Samuel Eto'o blasts Jose Mourinho, calls him a fool.

Apparently Samuel Eto’o didn’t get over the unguarded “age” comment targetted at him by Jose Mourinho few months back. I promised not to write about the Chelsea boss in the next few months, but how can you stop talking about a person who has “rented a space” in the spotlight.

The 33-year-old during a short interview with africanfootball.com labelled his coach a fool and NO it didn’t sound like a slip of the tongue.

“Today, I am 33 years old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it. And you may have noticed that the old man was better than the youngsters. Some believe I am going to retire in the United States or in the Middle East, but I have regained the joy of the Champions League and I am going to carry on playing in the Champions League.

He continued, “Where? I am not going to tell you. But I am going to carry on playing because physically and mentally I feel great. So I am going to go to this World Cup and to the next one when I will be 37. Some did it at 42, so I can still play in two more World Cups.”

With that said, you can be sure that the days of the Cameroonian who scored 12 goals at Stamford Bridge this season are numbered. This drama will be incomplete without a Special response from the Special One. But can someone hint him of the latest development?

Ailing ex-Minister, Dora Akunyili sends Thank-You message from hospital bed

Former Minister of Information and Communications, Mrs Dora Akunyili who was flown to India few days ago after her health worsened has sent a Thank You message to Nigerians and well-wishers all over the world for their prayers and support.

“I am touched – indeed, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection by my fellow countrymen and women, as well as numerous other well wishers around the world, many of whom have not only been praying for me but have also been mobilizing through the various social networks for God’s healing hands to come upon me. I am confident that Almighty God will hear our prayers and grant me quick recovery. I love you all and pray that Almighty God blesses you all.” 

Photos: Mide Funmi-Martins' kids are so lovely

Been staring at these pictures for ages. The young ladies are so beautiful, they look more like their father. Famous Yoruba actress, Mide Funmi Martins-Owo and her husband, Afeez Owo have reportedly settled their differences and are now back together.

2014 World Cup: France unveils provisional squad

France manager, Didier Deschamps has unveiled his provisional squad for the 2014 World Cup. One would wonder why Manchester City midfielder, Samir Nasri was excluded from the squad. He’s had a fantastic season, that hasn’t gone well with his girlfriend, the irate lady wrote, “F***k France” on her twitter page. Ot even But I guess Didier has his reasons

Defenders: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid ), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool ), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal ), Lucas Digne (Paris), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Clement Grenier (Lyon), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Loic Remy (Newcastle)

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Mickeal Landreau (Bastia)

Reserves: Remy Cabella (Montpellier), Maxime Gonalons (Lyon), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon), Loic Perrin (Saint-Etienne), Stephane Ruffier (Saint-Etienne), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Benoit Tremoulinas (Saint-Etienne).

"The boy should be forgiven". Governor Orji urges Stephen Keshi to recall Ike Uche.

Reactions have continued to trail Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi’s squad list for the 2014 World cup. Some players like Ideye Brown and John Ogu have expressed their disappointment for being excluded from the squad. Another player who shockingly didn’t make the list is Ikechukwu Uche and as far as Governor Theodore Orji of Abia state is concerned, the Villareal striker deserves to make it to Brazil in June.

A statement through his Special Adviser, Kunle Oyewunmi reads thus, “As a passionate football fan, I appeal to my good friend Keshi, to have a change of mind and include Uche in his World Cup team. The boy should be forgiven since he is now remorseful. Football is a competitive game; we should not allow personal interest to override national aspirations. I salute Keshi for bringing back Yobo and Osaze. I wish he could extend same to Uche.”

Ace sports correspondent, Aisha Falode seeks justice for murdered son. (Press statement.)

Ace sports correspondent, Aisha Falode is seeking justice for the murder of her 19 year-old son, Oloruntoba Oluwadamilola Falode, who died two months ago after being reportedly pushed from the 17th floor of his residence in Dubai. Below is her press statement.

PRESS STATEMENT BY AISHA FALODE
THE MURDER OF MY SON, OLUWADAMILOLA OLORUNTOBA FALODE IN COLD BLOOD BY MR. FAISAL ALDAKMARY AL-NASSER AND MISS OLIVIA MELANIE RICHARDS EVANS AND THE COVER-UP BY THE DUBAI POLICE.

I am Aisha Falode, Mother of 19 year old Toba Falode. I’m giving the following statement as fact in the unfortunate death of my son. Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba Falode, who was a student of SAE Institute, Dubai in the UAE admitted to study Audio Production in October, 2013 and resided on the 17th floor of Manchester Towers, Dubai Marina.

In the early hours of the 15th of February, 2014, I received a call from the security guard at my son’s apartment block informing me that something serious had just happened to my son, Toba. I then immediately called his close friend, Nick Allison, a South African, who then informed me that my Toba had passed on from falling from the balcony of his 17th floor apartment.
Upon hearing this, I made various frantic calls to Toba’s pastor (his guardian in Dubai), to go to the scene. After which I was informed that the police had arrested all those at the scene and also taken the body of my son away.
Four family members then proceeded to retrieve my son’s body and also met with the Deputy Director of the Jebel Ali police station, who read out the preliminary report to the family and mentioned Faisal’s name which was mysteriously missing in the report that was later given to the family.

The summary of the police report is as follows:

1).  That they confirmed that Toba died in the morning of the 15th of February 2014 at approximately 4am.

2). That they indicated that this occurred around the premises of Toba’s apartment, the Manchester Tower, Dubai Marina.

3).  That they confirmed that there were 5 other people with him at the time of his death – (4) four boys and 1 girl – a Nigerian, a French Canadian national, a South African and  a Saudi national. The girl is British.

4).  That close to the time of the accident, Toba was on the balcony of his flat with his alleged girlfriend.

5).  That Toba was sitting on the railing of his balcony with his feet off the floor and that he was swinging in this position backward and forward.

6).   That his girlfriend was still there with him, and was warning him to be careful.

7). That she later went inside the flat and shortly after, they all noticed that Toba was no longer sitting on the railings or on the balcony, and must have fallen down from the balcony railings.

8). That his friends all rushed down and found him lying dead in front of the apartment block.

9).    That they then called the Police who took charge of things.

10).    That all statements of the witnesses as described above were similar and that they were all interviewed separately.

11) .  That forensic evidence including the examination of Toba’s body at autopsy did not reveal anything to contradict this version of events.

12) .    That there were no injuries on Toba’s body inconsistent with a fall from a great height as the cause of his death.

13) . That there was no evidence of bruising or other injury to indicate anything else could be blamed as the cause of his death.

14) . That based on their findings, they decided therefore not to conduct a full internal autopsy.

15). That if from their investigations they had even the slightest indication of anything other than this version of events they would definitely have conducted an autopsy.

However, because of the various inconsistencies in the Police Report given to my family, and because I know the apartment layout very well and my motherly intuition I knew something was not right. So I decided to investigate further by myself accompanied by a family member and my family lawyer Mr. Festus Keyamo. We travelled to Dubai in April and met with some of my son’s friends who were present in the apartment on that fateful day.
The summary of the accounts of these friends were totally different from what the police report indicated and revealed a weak attempt by the authorities in Dubai to hide facts that pointed to the fact that my poor son was murdered.
This account, the friends (witnesses) in question volunteered to give as written statements to me.

Summary of account as follows:
a) .  That sometime in December, 2013, the said Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser stormed the apartment of my deceased son Oloruntoba Falode and ordered Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans (his supposed girlfriend) out of Toba’s apartment, accusing her of having an affair with Toba.

b). That a fight was to have ensued from this confrontation, but for the intervention of other mutual friends. Since then, there was no love lost between Toba and Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser.

c).  That in the evening of the 14th of February, 2014, Toba, together with his friends, namely, Ebele Oladeji Onwugbufor, Nick Allison and Joachim Senteni went to a club in Dubai known as M Deck, Media 1 Hotel, Media City.

d). That at the club, they met the said Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans who were also at the club.

e).  That again an argument started at the Club concerning Olivia, and shortly after this, Faisal and Olivia left the Club.

f).   That shortly after the two left the club, Toba and his friends also left the club.

g). On their return to Toba’s apartment, Toba, Nick and Deji were shocked and surprised to find Faisal and Olivia outside Toba’s Apartment door, waiting and Olivia was crying hysterically and appeared frightened while Faisal, however appeared calm, with a determined look on his face.

h). That after they all went into the apartment,  after which Toba, Faisal and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans entered his room “to sort things out”.

I). That shortly after, the three of them exited the room and moved on to the balcony of the apartment on the 17th floor.

j). That there were signs of serious argument coming from the balcony with raised voices and flaying hands by faisal visible through the glass door of the balcony.

k).  That after about twenty seconds Faisal and Olivia came back into the room and announced that Toba had fallen off the railings. However, Faisal had blood splattered all over his shirt and he had bloody knuckles. There was
also a noticeable cut on his finger.

l).    That at this point they all rushed downstairs to see Toba’s dead body lying meters away from the building (approximately 12 to 15 meters).

m).   That the position of my Toba’s body (which can still be verified today) was not consistent with someone falling from the balcony (in which case the body would be much closer to the building) but was consistent with someone that was violently pushed from the balcony.

n). That the police arrived thereafter and arrested all of them to the station.

o). That before and during the journey to the station, Faisal kept repeating to the hearing of everyone that the maximum punishment for him would be twenty-five (25) years in jail and that the other boys should not worry. Meanwhile, Olivia remained hysterical.

p). That at the station, Faisal and Olivia were kept away from the rest and were interviewed separately, whereas the other three were kept in a separate room and interviewed separately.

q). The witnesses were clear that the above account was what was narrated and written as statements at the police station, A vital piece of information deliberately omitted in the Police Report which did not make any reference to the presence of Faisal or Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans on the balcony when Toba allegedly fell.

r).   That Faisal was released without taking the blood stained T-shirt from him as should have been done in any investigative matter.

I am appealing to my Government that I have done much more than I should do as a grieving mother who was left with no option but to start investigating my own son’s murder by myself. I implore the Nigerian Government to prevail on the authorities in Dubai to re-open the investigation into the murder of my son Toba Falode and to bring to book Mr. Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans both of whom murdered him in cold blood.

The loss of a son is not what any parent should have to suffer, let alone a brutal murder. I do not wish this on any one because the pain is not only excruciating but almost unbearable.
JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL NOT ONLY FOR MY DEAR TOBA, BUT ALSO IN HONOUR OF THE MEMORY OF ALL THE OTHER YOUNG LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN CUT SHORT BRUTALLY. IF NO ONE ACTS EVERYONE IS AT RISK OF THIS UNFATHOMABLE PAIN.
I am asking for justice for my son and prayers from everyone that God in his infinite mercy gives my family and I the strength to bear this great loss.
THANK YOU.
To join the call for justice for Toba go to:
Facebook : Justice for Tyler Fray a.k.a Toba Falode
Twitter: twitter.com/TylerFray
Instagram: instagram.com/justicefortylerfray
Email: [email protected]
                     
AISHA FALODE.

2014 World Cup: England unveils 23-man provisional squad

England manager Roy Hodgson has unveiled his 23-man squad for the Brazil 2014 tournament. The squad will travel to Portugal next week to begin their preparations for World Cup. They will also face Peru at Wembley on Friday 30 May. Then, Honduras and Ecuador in Miami , and then opening game with Italy on Saturday 14 June.

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (England), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United).

Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).

Attackers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United).

Standby: John Ruddy (Norwich City), Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), John Stones (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Andy Carroll (West Ham United), Jermain

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Fraser Forster (Celtic).

#BringBackOurGirls: Mikel Obi lends support (Photo)

I’m not too sure but I think Mikel Obi is the first or only Nigerian footballer who has lent his voice to the ongoing #BringBackOurGirls campaign geared towards the freedom of the over 200 school girls abducted by terrorist sect, Boko Haram, a month ago.

2014 World Cup: Spain unveils 30-man provisional squad

Spain, just like other countries (well, some countries) in the world has unveiled their 30-man squad for the forthcoming World Cup which kicks off in June, 2014. Most of the names are quite familiar; and from three popular leagues; Laliga, English Premier League and Bundeliga. The list was released few hours ago.

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea),

Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona)Alberto Moreno (Sevilla), Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich), Raul Albiol (Napoli),

Juan fran (Atletico Madrid), Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)

Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ander Iturraspe (Athletic Bilbao)

Xavi (Barcelona), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Pedro (Barcelona) Jesus Navas (Manchester City) David Silva (Manchester City), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Juan Mata (Manchester United), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

Attackers: Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)

David Villa (Atletico Madrid), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City), Fernando Llorente

(Juventus)

GoalKeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid),

Pepe Reina (Napoli), David De Gea (Manchester United)

Open chat