The things you read online!
An Egyptian Lawyer, Bassem Wahba has sued Sergio Ramos for €1 billion for “the physical and psychological pain he caused Mohamed Salah and Egyptians”, by hurting his shoulder during the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Kiev last Saturday. Salah left the pitch in tears after less than half an hour having suffered a n injury on the shoulder. His team later lost 3-1.
Lawyer Bassem Wahba confirmed his intention on Egyptian television. “Ramos intentionally injured Mo Salah and should be punished about his actions. I’ve filed a lawsuit and a complaint to Fifa. I’ll ask for compensation, which could exceed €1 billion (£873 million), for the physical and psychological harm that Ramos gave Salah and the Egyptian people.”
Meanwhile, a petition urging UEFA and FIFA to punish Sergio Ramos for intentionally inflicting injury on Mohamed Salah has garnered 400,000 signatures. Salah will travel to Spain on Tuesday along with Liverpool medical staff for treatment on the injured shoulder.
Barcelona legend, Andrés Iniesta has signed for the Japanese side Vissel Kobe after ending his 22 year-old Barcelona career. He will reportedly earn $30m (£22.5m) annually on a three-year deal.
The 34-year-old midfielder who played his last match for the La Liga champions last Saturday against Real Sociedad appeared at a news conference at a central Tokyo hotel on Thursday along with Kobe’s billionaire owner, Hiroshi Mikitani. “I’m pleased to announce, that Andrés Iniesta will be signing up play with Vissel Kobe after his historic career at Barcelona.” Mikitani said.
“For me this is a very special day. This is an important challenge for me. My family is excited to come to Japan and we are very pleased. There were many offers. Other clubs showed interest. But I decided to sign with Vissel Kobe because the project presented to me was impressive.” The Spaniard said.
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Arsenal today announced their decision to appoint 46-year-old Unai Emery as their new head coach. The three-year deal is reportedly worth £5m a season. He takes over from Arsene Wenger who stepped down last month after a 22 year-old spell.
According to Arsenal, the former Sevilla coach has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career, has developed some of the best young talent in Europe and plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly. His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward.
Arsenal Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis, added that “We conducted a confidential, wide-ranging and rigorous search involving extensive background references, data and video analysis, and personal meetings with all the candidates we shortlisted. All were interested in the position and we were unanimous in our choice of Unai to drive the next chapter of our history.”
Reacting to his appointment, Emery said, “I am thrilled to be joining one of the great clubs in the game. Arsenal is known and loved throughout the world. I’m excited about what we can do together and I look forward to giving everyone some special moments and memories.”
So here’s how the footballing world reacted to the news on twitter.
Unai Emery is the new Arsenal manager. Can fans finally come together for a common cause? Because success is for more likely with unity! 👍#AFC
I wanted a young, dynamic manager with a proven track record. I thus approve of Arsenal appointing Unai Emery, 46. Just won the Treble at PSG after winning 3 successive Europas at Sevilla. He's a winner. Welcome, Senõr! pic.twitter.com/q8pc0AJN9J
Gallas is shocked Unai Emery, a 46 year old manager who has won 10 trophies in 5 years & did great work on a lean with valencia and Sevilla is preferred to his friends, Vieira and Henry.
Notable Arsenal are confirming Emery in fact as 'head coach'. Underlines the move away from an omnipotent manager that has quietly taken place at the club over the last 12 months.
Passion✅ Manager who manages from the touchline✅ Proper coaching✅ Proper tactics✅ Proper video analysis✅ Preparing for the opposition✅ Nutcase of an assistant✅ Hates Mourinho✅
Finally a modern Arsenal! Can’t f’ing wait! #WelcomeUnai
Congratulations Arsenal. You have appointed the best manager at the level of football your team deservedly is at the moment. 3 Europa League titles is not a joke and I fully expect Emery to break grounds for Arsenal in 'lower' Europe. Even your grey-haired ex couldn't 😏
Ian Wright, John Cross, John Bennett, Gary Neville.
The people vociferously criticising the 'process' of selection and choice of Arsenal Manager are interestingly enough people I and many other right-thinking Arsenal fans wouldn't want anywhere near the process.
Permit me to pour out my feelings in this post.
I am a Barca fan and this week has been intensely emotional for me.
So, one of our legends at Nou Camp, Andres Iniesta left the club this week after a 22 year-spell and tributes from colleagues, friends and footballers all over the world have left most of us teary-eyed. Of course, Barcelona gave him a befitting farewell party.
Shortly after his last game for the club, Iniesta stayed on the pitch bare footed, relieving his moments as a player.
The images are heart-melting.
And then the video of him emptying his locker. Another heart-breaking moment
— FC Barcelona (from 🏠) (@FCBarcelona) May 22, 2018
Iniesta and his trophies:
La Liga – 9
Copa del Rey – 6
Spanish Super Cup – 7
Champions League – 4
Club World Cup – 3
UEFA Super Cup – 3
Euro Cup – 2
FIFA World Cup – 1
Thank you for the wonderful memories Andres Iniesta. You will be sorely missed.
According to reports, Arsenal will appoint Unai Emery as their new manager and successor to Arsene Wenger. This development is coming days after the club made a decision not to offer Mikel Arteta the role at the Emirates Stadium.
The 46 year-old led Almería into La Liga for the first time, finishing 8th the following season. He also took Valencia to three consecutive 3rd place finishes in La Liga and is a three-time consecutive Europa League winner with Sevilla. PSG won the domestic treble under him this season. He is to be announced as Arsenal’s new manager within the next 48 hours.
Reacting to Wenger’s retirement in April, Emery said, “It is impossible to talk about Arsenal, the Premier League and the coaching profession without mentioning Arsene Wenger, one of the references without doubt. Thanks Arsene!”
Manchester United have announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a deal that sees the Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan move to the Emirates. The Chilean signed a 4-and-a-half year contract. He’ll reportedly earn £490,000-a-week, becoming the best paid player in the Premier League and Manchester United’s highest earner, joint with Ibrahimovic.
Speaking about his transfer, Alexis Sanchez said: “I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world. I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans. The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down. I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United’s first team and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here.”
Jose Mourinho maintained that “Alexis is one of the best attacking players in the world and he will complete our very young and talented group of attacking players. He will bring his ambition, drive and personality, qualities that make a Manchester United player and a player that makes the team stronger and the supporters proud of their club dimension and prestige. “I would like to wish Henrikh all the success and happiness that I am sure he is going to get. He is a player that we will not forget, especially for his contribution to our Europa League victory.”
Alexis Sánchez‘s Manchester United wages broken down [before tax]:
£25.5m-a-year
£2.1m-a-month
£490,000-a-week
£70,000-a-day
£2,900-an-hour
£48-a-minute
80p-a-second
Former Super Eagles midfielder Wilson Oruma has suffered a mental breakdown after losing N1.2bn in a phony oil business. Oruma, who played alongside JJ Okocha and Kanu suffered a mental disorder six years after the incident and is currently a shadow of himself. More sad is the fact that, his ex wife introduced him to the fraudster clergyman who defrauded him of the hefty amount and also misled him into working with him. She later divorced him.
His close friend, Emakpor Dibofun told Complete Sports that: “Wilson Oruma hasn’t really recovered from the emotional disorder which he suffered after he was duped. He has been to several places in search of a lasting solution, but it gets worse after a bit of improvement,” he said.
In the wake of the report, Super Eagles legends, Augustine Eguavoen, Samson Siasia and Nwankwo Kanu, have reportedly agreed to organise a fun-raising match to aid the recovery of their former teammate.The game has been proposed to hold in Lagos in February.
Ex Nigerian International and former Chairman of Lagos State Football Association, Waidi Akanni, also revealed that a delegation will be sent to meet with Oruma’s family to know how they can help him fully recover. “Since the news broke that he (Oruma) had a relapse of an emotional disorder, his former teammates having been trying to reach out to people around him to show love to him, Taribo, Kanu and some of the Atlanta 96 set are keen to turn out for their former teammate.They have all agreed to reach out to his family to see how they can help him out and also use the opportunity to educate the current players on how to plan their future after retirement. I’m sure other players who will be contacted later will be willing to take part just as the Lagos State government and the Delta State government, where Oruma hails from.”
41 year-old Oruma laced his boots for RC Lens, Nancy, Samsunspor, Nimes, Servette, Sochaux, Marseille and Guingamp, and Kavala FC of Greece before he retired at the age of 33 on November 26, 2010. The midfielder also featured for Nigeria’s U-17, U-23 and the senior national team winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1993, the Olympic gold in 1996 and two bronze medals at the African Cup of Nations in 2002 and 2006.
Almost nowhere on earth is football followed as passionately as in Africa. It is loved by Africans from all walks of life across the continent. This week, I am giving the opening address at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in Accra, Ghana. This has afforded me a good opportunity to reflect on Africa’s relationship with football and how it can help deliver a brighter future for our young people.
I believe we need only look to the Liberian presidential election for a fine example of the transformative power of football. Against the odds, football legend and opposition candidate, George Weah was victorious and today, is President-elect of Liberia, one of Africa’s most popular countries. Weah’s perseverance in the face of an initial unsuccessful attempt is a testament to the endurance football teaches.
Before he was a Presidential candidate, of course, Mr. Weah was an outstanding footballer whose career spanned great clubs like Paris Saint Germain, Marseille, Monaco and even English Premiership giants like Chelsea and Manchester City. George Weah
A striker of fearsome reputation, Weah has been described as the greatest footballer to emerge from Africa, confirmed in 1995 when he won both FIFA Footballer of the Year and the highly valued Ballon d’Or. Over a three year period, in 1989, 1995 and 1996, he claimed the top prize of African Footballer of the year, crowning that in 1996 with the African Footballer of the Century award.
The power of a footballer entering frontline politics cannot be overstated, for two reasons. First, it shows that politics is accessible to all, to the ambitious individual who dares envisage a way he or she can contribute to their country’s future. Second, it makes politics interesting and relevant to young people. If our continent is ever to reach its full potential, then it is our young people who are going to deliver it.
Africa’s youth are already shaping today and redefining tomorrow with their creativity, passion and innovation. I believe that the greatest gift that our generation can give them is to continue to provide platforms for aspiration, recognition and inspiration. But the idea of ‘opportunity’ or of ‘potential’ can be an abstract enough concept to adults never mind the younger generation, many of whom have been overlooked by the decisions of governments not to allow funds raised from investment to trickle down into stronger education systems, apprenticeships and advancement.
In football, the notion of opportunity is far from abstract. Football has always been a unifying factor and a great tool for promoting integration and development. But more than that, it is a global currency, a language spoken in the United Kingdom as much as in Brazil, China and Nigeria. And in football we see, most tangibly, the bold young role models and ambassadors of Africa who are inspiring others and have set the pace in their pursuit of excellence.
Of course, we must be careful not to set false expectations. Football is affected by the same attrition rate that applies to other sports in that very many are called but few ultimately make the dizzy heights that many dream of. President Barack Obama pointed out that youth in the United States may have good role models for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in the music industry, but that it was unlikely that each child would grow up ‘to be the next Lil Wayne’, so children must also work hard in school. The same can be said of football: not all of our children will grow up to be the next George Weah, Abedi Pele, Dider Drogba or Jay Jay Okocha, but these role models still offer young people a concrete example of the hard work that goes into the pursuit of excellence.
The example of football goes far beyond the 22 men or women who stand on the pitch for 90 minutes each week. I know this because I have seen the extraordinary depth of support services that go into creating the finished product of a football match, and the transformative role they play when properly looked after.
Over the last year, Aiteo has been supporting sports development in Nigeria, leading a partnership agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to provide financial Support to the technical team of Nigeria’s national team for the next five years. In the months since, Nigeria has won more games than they have lost and has qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Aiteo has also made significant contributions towards developing the local football by underwriting the costs associated with organising the Federation Cup, Nigeria’s equivalent of the English FA Cup, helping smaller teams grow and improve on the national stage.
With coaching roles, training roles, marketing, advertising, commercial partnerships and merchandising roles all part of the infrastructure of a newly-global Nigerian football team, no child need only grow up to be the next Alex Iwobi if they are to benefit from the transformative power of football. If a footballer can become the head of a nation, they why not a football coach, a medic or a marketing executive?
So, when I stand on the stage this week to open the CAF Awards, the winners will be very clear to me before the awards have even been handed out: the true winners will be every young person who sees that event; sees that the eyes of the world are on Africa and that a future for each one of them exists in which they can go beyond their school, their hobbies, their parents, and truly embrace their potential. Because the way we conceive the future sculpts the present.
Cote d’Ivoire’s midfielder Yaya Toure has come out of international retirement.
The Manchester United midfielder who has not played for Ivory Coast since AFCON 2015 final has decided to return to Ivory Coast national team to win another trophy with the Elephants. The 34-year-old, who has over 100 caps for his country, announced his decision via Twitter on Tuesday.
Toure tweeted: “I love my country and I am free for the national selection. I want to help the next generation and use all my experience so that all Ivorians are proud!”
Toure who has made made three Premier League appearances and eight in total after signing a one-year contract extension in the summer will remain at Man City.“He will 100 per cent stay at City in January. He wants to be a three-time champion of the Premier League, but he is also enjoying using his experience to help the young players at the club.” His agent Dimitri Seluk told Sky Sports News.”
Ivory Coast failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, their next opportunity is the 2019 African Nations Cup. The next round of qualifiers for that tournament is in March.
Did you read the disheartening riches-to-rags tale of former Arsenal star, Emmanuel Eboue?
48 hours ago, Daily Mirrortold the story of how he contemplated suicide after losing everything to divorce. The Ivorian who earned millions of pounds in wages during an illustrious seven-year career in the Premier League now hides from bailiffs, sometimes sleeps on the floor of a friend’s home, travels by bus and even cleans his clothes by hand because he has no washing machine. “I want God to help me,” he says. “Only he can help take these thoughts from my mind. Only he can help take these thoughts from my mind,” Eboue added.
The Ivorian lost his grandfather, Amadou Bertin — who raised him before being diagnosed with cancer and his brother N’Dri Serge — who was killed in a motorbike accident all in 2016. He has also faced divorce from his wife Aurelie — who will be awarded all of their assets.
The defender who made 79 appearances for Ivory Coast said admitted he cannot afford a lawyer anymore and he stays scared and keeps himself away from meeting people.
“I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come. Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door. My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared.”
“I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.” Eboue would have returned to Premier League (Sunderland) last year, unfortunately he was hit with a 12 month FIFA ban after a dispute with his former agent and that shattered the dream. He said he didn’t receive guidance to manage his finances and he is paying dearly for being “naive” with money. And he now wants other young African footballers to learn from his mistakes.
He says: “I look back and say ‘Emmanuel, you have been naive… why didn’t you think about that before?’ It is hard. Very, very hard. The money I earned, I sent it to my wife for our children. In Turkey I earned eight million euros. I sent seven million back home. Whatever she tells me to sign, I sign. She is my wife. The problems with FIFA were because of people advising me. People who are supposed to care. But it was because of them FIFA banned me.”
With his assets transferred to his ex wife, he now has an Oyster card and relies on London transport and trying hard to hide from the public. He spends his time between the Enfield house and the home of a confidante he calls his “sister” – Yasmin Razak. “I call her house The Bunker. I can hide there. She has children. I don’t want to disturb them, so I sleep on the floor.”
He said seeing friends like former team-mate Thierry Henry, a football pundit on TV triggers negative thoughts makes him, “ashamed of my own situation. “When I see friends on TV that I played with or against I say to myself ‘I should still be there’. It’s hard to watch them.”
It hurts deeply that he will not be spending Christmas with his kids daughters Clara, 14, and Maeva, 12, and son Mathis, nine. “It hurts me a lot. They used to call me. But now, no contact. It pains me to be alone without them.” “Every day I wash my jeans, my clothes, everything. My hands are hard. As though I have been working on a farm. I thank my grandmother because she taught me to wash, cook, clean, everything as a young man. I continue to thank God. I have my life. I didn’t want what has happened. I don’t wish it on anybody.”
Eboue would relish the opportunity to work with former club Arsenal or players’ union the PFA.
He says: “I would accept help from anywhere but if my previous club wants to help me then I would be very, very happy. Maybe I could help the young players? The PFA helped me when I had my problems with my agent. If they gave me a job, even if it wasn’t a big, big job. Maybe I’d see some of the people I played with or against and I’d feel embarrassed. But I would cope.”
Update on his situation
Galatasaray boss Terim, who was moved after reading the shocking story of the former Ivory Coast full-back has been offered an assistant coaching role of their U-14 team at the Turkish club. He will remain at the Florya facilities provided by the club and will be a salaried employee.
