Ramos: I hope Ronaldo isn't at his best

Mercy Lank

Sergio Ramos hopes the "dangerous" Cristiano Ronaldo is below his best when Spain face Portugal at the World Cup. The Real Madrid team-mates will do battle in a blockbuster Group B clash in Sochi on Friday. Ramos said he preferred to be playing alongside Ronaldo rather than against the star forward, but he is simply hoping the 33-year-old is not at his best at the Fisht Olympic Stadium.

"I'd rather have him on my team than against me. We know how dangerous he can be," the Spain captain told a news conference. "He ended the season in outstanding shape. He's a constant threat. "Not only Ronaldo but the Portugal squad are very talented. There are many players who can hurt you quickly, a lot of skill and safe in their defensive formation. "We will see a match for all sports lovers. It will be beautiful. I hope Cristiano doesn't play his best match." Spain go into the opener after a tumultuous week during which head coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked and replaced by Fernando Hierro.

Read More

Transfer Talk:Chelsea have rejected shock €20m offer from Arsenal for David Luiz

Mercy Lank

Pushed to one side by Antonio Conte last season, David Luiz barely featured for Chelsea last season, making just 17 appearances in all competitions. The likes of César Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill were all preferred in his stead, and the Brazilian’s future appears to be away from Stamford Bridge. Over in France, Le10 Sport report as an exclusive that Arsenal are interested in saving him from his Blues nightmare, and have gone as far as making a €20m bid for the 31-year-old. However, despite Luiz’s situation, Chelsea decided to turn down the Gunners’ offer. as things stand, Arsenal are said to be ‘undecided’ whether to come back with an improved bid, but Le10 say that ‘shouldn’t be excluded’.

It’s worth remembering that David Luiz did feature four times under Unai Emery at Paris Saint-Germain before the Ligue 1 side decided to cash in on the Brazilian when Chelsea came knocking. Considering he seemed inclined to use him prior to the sale, there’s a good chance the Spaniard didn’t have a say in the matter, and he may now be trying to sort out a reunion with the former Benfica starlet.

Read More

Court sacks Nigerian senator

Mercy Lank

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the immediate sack of a senator, Atai Aidoko, as the member representing Kogi East. The court presided over by judge, Gabriel Kolawole, ruled that Mr Aidoko was wrongly presented as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the December 2014 Primaries conducted by the PDP. Following the presentation of Mr Aidoko as the party’s flag bearer, Mr Aidoko’s challenger, Isaac Alfa, began a legal battle for the nullification of Mr Aidoko’s election. An appeal court had ordered parties to return to the trial court to allow it determine the rightful owner of the suit, thus rendering the seat vacant.
However, Mr Aidoko refused vacating the office and has appeared repeatedly at Senate plenaries since then. On Wednesday, the court ordered the PDP and Mr Aidoko to pay Mr Alfa N750,000 each.

Read More

Herdsmen killings: Buhari’s Minister, Dan Ali ‘is an illiterate,’ he must resign – Benue elder, Ujege

Mercy Lank

President General of Mdzough U Tiv, Edward Ujege has rubbished the call by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali that states should suspend the anti-open grazing law, following the continued crisis between herdsmen and farmers across the country. Dan-Ali had explained that the enactment of the law was responsible for the continued crisis between herdsmen and farmers across the country. Some states of the Federation enacted the Anti-Open Grazing Law as a panacea to the persistent crisis between herdsmen and farmers. States that have so far enacted the Anti-Open Grazing Law include, Benue, Abia and Nasarawa states, despite calls for its suspension. Following the enactment of the law, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Associations have vowed to opposedthe law since there was no alternative yet for cattle rearers. However, speaking with DAILY POST, President General of Mdzough U Tiv, Edward Ujege described Ali-Mansur as an ‘Illiterate” who is not fit to occupy the position of a Minister. According to Ujege, “That man is an Illiterate who is not qualified to be a Minister. He doesn’t know how to respond to issues. He is not current with what is happening in the country. Out of the 36 states in the country, three-quarter is being ravaged by herdsmen, do those other people have the laws enacted in their state? For instance in Plateau, Nassarawa, Kaduna, Zamfara, Ondo and Enugu states where there are killings, do they have the law? That is why I said the man is an illiterate and not current with what is going on. “If he is current with the constitution, he will understand that it empowers the National Assembly and the state governments to make laws for the benefit of people that are there. Mind you, we are not in a military rule that we are living by decrees but by constitutions and laws that are being made. And he should know that by repealing a law you have to go back to the people that made it, that is the reasons why I said he is an illiterate. We are not in a military regime and he doesn’t know what is happening in the country. Mansur is not qualified to be in that position, he should resign.”

Ujege said the people of the state have turned to God as their source of defence since they have no money to buy arms. The Tiv elder statesman noted that people of the state will continue to ensure their defence until normalcy returns to the state. “We don’t have arms and don’t intend to in Benue State. I think our God is heavier than those with arms, we are telling the government now that we have a God and he will fight for us. We don’t have AK-47, we don’t have the money to buy them. Benue people don’t have any means but to depend on God. We know that we will be killed but not everybody. The few remaining and those unborn will deal with this until we find haven for ourselves,” he added.

Read More

OFFICIAL: LIVERPOOL FC HAVE CONFIRMED THE LAUNCHING OF NEW AWAY KIT FOR 2018-19 SEASON

Mercy Lank

The new away kit being released for next season is a Deep Violet shade, which is a complete change-up to the away kit released for the 2017-18 season, which was white, green and black. The purple shade was last seen in the 2012-13 season in Liverpool’s third kit. The Alpha Orange branding highlights the detail throughout the kit.

The away goalkeeper kit is quite basic with it being a Vivid Cactus and Black allowing the individual between the sticks to standout. Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk said: “As a player the most important thing is how the shirt feels and performs. This kit gives us confidence to play to the best of our ability away from home. We have the best travelling support in football and I’m excited to run out in front of our fans wearing this strip.” Liverpool’s away goalkeeper kit in the 2017-18 season was black, so again, this has been another massive change from New Balance. General Manager of New Balance Football, Kenny McCallum said: “The new 2018/19 New Balance LFC away kit is designed to perform at the highest level, while giving the fans something fresh and new to show their support for the team. It’s a standout design that we look forward to seeing it on the pitch and in the stands next season.”

Read More

FIFA WORLD CUP :EGYPT STAR SALAH TAKES PART IN FIRST GROUP TRAINING

Mercy Lank

Liverpool and Egypt star striker Mohamed Salah, who sustained a shoulder injury in late May, has trained with the rest of the national team for the first time since their arrival in Russia ahead of the FIFA World Cup, French media reported on Wednesday. According to the French daily L'Equipe, it is yet unknown whether Salah will play in Egypt's first game at the tournament against Uruguay, which will take place in Yekaterinburg on Friday.

"We'll wait until the last moment to decide whether he'll be in the line-up or not," national team doctor Mohamed Abou al-Ela was quoted as saying by L'Equipe. The Liverpool star damaged ligaments in his shoulder during the first half of their 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 26 following a challenge by Real captain Sergio Ramos. The World Cup is set to take place from June 14 to July 15 at 12 stadiums in 11 Russian cities. Egypt's other two opponents in Group A will be hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Read More

Transfer Talk:Arsenal in talks to sign £22m midfielder – report

Mercy Lank

Arsenal are in talks to sign Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira this summer, according to reports in the British media. The Daily Mail is reporting that the Gunners are keen on a deal to bring the 22-year-old midfielder to The Emirates as Unai Emery looks to bolster his squad ahead of next season.

The same article claims that the Uruguayan has emerged as a “preferred” transfer target for Emery as he looks to bolster his midfield options this summer. The article says that Torreira has a buyout clause of around £22m in his contract with Sampdoria, but Arsenal could have to pay the fee in instalments given their tight transfer budget this summer. The same story says that Arsenal have agreed a fee of around £16m with Borussia Dortmund to sign defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, which is expected to be confirmed next month. Arsenal are on the lookout for a number of new signings this summer as Emery looks to build a squad capable of breaking back into the top four next season. The north London side finished sixth in the table and without a trophy last season in Arsene Wenger’s final campaign in charge before his decision to step down.

Read More