2014 World Cup Draw in Full

Hot off the press! This is the World Cup Draw that was just announced. The draw has just finished in Brazil with some interesting groups. There are a couple of easier ones and a couple that will be difficult to advance from.

Check them out to see which ones you think will be the most exciting. England is drawn against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica. This looks like a three-way battle between Italy, Uruguay and the English to grab the top two spots.

The event will kick off in mid-June as long as the stadiums are completed on time.The ticket sales have been pretty brisk so far so it should be well attended. Which group would you call the Group of Death and which do you think is the easiest of the groups?

It could be a great spectacle if all teams play up to their potential and we could see a few upsets along the way.

Source

7 Reasons Why Cristian Ronaldo Should Win 2013 FIFA BALLON D'OR

So I got this interesting article from Cr7 fan site. I know I'm going to get a couple of messages after this post (from people who would consider me biased), I'm really not bothered. I post whatever I deem newsworthy on my blog and this is part of it. So if you have a similar topic to share i.e. Reasons why Messi/Ribery should win. Ps: It might interest you to know that I'm neither a Madrid or CR7 fan. I root for Barcelona, a MessiVoltron for that matter.hehehe. Note: the points were NOT written by me. I only shortened them.
3 players are in contention for the 2013 Ballon d'Or award. (Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery). These are 7 reasons why CR7 fans think he should win this year's award.
By the way, CR7 might not travel to Zurich next year because of the way Blatter mocked him last October.

7 reasons on why Cristiano Ronaldo should win
(1) Most goals scored in the 2013 calendar year
Club and Country records; Cristiano Ronaldo scored 67 goals, Messi 45, Ribery 21 goals.
(2) Helped Portugal qualify for World Cup on his own
If it hadn't Portugal wouldn't have made it to the World Cup. In 2013, CR7 scored 10 goals out of 9 appearances.
(3) - Top goalscorer of the UEFA Champions League
The Real Madrid forward finished the last Champions League campaign (2012-13) with 12 goals scored. Franck Ribery scored 1 goal despite Bayern Munich winning the CL trophy. Messi came 3rd.

(4) Odds favourite

This means the real chances each player has of winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or. On the day voting closed, Ronaldo odds to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or were stacked at 1.25, while Messi and Ribery both had a payout factor of 6.00. As at Dec 5, Ronaldo's odds were set around 1.60 as of today.
(5) The delay of FIFA's voting deadline
FFIFA extending Ballon d'Or voting for two more weeks means Ronaldo's performance during Portugal Vs Sweden could still weigh in the decision process. The deadline extension has undoubtedly benefitted Ronaldo, Ribery didn't really influence France's win against Ukraine and Messi didn't even play during this period due to an injury.
(6) - The most 2nd place titles ever for the Ballon d'Or award
No other player in football history has been voted the 2nd best player in the World (on a calendar year) for so many times as Ronaldo. CR7 has finished in 2nd place for 4 times already. If he finishes 2nd again after all he has done in 2013, then it seems safe to say that he will never win this award again.

(7) The "Blatter effect"
After FIFA president Joseph Blatter's disrespectful remark during the Oxford Union Society event on October 25, many people who had always been neutral towards Ronaldo's claims about being treated unfairly by FIFA over the past years, suddenly decided to back up and side with Ronaldo. These people
can actually include some who have already cast their votes for the upcoming 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Credit: Ronaldo7.net

OZIL'S GIFT TO MOURINHO AFTER ARSENAL'S DEFEAT

Missing the old boss? Arsenal's midfielder, Mesut Ozil put his club's loss to Chelsea last night behind him and gave Jose Mourinho a gift. After the match, the German who joined the game during the second half, went to Mourinho gave him a warm hug, took off his jersey and handed it over to him. :) It would be recalled that the ex-Madrid player worked with the Portuguese coach at the Bernabeu before his move to Emirates this summer.

FIFA U-17: Mexico 1 - 6 Nigeria

 

 Three-time champions Nigeria left little to doubt when they opened their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign against twice champions and holders Mexico in Al Ain, winning out by an emphatic 6-1 scoreline. The result piles more unhappiness on the Mexican nation, whose senior team is experiencing a crisis in senior FIFA World Cup qualifying, while Nigeria sit comfy and cozy at the top of Group F.

Nigeria looked nervous early, but the Mexicans were unable to take advantage of their opponents’ trepidation. Striker Ulises Jaimes had a chance to score with his head after only three minutes, but the ball was deflected wide of danger by the scrambling Nigerian defence.

With a half-hour gone, and after a few more Mexican half-chances, the Africans had settled into their rhythm. That was bad news for Mexico. With 33 minutes gone, the speedy Golden Eaglets were through on a counter-attack. Success Isaac, who seven times in the African qualifiers, raced in and rounded the goalkeeper, pulling the ball back across goal. Kelechi Iheanacho followed the play and produced a clever finish, hitting the ball high into the net to get over a pair of Mexican defenders.

Seven minutes later, the No10 – hands-down the best player on the pitch – scored again. The pattern was the same, Isaac crossing from the left after a fast-break and Iheanacho keeping his cool again, cutting inside and showing great patience to drift past two defender and slam into the side netting.

The Nigerians celebrated wildly in front of their large banks of fans, but their enthusiasm got the better of them as they conceded a goal a minute later. Still in dreamland, the African defenders failed to clear their lines and the ball fell kindly for Jaimes in the area, with the Morelia youngster rounding his man to score low in the corner.

The Mexican euphoria couldn’t last, however, and Iheanacho had his hat-trick seconds into the second-half. With the ball flicked on from a long throw-in, the livewire slammed it home, low and hard, at the near post to make it 3-0 for the rampaging Nigerians. It was 4-0 three minutes later, when Chidiebere Nwakali fired the ball in from 25 yards out, signaling a certain rout as the Negerian fans chanted for more, more, more.

Isaac provided it on the hour-mark when he raced on to a through-ball, bamboozled two tired and devastated Mexican defenders and fired inside the near post from 12 yards out. With 30 minutes to go, the irrepressible Iheanacho bagged his fourth goal. He cut in from the right side and fired a vicious strike from a long way out that Gudino got his finger-tips to, but had no chance of keeping out of the top corner to make the final score a frightening 6-1.

Up next for the impressive Nigerians is a date with Scandinavian debutants Sweden in three days’ time, when Mexico try to get things back on track against Iraq.

Brazil 2014: Ethiopians beg Arsenal young-star, Gedion Zelalem on twitter, to help beat Super Eagles at Sunday

A World Cup berth appears unlikely after their home defeat to Nigeria but a growing legion of Ethiopian fans are taking to Twitter to lure overseas-based players eligible to represent the Walyas.

Nigeria came from behind to snatch a last gasp 2-1 win over Ethiopia in the first leg of their playoff in Addis Ababa after two goals from Emmanuel Emenike helped them take a big step towards next year’s finals in Brazil.


But Ethiopian fans have now found something to cheer about as their largely-domestic based Walyas – named after an endemic antelope – could be boosted by a small contingent of players plying their trade in Europe.

After Arsenal’s 16-year old prodigy Gedion Zelalem – who is also eligible to play for Germany and the United States – tweeted “Still proud” following Sunday’s loss, Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom took on the task of luring the young Gunner.

“Hi Gedion. Good to hear from you. We hope you will play for Ethiopia soon,” he tweeted back.

Tedros also contacted Norway-based striker Askar Amin, who plays for top flight side Brann, via the micro-blogging platform.

“I just spoke to Amin on the phone and he’s very positive about playing for our country. Thanks so much Amin!,” the official tweeted.

Ethiopian fans have now launched what they dub a “Twitter diplomacy” campaign to snap up Arsenal midfielder Zelalem, under “#ZelalemForEthiopia”.

“Join #ZelalemForEthiopia and share your thoughts if you want to see Gedion Zelalem to join the Walyas,” tweeted @Fahologist, a Kinshasa-based Ethiopian.

Walyas’ coach Sewnet Bishaw said he would not contact Zelalem personally.

“Unless he sends his application to the (Ethiopian Football) Federation, or calls one of the football officials or me, how can I bring him? I don’t even know his address,” he told Reuters.

“If he decides to play for Ethiopia and asks us, then things will be easy.”

Zelalem, currently sidelined through injury, impressed during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia before he was named among the substitutes for the Premier League match against Fulham in August.

Arsenal fans have labelled him the “new Fabregas” after the Spaniard Cesc Fabregas who transferred from the Premier League club to Barcelona.

Rabiu Ibrahim Collapsed On The Pitch, Rushed To Hospital

Rabiu Ibrahim was rushed to hospital after collapsing on the pitch on Saturday.

Join us on Facebook and Twitter for more interaction over this.

The Kilmarnock FC midfielder collapsed after a collision with Ross County's Ivan Sproule in the 35th minute, and was subsequently stretchered off the pitch and rushed to a nearby hospital.

Kilmarnock went on to record their first win of the season as Scottish international striker Kris Boyd and Jackson Irvine scored in either half to seal the win for the hosts.

After enduring torrid spells at Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Celtic, Ibrahim's career has taken an upward trajectory since joining the modest club, as has featured in all the clubs ten League games played so far this season.

Kilmarnock are placed second from bottom in the 12-team Scottish Premiership.

(Kick off)

Arsenal and Chelsea win as Manchester United draw with Southampton at Saturday,

Arsenal opened up a two-point gap at the top of the Premier League after thrashing Norwich City at home as Manchester United stuttered again in their wobbling title defence.


Sunderland boss Gus Poyet endured an afternoon to forget in his first match in charge, while Steven Gerrard scored a landmark goal as Liverpool drew at Newcastle United.

Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o finally got off the mark in a home win over Cardiff City, Everton edged past Hull City and Stoke City were held at home by West Bromwich Albion.

Arsenal claimed the outright lead in the Premier League as Mesut Ozil scored a second-half brace in a 4-1 win over Norwich at the Emirates Stadium.

Quick passing and clever improvisation brought Arsenal's opener on 18 minutes as Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere combined for the England midfielder to side-foot past John Ruddy.

Another excellent move led to Arsenal's second goal on 58 minutes when the leaders broke from outside their own penalty area before Giroud crossed for Ozil to head beyond Ruddy.

Norwich pulled a goal back with 20 minutes to go when Arsenal could only clear a cross to the edge of the box where Jonny Howson collected the ball and drilled a low shot past Wojciech Szczesny.

But any hope of an equaliser was snuffed out seven minutes from time when substitute Aaron Ramsey bamboozled two Norwich defenders before guiding his shot past Ruddy.

Ramsey was involved in Arsenal's fourth goal two minutes from the end when he laid Tomas Rosicky's cross back to Ozil to finish first time.

Manchester United's frustrating start to the season continued after Southampton scored a late equaliser to earn a deserved 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

United went ahead on 26 minutes when Adnan Januzaj's superb pass sent Wayne Rooney through on goal. Rooney's shot was saved by Artur Boruc, but the ball bounced out to Robin van Persie and he skipped past the stranded Saints keeper before rolling his shot beyond a sliding defender.

Rooney struck the crossbar with a thumping volley moments later and Van Persie headed against the bar in the second half before Southampton snatched a deserved equaliser a minute from time.

A corner was curled in from the left which United failed to deal with and Dejan Lovren got some sort of touch before the ball trickled past David de Gea.

Cameroon striker Eto'o scored his first Chelsea goal and Eden Hazard notched a brace in a 4-1 home victory over promoted Cardiff.

Cardiff stunned Stamford Bridge after 10 minutes when David Luiz left Ramires' back-pass and Jordon Mutch nipped in to dink the ball over the exposed Petr Cech.

Chelsea equalised in controversial circumstances on 33 minutes when Eto'o kicked the ball away from David Marshall as the Cardiff keeper bounced it.

Hazard fed possession back to Eto'o and, after the former Barcelona forward had dithered six yards out, the ball broke to his Belgian team-mate to score.

Eto'o then finally broke his duck for Chelsea on 66 minutes as he controlled Hazard's pass before firing a low shot past Marshall.

Jose Mourinho's side put the game beyond Cardiff with two goals in four minutes as Oscar hammered a 25-yard effort beyond Marshall before the visiting keeper failed to keep out Hazard's low shot.

Liverpool captain Gerrard scored his 100th Premier League goal as his side twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with 10-man Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Newcastle took the lead midway through the first half when Yohan Cabaye's dipping shot from 35 yards bounced beyond Simon Mignolet's dive.

But Liverpool equalised three minutes before half-time when Gerrard scored from the penalty spot after Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa was sent off for pulling back Luis Suarez.

Alan Pardew's side regained the lead on 56 minutes when substitute Paul Dummett took advantage of poor defending to side-foot home Cabaye's free-kick at the far post for his first Newcastle goal.

Liverpool hit back for a second time on 72 minutes when Daniel Sturridge headed home Luis Suarez's cross before the Uruguayan clipped the crossbar with a volley three minutes later.

Steven Pienaar made an instant impact as a substitute to hand Everton a 2-1 victory over Hull City at Goodison Park.

Everton enjoyed a flying start by taking the lead on eight minutes when Kevin Mirallas' low shot from outside the area crept inside the post.

Hull responded with the equaliser on the half-hour mark when Sone Aluko pulled the ball back from the right-hand side for Yannick Sagbo to slam home his first goal for the club.

The home side regained the lead on 57 minutes when Pienaar steered the ball home with his first touch from Mirallas' cross into the box.

Poyet suffered a miserable start to his Sunderland tenure as the recalled Phil Bardsley's own goal set Swansea on the way to a 4-0 win at the Liberty Stadium.

A flurry of three goals in seven minutes started on 57 minutes when Jonathan de Guzman's corner from the right was diverted past Sunderland keeper Keiren Westwood by defender Bardsley, who was making his first appearance of the season.

Within a minute, Swansea had taken a 2-0 lead as De Guzman received the ball 25 yards from goal and curled a brilliant shot beyond the reach of Westwood.

And on 64 minutes, Swansea had a third goal to celebrate when Wilfried Bony scored from the penalty spot after Leon Britton had been fouled by Craig Gardner.

Swansea made Poyet's afternoon even worse 10 minutes from time when Chico Flores' header from another De Guzman corner bounced past Westwood off Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher.

Stephane Sessegnon missed golden opportunities in each half as West Brom drew 0-0 with Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.

(Sky Sports)

Liverpool Moves Into Top Spot of The Premier League Table

Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League table with a comfortable 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Liverpool began in fine style taking the lead just 13-minutes in when Luis Suarez managed to sweep the ball home 12-yards despite being surrounded by defenders.

Just moments later and Daniel Sturridge's kept up his brilliant start to the new season when firing home after turning Damien Delaney inside-out.
The third, just before the break, was somewhat harsh on Palace as Dean Moxey was adjudged to have pulled Raheem Sterling back just inside the back and skipper Steven Gerrard made no mistake to slot him his 99th Premier League goal for Liverpool.
Palace did improve after the break and they claimed a goal with 15-minutes left as Dwight Gayle flicked home Jose Campana's free-kick from close-range - but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
The win takes Liverpool above Arsenal into top spot, whilst Palace remain second from bottom after their sixth defeat of the season.

Owoeye becomes SuperSports’ 1st pidgin-English commentator

Timi Owoeye has become SuperSports’ first Pidgin-English commentator.


Owoeye emerged on Friday to clinch the position out of more than 1,000 candidates who entered for the month-long maiden SuperSports ‘Follow Ya Mouth’, Pidgin-English commentator search.

SuperSports said in a statement in Lagos on Friday that Owoeye was given one year contract with effect from Nov. 1.

He would be expected to thrill followers of the Glo Premier League (GPL) via the Pidgin- English commentaries.

The `Follow Ya Mouth search’ took the contestants from Lagos to Warri, Port Harcourt and Uyo in the quest to pick a lucky Nigerian.

No fewer than 12 contestants emerged from the regional auditioning.

At the end, three finalists: Babah Kay, Benedict Wakama and Owoeye were short listed

The Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), Nduka Irabor, witnessed the event

The judges were veteran broadcaster, Deji Omotoyinbo, Tega Onojaife and Nedu Ani

Owoeye said, “winning the search is a golden opportunity that will have positive impact on me and I appreciate everyone who contributed to my emergence.’’


The General Manager of SuperSports, Felix Awogu said: “we are making available a new window of opportunity to young talented Nigerians to contribute to the development of our football.” (NAN)

Teenager, Januzaj scores twice to save Manchester United

Teenage starlet Adnan Januzaj scored twice as Manchester United came from behind to win 2-1 at Sunderland on Saturday and revive their flagging Premier League title defence.



The champions had made their worst start to a season since 1989 and were set on course for a third consecutive defeat when Craig Gardner scored an early goal for bottom club Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

However, on his first league start for the club, 18-year-old Januzaj scored two fine goals in the space of seven minutes early in the second half to snatch victory and send United up to ninth place in the table.

United manager David Moyes has been bullish about his ability to turn United’s season around, but he saw Gardner give Sunderland a fifth-minute lead after Nemanja Vidic fluffed an attempted clearance.

The visitors were then indebted to goalkeeper David de Gea for a breath-taking full-stretch save to touch away a header from Emanuele Giaccherini, who also blazed wastefully over on the verge of half-time.

United had struggled to cope with their hosts’ furious work rate, but they levelled in the 55th minute when Januzaj met Patrice Evra’s drilled cross with a measured side-foot finish that flashed into the net.

The Belgian youngster’s work was not finished, and minutes later he claimed a glorious winner, thumping a sweet left-foot volley into the bottom-right corner after Nani’s cross was headed into the air by United old boy John O’Shea.

Robin van Persie spurned a late chance to make the game safe, but Sunderland, for whom caretaker manager Kevin Ball remains at the helm, could not find an equaliser.

Liverpool returned to the top of the table after in-form strike duo Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge both found the net in a 3-1 win at home to Crystal Palace.
David Moyes

David Moyes

Suarez was making his first Anfield appearance since completing a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last season and with new-born son Benjamin in attendance, he broke the deadlock in the 14th minute.

The goal showcased the Uruguayan’s flair for improvisation, as he hooked the ball into the net from a prone position after slipping as he shaped to shoot.

Top scorer Sturridge added a second three minutes later, turning Damien Delaney inside out before lashing home his fifth league goal of the season.

Captain Steven Gerrard made it 3-0 with a 38th-minute penalty, taking his tally of Premier League goals to 99, before substitute Dwight Gayle replied for the visitors with a late glancing header.

Victory took Brendan Rodgers’s side a point clear of Arsenal, who can reclaim top spot if they avoid defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Rodgers heralded strike duo Suarez and Sturridge, saying: “They were exceptional today. Their combination play was outstanding and they are right up there with the best in this league.”

Earlier, Manchester City bounced back from defeats by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich to end Everton’s unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Everton took a 16th-minute lead through on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, but Alvaro Negredo equalised immediately from Yaya Toure’s fine reverse pass.

City lost captain Vincent Kompany to injury, but Sergio Aguero put the hosts ahead just before the interval.

A foul by Seamus Coleman on Pablo Zabaleta gave Aguero a chance to extend City’s lead from the penalty spot in the 69th minute and although Tim Howard turned his shot onto the post, the ball bounced against the American goalkeeper and into the net for an own goal.

“Equalising immediately was important, but more important was the character of the team, playing against Everton — the only unbeaten team in the league,” said City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

“After a defeat (by Bayern) on Wednesday, it was important for me to see how the players reacted.”

Loic Remy scored twice in the space of eight first-half minutes as Newcastle United claimed a first win in three games with a 2-1 victory at Cardiff City, who replied through Peter Odemwingie.

Fulham climbed out of the relegation zone after a neat 83rd-minute strike from Darren Bent secured a 1-0 win at home to Stoke City, while Aston Villa were held to a 0-0 draw at Hull City.

Osaze — I Regret Insulting Keshi But He Wasn't Fair To Me

Estranged Super Eagles attacker Osaze Odemwingie has said he regrets his abusive Twitter comments. He claimed they were made because coach Stephen Keshi was not fair to him. He even described Chris Green, whom he had also abused, as a good man:

“I remember it was Green who settled my case with Siasia then, but I was too angry when he called me over this matter, and was impatient to listen to him.”  

“My comment was not directed at him personally, but to those who made the decision, but I think I overreacted then.”

On his face-off with Keshi, Osaze said:

“I called the coach two or three times within that period, maybe two or three days before the list was made public and told him of my commitment to be part of the Nations Cup, and have told my (club) coach I will be going to the Nations Cup.

“I told the coach I was ready to report to camp by January 3, even before other professionals start reporting to camp, if I were in his programme for the Nations Cup, and even told him to feel free to drop me, if I were not in his programme.

“I felt betrayed after that seeming heart-to-heart discussions with the coach few days to the release of the team list and he could not hint me I was not in his plan for the Nations Cup.

“I am human and open to errors by the way I may have taken the issue, and regret the whole controversy, and want to put all this behind me now and focus on my club career, while wishing the team the best of luck as a Nigerian.”

Recall that the West Bromwich striker had in the wake of the release of the Nigeria provisional team list for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations taken to his Twitter account and made disparaging comments against Keshi, the team captain and some Nigeria Football Federation officials. 

Past coaches, including Samson Siasia and Lars Lagerback, were not spared and continued days later with direct hits at ex-Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba.

However, Osaze said his mistakes were made in a fit of anger.

Talking Horses

They race on Wednesday on the all-weather at Lingfield, above, where Yarroom is the best bet in the opening race. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

11.45am Dettori gets six month ban for positive drugs test

Tony Paley: Frankie Dettori has been suspended from riding for six months after being found guilty of taking a prohibited substance, his legal representative Christopher Stewart-Moore said on Wednesday morning.

The three-times British champion jockey, 41, tested positive for what is believed to be cocaine following a routine examination at Longchamp on September 16. Dettori's suspension runs from November 20 to May 19 and is likely to be reciprocated by racing jurisdictions worldwide, including by the British Horseracing Authority.

He will be back in time to ride in the Epsom Derby. You can read more details throughout the day in our story here.

9.30am Catterick gets go-ahead but more weather worries for racing

Tony Paley: Wednesday's meeting at Catterick goes ahead following an early-morning course inspection. With temperatures having only dipped to minus 1C, allied to a dry night, the jumps fixture was promptly given the go-ahead at 7.30am.

Catterick clerk of the course Fiona Needham said: "It's very good news. We had no snow and overnight temperatures got down to minus 1C, which wasn't a problem." The going is soft, good to soft in places.

Meanwhile, Thursday's meetings at Wincanton and Leicester must pass 8am precautionary inspections on raceday morning. Although the Somerset circuit is raceable, course officials are taking no chances. Overnight temperatures are set to drop to minus 2C, but the inspection has been called in case the frost is sharper than has been forecast.

Wincanton Clerk of the course Barry Johnson said: "I'm very confident we'll be fine - we'll be OK with minus 2C - but some forecasts are predicting minus 4C. There's no frost in the ground now, but the ground is quite wet. It's very much a precautionary inspection."

Frost is the main issue at Leicester, with temperatures set to drop to as low as minus 5C. A maximum daytime temperature of 2C on Thursday has also been forecast.

Clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson said on Wednesday morning: "There's no frost whatsoever this morning - we are perfectly raceable - but there is quite a severe frost forecast tonight. If we think we have a chance at 8am, we'll probably call another inspection later in the morning and then, possibly, look again. We've got to be patient."

Wednesday's best bets, by Tony Paley

It was snowing, OK it was sleeting, this morning in north London, but with the weather forecast suggesting freezing temperatures overnight, more flurries of snow and heavy rain on the way by the end of the week it's probably best to grab that all-weather form book and take a peek at life on the sand.

Lingfield is a good place to start as the course is starting an extended run of eight days racing caused by the temporary closure of Wolverhampton and flooding at Southwell which is likely to set to keep that track out of action until the new year.

The first race there on Wednesday features the best bet of the day in the shape of Yarroom (12.00) from Roger Varian's yard. The Cape Cross colt impressed when getting off the mark at Wolverhampton last time, easing clear to win by seven lengths and it will be disappointing if he can't follow up off top weight on his handicap debut.

Hometown Glory (1.30), who should be suited by stepping up in trip to a mile for trainer Brian Meehan, is another to consider on the Polytrack card. He has a good record on the surface and everything looks in place for him to give a good account on Wednesday afternoon.

Catterick getting the go-ahead on Wednesday is a bonus as Rear Admiral (12.20) looks well worth a very close look in the opener at the Yorkshire track. He has been in excellent form in the point-to-point field since his last run over hurdles with four easy wins from five starts. The selection hails from the shrewd Mick Easterby camp and they could well have a very well handicapped runner on their hands.

Tipping competition, day two

Perhaps the Anglo French race at Folkestone wasn't the friendliest race we could have chosen yesterday. In any event, no one had the winner, Fitandproperjob (9-1). Yossarian24 had the other two, Rouge Et Blanc (100-30) and Angel Cake (6-1), giving him the early lead.

This week's prize is a copy of the Racing Post's annual, now in its second year and a really good-quality offering that any fan of the sport will enjoy, with masses of lovely pics and contributions from Tony McCoy, Richard Hughes and Willie Mullins. If you don't win, you can buy a copy here.

To kick things off, we'd like your tips, please, for these races: 2.40 Hereford, 2.50 Catterick, 5.50 Kempton.

You'll see that we have a new presentation format for comments in the sports section of the website, below. Apparently, a bug means that you can't display more than 50 comments on the same page, but they're working to fix this so that you will, once again, be able to display all comments at once.

As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today but you will start on -3.

In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.

For terms and conditions click here.

IKHANA: WHY WE FAILED IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Former chief coach of Super Falcons, Kadiri Ikhana has shed light on why the senior women’s national team he led to the African Women’s Championship in Equatorial Guinea failed to retain the trophy and the reason why he resigned his appointment. He told RICHARD JIDEAKA that the host country's antics and absence of two key players frustrated his team from doing well…

How did you feel leading the Super Falcons to relinquish the AWC title without a fight in Equatorial Guinea?

Well, I felt very sad and disappointed that we failed to retain the cup as we planned to do from the beginning. A lot of factors actually affected the team from performing at its optimal best. To show how devastated I felt after we lost in the semi-final to South Africa, I took a decision to resign and which I did as soon as we returned to Nigeria.

Coach, were you forced to resign or you did that out of your own volition considering the fact that your contract said you should at least reach the semi- final of the championship?

But you know me very well that nobody can force me out. I resigned because I failed to meet the target I set for myself. My target was to win the trophy but having surprisingly lost in the semi-final, I just knew it was all over for me.

You mentioned that so many factors were responsible for the Super Falcons’ poor outing in anAfrican championships; can you divulge some of these factors?
 
Yes, one of them was that 10 days to our departure on a training tour of Ghana, the NFF technical department with the directive from the technical committee chairman released two of my key attackers to a foreign club without my consent. I protested this action which I regarded as a deliberate attempt to frustrate and weaken the team. I expressed my bitterness when I went to defend the list before the technical committee members but I was assured that the club would release the players for the competition which they never did. The players in question- Desire Oparanozie and Francisca Ordega, are by all standard players who could have turned things around for the team. When it became obvious that I would not have them for the championship, I had to quickly draft in some new players as replacements.

Another factor was the late arrival of foreign-based players to join the team. Five of the foreign-based players invited for the AWC were only able to join us three days to our departure to Ghana and the sixth player, Perpetua Nkwocha, joined us on the day of our departure to Ghana. This short period did not allow us to evaluate their fitness level; psychological and mental preparedness but having registered them based on their pedigree, we had to make do with them.

Could there be any other factor that led to your dismal outing at the AWC?


Of course, the major factor why we lost was the antics of the host and organizers. It was as if they had mapped out strategies to frustrate us and this began as soon as we landed at the Malabo airport on Thursday October 25. They made things difficult for us and easy for other teams. They succeeded because at the end, our players lost concentration and became frustrated. Some of them even fell sick and could not play some games. They made us stay for about five hours at the airport before we could board our flights to and from Malabo and Bata. They provided inadequate rooms for the team and some of us had to stay in different hotels. Can you imagine that for us to eat we had to move from one hotel to another three times in a day and none of these took nothing less than an hour. We were made to shuttle between Bata and Malabo. We traveled more than all other teams during the championship.

Back to your preparation for the championship, would you say it was adequate and that the NFF played their role very well?

To be fair to the federation, they gave us the best of preparation any team can ask of. The team lost because we fell to the antics of the hosts and despite all the efforts made by Dr. Sanusi Mohammed and others to lift the girls’ spirit, nothing came out of it.

What is the way forward for Nigerian women’s football?

The NFF should settle the feud in the women’s league and ensure that the league becomes competitive and attractive. Again, they should use the age grade teams for developmental competitions and not the ‘you must qualify’ idea that is ruining the progress of the senior team. I mean players must not be allowed to play any age grade competition twice and any player in the senior team must not be allowed to return to the junior team no matter how young she may be. I think, we still have what it takes to rule Africa again if the whole of next year is used to build a new team since there would be no competition next year. I also think that the so- called foreign based players should be made to join camp at least two weeks before any major competition or we forget about them. From my observation, it seems that they either do not play football regularly over there or that the standard of the league they play is too low.

Would you give female football another try if given the opportunity?

In my resignation letter, I thanked the NFF president for the opportunity given me to serve the country and I hope to serve again if they find me suitable for any job. So, I would be ready to coach the girls again because I was able to instill discipline in the team and I know I can do better than I did last time.
 

AGBIM: VENEZUELA WIN WILL BOOST OUR AFCON PREPARATION

Super Eagles reserve goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim has told IZUCHUKWU OKOSI that last Thursday’s international friendly game in USA was the beginning of good preparation ahead of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa

How would you describe the Super Eagles’ performance in the friendly match against Venezuela in Miami, USA last week?

It was not an easy game despite the result. The Venezuelan side has some experienced and gifted players so it was not easy at all to beat them. We also have very good players who are motivated to do well and fight for their places in the Nations Cup squad.

You did not play any part in the game in Miami, were you disappointed?

Well, I would have loved to play a part in that game because it was a friendly affair, but I have to respect the decision of the coach to leave me out. Being in the team was a privilege in the first place but I know that my time to play consistently in the national team will come.

There are plans by the Nigeria Football Federation to arrange more friendly games this time with African teams before the Nations Cup. How are the players looking forward to playing those games?

The friendly game against African sides will be fine because of the Africa Nations Cup coming up in less than two months in South Africa. The countries that have been mooted as our likely opponents are very strong sides and I believe that we will give a good account of ourselves in those games as usual.

The Nigeria Premier League season has not kicked- off yet, don’t you think it will affect the match fitness and invariably the chances of the home-based players to make the Nations Cup squad?

It is a worrisome development but the coaches know the abilities of the players in the Nigeria Premier League- especially those who have been part of the national team set-up. Hopefully, when the camping for the Nations Cup opens on December 17, everything will be sorted out before the end of the exercise.

The whole team celebrated the win over Venezuela in Miami after the game. What was the mood amongst the players and coaches like?

The win was a morale booster and it also means that the team is improving and can get better when the Nations Cup comes around.

How did Stephen Keshi motivate the team before the game?

He told us to prove that we merit a place in his team for the Nations Cup. He was happy that the likes of Shola Ameobi and Bright Dike opted to represent Nigeria. From all he has been saying to the players, he has confidence in our abilities. He respects our feelings and always inspire his players which is very important in the game of football.

The team will camp in Faro, Portugal ahead of the Nations Cup. Do you think weather factors will hinder your preparations for the Nations Cup?

The camping in Europe will not affect us rather it will help us, the home-based players especially. It will be winter in South Africa in January and playing Venezuela was like playing away from home.

The likes of Shola Ameobi and Bright Dike made their Super Eagles debuts against Venezuela. What impact would you say they made in the team?

Both players were excited to play for Nigeria and it showed in their performances. Dike plays in the MLS but despite that, you could see that he was happy to play for Nigeria. Ameobi is an experienced player and his qualities are needed in the team. If you have such players in your team, you know that you have a genuine chance to do well against your opponents. He was a source of inspiration to other players.

Sammy, Shola’s brother has decided to wait for a chance to play for England in future; do you think he should emulate his brother and play for Nigeria?

It would be nice to have both of them play for Nigeria because they are both gifted players.

Sammy was invited to the Flying Eagles camp in the past even though he eventually did not play for the team.
Well, it’s his decision to make. Let’s see if he would have a change of mind.

With the determination of other African Nations to win the Nations Cup, do you think the Eagles are ready for the threat of other teams?

The spirit amongst the players is very high and we want to win the Nations Cup. We will be ready for the challenges ahead surely.

You moved to Rangers FC of Enugu. How would you describe the new atmosphere?

Rangers are the pride of the eastern people, and I was warmly received when I got to the club. I could see that it was a team where you can develop as a player. It’s a friendly place to work and hopefully, I will do well with them.

Are you setting any personal target for the year 2013?

Of course, I do, every player does. I want to win the league with my new club, Rangers. It’s
been long since they won a title in the domestic scene and I want to be part of the team that will break that jinx.

Thank you for your time…

It’s always a pleasure to speak with you.

Manchester City's Champions League campaign is new top English flop

Roberto Mancini claimed he was not embarrassed after the defeat by Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday saw Manchester City crash out of the Champions League.

Roberto Mancini's Manchester City did not stand still in this Champions League campaign, they regressed. Three points, no wins, muted performances and an alarming lack of know-how marked a path to bottom place in Group D. Even Europa League football – the "prize" for finishing third of four teams – was beyond reach.

This goes down as the most dire English performance in the group stages of the continent's elite competition. The nadir of Blackburn Rovers in 1995-96, which featured the David Batty-Graeme Le Saux punch-up at Spartak Moscow, showed a final tally of four points and can now be replaced by City's humiliation.

A phase that threw up the glory-soaked night of cash-strapped Celtic beating Barcelona 2-1 thanks to a late winner from an 18-year-old debutant, Tony Watt, had the £1bn Sheikh Mansour project taught a lesson at every stop it limped into. City scored only seven times (two fewer than last year), lost 3-1 to a callow Ajax in Amsterdam, and ended a painful, six-game long capitulation by surrendering on Tuesday evening to a largely second-string Borussia Dortmund.

The injured David Silva and Gaël Clichy apart, plus the suspended Yaya Touré, the XI sent out by Mancini, who cannot stop rotating strikers, was his strongest. For Dortmund, Jürgen Klopp fielded only five of the team that taught City a lesson in the earlier, reverse match between the two, as the captain, Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender and Mario Götze were injured and the star Polish trio of Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski were named only as substitutes.

Dietmar Hamann, the former City midfielder who won the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool, summed up the disbelief at the performance that sealed City's exit from European football this season. "The gulf looked very big," he told Sky Sports. "Borussia rested some of their top players. The players who came in for City all cost a lot of money. The Borussia players didn't. I saw one team that had the will to win and one that didn't. If I didn't know beforehand what their position in the group was I would have thought that Borussia had something to play for and City didn't."

As damning was the verdict of Ruud Gullit, a double European Cup winner with Milan: "The manager takes the responsibility when you win and when you lose. If the intention was to get out of playing in the Europa League then they did a great job. If their intention was to win to get in to the Europa League then they made a fool of themselves. It was dreadful. There was no team at all. I didn't see anybody getting mad or angry or even looking like they wanted to do it. It was such a bad performance. Even though they didn't want to play in the Europa League, at least they could have made an effort. At least do something.

"They bought a lot of players for their name. I don't think they bought players for other reasons. I don't see the reason they bought Maicon. Maybe someone can tell me that. They had some good players and they sold them."

In last season's Champions League bow City gathered 10 points, scored nine times and returned two victories to finish behind Napoli and Bayern Munich. Then, Mancini's mantra was that 10 points is usually enough to progress, and that lessons would be learned, the experience drawn on.

Yet the alarm again sounded as early as the end of this term's opener at Real Madrid. 87th and 90th minute goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo turned a 2-1 win into a morale sapping loss for City. "Mancini said after one defeat that he knew what the problem was and he would fix it," Gullit added. "That's what he said. I have not seen that he has fixed it. I just see them playing worse and worse."

From Madrid, Mancini's men sleepwalked through the stage. Two weeks later, Mario Balotelli's late penalty salvaged a point at the Etihad after Dortmund's slick passing and clever technique took City apart. Then came the debacle at Ajax despite Samir Nasri giving City a 22nd-minute lead, when lax defending and foggy-minded attacking allowed Frank de Boer's band to win at a canter, 3-1. In the return, the Dutch champions were 2-0 up after only 17 minutes before goals from Touré and Sergio Agüero salvaged a point. That made it only one managed from the six on offer against the group's weakest team.

Ultimately, this return cost Mancini's gang the chance to retain hope of progressing into the final two matches as the Italian faced the indignity of having José Mourinho bring his side to the Etihad in late November with City virtually out and watch the man who may replace him one day oversee the 1-1 draw that finally killed any mathematical chance. Of this, Mourinho laughed and said: "If it was Real Madrid the press wouldn't let me return to Madrid."

At the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday Mancini claimed he was not embarrassed by City's failure. He added: "Dortmund went out in the group stage last season, and were fourth. But this season they can win it in my opinion. When you start and make mistakes, like we did in the first two or three games, you cannot recover."

Football's ruthlessness means Mancini will be lucky to get the chance to make it third time lucky next season.

Shared woes match Portsmouth and Coventry amid football and finance

Portsmouth's financial woes may be reaching an end but Coventry's stadium issues also offer a grim lesson.

The battle over Fratton Park is shortly to be resolved in court (1). The twisted history of Portsmouth's financial ills and, indeed, its ownership ills seem to be moving towards a denouement (the topics of the stadium which has become separated from its club in ownership terms, and the mixed blessing that a new stadium can bring, are ones that I have covered in previous postings (see postings passim). Certainly as a member of the Pompey Supporters Trust, and a strong advocate of fan ownership, I want the Trust to "win" the case (they are not a directly participating party, hence the quotation marks). The case for a much lower valuation is a strong one, and for once I'm optimistic that the result will, for once, go the right way. If it doesn't, it will almost certainly mean the liquidation of the club, and the fight to establish a resurrection club will begin in earnest no doubt.

Nearer to home, literally, as I live in work in Coventry, if not metaphorically, the issue of the ownership of the Ricoh is almost as prominent on my radar.

Its origins go back to the heady days when Coventry was enjoying a notably long and unbroken run in the top flight, dating back to 1967 and the managership of Jimmy Hill. Its then stadium at Highfield Road dated from 1899, and, with a post-Taylor capacity of approximately 23,500, it lacked any of the facilities that a Premier League stadium needed to compete from a business point of view. It was not a million miles from Fratton Park to be honest.

In 1997, under the Chairmanship of Bryan Richardson, grand plans were announced for an ultra-modern stadium to be built on a brown-field site on the northern edge of the city, close by Junction three of the M6 (and adjacent to the Coventry-Nuneaton railway line). Arena 2000, as it was originally to be called, was to be the envy of many a self-respecting Premier League, with a retractable roof and a removable pitch, making it ideal for other revenue-generating activities such as pop concerts. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, just about everything:

The brown-field site, which had been the site of Foleshill Gasworks, proved problematic. Contamination of the site required two years of remedial work to make it reusable (2).

The club was being operated unsustainably. By 2003 debts were at a level of £20m (3) and continued to rise (4) and rise (5).

On the pitch, Gordon Strachan failed in the battle to keep the club up in 2001.

In 2002 it was only possible for the building project to continue with the formation of a new joint company, Arena Coventry Limited (6), 50% owned by Coventry City Council and 50% by the Alan Edward Higgs Charity, a wealthy local charity for children which has a strong sports interest.

Sponsorship of the stadium by local car manufacturer Jaguar, itself under financial pressure, fell through as production of their cars in Coventry ceased (7).

To cut a long and tortuous story short, the stadium was built, but to a significantly lower specification than originally planned (capacity was reduced to 32,500), Ricoh took on the sponsorship, and Championship Coventry played their first game there in 2005. Not that this proved a particular turning point for the club. In 2007 a potentially club-saving takeover by American consortium Manhattan Sports Capital Partners fell through (8). Then, having come within twenty-five minutes of going into Administration, the club was acquired by venture capitalists SISU (9).

Although SISU planned to buy at least the 50% of the shares owned by the Alan Edward Higgs Charity, this has not happened, and the club continues to rent the stadium from Arena Coventry Limited. From the club's financial perspective, the stadium is thus a monthly liability rather than the major asset and revenue generator originally envisaged.

Relegation from the Championship to League 1 in 2011 exacerbated an already difficult situation. Attendances and revenues were hit. The agreed rent, reported to be £100,000 per month, became significantly unrealistic for a League 1 club to sustain. Again cutting a long story short, the owners and club have been unable to agree a compromise rent that is realistic, and the club, SISU that is, started a 'rent strike' in March last year (10). Obviously this is a situation that cannot run on indefinitely, and in the last few weeks matters have come to a head, with both sides apparently digging their heels in and maintaining collision course. On the one hand, Deputy Conservative leader John Blundell says that ACL may have to seek a winding-up order over the unpaid arrears (11), while on the other Coventry City Chief Executive Tim Fisher accuses Arena Coventry Limited of pulling out of talks (12). Whatever the rights and wrongs of the respective protagonists, some compromise needs to be reached, and rapidly.

As well as the two confrontational tales of Fratton Park and the Ricoh, there is a crumb of comfort on the stadium front at Stockport County's Edgeley Park (13) where a deal has been announced that will see the club running the stadium at a reduced rent and retaining the revenues from it. Let's hope there will positive news to report shortly from both Coventry and Portsmouth.

• This is an article from our Guardian Sport Network. To find out more about it click here.

• This article first appeared on John Beech's Football Management blog.