Giwa FC fined N3.65m for failing to complete match with Rangers

•Rangers declared winner of fixture

Rangers International of Enugu has been declared winner of the abandoned Match Day 12 fixture against Giwa FC as the Jos-based side failed to show up for the ordered completion of the match at the Abuja National Stadium on Wednesday.

Rangers led 1-0 in Jos before the match was abandoned and the LMC relied on Rule B13.55 to declare Rangers winner with three points and one goal.

The League Management Company (LMC) has also ordered Giwa FC to pay fines for breach of Rule B13.25 of the Framework and Rules for failing to honour a fixture obligation without acceptable reason.

The fines include the sum of N2, 000, 000, another N650, 000 to offset the Match Officials expenses and N1, 000, 000 to offset the expenses of Rangers International.

Part of the decision read, “an order that the match which lasted 74 minutes shall count as a completed fixture, i.e the goals so far recorded (0-1) shall be the final scores;

this is pursuant to Rule B13.55 which states that “the LMC may order a league match which for whatever reasons lasts for less than 90 minutes to count as a completed fixture or to be replayed”.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had on Monday upheld the decisions of (LMC) which has in a summary jurisdiction exercise ordered that the match be completed in Abuja from the 74th minute at which it was disrupted by Supporters of Giwa FC in Jos.

Giwa FC has a further 48 hours to accept this decision in writing or elect to appear before a commission.

Dalung: I don't know if Nigeria will succeed at Olympics

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has said he is not in the best position to tell Nigerians how many medals Team Nigeria will win at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Dalung said such a question ought to be directed to the athletes.

Dalung revealed that active preparations for the glamorous sports fiesta started formally this week.

Asked the number of medals Nigerians should expect, he said: “I am not going to be one of the athletes who will beat their chest on the number of medals to win.

“Asking an administrator to predict the number of medals is trying to be more catholic than the Pope.”

While dismissing insinuation that the Treasury Single Account policy of the Federal Government might affect Team Nigeria preparations for the Olympics, Dalung said:

“TSA will never pose a challenge to the Team Nigeria participation in Rio Olympics.

“We would not have raised the fund to prosecute some of the sporting activity programmes we have with the TSA.

“It helped mop up funds that we put at their disposal.

“As for the preparation, I can assure you that we are indeed ready and at the stages of moving into camping, which is the final stage before heading to Rio.

“By this weekend, we will head to Philadelphia to assess the state of our athletes who have been camping there.

“Sports is not magic, we can only do our best and leave the rest to God.”

NFF insults Yobo over testimonial – Emenike

Ex-Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, has described as “an insult” the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to fix another match on the same day Joseph Yobo’s testimonial match will be played even after the federation had approved the match to retire the former national team skipper.

Nigeria will play a friendly against Mali in France on May 27, the same day the Yobo testimonial will be staged in Port Harcourt.

Emenike told africanFootball.com the decision of the NFF was disrespectful to the ex- Everton defender who had served the country with total dedication and had a century of caps to prove.

“If we are still on the same page of rebranding football, we should have the common sense of celebrating our heroes so that the younger ones in the team will live by example,” he told africanFootball.com

“Yobo deserves the honour and everybody has to turn up to celebrate him. But it’s unfortunate that it’s the NFF who are now looking like the obstacle to this testimonial. The Super Eagles players are the ones who want to play the Yobo match, tell me how will that be possible if they are in for another national assignment on that same day.

“We should change our mentality of ‘use and dump’ approach in order to reach greater heights of football in the world.”

EXCLUSIVE: Harry Redknapp set to become Nigeria manager within next few days

The Super Eagles appointed Salisu Yusuf as interim manager this week to take charge of two upcoming friendlies against Mali in Paris on May 27 and Luxembourg on June 1.

But former Tottenham boss Redknapp has been approached to take over the national side full time.

A source close to the team revealed he could be named as the next permanent manager within a few days.

The role is widely seen as the biggest job in African football.

Redknapp is largely untested at international level after narrowly missing out on the England job to Roy Hodgson.

Last month Redknapp, 69, finished a two-game deal managing Jordan – reportedly a favour for the country's FA president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.

Now Redknapp is free to prepare for Nigeria's opening African Cup of Nations qualifier in September.

Derby appointed Redknapp as an adviser earlier this year – but the ex- West Ham and QPR boss has said he did not want the job full time.

How Will This French Goal Scoring Beast Fit In At Manchester United Next Season?

Manchester United are buzzing high after their recent FA cup semi-finals match against Everton. It was a match which reminded many of the older Manchester United of Sir Alex Ferguson.

An attacking game throughout with an injury time winner is what Manchester United have done for the greater part of their time since the early 1990’s. Accordingly Anthony Martial has roped in all the reviews for his cool and composed finish. Marcus Rashford has also raved in a lot of positive reviews.

Since making a breakthrough in the senior team due to injuries to other strikers, this 18 year old striker has been absolutely amazing.

Wayne Rooney has also moved in to a more midfield approach now a days. Even though United are somehow managing to score a goal or two in recent matches, one cannot forget their first half of the season where the goals had just dried up. United looked miserable in front of the opponent defence. With the transfer season coming on pretty soon, Manchester season are expected to look in to it for a good goal scoring striker. With that many have associated the name of Alexandre Lacazette with Manchester United.

So will the talented Frenchmen fit in at Manchester United? I feel he will be perfect at United.

The talented striker is a prolific goal scorer in front of the goal and always looks like a threat in the opponent box. He has made 31 appearances this season and has scored 18 goals in them. He has also registered 3 assists and maintained a 60% shot accuracy. He has created 38 chances, maintained an average pass accuracy close to 80%. He is also good in the air and has won close to 50% of his average duels. In the 2014-15 season he made 33 appearances and scored 27 goals in them. He also had a shot accuracy close to 70%, an average pass accuracy close to 80% and created 20 chances.

Lacazette looks like a striker who offers the complete package. He is prolific goal scorer who creates chances and is good in duels. He is also known to have quick feet and hold great control over the ball.

Manchester United need a quick fast striker who is also a goal scoring machine. Lacazette seems to be the perfect fit for that. The United philosophy needs a player with attributes that Lacazette offers. With Rooney in a play making role, United need a fast striker to run in to the opponent box to receive the long balls from him.

Lacazette might do that with perfection. Also the Frenchman will form a formidable partnership with fellow countrymen Anthony Martial. Both of them seem to be the future for France and might just become the future for United as well. Just being 24 years old, Lacazette already looks like a matured striker and looks to be set to go on and become a world class striker in a couple of seasons. Martial, Rashford and Lacazette will make a trio that might absolutely dominate the EPL next season.

They might offer United the chance to play 4-3-3 formation in more and more matches and I feel that might just be the way that United struck free flowing football again. Three fast paced attackers in front and Rooney in behind them. That sounds exciting.

Well, we all hope that we get to see the old United of 1990’s and 2000’s. A United team that used to struck fear into the heart of the oppositions. A United team that used to be fast, creative and attacking all throughout the match. We have missed that United for a few seasons now and it’s about time that we get them back.

Lacazette looks like one of those key players who might guide United back to their old form.

Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez wins PFA Player of the Year award

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele
Alli, a highly impressive performer in
his first top-flight season, took the
Young Player of the Year award.
Manchester City’s Izzy Christiansen was
named Women’s Player of the Year
while Beth Mead, of Sunderland Ladies,
won the Women’s Young Player of the
Year award. Ryan Giggs, who won both
of the major men’s gongs during his
playing career, completed a rare hat-
trick with the PFA Merit Award.
Mahrez has had a stunning campaign
with the Foxes, scoring 17 goals and
providing 11 assists. The Algerian
international’s most recent contribution
came with the opening goal in the 4-0
win over Swansea City hours before the
awards event, which Leicester’s
contingent attended in London via
helicopter.
Mahrez said his Leicester team-mates
deserved to take the plaudits for his
success. “All the credit is for them,
seriously,” he said. “And my manager
and the staff. Without them I wouldn’t
receive this award and I wouldn’t score.
It’s the team spirit. I want to dedicate it
to them.

“I’m very grateful to receive this award,
it’s a pleasure. It’s extra special because,
if the players vote for me, it’s because
they’ve seen I’ve been great this year so
I’m happy.”

After signing from the French second-
tier side Le Havre in January 2014
Mahrez made a steady rather than
spectacular start to life in England but
featured prominently in Leicester’s
escape from relegation last season and
began 2015-16 with two goals in the 4-2 victory against Sunderland . Neither
player nor club has looked back since,
with Leicester now five points from an
historic title and Mahrez having shone
throughout.

Ossie Ardiles, the former Tottenham
midfielder, collected Alli’s award on
behalf of the 20-year-old – who did not
attend the ceremony at Grosvenor
House Hotel due to the proximity of
Monday night’s home match against
West Bromwich Albion.

“Thank you Ossie, the Tottenham
legend, for receiving this award for me,”
Alli said in a video message. “I feel
honoured to win such a prestigious
award and thank you to my friends,
family and all the staff at Tottenham.”

Alli’s award came with some mild
embarrassment for Tottenham, who had
dedicated an article in Monday’s
matchday programme to his
achievement. The piece appeared to
have been leaked online earlier on
Sunday, which was hardly the ideal
scenario, given that news of the winners
is strictly embargoed.

Christiansen, the 24-year-old forward,
won her first senior England cap last
September, scoring on her debut against
Estonia. She has been in superb form
for her club and the same is true of the
prodigious striker Mead, who was the
top scorer in Women’s Super League
One last season with 12 goals from 14
games.

Giggs became the latest Manchester
United stalwart to be given the merit
award, following in the footsteps of Sir
Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby and Sir
Bobby Charlton. The honour is given for
“meritorious service to English football”
and Giggs, who was named player of the
year in 2009 and young player of the
year in 1992 and 1993, expressed his
delight at completing the clean sweep.
“I’m chuffed to have won all three
awards. The young player was a long
time ago and then the player award was
a big surprise,” Giggs said.

“This is the culmination of around 25
years since my debut, so it’s a credit to
myself, my team-mates, staff, family
and friends. When you win each award
you look down the trophy and you see
the players who have won it before and
you realise what a great accolade it is.

“This is the same. I’ve been here on the
nights when people have won it and it’s
legends of the game. I’m fortunate to
win it and I’ll enjoy it.”

Now assistant manager to Louis van
Gaal at Old Trafford, Giggs said that
enjoyment was the key to a playing
career that brought up a club record 963
appearances and 64 caps for Wales.

“What Sir Alex always used to say was
enjoy it. It was the last thing he said
when you went out and played,” Giggs
said.

“Everything that comes with that
obviously – improve every day, practise,
listen, dedicate yourself – but most of all
enjoy your football. That went for
playing when I was 17 until when I was
40. It was a privilege to play at Old
Trafford and I tried to enjoy it.”

Vardy charged by FA

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has been charged with improper conduct for his behaviour following his second-half dismissal against West Ham on Sunday.

The sanction relates to his reaction following his second-half dismissal in the Foxes' 2-2 Premier League draw with West Ham on Sunday.

Leicester have also been charged with failing to control their players after referee Jon Moss awarded the Hammers' an 83rd-minute penalty.

Former Real Madrid player Guti taunts Barcelona after defeat to Valencia

Former Real Madrid midfielder Guti wasted no time in taunting Barcelona after their 2-1 defeat to struggling

Valencia . Guti took to twitter saying, ”Ahora sí q (now it really is)” followed by a number of emoticons, in reference to a tweet he uploaded post Barcelona’s loss to Real Sociedad.
.
— GUTI (@GUTY14HAZ) April 9, 2016
     Ahora sí q .

— GUTI (@GUTY14HAZ) April 17, 2016

Guti followed up a tweet he had put up last week after FC Barcelona’s 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad. He had no words, only the “smiling poo” emoticon and the snoring emoticon had been used to describe Barcelona’s astonishing dip in form. He was referring to the belief in Spain that Barcelona go into crisis mode when results do not go their way.

The La Liga champions lost to strugglers Valencia in last night’s game at the Nou Camp. Down by two goals by the end of the first half, they struggled to get back in the game despite creating a number of chances in the second half.

Barcelona were unlucky not to have scored an equalising goal. They were victims of poor finishing along with a lack of composure in the final third. The later part of the second half became an ill-tempered affair with Brazilian superstar Neymar and Argentine Javier Mascherano losing their cool.

Valencia could have won by more goals as they broke on the counter a number of times, especially later in the second half as Barcelona threw caution to the wind and piled players forward. Paco Alcacer missed a golden chance to put the tie beyond doubt when he was faced with an open net but he couldn’t sort out his feet in time to score.

Starting with the loss to Real Madrid, they have lost four out of their last five games in all competitions. In a matter of a couple of weeks, Barcelona have managed to blow a 12 point lead over second placed Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane had earlier claimed the title race was over but the same cannot be said now as Barcelona are equal on points with Atletico Madrid and lead the La Liga table only on account of a better head to head record. Real Madrid are also only one point behind in what is now a wide-open title race.

The aura of invincibility surrounding Barcelona has eroded over the past two weeks. They have also been knocked out of the Champions League by fellow Spanish club Atletico Madrid and it is difficult to see where the next win will come from.

Barcelona vs Valencia, 2016 La Liga: Final Score 1-2 as Barça's nightmare continues

Barcelona ’s terrible run of form hit a new low on Sunday after a 2-1 loss at Camp Nou against Valencia , thanks to an own goal by Ivan Rakitic and a strike by Santi Mina, with Lionel Messi getting Barça’s only score. Barça played well for the first time in weeks, but the defensive problems came to light again and the La Liga leaders are the least likely to win the title the way things are going.

FIRST HALF

The initial minutes of the first half featured the best football we've seen from Barça in quite a while.

There was great use of possession, good player movement and many opportunities created, butgoalkeeper Diego Alves, who always turns into a beast against the biggest teams in Spain, stopped all of them.

And then, in a rare counter-attack,
Valencia full-back Guilherme Siqueira played an innocent cross that somehow deflected off Ivan Rakitic and Claudio Bravo before finding the net for the opener. The goal clearly had an effect on Barça, who immediately started giving up the ball easily and offering plenty of space for the visitors to attack.

After a few shaky minutes, the Catalans showed improvement and Messi had another giant chance saved by Alves.

In the last minute of the half, another lapse in concentration from the Barça defense, and Santi Mina found himself alone in front of the goal. Two-nothing.

At halftime, a good offensive performance, but thanks to bad luck, bad defense and incredible goalkeeping, the Blaugranes were behind, and the mission to come back in the final period was nearly impossible.

SECOND HALF

Instead of going all out looking for at least one quick goal, Barça were slow and uninspired with their passing and had trouble until the best player in the world finally beat the keeper. A smart grounded cross
from Alba found the right foot of Lionel Messi who scored his 500th career goal to bring the Blaugrana back to the match.

With time running out, the Catalans
needed to step up the pressure to try and find a win. They did and found more good chances, but Diego Alves continued to stop everything.

When he didn't, his defenders did,
and even when Gerard Piqué found himself completely alone in front of the goal, he missed a really, really easy chance.
In the end, the equalizer never came, much less a game-winner.

Another loss, a very painful one.
What a nightmare.

                    ****

Barcelona : Bravo; Roberto, Piqué,
Mascherano, Alba; Busquets;
Rakitic, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez,
Neymar

Goals: Messi (63')

Valencia : Alves; Barragán, Mustafi,
Abdennour, Siqueira; Fuego;
Rodrigo (Gayá), Parejo, Pérez
(Cancelo), Gomes; Mina (Alcácer)

Goal: Rakitic (27' O.G.), Mina
(45'+1)

Chiefs dethroned after Ajax draw

Kaizer Chiefs’ reign as Absa Premiership champions is officially over after they were held to a goalless draw by Ajax Cape Town at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday night.

The result – which sees the Amakhosi’s winless run in the league stretched to five matches – mathematically confirms that the Soweto side cannot catch log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in what remains of the 2015/16 season.

That Chiefs will not defend their title is no surprise given their struggles this season, but the official confirmation of the fact still serves as a further body blow to beleaguered coach Steve Komphela.

The first half an hour of play saw little action, with Chiefs dominating possession but Ajax managed to crowd them out in midfield and ensure they had no real sight of Anssi Jaakkola’s goal. However, on 30 minutes the goalkeeper was finally called upon to keep out a long- range effort from Willard Katsande.

That signalled the start of a period of major pressure from Chiefs, with Siphiwe Tshabalala superbly denied by Jaakkola a few minutes later before Bernard Parker shot wide from a good opportunity as the Amakhosi’s speed of passing and running began to overwhelm the visitors.

Chiefs’ best chance arrived just before the break when Parker played a perfectly weighted pass to put William Twala in on goal, but the winger’s low shot was blocked by the legs of Jaakkola, who was easily the busier of the two goalkeepers.

Jay Z 'keen to sign Marcus Rashford'

Jay Z is reportedly hoping to sign Marcus Rashford to his sports management company following the teenager's breakout turn for Manchester United this season.

The American rapper's Roc Nation Sports company is thought to have got in touch with the 18-year-old about taking over his representation duties from his family.

Rashford has four goals in seven league appearances to his name since breaking into the first team at the end of February and was on target against Aston Villa today to hand his side all three points at Old Trafford.

According to The Sun , Roc Nation have held provisional talks with the Rashfords about adding him to a roster that includes Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng and American boxer Andre Ward.

Rashford is in line to sign a new deal with United this summer that will see his wages boosted to £15,000 a week.

PELLEGRINI: MAN CITY SUBS NOT DRIVEN BY REAL MADRID DATE

A busy run of games, not the Champions League clash against los Blancos, is the reasoning behind the Chilean's tactical decisions Manuel Pellegrini insists any changes he makes to Manchester City are unrelated to the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid .

A Sergio Aguero hat-trick saw City to a 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday as Pellegrini's men, perhaps momentarily, moved into third.

City are still looking to seal a top-four finish and have a busy run of fixtures ahead of them late in the season.

However, Pellegrini said it would be down to the individual requirements of the games if he altered his side, not with an eye to Madrid ahead of the first leg

on April 26.
"If I will be refreshing maybe some positions in the next game, [it's] not because I'm thinking of Real Madrid," he told reporters.

"It's because between now and the end of May we need to play eight games in one month.

"It's important to make substitutions, but not thinking about Real Madrid."
Pablo Zabaleta was taken off midway through the second half at Stamford Bridge and was unhappy with Pellegrini's decision.

The Chilean, however, said he acted in the best interests of his team, adding: "Of course he was upset, it's my duty in the moment to do the right thing.

"He was on a yellow card and one more foul and all of the fans of Chelsea would be every time [trying] to pressure the referee to send him off.

"It was important to change."

Rafa Benitez Urges Newcastle Players to 'Fight Until the End, Give Everything'

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has urged his players to "fight until the end" and "give everything" to show the fans that they are committed to the cause and working hard to stop the club from dropping into the Championship.

"What I can see is a group of players training really well, trying to do what we want to do and I don't see any fear," Benitez stated at his Friday press conference (via NUFC.co.uk).

RB: "When you are fighting to stay up, you feel the pressure for sure. I am asking the team to give everything and finish without regret."
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 15, 2016

Second bottom, the Magpies are currently six points adrift of Norwich and the safety of 17th place. They've lost eight of the last 10 games and have been slammed from all corners, but Benitez insists the squad are clear on what is expected.

"I know that they are really upset and disappointed because of the last result against Southampton and the way we played in the first half, so hopefully they will show the fans tomorrow what the fans are expecting from them - fight until the end, give everything - and that has to be the key for us for the next games," he said.

"What you have to do is what we are trying to do every day - train well, give them clear instructions about what to do, and in football sometimes you need a little bit of luck. So if we score the first goal, maybe we will see the quality of these players in the whole game.

"The only thing I am asking them, and the only thing that everybody is expecting from them, is that they have to give everything. They have to finish the game without regret that they left something there."

Newcastle host Swansea on Saturday afternoon, with the Welsh side securing their own Premier League status for next season with a run of good results since the turn of the year - most recently in their last outing against Chelsea.

Europa League semi final draw updates:

Europa league semi final draw:

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Sevilla

Villarreal vs Liverpool

Champions League semi final

Uefa Champions League draw in full

Manchester City v Real Madrid

Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich

Games to be played on April 26/27 and May 3/4.

Champions League semi- final draw: Manchester City face Real Madrid

Manchester City were first out of the proverbial hat in Nyon.

Good one if u ask me, who knows we might end up having the two teams from Madrid in the final again...... Nice one sha!!

Icardi Wants To Stay At Inter

Mauro Icardi has been the subject of much
transfer speculation, with several of Europe’s top clubs reportedly fighting to secure his services, but the striker maintains he is happy at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and that he has no intention whatsoever of parting ways with Inter any time soon.

Having spent a few weeks on the sidelines in March with a knee injury, the Argentine continues to impress having scored six goals in his last nine Serie A games.

One of those was the winner in a 1-0 victory over Frosinone, which helped Icardi hit 50 goals for Inter in his 100th appearance, and the 23-year- old is keen to add to that tally in the years to come.

“I am happy to be here, to be the captain
and to score,” he told Corriere della Sera.

“Of course I want to win, but I want to do
so here, like so many have done before me.
Every year it is said that I want to leave,
but it is always the same story.

“The club has done a great job at bringing
good players here. At the beginning [of the
season] we were winning games 1-0 but we
were at the top [of the table].

“Then in January we had a slump, but the
team is growing and I hope that next season we will be even more competitive.”

Icardi also outlined his vision for the immediate future of the Nerazzurri , of which he made clear he wants to be a part.

“Inter’s objective can no longer be half-
hearted,” he added. “We must win the
Scudetto and to get back in the Champions League.”

It is easy to forget that Icardi is still only 23 and is still developing into one of the best strikers in Europe. The most difficult position to find on a team is a consistent goalscorer. Inter have that in Icardi and to sell him this summer would make no sense.

Arsenal & Chelsea Consider £20m Bargain for Premier League Star

Arsenal and and Chelsea are among the clubs eyeing a bargain move for Leicester City star N’Golo Kanté after learning that the combative midfielder has a £20 million buy-out clause in his current contract, according to the Daily Mail .

The newly-crowned French international has been a revelation at the King Power Stadium since joining from French Ligue 1 side Caen last summer.

Kanté has been a huge factor in Leicester’s big lead at the top of the Premier League table this season, so much so CSAR would go as far as saying he should be awarded the PFA Player of the Season for 2015-16.

His tireless displays in the middle of the park have seen him named as one of the six shortlisted players.

As a result, the Daily Mail is now reporting that the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea are showing a keen interest in signing the 25-year-old this summer, but also face stiff competition from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur.

The interested parties have all been given a major boost ahead of the summer transfer window as the newspaper reports that N’Golo Kanté will be available for a bargain £20 million due to a buy-out clause that was inserted into his deal when he joined the Foxes less than a year ago.

With UEFA Champions League football secured for next season, Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri will no doubt be desperate to keep hold of his star so it will be interesting to see if the midfielder can be persuaded to stay with the surprise league leaders after this season.

However, the Italian manager has already
accepted that it will be a difficult task for his side to keep hold of their told talent this season. Ranieri is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:

“I think he [Kanté] should rest [stay] here, he’s working very well.

“But if big teams arrive that will give us a lot of money, maybe we can think about it, if he’s not happy here and wants to go.

“I don’t want sad people here – I want my
players to be happy.”

The player himself has done little to play down the idea of him leaving Leicester City this summer, welcoming interest from other clubs and is quoted as saying he will consider his future at the end of the season:

“I will fight for Leicester this season and next season we never know and we will see.

“At this moment I am focused on Leicester. We have to finish well this season but I don’t mind about [being linked to] the other clubs.”

We shall have to wait and see how this one develops but if the newspaper’s claim is true that Kanté has a £20 million buy-out clause then it would be something you have to believe the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain would all seriously consider in the coming weeks or months before the new season.

Kanté has been one of the leaders in both the tackling and interception categories in the Premier League this season, adding significant energy to the centre of Leicester’s midfield, as well as bringing the ball forward down the middle and both wings, and always looking to make a forward pass.

Liverpool played with heart in Borussia Dortmund win, says Mamadou Sakho

Both Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren reflected on Liverpool‘s stunning Europa League victory over Borussia Dortmund at Anfield tonight, with the former admitting that the home side played with “heart” to get the result.

In a game that will likely be talked about on Merseyside for years to come, Dortmund stormed into a two-goal lead after eight minutes thanks to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, giving the German giants a seemingly commanding 3-1 aggregate advantage.

Divock Origi gave the Reds hope by halving the deficit on the night with a cool finish in the second half, but Marco Reus restored Dortmund’s two-goal advantage not long after. At that point the tie really did seem lost, but Liverpool came back again through Philippe Coutinho nine minutes later.

What followed then was simply unthinkable, as Sakho equalised on the night and on aggregate with 13 minutes remaining, meaning the Reds needed one more goal to seal victory. After piling on the pressure, the Dortmund defence cracked in stoppage-time, with Lovren powering home a header to send Anfield into delirium.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are now in the semi-finals of the competition, with a real chance of winning it after knocking out the favourites.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Lovren told BT Sport. “It’s one of the best games in the last two or three years.

We never stopped believing in ourselves. It is a great effort from everyone. We didn’t expect we would start like we did.”

Sakho then interjected, adding: “The most important thing was the team played with heart and the fans never leave us. It’s a win for the Liverpool country.”

The Reds remain unbeaten in the Europa League this season, and will now await the semi-final draw tomorrow morning, where they will face one of Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal or Sevilla.

After the euphoria of last night, next up for Liverpool is a trip to Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, followed by the Merseyside derby at Anfield next week.

GIWA GROUP DARES NFF CONGRESS, BRANDS BODY AND SUMMONS ” ILLEGAL” 

Fresh crisis seems to be brewing in the Nigeria Football Federation following the summons of factional leader , Chris Giwa and several members of the aggrieved faction by the NFF based on the resolution of the Extra Ordinary Congress which sat in Abuja on Wednesday.

In a open disregard of the summons Chairman of the Giwa led NFF security committee Chief
Effiong Johnson decried the ‘illegal’ assembly and its several resolutions.

In a communique released after the congress Yesterday, the Chris Giwa group were alleged to have brought ” Nigeria football and Nigeria to ridicule, opprobrium and disrepute, and in clear contravention of the NFF statutes and other extant football laws.”

Effiong branded the sitting of the 44 members as an illegal body not recognized by the law and nobody will appear before the Disciplinary Board or NFF Committee on Ethics and Fairplay.

NFF Vice Prez labels Giwa and co embarrassment to Nigeria football

First vice president of the NFF Seyi Akinwunmi has insisted that the Amaju Pinnick led NFF board is not in a power tussle with anybody or group and insists the rules guiding administration of the game must be obeyed.

Speaking with footballlive.ng, Akinwunmi stated that a disciplinary committee of the NFF will decide the fate of Chris Giwa and his cohorts noting that they will be sanctioned not because of any court case, but because of the the way they have divided football family thus bringing embarrassment to football and Nigerians on the global scene.

Diego Simeone hails his Atletico, embodying ‘values that are less and less common in society’

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Barcelona (3-2 aggregate) Atletico Madrid dumped holders Barcelona out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the second time in three seasons as Antoine Griezmann’s double sealed a 2-0 win on Wednesday to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Griezmann put the hosts ahead on away goals with a fine first-half header before converting from the penalty spot two minutes from time after Andres Iniesta had handled inside the area.

Barca, meanwhile, were left to rue referee Nicola Rizzoli’s decision to give a free-kick on the edge of the box in injury time instead of a penalty when Gabi appeared to be inside the area as he was penalised for handball. “I am not left with just a place in the semi-finals, I think it is much more important than that," said Atletico manager Diego Simeone.

“This group displays values that are less and less common in society. We can win or lose, but we believe in these values that are important in life and once again we have won a tremendously difficult game."

Defeat is Barca’s third in four games after a 39-match unbeaten run stretching back six months and sees their quest to become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions League era come to an end.

“The team wanted to retain the title, it was one of our objectives and excited every Barca fan, but it isn’t to be," said Barca coach Luis Enrique.

“We are finding it much more difficult than normal to score goals and suffering defensively too.

“We all have to improve and I’m the first one in that regard."

Borussia Dortmund Team News : Gundogan Return Gives Tuchel Full -strength Side To Choose From

Thomas Tuchel’s Dortmund travel to Merseyside to face Liverpool and has claimed his side are relishing the opportunity to play at Anfield in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals.

The Dortmund coach welcomed back Ilkay Gundogan to the team. Having made nine changes in the game against Schalke over the weekend, he now has a full-strength and rested squad to pick from.

He seemed very confident in his pre match press conference , insisting he loved the pressure of needing to score against the English giants, saying “We have to score and we are ready to take risks to score. We don’t want to feel boundaries but see our potential and what is possible for us. I am proud to be coach in this situation. If this is pressure, I love it.”

On Klopp’s homecoming

Tuchel believes that with the emotion of Klopp’s reunion over, Dortmund can truly show what their made of at Anfield. He said “That was a special situation with Jürgen coming back to the club where he had such a successful time, you cannot deny that energy.”

He added that there was an unmissable energy at the Westfalenstadion, with the emotion surrounding Klopp being back at Dortmund, when so many of Tuchel’s current players were with him. He said “You cannot deny the emotion that built up but the second leg is different to the first. We will be uninhibited.” He maintained that the focus is completely on playing football. “The players have a chance to immerse themselves in the experience of playing Liverpool at Anfield. We are in a much more positive frame of mind.”

On the second leg

Tuchel said that he didn’t care about the result of the first leg because he doesn’t think it will have that much of an influence on the tie. He went on to say, “I don’t think the first leg result is important because we are here to bring out a new potential in the team, to see how far we are and to score at Anfield. We don’t want to score one, but two, maybe more. We want to attack and to take risks. We like to play and it’s very clear we will have to be at our best but we are ready for it.”

On Anfield’s European nights

On the eve of the 27th Anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, the atmosphere at Anfield will be emotional and filled with passion, which might prove to be an advantage to the Reds. However, Tuchel’s men are no strangers to enthusiastic fans and passionate supporters, playing in front of nearly 81,000 Dortmund fans every other week.

He said he and his players are relishing the opportunity to play at Liverpool’s famous ground. As reported by ThisIsAnfield, he said “It is the first time I have been here but everyone knows about the Kop, the history and the red kits. It is difficult to describe exactly how I feel.”

He said the game would be watched by millions and they would be ready to put out a special performance.

Tomas Tuchel’s side will not be fazed by Anfield’s atmosphere and will look to take apart Klopp’s Liverpool and move on to the the semis. They face a confident Liverpool side who will be boosted by their home fans.

But that would mean little for Aubameyang & co as they try to make up for last week’s draw with a comprehensive
victory.

Report: Arsene Wenger makes Alvaro Morata a top summer target

Arsene Wenger has made Juventus striker Alvaro Morata one of his top summer transfer targets, reports the Telegraph.

The Frenchman is keen to add to his squad and improve the spine of his first team and that includes adding a top class centre forward.

That has been an area that Gunners fans have long wanted adding to, and it seems the long serving manager has heard their calls.

There are presumably a number of centre forwards in his sights, and Juventus forward Morata is thought to be among them.

The 23-year-old could be on the market this summer as Real Madrid may look to re-sign him and then sell him on at a profit.

If they do manage to do that, they will only sell for more than £30 million, meaning Arsenal will have to pay big to secure the Spaniard’s signature, although it is believed by the Telegraph that they could comfortably match Real’s valuation.

Juventus though are not keen to lose their man however, who has 25 goals in 87 appearances in two years, and are prepared to fight to keep him in Turin, but it is Real Madrid who hold the cards.

" POGBA WILL FIT WELL HERE"

Barcelona star Neymar has urged Juventus ace Paul Pogba to snub the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City and join him at the Nou Camp instead, according to reports from talkSPORT .

Pogba has been heavily linked with a move away from the Juventus Stadium the past few transfer windows, with a host of elite European clubs keen on the highly-coveted France international.

Just 23-years-old, Pogba has won the Serie A title three years in succession and helped Juve to the Champions League final against Barca last year, also being selected in the FIFA World XI back in January.

This has seen a host of Premier League clubs such as Chelsea, Man City, and former side Manchester United keen on his services, but Brazil superstar Neymar has spoken highly of Pogba on Barcelona’s official website, stating that he would fit well with the current European champions.

"He is young, and I like how he plays," Neymar said.

"I like how he does things. I would love to swap shirts with him, and I think he would fit well at Barcelona."

Pogba, valued at £80million , has made 42 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring eight goals and supplying 12 assists.

Proven manager told to steer clear of Manchester United by former player

Manchester United Football Club could well have a new manager when the first ball of next season is kicked, with many thinking that Jose Mourinho could be the man in charge. Another name who has been linked with an Old Trafford move is Mauricio Pochettino, but he has been told to steer clear.

Ledley King knows Tottenham inside-out, and he has told the Argentinian boss to stick at it at White Hart Lane instead of making the move North.

“We all know Manchester United is a huge club but at the moment there is a lot of uncertainty there with what’s happening,” he said.

“At Tottenham, things seem to be very well balanced.
He’s got a group of young players who are singing to his tune so I’m sure he’s just concentrating on finishing the season as well as possible.

“If you’re a player playing well then people will be after you and it’s the same for a coach.

“But that’s part of the enjoyment of it and I think this manager is enjoying the challenge right now of working with these young players.

“He’s in a great place with a new stadium on the way, so I think the manager is very happy where he is.”

These are strong words from King, and being a Spurs man through and through obviously he wants the best coach in charge. Pochettino is doing a fantastic job at the moment, and you’d imagine United are looking at bringing him in. However he is a very loyal man, and if Spurs finish above United this term I highly doubt he’d leave.

Chelsea confirm Conte as new manager

Chelsea have announced that Antonio Conte, will take charge of the team after Euro 2016 tournament.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC), last month confirmed that Conte will be leaving his post as Azzuri coach when his contract expires in July.

Conte has now signed a three-year deal, to become the Blues’ new permanent boss, after Guus Hiddink leaves at the end of the season.

“I am very excited about the prospect of working at Chelsea Football Club. I am proud to be the coach of the national team of my country and only a role as attractive as manager of Chelsea could follow that,” Conte told Chelsea’s official website.

“I am looking forward to meeting everyone at the club and the day-to-day challenge of competing in the Premier League. Chelsea and English football are watched wherever you go, the fans are passionate and my ambition is to have more success to follow the victories I enjoyed in Italy.

“I am happy we have made the announcement now so everything is clear and we can end the speculation. I will continue to focus on my job with the Italian national team and will reserve speaking about Chelsea again until after the Euros.”

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck added: “Antonio Conte has a record of consistent success in his career as a manager and as a player. We look forward to welcoming him to Stamford Bridge and are confident he will find all he needs to maintain that high standard of achievement.”

Massimiliano Allegri, Diego Simeone, Jorge Sampaoli and Mauricio Pochettino were the other candidates in the race to coach the Stamford Bridge outfit.