Zaragoza striker Ikechukwu Uche was reduced to tears on Wednesday after scoring his first goal since returning from a serious knee injury to give his team a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.
The Nigeria striker raced free into Athletic Bilbao’s area before beating goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz with a curling shot inside the near post for the winner in the 55th minute.
After being mobbed by teammates, Uche picked himself up off the ground with tears streaming down his face after his first goal since May 2009.
It was Uche’s first start – and third appearance – since undergoing an operation in August. Uche tore ligaments in the same left knee he had previously injured which forced him to miss most of the previous season, including the World Cup.
Friday, March 4, 2011
A Referee Set A Soccer Record - By Flashing 36 Red Cards In One Game
A REFEREE set a soccer record - by flashing 36 red cards in one game.
Fuming official Damian Rubino sent off all 22 players PLUS their substitutes and technical staff as a mass brawl erupted.
Last night the shaken boss of one of the teams told how he begged police to lock raging opposition players in their dressing room.
Rival Argentinian team Claypole - who beat his side Victoriano Arenas 2-0 - accused the referee of overreacting to the bust-up in Buenos Aires.
Manager Sergio Micieli said: "Most players were trying to separate people. The ref was confused."
The world record was previously held by a 1993 game in Paraguay that saw 20 players sent off.
source - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3445465/Referee-shows-36-red-cards-in-a-game.html
Fuming official Damian Rubino sent off all 22 players PLUS their substitutes and technical staff as a mass brawl erupted.
Last night the shaken boss of one of the teams told how he begged police to lock raging opposition players in their dressing room.
Rival Argentinian team Claypole - who beat his side Victoriano Arenas 2-0 - accused the referee of overreacting to the bust-up in Buenos Aires.
Manager Sergio Micieli said: "Most players were trying to separate people. The ref was confused."
The world record was previously held by a 1993 game in Paraguay that saw 20 players sent off.
source - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3445465/Referee-shows-36-red-cards-in-a-game.html
Saturday, February 26, 2011
5 Africa’s Next Generation Of Super Strikers !
African football has taken huge leaps in terms of prominence in the past few years. The progress made so far saw soccer legend, Pele of Brazil tipping an African country to win the World Cup.
That may not have happened when Africa hosted her first ever Mundial last year in South Africa, but a country like Ghana showed class and were robbed of a semi final ticket by Uruguay, whose defender resorted to cheating. Ghana it is recalled won the Under-20 World Cup for Africa in Egypt in 2009. Nigeria has equally has done well at the Under-17 level, winning the Under-17 World Cup thrice.
Today, an avalanche of young African players are lighting up Europe. Just look at Lacina Traore (Cote DIvoire) and Dominic Adiyiah (Ghana). They’re two talented young African footballers who are some of Europe’s top prospects and could very well become Africa’s next great strikers. Many clubs send scouts to watch African football leagues more often. Let’s take a look at five young footballers in Africa who have everything it takes to be among the continent’s next great strikers.
1.Kermit Erasmus (South Africa) : Kermit Erasmus currently plays for Supersport United in South Africa and has been widely considered South Africa’s next great striker, even drawing comparisons to the likes of Pele and Wayne Rooney. The young striker has represented South Africa at the youth levels and scored an impressive 10 goals in 15 appearances, earning him his call-up to the senior squad.
Erasmus also had a short stint in Europe with Dutch club Feyenoord, where he was loaned out to second division Excelsior. There he had considerable success, scoring 11 times in 30 matches, but the 20-year-old failed to impress and returned to the South African Premier League, where he will look to boost his reputation.
2.Ange Dnagbo (Cote d’Ivoire): Very few know Ange Dnagbo, but those who do have touted him as Cote d’Ivoire’s next great striker, after Didier Drogba, of course. Just 19 years of age, he plays for the prestigious Ivorian club, ASEC Mimosas, though he was a youth product of Sewe Sports.
He has been scouted by Birmingham City, Portsmouth, Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur, but was unable to secure a work permit, thus halting his move to Europe.
3. Osas Idehen (Nigeria): Osas Idehen is currently playing for Vicem Hai Phong in
Vietnam, but just a few months ago, he was in Africa playing for Nigeria’s Enyimba FC.
At that club, he scored an amazing 25 goals in 30 appearances, earning him his Nigerian call-up, in which he scored a brace against Congo DR. The talented young striker has immense pace and a brilliant eye for goal, but after an unsuccessful trial with Danish club, Brondby he was offloaded back to Africa. Now, he is playing in Vietnam, an unarguably smaller stage, even though he has everything it takes to ply his trade in Europe.
4. Knowledge Musona (Zimbabwe): Although Zimbabwe isn’t one of Africa’s larger footballing nations, their future is looking very bright given the talented young player they have in Knowledge Musona. The Kaizer Chiefs striker is only 20 years old but has been very effective this season for the South African club, notching an impressive 10 goals in 17 appearances. Though somewhat small in stature, he possesses a deadly eye for goal and it is reported he is being sought after by some of Europe’s top clubs.
5.Sani Emmanuel (Nigeria): Undoubtedly the biggest African prospect at the moment, it’s a wonder than Sani Emmanuel isn’t playing in Europe yet. He had a short stint with Bodens BK in Sweden, where he was very impressive, and has earn a call-up to Nigeria’s youth squads.
Emmanuel put up an extremely impressive performance at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, in which he scored five games in as many matches. He has had trials at Chelsea, Tottenham, Panathinaikos and a few other European clubs. His trials at Chelsea and Tottenham were successful, but he could not reach a deal due to work permit issues. He has since return to My People FC in Nigeria, but it shouldn’t be long before he is at one of the world’s top clubs
That may not have happened when Africa hosted her first ever Mundial last year in South Africa, but a country like Ghana showed class and were robbed of a semi final ticket by Uruguay, whose defender resorted to cheating. Ghana it is recalled won the Under-20 World Cup for Africa in Egypt in 2009. Nigeria has equally has done well at the Under-17 level, winning the Under-17 World Cup thrice.
Today, an avalanche of young African players are lighting up Europe. Just look at Lacina Traore (Cote DIvoire) and Dominic Adiyiah (Ghana). They’re two talented young African footballers who are some of Europe’s top prospects and could very well become Africa’s next great strikers. Many clubs send scouts to watch African football leagues more often. Let’s take a look at five young footballers in Africa who have everything it takes to be among the continent’s next great strikers.
1.Kermit Erasmus (South Africa) : Kermit Erasmus currently plays for Supersport United in South Africa and has been widely considered South Africa’s next great striker, even drawing comparisons to the likes of Pele and Wayne Rooney. The young striker has represented South Africa at the youth levels and scored an impressive 10 goals in 15 appearances, earning him his call-up to the senior squad.
Erasmus also had a short stint in Europe with Dutch club Feyenoord, where he was loaned out to second division Excelsior. There he had considerable success, scoring 11 times in 30 matches, but the 20-year-old failed to impress and returned to the South African Premier League, where he will look to boost his reputation.
2.Ange Dnagbo (Cote d’Ivoire): Very few know Ange Dnagbo, but those who do have touted him as Cote d’Ivoire’s next great striker, after Didier Drogba, of course. Just 19 years of age, he plays for the prestigious Ivorian club, ASEC Mimosas, though he was a youth product of Sewe Sports.
He has been scouted by Birmingham City, Portsmouth, Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur, but was unable to secure a work permit, thus halting his move to Europe.
3. Osas Idehen (Nigeria): Osas Idehen is currently playing for Vicem Hai Phong in
Vietnam, but just a few months ago, he was in Africa playing for Nigeria’s Enyimba FC.
At that club, he scored an amazing 25 goals in 30 appearances, earning him his Nigerian call-up, in which he scored a brace against Congo DR. The talented young striker has immense pace and a brilliant eye for goal, but after an unsuccessful trial with Danish club, Brondby he was offloaded back to Africa. Now, he is playing in Vietnam, an unarguably smaller stage, even though he has everything it takes to ply his trade in Europe.
4. Knowledge Musona (Zimbabwe): Although Zimbabwe isn’t one of Africa’s larger footballing nations, their future is looking very bright given the talented young player they have in Knowledge Musona. The Kaizer Chiefs striker is only 20 years old but has been very effective this season for the South African club, notching an impressive 10 goals in 17 appearances. Though somewhat small in stature, he possesses a deadly eye for goal and it is reported he is being sought after by some of Europe’s top clubs.
5.Sani Emmanuel (Nigeria): Undoubtedly the biggest African prospect at the moment, it’s a wonder than Sani Emmanuel isn’t playing in Europe yet. He had a short stint with Bodens BK in Sweden, where he was very impressive, and has earn a call-up to Nigeria’s youth squads.
Emmanuel put up an extremely impressive performance at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, in which he scored five games in as many matches. He has had trials at Chelsea, Tottenham, Panathinaikos and a few other European clubs. His trials at Chelsea and Tottenham were successful, but he could not reach a deal due to work permit issues. He has since return to My People FC in Nigeria, but it shouldn’t be long before he is at one of the world’s top clubs
Babayaro Declared Bankrupt •chased By Creditors In Uk
FORMER Toon player, Celestine Babayaro is being chased by creditors after being declared bankrupt. The ex-Nigerian international, who was reported to earn £25,000-a-week at one stage, has been listed alongside a dinner lady and glass cutter in an announcement printed in the London Gazette.
The player, who won the gold with Nigeria at Atlanta '96 Olympic, has been living at an address on Laleham Road, in Shepperton, Middlesex, according to the order. Neighbours said they feared the former full-back, now 32, had fallen on hard times because the upkeep of his £475,000 property had slipped.
It is understood the player who started 66 times for the Magpies, had bought the house for family members to be near him when he signed for Chelsea, in 1997. The house is also next door to the home where his younger brother, Kennedy was understood to have lived until he died of tuberculosis in 2007.
A neighbour, who lives on the same street as Babayaro said: “You can tell money’s difficult because the home used to be maintained really nicely, but now it’s a bit of a mess. “You can see where the conservatory is starting to fall down and the garden is completely overgrown. They came and asked to borrow my lawnmower but I had to say no because the grass was too long and would have broken it.”
The bankruptcy order was first entered at a court in Croydon, London, last year, before being confirmed last month. It is understood Babayaro has recently been living abroad. The financial meltdown is the latest in a string of disappoint-ments for the U-17 World Cup winner in 1993.
After an injury-plagued spell at St James’s Park, Babayaro’s career stalled when he moved to the US in the hope of starring alongside David Beckham at LA Galaxy. But he was released by the club, and his hopes of a comeback with Portsmouth were dogged by a bout of malaria. Babayaro is understood to have racked up debt despite having the rest of his contract paid by Newcastle he was released in 2007.
He was signed for United for £1m by Graeme Souness, in 2005, and famously chose to play for the team just hours after his brother’s death
The player, who won the gold with Nigeria at Atlanta '96 Olympic, has been living at an address on Laleham Road, in Shepperton, Middlesex, according to the order. Neighbours said they feared the former full-back, now 32, had fallen on hard times because the upkeep of his £475,000 property had slipped.
It is understood the player who started 66 times for the Magpies, had bought the house for family members to be near him when he signed for Chelsea, in 1997. The house is also next door to the home where his younger brother, Kennedy was understood to have lived until he died of tuberculosis in 2007.
A neighbour, who lives on the same street as Babayaro said: “You can tell money’s difficult because the home used to be maintained really nicely, but now it’s a bit of a mess. “You can see where the conservatory is starting to fall down and the garden is completely overgrown. They came and asked to borrow my lawnmower but I had to say no because the grass was too long and would have broken it.”
The bankruptcy order was first entered at a court in Croydon, London, last year, before being confirmed last month. It is understood Babayaro has recently been living abroad. The financial meltdown is the latest in a string of disappoint-ments for the U-17 World Cup winner in 1993.
After an injury-plagued spell at St James’s Park, Babayaro’s career stalled when he moved to the US in the hope of starring alongside David Beckham at LA Galaxy. But he was released by the club, and his hopes of a comeback with Portsmouth were dogged by a bout of malaria. Babayaro is understood to have racked up debt despite having the rest of his contract paid by Newcastle he was released in 2007.
He was signed for United for £1m by Graeme Souness, in 2005, and famously chose to play for the team just hours after his brother’s death
Dan Shittu Felt Nervous About Qpr Return!
Dan Shittu has admitted he felt nervous about making his first appearance since returning to QPR.
The defender was given a starting place for Rangers' home win against Ipswich.
"I knew it was an important game for me, playing at home in front of those fans who have supported me all these years," said Shittu.
"I was a bit nervous before the game because I knew those fans were expecting me to do what I usually do. I didn't want to let them down."
Shittu, 30, made 182 appearances for QPR between 2001 and 2006, establishing himself as a crowd favourite at Loftus Road.
The manager put a lot of trust in me. It was a big game for us and I'm happy I was able to repay him
Dan Shittu
He was sold to Watford for £1.6m and later played for Bolton and Millwall before rejoining the west London club in January on a six-month deal.
After impressing in recent reserve matches, the Nigeria international was drafted in for Tuesday's game along with fellow centre-back Fitz Hall.
It meant Matt Connolly and Kaspars Gorkss missed out, despite the Championship leaders boasting the division's best defensive record.
Rangers had conceded only 20 league goals this season and had kept an unrivalled 18 clean sheets prior to Tuesday's 2-0 victory.
Shittu added: "The manager put a lot of trust in me. It was a big game for us and I'm happy I was able to repay him
The defender was given a starting place for Rangers' home win against Ipswich.
"I knew it was an important game for me, playing at home in front of those fans who have supported me all these years," said Shittu.
"I was a bit nervous before the game because I knew those fans were expecting me to do what I usually do. I didn't want to let them down."
Shittu, 30, made 182 appearances for QPR between 2001 and 2006, establishing himself as a crowd favourite at Loftus Road.
The manager put a lot of trust in me. It was a big game for us and I'm happy I was able to repay him
Dan Shittu
He was sold to Watford for £1.6m and later played for Bolton and Millwall before rejoining the west London club in January on a six-month deal.
After impressing in recent reserve matches, the Nigeria international was drafted in for Tuesday's game along with fellow centre-back Fitz Hall.
It meant Matt Connolly and Kaspars Gorkss missed out, despite the Championship leaders boasting the division's best defensive record.
Rangers had conceded only 20 league goals this season and had kept an unrivalled 18 clean sheets prior to Tuesday's 2-0 victory.
Shittu added: "The manager put a lot of trust in me. It was a big game for us and I'm happy I was able to repay him
Portsmouth Coach Hails 'magician' Kanu!
Nwankwo Kanu came on over the weekend and scored the winner in Portsmouth's 1-0 win over Barnsley at Fratton Park on Saturday and first-team coach Ian Woan has tagged the former Nigeria captain Nwankwo Kanu as a magician.
"There were a few raised eyebrows from the fans (when we brought him on), but you want your subs to make an impact. He's an absolute magician. You see him day in, day out on the training pitch and some of the things he does with the ball are phenomenal. He's a top, top professional given where he has played and the enthusiasm he gives us every week in training," the coach said.
Woan added: "His legs can't carry him for 90 minutes sometimes now. But in a game that is crying out for someone to get hold of it, you throw the big fella on and he is a magician.
"You can't get the ball off him. People get to the stage where they don't want to go and challenge him. He embarrasses you. The whole stand starts cheering, he does the step-overs - you know they're coming but you can't do anything about it. We just didn't have that and he was perfect for the situation," Woan stated.
On picking up a second straight clean sheet, Woan added: "I think it's a major plus for us. We have struggled to keep clean sheets.
"The back-line in the last two games has been the same. That has made a big difference. We've done a lot of work with them on the training field. Continuity is a big thing with the back four. You need to know what everyone is doing. When you pick the same back four, it makes a big difference to them."
"There were a few raised eyebrows from the fans (when we brought him on), but you want your subs to make an impact. He's an absolute magician. You see him day in, day out on the training pitch and some of the things he does with the ball are phenomenal. He's a top, top professional given where he has played and the enthusiasm he gives us every week in training," the coach said.
Woan added: "His legs can't carry him for 90 minutes sometimes now. But in a game that is crying out for someone to get hold of it, you throw the big fella on and he is a magician.
"You can't get the ball off him. People get to the stage where they don't want to go and challenge him. He embarrasses you. The whole stand starts cheering, he does the step-overs - you know they're coming but you can't do anything about it. We just didn't have that and he was perfect for the situation," Woan stated.
On picking up a second straight clean sheet, Woan added: "I think it's a major plus for us. We have struggled to keep clean sheets.
"The back-line in the last two games has been the same. That has made a big difference. We've done a lot of work with them on the training field. Continuity is a big thing with the back four. You need to know what everyone is doing. When you pick the same back four, it makes a big difference to them."
Saturday, November 20, 2010
I Need 3 Years To Rebuild Eagles -siasia
Nigeria’s new coach, Samson Siasia, has said he will need, at least three years, to rebuild the Super Eagles into a formidable force. Siasia will take over the Eagles on December 1 on a four-year contract and with the perennial underachievers yet to win a major honour since 1994, the former international striker has admitted he had his work cut.
“It is going to take two, three years for us to assemble a formidable team,” Siasia said.
“It should be a gradual process, trying to build a new team with the old and the new players. Gradually, we will mix them up until we find the ones who we need, actually the ones who would play the way we want them to play. That time, I would come out and say publicly we have a team.
“But right now, we just want to focus on how to rebuild the team. Yes, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) could set targets, but if we want to be realistic, targets won’t be realistic, if you don’t have a good team. “As a coach, we need time to build a very good team. If we are looking at where we are coming from, then we have to work on how to rebuild this team.”
Siasia would, therefore, call on the fans to be patient with him as he goes about rebuilding the national team ranked 33rd in the world. “The fans must come out in large numbers to watch us play. They must exercise patience too. What we lack here is patience. We want results immediately.
“Nigerians want to see us getting to the finals like Argentina and Germany. We cannot say because we want to build a new team, we should forget about the players who are there now in the Super Eagles. That is the team we have right now.“ The Eagles’ new handler further said he was ready for the daunting challenges ahead.
“I have been waiting for this job for almost three years now and that was before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I was to be the coach of the Super Eagles after the interview conducted for the job. But that time, I said no, I wasn’t ready. Now that I am ready, I am not intimidated at all. I am ready for this job”. he declared matter-of-factly.
“It is going to take two, three years for us to assemble a formidable team,” Siasia said.
“It should be a gradual process, trying to build a new team with the old and the new players. Gradually, we will mix them up until we find the ones who we need, actually the ones who would play the way we want them to play. That time, I would come out and say publicly we have a team.
“But right now, we just want to focus on how to rebuild the team. Yes, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) could set targets, but if we want to be realistic, targets won’t be realistic, if you don’t have a good team. “As a coach, we need time to build a very good team. If we are looking at where we are coming from, then we have to work on how to rebuild this team.”
Siasia would, therefore, call on the fans to be patient with him as he goes about rebuilding the national team ranked 33rd in the world. “The fans must come out in large numbers to watch us play. They must exercise patience too. What we lack here is patience. We want results immediately.
“Nigerians want to see us getting to the finals like Argentina and Germany. We cannot say because we want to build a new team, we should forget about the players who are there now in the Super Eagles. That is the team we have right now.“ The Eagles’ new handler further said he was ready for the daunting challenges ahead.
“I have been waiting for this job for almost three years now and that was before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I was to be the coach of the Super Eagles after the interview conducted for the job. But that time, I said no, I wasn’t ready. Now that I am ready, I am not intimidated at all. I am ready for this job”. he declared matter-of-factly.
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