Equatorial Guinea Step Up To Host AFCON 2015
Equatorial Guinea, one of Africa’s smallest countries, is to
host the 2015 African Nations Cup finals, the Confederation of African Football
said last Friday. The oil-rich Spanish-speaking nation hosted the
2012 finals with neighbours Gabon, but will take on the 16-team tournament on
their own from January 17 – February 8, despite the fact they have only two
major stadiums in the capital Malabo and Bata. Previous hosts Morocco wanted
the tournament postponed over fears of a spread of the Ebola virus, but CAF
refused and last Tuesday stripped the north African country of the right to
host the event. It appears the new hosts will now be allowed to play in the
tournament despite being disqualified from the preliminaries for fielding an
illegible player. CAF said the decision on the new hosts was made after a
meeting in Malabo between Equatorial Guinea’s president Teodoro Obiang and CAF
president Issa Hayatou. “The head of state of Equatorial Guinea agreed to host
the competition. As a result, the CAF executive committee confirm that the
tournament will go ahead and Equatorial Guinea will compete as the host
nation,” a statement from African soccer’s governing body said. The draw for
the finals will be in Malabo on December 3. Matches will be held at four venues
in Bata, Ebebiyin, Mongomo and the capital Malabo. In 2012, the tournament was
hosted at Malabo and Bata. “CAF wishes to express its sincere thanks to the
Equatorial Guinean people, its government and particularly president Obiang,”
the statement concluded.
Former Brazil striker
Romario believes compatriot Neymar has what it takes to make a greater impact
on world football than Argentine star Lionel Messi. Neymar, 22, has been
donning the national team’s captain’s armband of late, and has been in
sensational form for the Selecao, scoring six goals in their last two
encounters. And legendary striker Romario, who played for Brazil for an
impressive 18 years from 1987 to 2005, believes the Barcelona superstar is
destined to over-take his club teammate. “He [Neymar] has everything to be
bigger than Messi,” the 48-year-old told Revista Trip. Messi is already a
part of history but Neymar can make an even bigger impact. Messi may not have another
World Cup in which to compete and win, but Neymar has three or four more to
contest.” Neymar is fast-approaching Romario’s tally of 55 goals for the
Selecao, with the youngster having already notched up 42 goals for the senior
national side in his 59 appearances. Romario has already conceded defeat to his
successor, yet still believes he is the greater player. In relation to goals
with the national team, he will go beyond me,” the retired forward said.
“But Romario is unsurpassable! He will only get more goals. He may reach
1,000 goals but nobody will ever be like Romario!”
Bayern Munich
goalkeeper Manual Neuer has taken a slight dig at Ballon d’Or rival Cristiano
Ronaldo, saying he does his talking on the pitch and not in underwear. The
two are among the shortlist for the top individual honour, with Neuer, a World
Cup winner with Germany, in with a big chance given his heroics for club and
country. However, Real Madrid star Ronaldo is still seen as the favourite, and
Neuer believes that is because very little attention is paid to goalkeepers. “I
am an athlete, no ambassador of a brand, besides being the first goalkeeper of
Adidas,” he told Kicker. “I’m not the sort of person who poses in their
underwear. I hate the red carpet, I prefer the green grass. I feel better on
the pitch, trying to improve myself. After the games the highlights show mostly
the goals, scoring chances, assists. The spectator tends not to remember that
as a goalkeeper I make difficult saves at great risk and start moves with my
efforts.”
Men’s shortlist for the Fifa Ballon d’Or 2014 (in
alphabetical order):
Gareth Bale (Wales), Karim Benzema (France), Diego Costa
(Spain), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Angel Di
Maria (Argentina), Mario Goetze (Germany), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan
Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Toni Kroos (Germany), Philipp
Lahm (Germany), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas
Mueller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Paul Pogba (France),
Sergio Ramos (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), James Rodriguez (Colombia),
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
Luka Modric will not
play again this year after picking up an abductor injury on international duty.
The Real Madrid midfielder played just 28 minutes of Croatia’s 1-1 Euro
2016 qualifying draw with Italy, and is said to be out for up to five weeks.
“Modric felt pain in his adductor and will undergo tests in Madrid to
determine the extent of the knock. We will know more on Monday or Tuesday,”
Croatia coach Niko Kovac said. The
29-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur man has been one of the star performers
for Real Madrid this season, making 17 appearances in all competitions and
scoring one goal and setting up three more.
Former Manchester
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is heading up a panel looking into the
possibility of introducing ‘sin-bins’ in football. Ferguson is currently in
charge of a UEFA panel of elite coaches, with one of the agendas being a
sin-bin similar to what they have in rugby, where a player spends a certain
amount of time on the sidelines. “I chair a forum of elite coaches that meet
every year and I’m a member of the technical study group of the Champions
League and the European Championship so I’m still involved in football at the
highest level,” the Scot said. “Right now we’re looking at the possibility
of introducing sin-bins like they have in rugby – a 10-minute suspension during
the match – but we want to be careful that somehow it isn’t exploited if it’s
introduced.”
Barcelona midfielder
Xavi Hernandez believes club teammate Lionel Messi would find the back of the
net even more if he played in England. The Argentine wizard is in his tenth
season with the Catalan senior side, having made his debut in 2004, and has
amassed 250 goals in 288 La Liga appearances over the last decade. Yet veteran
teammate Xavi believes the goal-scoring machine would be even better if he
plied his trade in the English Premier League. “I think he’d be even
better in the Premier League because it is not so defensive,” the
34-year-old told BBC Sport. “When defending against Barcelona, they
[English clubs] play on a 1 v 1 basis, defending with passion, a lot of energy.
But Leo would find more spaces than in La Liga.” The Spanish midfielder,
who has been at the Camp Nou for his entire career, then gave his backing to
current Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal, who gave him his debut as
Barcelona coach in 1998. “I think that Louis van Gaal is an extraordinary
coach,” Xavi said. “He works very well in the tactical and technical
side of the game. He is very capable of succeeding with a great challenge. I
think Manchester United should be patient with him so he can achieve the goal
with his system and be able to transmit his coaching values.”
Gareth Bale’s agent
claims his client is a better player than Neymar and is on his way to winning
the Ballon d’Or one day. The former Tottenham Hotspur star is now playing
amongst a host of world-class players at Real Madrid after turning down
Manchester United and Barcelona at the start of last season. His agent,
Jonathan Barnett, now tells Spanish daily AS that Madrid’s directors laughed
when he told them Bale can become the best player in the world. “I’m sure
he is going to be the best player in the world. He will win the Ballon d’Or.
He’s 25. I told the president [of Real Madrid] and [marketing director] Jose
Angel Sanchez and they laughed. They are not laughing so much now,”
Barnett said. “I said that Bale was a better player than Neymar and has
more of an impact. In Wales there are far fewer people than in Brazil,
unfortunately. But in the world I think Gareth is better known and
important.” Barnett also revealed that United offered Bale more money than
Madrid, and continued: “He always wanted to play for Madrid. He could have
gone to United and other clubs, but he wanted to go to Madrid. I know that at
one time Barcelona were also interested in him, but he said he did not want to
go there.”
A new survey has
revealed that the average Barclays Premier League player earns £43 000 (R743
900) a week – the highest in the game. This means the salary average in the
most popular league in the world is £172 000 (R2.9-million) a month, or
£2.3-million (R27.6-million) a year. England is the highest earning league in
the world followed by the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga
and French Ligue 1. The Daily Mail report reads: “Players in Germany’s top
division earn £1.46m a year on average, or £28 011 a week, with players in
Italy’s Serie A next best remunerated on £1.3m a year [£25 263 a week],
followed by those in Spain’s La Liga on £1.2m a year [£23 327 a week]. France’s
Ligue 1 follows La Liga, with players averaging £988 000 a year, then the
Russian Premier League is next on £902 000 before a drop to the only other
league where players earn more than £500 000 a year – Brazil’s top division,
where average yearly pay is £583 000.” Last in the table is the Nigerian
Premier League, where players can expect to earn just £130 (R2 250) a week, or
£520 (R9 000) a month.
Ex-Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has been appointed
as the new boss at his former club Inter Milan in place of Walter Mazzarri. Mancini
has been out of a job since leaving Turkish-side Galatasaray in June after just
one season at the helm, and has now returned to Inter for a second spell. Inter
announced the sacking of Walter Mazzarri after the the former Italian
footballer’s 17-month stint at the club, leaving them at ninth spot on the
Serie A table after 11 matches this season. The appointment of Mancini is
backed by his recent achievements with Premier League club Manchester City, who
he led to league success in 2012 for the first time in their history, said
Inter president Erick Thohir.
France and Real
Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has called former Brazil striker Ronaldo
“probably the best player I ever played with”. Ronaldo’s name is
being overtaken by Cristiano these days, but those who saw him play will agree
that he was the best striker, maybe player, of his generation. A series of
serious knee injuries hampered him throughout his career, but Ronaldo’s legacy
lives on. Zidane played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid between 2002 and 2006
during the ‘Galacticos’ era when the club assembled some of the biggest names
in the game in one team. “I’ve always seen Ronaldo as the best because I
played and trained with him,” Zidane told Goal.com. “He’s probably
the best player I ever played with. He did what he wanted with the ball and
didn’t have any weaknesses. When he decided to express himself with the ball,
he did whatever he wanted. Technically, no player has impressed me more than
Ronaldo. On a good day, it was impossible to stop him.” Ronaldo – who was
the all-time leading scorer in World Cups until Miroslav Klose (16) broke his
record at the 2014 World Cup – won two Ballons d’Or during his playing career. “There
was no system or tactics that could stop him,” Zidane explained. “It’s
like that with a few players and he was one of them – he was fast and skilled. When
Ronaldo had the ball, he ran at 2 000 miles per hour. In most cases, you’re
fast without the ball. He was fast with it.”
New Real Sociedad
coach David Moyes believes he has similar attributes to Chelsea coach Jose
Mourinho as he begins his first managerial stint in Spain. Moyes was
announced as the new Sociedad boss this week after replacing Jagoba Arrasate at
the helm of the La Liga outfit, who currently lie 15th in the Spanish
standings. At his presentation at his
new club in Spain, Moyes was asked whether his coaching style was more like
current Bayern coach Pep Guardiola or former Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, to
which the Scot replied: “Probably more like Mourinho. I’m tough with the
players and I like to work hard. I want to enjoy the challenge of getting
towards the top of La Liga. I joined a club similar to Real Sociedad in Everton
around 12 years ago and I left them challenging near the top. I hope to do the
same here.” The former Manchester United boss, who lasted just 10 month in
charge at Old Trafford, said he is looking forward to the challenge of coaching
abroad for the first time, saying he is relishing the opportunity of managing
in “the best league in the world”. Moyes’
first game in charge will be against 17th-placed Deportivo La Coruna on
Saturday, 22 November.
Chelsea have recorded
their biggest profit since Roman Abramovich bought the club 11 years ago. The
Blues, comfortably leading the English Premier League standings, made a profit
of £18.4-million – their second profit in three years. The club also generated
a record turnover of £319.8-million for the year ending 30 June, 2014. “The
£18.4-million profit follows the £1.4-million generated two years ago with
strong revenue increases during the 12-month period contributing to the
figures,” a club statement read. The turnover figure demonstrates that business
growth continues in seasons without trophy success as well as in years when
silverware is won. The new FAPL broadcasting deal contributed significantly as
did commercial income. There was a small rise in match-day income but with
Stamford Bridge filled to capacity year after year there was no scope for
significant financial growth in this area. The latest financial results
combined with those from the previous two years mean that for the second
monitoring period for FFP we will fall comfortably within the limits set by
UEFA.”
Manchester United are in the midst of an injury crisis, with
10 first-team players currently unavailable.The international break
has been particularly unkind to Louis van Gaal, with Michael Carrick, David De
Gea and Daley Blind joining the wounded within the United squad. It’s not complete doom and gloom, as five of
the 10 players injured could return in time to face Arsene Wenger’s side at the
Emirates on Saturday, but even in a best-case scenario and those players do come
back, they are not going to be at full fitness. The 10 players are… David De
Gea, Rafael da Silva, Jonny Evans, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Jesse Lingard,
Michael Carrick, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Radamel Falcao.
Arsenal’s big-money
signing Mesut Ozil has revealed that he still has seven weeks on the sidelines
before he can return from injury. The Germany international has been in
rehabilitation for a partial ligament tear on his knee and has already been
missing for more than a month. Ozil, who has come under criticism from many
quarters for not living up to his £45.5-million transfer fee, is enduring his
second lengthy injury absence since joining the Gunners at the start of the
2013/14 season. “I have already been out for five weeks and will be out for
another seven weeks,” Ozil said at a Laureus event in Germany. That is a really
long time but that is the way it is in football sometimes. My head is held high
and we look forward.” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, under pressure after his
side’s inconsistent start to the season, is also missing key French duo Olivier
Giroud and Mathieu Debuchy with long-term injuries. Meanwhile, Ozil has reached
an out-of-court settlement with his father and former manager Mustapha after he
claimed for lost earnings of £494 000 following his dismissal. Ozil replaced his father with his brother
Mutlu as chief executive officer of his marketing company, an off-field issue
that has caused the player much stress for the past few months.
World football
governing body Fifa have cleared Russia and Qatar from any wrong-doing in their
bid to host the next two World Cups, while slating England for their
misdemeanours in the bidding process. An independent committee was set-up
to investigate the bids of all nine countries attempting to host the 2018 and
2022 events amid allegations of corruption. German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert,
the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s independent ethics
committee, released a 42-page report clearing both host countries of any wrong
doing. However, England have been heavily criticised for their misdemeanours in
a bid to host the 2018 tournament after “damaging the integrity of the ongoing
bidding process”, according to the document. It is believed that England’s bid
to secure the votes of Fifa’s executives were controlled by ex-vice-president
Jack Warner who violated bidding rules, having secured a job for a family
friend while “showering” the England 2018 bid team with
“inappropriate requests” which were “often accommodated”,
thus violating bidding rules.
The Russian Football
Union has admitted they cannot afford to pay national head coach Fabio Capello.
The experienced tactician, who has been at the helm for the past two years,
has not received his salary since June as the national football governing body
simply cannot afford his £6.8million (R121 million) annual salary. “I can
declare that the money to pay Capello is not there,” Sergei Stepashin, a member
of the RFU’s executive committee, said. “Clearly it’s wrong to fail to pay the
salary of your national team’s coach, but when they signed the contract they
should really have thought about how to fund it. Today we’re still looking for
a source of funding.” Other members of the Russian technical team have also not
received their pay, leading two members of the coaching staff – Christian
Panucci and Massimo Neri – to refuse to travel with the side for their upcoming
Euro 2016 qualifier in Austria. Russian politician Oleg Pakholkov took a dig at
the former England, Real Madrid, Milan and Juventus coach, saying the Italian manager
had only taken the job for the money. “I think Capello knew very well he would
achieve nothing with our team, but he simply decided it was a good way to make
money, he wanted to hoover up bundles of cash for his retirement,” he claimed. Capello’s
contract with the Russians runs out in 2018, when Russia are set to host the
next World Cup.