Rio Olympics: Go for the gold! President Buhari hails victorious Nigerian soccer team

President Buhari on Saturday praised the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian soccer team to the 2016 Olympics Game. Nigeria beats Denmark 2.0 to secure a place in the semi-finals

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesin, said a cheering President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday night praised the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian soccer team to the Olympics Games, which saw them flying over Denmark 2-0 to qualify for the semi-finals.

"Again and again, the unconquerable Nigerian spirit has come to the fore, showing that where there is a will, there's always a way. This was a team that was not given much chance, but which has now advanced into the semi-finals. Go for it. Go for the gold, and let the Nigerian banner be held proudly aloft once again on the global stage. We are almost there. Let's go."

President Buhari urged the Nigerian nation to pray and support the Nigerian contingent to the Olympics, especially the soccer team, so that the rest of the world will know that even in the face of economic

Mikel commends fans, pleads for sustained support

John Mikel Obi, Captain of National-U23 team, also called the Dream Team, has thanked fans for their support in spite of difficulties that had dogged the team.
Simply known as `Mikel’ by his followers in the English club, Chelsea, the mercurial player said he appreciated their support through the preparatory stages until the ongoing 2016 Olympic soccer event.
I would like to say massive, massive thanks to the fans. Not just today (on Aug. 13), I think from the first day that we got here, from when we played Japan in our first game, the Brazilian fans have been behind us and supported us all the time.

Even when we lost 0-2 to Colombia in the group stage, the fans supported us. It is one of the greatest feelings in football if you are giving the fans what they want and I am very happy for the team today (Saturday). My performance was good; the team’s performance was good. We came out and did exactly what the coach asked us to do and executed the game plan perfectly. We are very happy to be in the semi-final,” he said.
Mikel, who doubles as Team Nigeria captain adds: “I am not surprised. When we were in Atlanta, we knew

Football: Men’s Olympic Games results

Collated results from the group stages of the men’s football tournament at the 2016 Olympic Games on Thursday:

Group A

Iraq 0 Denmark 0

Brazil 0 South Africa 0

Group B

Sweden 2 (Ishak 43, Ajdarevic 62) Colombia 2 (Gutierrez 17, Pabon 75-pen)

Nigeria 5 (Umar 6, Etebo 11, 42, 51, 66-pen) Japan 4 (Koroki 9-pen, Minamino 13, Asano 70, Suzuki 90+5)

Group C

Mexico 2 (Peralta 52, Pizarro 62) Germany 2 (Gnabry 58, Ginter 78)

Fiji 0 South Korea 8 (Ryu 32, 63, 90+3, Changhoon 62, 63, Son 72-pen, Suk 77, 90)

Group D

City get Steaua Bucharest in Champions League playoff

Manchester City were on Friday drawn against Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League play-off round to be played over two legs in August.
The draws were made at UEFA’s Nyon headquarters.
Pep Guardiola’s side will start with a trip away to Romania on the 16 or 17 August before hosting the 1985-86 European Cup winners in Manchester on the 23 or 24 August.
Guardiola is hoping to better last season’s run to the semi-finals of the competition under Manuel Pellegrini.

Italian side Roma will try to grab a place at this year’s European prestigious competition ahead of FC Porto of Portugal while Netherland’s Ajax face Russia-based FC Rostov.

The Full Draw
Steaua Bucharest (ROM) – Manchester City (ENG)
FC Porto (POR) – Roma (ITA)
Ajax (NED) – FC Rostov (RUS)
Young Boys Berne (SUI) – Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER)

The England captain may be into his thirties but he is confident he can still rival some of his younger team-mates when it comes to pace while also revealing who would come last.
Wayne Rooney believes he is still one of the fastest players at Manchester United and has revealed who the quickest and slowest stars are at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old is currently in China with the Red Devils with Jose Mourinho’s men set to face Manchester City in a pre-season friendly in Beijing on Monday.
Ahead of the game Rooney indulged in a Facebook Q&A session with Ashley Young where he was asked who his fastest team-mate was.

Toure makes Celtic switch for Rodgers reunion

Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure will be reunited with former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers after joining Scottish champions Celtic on Sunday.
Toure agreed a one-year contract to become Rodgers’ latest signing since he took charge at Celtic earlier in the close-season.
Rodgers also signed Toure for Liverpool in 2013, following the centre-back’s previous spells at Manchester City and Arsenal.

Toure, 35, will thrive in the Scottish Premiership and be a big asset to Celtic, according to Rodgers. “I brought Kolo into Liverpool to add that bit of experience and help to the centre-halves there at the time,” Rodgers told Celtic’s website.

Guardiola to shake on renewed Mourinho rivalry

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola speaks as Fernandinho listens during a press conference after a training session a day before the 2016 International Champions Cup football match between Manchester City and Manchester United, in Beijing on July 24, 2016.

Pep Guardiola pushed aside any suggestion he would not shake hands with arch-rival Jose Mourinho and insisted all would be friendly when Manchester City play Manchester United on Monday.
“We are polite guys, why not?” Guardiola said Sunday when asked if the pair would extend hands, despite an acrimonious rivalry which stretches back to 2010 when the Catalan had stewardship of Barcelona and Mourinho took the reins at Real Madrid.
“Why should we not shake hands? No reason why. He will want to win and so will I, that’s all,” the City boss told a news conference after training at Beijing’s Olympic Sports Centre ahead of the International Champions Cup pre-season tour match.

Pogba’s agent says no United deal yet

Paul Pogba’s potential world record transfer to Manchester United isn’t finalised yet, the Juventus midfielder’s agent said on Thursday.
United have reportedly had an $86 million offer ($113 million, 102 million euros) turned down by the Italian champions as they try to lure France international Pogba back to Old Trafford four years after allowing him to leave on a free transfer.
Jose Mourinho’s side are expected to return with an improved bid that approaches Juventus’s £100 million asking price after United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward met Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola to thrash out personal terms this week.

But Raiola took to Twitter on Thursday to insist the deal was not concluded yet.

Italian mayor says sorry for Keita racism

Keita Balde has been offered apologies by the mayor of Padova after the Lazio striker fell victim to racist monkey chants during a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
Keita, a Senegalese born in Spain, is one of several black players in Italy’s Serie A to have faced racist abuse in the past.
On Wednesday, there were echoes of the incident that saw Kevin Prince-Boateng lead his AC Milan teammates off the pitch during a January 2013 friendly away to lower league Pro Patria when Keita fell victim to abuse from a small selection of the Padova crowd.

That particular incident was reportedly the reason behind Boateng’s decision to quit Serie A for Schalke 04 in the summer of 2013, before he returned to the club last year after the Bundesliga move failed to work out.

Keita Balde

Keita, however, was having a great performance for Simone Inzaghi’s men and stayed on the pitch to see the

Swansea sign Aussie ‘keeper

Australian international goalkeeper Mark Birighitti signed for Premier League side Swansea on a free transfer on Monday to become the fourth senior stopper on the club’s books.
The 25-year-old — capped once — signed a two-year contract with the “Swans” after leaving A-League outfit Newcastle Jets.
He faces a battle with three others for the number one spot — Polish international Lukasz Fabianski, Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Gerhard Tremmel — having played under one of Swansea manager Francesco Guidolin’s assistant coaches, Gabriele Ambrosetti, in Italy.

“I worked with Gabriele in Italy at Varese, where he was the club’s sporting director,” Birighitti told the Swansea website. “He’s a fantastic person and I’m looking forward to working closely with him again,” added Birighitti, who spent six months at the Italian club.
“Before coming here I knew there would be strong competition at the club.

Mark Birighitti

Super Eagles will continue to stumble if coaches are owed, says Eguavoen

Former Super Eagles Coach, Austin Eguavoen, believes the senior national team, will not come out of its problems unless the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) changed its attitude to its handlers.
The NFF is set to announce a new foreign coach who will guide the Super Eagles through the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers and other engagements, but Eguaveon says the move would not be effective if the NFF did not change its attitude to the technical crew’s welfare.
Speaking in Lagos, Eguaveon highlighted the problems facing national teams’ coaches, saying the inability of the NFF to live up to its obligations to the coaches is a major problem affecting the performance of the teams.

Neymar reveals retirement fear

Barcelona star Neymar has revealed he feared his career could be over after he sustained a serious back injury at the 2014 World Cup that ended his dream of being crowned world champion on home soil.
The attacker suffered the injury in Brazil's quarter-final win over Colombia following a reckless challenge from Camilo Zuniga and consequently missed the remainder of the tournament.
Neymar has not forgotten the incident and admits it was one of the worst moments of his career.
"I have had a number of difficult moments in my career, but what happened during the World Cup in Brazil is the most painful memory," the 24-year-old was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"It was my childhood dream to become world champion on home soil, but it all went wrong because of an

Griezmann did not deserve Euro 2016 award - Leboeuf

Former France international Frank Leboeuf has criticised UEFA's decision to name Antoine Griezmann player of the tournament at Euro 2016 and feels Portugal defender Pepe deserved the award more than the Atletico Madrid forward.
Griezmann made the difference for France in the knockout stages with goals in the wins over Republic of Ireland, Iceland and Germany, but was unable to find the net in the final against Portugal as the hosts were beaten in extra time.
UEFA picked the 25-year-old as the star of the tournament following his sublime performances, yet Leboeuf feels the attacker was not consistent enough to take the individual award home.
"I like Griezmann a lot, but he was not the player of the tournament. I do not agree with this choice," Leboeuf told RMC.

Lloris laments France Euro 2016 final defeat

France’s goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris waves at supporters as France’s national football team players leave their hotel on their way to the Elysee Palace in Paris on July 11, 2016, a day after Portugal beat France in the Euro 2016 final football match.
FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Attempting to digest a missed opportunity for hosts France, captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris lamented the host nation’s failures in front of goal while pointing out champions Portugal did not play “great football” following Sunday’s Euro 2016 final.
An entire nation was silenced as Portugal triumphed 1-0 after extra time thanks to Eder’s 109th-minute strike at the Stade de France in Paris.
Eder came off the bench and unleashed a shot from outside the box, which Lloris was unable to reach, thwarting France’s quest for a third European Championship.
The highly fancied French did have opportunities to win the final in normal time, with the tournament’s top goalscorer Antoine Griezmann and Moussa Sissoko going close, while Andre-Pierre Gignac hit the post in second-half stoppage time.

Super Eagles: Le Guen okayed, Yusuf loses assistant position

The PUNCH can confirm that the Nigeria Football Federation officials have settled for Frenchman Paul Le Guen as the next Super Eagles coach. The football house had made a shortlist of three coaches on Friday: Le Guen, Salisu Yusuf and Tom Saintfiet but few days after have now chosen the Frenchman who will be introduced to the public on July 18.

But while the Eagles manager is being confirmed according to expectations, the position of assistant coach has taken a new turn as the federation could seek an alternative person to work in place of Yusuf who had worked as one of the assistants to Sunday Oliseh.

Our correspondent learnt on Monday that the NFF members were already in search of a coach to work as the Nigerian assistant to Le Guen.

The official said, “As it is now the position of the deputy has been thrown open because Yusuf is still insisting that he would not work as an assistant to Le Guen. Those who worked on their entries picked the Frenchman and with the hope that Yusuf could learn a lot from him for the immediate future but he (Yusuf) appears to have some other ideas so the federation will now have to consider a new person altogether to replace Yusuf.

Griezmann in the same league as Messi and Ronaldo, claims Sagna

The Manchester City right-back believes his France team-mate should be ranked alongside the world's best players

Antoine Griezmann is in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, believes his France team-mate Bacary Sagna.
Griezmann faces Ronaldo in Sunday's Euro 2016 final as hosts France take on Portugal, with his six goals making him a near-certainty to claim the golden boot.
Sagna insists Griezmann should now be considered one of the best players in the world, noting the Atletico Madrid forward had to leave France to succeed.

"Antoine, to me, is right up there in the same league as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi," said Sagna.
"It's a kind of revenge for him after the French academies wouldn't take him.
"He made it the hard way and he deserves to be where he is."
Griezmann hit 22 La Liga goals for Atletico last season but was outscored by Ronaldo, who netted 35 times in the league for Real Madrid, while Messi was on target on 26 occasions for Barcelona.

"He's a born winner" - Santos backs Ronaldo to lead Portugal for 10 more years

The Portuguese skipper would not call time on his international career if his nation beat France in the final of Euro 2016, says the manager

Fernando Santos believes Cristiano Ronaldo could give up to a decade more of service to the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo will captain Santos' side in Sunday's Euro 2016 final against hosts France as he bids for his and his country's first major international honour.
The 31-year-old Real Madrid star, who is Portugal's all-time record appearance maker and goalscorer, could be presented with perfect moment with which to bid farewell if he hoists the Henri Delaunay Cup at the Stade de France.

But Santos insists his star player has much more to give.

Serena Williams beats Kerber in Wimbledon final to equal Graf record

Serena Williams has won so many grand slam titles in what continues to be a glorious career she has forgotten more than she can remember. But her seventh Wimbledon title, achieved on Saturday thanks to a hard‑fought 7-5, 6-3 victory against Germany’s Angelique Kerber, promises to linger for longer than most.
It was the American’s 22nd grand slam championship, putting her level with the open-era record held by the most famous German player of all, Steffi Graf. It is her ninth grand slam win since she turned 30 and, even with her 35th birthday just around the corner, Williams remains a remarkable force of nature that shows no sign of stopping.
Having gone close in each of the past three grand slams and having lost against Kerber in the Australian Open final in January, the world No1 edged a tight first set and then held on in the second to clinch an emotional victory and move within two of the all-time grand slam record of 24, held by the Australian Margaret Court.

Neymar: I'm not a criminal, I've done nothing wrong

Barcelona star Neymar has voiced dismay with his treatment in sections of the media following his involvement in a number of legal cases, insisting he is not a "criminal".
The attacker's transfer from Santos to Camp Nou in 2013 has been the subject of legal cases in Spain and Brazil, with Neymar and his father accused of tax evasion.
As part of the investigation, the federal court of Sao Paulo ordered assets belonging to the Brazil captain to the tune of just under €45 million to be frozen in February.
Barca agreed in June to pay a fine of €5.5m in order to close legal proceedings in Spain, but the case in Sao Paulo remains open.
Neymar is confident the matter will be resolved soon, though, insisting he is innocent.

Man Utd fans bombard Mata's Instagram pleading with him to stay put

Manchester United supporters have swamped Juan Mata's Instagram page, pleading with the Spaniard to remain at Old Trafford.

Reports surfacing on Sunday suggested that the former Chelsea midfielder was preparing to leave the club, with Everton linked with a move, as Jose Mourinho reportedly plans to tell the 28-year-old he is not part of his plans.