Demba Ba: Another top choice or pair?

Good! Senegalese striker Demba Ba has joined Chelsea Football club on a three-and-half-year deal worth £7m. The 27 year old forward is obviously delighted to have made the move from Newcatle to join the current Champions League holders following.

In his comment, he stated that he did not have to think twice before joining the London club owing to the history and achievments of the club.

"This club is at another level - it isn't West Ham or Newcastle," Ba told Chelsea's official website. "They are both big clubs with a strong history, but Chelsea is Chelsea and you cannot compare. It will be easier with world-class players around, who make the football look so easy."

One issue making the rounds is that the player has come to Chelsea to replace Spaniard Fernando Torres as top choice for the Blues.

Meanwhile, interim coach Rafa Benitez has cleared the air on the factors that led to the signing of Ba- "We were looking for a player who we could play right now because we have one game every three days," said Benitez. "So we couldn't be waiting, and I think that it's the kind of player in the Premier League who can do well from the first day."

That first day looks set to be Saturday's FA Cup third-round trip to Southampton, with Benitez considering throwing his new signing straight in at the deep end. Fernando Torres has started almost every game this season and the Chelsea boss is keen to rest his compatriot in the wake of Daniel Sturridge's move to Liverpool.

"With Sturridge leaving, Fernando as just the main striker was always a problem," said Benitez, who refused to comment on other potential arrivals. "We have now a different option, a player that maybe can play even behind Fernando, maybe with Fernando, maybe on his own."

Sometimes you never can tell until you hear from the Horses’ mouth. Ba play with Fernando or on his own.....

As usual time shall tell.

 

Happy New year

We thank all our esteemed readers for being with us last year (2012) and for making us your prefered source for factual perspectives on sporting issues.
Lets do it again in 2013.
Happy New year!

Men’s shortlists for FIFA Ballon d’Or 2012 revealed

Four days after announcing the names of the candidates for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football for 2012 awards, FIFA and France Football have today revealed the names for the men’s awards.

The candidates for the FIFA Ballon d’Or and for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football awards have been unveiled (see below). The final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.

The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on 7 January 2013, during which the FIFA FIFPro World XI, the FIFA Puskás Award – for the most beautiful goal of the year – the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented.

The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football. The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the Committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.

On 29 November 2012, FIFA and France Football will announce at a press conference in São Paulo (Brazil) the names of the three men and three women, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes (without unveiling the winners). The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards will also be announced (the shortlists for best goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders will be unveiled on 19, 22 and 26 November, respectively).

Men’s shortlists for the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala 2012
The following 23 men (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2012:

Sergio Agüero (Argentina), Xabi Alonso (Spain),Mario Balotelli (Italy), Karim Benzema (France), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Sergio Busquets (Spain), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Gerard Piqué (Spain), Andrea Pirlo (Italy),
Sergio Ramos (Spain), Wayne Rooney (England), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin van Persie (Netherlands), Xavi (Spain).

The following ten coaches (in alphabetical order, first nationality and then team) are in contention for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2012:

Vicente del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Roberto Di Matteo (Italy/Chelsea FC), Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Barcelona former coach),
Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), Joachim Löw (Germany/Germany national team), Roberto Mancini (Italy/Manchester City FC), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF), Cesare Prandelli (Italy/Italy national team)

 

Courtesy:fifa.com

 

AFCON 2013: Eagles draw Zambia in group C

Now that the Super Eagles have escaped being drawn against Africa power-houses in the forth-coming African Cup of Nation in South Africa, the expectation is high and many Nigerians will like to see a rejuvenated side in the competition.  

Although the Eagles will play the defending champions Zambia, but for the records, Nigeria has never lost against them.

 

It is quite obvious that group D is the ‘’real deal’’ comprising of African power houses.

 

Meanwhile, the 16 teams will play in five host cites throughout South Africa from January 19 to February 10, 2013, to determine the African champion who will represent the continent at the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup.

Group A: South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Angola.
Group B: Ghana, DR Congo, Niger, Mali.
Group C: Zambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria.
Group D: Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, Togo

UCI strips Amstrong of Tour titles, banned for Life

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life after the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Monday it had ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) sanctions.

The decision was announced at a UCI news conference.

According to Reuters, "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling," UCI President Pat McQuaid said as he confirmed the ratification.

On October 10, USADA published a report into Armstrong which alleged the now retired American rider had been involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program sport has ever seen".

Armstrong, 41, had previously elected not to contest USADA charges, prompting USADA to propose his punishment pending confirmation from cycling's world governing body.

Former Armstrong team mates at his U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel outfits, where he won his seven straight Tour titles from 1999 to 2005, testified against him and were given reduced bans by the American authorities.

Armstrong, once widely accepted as one of the greatest cyclists of all time given he fought back from cancer to dominate the sport, has always denied doping and says he has never failed a doping test.

He said he had stopped contesting the charges after years of probes and rumors because "there comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough'".

McQuaid, whose organization has long battled a major doping problem throughout the sport, added: "This is not the first time cycling has reached a crossroads and has had to start anew."

He said he would not be resigning.

 

Doping: Time for Lance Amstrong to live strong

Lance Amstrong

This man has been through triumph, tragedy, transformation, and transcendance.  Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France between 1999-2005, fought against cancer and established a charity foundation which he calls LIVESTRONG.

He’s been accused of doping and the U.S Anti Doping Agency (USADA) banned Armstrong for life and said he should be stripped of his tour titles because of his involvement in ''the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.''

The USADA report has already cost Armstrong key sponsors, including Nike and Anheuser-Busch. Armstrong also stepped down on as chairman of the Livestrong, an organization he established "to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career," according to a statement posted to the group's website. Although Nike disowned the owner but the kit company has decided maintain the multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Livestrong.

It should be noted for a fact that he was never found positive by the anti-doping laboratories and has consistently denied participating in any banned practices.

His Lawyer Tim Herman feels Amstrong is being witch-hunted and has labelled the report by USADA as one-sided.

One can not imagne how much he’s going to lose in terms of titles and money, if he’s eventually found guilty of the allegation. But if not, what would become USADA and those who testified against him?

Meanwhile the International Cycling Union received USADA's report last week and has until the end of the month to decide whether to accept the American agency's decision to strip Armstrong of his Tour titles or appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Time shall tell.

Djokovic beats Murray in the Shanghai Masters Final

 World No2 Novak Djokovic defeated Briton Andy Murray 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 to win the Shanghai Master infront of a packed crowd at the Qi Zhong Stadium.

Nova Djokovic kisses his trpohy PHOTO: Reuters

 Djokovic's victory prevented Murray from completing a hat-trick of winning the Shanghai Masters titles, as the Briton has previously won the tournament in 2010 as well as 2011. The match itself was also the first meeting between the two players after the US Open final, in which Murray was the one who won. Call it revenge, you are absolutely right.