World

17, August 2019

FIFA bans former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia for life ⁰

Former Nigeria national team coach Samson Siasia has been banned from the game for life following a match-fixing probe by world governing body FIFA.

FIFA said in a statement on Friday (August 16) that the adjudicatory chamber of their independent Ethics Committee found that Siasia was “guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.”

The 51-year-old Siasia played 51 times as a striker for the Nigerian national team and later coached various national youth sides before a spell as senior coach in 2016.

The case is the latest to emerge from FIFA’s long-running investigation into the activities of Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal, who FIFA has called a “known match fixer” and who has admitted such activity in several interviews.

FIFA said that he was banned for life “from all football-related activities that is administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level.”

Siasia has also been fined $51,000.

Source: Reuters

13, August 2019

Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup winning teammate Jose Brown dead aged 62 ⁰

Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning defender Jose Luis Brown has died following a long battle with Alzheimer’s, his former club Estudiantes de La Plata said.

“Maximum day of sadness for the Albirroja (La Plata) family, our gladiator Jose Luis Brown has left. But his memory and love of the club will never depart,” the club tweeted.

Known to his friends as Tata, Brown made 36 appearances for Argentina and scored the first goal in their 3-2 World Cup final victory over West Germany in 1986.

“Without Jose Luis Brown, we would never have won the World Cup in 1986. Tou never complained about a thing, Tata” Argentina legend Diego Maradona said on Instagram.

After a playing career that included stints in Spain and France, Brown was coach, along with Sergio Batista, of the national Under-23 squad which won the 2008 Olympics and fielded Lionel Messi, Juan Roan Riquelme and Sergio Agüero.

Source: AFP

8, August 2019

Cameroonian star joins Norwich on loan ⁰

Cameroonian descent Ibrahim Amadou has officially joined from Sevilla for 2019-20 on a season-long loan in a deal which includes an option to buy clause.The defensive midfielder, 26, who joined the Spanish La Liga club in the summer of 2018 on a four-year contract, made 32 league appearances for the side last season.

Amadou joins fellow loanees, winger Patrick Roberts and goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann speak to canaries official website: “I’m happy to play for Norwich because I know they just got promoted to the Premier League with a lot of points in the Championship.”It’s a new challenge for me and I would like to discover more about the Premier League.”When I was young, it was a dream to play in the Premier League but the more I grew up, the more it became an objective.”I had this opportunity right now and I’ve decided to take it. I will try to do my best in the Premier League.”I had interest from clubs in other countries, but my priority was to play in the Premier League.”I’ve spoken to the [Head] Coach. He seems like a good coach who will give me the opportunity to play.”I will have to show what I can do and make a good impression.”

Amadou who will wear the No 24 shirt could make his debut for Norwich when they open their 2019-20 Premier League campaign against Liverpool on Friday.

Source: Fcnaija.com

3, August 2019

Messi banned for 3 months ⁰

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has been banned from playing for his national team for 3 months and fined 50,000 dollars after heavily criticizing CONMEBOL during the 2019 Copa America.

Messi had accused the South American football governing body of “corruption” for 2 incidents during the June-July Copa America, which was hosted by bitter rivals Brazil.

Argentina were denied 2 penalty claims in their 2-0 semi-final defeat to the hosts. Then, the 32-year-old striker was sent off, during the third-place play-off match against Chile in Brazil.

The statement by CONMEBOL didn’t specify why Messi was being punished, but said it was related to its disciplinary regulations.

The ban means Messi will miss Argentina’s upcoming friendlies against Chile, Mexico and Germany in September and October. However, he will be with his team in the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, which will begin in March next year.

31, July 2019

Real Madrid: Zidane confident as Benzema hat-trick helps lift gloom ⁰

French striker Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Fenerbahce 5-3 in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday which temporarily lifted the summer gloom which has engulfed the Spanish giants and coach Zinedine Zidane.

However, problems remain for Real as they have now conceded 16 goals in just five friendly matches.

They faced their Turkish opponents having been defeated by Tottenham 1-0 on Tuesday in the first match of a four-team event which also features German champions Bayern Munich.

“We are going to find the solutions, we are going to work. I stand by my players and I know that we are going to make progress and that we will have a very good season,” said Zidane whose team had been left bruised by a humiliating 7-3 defeat by city rivals Atletico in a friendly in the United States last week.

“Nobody likes conceding three goals but we have scored five. For us, this is a positive victory.”

Zidane’s preparations for the new season have also been overshadowed by the saga of Gareth Bale’s future at the club.

The Welsh star was left out of the Spanish side’s squad for the two matches in Munich after his planned transfer to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning, who had offered the Welshman a three-year-deal worth £1 million ($1.1 million) a week, broke down.

Benzema said the humilation at the hands of Atletico was a thing of the past and that the crucial date will be the weekend of August 17 when the new La Liga season starts.

“The criticisms after the match against Atletico were normal. It was only a friendly but you cannot concede seven goals,” said the French striker.

“However, it’s no longer on my mind.”

AFP

30, July 2019

Brazil: Police end Neymar rape probe over lack of evidence ⁰

Police in Brazil probing rape allegations against football superstar Neymar have closed the case due to a lack of evidence, the Sao Paulo attorney general’s office said Monday.

The police decision will be sent to prosecutors on Tuesday, who will have 15 days to evaluate the case, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office told AFP.

A final ruling on the case will be made by a judge.

A spokesman for Neymar said he was not able to comment on the police decision. Sao Paulo police are due to hold a news conference on Tuesday.

Neymar has vehemently denied allegations he raped a Brazilian woman in a Paris hotel in May.

The ugly affair, which has dominated headlines and conversations in the soccer-mad country for weeks, overshadowed Brazil’s preparations for the Copa America.

Hosts Brazil went on to win South America’s showcase tournament earlier this month without their biggest player, who was injured in a warm-up friendly before the opening match.

The scandal blew up on June 2 when Neymar published a seven-minute video on Instagram, where he had first been in contact with Najila Trindade, revealing that he had been accused of rape.

In an attempt to defend himself against the allegations, Neymar’s video was accompanied by WhatsApp messages and images of his encounter with Trindade — without her consent, possibly breaking Brazilian law.

– Police questioning –

The drama quickly snowballed. Extracts of a televised interview with Trindade, in which she accused Neymar of “aggression together with rape,” aired just one hour before he was about to enter the pitch for the pre-Copa game between Brazil and Qatar.

Neymar tore his right ankle ligament in the 20th minute, ruling him out of the tournament.

In the following weeks, Neymar was questioned by police over the WhatsApp messages.

He also appeared before police in Sao Paulo, where Trindade had filed her complaint at the end of May.

As the case dragged on, police filed a defamation suit against Trindade — who was dropped by multiple lawyers — after she insinuated the force was corrupt.

“The police are bought, aren’t they? Or am I crazy?” she told television channel SBT last month in response to questions over the police investigation of an alleged theft of a tablet device from her home that contained a short video she claims has conclusive evidence she was assaulted.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, polls have shown that most Brazilians believe Neymar is innocent.

Controversy has followed the Paris Saint-Germain player, who flew back to France earlier this month.

Neymar, who joined PSG in 2017, has made clear he wants to return to Barcelona.

He has yet to feature during PSG’s pre-season tour in Asia and French media reported he will miss Tuesday’s game against Sydney in China.

Source: AFP

25, July 2019

Former Cameroon Assistant Coach Kluivert is Barcelona Director of Youth Football ⁰

Former Cameroon assistant coach Patrick Kluivert has returned to Barcelona after agreeing to become their Director of Youth Football until June 2021.

The agreement was formalized in the presence of two directors who are responsible for youth football at Barcelona, Silvio Elias, and Xavier Vilajoana.

The Dutchman played for the club from 1998 to 2004, scoring 145 goals in 308 games, making him one the highest goalscorers of all time in a Barcelona shirt.

A LaLiga Santander winner in 1998/99, Kluivert has gone to work in several roles as a coach and technical secretary, most recently as assistant to Clarence Seedorfat the helm of the Cameroon national team.

“I am very happy to be back home and looking forward to this new era, with the challenge of keeping Barcelona among the top teams in the world,” said Kluivert.

“I grew up at the Ajax academy, which is very similar to La Masia, and I think I can do a lot for the development of Barcelona’s young players.”

Source: Brila.com

25, July 2019

Sebastien Bassong signs for Greek Side Volos NFC ⁰

Cameroon international Sebastien Bassong has signed a one-year deal with Greek Side Volos NFC.

The 33-year-old defender joins the outfit that recently gained promotion to the Greek Super League after finishing champions of the country’s second tier league last season.

The former Norwich captain moves to Greece after a one-year spell with English League One side Peterborough United where he made just one appearance.

The Cameroon international spent a decade plying his trade in England for Newcastle, Tottenham, Wolves, Norwich, Watford and Peterborough.

While at Newcastle United, he was named player of the season for 2008-2009 after an impressive performance for the Magpies.

Thé former Metz centre-back spent five seasons with Norwich City, picking up the club’s player of the season for 2012-2013 before going on to skipper the Canaries.

The 33-year-old made 15 appearances for Cameroon, featuring in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where he played two games against Japan and Denmark.

Source: BBC

24, July 2019

Chelsea beat Barcelona 2-1 in friendly ⁰

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have overcome Barcelona 2-1 at the Saitama Stadium in Japan.

Kevin Abraham took advantage of Barca’s sloppy defense to put Chelsea in front in the 34th minute after rounding Marc-André ter Stegen.

The London Blues made it 2-nil with nine minutes on the clock through Ross Barkley, whose curling shot found its way into the back of the net.

The Catalan Giants, who did not have Lionel Messi on the pitch, scored a consolation in stoppage time as Ivan Rakitic’s super shot rippled the net.

21, July 2019

Real Madrid ready to offload Gareth Bale ⁰

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane says the La Liga giants are poised to offload Welsh star Gareth Bale in the coming days.

Bale was left off Real Madrid’s roster for Saturday’s 3-1 exhibition loss to Bayern Munich at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

“He wasn’t included in the squad because the club is working on his departure and that’s why he didn’t play,” Zidane said. “We’ll have to see what happens in the coming days.

“We’ll have to see if it goes through tomorrow, if it does then all the better. Let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that it happens soon.”

Zidane insists the 30-year-old forward is not a good fit for his squad. While Bale would be welcome at a host of marquee clubs, his big salary may prove to be an obstacle for all but the richest teams.

“It’s nothing personal,” Zidane added. “There comes a time when things are done because they need to be done. I’ve not got anything against him. We have to make decisions and change things, that’s all there is to it.

“I don’t know if this will happen in 24 or 48 hours’ time. The situation will change and it’s for the best for everyone.”

Bale joined Real Madrid six seasons ago, arriving to much fanfare and a blockbuster transfer fee. He has three seasons left on his deal and has been linked to Tottenham, Manchester United and Bayern.

AFP