Eliud Kipchoge’s historic marathon time on Saturday was greeted with joy and pride in his native Kenya.

“I am happy today because he has won in Kenya and in the world. I thank him so much for this, for me, for Kenya and the world,” said Kipchoge’s mother Janet Rotich who watched in her home village Kapsisiywa as her son became the first man to run the marathon distance in less than two hours.

Kipchoge’s run in Vienna was broadcast live on all Kenya’s television stations.

Even so, in Eldoret, the city 40 kilometres from Kapsisiywa where the 34-year-old runner, his wife and three children live, and in Nairobi, crowds gathered in the early morning to watch the run on giant screens.

In Eldoret, the fans watched in feverish excitement as their champion ticked off the kilometres and exulted when Kipchoge crossed the finish line with a clock displaying 1hr 59 min 40 sec, throwing hats and water bottles into the air.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta quickly issued his “hearty congratulations”.

“You’ve done it, you’ve made history and made Kenya proud while at it. Your win today, will inspire tens of future generations to dream big and to aspire for greatness. We celebrate you and wish you God’s blessings,” President Kenyatta continued.

Kenya’s vice-president William Ruto, who had made the trip to Vienna, sent out a series of tweets.

“A blistering 1.59.40! Congratulations @EliudKipchoge for the historic achievement in shattering the sub-two-hour barrier for the marathon; you are arguably the greatest runner of all time.”

Athletics, along with sevens rugby, is the most successful sport in bringing Kenyans together, regardless of their social or ethnic background.

In Kapsisiywa, Eliud’s older brother, Wilson Sugut, said the run showed what individuals could achieve.

“He told the world that no human being is limited and that he will overcome this two-hour barrier,” he recalled. “People couldn’t believe it, but now we can believe it.”

Source: AFP

After a summer of courtship, with Barcelona wooing Neymar to come back, the Brazilian star and his former club have finally agreed a date — but in court rather than on the pitch.

Both sides will meet at a court in the Barcelona suburbs on Friday for a multi-million-euro legal battle over a contract dispute.

Although a court spokesman said the 27-year-old superstar was obliged to show up person, it was not immediately clear whether he would actually attend.

Barca initially sued Neymar for breach of contract after his shock transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, less than a year after signing a new five-year deal with the Catalan giants.

Worth 222 million euros ($250 million at the time), the transfer remains the highest sum ever paid for a player.

Barcelona are demanding 8.5 million euros in damages plus interest, and have refused to pay Neymar the 26 million euros which were part of his contract renewal bonus signed in 2016.

The Brazilian responded by filing suit against the club over the unpaid bonus, with the two sides set to face off at a labour court on Friday morning.

But his return to the city will be far from the triumphant homecoming the Catalan club had hoped after a summer locked in futile talks with PSG to allow the world’s most expensive player to return.

“Neymar did everything possible (to sign for Barcelona) because it was what he wanted,” Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said earlier this month.

“The deal didn’t go through because the club could not meet PSG’s demands.”

“It’s a closed chapter,” the striker said after making his first appearance with PSG 10 days ago after four months out as he tried to secure a return to Barca. The Paris home crowd booed and jeered him during the 1-0 win against Strasbourg in which he scored the only goal.

– ‘The taxman watching’ –

With the long-running transfer saga over for now, the legal dispute takes centre stage, focusing on the contract renewal bonus that was signed between the player and the club in 2016.

Although the full sum of the bonus has never been clear, Neymar received an initial payout and was to have received the rest in stages over the course of his new contract.

But when he moved to PSG barely a year later, Barcelona refused to pay.

The Spanish club are demanding that he return the part of the bonus he already received as well as 8.5 million euros plus interests in compensation for breach of contract.

Neymar promptly filed a countersuit demanding payment of the 26 million with interest, and also filed a complaint with world footballing body FIFA, which was not taken up.

On Friday morning, the two parties will attend a private half-hour session with the judge in a bid to resolve the dispute before the hearing opens at 10:00 am in a session which is open to the public.

According to El Mundo daily, the case is being closely watched by the Spanish tax authorities who are keen to know whether the superstar, who was a tax resident in 2017, paid his dues on both the bonus and his transfer to PSG.

Neymar’s public relations agency, NR Sports, admitted in March that the tax authorities had requested documents and information relating to the ongoing lawsuit, but insisted that the player was not the subject of a new tax investigation in Spain.

– String of legal woes –

The young striker has been beset by legal problems since his arrival in Europe in 2013 following his move to the Catalan giants from Brazil’s Santos.

Barca valued the transfer at 57.1 million euros but the Spanish judicial authorities estimated it actually amounted to at least 83.3 million, trigging a string of legal cases in both countries, some of which remain unresolved.

And when he transferred to PSG following an obsessive need to emerge from the shadow of Lionel Messi and win the Ballon d’Or, things have not become any easier.

In the last few months, the superstar who has a huge social media following, found himself facing a rape allegation, which was dropped in August, and an assault charge for hitting a fan after PSG’s shock defeat by Rennes in April’s Coupe de France final.

Source: AFP

Veteran football coach Jose Mourinho says Cameroon’s legendary footballer, Samuel Eto’o should have won the prestigious Ballon d’Or at least once in his illustrious career.

The 38-year-old former Barcelona and Inter Milan star retired from football this month, posting on his social media; “The end. Towards a new challenge. Thank you all, big love.”

Mourinho who coached Eto’o at Inter Milan in Italy, and Chelsea in England, told Cameroon Radio, that the country’s all-time record goalscorer ‘was the best striker in the world for several years’.

“It’s difficult to understand how Samuel Eto’o never won the Ballon d’Or with the impressive career he had,’‘ Mourinho said.

“He played three champions league finals, winning two with Barcelona and scoring in both finals. He also won one champions league at Inter and won many league titles.

Eto’o‘s accolades

Gold at the 2000 Olympics
Africa Cup of Nations winner in 2000, 2002
African Player of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
UEFA Champions League winner in 2005, 2009, 2010

The closest Eto’o came to being crowned the world’s best player was in 2005, when he finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year.

Liberian football star and current head of state, George Weah, is the only African player to have been named FIFA World Player of the Year and win the Ballon d’Or.

Source: Africa News