Despite scoring 13 goals in his first season in the Premier League, the Nigerian forward believes the Citizens have only seen a fraction of his ability so far

 
Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho has appraised his performances for the club so far and stressed that his best is yet to come.
The Nigerian international scored 13 times in 33 appearances for the Citizens this season and though many would be satisfied with that tally, the 19-year-old feels he still has much to prove.
But Iheanacho was quick to insist that he can still do better.
"My record isn't bad, this season has been great for me and for the team as well," Iheanacho told Sky Sports News. "I've been getting goals in the team and helping them.”
"It's not bad this season but I've got to keep working hard. This is not going to be the best season ever, I'm just starting and there will more good to come, I'll just keep working hard and working on everything in training and in games and I'll get there.
"I was hoping to play a first-team game and be among them one day; I had ideas about that so I was hoping I would join them some day.
“It was a surprise for me when they said I was part of the team so I was happy and I'm pleased to join them.
"Now I'm convinced I'm part of the squad but it will not get into my head, I will just keep working hard and keep believing in myself. I will help the team anyway I can this season."
He also savoured the chance to play at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium his team crashing out of the Uefa Champions League.
"What happened was just football. It's what can happen to any team - any team can lose and any team can win," he continued.
"We did very well in the first game at home and we played really well away but they won by just one goal. We defended really well, made it difficult for them but they deserved to win.
"Everybody knew that if we had one goal we would be through. We were just looking for that one goal but we couldn't get any space, it was difficult for us.
"If we would have got the one goal I wouldn't be saying this now. It's gone now, they're through and we have to focus on the next games.
"It was a great experience for me, I'm happy to have played there. It was a dream come true. We shouldn't have come away like [that] but that's football, we will put that behind us."

Los Blancos are the most valuable club in the world according to the finance giants, with Manchester United leading a strong English presence

Six Premier League clubs are among the 10 most valuable in the world, according to Forbes’ 2016 list, but Real Madrid continue to lead the way.
The Spanish capital club remain the globe’s wealthiest outfit in the list of big-hitters, with their valuation of £2.515 billion seeing them to top spot ahead of arch-rivals Barcelona (£2.449bn).
However, the rise of the English league in monetary terms has seen six Premier League sides make the top 10 of the chart, with a total of eight in the top 20.
Manchester United lead the way for their compatriots, with a total value of £2.289bn according to the calculations, which take into account net debt as well as assets and equity. That figure puts the Old Trafford giants in third place overall behind the Primera Liga pair.
Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool fill the spots between fifth and eighth, with Tottenham’s £702 million valuation seeing them sneak into 10th place.
Bayern Munich (fourth) and Juventus (ninth) are the other clubs making the top 10, while West Ham United (17th) and relegated Newcastle United (20th) also chart inside the top 20 from the Premier League.
The Forbes list is part of the business magazine’s ‘Business of Soccer’ feature, which looks at the wealth within the game, with the 2016 edition taking into account increased Champions League prize payouts.
However, the Premier League’s new £5.14bn TV deal, which begins this summer, could yet see even more English clubs included in future lists.

Buffon, Barzagli sign up until 2018

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Andrea Barzagli have extended their contracts with the Italian champions until 2018, they said on Wednesday.
Italy captain Buffon, 38, and international team mate Barzagli, 35, have helped Juve win five straight Serie A titles, having made 35 and 30 appearances respectively this season.
"I hope that my fantastic story with this club will go on and bring even further success," Buffon told a news conference. "I'm immensely proud in the faith Juventus have placed in me once more."
Barzagli added: "Even at this age, I still have room to improve and this is the best place for me to do so."
Buffon indicated earlier this year that he planned to retire after the 2018 World Cup, which would be his sixth. He and Barzagli helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup.
Buffon joined Juventus in 2001 and became captain in 2012 following Italy great Alessandro Del Piero's move to Sydney FC.
He has made 458 appearances for the club, known as 'The Old Lady' and won nine league titles, including two that were stripped from Juve over the Calciopoli corruption scandal.
Buffon set a Serie A record of 974 minutes without conceding a goal as Juve won 4-1 against local rivals Torino on March 20 .
The much-travelled Barzagli has made 150 appearances for the club after joining from Vfl Wolfsburg in 2011.
On Saturday, Juventus face 15th-placed Sampdoria in their last league game this season before being crowned champions.

Eagles friendlies in jeorpady

Nigeria’s international friendly matches against Mali and Luxembourg is hanging in the balance as the French embassy has denied some officials of the team entry visas.
Two coaches, administrative officials and goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa-the only home based player on the Eagles list are all affected.
NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi appealed to the Embassy of France in Nigeria to reconsider its stance and provide visas for the officials and the player who will be on international assignment.
“We are appealing to the Embassy of France in Nigeria to reconsider its stance and issue visas to these officials” NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi revealed on Wednesday.
They are going to Europe for very important assignments as the two matches are key to the preparation of the Super Eagles for future engagements."he added
Protocol officials also revealed that despite all arrangements been sorted out which includes payments for stadia use, training facilities and hotel accommodation, 60 percent of the passports sent to the French Embassy on April 29th came back without visas.
The Super Eagles are expected to take on Mali at the Stade de Richon in Rouen on May 27th before engaging the Luxembourg national side in Luxembourg on Wednesday, June 1st.

Newcastle and Norwich relegated

Newcastle United and Norwich City were relegated from the Premier League on Wednesday as Sunderland secured their survival with a one-sided 3-0 victory over Everton.
Sunderland centre-back Lamine Kone's first two goals for the club and a Patrick van Aanholt free-kick took Sam Allardyce's side four points clear of danger with one game remaining.
Norwich returned to the Championship a year after promotion despite a 4-2 win over Watford, while Newcastle, Sunderland's arch rivals, will play in the second tier for the first time since 2010.
"It's the attitude of the players who absorb the pressure and deliver a performance like that," Allardyce told Sky Sports in an on-pitch post-match interview.
"That's what's happened over the past 10 games -- only one defeat. It's pretty miraculous. To the lads and all the staff, thank you very much."
It is the fourth season in a row that Sunderland have pulled off a late escape to avoid relegation and it guarantees the northeast club top-flight football for a 10th consecutive season.
Allardyce was the architect of their surge to safety, succeeding the sacked Dick Advocaat in October and overseeing a late-season run that has seen them take 11 points from a possible 15.
Having seen his side come from 2-0 down to beat outgoing champions Chelsea 3-2 on their previous outing, Allardyce kept faith with the same starting XI for the seventh game running.
His side went ahead when Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles misjudged Van Aanholt's 38th-minute free-kick, moving to his left and allowing the ball to bounce straight past him.
Kone made it 2-0 four minutes later, volleying in emphatically after Sunderland failed to clear a corner, and smashed in his second in the 55th minute when Robles spilled Wahbi Khazri's corner.
The result at the Stadium of Light also served to increase the pressure on Everton manager Roberto Martinez, whose 12th-place side have won just one of their last 10 league matches.
NEWCASTLE 'DEVASTATED'
Alex Neil's Norwich got the better of Watford in a ding-dong contest at Carrow Road, but Sunderland's win meant that they would have been relegated regardless.
After Troy Deeney had tapped in Odion Ighalo's 11th-minute cross to put Watford head, Norwich hit back through Nathan Redmond, Dieumerci Mbokani and a Craig Cathcart own goal.
Deeney returned the favour for Ighalo as Watford reduced the arrears six minutes into the second half, but Redmond teed up Mbokani to restore Norwich's two-goal cushion six minutes later.
"Obviously it's a severe disappointment," said Neil, the Norwich manager.
"We've known it was going to be a really difficult task. We had it in our hands three, four, five games ago, but unfortunately we came up short."
Newcastle went down despite the best efforts of manager Rafael Benitez, who was recruited in March after Steve McClaren was sacked.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager sparked an upturn in both results and performances, but hopes of a dramatic escape from the bottom three were fatally undermined by last Saturday's 0-0 draw at already-relegated Aston Villa.
Benitez had a clause inserted in his contract guaranteeing that he would be released if Newcastle went down, so the St James' Park club will begin life in the Championship with a new manager.
In a statement released by Newcastle, managing director Lee Charnley said: "Tonight we are devastated at our relegation from the Premier League, as I know every single person connected to this football club will be.
"The process of scrutinising what went wrong and planning for what is to come has already begun.
"Right now, of course, Rafa and the team must prepare for the final game of the season, but after that, please rest assured we will communicate more fully with supporters."
In the day's other game, Christian Benteke's stoppage-time header earned Europa League finalists Liverpool a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea, who had taken a 32nd-minute lead through a dazzling solo goal from belatedly in-form winger Eden Hazard.

‘Europa exploits set Liverpool benchmark’

Liverpool's performances in this season's Europa League have illuminated a path for the team's future, manager Jurgen Klopp declared after his side sank Villarreal brilliantly to reach the final.
Liverpool will face holders Sevilla in Basle on May 18, after a Bruno Soriano own goal and efforts from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana at Anfield on Thursday secured a resounding 3-0 win and a 3-1 aggregate success.
Liverpool had made an inauspicious start to their Europa League campaign when Klopp succeeded Brendan Rodgers last October, but having now eliminated Augsburg, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal, they will play in their first European final since 2007.
"To go to a final you need a little a bit of luck in decisive moments, but most of the time you need outstanding performances," he told his post-match media conference.
"When I came here, the tournament didn't sound too nice for people. Three draws (actually two). It was a difficult group.
"We came through with a nice game in Russia (beating Rubin Kazan 1-0). That was good.
"We felt really comfortable in this tournament. We liked going to different countries and adapting to different circumstances, different temperatures. I like this in football.
"The problem we had was around these games (there were) so many other games, so we couldn't really be focused on this.
"In 2016 the team showed a lot of times what they're capable of and what they could be capable of in the future.
"That's a really good sign. That's more important for me as a manager, but then, when you perform in the right moments, like we did tonight or against Dortmund or against United or Augsburg, you want to have (it) all.
"That's what we try now (in the final). Now we are there and it's a great opportunity and we will take it."
Villarreal had procured a stoppage-time lead in last week's first leg through substitute Adrian Lopez's strike, but their advantage lasted less than seven minutes of the return fixture at a raucous Anfield as Bruno turned Roberto Firmino's cross into his own net.
KLOPP REBUKE
Sturridge, sliding in, had put the Villarreal captain under pressure and he would go on to put Liverpool ahead in the 63rd minute, finishing coolly from Firmino's scuffed volley, before setting up Lallana's third.
Klopp had left Sturridge on the bench for Liverpool's three previous games in the tournament and he praised the injury-prone England international for seizing his opportunity against Villarreal.
"Great game, great game," said the German, who has already seen his side go down on penalties to Manchester City in this season's League Cup final.
"You'll see now, when Daniel Sturridge is fit he's an unbelievable, unbelievable striker. Everybody knows this.
"But even he needs players to play with. I knew about his quality before I came here. Now I know it better. Great player. Good to have him here."
Villarreal coach Marcelino, whose side secured a Champions League play-off place at the weekend, admitted that Liverpool had been superior and lauded their "huge" intensity.
But he criticised Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai for his handling of a niggly game, in particular the decision to dismiss centre-back Victor Ruiz after two yellow cards in either half.
"We tried hard after the opening goal, but it was tough against an opponent who played with a huge amount of intensity," he said.
"It was on the margins of the rules at times, but it was allowed. By the sending off it was game over.
"You saw what happened. When the referee was letting so much go, to see a player sent off for those two incidents, you make your own opinions."
The disappointed Marcelino suggested that Klopp had celebrated Liverpool's goals with more zealousness than he would have, which drew a stinging rebuke from the Liverpool manager.
"I would not be like him one second in my life," Klopp said. "And he's a great manager."

Super Eagles & S.S. Lazio Player Onazi Ogenyi is Getting Married!

23 year old Super Eagles & Italian team S.S. Lazio player Onazi Ogenyi (he was born on Christmas Day, – December 25, 1992) is getting married next month on June 18, to Sandra Ogunsuyi. The bride just finished her NYSC program and will start her Masters in London after they tie the knot.

Their pre-wedding photos were taken by Allesandro Para in Rome, Italy, where the groom-to-be is based.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Mega riches await EPL hopefuls

The winner of Saturday's Championship (second tier) showdown between Middlesbrough and Brighton are guaranteed at least £170 million ($246.4 million) with their promotion to the Premier League, according to Deloitte.
That figure could grow by about 41 percent if the promoted team avoids relegation in their first season in the top flight.
Teams will earn a minimum of £95 million for a year in the Premier League next term, thanks to the new bumper TV rights deal that is worth £5.14 billion over the next three seasons.
The remainder of the £170 million windfall will be made up of parachute payments over the next two seasons for teams that are relegated.
"Promotion to the Premier League provides clubs with the resources to make strategic investments on and off the pitch," said Richard Battle, senior manager in Deloitte's sports business group.
"While the short-term priority is usually investment in the playing squad, a strong emphasis on ongoing financial stability can leave a club well positioned for the future – whether or not they survive that first season.
Leaders Burnley have already secured promotion after beating Queens Park Rangers 1-0 on Monday, while Middlesbrough currently sit above Brighton on goal difference going into the last fixture of the season.
A third berth is also available for the winners of a playoff tournament involving the sides that finish from third to sixth.

Leicester set for EPL title party

The King Power Stadium will stage Leicester City's coronation as Premier League champions on Saturday when Claudio Ranieri's miracle team receive the trophy after their final home game against Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Monday, which confirmed Leicester's extraordinary 5 000-1 success, sparked jubilation in the streets of Leicester and a party at the home of star striker Jamie Vardy, where the players had gathered to watch the match.
The festivities have continued across the week, with the squad dining out at a city-centre restaurant on Tuesday, but Saturday's game presents an opportunity for players, staff and supporters to unite in communal celebration of a feat that has captivated fans around the world.
Ranieri has admitted that he is torn between urging his team to power over the line and wanting to enjoy the moment, saying on Thursday: "Inside me there are two people.
"One is very aggressive -- I want to win. I won the Premier League, but now I want to win on Saturday. I want to win next season -- and is never satisfied.
"Another says: 'Claudio, how many managers are there in the world? Too many. Not everyone can be Sir Alex Ferguson, (Fabio) Capello, (Carlo) Ancelotti. You are having a very good career.'"
The renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will set the tone with pre-match renditions of 'Nessun Dorma' and 'Time to Say Goodbye', honouring a recent promise to his countryman Ranieri.
After the match, the trophy will be presented to Leicester captain Wes Morgan by lifelong supporter Steve Worthy, who won a competition organised by league sponsors Barclays.
He is dedicating the experience to his 97-year-old grandmother, Gladys Knight, who had to forfeit her season ticket this season due to ill health.
"When I hand the Premier League trophy to Wes Morgan I'll be thinking of my grandmother," Worthy said.
The 25kg trophy, topped by a golden crown, will be decorated with ribbons of blue, for Leicester, and yellow, representing the royal house of Thailand, which is the country of club owners King Power.
VARDY RETURNS
Morgan will become the first Leicester skipper to hoist a major trophy since Matt Elliott lifted the League Cup 16 years ago and the 32-year-old centre-back has already been picturing the moment.
"I am going to try to hold back the tears," said the Jamaica international, a Leicester player for four years.
"It is going to be very emotional."
On the pitch, Leicester will welcome back 22-goal top scorer Vardy after he was suspended for the 4-0 win over Swansea City and last weekend's 1-1 draw at Manchester United, which took Ranieri's men to the brink of glory.
While there is nothing riding on the game for either side, Vardy has an opportunity to close the three-goal gap separating him from Tottenham's Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Midfielder Danny Drinkwater and centre-back Robert Huth are both suspended over offences committed at Old Trafford, the latter having received a three-game ban for pulling Marouane Fellaini's hair.
Andy King and Marcin Wasilewski are expected to deputise and Ranieri may use the opportunity to give game-time to other players who have played supporting roles in the campaign.
Everton's season was ended by their 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup semifinals and their last three matches represent something of a gauntlet for manager Roberto Martinez, who has faced open revolt from his own supporters in recent games.
But last weekend's 2-1 victory over Bournemouth brought an end to a seven-game winless streak and, despite the anticipated festive atmosphere, Martinez has urged his players to make their presence felt.
"Clearly they (Leicester) are going to be playing with swagger," said the Spaniard, whose side can finish no higher than ninth in the table.
"We'll congratulate them and from that point on we'll focus on trying to perform against them."

Chamberlain to miss Euro 2016

Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces up to two months on the sidelines with a knee injury that also rules the England international out of the European Championships, his club manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was expected to return for Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, has not featured for Arsenal since he damaged the knee in a Champions League tie against Barcelona on February 23.
"There is no chance of the Euros for him. He will be back at the beginning of July," Wenger told reporters.
England face Russia, Slovakia and Wales in Group B of the 24-team tournament in France that starts on June 10.
Wenger said defender Per Mertesacker will also miss the final two games of the north London side's campaign with a hamstring problem, while midfielder Santi Cazorla will return to the squad after a five-month injury layoff.
"Cazorla came through well in a game in the reserve league and everybody else should be available. The season is over for Mertesacker due to his hamstring," Wenger said.
Wenger admitted Arsenal lost an opportunity to end their 12-year wait for the Premier League title this season, after Leicester City were confirmed as champions on Monday.
Arsenal trail second-placed Tottenham Hotspur by three points and Wenger was eager to preserve his record of never finishing below their bitter rivals in his 20-year stay at the club.
"We have regrets because we had a chance to finish top of the league.... Our target now is to secure our position in the Champions League next year," the 66-year-old said.
"If possible to get in second place and at least secure third and on Sunday we can achieve that. If we win the two games we will be all right."
Captain Mikel Arteta is unlikely to be offered a new contract and Wenger thanked the 34-year-old midfielder for his contribution during his five-year stay at the Emirates Stadium.
"It is true he is out of contract (in the summer) and that his contract finishes it is a good opportunity for me to thank him for his contribution here, not only as a player but also as a leader," Wenger said.

Own goal? Africa's shambolic sports management

The call for better management of sport is heard across Africa - often as a lament, more regularly as an outburst of barely contained frustration.

In football, former Ajax and Juventus defender Sunday Oliseh recently quit as Nigeria's national football coach, citing contractual violations and lack of support from his local federation.
Months earlier, Zimbabwe were disqualified from the 2018 World Cup qualifying tournament after its football association failed to pay a former national coach.
In athletics, Kenya only recently averted the threat of disqualification from the 2016 Olympic Games because of its previously long-standing failure to implement robust drugs-testing procedures - nearly 40 athletes have failed tests in the last four years.
And yet Kenya would surely be far better protecting what is regarded as one of its greatest assets - indeed, impressing on the top table of global sport is recognised as a surefire way of propelling a little-known nation on to the planet's psyche.
 
It is thanks to football that small countries can become great," beamed footballer Roger Milla after his Cameroon side because the first African nation to reach a World Cup quarter-finals in 1990.
So given the global standing that countries can achieve through sport - not to mention the political capital that a ruling party can gain through overseeing such success - are African administrators doing enough to ensure success?

'Embarrassing'

With a host of different disciplines in Africa's 54 countries, it is wise to avoid generalisations, but a potted look at some recent issues suggests significant problems abound.
During the 2014 football World Cup qualifying campaign, seven African countries forfeited matches after they were found to have fielded ineligible players - an administrative oversight that only one other country across the rest of the world managed to repeat.

One of the most embarrassing moments in South African sporting history - and there have been a few - came when the football association president publicly congratulated his players for qualifying for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations - when his organisation's misunderstanding of the rules meant they had erroneously played for a draw when they needed a win. They did not qualify.
Then take Nigeria - Africa's biggest population and arguably the continent's most football-crazed nation - which has failed to qualify for three of the last four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Yet this has little to do with the quality of Nigeria's players - as proven by the fact that the Super Eagles won the trophy in 2013, either side of these qualifying failures - and more to do with administration.
 
This last qualifying campaign featured three coaches in the space of 12 months and endless accusations and counter-accusations between the coaching staff and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
At the same time, a row over who is actually in charge of the NFF has led to the threat of a ban by football's world governing body Fifa - not for the first time.
Then last week, the embarrassing scenario whereby one of the officials announced for a local fixture was found to have actually died a few months earlier.

Repeated threats

Kenya has not only been in trouble with the world athletics governing body for its slovenly pace in dealing with anti-doping.
Senior athletics officials have been suspended by the IAAF while an investigation takes place into allegations of "subversion" of the anti-doping process and the "improper diversion" of funds received from Nike. Allegations the officials deny.
And while the East African nation has finally passed a law to bring its anti-doping programme up to scratch, this was only achieved after repeated threats from the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IAAF.

Amidst the endless negativity of bonus rows, coaches not being paid on time, funds going missing, match-fixing scandals and insufficient stadium security, there are some positive stories.
The Algerian Football Federation of a generation ago deserves special mention as a proactive sports administration.
For years it pushed Fifa into changing rules on player eligibility and then, in 2004, it was the first to profit as Antar Yahia became the first footballer to represent one nation at junior level (France) before playing for a different one at senior level (Algeria).
After the rule change, the North Africans qualified for the 2010 World Cup, their first finals in a quarter of a century, thanks to fielding a squad dominated by former French youth internationals - with Yahia scoring the dramatic qualifying goal.
More recently, Kenya's Rugby Sevens won their first World Series title by thumping defending champions Fiji in the final in Singapore.
The result was built on a lot of hard work and determination, with Kenya having been to well over 100 tournaments before this first success.
The silverware finally shone a light on those endeavours but some African sporting associations, however well run, will never get that chance.
Without a trophy, which does not always have to be the only marker of progress, their deeds go unnoticed.

Cronyism

And you can bet that they will share one major gripe - which is that football dominates the budgetary attention of a nation's sports ministry to the detriment of all other disciplines.
 
This is certainly one area that needs to be addressed if Africa is to advance, for those that are leading the way in less prominent sports are often doing so without the assistance of any federation.
A case in point would be Cameroon's Francoise Mbango, one of only two female athletes to have won back-to-back Olympic golds despite giving birth in-between.
The triple jumper achieved her successes in 2004 and 2008 through her own indomitable spirit, training with her sister in Paris because of the negligible assistance from the Cameroonian authorities.
She has since changed her national allegiance to France.
The relative paucity of good African sports administrators also lies in the fact that many of them only go into the job to make money or gain a public profile on which to launch a political career - rather than for the love of sport itself.
In South Africa, many of those who have run football over the last two decades are former freedom fighters who were rewarded by the African National Congress (ANC) with lucrative posts in sport - albeit one that did not always reflect their abilities.
The result has been a steady decline in the fortunes of Bafana Bafana.

'Sea of apathy'

One of the most interesting aspects to the Kenyan doping story was the role played by the athletes themselves, who occupied the headquarters of the governing body Athletics Kenya last November to demand change.

Many argue for the presence of more former sportsmen on boards to improve administration, but it is hard to judge if this would work until more get involved.
The efforts of one certainly leave little to be desired.
Back in the 1950s, Senegal's Lamine Diack was a long jumper with unrealised Olympic ambitions; but he did make it to the top of athletics, running the IAAF between 1999 and 2015.
Whatever he achieved in that long reign is now overshadowed by the most serious of allegations faced by any sports administrator - that he knowingly overlooked doping infringements in exchange for bribes, or personal profit. He is being investigated by French police and denies the accusations.
So it is little wonder that so many athletes fail to reach the top or simply leave the continent altogether - take Nigerian sprinter Francis Obikwelu as an example.
In 2000, he injured himself while representing his nation at the Sydney Olympics.
 

In the days and months that followed, the sprinter was so angered by the care he received - he had to pay for his own knee surgery amid a sea of administrative apathy - that he switched his national allegiance to Portugal.
Four years later, Obikwelu showed Nigeria what might have been as he became the first 'Portuguese' to ever win an Olympic medal, taking silver in no less an event than the men's 100m.
It is a tale that encapsulates perhaps the most frustrating aspect for devotees of African sport - namely, the nagging thought of what could be achieved by the continent's sportsmen and women should their ability be harnessed in the right way.

Serena Williams withdraws from Madrid Open with influenza

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Madrid Open because of flu.

Agnieszka Radwanska takes over as top seed for the tournament, which starts on Saturday, while Williams is now due to start her clay-court season in Rome.
The 34-year-old world number one has only played four tournaments since August, failing to win any of them.
She lost in the US Open semi-finals in September, before defeats this year in the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals and a round-four loss in Miami.

Emmanuel Emenike blasts NFF- 'It's disrespectful to fix a Super Eagles match same day with Joseph Yobo's testimonial'

Ex-Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike who is on loan at West Ham has blasted the Nigeria Football Federation on its decision to organize a Super Eagles friendly the same day retired Super Eagles player will be celebrating his football career with a testimonial match in Port Harcourt.

Nigeria will play a friendly against Mali in France on May 27, the same day the Yobo testimonial will be played. Emenike said the NFF's decision was disrespectful to the former Eagles skipper and Everton defender, who had served the country with total dedication during his playing days.

"If we are still on the same page of re-branding football, we should have the common sense of celebrating our heroes so that the younger ones in the team will live by example,” Emenike told AfricanFootball

"Yobo deserves the honour and everybody has to turn up to celebrate him, but it’s unfortunate that it’s the NFF who are now looking like the obstacle to this testimonial. The Super Eagles players are the ones who want to play the Yobo match, tell me how will that be possible if they are in for another national assignment on that same day.

“We should change our mentality of ‘use and dump’ approach in order to reach greater heights of football in the world.

“Yobo was one of the best in Africa during his playing days, he's a known name all over the world and he should be celebrated in a bigger way. The younger ones are watching, let's change things."

He continued: "I understand that the Joseph Yobo match will be played this same day Super Eagles have a match against Mali or whoever, is that the way it’s being done in other countries?

"I think some people are just unserious about our football. This is a top match and Yobo has written a letter to the NFF before now, so why are they playing this international match also?

“We should also understand that we don't respect our past heroes, we don't appreciate the past, we only want people to come and die and forget about their life.

"Without apology, I have decided not to say anything against the federation irrespective of their antics, but this is unacceptable, I hate injustice and we should learn to celebrate our past heroes in order to encourage the younger players in the team.”

"I think it will be better for them to do something about it and cover their mess because of other foreign players coming for the match," he further told AfricanFootball.

"Even when I was in the team, I got angry at times when you see the way things were going wrong and you begin to question yourself on a lot of things and this is just one of those things."

Mauricio Pochettino agrees new five-year deal with Tottenham

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has verbally agreed a new five-year contract with Tottenham.

The Argentine has been a huge success since arriving at White Hart Lane in 2014, steering Spurs to fifth in the Premier League and the Capital One Cup final in his first season before masterminding their title challenge this campaign.
That success has led to speculation he could be tempted away from north London, with Manchester United and PSG touted as potential destinations, but after opening talks with chairman Daniel Levy several months ago, he is now ready to sign a deal which would keep him at the club until 2021.
"It was an easy decision when you feel the love of the people and the potential of the club is massive, so why change?" he said on Friday.

"We create a good atmosphere on the training ground and I think we can achieve big things in the future. I believe in this project and this club. I want to stay here.
"We have not signed yet but we have reached the verbal agreement to stay here for the next five years. When will we sign? Maybe tomorrow [Saturday] or on Tuesday, it depends on my lawyer.

"It is a good moment to tell you, for all to know that my future is here. I am very happy. It is for many reasons I stay."
Spurs are due to move into their new 61,000-seater stadium in 2018-19 and Pochettino hailed a bright future for the club.
"Tottenham have unbelievable potential. We created after two years here a great group of players," he added.
 

"We have a very strong squad, young, with potential to be a top team. The staff and the supporters are unbelievable, there is massive potential, why not stay here?"
Pochettino took over with Spurs in turmoil after the 2013/14 season, which saw them sack Andre Villas-Boas in December 2014 before Tim Sherwood took over in a tumultuous short spell.

After losing to Chelsea in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley, Pochettino initiated a summer clear-out in 2015, with Emmanuel Adebayor, Roberto Soldado, Aaron Lennon and Paulinho all leaving the club.

New signings Toby Alderweireld and Dele Alli have since both proved instrumental in Spurs' superb season and although Monday's draw at West Brom means their title challenge is finally fading, they look set to return to the Champions League in their final season at White Hart Lane before they spend a year away while the ground is redeveloped.

Playing at Real Madrid with José Mourinho was the highlight of my career - Emmanuel Adebayor

Playing at Real Madrid with José Mourinho was the highlight of my career - Emmanuel Adebayor 

  

Togolese captain Emmanuel Adebayor who has played for Metz, Monaco, Arsenal, Real Madrid,  Man City, Tottenham Hotspur and now Crystal Palace in his career was asked by AS magazine to pick his favourite between two of his former clubs- Real Madrid and Manchester City who are set to meet in the UEFA Champions League semi finals.


While admitting the match between Real Madrid and Man City will be an exciting one he did reveal that his time at Real Madrid will always be the best part of his success laden career.

"The semifinal of Champions League between my former clubs Real Madrid and Manchester City will be exciting," he told AS.

"It will not be easy to go through for the Blancos, especially playing at the Etihad Stadium. The Citizens have players like Aguero, Toure, Silva and De Bruyne.

"On a personal level, the experience at Real was a highlight of my career. With (Jose) Mourinho I grew up a lot."

Man City and Real Madrid will clash at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday night.

London marathon runner dies after suffering heart attack three miles from the finish line

London marathon runner dies after suffering heart attack three miles from the finish line 

    

David Seath, a Royal Artillery captain from Plymouth collapsed after suffering a heart attack three miles from the finish line while taking part in the London Marathon. He was rushed to hospital where he died. Heartbroken pals are now planning to walk the final three miles and complete his run in his memory.

 

A fundraising page has also been set up in his memory by fellow Army officer and close friend James Walker-McClimens, 34.

Seath had two Masters degrees from the University of Aberdeen before competing his Army training at Sandhurst in 2010.

Based in Plymouth, Devon, he had served in Afghanistan, in the Nahri Saraj district of Helmand province.

 

He had done other charity work and worked with groups which helped visually impaired Army veterans, including Royal Blind and Scottish War Blinded.

The previous death in the London Marathon was in the 2012 event when Claire Squires, 30, from North Kilworth, Leicestershire, died.

A fund-raising page set up in her memory raised almost £1million for the Samaritans.

Rafael Nadal sues former French health minister over doping allegations

Rafael Nadal sues former French health minister over doping allegations

 

 Tennis star Rafael Nadal has launched a defamation lawsuit against a former French Minister of Health after getting tired of allegations linking him to doping.

The World's number 5 ranked tennis star in March warned that he won't tolerate any more attacks on his integrity as a sportsman and has now launched a defamation suit against Roselyne Bachelot who served as French Health minister between 2007 and 2010.

Speaking on Canal+, Bachelot accused Nadal of taking seven months out of tennis between 2012 and 2013 because he had taken drugs.

 

"We know that the famous injury which kept Nadal out for seven months is without any doubt because he tested positive," Bachelot said. "When you see a tennis player out of action for a long time, it's usually because they've tested positive."

On Monday the 14-time grand slam winner released a statement announcing the filing of a case against her, for her comments made on French television in March.

"Through this case, I intend not only to defend my integrity and my image as an athlete, but also the values I have defended all my career," Nadal said in his press statement.

"I also wish to avoid any public figure from making insulting or false allegations against an athlete using the media, without any evidence or foundation, and to go unpunished."

"I am going to sue her, and I am going to sue everyone who is going to comment something similar in future, because I am tired of that," .

 "I let it go a few times in the past. No more.

Iheanacho pleased to make City mark

 

Kelechi Iheanacho is riding on the crest of a wave at Manchester City.
The 19-year-old was the star performer for the Citizens in the 4-0 dismantling of Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
After deservedly picking up the Barclays man-of the-match award, Iheanacho explained that he will continue to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
"It was a great performance for everybody.
“It was a big match because we need to stay in the top-four and United are behind us so we needed three points.
“The manager trusted me in the game so I'm really pleased to play,” he told the club’s official website, www.mcfc.co.uk.
Iheanacho who is understandably high on confidence has now trained his sights on tripping Real Madrid in the Uefa Champions League.
"This game was great preparation for us before we play Real Madrid.
"On Tuesday, we need to focus and work hard because they're a good side. We are prepared to face them.
"The Champions League is a big tournament so we need to focus and get the mood ready and get everything right to play.
"We must work hard and concentrate on every ball. We really need to win here because at their home it's not going to be an easy game.
“It's a great achievement for the club to be in the last four of the tournament but it would be a dream to get to the final so we're really hoping for that,” he said.
The young striker has linked up excellently with Sergio Aguero in his first season as part of the senior squad and he expects that to continue when given the chance to play throughout the remainder of the season.
"I'm very pleased to play with Sergio. It's a big thing so I'm really happy and looking forward to playing with him in the future.
"I really need to work hard every game and every training.
“Every time I'm in I really need to show character and show that I deserve to be in the team so I really work hard until the end,” he said.
Iheanacho has scored 11 goals for Man City in all competitions this season.

Leicester City: Premier League title one win away after Tottenham draw

 

Leicester City will win the Premier League if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Tottenham, the only team who can pip them to the title, lost ground when they drew 1-1 with West Brom on Monday.
Even if they fail to beat United, the Foxes only need three points from three games to be certain of finishing top.
Spurs are now seven points adrift with three games left, but boss Mauricio Pochettino said: "We still need to believe. We are not going to give up."
Tottenham striker Harry Kane added: "Hopefully Manchester United can do us a favour. It has not gone. We need to keep fighting. All we can do is keep fighting."
Claudio Ranieri's Leicester side started the campaign as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title, having narrowly escaped relegation last season.
They are now 1-16 to claim their first top-flight success after leaving Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea in their wake.

Blatter to testify at Platini ban appeal

 

 

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter will testify during Michel Platini's appeal against his ban from football, following a request from world football's governing body, a source close to the case said on Tuesday.
Platini, the suspended head of European football confederation Uefa, will challenge his six-year ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland on Friday.
"Blatter will testify on Friday, at the request of Fifa", said a source who was not authorised to discuss the case publicly, but confirmed the information first reported by L'Equipe newspaper.
In December, Fifa's ethics judges found Platini guilty of ethics violations, conflict of interest and other offences in connection with a 2 million Swiss franc ($2 million, 1.8 million euro) payment he received from Blatter in 2011.
Both men claim the payment was part of a legitimate oral contract for consulting work that Platini did between 1999 and 2002, but Fifa's in-house court found that explanation unconvincing.
The pair were first suspended for eight years in December, but a Fifa appeals panel reduced the bans to six years in February, citing mitigating circumstances.
Uefa has said it will not replace Platini until all his appeals are exhausted, while CAS has indicated it would rule on the Frenchman's case before the June 10 start of the Euro 2016 tournament, which is being hosted by France.
If Platini's appeal is successful, he could reclaim his Uefa post in time to preside over the tournament.

Wilshere eyes Euro 2016 spot

 

Injury-plagued Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has set his sights on making the 23-man England squad that will be flying to France for the European Championships this summer.
The 24-year-old had been missing in action for 11 months after undergoing surgery in September for a fractured left tibia, an injury he sustained in pre-season training.
Despite playing just seven minutes of football for Arsenal so far this season, Wilshere is tipped to make Roy Hodgson's squad, having played a crucial role in the qualifiers.
"What really matters is playing for the first team and getting back on the pitch," Wilshere told British media.
"It's a big week for me in training, getting fitter and sharper. Hopefully next weekend I can get some more game time and go from there.
"I'm not saying that I'm there yet, this is just another step on my way to full recovery. There's a few games left and after that, hopefully I'll go away with England to the Euros. It's an exciting time."
England face Russia, Slovakia and Wales in Group B of the 24-team tournament that starts on June 10.

Big Match Feature:Manchester City v Real Madrid

 

Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Man City: WDWWWD
Real Madrid: WWWWWL

The contrast in European Cup semifinal experience could scarcely be more extreme as Manchester City host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League last-four tie.
While this is a first semi-final in the competition for City, Madrid are in the last four for a record 27th time – they have won 13 and lost 13 of their previous semi-finals.
Indeed, this is only City's third European semi-final across Uefa's club competitions, and their first since 1971. They beat FC Schalke 04 5-2 on aggregate in the 1969/70 European Cup Winners' Cup semifinals and lost 2-0 to Chelsea over two legs at the same stage of the same competition the following season.
Madrid, meanwhile, are in their 32nd European semi-final; their record is W17 L14. Although they are in a sixth successive Champions League semifinal, they have won only once in that sequence – against Bayern Munich in 2013/14, when they went on to win a tenth title.

Previous Meetings

The clubs' only competitive fixtures came in the 2012/13 group stage, when Madrid twice came from behind to win 3-2 in Spain on matchday one. City led twice courtesy of Edin Džeko (68) and Aleksandar Kolarov (85) but Madrid responded through Marcelo (76) and Karim Benzema (87) before Cristiano Ronaldo snatched a 90th-minute victory.
The teams at the Santiago Bernabéu on 18 September 2012 were:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Khedira (Modric 73), Xabi Alonso; Di María, Essien (Özil 65), Ronaldo; Higuaín (Benzema 73).
Manchester City: Hart; Maicon (Zabaleta 74), Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy; Javi García; Silva (Džeko 63), Y Touré, Barry, Nasri (Kolarov 37); Tévez.
It was 1-1 in Manchester, Sergio Agüero's penalty cancelling out Benzema's tenth-minute strike. Madrid ended with ten men as Álvaro Arbeloa collected a second yellow card in fouling Agüero to concede that spot kick.
The sides at the City of Manchester Stadium on 21 November 2012 were:
Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic; Maicon, Y Touré, Silva, Nasri (Tévez 60), Kolarov (Javi García 46); Agüero (Milner 88), Džeko.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Coentrão; Khedira, Xabi Alonso; Di María (Albiol 87), Modric (Callejón 68), Ronaldo; Benzema (Varane 75).
Those four points helped José Mourinho's Madrid finish second in Group D, behind Borussia Dortmund; City, then managed by Roberto Mancini, ended bottom with three points having not won a game.

Match Background

Manchester City
City's last two Champions League campaigns ended in round of 16 defeat by Barcelona, in 2013/14 and 2014/15.
The 3-1 aggregate win against Dynamo Kyiv in this season's round of 16 – 3-1 away, 0-0 home – was City's first European Cup knockout victory. Aside from those Barcelona defeats, their only previous tie was a 2-1 aggregate loss to Fenerbahçe SK in the 1968/69 first round.
City claimed their second knockout win with a 1-0 home defeat of Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final second leg, completing a 3-2 aggregate success.
Manuel Pellegrini's side have won three and drawn one of their five home Champions League games this season, although they did suffer a 2-1 loss to Juventus on matchday one.
The Manchester club have already met Spanish opposition in this season's competition, beating Sevilla FC 2-1 at home and 3-1 away in the group stage.
City's home record against Spanish sides is W3 D2 L2, both defeats coming against Barcelona. Overall it is W5 D3 L7.
Their record in two-legged ties with Spanish sides is W1 L3.
City may have never been in the semi-finals before, but Pellegrini's Villarreal team got this far in 2005/06, losing 1-0 to Arsenal over two legs.
Real Madrid
While Madrid are in the last four for the sixth season running, they have lost five of their last six Champions League semifinals. Of those ties, they suffered four defeats and picked up one draw away from home, the sole exception the 4-0 victory at Bayern Munich in the 2013/14 second leg.
Madrid lost their last away game in the Champions League, going down 2-0 at VfL Wolfsburg in the quarterfinal first leg – they won the return 3-0 to progress. They had previously collected three wins and a draw away from home this campaign.
The 2-1 loss at Juventus in last season's semi-final first leg is the other of only two defeats in Madrid's last 12 European away games, with eight victories in that time.
Madrid have won on their last three visits to England, against Tottenham Hotspur (1-0, 2010/11), Manchester United (2-1, 2012/13) and Liverpool (3-0, 2014/15).
The Merengues are unbeaten in their last eight games against English clubs (W6 D2) since a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool in the 2008/09 round of 16 second leg – their heaviest Champions League loss.
Madrid's record in two-legged ties against English opponents is W7 L4.
The Spanish side's record in England is W6 D3 L5; overall it is W13 D9 L10.
Madrid's overall European Cup semifinal record is W13 L13:

• 2-3 v Juventus, 2014/15 (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
• 5-0 v FC Bayern Munich, 2013/14 (1-0 h, 4-0 a)
• 3-4 v Borussia Dortmund, 2012/13 (1-4 a, 2-0 h)
• 3-3 v FC Bayern Munich, 1-3 on penalties, 2011/12 (1-2 a, 2-1 h)
• 1-3 v FC Barcelona, 2010/11 (0-2 h, 1-1 a)
• 3-4 v Juventus, 2002/03 (2-1 h, 1-3 a)
• 3-1 v FC Barcelona, 2001/02 (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
• 1-3 v FC Bayern Munich, 2000/01 (0-1 h, 1-2 a) 3-2 v FC Bayern Munich, 1999/2000 (2-0 h, 1-2 a)
• 2-0 v Borussia Dortmund, 1997/98 (2-0 h, 0-0 a)
• 1-6 v AC Milan, 1988/89 (1-1 h, 0-5 a)
• 1-1 v PSV Eindhoven, lost on away goals, 1987/88 (1-1 h, 0-0 a)
• 2-4 v FC Bayern Munich, 1986/87 (1-4 a, 1-0 h)
• 2-1 v FC Internazionale Milano, 1980/81 (2-0 h, 0-1 a)
• 3-5 v Hamburger SV, 1979/80 (2-0 h, 1-5 a)
• 1-3 v FC Bayern Munich, 1975/76 (1-1 h, 0-2 a)
• 1-3 v AFC Ajax, 1972/73 (1-2 a, 0-1 h)
• 3-4 v Manchester United, 1967/68 (0-1 a, 3-3 h)
• 2-1 v FC Internazionale Milano, 1965/66 (1-0 h, 1-1 a)
• 8-1 v FC Zürich, 1963/64 (2-1 a, 6-0 h)
• 6-0 v R. Standard de Liège, 1961/62 (4-0 h, 2-0 a)
• 6-2 v FC Barcelona, 1959/60 (3-1 h, 3-1 a)
• 2-1 (replay) v Club Atlético de Madrid, 1958/59 (2-1 h, 0-1 a, 2-1 replay)
• 4-2 v Vasas SC, 1957/58 (4-0 h, 0-2 a)
• 5-3 v Manchester United FC, 1956/57 (3-1 h, 2-2 a)
• 5-4 v AC Milan, 1955/56 (4-2 h, 1-2 a)

Coach and Player Links

City manager Pellegrini was in charge of Madrid in 2009/10, being replaced by Mourinho despite achieving a then club record 96 points but finishing second in the Liga to Barcelona. His side were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 by Olympique Lyonnais and were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by third-tier Alcorcón.
Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Álvaro Arbeloa are the only surviving squad members of Pellegrini's Madrid reign.
Pellegrini was in charge of Villarreal from 2004 to 2009 – his team finishing runners-up to Madrid in the Liga in 2007/08 – and Málaga CF from 2010 to 2013. His record against Madrid was W3 D5 L10; those losses included a 5-0 home defeat with Villarreal in September 2007 and 7-0 (March 2011) and 6-2 (May 2013) reverses at the Bernabéu with Málaga.
Ronaldo played for City's local rivals Manchester United between 2003 and 2009, scoring 84 goals in 196 Premier League games. He won league titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and scored in the 2008 Champions League final, when Sir Alex Ferguson's side beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow. Ronaldo was also in the side beaten by Barcelona 12 months later, his final United appearance before moving to Madrid.
Ronaldo's record against City with United was W7 D1 L3. He scored four goals – all in United wins, including the only one in a 1-0 success at the City of Manchester Stadium in May 2007, but was sent off twice in away games: City's 4-1 win in March 2004 and a 1-0 United triumph in November 2008.
Sergio Agüero failed to beat Real Madrid in five years at Atlético Madrid between 2006 and 2011, when he departed for City. His record was D3 L8, scoring three goals – all in Atlético defeats.
Gareth Bale scored in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-1 win against City in April 2013 and a 3-2 loss in January 2012.
Luka Modric and Bale were in the Tottenham side that won 1-0 at City in May 2010 to earn Champions League qualification at their opponents' expense.
Arbeloa's own goal gave City a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in February 2009.

International teammates:

• David Silva, Jesús Navas & Sergio Ramos, Nacho Fernández and Isco (Spain);
• Fernandinho & Marcelo and Casemiro (Brazil)
• Bacary Sagna & Karim Benzema (France)

Twice a Spanish champion with Barcelona, Yaya Touré appeared five times against Madrid, winning three times and losing twice.
Silva (RC Celta de Vigo, Valencia CF), Pablo Zabaleta (RCD Espanyol), Nicolás Otamendi (Valencia), Martín Demichelis and Willy Caballero (both Málaga CF) and Jesús Navas (Sevilla FC) have all played in Spain.
Danilo and Fernando played together for Porto between 2012 and 2014.
Benzema took on Joe Hart in France's 1-1 draw with England at Euro 2012, Samir Nasri – not in City's Champions League squad – equalising for Les Bleus. Alonso scored both goals in Spain's quarter-final defeat of a France side including Benzema, Nasri and Gaël Clichy.

Match Facts

Manchester City
City are seven games unbeaten in all competitions.
Sergio Agüero scored a hat-trick as City triumphed 3-0 at Chelsea FC on 16 April and brought up a century of Premier League goals with the opener in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle United FC three days later.
Agüero reached the milestone in 147 appearances. Only Alan Shearer (124 games) achieved it in fewer matches.
Sterling came on as a second-half substitute away to Newcastle – his first appearance since 20 March following a groin injury.
Kompany (out since 15 March, calf) also made his return at St James' Park, playing the full 90 minutes.
Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo has 16 goals in this season's competition – one short of his own record for a single European Cup campaign, set in 2013/14.
Ronaldo is the second highest scorer in the Liga this season behind Luis Suárez (34) on 31 goals, and is the first player in the league's history to have found the net 30 times in six consecutive seasons.
Ronaldo was forced off at the end of Madrid's 3-0 win over Villarreal on 20 April with suspected cramp, and missed the 3-2 weekend win at Rayo Vallecano de Madrid.
Gareth Bale (muscle discomfort) and Dani Carvajal (knock) missed the win over Villarreal. Carvajal missed the Rayo game too, but Bale returned, scoring twice.
Bale's tally now stands at 18 for the season, beating his previous best in Spain of 15 goals, set in 2013/14.
Benzema had scored in his last four league games until Saturday, when he was taken off in the first half against Rayo. He has 23 goals this season – his best tally since joining Madrid in 2009.
Madrid are the only side to have scored more than 100 goals in seven consecutive La Liga seasons; they have 104 in 2015/16.
Madrid have won nine league games in a row, their best run since December 2014 under Carlo Ancelotti (12).

‘La Liga, NPFL Deal to Boost Bilateral Sporting Ties between Nigeria, Spain’ 

                                                                                

A delegation of Spanish Premier League board, the La Liga led by its President, Javier Tesba, arrived Nigeria early hours of yesterday to a warm welcome by representatives of the Nigerian and Spanish governments who separately remarked that the technical partnership initiated by La Liga and the League Management Company (LMC) holds a huge prospect of deepening sporting, cultural and commercial ties between the two nations.

Tesba and his team were led by the top hierarchy of Nigeria’s football governing body including President Amaju Pinnick and LMC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko to the office of Nigeria’s Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung and later to the Residence of the Ambassador of Spain to Nigeria, Alfonso Barnuevo Sebastián de Erice.

Dalung in his welcome remarks reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian government towards making Nigeria investment friendly by providing the enabling environment for such partnership between the LMC and the La Liga to succeed.

    Dalung commended the LMC for keying into the policy thrust of government for the development of the elite league which provides jobs for thousands of youths through the 20 clubs and stimulating business activities within the areas matches are played.

“The league in Nigeria is indeed a major tool for social cohesion. Government is committed to putting in place, enabling administrative and legal frameworks for international business partnerships,” the minister observed.

According to Dalung, government will work with and support the managers of football in the country for meaningful projects like the international collaboration with Spain.

“It is of significance that the NPFL and La Liga are entering into an understanding that will improve the business aspects of the league in Nigeria. Such areas will boost the earnings of football which will in turn impact positively on the welfare of the players while creating new frontiers for business” Dalung said.

Ambassador Barnuevo while receiving the delegation of LMC and La Liga noted that the partnership will strengthen the already strong cultural and trade ties between his country and Nigeria, stating that “at the moment, Spain is the third biggest buyer of Nigeria’s crude oil”.

On the occasion, the Chairman LMC, Shehu Dikko said discussions that led to the partnership that will be signed today in Abuja was initiated at that inaugural World Leagues Forum meeting in London in 2015.

“Our objective is to be able to move with the times. We need to get our league to conform to international standards and best practices. La Liga is one of the best leagues in the world. They have some of the richest clubs in the world and they have a system which is very attractive to us. The structure and management of their clubs is fantastic as well as the way the government and the clubs relate. They also have legislation by the government to ensure that the league is developed. We need to learn how they’re doing”, Dikko said.

Tebas, the La Liga president expressed delight at the prospects of sharing experiences with the NPFL, noting that while they will be providing technical assistance to the LMC in the administration of the league, they also will in turn learn something from Nigeria.

“We are here not only to teach but to share experience and we are sure we can also learn from the Nigerian Professional Football League.

“This exchange of experience will help us to grow and we’ll ratify this in Nigeria during this visit with a Memorandum of Understanding.

“Football is not only a commercial issue but also an example of values especially for youths in any country and the La Liga will like to help develop these values for the Nigerian youths. We want to use the names of our stars to transmit the values of the sport. We will also offer our expertise not only to football but to the Nigerian government,” Tebas assured Nigerians.

Pinnick was at the head of the Nigerian team during the visit to the minister alongside the LMC Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Nduka Irabor, NFF Executive Board Member, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau and Chairman of Club Owners and Managers of the NPFL, Isaac Danladi.

Accompanying the La Liga president were Melcior Soler, the Director of Audiovisual Affairs, Fernando Sanz, International Projects Director and Antonio Baradas, Manager, African Affairs.

Sports minister Dalung blasts NFF in series of tweets, apologizes to Nigerians for AFCON exit

Sports and Youth Minister Solomon Dalung today in a media briefing which he serialized with tweets, condemned the Nigeria Football Federation's approach to handling issues. He said their constant sacking and hiring of managers was the reason the Super Eagles didn't qualify for AFCON and gave his backing to former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh. Read the tweets after the cut...