₦airaland Forum

Gunmen have killed 37 people in a pre-dawn raid
in Nigeria's central Plateau state, the military has
said.
Herdsmen from the Fulani ethnic group carried out the
attack on villages inhabited mostly by the Berom
community, a local organisation said.
Plateau state has been hit for years by inter-ethnic and
religious violence, which has killed thousands.
It lies on the fault line between Nigeria's mainly Muslim
north and mostly Christian and animist south.
Most Fulani are Muslim and Berom are Christians.

Military spokesman Salisu Mustapha said the gunmen
opened fore on residents in four villages at around 0100
GMT.
"The attackers killed... 13 persons in Katu Kapang, eight
in Daron, nine in Tul and seven others in Rawuru," he
said, in a statement.

However, Fatima Njokwu, who works for the Stefanos
Foundation, a Christian group in Nigeria, said three
villages were raided.
Fulani herdsmen carried out the attack on the mainly
Berom communities, she told the BBC Hausa Service.
The long-standing rivalries between communities stem
from a dispute about who are the area's rightful
inhabitants, tensions often whipped up by local
politicians, correspondents say.
m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25106729

The agent of Nigeria U17 World Cup winning captain
Musa Muhammed is in talks with Premier League clubs.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle
United have all been mentioned as suitors for Musa.
"We have received quite a number of offers from
representatives of clubs in the English Premier League
for Muhammed.
“We would rather not disclose the identities of these
clubs now,” the player’s agent Adam Mohammed told
AFP in Abuja on Wednesday.
“But we have some meetings planned for England this
week and we will then take it from there."
www.tribalfootball.com/articles/agent-confirms-premier-league-talks-over-man-utd-chelsea-target-musa-muhammed-3993278

Super Eagles and Lille of France goal tender
Vincent Enyeama says he is excited to have been
voted the Ligue 1 player of the month for October
2013.

The Eagles shot stopper Vincent Enyeama's outstanding
work between the sticks for Ligue 1 side Lille saw him
beat in-form Paris Saint-Germain superstars Zlatan
Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani to the Player of the
Month award for October.

Delight
A happy Enyeama in an interview on the club’s official
website said he lacked words to express his delight at
the award and thanked his team-mates, coaching crew,
the fans and all those who voted for him.
'I'm surprised, in a good way of course. I didn’t think I
had much chance of winning this trophy. So I'm really
happy to get it.'
'Yes, I do not hide that it is difficult to find words. I especially want to thank everyone, starting with the
coach René Girard. I do not forget Jean-Pierre Mottet,
Steeve Elana, Barel Mouko and the young Jean Butez
who alongside I work very hard. And of course, all my
teammates and the entire staff, whether technical or
medical, that help me to achieve great performance
with the LOSC.
'

Competitors
'I feel something amazing. Whether Ibrahimovic or
Cavani, they are both top players. Zlatan is huge these
days, it marks extraordinary goals. It is a world famous
striker, like Cavani.
I really want to thank who chose me at the expense of
other great players. All supporters who encourage me
are important to me. I also want to thank journalists.
Early in the season, the media did not placed me as one
of the best goalkeepers which did not prevent them
from still supporting me. That is why I would like to thank
them.' Enyeama stated.

Impressive stats
Enyeama bagged his second award of the season after
claiming 71 per cent of the vote to pip Zlatan
Ibrahimovic (19 per cent) and Edinson Cavani (10 per
cent) to the honour handed out by the UNFP (National
Union of Professional Footballers) and sports daily
L'Equipe.
The super Eagles stand-in skipper has hit the ground
running this season, replacing Steeve Elana as first-
choice 'keeper under new coach Girard after two
seasons on the bench following his move from Hapoel
Tel-Aviv, and has kept an amazing 12 clean sheets in his
14 appearances so far.
www.futaa.com/football/article/player-of-the-month-award-excites-enyeama

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA- THERE was a sharp split in the Alhaji Abubakar
Kawu Baraje led splinter group of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, following the refusal
of Chairman, Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF
and governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu to join
some of the G7 governors who dumped PDP for All
Progressive Congress, APC.

*Gov Aliyu Babangida
Governor Aliyu of Niger State who abandoned the group
yesterday, said he remains a member of PDP and not
going with them to APC, adding that talks between the
aggrieved members and President Goodluck Jonathan
were still ongoing and would await the outcome of the
negotiation before taking a final decision.
More details shortly…
www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/g7-splits-babangida-aliyu-remains-pdp/

Our Reporter November 21, 2013 1 Comment »
From IKENNA OKAFOR, Johannesburg

Spain national team Coach, Vicente del Bosque has declared the Super Eagles as a major threat to oppositions, following the African champions great
outing against the Azzurri of Italy on Monday
In an exclusive chat with Daily SunSports at the Soccer
City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, Del Bosque
revealed that he watched the Super Eagles international friendly and described it as world class.

“When I saw Nigeria on television, I was stunned because they showed their real worth. I knew we didn’t
play them with their full squad at the Confederations
Cup in Brazil. They are full of surprises, but we will be
ready to square up against any team at the World Cup”

Despite the lone goal defeat handed to the la furia roja
by Bafana Bafana, Del Bosque stated that the tour of
Africa had been a lesson well learnt, while revealing that he would not mind to play Nigeria at the group stage in 2014 World Cup.
“We played two matches, won one and lost the other.
We are happy about our performance but goalkeeper
Valdes injury is more painful than the defeat to South
Africa”
“We would not mind to be in the same group with
Nigeria. They defeated us in 1994 and they have a great team now again. They are coming to the World Cup as African champions, so you have to give them the respect. They have good players. I believe they will be strong and tough to beat.”

Spain will be at the World Cup as reigning European and
World Champion. They were unable to add the FIFA a
confederations cup to their trophy cabinet as they were
trounced 3-0 by the winners, Brazil.

I voted for ngige today, at unizik awka.... I expect him to win

(FIFA.com)

​​​​​



The eyes of the football world will once again be fixed on Spain on Saturday, when La Liga leaders Barcelona take on Real Madrid. Three points separate the sides ahead of the 167th staging of ​El Clásico​, which has lost none of its spice despite much of the tension surrounding the rivalry having evaporated this season, thanks in the main to changes on both benches.

After a period in which off-field exchanges stoked up the animosity between these two old rivals, the presence in the dugouts of Gerardo Martino and Carlo Ancelotti has ensured that football, and nothing else, is the topic of debate in the build-up to this weekend’s showdown.

The arrival of the vastly experienced duo has significantly reduced the hostility generated by the fixture in the last few campaigns. Indeed the only reminder of the recent past on Saturday will be the pre-match fan mosaic offering support to Tito Vilanova, Martino’s predecessor as Barcelona coach, in the ongoing fight against the cancer that caused him to resign. 

There are always more than three points at stake in ​El Clásico​, in which pride and the desire to succeed have traditionally played a part. In the head-to-head standings, ​Barça​ have chalked up 60 wins to Real’s 70, although the Catalans have won 57 per cent of their home games against their rivals from the capital. As for the leading scorers in the fixture, that honour is currently shared by Argentinian aces Lionel Messi and Alfredo Di Stefano, who are tied on 18 goals.

Saturday’s game will be the first ​Clásico​ for Martino and Ancelotti, two thoughtful coaches who share certain tactical ideas and are equally averse to making rash judgments. Where they differ, however, is in their records, roots and styles. On the eve of the latest clash between Spain’s big two, ​FIFA.com ​puts the spotlight on the Argentinian and the Italian and analyses the areas that both separate and bind them.

​Their records​
​El​ ​Tata​ arrived in Barcelona after pulling his beloved Newell’s Old Boys out of a serious slump and making them Argentinian league champions and Copa Libertadores semi-finalists. That personal challenge came after he made history with Paraguay by taking them to the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, the furthest ​La Albirroja​ have ever gone in the competition, and to the final of the Copa America 2011.

In the four years prior to his stint in the ​Guaraní​ dugout, Martino enjoyed tremendous success with Libertad and Cerro Porteno, winning a string of league titles and also excelling in the Libertadores, guiding Libertad to the semi-finals of the competition in 2006.

For his part, the new ​Blancos​ coach has a very distinguished coaching record in European football. As well as landing league championships with AC Milan in Italy, Chelsea in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France, he has presided over two UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup wins and one FIFA Club World Cup triumph, as well as winning a host of other trophies.

As regards their new careers in Spain, the Argentinian has gained an early advantage, having lifted the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the season.

​Their playing positions​
The midfield engine room is the foundation of their coaching philosophies, which comes as no surprise when you consider that both manned positions in the centre of the pitch during their playing days.

Idolised by the Messi family, Martino was an exquisitely talented creative midfielder, spending the majority of his career and winning all his league titles with Newell’s, where he even had a jaunty song dedicated to him: “Boca no te vayas/ Boca vení/ quedate a ver al Tata/ parece Platiní” (“Boca don’t go. Boca come back. Stay and watch ​El Tata​. He’s like Platini”). Such was his stature at the Rosario club that a stand at their home ground is named after him.

During his playing days Ancelotti won four Coppas Italia, three ​scudetti​ and two European Cups, Intercontinental Cups and European Super Cups. Arrigo Sacchi, his boss at Milan, described him as “a coach on the pitch” and said that although his movements might seem slow, he was always a quick thinker.

Ancelotti played a part in one of the greatest eras in the club’s history, sharing the dressing room with the likes of Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. ​El Tata​ was a team-mate of Diego Maradona’s in the twilight of ​El Diez’s​ career, though their association did not prove as fruitful as it might have been.

​Their mentors​
Martino is a disciple of Marcelo Bielsa, his coach at Newell’s in the early 1990s, although Bielsa has played down his influence. “I learned from him, watching him play football while fulfilling his roles as the leader and captain of the team at the same time,” Bielsa once said of him.

As a coach Martino has shown himself to be nothing if not pragmatic, adopting a professional approach to his craft, doing his homework on opponents, and asking his teams to press high up the pitch while keeping the ball on the ground and far away from their own goal. That said, he has always adapted his approach to the playing resources available to him.

His opposite number Ancelotti has spoken on many occasions of the influence of Swedish coach Nils Liedholm, under whom he played at Roma, and his philosophy of coaching. However, that influence perhaps extends more to the Italian’s approach to the job and his dealings with players than in fundamental aspects and systems.

“He was the perfect coach. He was an inspiration and not once did I hear him shout at a player,” said Ancelotti, who has become known above all for his tact and diplomacy and ability to handle squads packed with star players.

​Their philosophy​
​Gerardo Martino:​ “My view is that we don’t need to change our style. Someone made a comparison and found that ​Barça​ had 66 percent possession in the league last season, whereas now it’s 65.8 percent. Can you really call 0.2 a change in style? When you look at the players it was obvious there was a certain style of play, but there was also a need to find alternatives, ones that are also in ​Barça’s​ DNA. Koeman used to hit long cross balls at Stoichkov, for example. There are always topics for debate here.”

​Carlo Ancelotti​: “We don’t need 30 passes to find the solution. You need to be clever enough to find it sooner. Three passes are all you need. I can’t work against the quality of my players. If we can find the solution in three passes instead of 30, then that’s what we do. We’ve changed lots of things. With possession, we need more time to think. We have to play a more effective game. But I can assure you the team will play well, and very soon too.”
http://touch.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=2205556.html

m.naij.com/news/50016.html

Lecturers of Benue State University
(BSU) on Friday expressed their
discontent with the non-payment of their
September salary. At the same time, they remain
adamant over their demands which led to their
current strike.

Talking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi,
the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) in BSU, Dr Samuel Ikoni, said the non-payment
of the September was worrisome and caused some
hardship to the lecturers.
"It is unclear if the non-payment of our salary is
connected to the no-work-no-pay threat issued by Gov
Gabriel Suswam some weeks ago," he said.
Suswam had ordered the lecturers to return to work or
forfeit their salary. But the lecturers, did not follow the
order, insisting that their continued participation in the
strike was for the benefit of the BSU.
Ikoni, however, noted that the non-payment of salary was
not peculiar to ASUU members alone, as members of the
non-academic staff union were yet to receive their salary
too.
He stressed that the lecturers' salary payment schedule,
which was taken to the bank, did not have "a cash
backing'' to enable payment.
It will be reminded, that ASUU has embarled upon an
indefinite strike since June 30, 2013. The lecturers protest
against the FG's failure to honour a 2009 agreement
signed between it and ASUU in 2009 pertaining to issues
of university funding and improvement of infrastructure
in the sector.

Thank God they both survived

See big men

Sagamite: You are a person.

So because some black players have faced racism so Keshi is justified to be racist?

What a dumbfuck!

And I suggest you go back to school to learn how to structure and string together sentences.

you are a kid.

Sagamite: For those saying Keshi got away with it, lets see if he has hope of getting a job in Europe now even if he shows he is good.

His best destination would have been Belgium in the first place, lets say by miracle he got Nigeria to the SF of the WC.

If there is any hint he is about to be considered, the press would be on the club like hawks asking them whether "since he is not European should he be coaching in Europe?", "Is he racist?".

Don't even rule out some press questions, if he is sacked in Nigeria and appointed by another African country, "since you are not X-can/Y-ian/Z-i, don't you think you should go back to Nigeria?".

He just put a K-leg in his career that potentially locks him in Nigeria.

i've been trying to understand you...and if u've been like....person. Pls, saintfield is a white dude or does he look black. It was insultive. You are wrong, what happens to black players is always monkey chant or banana being thrown at them. If u av read a statement like keshi's own, directed to a black person...Pls post it because i stand to b corrected...and not abusing pple for being biased.

thanks 4 info but it means nothing. 20th to comment.

mere ascertion, trying 2 cook up a story dats nt true. why would gej go against pdp.

[quote author=takeprofit]i smell hypocrisy. why judge the mafians if u cant judge the gays. maybe he is afraid of the gays. if we want to be fair, we should delete the word sin from the bible and scrap the ministry of justice. "who r we to judge another man?"[/quote how did he judge d mafians? or u don't know d meaning of judge

old picture

emiye: O lies a Metuh resigns? Is he tired of lying for the PDP government ?

pls, tell me one lie he has told.

awka complied

This is a big lie, Ngige didn't say this. I was there. Punch
forge this

I knw dat rivers pple dont kill lyk dis...i'm no longer suprise abt d killing as it was a muslim community (mornach alhaji hassan). Bt hw come do we have muslims in rivers

Do they still have d medals...why wud they even keep it we they need money?

Why would a grown up man stil have d guts 2 say islam is peace...when they like sucking human blood evrywhere they are?

Why wud a 11 year old girl av the heart 2 kill dad

So therefore

2baba u do old oh!

Pete edochie and joke silva

What a topic Why shouldn't u kneel...or dont u go to church?

Mtschew. All lies