Spain vs Italy Friendly: Mata and Torres left out

Spain on Friday released a 23-man squad to face Italy in a friendly match on Wednesday as part of their preparations for the World Cup. Prominent among the unlisted players  are the duo of Juan Mata and Fernando Torres while in-form Athletico Madrid striker, Diego Costa gets another chance to be a part of the team.

Meanwhile, Coach of the La Roja, Del Bosque gave a word of hope to those uninvited, that it is only for the warm up game and nothing more.

FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas [Real Madrid], Pepe Reina [Napoli], Victor Valdes [Barcelona]

Defenders: Juanfran Torres [Atletico Madrid], Javi Martinez [Bayern Munich], Sergio Ramos [Real Madrid], Jordi Alba [Barcelona], Cesar Azpilicueta [Chelsea], Raul Albiol [Napoli].

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso [Real Madrid], Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta & Cesc Fabregas [Barcelona], Koke [Atletico Madrid], Thiago Alcantara [Bayern], Jesus Navas & David Silva [Man City], Santi Cazorla [Arsenal].

Attackers: Diego Costa [Atletico], Alvaro Negredo [Man City], Pedro Rodriguez [Barca].

Davido gets a Gold Wrist Watch from Etoo

It is obvious that Music and sports cannot be separated as one of Nigeria's promising music artiste Davido a.k.a O.B.O received a Gold Rolex watch from Cameroon and Chelsea Star, Smuel Etoo.

Davido however shared and appreciated the super striker on his instagram account

Etoo and Davido dinning

Top Ten Transfers in the History of the English Premier League

Odulaja Adetayo
A lot has been said on how the love of money has influenced the game. While some school of thoughts are of the opinion that to build the best team, you have to invest hugely on ready made talents. Others disagreed and believed excess and outrageous fee being paid on transfers is jeopardizing the future of the game.

Its believed that the EPL is one of the most expensive assemblage of footballers in the whole world, whether these expensive players justify these huge amount is a point of discourse also. However, the following are the top ten expensive transfers in the history of Barclays Premier League. 

10. Juan Sebastian Veron Transfer: From Lazio to Manchester United 
      Fee: £28.1 million Year: 2001 Grade: C 
9. Rio Ferdinand Transfer: From Leeds United to Manchester United 
    Fee:£29.1 million Year: 2002 Grade: A+ 
8. Dimitar Berbatov Transfer: From Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United 
    Fee: £30.75 million Year: 2008 Grade: B 
7. Andriy Shevchenko Transfer: From AC Milan to Chelsea 
    Fee: £30.8 million Year: 2006 Grade: D 
6. Robinho Transfer: From Real Madrid to Manchester City 
    Fee:£32.5 million Year: 2008 Grade: C 
5. Andy Carroll Transfer: From Newcastle United to Liverpool 
    Fee: £35 million Year: 2011 Grade: C 
4. Juan Mata Transfer: From Chelsea to Manchester United  
    Fee: £37.1 million Year: 2014 Grade: A 
3. Sergio Aguero Transfer: From Atletico Madrid to Manchester City  
    Fee: £38 million Year: 2011 Grade: A+ 
2. Mesut Ozil Transfer: From Real Madrid to Arsenal  
    Fee:£42.5 million Year: 2013 Grade: B 
1. Fernando Torres Transfer: From Liverpoolto Chelsea 
    Fee: £50 million Year: 2011 Grade: E 

Here Grades are with respect to their performance, the better they played the better grade they got. Some of them proved their worth and some not

Reaction trails England 30-man Squad to face Denmark

England are not left out with preparations ahead of the World Cup, they will face Denmark next week in a friendly match.


Coach Roy Hughson has therefor released a 30-man list that will be trimmed to 23 for the match proper on Wednesday.

However mixed reactions have trailed the selection as some players returned to the squad despite their lack of tangible contribution for club while others are debutant. One of such reactions is seen in the pic below by in-form Hull's Tom Huddlestone who was left out of the invitees....

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Celtic), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Cardiff City), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).                           

Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).

Forwards: Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC), Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Jay Rodriguez (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United).

 Read more on the list here Dailymail.co.uk

Ahead of Brazil 2014: Super Eagles may face Scotland

As part of preparations towards the forth coming FIFA World Cup in Brazil, reports indicate that the Nigeria Super Eagles may face Scotland in friendly game.

BBC Sports report that Scotland have been offered an opportunity to face Nigeria at Fulham's Craven Cottage sometime in May.

The last time both teams met was in 2002 when Nigeria came from behind to beat the Scottish side 2-1.

Meanwhile, Nigeria have been confirmed as one of the participants in a ''Road to Brazil'' tourney organized by the MLS.

Nigerians to recieve the UEFA Champions League Trophy in March

Nigerians will join the rest of the world to have a feel of the most glamorous league trophy come March 13th and will remain in the country till the 16th of same month courtesy of the sponsors of the competition, Heineken.

According to reports, the Trophy which will be accompanied by Dutch Football Legend, coach and Heineken brand ambassador Ruud Gullit.

This event marks the second time the trophy will be brought to Nigeria since 1999. Other nations that will also get to see the trophy this year includes Argentina and Vietnam.

What do you make of this Galatasary Jubilation?

PHOTO: @Championsleague

Looks like Gala just won the Champions League... lol

Chelsea Draw Gala, Real Baptise Schalke

Aurelien Chedjou's second half equalizer saved Galatasary from falling at home in their first leg of the Champions League round of 16 encounter to Chelsea who had earlier taken the lead through Fernando Torres in the first half.

In the other fixture on the night at Veltin Arena, Schalke suffered a 1-6 defeat to Real Madrid with Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a brace each, while former Real Madrid man Huntelaar scored a consolation goal for the home team.

The win hands Real Madrid a huge advantage to the second leg tie which can be described as a done deal for the Los Blancos.

Chelsea on the other hand have their destiny in their hands as they welcome Galatasary in the reverse fixture.

Super Eagles World Cup Jersey to be unveiled on Thursday - NFF

The Nigeria Football Federation has disclosed that the Super Eagles Jersey for the forthcoming World Cup between June 12 and July 13 2014 in Brazil will be unveiled on Thursday.

According to the report, some members of the Super Eagle to showcase the jersey are Chigozie Agbim, Abdullahi Shehu and Ejike Uzoenyi.

Read More HERE

What Real Madrid will wear against Schalke

PHOTO/@RealMadridplace

Both Players will be starting the match against Schalke 04 in Germany tonight and hope to re-write the history books.

OPINION: Moyes, RVP spitting fire after loss to Olympiacos

Obviously there is an issue be be addressed in this Manchester United side and the Manager and players are aware of this after a poor run of form both home and abroad that also came to play on Tuesday losing to Olympiacos 0-2 in Greece.

Last  night (Tuesday), the team traveled to Greece but returned disunited after they failed to pull through a tie that saw them as favourites before the game.

The shocking result puts the team in a difficult position ahead of the second leg as they hope to overturn a two-goal deficit to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League at the expense of an in-form Olympiacos side.

David Moyes expressed his disappointment in the way his players performed and he told the press“It's the worst we've played in Europe [this season], that's for sure,” said Moyes in his post-match press conference. "It was a really poor performance. We didn't get going from the start. We didn't deserve anything from tonight.

"We just never got to grips with things. To a man, you could hardly pick anyone out [who played well]. We just didn't perform well.

“I'm surprised. I didn't see that level of performance coming. We came into the game in good form and a good mindset but it didn't show tonight. 

Deducing from Moyes' statement, it is clear that the former Everton manager is looking ahead to next season's campaign as reports indicate that there's an imminent overhaul of the team. Also from the words of the manager, will it be fair to say that the players are not following instructions?

It is also clear that some key members of the team are not comfortable with the tactics employed by the Manager. Robin Van Persie to be precise. He spoke to a Dutch Broadcaster and he complained of his teammates positioning.

"My teammates are sometimes occupying the spaces I want to play in," he said. "And when I see that it makes it difficult for me to come to those spaces as well. So that forces me to adjust my runs, based on the position of my fellow players. And unfortunately, they're often playing in my zones. I think that's a shame."

Now that players and the manager are beginning to apportion blames, indeed there's a need for a state of emergency in the United camp before they become totally disunited.



Information from AP can be found in this report

Olympiacos vs Manchester United: Get Quick Stats and Facts ahead of tonight's Champions League clash

PHOTO: @championsLeague

• United have won all four of the clubs' past encounters, which came in the 2001/02 and 2002/03 first group stages. Ryan Giggs has featured every time, scoring three goals.

For full Stats and Fact Read here at HERE

ZENIT vs DORTMUND: Facts and Stats ahead of Tonight's Champions League clash

PHOTO: @championsLeague

 MATCH FACTS ACCORDING TO UEFA

• This is only the second time the Russian side have made it through to the last 16. In 2011/12 they beat Benfica 3-2 at home, Roman Shirokov scoring twice, but lost 2-0 away.

Zenit
UEFA milestones and competition statistics• Aleksandr Kerzhakov has registered 28 goals in Europe and is the all-time top scorer in UEFA club competition from the former Soviet republics. Oleh Blokhin is second with 26.
• Anatoliy Tymoshchuk's next UEFA Champions League appearance will be his 50th (group stage to final). He has featured 28 times for FC Bayern München, 15 for FC Shakhtar Donetsk and on six occasions for Zenit.
• Tomáš Hubočan, Roman Shirokov, Igor Smolnikov and Hulk are all within a booking of a ban.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: José Rondón (FC Rubin Kazan), Maksim Karpov, Ramil Sheydaev
• Out: Aleksandr Bukharov (FC Anji Makhachkala, loan), Vladimir Bystrov (FC Anji Makhachkala, loan)

General information
• Zenit have not played a domestic fixture since 6 December, when they rounded off 2013 level with FC Lokomotiv Moskva atop the Premier-Liga. They resume their league campaign on 9 March at home to FC Tom Tomsk.
• Luciano Spalletti's side played friendlies in Qatar, Israel and Turkey during the winter break with a record of W5 D2 L3. All three losses were by a 2-1 scoreline, against Shakhtar, FC Metalist Kharkiv and ŠK Slovan Bratislava.
• Rondón scored his first goal for Zenit in a 5-0 friendly triumph over FC Metalurh Donetsk on 13 February.
• Shirokov returned early from Israel with a heel injury and did not travel to Turkey, where Zenit concluded their preparations with a goalless draw against Belarusian champions FC BATE Borisov on 16 February.
• Prior to defeating FC Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast on 6 December, Zenit had gone seven games without a victory – their worst run since 1999/2000. That win is their only success in their last nine competitive fixtures.
• Danny has registered 13 goals in all competitions this season; he managed four in 2012/13.

Dortmund
UEFA milestones and competition statistics
• Sven Bender and Robert Lewandowski are both a yellow card away from a suspension.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Manuel Freidrich, Miloš Jojić (FK Partizan)
• Out: Jakub Błaszczykowski, Koray Günter (Galatasaray AŞ)

General information
• Dortmund were six points behind Bayer 04 Leverkusen and ten adrift of leaders FC Bayern München going into matchday six. Still third, they are now even further behind Bayern but have closed to within a point Leverkusen and are through to the German Cup semi-finals.
• Marco Reus and Bender returned from two games out with thigh injuries on Saturday in a 3-0 loss at Hamburger SV, although the latter picked up a groin injury and is expected to be out for ten weeks.
• In November/December, the Schwarzgelben suffered three successive home league defeats – their worst run at the BVB Stadion Dortmund since March/April 2000.
• Jojić, who joined on the final day of the transfer window, scored 17 seconds after coming off the bench against Eintracht Frankfurt on 15 February – the fastest goal by a Bundesliga debutant. That 4-0 win was Jürgen Klopp's 111th victory as Dortmund coach, equalling Ottmar Hitzfeld's club record.
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has struck six goals in his last seven outings.
• Lewandowski will join Bayern when his Dortmund contract expires on 1 July, when Sunderland AFC's South Korea forward Ji Dong-won will link up with Klopp's men on a four-year deal.
• Mats Hummels returned from a heel injury sustained in November on 31 January but has since been absent with an ankle problem. İlkay Gündoğan has been sidelined since mid-August due to compression of the spine.
• Neven Subotić suffered knee ligament damage on 9 November and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Błaszczykowski will not play again this term after suffering a knee injury against FC Augsburg on 25 January.

Kenya to host CHAN 2018

Kenya will be the host of the 2018 African Nations Championship, the tournament for home-based African players.

They will become the second second successive country from east and central Africa to stage the three-week championship as Rwanda are the 2016 hosts. Libya won the third edition in Cape Town in February, defeating Ghana on penalties after a goalless final. 

Meanwhile, DR Congo won it in 2009 while Tunisia picked the recent edition in 2013.

They will become the second successive country from east and central Africa to stage the three-week championship as Rwanda are the 2016 hosts. Libya won the third edition in Cape Town in February, defeating Ghana on penalties after a goalless final. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/02/kenya-host-chan-2018/#sthash.9e7LZSHU.dpuf

They will become the second successive country from east and central Africa to stage the three-week championship as Rwanda are the 2016 hosts. Libya won the third edition in Cape Town in February, defeating Ghana on penalties after a goalless final. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/02/kenya-host-chan-2018/#sthash.9e7LZSHU.dpuf

They will become the second successive country from east and central Africa to stage the three-week championship as Rwanda are the 2016 hosts. Libya won the third edition in Cape Town in February, defeating Ghana on penalties after a goalless final. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/02/kenya-host-chan-2018/#sthash.9e7LZSHU.dpuf

Zidane's Son to play for France

Zinedine Zidane's son, Enzo has made his choice on which country he wants to represent at international level as reports have it that the 18-year old has chosen France over Spain

Enzo Alan Zidane Fernández – who goes by Enzo Fernández (his mother's name) in the Real Madrid 'A' team – is also eligible to play for Algeria, the country of his grandparents' birth, and his previously been called up by Spain's Under-15 side.

Read More here Kickoff.com

Brazil 2014 World Cup Tickets not selling in Nigeria

Reports have it that World Football governing body FIFA is not quite happy with the way Nigeria has handled the tickets allocated the the country.

Nigeria had over 11,200 tickets allocated, but only 300 has been sold in Nigeria while Nigerians in the diaspora have requested 2500.

Can someone please update FIFA about the state of the nation and reason not to expect too much.... Anyway, the remnants of the tickets have been allocated to other nations that can afford to sell them.

Read  More here at Kickoff.com

Falcao is bigger than Monaco - Mourinho

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic  is a no go area

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that Chelsea is missing a striker claiming that Samuel Etoo is the only one available at the moment. 

He further stated that the London club could be interested in Colombia and Monaco forward Radamel Falcao but definitely not for Swedish Star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic owing to the economic power of the player's club, PSG.

According to Guardian.co.uk, MOU said "The problem at Chelsea is that we are missing a striker. I have one in [Samuel] Eto'o but he is 32, possibly 35, who knows?", Mourinho joked in an interview with the French television station Canal Plus, before adding. "I don't have Falcao but Falcao doesn't have a club. Who wants to play in front of 3,000 supporters? If I was one day to go to Monaco it would be the end."

On Zlatan, he noted that "It's impossible. He is happy in Paris, I know because we are friends and we have some contact. PSG, with their economic potential, would never want to open the door. It's mission impossible."

Meanwhile, Falcao is currently injured and out of action but should return to help his country in the World Cup.

NBA: First Gay Player signs for Nets

Source: Guardian.co.uk

The first NBA player to openly declare himself as Gay, Jason Collins  has signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

According to Guardian.co.uk, the 35-year-old centre will be available for Sunday night's game with the Los Angeles Lakers and becomes the first openly gay active player in any of North America's major sports.

Jason revealed his status about 10months ago.... Read full story HERE