanzania in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Dar es Salaam National Stadium.

Sunday Oliseh, new super eagles coach

The former Eagles captain will be attempting to hit the ground running against the Tafia Stars and possibly upstage Egypt at the top of the group as both sides currently have three points, with the record African champions ahead on goals difference. They play Chad this weekend.

For Oliseh, who has 17 foreign based players ad six home-based available for the must-win match, it is his first big test as a coach, having had prior stints working with third division Belgian side Royal Cercle Sportif Verviétois between 2008 and 2009 and working as the sports director at Königliche Allgemeine Sportvereinigung Eupen, a Belgian second division side.

Despite holding a UEFA Pro Licence, these were Oliseh’s greatest achievements as a coach and the true worth of his coaching acumen would be proven today when he side confront a relatively weak Tafia Stars.

Oliseh comes across as a sound technical person when analysing football on television and working as a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group during tournaments but Nigerians will have a bird’s eye view of the former Julius Berger midfielder, who has his work cut out for him as tries to justify the confidence that the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF Executive reposed on him when they named him Eagles coach after Stephen Keshi’s sack.

And the NFF will be hoping things work in their favour today as they seek to return the country to the continental fiesta after the failure of the previous board led by Aminu Maigari to qualify the country for the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea.

The game is also going to be the first cap of most of the players selected by Coach Oliseh after he left out some of the known players like Mikel Obi and Victor Moses from his list.

The coast seems a little bit hazy for the Eagles with the late withdrawal of team captain and first choice goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama who within the week informed the football authorities of his desire to be excused from the encounter.

But one curious issue with the Enyeama withdrawal is the seeming lack of cordial relationship between him and he coach. This is because our investigation revealed that the Lille of France keeper was said to have called and informed his assistant captain, Ahmed Musa of his desire to stay away from Tanzania following the death of his mother.

But on his on the other hand, Oliaseh had told journalists in Abuja last Wednesday that he did not know why his captain withdrew from the important fixture.

“Enyeama asked to be withdrawn from this game and it has put me in a very tight situation because I must confess that the task ahead of us is a very difficult one and I didn’t need this extra burden. We’re practically starting this team from the scratch, it’s not very pleasant but that’s life,” Oliseh had lamented.

The absence of Enyeama will surely leave Oliseh with no better choice but to field related unknown Wolverhampton of England goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme who incidentally is coming to the national team for the very first time.

Apart from Enyeama, another high profile withdrawal is Italy based midfielder, Joel Obi who according to Oliseh is out due to an injury.

Many analysts have expressed reservations concerning the players invited for the match; apart from the fact that some notable players like the duo of Chelsea of England players, Mikel Obi and Victor Moses were left out, Oliseh also ignored inform Watford of England striker, Odion Ighalo for some near spent forces who are even finding it difficult to hold down a starting shirt even in some lesser leagues.

Importantly, judging from the training of the team as monitored in Abuja, it is very obvious that most of the players invited were a little bit heavy and flat footed a development most analysts say may not augur well for the team.

But according to Oliseh, the team is still in the building process even as he must realize that while we are building Nigeria must keep an eye on Egypt, who after missing out from the last two editions of AFCON are doing every possible to snatch the group’s ticket for the fiesta.

Tanzania from all indications are taking the game seriously hence they sent their team on a training tour of Turkey to prepare for the Nigerians.

All their star players including Elias Maguli and Thomas Ulimwengu will be in action.

Eagles must therefore endeavour to win the match if they must keep a tab on the Egyptians who are topping the group G after defeating Tanzania 3-0 in Cairo.

 

Oliseh begins real coaching

The battle and final fall of Coach Keshi

By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News

A former Nigerian football coach got more than what he bargained for after he was fired on July 4, 2015 by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over what it termed as “lack of commitment to achieve the Federation’s objectives as set out in the Coach’s employment contract.”

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi
Credit: Punch

Stephen Keshi was once rated as a messiah when he took over the National team, Super Eagles in November 2, 2011. He signed three years contract with the Nigeria Football Federation after taking over from the former coach, Samson Siasia

His songs of praises finally came to a halt when the NFF announced his termination two months after he signed another two years contract in 2015.

Keshi secured his high place in Nigeria football history after he led the team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa by defeating Burkina Faso by 1-0; for the first time in 19 years.

Gradually, Keshi ‘s pride started taking over, he locked horns with the NFF who gave him the contract, and his relationship with his top players like Osaze Odemwingie went sour. The NFF described the Big Boss as he is fondly called, as a very stubborn and uncontrollable individual.

24 hours after he returned from AFCON in 2013, praises flowing in from different parts of the countries to congratulate his effort and for making history.  Keshi announced his resignation on a South African Radio blaming the NFF disrespect for his action, and it took the intervention of the former Senate President David Mark to persuade him to change his mind. He also announced he had numerous contracts in queue for him

The ex-Super Eagle coach continued to enjoy the treatment of a coach as an official of the NFF who didn’t want his name mentioned said he was enjoying the closeness of the Presidency and some top government officials which led to the reason the NFF could not push him aside.

A sport Analyst and a journalist with African Independent Television, Jide Ogunleye described the incident between Keshi and NFF as unfortunate. He said “He (coach Keshi) knew the new board of NFF didn’t like him as he was enjoying the influence of the former President   Goodluck Jonathan”.

“The Football Federation had refused signing him again but President the President influenced the decision to fire him and made sure he was retained.

On August 23 2013, Keshi had a fallout with Belgian Tom Saintfelt.  He accused coach Keshi of being a racist over a statement he made on United Kingdom-based African TV show, Vox Africa’s Sports360 in which he said “He (Saintfiet) is not an African person, he is a white dude, and he should go back to Belgium”.

The fallout came after the team defeated Tahiti  6-1 at the Fifa Confederation Cup at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, and was defeated by Uruguay 1-2 inside the arena Fonte Nova in Salvador in Brazil.

November 16, Keshi took the Super Eagles to the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil for a fifth appearance after defeating Ethiopia 2-0 in Calabar and Junauary 9, the Big Boss got the reward of  his several winnings by clicking the Africa Coach of the year.

The more Keshi showed his coaching strength, the more he crossed lines and accumulated enemies. Adding to his previous fallout with the NFF, the Big Boss rejected the suggestion of a foreign assistant coach and requested for his assistants, Sylvanus Okpala.

Just like the coach, indiscipline crawled into the team. The Senate President was shocked in Brazil when the players demanded for 25 percent of the money the federation was expecting from the FIFA for the first round matches.

The players threatened not to play the match against Iran which eventually ended in 0-0 unless the requested percentage reached them.

Though Keshi apologized to Mark, who is one of his backbone and a pillar behind the reason the NFF were soft with him.  The apology was not taken seriously by the Federal Government delegation and the NFF who described the move by the team, headed by Keshi as a national disgrace, according to an official who didn’t want to be named.

The same money fight was reported from the USA camp as they had put NFF on notice over money before they boarded the flight to Brazil.  A year before that, the Super Eagles team had embarked on a strike in Namibia over match bonus during FIFA Confederations Cup

Both Nigerians and NFF as a body believed that the poor performance by the players was as a result of the money fight, hence blamed Keshi for his inability to control his team.

After Nigeria loss to France in the World cup second round in June 2014, Keshi announced his resignation as the Nigeria head coach for the second time but hang around as requested by the NFF, since there was no new appointed coach to take over from him

In October 2014, according to Supersport report, the embattled coach was fired along with his assistance. 14 days later, he was reinstated after the NFF decision was again overruled by the President, Goodluck Jonathan.

After the Presidential election in March, it was obvious that Keshi would lose his position. Many believed that he should have left when he had the chance but he didn’t think the former President will lose to the former Nigeria dictator, Muhammadu Buhari.

After Jonathan handover to the new President, Keshi was finally fired on July 4, 2015 after he signed a new contract in May, for lack of commitment to achieve the Federation’s objectives as set out in the Coach’s employment contract.

Justifying the NFF’s action, the Sport analyst, Jide said “He breached his contract; no employer would take what he did applying for another job while you are still on existing one. It was published by the Ivorian Daily Paper, a full list of coaches that applied for the post of the Ivorian National Coach. If Keshi denied applying then who forwarded his credentials and CV for application?”

Effort to make the Secretary General of NFF, Mr. Sunusi talk on the issue proved abortive as he said he will not talk on the Federation former employee.

The battle and final fall of Coach Keshi

NFF fires Nigeria Coach, Stephen Keshi

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has been fired by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Saturday.

Though the details of the sack was not given to journalist, but findings revealed that the action of the NFF may be as a result of Keshi’s application for a coaching job with the Ivory Coast national team.

 

Keshi had in recent times denied continuously the speculation that he had applied for a coaching job with IC, but the NFF had equally vowed to fire him should the speculation be proven to be true.

 Both the NFF spokesman, Ademola Olajire and Keshi’s manager, Emmanuel Ado confirmed the development which took most Nigerians by surprise.

 

NFF fires Nigeria Coach, Stephen Keshi

Fifa ex vice president ‘took $10m bribe for South Africa World Cup’

— Jack Warner among Fifa bosses held over ‘$150m corruption’

— Qatar and Russia could be stripped of 2018 and 2022 tournaments

— Fifa president Blatter ‘not dancing in his office’, spokesman says

FIFA’S former vice president is accused of taking bribes worth $10million (£6.5million) from the South African government to host the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA President, Sepp Blatter

Jack Warner was among seven high-ranking Fifa chiefs arrested this morning at a five-star hotel in Switzerland as football’s governing body faced a double corruption probe.

The FBI wants to quiz a total of 14 people over $150million (£98million) worth of alleged bribes while Swiss cops are probing the decisions to let Russia and Qatar host World Cups.

A total of nine Fifa officials and five business executives are accused of conspiracy and corruption.

US officials claim that Warner “diverted” some of these alleged bribes from the South African government for his own personal use.

When details of the indictment first emerged, Mr Warner said he was innocent and said “the actions of Fifa no longer concern me”.

Soon after the dawn raid in Zurich, Swiss authorities announced criminal proceedings over the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

It comes just two days before members are expected to ignore outrage from the wider football world by voting in president Sepp Blatter for a fifth term.

US Attorney General Loretta E Lynch said: “The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States.”

And in a press conference this afternoon, Ms Lynch said: “They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves.

“This Department of Justice is determined to end these practices to root out corruption and bring wrongdoers to justice.”

Former Fifa vice president Jack Warner

Richard Weber, chief of the US tax agency’s criminal investigation division, said: “It was a World Cup of fraud, and today we are issuing Fifa with the red card.”

Walter De Gregorio, Fifa’s Director of Communications & Public Affairs, admitted today: “It is once again unfortunately Fifa suffering. It is certainly a difficult point for us.”

He added Blatter was “not dancing in his office” and he is “very calm, he is fully co-operative with everything, he’s not a happy man, saying wow, wow”.

The Swiss Federal Office is due to question around ten members “on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money-laundering”.

The Swiss probe is separate to the FBI-led arrests of Sepp Blatter’s understudy Jeffrey Webb and controversial former Concacaf president Warner.

The arrests and seizure of documents were carried out simultaneously to “avoid any possible collusion”, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said.

A statement read: “The Swiss and US law enforcement authorities are not conducting any joint investigations, but are coordinating their respective criminal proceeding.”

Blatter is expected to retain his title because he has support from delegates in Africa and South America.

More than a dozen plain-clothed Swiss police officers arrived at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich at around 6am before storming the rooms where senior officials from the world football’s governing body were staying.

Members from Fifa’s executive committee were led away through the side exit of the hotel, with many using bedsheets to shield themselves.

According to one journalist, one official being arrested was heard in the lobby saying to a colleague: “Nervioso.”

The most significant arrest was that of Webb, who has previously been hailed by Blatter as a potential successor.

Other soccer officials due to be quizzed are Eugenio Figueredo, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin and Nicolás Leoz, according to US reports.

Charges were also expected against sports marketing executives Alejandro Burzaco, Aaron Davidson, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis.

José Margulies, an intermediary who facilitated illegal payments, will also be quizzed.

The raids took place as Fifa gathered for their annual meeting at the hotel with views of the Alps and Lake Zurich.

Officers went to the front desk to get keys before heading to the rooms.

Li, of Costa Rica, was seen being led by the authorities from his room to a side-door exit of the hotel. He was allowed to take his luggage, which was adorned with Fifa logos.

The charges allege widespread corruption in Fifa over the past two decades, involving bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcasting deals.

The charges include racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

“We’re struck by just how long this went on for and how it touched nearly every part of what Fifa did,” an FBI official told the New York Times.

“It just seemed to permeate every element of the federation and was just their way of doing business. It seems like this corruption was institutionalised.”

Law enforcement officials said much of the inquiry involves Concacaf, one of the six regional confederations that compose Fifa.

Concacaf — which stands for Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football — includes major countries such as the US and Mexico, and tiny ones like Barbados and Montserrat.

According to the indictment, several international soccer events were tainted by bribes and kickbacks involving media and marketing rights: World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf region; the Gold Cup; the Concacaf Champions League; the Copa América; and the Copa Libertadores.

The indictment also claims that bribes and kickbacks were found in connection with the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup.

Concacaf was led from 1990 to 2011 by Warner, the long time head of Trinidad & Tobago’s federation.

A key powerbroker in Fifa’s governing executive committee, he had been dogged by accusations of corruption.

He was accused of illegally profiting from the resale of tickets to the 2006 World Cup, and of withholding the bonuses of the Trinidad players who participated in that tournament.

England are now 11/10 favourites to host the 2018 World Cup if Russia are stripped and the USA are a top-priced 3/1 to take over the 2022 tournament if Qatar are banned from hosting.

FA Chairman Greg Dyke said today: “We should stress this morning’s developments are very serious for FIFA and its current leadership.

“As one of the associations who nominated Prince Ali it will not surprise you to learn that if the election for president goes ahead The FA will be voting for him.

“However, there must be a question mark over whether the election should take place in these circumstances.

“Clearly things are changing very quickly and our delegation to the FIFA congress in Zurich, which I am leading, will discuss the position and what we should do about it with our colleagues in UEFA when we meet tomorrow morning.”

Multi-billion pound Fifa has been plagued by accusations of bribery for decades.

The FBI case is the most significant yet for US Attorney General Lynch, who took office last month.

Warner resigned as Concacaf chief in 2011 amid mounting evidence that he had been part of an attempt to buy the votes of Caribbean federation officials in the 2010 Fifa presidential election.

A 2013 Concacaf report also found that he had received tens of millions of dollars in misappropriated funds.

A statement by Fifa today read: “Fifa is fully cooperating as injured party in the actions by Swiss authorities.

“Fifa welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football.

“We are pleased to see that the investigation is being energetically pursued for the good of football and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that Fifa has already taken.”

Warner has pleaded his innocence after being arrested on suspicion of racketeering, conspiracy and corruption.

He said: “I have been afforded no due process and I have not even been questioned in this matter. I reiterate that I am innocent of any charges.

“I have walked away from the politics of world football to immerse myself in the improvement of lives in this country where I shall, God willing, die.

“The actions of Fifa no longer concern me.

“I cannot help but note, however, that these cross-border coordinated actions come at a time when Fifa is assembled for elections to select a president who is universally disliked by the international community.

“At times such as this it is my experience that the large world powers typically take actions to affect world football. World football is an enormous international business.

“That is no longer my concern. My sole focus at this stage of my life is on the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Fifa ex vice president ‘took $10m bribe for South Africa World Cup’

How Rotimi stole my €43,000 necklace – Adebayor

Tottenham Hotspur forward, Emmanuel Adebayor, has accused his younger brother, Rotimi, of stealing shirts given to him by late Cameroonian striker, Marc Vivien Foe and French football legend, Zinedine Zidane and a necklace worth €45,000.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The 31-year-old in a latest post on his Facebook page, made good his promise to reveal more atrocities committed by his brother in an earlier post, which had generated diverse opinions from followers of the Adebayor-family feud.

The Togolese star had in a post last Tuesday accused different family members of different crimes but had particularly accused Rotimi of stealing 21 phones from other players in an academy, where he was enrolled to learn football.

In the latest post, released on Sunday, Adebayor explained in detail all the things Rotimi had stolen repeatedly from him and their mother’s reaction. He also promised to reveal more about his elder brother, Kola, in his next post.

He wrote, “Here is another part of the story I have kept inside since. This is about a brother who keeps saying today that I am not a good support for our family. His name is Rotimi Adebayor.

“In 2002, I went to play the AFCON in Mali and I had the huge privilege to swap my shirt with Marc-Vivien Foé (May his soul rest in peace) When I got back to Togo, I put that shirt in a secure place. My brother found a way to steal that shirt and sold it.

“When I moved from Metz to Monaco, we reached an advanced stage in the Champions League and we played against Real Madrid. It was one of most beautiful day of my life because I was lucky enough to get a signed shirt from the football legend Zinedine Zidane. As I brought that shirt back to Togo, my brother still found a way to steal that shirt and sold it.

“When I was in Metz, I was earning about €15,000 a month. I wanted to get something unique for my mom to thank her for all she did for me. I wanted to make her happy. So I decided to take an amount worth 3 months of my wages and I bought her a Cartier necklace for about €45,000.

“Rotimi and his friends Akim and Tao made a plan and stole that precious necklace. They sold it for about €800. When my mom and I found out, my mother asked me not to bother because he is the younger brother.

“In my house, I have a storage room where I keep some of my belongings when I travel back to Europe. I am the only one with that key but my brother managed to get a master key that was able to open every single door in the house. He frequently stole drinks and other items from that room.

“By the way, after I published the first story about him, he called me to say that he did not steal exactly 21 phones. He claimed that the number was lower than that. Still…Is that acceptable? He also added that I should be happy that he stole drinks and other items from my storage room. I asked him why and he replied: “Because I am your brother”.”

Adebayor added how Rotimi stole a Play Station Portable from former Cameroon footballer, Jacques Songo’O’s son, who was an academy teammate of his, adding that the incident fouled the relationship between the two families.

“I was still in Monaco when I decided to collect all football boots from my teammates so I could give them to people in Africa. I had a huge bag full of shoes. I brought that bag to Togo. A few days after when I decided to give the boots out to the people in need, I noticed the bag full of boots disappeared. Later on, I found out that my brother was the one who stole the bag and went to sell the shoes in Hedzranawoé (famous public market in Togo).

“The part 3 is coming out soon and it will be about the man that calls himself the father of the family Kola Adebayor A.K.A Lion of Judah.”

How Rotimi stole my €43,000 necklace – Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor explains situation with family

Nigerian footballer, Emmanuel Adebayor has taken to his Facebook Fanpage to explained his part on the drama between him, his mother and the rest of the family.

Below is the excerpt:

SEA, I have kept these stories for a long time but I think today it is worth sharing some of them with you. It’s true that family matters should be solved internally and not in public but I am doing this so that hopefully all families can learn from what happened in mine. Also keep in mind that none of this is about money.

Emmanuel Adebayor

At the age of 17, with my first wages as a footballer, I built a house for my family and made sure they are safe. As you all know, I have received the trophy of African Player of the Year in 2008. I also brought my mother on stage with me to thank her for everything. In that same year, I brought her to London for various medical check ups. When my daughter was born, we contacted my mum to inform her but she immediately hung up the phone and didn’t wanna know hear about it. Reading your recent comments, some people said my family and I should consult T.B Joshua. In 2013, I gave my mother money so she could consult him in Nigeria. She was supposed to stay for 1 week; but 2 days into her stay, I received a call saying she left. Apart from all that l also gave my mother a great amount of money to start a business of cookies and different items. Naturally, I allowed them to put my name and picture on them so they can sell more. What else can a son do in his power to support his family?

A couple years ago, I bought a house in East Lagon (Ghana) for $1.2 million. I found it normal to let my older sister, Yabo Adebayor stay in that house. I also allowed my half brother (Daniel) to stay in the same house. A few months later, I was on vacation and decided to go to that house. At my surprise, I saw many cars in the driveway. In fact, my sister decided to rent out the house without me knowing. She also kicked Daniel out of that house. Note that the house had about 15 rooms. When I called her and asked for explanation, she took about 30 minutes to abuse and insult me over the phone. I called my mother to explain the situation and she did the same as my sister. This same sister says I am ungrateful. Ask her about the car she is driving or anything she is selling today?

My brother Kola Adebayor, has now been in Germany for 25 years. He travelled back home about 4 times, at my expense. I fully cover the cost of his children’s education. When I was in Monaco, he came to me and asked for money to start a business. Only God knows how much I gave him. Where is that business today?

When our brother Peter passed away, I sent Kola a great amount of money so he could fly back home. He never showed up at the burial. And today that same brother (Kola) is telling people that I am involved in Peter’s death. How? He is the same brother who went and told inaccurate stories about our family to “The Sun” in other to take some money. They also sent a letter to my Club when I was in Madrid so I could get fired.

When I was in Monaco I thought it would be good to have a family of footballers. So I made sure my brother Rotimi gets into a football academy in France. Within a few months; out of 27 players, he stole 21 phones.

I would not say any anything about my brother Peter Adebayor because he is not here today. May his soul rest in peace.

My sister Lucia Adebayor keeps telling people that my dad told me to bring her to Europe. But what would be the purpose to bring her to Europe ? Everyone is here for a reason.

I was in Ghana when I received the news about my brother Peter being seriously ill. I drove the fastest I could to Togo in order to meet him and help. When I arrived, my mother said I could not see him and I should just give the money and she would solve everything. Only God knows how much I gave her that day. People are saying I didn’t do anything to save my brother, Peter. Am I a fool to drive 2 hours to Togo for nothing?

I organized a meeting in 2005 to solve our family issues. When I asked them about their opinion, they said I should build each family member a house and give each of them a monthly wage.

Today I am still alive and they have already shared all my goods, just in case I die.

For all these reasons, it took very long for me to set up my foundation in Africa. Every time I try to help the people in need, they had to question me and all of them thought it was a bad idea.

If I am writing this, the main purpose is not to expose my family members. I just want other African families to learn from this. Thank you.

Emmanuel Adebayor explains situation with family

Dangote insists on buying Arsenal Football Club

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has said he is still working towards buying Arsenal Football Club, despite the fact that his bid to acquire a stake in the club was rebuffed by the owners in 2010.

In an interview with Bloomberg, while on a journey from Addis Ababa to Lagos last Friday, Dangote expressed hope that his new strategy would enable him buy the north London club at a price the owners won’t want to resist.

He said, “I still hope, one day at the right price, that I’ll buy the team. I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won’t want to resist. I know my strategy,” Dangote, a known fan of the north London club, said.

Dangote is rated to be worth $15.7bn, and has interests in cement, sugar and flour. He is currently investing $11bn in a 650,000 barrel-a-day oil refinery in Ondo State, and $2.5bn in gas pipelines running from the Niger-Delta area to Lagos.

He is positive that his new bid for the control of Arsenal will likely come in a few years after he is done with current investments and have taken his business to a certain level.

“We have $16 billion-worth of investments in the next few years. Right now I want to take my own business to a certain level. Once I finish on that trajectory, then maybe, (an offer will follow),” he said.

Arsenal, who are among the most successful clubs in England, having won the English League 13 times, kept their hope of finishing in second place this season behind league winners Chelsea alive by beating Hull 3-1 on Monday. The Gunners also hope to retain the FA Cup which they won last season after going eight years without a trophy.

Arsenal Holdings Plc., is valued at £988m ($1.49 bn).

American, Stan Kroenke, who is also owner of the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams, and rated at $5.6bn, holds 67 per cent of Arsenal, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Red & White Sec Ltd., controlled by Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri, owns 30 per cent.

If his new bid sails through, Dangote will be the first African owner of a club in the EPL where billionaires like Russia’s Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea, and Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, who controls Manchester City, have acquired teams.

Dangote is among the club’s fans who believe Arsene Wenger, who has managed it since 1996, has done well from a financial standpoint, but was quoted as saying Wenger “needs to change his style a bit. They need new direction.”

 

Dangote insists on buying Arsenal Football Club

Burkina Faso dump Keshi, appoint Rohr as coach

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Burkina Faso have appointed Germany’s Gernot Rohr as their new coach after their Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) disappointment, their Football Federation (FBF) confirmed on Wednesday.

The 61-year-old replaces Belgian Paul Put who left by mutual agreement after their first-round elimination in Equatorial Guinea last month.

Put led the side to the 2013 CAN final in South Africa where they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Nigeria.

The duration of Rohr’s contract was not revealed although it was confirmed he will also coach the Burkina Faso Olympic team.

He played for 17 seasons as a defender, including spells with Bayern Munich and Bordeaux, before moving into coaching in 1990.

Rohr led Bordeaux to the 1996 UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten by Bayern, and also coached at Nice, Young Boys, Ajaccio, Nantes and Tunisian side Etoile Sahel before his first national job at the helm of Gabon between 2010 and 2012.

His most recent posting was as coach of Niger between 2012 and 2014.

 

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Burkina Faso dump Keshi, appoint Rohr as coach

Ex-Super Eagles, Rayo Vallecano keeper, Agbonavbare, dies of cancer

A former Nigeria and Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper, Wilfred Agbonavbare, has died of cancer at the age of 48.

He died on Tuesday morning in a Madrid, Spain, hospital.

His former club confirmed his death on the club’s website.

The former New Nigeria Bank of Benin goalkeeper played at Rayo from 1990 to 1996 and was also a member of the Nigeria squad which won the 1994 African Cup of Nations.

He was also a member of the Super Eagles that reached the second round of the USA ’94 World Cup.

Eagles striker, Ikechukwu Uche, who plays in Spain, tweeted his condolences shortly after the demise of the ex-Eagles goal tender.

“I am shocked by the death of Wilfred Agbonavbare, Nigerian football legend. Feel so sad. My condolences to his family and friends,” Uche said.

Ex-Super Eagles, Rayo Vallecano keeper, Agbonavbare, dies of cancer

Amokachi not impressed despite Eagles’ win

Coach Daniel Amokachi has said he is not impressed with his team of home-based super Eagles even after they thrashed FCT League side NYSC 5-2 on Monday, Africanfootball.com reports.

Daniel Amokachi

Amokachi said he was not impressed by the performance of his Eagles as they showed signs of heaviness, adding that more work needed to be done before the team departed for friendlies against Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan in Abu Dhabi.

“If you concede such an early goal against an experienced side like Cote d’ Ivoire you will be in trouble because you will have to chase the game all day,” he said.

The NYSC side drew the first blood in only the second minute of the match when number 10 shirted Nwowu Ikenna, sleek dribbles in the Eagles vital area ended on the legs of teammate, Omefe Ifeanyi, who did a ‘thank you very much’, by slotting home from close range.

The goal jolted the national team to reality and four minutes later hotshot, Mfom Udoh equalised after Gambo Mohammed’s beautiful run from the right fell to him.

But the NYSC team will not let go, as they again took the lead through Eugene Utom in the sixth minute after another defensive mix-up that forced Amokachi to pull out experienced defender, Azubuike Egwuekwe, who was apparently the culprit of the gaps noticed in the backline.

The Eagles seemed to wake up after that change with Nelson Ogbonna curtailing the excesses of the NYSC strikers, while teen sensation Kingsley Sokari alias ‘Bobby’ equalised in the 18th minute with a neatly struck goal.

Sokari added his second of the day in the 21st minute after a neat interchange of passes with inform Heartland winger Stanley Dimgba.

Two minutes to the end of the first half, Udoh got also his second of the day, after Gambo had done the hard part of the job. The first half thus ended 4-2.

– See more at: http://www.punchng.com/sports/amokachi-not-impressed-despite-eagles-win/#sthash.cXr7UAqy.dpuf

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Amokachi not impressed despite Eagles’ win

Sacking me won"t solve Eagles problem - Keshi

..says he’s the right coach for the team

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi is adamant that he is the right man to lead the Super Eagles into the future.

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi
Credit: Punch

Disaster struck last week for Nigeria when they failed to qualify for Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament they won in its most recent edition, 2013.

Keshi, who was relieved of his duties before being recalled for Nigeria’s last two qualifying matches, does not feel that firing him again would be the way to go.

“If a team fails, sacking the coach won’t solve the problem. The authority should look beyond the coach to find solutions to the problem.

“I can’t deny it is a shame that we failed to qualify. On my part, I failed the nation but my players took South Africa for granted, a match they needed to win,” Keshi said.

Keshi’s agent, Emma Addo, also feels that the former Super Eagles AFCON winning captain is not to blame for the team’s current failure.

“No explanation will be acceptable now by Nigerians, but Super Eagles problems go beyond coaching. If some issues are not resolved, no one can succeed for long with the team,” Addo told the sl10.ng website.

“We shouldn’t forget where Keshi picked this team from in 2012, almost same place like they are now, but nobody cared about how they got there, that is why it happened again,” Adoo added.

 

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Sacking me won"t solve Eagles problem - Keshi

Emmanuel Adebayor accuses mom of witchcraft, evicts her from US1.5m home

Tottenham Hotspur Emmanuel Adebayor is on a warpath his family after accusing him of neglecting them.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The Togo captain is alleged to have ejected his mother madam Alice Adebayor from the US$ 1.5million he bought for the family.

It is reported that the former Arsenal man split with his relatives because they were doing rituals against him.

“For the past six years Adebayor has rejected his mother and his immediate family whilst doing charity outside on the premise that our mother is a witch,” Adebayor’s cousin Margaret told Accra-based Peace FM.

“We have been thinking of his future as a footballer and did not want this issue out in the media but it is becoming too much.

“Could you believe Adebayor ordered his machomen to sack our mother and his own mother from a house he built in Togo claiming she is a witch?

“As we speak our mother lives in an apartment rented by our junior brother, Kola Adebayor, who currently lives in Germany.

“My mother weeps bitterly about the issue every day.  Anytime his mother or any of us (his close relatives) call and he realizes, he will quickly cut the call.

Margaret added: “I personally supervised the building of his house in Trassaco and he gave us an apartment in the house. But all of a sudden he changed his attitude towards us, one afternoon his machomen came to drive us away from the house.”

But in a rebuttal, Adebayor denied the allegations although he admitted his relationship with his family has been severed.

“Ask my sister Margaret whether I did not build them a house in East Legon, and what happened to it? I bought my younger sister Lucia a car worth $35,000, where is it?” Ade explained.

“If they want the issue resolved they should stop spreading the news and let’s meet to resolve it but they aren’t willing to do so.” Adebayor added

Togo coach admits Ghana class

Togo were outclassed by a better team as Ghana won 3-1, according to Tchakala Tchanile.

The Sparrow Hawks coach presided over a poor show in Ghana’s northern city of Tamale as the Black Stars booked a ticket to the next African Cup.

A goal from Floyd Ayite was not enough to stem the flurry of attacks that culminated in strikes from Abdul Majeed Waris, Mubarak Wakaso and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu.

“Ghana was one team, they played compact and all of them try to fight together,” Tchanile said after the game.

“You could see from the first half they wanted to win and I think all the eleven players on the field worked hard for the team to win.”

Togo therefore miss out on the competition after making it to the 2013 edition but for Ghana it is yet another Afcon after making every edition in the past eight years.

 

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Emmanuel Adebayor accuses mom of witchcraft, evicts her from US1.5m home

US embassy ruins Okagbare’s honeymoon

By Ben Efe

The US embassy in Abuja has rocked the boat for African sprint queen, Blessing Okagbare who recently got married to her heart-throb Igho Otegheri.

Blessing Okabere crying

Okagbare and her footballer husband, planned to travel to Los Angeles where the double sprint 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist is based. But Otegheri was denied a visa, something that left Okagbare distraught and confused. Okagbare trains with American coach, John Smith in Los Angles and was hoping that her husband who won four caps with the Super Eagles will be around at her weakest moments. Okabgare is billed to resume training for the next years World Championships in Beijing China.

“I feel so bad that America Embassy would turn down the visa request by my husband to travel with me to Los Angeles.

“I have resumed training for the season and I have to go back to my base (Los Angeles) with my husband so that I can concentrate.

“I have sent copies of my documents, including my Resident Permit in Los Angeles to them so as to facilitate my husband’s traveling with me to the States, but they refused. Help me appeal to them to grant him visa because it won’t be easy for me to shuttle between Nigeria and the States every time.

“I have to concentrate on my training and the only way to do so is to have my husband with me in the States. I have been so sad since my husband returned from Abuja with this bad news. They have to do something about it,” she lamented

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US embassy ruins Okagbare’s honeymoon

Keshi casts eyes on victory over South Africa

The Super Eagles coach has described Saturday’s match against Congo as very tough but is now hoping to seal a place in Equatorial Guinea with victory over Bafana Bafana on Wednesday.

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi
Credit: Punch

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has cast his eye on victory over South Africa after describing the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Congo as a very difficult match.

Keshi said that there were no longer small teams on the continent as the Super Eagles won 2-0 in Pointe Noire to keep alive hopes of reaching next year’s tournament.

The defending African champions were in danger of missing out on Equatorial Guinea 2015 but were aided by goals from Ikechukwu Uche and Aaron Samuel.

“The game of football has changed, people are growing, nations are growing. So we have to grow too and we have to continue with whatever we are doing that we think will make us good and strong,” Keshi told Goal.

“Our game against the Congo national team was not bad. Two good sides played the match and I think in the second half we could have had more goals. We lost some chances in the second half but I give glory to God that we got the three points we needed in this match.”

Nigeria welcome Bafana Bafana to Uyo in Wednesday’s must-win final Group A game.

“As regards the last qualifying match against South Africa, Nigerians should pray for us, they should pray for the players and they should be patient and they should come out en masse to support their team to win the match. They should pray for the boys to be in good health and that they should respond well in the match,” Keshi urged.

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Keshi casts eyes on victory over South Africa

Super Eagles revives nations hope, beat Congo 2-0

Nigeria kept its Africa Cup of Nations qualification hopes alive with a crucial 2-0 win over Congo in Pointe-Noire on Saturday.

Ikechukwu Uche’s penalty and Aaron Samuel’s strike provided the perfect tonic to Nigeria’s recent woes, with Stephen Keshi back in the dugout even as uncertainty continues to surround his future.

A tight first half yielded few clear-cut chances, but the visitors made the breakthrough just before the hour mark when Emmanuel Emenike was brought down inside the box and Uche kept his cool from the spot.

Thievy Bifouma missed a penalty for the hosts five minutes later and Samuel wrapped up the points with a tidy finish in the last minute, with angry home fans causing a slight delay when they threw objects onto the pitch.

The result moves Nigeria into second place, with goal difference pushing it ahead of Congo heading into the final round of games in Group A.

Congo started brightly and saw Bifouma spurn two presentable chances inside the opening 10 minutes, while Fode Dore also skewed wide when well placed seven minutes before halftime.

The visitors suffered an early blow after the interval when Hope Akpan went off injured, but they broke the deadlock soon after. Chancel Massa fouled Emenike in the box and Uche beat the goalkeeper with a low finish into the bottom-left corner from 12 yards.

Congo was given a chance to level the scores with a penalty of its own after Godfrey Oboabona was ruled to have handled a Prince Oniangue shot.

Bifouma stepped up to take the kick, but Vincent Enyeama guessed correctly and pushed the striker’s effort away to ensure Nigeria’s lead remained intact.

After Uche had wasted two chances to double Nigeria’s lead, the hosts saw efforts from Francis N’Ganga and Delvin Ndinga go close, the latter denied by a great save from Enyeama

A swift counterattack following that save saw Nigeria secure the victory, with substitute Samuel curling a left-footed effort beyond Massa to give Keshi a winning return.

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Super Eagles revives nations hope, beat Congo 2-0

Enyeama listed for BBC Footballer of the Year award

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, is among the five players nominated for the BBC African Footballer of Year for 2014 as revealed by the organisers of the award on Monday.

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama
| credits: liveofofo.com

The Nigeria captain is the only goalkeeper in the list as title holder Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast gets his sixth consecutive nomination for the award.

Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays Borussia Dortmund, Algeria forward Yacine Brahimi of FC Porto, and Ivory Coast’s Gervinho of AS Roma make up the list.

Four of the nominees played at the World Cup in Brazil, where Enyeama and Brahimi played in the last 16 of the tournament with Nigeria and Algeria respectively.

Enyeama, 32, went into the event off the back of an outstanding campaign for French club Lille – he kept 21 clean sheets for them last season.

In Spain, forward Brahimi’s efforts for Granada led to him being named best African player in the country last term and earning a move to Porto.

Toure helped Manchester City to their second Premier League title in three years and also won the Capital One Cup, Gervinho has impressed in Italy since leaving Arsenal, scoring 10 goals in 39 games for the Serie A side.

Although striker Aubameyang did not play at the World Cup in Brazil, he makes the shortlist for the second year in a row based on his impressive club form.

BBC said the winner will be decided by fans of African football, who have until November 24 to vote for their choice online or through SMS.

The winner will be announced on December 1.

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Enyeama listed for BBC Footballer of the Year award