₦airaland Forum

It is often said that every human being has a look-alike somewhere. Well, Muhammadu Buhari has seemingly been spotted.

Read more at:
https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/19/photos-buharis-look-alike-spotted-in/

General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has given an account of how he almost got killed by a former governor during the era of military rule in Nigeria.

Read more at:
https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/19/how-adeboye-killed-by-a-governor/

United State President Joe Biden stumbled three times while running up the steps of Air Force One on his way to Atlanta Georgia on Friday.

Read more at:
https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/19/biden-falls-three-times-climbing/

Popular British TV personality, Piers Morgan, continues to go on a tirade against the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, accusing her of wanting to bring down the Royal Family after making claims of racist behaviour towards her.

Read more at:
https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/18/piers-morgan-continues-rant-meghan/

Popular British TV personality, Piers Morgan, continues to go on a tirade against the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, accusing her of wanting to bring down the Royal Family after making claims of racist behaviour towards her.

Read more at:
https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/18/piers-morgan-continues-rant-meghan/

Night club owners operating in Lagos have pleaded with the state governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, to consider the reopening of their businesses, with a promise to strictly adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols.


Read and find out more at:

https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/17/lagos-night-club-owners-plead/

Popular Ghanaian gospel singer Brother Sammy has made a shocking revelation that he engaged in MouthAction with his wife during their honeymoon and admits that it is what has sustained their 10-year marriage.

Read and find out more at:

https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/17/brother-sammy-licking-wifes-vagina/

Lagos State is making an ambitious plan of becoming one of the top three tourist destinations in the world.

Find out how and more:

https://www.ekohotblog.com/2021/03/17/lagos-aiming-global-top-destination/

The chances of Victor Osimhen joining Barcelona in next summer's transfer window is very remote, Goal understands.

Several reports are linking the Nigeria international as a potential replacement for Luis Suarez, who will be leaving at the end of the season.

The Uruguayan has a year left to run on his contract but it will not be renewed.

Even though Osimhen is on form at Lille, where he has had a hand in 10 goals (eight goals, two assists) in 11 appearances, there are no guarantees the 20-year old can provide the kind of consistency of Suarez at Camp Nou, scoring 183 goals, and providing 96 assists.

Read more: https://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/barcelona-expected-to-target-neymar-instead-of-osimhen/n7mfiy2bu3gl1lf3s6tnhcscm

NPFL 2018 is now in full gear and these are two things we should hear less from players and coaches.

- ''It was God that gave us the victory/three points.''

Yes all credit belongs to God for a good outing but tactical dimensions and mind games with other coaches/players will be better appreciated. Abi you no see as the recent feud between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte sweet?

- "our aim is to a pick point on the road."

Yes the NPFL terrain is difficult but if Akwa United could win in Kano, Ifeanyi Ubah in Ibadan and Abia Warriors in Makurdi, nothing stops more from being churned out. It's all a matter of the right attitude and approach.

______________________________________________________

There are potential NPFL fans in-waiting and if the LMC/clubs are keen on reaping monetary rewards, they need to invest in PR and digital media. If this happens, the complaints about officiating and perceived cheating would be less.

Officiating in the English Premier League isn't any better and does anyone remember the conspiracy that Manchester United dominated under Alex Ferguson because of his close ties to the Queen of England? Even if it were true, it won't hold much water because the EPL has developed so much to the stage viewers look forward to controversial moments.

I have screamed about the problem of generating NPFL content and even doing less this year as I can't afford to have unnecessary headache but the job isn't only for journos who have been doing their bit to keep the game alive.

The key to NPFL growth is in how the league body and clubs harness the potentials that lie within. If this doesn't become reality, we'll sadly just continue to go in circles and the potential fans will only see negative in the NPFL and Nigeria as a whole.

"Armchair supporters have incessantly discredited Guardiola’s achievements. The cynics feel he had an easy job to do at Barcelona as they liken it a PlayStation video game. That’s Nonsense........His success at Bayern Munich has also been discredited by naysayers. The commonly repeated, yet false rhetoric is he ‘failed’ in German football because he didn’t have success in the Champions League with the Bavarian giants. That isn’t only unfair, but downright lazy."

Do you agree that Pep would take Manchester City and English football to a whole new level?

Read more here: http://www.kunlefayiga.com/2016/08/28/guardiola-set-change-face-english-football/

Everyone is happy and relieved that Nigeria finally got a medal at the Rio Olympics but the ironic thing is that John Mikel Obi won't be acknowledged as playing a key part in it, rather the debate that he isn't a fine player would continue to ensue.

The Chelsea midfielder keeps silent on such talk, doing his thing while he works his way to being one of Nigeria and Africa's most decorated players.

Isn't it better we started appreciating rather than hating because there are a good number of times Chelsea and Nigeria would not have gotten favorable results had it not been for Mikel.

It was always expected that Lionel Messi would reverse his decision to retire from the Argentina national team after an agonising fourth final loss. It's not because of the pleas but rather the unfinished business he has with La Albiceleste. He has a World Cup to participate in 2018 and it is at this junction that the media and never satisfied fans give him breathing space in any situation he finds himself lest he be quick to call it a day and never come back again.

http://www.facebook.com/kunlefayiga

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has spent nearly £200 million on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba which are names bigger than those assembled by David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. United has struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and with an urgent need for the club to reassert itself, the Portuguese tactician has no space to falter like his predecessors did otherwise, he could be saying goodbye earlier than expected.

http://www.facebook.com/kunlefayiga

When a then 19 year old Lucas Moura moved from Sao Paolo to Paris Saint Germain for £35 million in 2012, then Manchester United manager exclaimed that football has gone mad. With 23 year old Paul Pogba returning to Old Trafford for a world record transfer fee of £93 million from Juventus, one couldn't but agree that football has become much crazier.

Real Madrid have been known to hold record of the most expensive transfers when one considers the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. With United taking over the record, it puts more pressure on Jose Mourinho to bring the desired results to a side that has struggled to live up to standards of the trophy laden 'Fergie era.'

http://www.facebook.com/kunlefayiga

No current Super Eagles coach, 70th in World, 16th in Africa, no African Cup of Nations next year, no Super Falcons at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Nigerian football under Amaju Pinnick has not been at it's best, is it therefore time to say #PinnickOut?

Read more here:

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4079/features/2016/07/28/26018722/amaju-pinnick-time-to-go

It is no doubt that the once-upon-a-time dominant and undisputed world number one Roger Federer, is no longer at that height. He has however maintained his standards and keeps producing sublime tennis. One of the perks of his illustrious career is he hardly got troubled by injuries but as he has grown older he has had to take things easy to maintain his fitness. This year however, he has missed a large chunk of calendar due to back and knee injuries. He will be forced to miss out the upcoming Rio Olympics games and the rest of the year as doctors have advised in order to be fit and continue carrying on.

At 35, Federer is a veteran of the sport and if these injuries continue to plague him, isn't it better he just retired from the game on a good note rather than see himself humbled and humiliated in front of opponents he should win against or keep skipping prestigious tournaments?

For a player as fine as Roger, injury should be last thing that should stain his fine career.

http://www.facebook.com/kunlefayiga

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is known for making marque signings with huge amounts but when it comes to offloading, nobody does it like Napoli President, Aurelio De Laurentiis. He always ensures any of his star players that go must be sold at their release clause and nothing less. This was so as Gonzalo Higuain was sold to Juventus for £75.3 million. This happened likewise when Edinson Cavani was sold for £52 million to Paris Saint Germain in 2013. Ironically the proceeds from the Cavani was used to purchase Higuain.

With another huge amount in Napoli's coffers, Maurizo Sarri can look towards purchasing another marque player which will further aid Partenopei's steady rise an Italian and European heavyweight.

http://www.facebook.com/kunlefayiga

Leicester City might struggle in keeping their star players but Claudio Ranieri can be happy he has secured the services of Nigerian winger, Ahmed Musa who having spent four successful years in Russia will surely impress in England.

Read the new Goal Nigeria feature here:

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4079/features/2016/07/24/25913232/ahmed-musa-another-nigerian-set-to-dazzle-in-the-premier

Jordon Ibe made his break at Liverpool under Brendan Rogers but failed to impress Jurgen Klopp and was sold to Bournemouth. This Goal.com Nigeria piece explores why the 20 year old needs to rethink the national team he represents following his south coast move.

Read it here:


http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4079/features/2016/07/22/25857802/liverpool-exit-should-make-jordon-ibe-reconsider-nigeria

The NFF’s appointment of Sunday Oliseh as the new head coach of the Super Eagles has been met with mixed reactions.

However, the Delta State native’s nomination should have been received with optimism, with no reason for pessimism.

He might not have a lot of managerial experience, spending more time behind the camera in the studio, but who else could have taken the job?

Certainly not Shaibu Amodu, nor ex-bosses Christian Chukwu, Augustine Eguavoen, Samson Siasia or Festus Onigbinde. All these men achieved little success and it’s really not worth going back to one’s vomit.

Nigeria are in dire need of a reawakening following the misadventures of Stephen Keshi.

A position of 57th in the world and 10th in Africa in the current FIFA rankings, behind the likes of tiny island Cape Verde and Congo, is not a good projection for the proclaimed ‘Giant of Africa’.

Oliseh might have played for the glamour teams of Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, that each won the UEFA Champions League in 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively, he might have obtained the necessary coaching batches and might have given sound analysis of the game on Supersport and have fluency in several foreign languages, but that in no way is a prerequisite to getting one of Africa’s toughest jobs.

There is need for optimism for Oliseh’s appointment, not because he is the rightful person (how he takes the reins will determine that) but there is the need for Nigeria to grow its talent.

If Nigeria are supposed to be the ‘Giant of Africa’ there is nothing that shows more pride of being a giant than when you have your product taking the lead.

The Super Eagles’ past achievements happened under foreign men who were not even Africans.

Stephen Keshi, as a local product, matched the feats of his predecessors, and it’s better that we continue in that trend.

The success of many African teams has traditionally lain in the hands of foreign men; think Herve Renard for Zambia and Ivory Coast after their long quest for AFCON glory, Roger Lemerre for Tunisia, Claude Le Roy for Cameroon and, of course, Clemens Westerhof for Nigeria.

Having these coaches comes at a very huge cost, making the concerned FAs dig deep into their pockets to give them bumper pays they might not have earned in Europe or elsewhere.

And not all foreign coaches have recorded success either, some having ill-fated managerial spells.

Of such was Carlos Alberto Pereira, winner of the 1994 World Cup for Brazil. He was charged with leading South Africa to the 2010 World Cup on home turf but it ended in agony, exiting the tournament from the group stage.

Others include Frenchman Henri Michel who had a short stint with Tunisia after a poor showing at the 2002 Afcon. Another man is American Bob Bradley who, despite the admiration he received for residing in Egypt in the wake of political turmoil, failed to lead the Pharaohs to the 2013 Afcon.

Coming down to Nigeria, Euro 1996-winning coach Berti Vogts achieved nothing meaningful for the Super Eagles. Nor did Swede Lars Lagerback.

These were men all on massive salaries but nothing spectacular to show for them.

Success doesn’t necessarily need to be built on another person’s success. It could start from the scratch and then build on from there.

That is what Nigeria need at this moment. We need to build up its talent to return to the top of football in Africa. Oliseh’s appointment is a starting point, and the whole Nigerian nation should rally round him so he can bring out the best in himself and the Super Eagles. He might be a rookie, but rookie managers have been known to bring instant success.

Pep Guardiola and Garry Monk come to mind at club level. Guardiola led Barcelona to an unprecedented sextuple at the first attempt in 2008/2009 and Monk took Swansea City to its highest position and record-points total in the English top flight last term. At national team level, three Germans in Franz Beckenbauer, Rudolf Voller and Jurgen Klinsmann achieved success in their debuts as managers for Die Mannschaft…such feats are not impossible.

One never knows, but Oliseh could get continental acclaim and be wanted by other African teams just like Keshi is being touted for the Ivory Coast job and has been linked to other top African teams in the past.

Oliseh might be unproven, but it’s worth watching by giving him a chance to see what he can deliver.

read it on: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/07/17/13653812/why-nigeria-must-get-behind-sunday-oliseh

The Super Eagles’ 2-0 win over Chad last weekend in Kaduna State ushered in a new era for Nigerian football. Not only was it the first senior competitive international under the administration of the new Head of State President Muhammadu Buhari, it also coincided simultaneously with the campaigns of the Flying Eagles and the Super Falcons in New Zealand and Canada respectively.

So what does the future hold for Nigerian football and what should the new government do for the good of the nation’s sport? 

The pervading notion of Nigeria as the ‘Giant of Africa’ is undermined by the fact that basic structures that aid the growth of football are not very solid.

For a start, grassroots football is not well promoted and this needs to be addressed in order to continue producing potential talents for the future.

The Nigerian Premier League needs to be revamped as Nigerian clubs are not doing well enough in continental showpieces and have been overtaken by teams from other countries.

Two-time African champions Enyimba have been nowhere to be found on the continent since their CAF Champions League triumph in 2003 and 2004. Shooting Stars, who were the first Nigerian club to win a continental trophy back in 1995, have found themselves in the Second Division in recent times. Nigerian clubs have what it takes to match other African sides that have dominated in recent times such as Al-Ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe, Raja Casablanca, Esperance and Etoile du Sahel among others. After all, Nigerians such as Michael Eneramo, William Okpara, Julius Aghahowa all performed well while plying their trade for some of these teams.

The government of Buhari should do more to encourage private ownership of clubs rather than state ownership. There should also be increased sponsorship in the league. Mediums such as SuperSport and Goal Nigeria have done a tremendous job in delivering excellent coverage of the league, but more can be done to encourage fans to flock stadiums each weekend.

Stadia across the country also need serious upgrades. Prominent players should be able to return home at the climax of their careers rather than going to USA, Australia, China and elsewhere.

South Africa star Benni McCarthy ended his career at home with Orlando Pirates in 2013 after spending 14 trophy-laden years in Europe.

Others include Cameroon centre back Raymond Kalla who called it a day with Union Douala as well as Tunisian defender Khaled Badra who returned to Esperance late in his career.

The NFF has projected a bad image of Nigerian football over the years with internal conflicts which invoke the wrath of Fifa. Never again must the Nigerian game be brought into disrepute by Fifa threatening sanctions following misdemeanours by the game’s administrators.

The Super Eagles are the pride of Nigerian football, and they must be remunerated when due.

It’s wrong not to be able to compensate players who have sacrificed themselves for their beloved country. Refusal to pay bonuses shouldn’t be an issue for the NFF. Nigeria is not like Cameroon, Togo, Benin among other countries that face an uphill task to remunerate their star players. The administration needs to remove all the bad eggs that turn funds meant for the development of the Super Eagles-and Nigerian football as a whole-into their private pockets.

Nigeria deserves to be on top of the food chain of African football. The likes of South Africa and the North African countries as well as some of Nigeria’s West African neighbours should not be the ones taking the lead.

Nigeria is endowed with enormous resources that should put it at the top.

Failure of the Buhari government to enhance the development of football in Nigeria by a greater margin might see the country falling down the order in the food chain of African football while those that shouldn’t be a match from the proclaimed ‘Giants of Africa’ might seize the limelight. 

Read it here: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/06/22/12954902/what-must-the-buhari-government-do-for-nigerian-football

While Lionel Messi may have finally overcome his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo once and for all this season, his failure at international level is a hoodoo that lingers.

For years, the debate has raged about whether Messi or Ronaldo is the world’s greatest player; the messiah or the machine.

Ronaldo’s arrival at Real Madrid in 2009 took football to another level as both players dazzled the world with endless breath-taking performances. Blitzes of goals have become a regular norm for the duo, who have broken records upon records along the way.

In the wake of the intense battle between Messi and Ronaldo the debate about who is better of the two follows swiftly afterwards.

It’s difficult to reach a logical conclusion because both players move at almost the same speed.

This has made both players to be almost level with regards to most of their records.

Messi’s fantastic season was heightened with the combination of Luis Suarez and Neymar, the trio bagging a record 122 goals between them, Messi having the bulk, of course.

he diminutive Argentine played in a much deeper role behind Neymar and Suarez, giving the duo more opportunities to score delivering those exquisite passes from the midfield into the frontmen yet Messi was still able to outscore both Neymar and Suarez with more than half of his goals coming in the second half of the season.

Neymar, at some point of the season, was ahead of Messi, but the Rosario native still ended up bagging 58 goals, continuing his trend of scoring 50+ goals in recent times, while Neymar had 39 goals and Suarez 25 goals.

If Messi can score so many goals, despite not playing as the go-to central striker, and in something of a supporting role, what more is there to prove?

Tellingly, perhaps, there was a gulf in the two men’s trophy hauls this season, a chasm which has begun to increase, largely due to Real’s failings once again, both domestically and in Europe.

Lionel Messi capped off a sensational 2014/2015 season by winning a remarkable treble of trophies for the second time after his previous haul of six in 2009. The Argentine maestro was instrumental as Luis Enrique’s side consolidated their status as the kings of modern football.

Ronaldo, by contrast, was left empty-handed, as Real Madrid—the Decima heros of 2014—began to unravel.

The former Manchester United man may have pipped his rival in the scoring charts, but it was Messi who took home the gold.

However, even if he has seen off Ronaldo, there is one other nagging question mark about the player’s career.

Presently in Chile on Copa America duty for Argentina, the four-time Ballon d'Or winner—who won his 100th cap for the South American giants against Jamaica last weekend—has impressed in the tournament so far. He delivered superb performances against Paraguay and Uruguay in the group stage and will be looking to make a key contribution against Colombia in the Albiceleste’s upcoming quarter-final.

Following the misery of missing out on winning the World Cup last year, the forward, who turned 28 on Wednesday, will look to guide his nation to the continent’s final four this Friday evening.

Winning the continental showpiece will finally add silverware to Messi's international trophy cabinet, which has been empty ever since he made his debut for the national side 10 years ago. Admittedly, there has been glory in the Olympics (at U23 level), and success in the youth World Cup, but nothing in the way of senior honours.

For a player who has been so decorated during his career—both as an individual and as a part of several magnificent Barcelona sides—his relative failure with Argentina is an anomaly that he will be hoping to address over the coming weeks.

That’s not to say Messi has not been close to success with the national side; he lost the 2007 Copa America final to fierce rivals Brazil following a galling 3-0 defeat, while it took an extra-time winner from Germany last summer to deny Argentina in the World Cup final.

Four years ago, on home soil, the Copa America represented an ideal opportunity to win his first national-team gold, but that venture also ended in disappointment—a quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Uruguay.

Had Messi lifted last year’s World Cup, he would definitely have had a superior edge over Ronaldo and possibly his compatriot Diego Maradona, surely catapulting the superstar into a league of his own (if he’s not there already).

The Copa America would do…for now at least.

Read it here: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/06/25/13033842/lionel-messi-has-seen-off-cristiano-ronaldo-can-he-now-win

Just take a moment to think of the many controversial decisions not to award goals throughout the history of football...

The most horrendous has to be not awarding Tottenham Hotspur a goal in January 2005 after midfielder Pedro Mendes hit a 55-yard shot which Manchester United keeper Roy Carroll failed to deal with. The keeper caught the ball, but it slipped out of his hand and dropped more than a yard over the line, Carroll pushed the ball back out and neither the referee nor his assistant saw it despite huge protests by Spurs players.

The incident ignited the need for correct decisions to be made over goals that cross the line or not.

FIFA had been outspoken over a goal-line system but not until Frank Lampard had a goal wrongly disallowed against Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa did the governing body really mean business. Goal-line technology officially debuted at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup. The system would decide a goal for the first time in a FIFA organised tournament at the 2014 edition when Honduras keeper Noel Valladares dropped a Karim Benzema shot on the goal line.

The EPL decided to use goal-line technology for the 2013-2014 season and the first goal to be decisively awarded by the system was Edin Dzeko’s goal for Manchester City against Cardiff City on January 18 2014.

Swansea’s 1-0 victory away to Arsenal on Monday night had goal-line technology to thank once again.

Bafetimbi Gomis nodded the ball home from a Jefferson Montero cross but the effort was palmed away by Arsenal keeper David Ospina. Gomis was convinced that it had crossed the line but Ospina wasn’t. The Colombian number one was proved wrong as it was signalled via Referee Kevin Friend’s watch that the ball had crossed the line. The graphic video replays showed it clearly too. Had goal-line technology not been used, the goal might not have been awarded despite being clear.

That debate might have raged on for weeks!

Gary Cahill’s equaliser for Chelsea in the Blues’ 2-1 victory at Liverpool last November showed how goal-line technology is a brilliant innovation.

TV replays could not ascertain if the ball had crossed the line because Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet had his body covering the line, yet the referee gave it by virtue of the system which was analysed graphically as proof.

Had goal-line technology not been employed, Cahill’s goal might have brought memories of the ‘ghost goal’ scored by Liverpool’s Luis Garcia in the Champions League semi final against Chelsea in May 2005. He poked the ball towards goal with William Gallas frantically clearing off the line. The referee gave the goal but Chelsea players showed their displeasure over the decision. Football analysts had used all available resources to analyse the goal but no conclusion was made as to whether it crossed the line or not. Had goal line technology been employed then, the truth would have been known.

Goal-line technology has now proven to be a success as it has been able to answer those wrong decisions made by referees but not everyone likes the idea.

UEFA has disapproved of it and instead employed having an official behind goal but anyone who is conversant knows it hasn’t been effective. The referee behind goal failed to spot Marko Devic’s shot that briefly crossed the line before John Terry cleared in a group encounter between England and Ukraine at Euro 2012.

So far only the English Premier League and Major League Soccer employ the system, but it will be used in the German Bundesliga from next season. That means that in other parts of the world, referee decisions will face errors and more debates will linger.

However, the truth is that the human element is what makes football the beautiful game it is.

Football was invented to prompt debates! Debating controversies keep the game intense and interesting.

Had Luis Garcia’s ‘ghost goal’ been decided by goal-line technology, this legendary debate wouldn’t be continuing today. It would have been put to bed at the moment of impact. Goal-line technology might have removed a bit of the human element in football but it doesn’t remove the debates that define the game embedded in the blood of the passionate fan which aren’t seen in any other sport.

Read it on: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/05/13/11692102/goal-line-technology-has-it-made-football-boring

Chelsea might have had a good run to the title this season, but may familiar concerns prompt Jose Mourinho into a squad reshuffle this summer?

This is certainly the case for strikers Diego Costa and Loic Remy, whose goals don’t hide some concerning underlying problems.

Costa has hit 20 goals in 31 total appearances this term, while Remy has just seven goals in 27 overall appearances. These two strikers have had injury issues which have plagued them for much of their career.

Costa’s injury crises began in the summer of 2011.

He ruptured his cruciate ligament on July 27, keeping him out of action for 189 days. He had four spells out with injury during the 2013/2014 season. In the final game of Atletico Madrid’s season, away to Barcelona, he lasted only 16 minutes on the pitch as he strained his thigh muscle.

Atleti drew the game and won the Liga BBVA crown.

All efforts to get Costa fit for the Champions League final with Real Madrid proved a failure as the Brazil-born Spain forward lasted just eight minutes on the pitch and Diego Simeone’s side ended up losing their first final in 40 years 4-1.

Costa’s arrival at Stamford Bridge has seen him face a series of injuries on his troublesome hamstring.

His first was on October 12, 2014, while on international duty for Spain. He was injured in Chelsea’s hard-earned win away to Hull City on March 22. Jose Mourinho gambled on his fitness in the following game against Stoke City. The Spain forward came on as a substitute for Oscar but lasted only 10 minutes.

With the Blues having wrapped up the EPL title, Costa looks set to miss the rest of the season.

And for Remy, the man to stand-in for Costa, things have been similarly problematic; his first significant injury as a senior player was on December 11, 2008, while playing for OGC Nice. He was out for 35 days with knee problems. He injured his calf for the whole month of August 2013 as he had agreed a loan move to Newcastle United from Queens Park Rangers, and was also injured at the start of March 2014 and didn’t return to action until early April.

These two injury spells hindered the Frenchman from adding to his impressive tally of 14 goals in 26 EPL appearances for the Magpies.

Remy was ready to move from Loftus Road to greener pastures. His first move was aborted as he failed a medical with Liverpool towards the end of July after the Merseyside club activated his release clause. The Frenchman eventually became a Chelsea player on August 31.

His first spell on the sidelines for the Blues was on October 21 and he stayed out for 32 days with a groin problem. His next time in the treatment room would be on April 11, a week after he got the winner for Chelsea against Stoke with calf injury keeping him out for 22 days.

Within Remy’s injury spell, Costa had also been injured, leaving the Pensioners with no other striker than veteran Didier Drogba.

The 37-year-old Blues legend is past his peak and hasn’t been able to light up games as he did in his previous eight-year stint with Chelsea.

With Costa and Remy’s injury history highlighted, are Mourinho’s side taking a major gamble moving forward if they leave their faith in these two injury-prone hitmen?

Chelsea ought to face renewed competition for the defence of the league title next season with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool among others jostling to claim top honours.

In that event, will Chelsea stick with Costa and Remy?

What if more injury spells await them?

Mourinho can be thankful that Costa scored the bulk of his 19 EPL goals between August and October, as well as the early part of 2015. Had he not been able to hit the ground running early starting with his debut goal against Burnley in the season opener, his transfer to Stamford Bridge might have been wasteful.

It’s no doubt that both Remy and Costa are prolific strikers. Both have a combined total of 219 career goals but their niggling injuries can put a dent on their careers.

It would only be wise for Mourinho to delve into the transfer market and look for more potent strikers who don’t have much of a history with injuries.

The club will be celebrating now, and enjoying their title success, but the best sides are always looking forwards, rather than backwards.

Failure to recruit more reliable strikers might see Chelsea go through turbulent periods such as Liverpool have faced this season with Daniel Sturridge out and Arsenal during the Robin van Persie years.

Read it on: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/05/08/11524872/chelsea-must-reconsider-diego-costa-and-loic-remy-in-light

In what was going to be a tough affair, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid had it all to do in the second leg of their Champions League quarter final clash.

The game was heading for a stalemate like in the first leg at the Vicente Calderon until Cristiano Ronaldo teed up Manchester United loanee Javier Hernandez who tapped the ball home from close range.
It was a relief for los Merengues, as they advance to the semi finals.
The defeat will surely have hit Atleti hard, but take nothing away from the Rojiblancos, they were outstanding.


Atletico’s season might not have been as smooth as last term, when they won the Liga BBVA crown for the first time in 18 years. They also reached the Champions League final for the first time in 40 years, only to lose to their cross-town rivals when they should have wrapped the match up with a few seconds to spare.
In spite of the shortcomings, Atletico Madrid have shown character once again this season.
Prior to the Champions League clash, Real’s last victory over Atletico was the ‘Decima’ triumph in Lisbon last May.
Atleti had remained unbeaten in seven previous encounters with Real this season claiming four wins and three draws, the highlight being the 4-0 thrashing at the Vicente Calderon on February 7.
The success of Atletico Madrid can be attributed to none other than Diego Simeone.

The ex-Atletico player came in to manage the club in December 2011 and since then has completed a remarkable turnaround.
Atletico were in 10th place upon Simeone’s arrival and they looked in danger of going down the drain further. That season, they finished in fifth.
Atletico took home the Europa League to cap off a revived season.
The 4-1 win over Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup will surely always remain a highlight of the Argentine’s managerial career
The Rojiblancos bagged the 2013 Copa Del Rey against Real Madrid and the 2014 Liga BBVA title for the first time since 1996, when Simeone was still playing for the team. It was also the first time a team other than Barcelona or Real Madrid had won the La Liga since Valencia in 2004.
Simeone has installed discipline into the Atletico Madrid side. The Argentine tactician was a defensive midfielder in his playing days and as a DM, you have to be disciplined, so it’s not hard to see him extend such a talent into his managerial career.
Atletico Madrid are focused and determined. These are key factors to the results they get against the big opposition.
There is also motivation.
It’s no doubt that Simeone is a master motivator. You can see it from the way he shouts and screams from the touchline. Focus and determination has made Atletico Madrid excel well beyond expectations.

Atleti do not match up with Real Madrid and Barcelona in terms of player quality and finance. The wealth of Real Madrid is about twice that of Atletico. Unstable finances have made the team sell most of its key players over the years to generate some revenue, the most recent being Diego Costa and Filipe Luis.
Despite the shaky finances, Atletico have stood tall and strong under Simeone.
The acquisitions of Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic have brought more potency in attack with the duo scoring an impressive total of 45 goals in 89 appearances this season.
Atleti’s effectiveness at set pieces and aerial challenges makes it a big deal for any team to contend with.
2015 might be the first time that Simeone goes without a trophy for the Rojiblancos, but a series of strong results—especially against Real Madrid—shows Atleti are now a formidable force to be reckoned with.
No longer are they a team to beat with ease. You need tactical nous and good fortune to beat them.
The 2013 Copa Del Rey triumph was Atleti’s first win over Real since 1999. Barcelona simply did not have an answer to Atleti in 2014 as they went winless in six encounters and Lionel Messi failed to find the net against the team vs. which he had scored most goals.
Simeone’s presence has made the traditional two-horse race for the title become a three-horse race. Even though Atleti might be out of contention for defending their Liga crown this season, the atmosphere created by Simeone will ensure that Barcelona and Real Madrid will be wary of the reigning champions for some years to come!

Read it on: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/05/01/11297562/diego-simeone-still-the-man-despite-atletico-madrids-shaky

The Super Eagles drew with South Africa in Nelspruit and lost to Uganda last week. The team is struggling to emerge from the disappointment of not qualifying for AFCON in January and part of the struggle is the uncertainty over Stephen Keshi's future. Placing Daniel Amokachi as Interim boss isn't helping. Why is the NFF delaying in taking swift action? Some say Keshi staying put is an order from President Jonathan but we all know the FIFA rules. No interference of government in football matters. If Keshi wants to go let him go if he wants to stay let him stay. Its really not fear putting the hearts of many football loving Nigerians in limbo. The delays in releasing the presidential election results by INEC is the same way the NFF is acting. Can't something be done right in Nigeria for once? Its yet to be seen but let's hope the government from the 29th of May, 2015 will give Nigerian football the atmosphere and respect it deserves.

When Louis van Gaal took over as Manchester United manager last July, he had the task of restructuring a squad that had underperformed when David Moyes was at the helm.

Part of the restructuring process was to clear out the squad’s deadwood.

Over ten first team players left the club. One of them was Javier Hernandez, who is on loan at Real Madrid.

Was the ex-C.D Guadalajara hitman right to leave Old Trafford?

In the absence of Hernandez, Manchester United have, at times, shined. The Red Devils have seen an upturn in fortunes from the disastrous seventh place finish of last season to currently sit fourth on the log.

Does this mean United no longer need the services of the Guadalajara native?

The United strikeforce, despite being star-studded, have at many points this season struggled to find their feet. The attack, for much of the campaign, has taken a long period in games before finding the net.

In certain matches, the Red Devils mustered only a few or no shots on target while their opponents created more. This was the case in the games away to Arsenal and Stoke City and at home to Southampton and Liverpool.

Why did United have to sign Radamel Falcao, who has so far failed to establish himself at Old Trafford?

Some claim the Red Devils needed a striker badly.

Why then sell the reliable and dependable Chicharito or even Danny Welbeck? If Chicharito was around, many of the chances that United’s strikers could not easily convert would have been turned into the net by the Mexican.

His role in the team was reduced last season where he scored just four goals in the league and nine overall. It was the first time since 2009, while playing in his native Mexico, that Chicharito failed to hit double digit goals in a season.

His role in the Mexican national team was also reduced as he lost his place as the main striker for El Tri at the World Cup in Brazil was Club America’s Oribe Peralta.

Hernández is third on the list of Mexico’s all time top scorer’s list on 38 goals from just 70 caps. He is eight goals shy of beating all-time top scorer Jared Borgetti. Chicharito also has the highest goal scoring average on the list with 0.55 per game.

Hernandez’s contribution to Manchester United has been immense since he arrived in July 2010.

He has been known to score crucial goals for the Red Devils. His ability to score match-winning goals from the bench led Sir Alex Ferguson to make comparisons with United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Sir Alex was in awe of the player he described as a very quick, two-footed natural goalscorer.

Chicharito has been able to bag important goals in games he started. In his debut season, he bagged a brace away to a Stoke City side that have proved to be a thorn in the flesh for the big teams. He bagged a brace away at Wigan Athletic on February 26, 2011 to put United closer to winning a record 19th league title.

His goal in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final against Chelsea set the tone that took the Red Devils to the final before unfortunately losing to Barcelona at Wembley. 2012-2013 was a season that saw Manchester United come back from behind to claim dramatic victories on multiple occasions.

Chicharito was involved in some of these triumphs, and one noteworthy case was the away victory to Aston Villa on November 10, 2012. United were two goals down and Hernandez came off the bench to score twice. He was involved in the third goal but it was ultimately given as an own goal to Villa captain Ron Vlaar, thus denying the diminutive Mexican his first hat-trick for United.

Hernandez has great movement and accuracy in the box. It is the ability to position himself in the right place as well as his ability to head the ball that makes him an efficient goalscorer.

If Chicharito was essential to Manchester United’s run to winning the league title in 2011 and 2013 why did Louis van Gaal loan him to Real Madrid?

His impact in La Liga has been limited. He has made just twelve league appearances, scoring three goals. Isn’t he wasting time at the Bernabeu? It’s not like he looks to alter the ever-fit and strong Cristiano Ronaldo-Karim Benzema-Gareth Bale partnership.

The Red Devils still have tough fixtures against all top four oppositions and trickier ties against lesser opposition such as Everton, Crystal Palace and Hull City. Hernandez could have come in handy in these games; against Chelsea, for example, he has a good goalscoring record and could have been an excellent asset had United’s strikers failed to find their feet.

Louis van Gaal needs to reconsider his decision to loan Chicharito.

The Dutchman’s aim for United this season is a top four finish and it could have been made easier with the presence of Chicharito. He might not be truly world-class, but then again, have the likes of Robin van Persie and the aforementioned Falcao truly earned this tag over the last few weeks?

FA Cup defeat against Arsenal, where United failed to find the goal they needed to take the tie to a replay, only enforced my point. Van Gaal has typically been criticised for the side’s pace (or lack of it), the inadequate signings or the use of Wayne Rooney in midfield.

Beyond these failings, however, his decision to offload Chicharito is the worst of the lot. Will it end up costing the Red Devils?

Read it on: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4055/main/2015/03/13/9734902/offloading-chicharito-manchester-united-and-louis-van-gaals?CMPID=twnga_150312_chicharito_united