Today, the President of Liberia, George Weah bestowed the nation’s highest honor to his two former football coaches; Arsene Wenger and Claude LeRoy. They were named the Knight Grand High Commander of the Humane Order of African Redemption.
Arsene Wenger in Liberia to receive country's top honour
Ex-Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger arrived Liberia today where he’s due to get the nation’s highest honour. The Frenchman was George Weah‘s first European football coach, who brought him to Monaco in 1988.
George Weah who was elected President of Liberia months ago had always spoken of Wenger in glowing terms, because of his impact in bringing him to Europe, where he laced his boot for Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, and became Fifa World Player of the Year in 1995. He retired from football in 2003 and went into politics.
On Friday, 23rd August, 2018, Wenger will be given the title of Knight Grand Commander of the Humane Order of African Redemption in recognition, at a investiture ceremony in Monrovia for his “contribution to sports in Africa” and work in giving “many Africans opportunities”.
“I remember when I saw him the first time at Monaco, coming in a bit lost, not knowing anybody, not being rated by anybody as a player and becoming the best player in the world in 1995 and today becoming the president of his country. The life of this guy is a real film. It is unbelievable. It can make a fantastic film.” Wenger said in January.
Additional report: www.standard.co.uk
Nigeria escape FIFA ban
FIFA have confirmed that the legitimate leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) under President Amaju Melvin Pinnick has been given back effective control of the NFF and its offices and thus, they will no longer suspend Nigeria.
Recall that the governing body said if the NFF offices are not handed back to the legitimate President Amaju Pinnick on August 20, the NFF will be suspended with immediate effect for contravening articles of FIFA statutes. The Federal Government stepped into the case and wrote to FIFA on Saturday agreeing, amongst other things, to allow football to be run on FIFA Statutes and to expedite passage of NFF Bill.
Here’s a statement from FIFA.
“Following the decision of the Bureau of FIFA Council of Aug 13 concerning NFF, FIFA received confirmations that the legitimate leadership of the NFF under President Amaju Pinnick & Mohammed Sanusi has been given back effective control of NFF & its offices. In view of these circumstances, FIFA deems that the conditions set by the decision of the Bureau of the FIFA Council have now been met and consequently the suspension of NFF will not take effect. FIFA will continue to closely monitor the situation in order to ensure that FIFA’s rules and regulations are fully adhered to.”
Messi left out of UEFA's Men's Player of the Year shortlist.
Barcelona talisman, Lionel Messi has been left out of UEFA’s three-man shortlist for Men’s Player of the Year award. Nominees include Mohammed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo & Luka Modric. Mo Salah becomes the first ever Premier League player to be shortlisted for the award and also the first African player to make the shortlist.
The Egyptian international scored 44 goals in 52 games for the Reds last season as his side lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Ronaldo and his former teammate, Luka Modric helped Real Madrid to clinch their third consecutive European Cup.
In the last five seasons, Lionel Messi hasn’t finished in the top three of the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award on three occasions despite having a great year.
The winner will be announced in Monaco on Thursday 30th August.
Victor Moses' retirement: Something is not right somewhere – Segun Odegbami
Former Nigeria international, Segun Odegbami, has reacted to the Victor Moses’ retirement from international football. In an article article posted by guardian.ng, the ex Super Eagles forward opines that there is more than meets the eye. Excerpts from the article below:
“He is 27 years old. Under normal circumstances no player voluntarily retires from international football at an age that he is at his very best – experienced, mature, exposed, comfortable and at the peak of his physical fitness. So, to retire at 27 means something is not right somewhere.
This is the case of Victor Moses. It may take a psychoanalysis of his situation to understand his motivation for announcing his retirement from the national team this week. In the line of hierarchical succession Victor Moses should naturally become the Super Eagles’ next captain and the heart of a new assembly of players that shall emerge from the debris of the 2018 World Cup campaign.
So, with his premature retirement some things do not add up. For the first time since he started representing Nigeria many years ago I saw him from close up in Russia during the last World Cup.I actually shared a sentence or two with him, and took a picture with him for the first time in a relationship that did not exist between us for all the years he has represented the country.
I assumed he was either shy and reserved, or insecure for some reasons. A player with his prodigious talent and fame should not be insecure at all. His profile and achievements should naturally neutralize any insecurities, except, of course, if they are really much deeper than is assumed. The few people that have interacted more with him in the team than I have tell me he is definitely not a shy person. That, indeed, sometimes he even tended to arrogance and not timidity. That speaks volumes.
His pre-mature retirement, therefore, attracts careful scrutiny so that the country does not lose the services of a great son, a needed asset and a true football hero without understanding why. Victor Moses has always been on the quiet side, hardly speaking to the press, hardly seen in public places outside the field of play, especially in Nigeria.
Whenever he comes to Nigeria he stays away from the limelight of the media. He never stays in the country for long, breezing in at the last minute before matches and heading out with the earliest flight available. I have never read about him travelling in the country for visitations during any of his trips to play for the country. He never came for vacations. In short, his physical links to Nigeria are very slim outside of football. He never looked comfortable outside of the football field whilst here in Nigeria. He was more like a mercenary hired to come and play without any links to the country.
Probably, and understandably, that may be because he did not play domestic football in Nigeria before he became fostered in the United Kingdom. Probably, also, it might be the result of the reported traumatic circumstances under which he left Nigeria as a young orphan. But even that is shrouded.
The popular story about how his parents were killed during political riots in Kaduna and how he was ‘smuggled’ out of the country by a good Samaritan inspired the production of a movie by some foreign producers (in collaboration with me) who wanted to tell the story of Nigerian football through the experiences of a young Victor Moses and his grass-to-grace odyssey in football.
The production was halted when doubts arose about the authenticity of some of the facts. It would have been catastrophic to produce a movie based on a true-life story not in congruence with verifiable facts.
Who really is Victor Moses?
His allegiance to Nigeria was always reflected by the level of his commitment to the national team. To most analysts he was a reluctant player even when the national team offered him the best opportunity to market himself globally at a time he was dangling between teams in Europe. For some reason, Victor Moses always carefully selected his appearances for the national team. He also avoided interviews about his personal life like a plague, feeling more comfortable playing, living and identifying with his foreign clubs in Europe.
Now, fate has brought him closest to Nigeria. He is in the hierarchical line to become the next captain that a new Super Eagles assembly needs.In Russia, he did not fully deliver. Following that ‘failure’, the challenge of restoring Nigeria to its place as a great football force would again depend to some extent on the role that Moses takes on and plays going forward.
That role will place him front and centre of Nigerians and Nigerian football, that will entail identifying with home more often, and demonstrating a higher level of commitment and patriotism. Victor Moses appears on the surface not to be cut out for such of a role. I do not think also that he can do it, yet the country needs him.
Should he remain in the team and the responsibility of captain be handed to a younger player how would that impact on Victor’s psyche?I can see his psychological dilemma. He must have thought through all of this also and chosen to retire from the team and enjoy his private life in European club football.Moses loves football. He also loves to win. He seems to want to avoid the scrutiny of his life that the responsibility of leading the Super Eagles and being the team’s face and the country’s ambassador would bring.
Read the rest here
Credit: Guardian.ng
Former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has died
Former UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan has died at age 80. His wife and their three children, were by his side before he breathed his last today Saturday 18th, August, 2018 in Switzerland.
Born in Ghana in 1938, the great humanitarian and statesman who devoted his life to peace and reconciliation served as the the first Black (7th) Secretary-General of the United Nations, who served from 1997 to 2007. In 2001 he won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.He had been a member of The Elders, a group of global leaders working for human rights, since it was founded in 2007 and was named its chairman in 2013.
The announcement was made on his official twitter platform. “It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness.”
“Today we mourn the loss of a great man, a leader, and a visionary. Annan was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the United Nations in 2001 “for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world.” The UN Migration Agency also tweeted
Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Coca-Cola & NBC Sign MoU to Empower 1,000 Women
The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd and its bottling partner, Nigeria Bottling Company on Wednesday August 15th, signed a partnership agreement to empower 1,000 women in Lagos State. Through this partnership framework the selected women will receive training in financial literacy and business skills as well as start-up capital to integrate them into the Coca-Cola value chain as retailers of the Company’s beverage products.
This partnership is anchored on Coca-Cola’s 5by20 Programme which is the Company’s global commitment to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs across the its value chain by 2020.
Representing the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund at the MoU signing ceremony, the Executive Secretary LSETF, Akintunde Oyebode stated, “The LSETF’s mandate is aimed at creating an enabling environment for Lagos residents to realize their business aspirations by providing leverage & access to finance for them to thrive, while ensuring employment and innovative opportunities for all residents of the state. A partnership with an organisation such as Coca-Cola assures us that we are working in the right direction and strengthens our commitment to building entrepreneurs within the state. We understand that to empower a woman, is to empower a whole generation. We will continue to provide accessible and affordable credit to support women as they seek to start or expand their businesses; because when we do, we create wealth and employment that alleviates poverty.”
The Managing Director of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Mr Bhupendra Suri, reiterated the company’s commitment saying, “Now more than ever, we are certain of our commitment to the well-being of our communities, a critical part of which are our women. As pillars of their communities, women invest a sizable portion of the income they earn on the health and education of their children and in their local economies, creating a tremendous economic impact. Lagos State Employment Trust Fund is our partner of choice for this initiative considering our shared vision on women empowerment and its vast network across the State.”
He further stated that realizing the vision of enabling the economic empowerment of 5 million women by 2020 depends on building scalable models and powerful partnerships, across business, civil society and government, which is vital to maximizing the impact of their programs and making them more sustainable.
Mrs Sade Morgan, Legal and Public Affairs Communication Director, Nigeria Bottling company, in agreement, said, “As a part of The Coca-Cola System, we understand the importance of partnerships. Our business and its growth in Nigeria are a result of strategic partnerships with distributors, retailers and our consumers. Whenever there is a call to collaborate for sustainable impact, we ensure we are there to support it with our expertise. We will work to position each beneficiary in strategic locations that are profitable and link them up to our distribution network, so that the ripple effect of individual growth can be felt across our society.”
Coca-Cola and its bottling partner, Nigeria Bottling Company, will provide access to Coca-Cola trade assets (including coolers, tables, umbrellas and Coca-Cola beverage products); peer networks, funds for training and support beneficiaries in the set-up of retail outlets in commercially viable locations; linking them to the nearest Coca-Cola distributors. LSETF will fund the trade assets and co-fund the programme implementation while also leading the identification and recruitment of participants to the programme.
This timely and welcome public private partnership is the second one between Lagos State Government and Coca-Cola System, the first one having been launched in 2012 and has so far empowered 300 women in the State.
For more information about 5by20, please write to : [email protected]
La Liga's new deal will see clubs play in USA and Canada.
LaLiga has announced a 15-year partnership with Relevent, a multinational media, sports and entertainment group that will see clubs play regular season games in USA and Canada. The agreement states that at least one La Liga match will be played across the Atlantic, making it the first European league fixture to be played outside of the continent.
Speaking to reporters (via the Mirror), Relevent chairman Stephen Ross revealed his excitement about the deal.
“This extraordinary joint venture is the next giant leap in growing soccer’s popularity in North America. This unique relationship will create new opportunities for millions of North American soccer fans to experience the most passionate, exciting, and highest level of soccer in the world.”
The partnership will see the beginning of a new group called ‘LaLiga North America’ which aims to bring the two footballing cultures together ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2026 in North America.
La Liga official statement regarding the agreement, states that “North America has exclusive rights and obligations to represent La Liga across the U.S and Canada in all business and development activities. Called LaLiga North America, the newly founded organization will work to cultivate soccer culture in the U.S and Canada using the unequalled assets of LaLiga, the world’s best soccer league featuring internationally recognized clubs and players.
The Statement continued, “Moreover, North America will be exposed to the unparalleled Spanish soccer culture, renowned for its passion, drama, history, flair and creativity. The agreement marks an inflection point for soccer – the world’s most popular sport in numbers of participants and spectators – in the U.S and Canada. The announcement comes on the back of a successful 2018 Fifa World Cup, which featured players from every club in the Spanish first division, and in anticipation of the 2026 Fifa World Cup that will be hosted in North America.”
The dates and locations, as well as the teams involved are yet to be revealed but the Real Madrid and Barcelona is expected to be given priority. The 50-50 joint venture is a 15-year deal between La Liga and Relevent – who have been behind the International Champions Cup (ICC). The first game abroad is set take place this season.
Victor Moses releases statement on international retirement.
Nigeria/Chelsea midfielder, Victor Moses, has released a statement announcing his retirement from international duty. The 27 year-old announced the decision on his social media pages said he is focusing on club career and family. Moses, who represented England at various youth levels before joining the Super Eagles in 2012 garnered 37 caps for Nigeria.
Below is a full statement from him.
“I would like to announce that after much thought I have made the decision to retire from playing international football.
I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime. Nothing will ever compete to what it felt like to represent Nigeria on behalf of our country.
However I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on club career and my young family as well as to allow the next generation of Super Eagles stars the opportunity to step up and to flourish. We are blessed as a nation to have so many exciting young players coming through and now is their time.
There are so many highlights that stand out for me over the years; from making my debut, to playing in two World Cups and being a part of the team to win the African Nations Cup for first time for our nation since 1994 being just a few of them.
I have already spoken to the manager by telephone and would like to say thank you to him and his staff, the NFF and all of my teammates for all of their support over the years. Most importantly I would like to say thank you to the Nigerian people for believing in me and supporting me over the years. It’s meant the world to me and my family and I will always be a proud Nigerian supporting the team.
Thank you for the memories and good luck to the team for the future 🇳🇬”
Nigeria, Ghana get FIFA warning
FIFA on Tuesday threatened to suspend the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) with for contravening articles of FIFA statutes. The world football’s governing body have given the NFF deadline of Monday, August 20, to hand back NFF offices to Amaju Pinnick led executive committee or face immediate expulsion from all its activities. A FIFA statement warned.
It all started in July when the government’s sports ministry directed the NFF to comply with a court order to overturn Pinnick’s election and recognise Chris Giwa as its head; a move that was not endorsed by FIFA and threatened suspension unless it was re-run.
Pinnick won the re-run, and his fierce rival, Giwa launched court action over the result.
Fifa said the ban would only be lifted once Pinnick has confirmed the NFF is back under his effective control.
Ghana also received the warning. Their problem started from a corruption scandal surrounding the suspended Ghana Football Association (GFA) federation boss Kwesi Nyantaki.
“If the petition to start the liquidation process of the GFA is not withdrawn” by August 27 the association “will be suspended with immediate effect”, FIFA added.