West Hams fans have been pouring out venom since news surfaced that Dimitri Payet has refused to play for the club. The French hasn’t trained this week after claiming he has a back injury but fans are not having any of it.
The 29 year-old have reportedly told the club of his intention to leave. Initially, the club were not going to sell him but now, they made a u-turn and have decided to sell him at the best price. Asides the possibility of moving to Marseille, there are reports that Chelsea are making a shock £40 million move for the France international. Last September, Payet was paid £1m loyalty bonus and this and many more has hurt the supporters of the club badly.
Payet has been labelled a traitor and a snake. Asides vituperation on social media, Payet’s wikipedia page was also at the receiving end.
Ibrahimovic, Antonio Conte claim Premier League player awards
Manchester United forward, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been awarded the Premier League player of the month of December. The former Sweden international who moved to Old Trafford last summer was honoured after scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists in 6 games. 
Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte has been named Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month for a record third time in a row (October, November and December). He become the first manager to achieve this feat . The Italian has been nothing short of extraordinary this season, leading the Blues to the top of the table with a run of more than seven successive victories.
I've conquered England – Zlatan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made another vehement assertion.
The former Barcelona forward who joined Manchester United on a free transfer from Paris St Germain last summer has scored 18 goals for the Red Devils and has had more shots (86) than any other player in Europe’s top 5 league so far this season.
Speaking in a recent interview, the ex Sweden international said he is not after individual targets (awards/honours) as he has already proved his value in England.
“I’m chasing the head trophy – the Premier League. That is my aim.
“The individual things come as part of the main objective because that is like a bonus for every individual player. If the collective does well, then the individuals will do well.
“I try to help the team and try to do what I’m best at – scoring goals, playing good and creating chances for my team-mates. As long as I can do that, I know I will help my team.
“The same thing with them, they help me the way they can for the team. I have no individual targets because that I did already, after three months in England. I conquered England – it took three months.” The 35 year-old declared.
Ronaldo, Messi, Federer, others make the 30 most marketable sportsmen in the world list
Tennis giant, Roger Federer has been named world’s most marketable sports person in 2016. The Sports Marketing Power list was compiled by researchers at the London School of Marketing and they took into account sponsorship deals of athletes in the year 2016.
Speaking on why Federer claimed the top spot, Jacques de Cock, faculty member at London School of Marketing said:
“Despite Roger Federer’s slow year in terms of success in his sport, his successful endorsement deals show that personal characteristics can also be an important part of long-lasting sponsorships.”
The top 30 list
| Rank | Name | Sport | Earnings (in £ million) |
| 1 | Roger Federer | Tennis | 49.2 |
| 2 | Lebron James | Basketball | 44.3 |
| 3 | Phl Mickleson | Golf | 41 |
| 4 | Tiger Woods | Golf | 36 |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | 29.5 |
| 6 | Rory Mcilroy | Golf | 28.7 |
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | Tennis | 27.9 |
| 8 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | 26.2 |
| 8 | Jordan Spieth | Golf | 26.2 |
| 8 | Rafael Nadal | Tennis | 26.2 |
| 11 | Lionel Messi | Football | 23 |
| 12 | MS Dhoni | Cricket | 22.1 |
| 13 | Kobe Bryant | Basketball | 20.5 |
| 14 | Neymar Jr. | Football | 18.9 |
| 15 | Kei Nishikori | Tennis | 16.4 |
| 15 | Usain Bolt | Athletics | 16.4 |
| 15 | Serena Williams | Tennis | 16.4 |
| 15 | Maria Sharapova | Tennis | 16.4 |
| 19 | Virat Kohli | Cricket | 14.8 |
| 20 | James Harden | Basketball | 13.9 |
| 21 | Peyton Manning | American football | 12.3 |
| 21 | Andy Murray | Tennis | 12.3 |
| 23 | Derrick Rose | Basketball | 11.5 |
| 24 | Cam Newton | American football | 9.8 |
| 24 | Floyd Mayweather | Boxing | 9.8 |
| 24 | Dwayne Wade | Basketball | 9.8 |
| 24 | Drew Brees | American football | 9.8 |
| 24 | Steph Curry | Basketball | 9.8 |
| 29 | Gareth Bale | Football | 9 |
| 29 | Kyle Irving | Baskettball |
Chelsea To Get Council Approval for £500m Redevelopment of Stamford Bridge
Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium development plan is set for approval today.
The planning application for the proposed £600 million redevelopment of the stadium will be tabled before Hammersmith and Fulham Council on Wednesday.
If approved, Chelsea will move into a temporary place for the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Construction of the new 60,000-seater edifice will take three years. The Blues however hope to open the stadium in 2020 .
Morgan Schneiderlin arrives Everton for medicals
Morgan Schneiderlin is currently undergoing a medical at Finch Farm, Everton ahead of his £22million move from Manchester United.
Mourinho said yesterday that he would be disappointed to lose Schneiderlin, but didn’t want to hold him down against his will. “I’m sad, but I’m also happy. I’m sad because I like him and he could be an option for us in a long season. But I’m happy for him because he wants to play and be an important player for the team. So I’m happy for a very good person, someone I only have good things to say about.” The Portuguese said.
I Moved To China To Help Nigeria Qualify For World Cup – Mikel
According to owngoalnigeria.com, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed he left Chelsea for Chinese club, Tianjin Teda to help Nigeria qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Brazil. The 29 year-old who did not feature in a single match day squad under Antonio Conte this season, said the decision was borne out of the need to be a first-team regular in the national team and not necessarily because of financial gain.
He told owngoalNigeria, “I could easily have stayed in Chelsea for the remaining six months of my contract but it won’t be in the best interest of my nation, as they need me match fit when the World Cup 2018 qualifiers resume.”
” It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I seriously need matches to stay fit for Nigeria. Nigerians don’t deserve to miss out of the World Cup after back to back failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations”He said.
Ronaldo, Roberto condemn Michael Owen's weight jibe
I’m certain he meant no harm.
Brazilian legends, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos have strongly condemned a recent comment by Michael Owen as regards Ronaldo’s weight gain.
Owen, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Raymond Kopa and Zidane reunited at the Bernabeu last Saturday where current World Best footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo presented his Ballon d’Or award. Shortly after their meeting, Michael Owen took to Twitter to express his surprise at his colleague’s weight gain “I thought I was gaining weight until I saw my old mate Ronnie.” He wrote
That didn’t sit well with some members of the football world, the subject of the message i.e Ronaldo, was far from impressed and he has voiced out his disappointment.
He told AS: “I am shocked as to how much importance my weight garners in the world we live in. I don’t know why it is so important, to be honest.”
Roberto Carlos also joined the chorus of condemnation saying, “I don’t like these type of jokes. Ronaldo is a very good friend of mine and we have to be careful. The thing about Ronaldo is not about his body, it’s his heart, he has a very big heart.”
FIFA confirm a 48-team World Cup from 2026
The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) Council have unanimously voted to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026. The confirmation was made on FIFA media twitter handle on Tuesday.
“The FIFA Council unanimously decided on a 48-team #WorldCup as of 2026: 16 groups of 3 teams,” The governing body announced on it’s official Twitter page.
The decision to increase the number of qualified teams for the 2026 World Cup was reached at the Council meeting held in Zurich. There will be 16 groups which will be made up of three teams each.
Prior to this new development, 32 teams with four teams in each groups feature at the World Cup.
Liverpool's Roberto Firmino's house burgled
Burglars forced their way into the house of Liverpool star, Roberto Firmino and carted away valuables (jewelry, watches and clothes) worth £70,000. The Brazilian was on Holiday with his wife and two children before the burglars raided the Victorian property in Liverpool.
After the ugly incident, the club officials moved him and his family into a hotel over Christmas and also provided the 25-year-old with a security team.
‘They’d obviously been watching Roberto come and go, then swooped in. It’s thought they are the same guys who were disturbed mid-burglary on a previous occasion. He was obviously shaken up as he has a young family, so the club had him in a hotel before giving him security at the house.’ A source The Sun