by FSL News | 6 Jan, 2017 | African News, Sport News
Super Eagles skipper Mikel John Obi today completed his move from Chelsea to Tianjin TEDA and admitted he had to leave Stamford Bridge for a new challenge.
Football Sierra Leone understands that the Nigeria international has signed a three-year contract with Tianjin in the Chinese Super League.
The 29-year-old deal we understand worth around £140,000-a-week. He had just five months left on his current deal with the present Premier League leaders and was pursued by a number of clubs, including Valencia, Marseille, and Inter Milan, but found Tianjin’s offer too good to turn down.
In a statement today, he wrote: “I haven’t featured as much this season as I would have liked and at 29 I still have many years in the game ahead of me.
“With this in mind, I feel now is the time to seek a new challenge. I’m delighted to be joining Tianjin TEDA at a time that the Chinese Super League is really taking off.
“I look forward to helping Tianjin continue to grow both on and off the pitch in the next few years
“To everyone at Chelsea, goodbye and thank you. You will always be a part of who I am and I wish you the best of luck. I could not be happier to be saying goodbye with the club back where it belongs – top of the League.”
Mikel won 10 major honours after joining from Lyn Oslo in 2006, including the Premier League twice, the Champions League and Europa League.
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by FSL News | 6 Jan, 2017 | African News
The Algerian-born Pictured Riyad Mahrez is the CAF player of the year
Algerian international and Leicester City forward born Riyad Mahrez was named the Confederation of African Football’s player of the year on Thursday night.
The 25-year-old Algerian beat Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Liverpool striker Sadio Mane for the honour after helping Leicester secure the Premier League title last season.
Mahrez had already been named the PFA Player of the Year and the BBC’s African Footballer of the Year.
Last year’s winner, Aubameyang, finishes in 2nd place with 313 votes. Riyad Mahrez is the African Player of the Year, collecting 361 of the votes #GloCAFAwards2016.
He claimed 361 votes, while Gabon international Aubameyang finished second with 313 and Senegal’s Mane was third with 186.
All three finalists also made the confederation’s Best XI.
Arsenal and Nigeria forward Alex Iwobi won the Youth Player of the Year, while his countryman Kelechi Iheanacho took home Most Promising Talent for the second time in his career.
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by FSL News | 3 Jan, 2017 | African News
New Cameroon coach Hugo Broos is confident Liverpool defender Joel Matip will be arriving in camp by Tuesday.
Joel Matip is one of eight Cameroon players who do not want to play at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Matip pulled out of contention for the tournament this month, saying he wanted to “concentrate on Liverpool,” with his last regular spell in the Cameroon squad coming in mid-2014.
The AFCON is set to run from January 14 to February 5, and Cameroon’s training camp begins on Tuesday.
The Liverpool defender Joel Matip, West Brom’s Allan Nyom and Schalke’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting are all expected to arrive at their Africa Cup of Nations training camp on Tuesday.
“We have three players who are due to arrive, notably Allan Nyom and Joel Matip. The third player is Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting,” said team manager Alphonse Tchami.
“Clubs have to release them and players have to go,” football lawyer David Seligman told BBC World Service. “The only reason they don’t have to go is if they are injured.
“Fifa could sanction both the club and the player. The player could be banned from playing domestic games for the duration of the tournament and the club could be fined.
“The FA would be expected to intervene and they could also face sanction if the player doesn’t go.”
The other Cameroon players who do not want to play at the competition are Andre Onana (Ajax), Guy N’dy Assembe (Nancy), Maxime Poundje (Bordeaux), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Marseille) and Ibrahim Amadou (Lille).
Meanwhile, Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe has also withdrawn from DR Congo’s squad.
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by FSL News | 27 Dec, 2016 | African News
Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and China-based striker Malick Evouna head Gabon’s Africa Cup of Nations squad unveiled Tuesday by the hosts’ manager Jose Antonio Camacho.
Gabon’s attack will be spearheaded by African Footballer of the year Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is one of 15 players retained from the last Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea two years ago when Gabon failed to get past the first round.
Former Spain manager Jose Antonio Camacho signed earlier this month to replace ex-Portugal international Jorge Costa.
Also figuring in Jose Antonio Camacho’s 23-man squad for the Jan 14-Feb 5 continental showpiece is Bruno Ecuele Manga, a defender with English Championship side Cardiff City, China-based striker Malick Evouna and Didier Ndong with Premier League strugglers Sunderland.
Ndong was kicked out last month after skipping training ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Mali but was named on Tuesday to take part in the Jan. 14 to Feb. 5 tournament.
Gabon, who play the opening game against Guinea Bissau in Libreville, go into the finals having changed their coach.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Stephane Bitseki (CF Mounana), Anthony Mfa Mezui (unattached), Didier Ovono (Oostende)
Defenders: Aaron Appindangoye (Laval), Bruno Ecuele Manga (Cardiff City), Johann Obiang (Troyes), Lloyd Palun (Red Star), Franck Perrin Obambou (Stade Mandji), Yoann Wachter (Sedan), Benjamin Ze Ondo (Mosta)
Midfielders: Guelor Kanga Kaku (Red Star Belgrade), Mario Lemina (Juventus), Levy Madinda (Gimnastic Tarragona), Junior Serge Martinsson Ngouali (Brommapojkarna), Samson Mbingui (Raja Casablanca), Didier Ndong (Sunderland), Andre Poko (Karabukspor), Merlin Tandjigora (Meizhou Hakka)
Forwards: Serge Aboue (Uniao Leiria), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Denis Bouanga (Tours), Malick Evouna (Tianjin Teda), Cedric Ondo Biyoghe (CF Mounana)
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by FSL News | 26 Dec, 2016 | African News
Manchester City climbed to second place in the Premier League with a workmanlike victory over bottom side Hull City at the KCOM stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s visitors were far from their free-flowing best en route to their 12th win of the season, but were nevertheless good value for a win that keeps them seven points behind leaders Chelsea.
Yaya Toure’s penalty, awarded after Andrew Robertson’s clumsy challenge on Raheem Sterling, set the visitors on their way before Kelechi Iheanacho added a second from close range and Curtis Davies conceded an own goal in the dying seconds.
Hull have now conceded nine penalties so far in the league this season – four more than any other side.
The hosts played well in patches and saw Michael Dawson’s second-half header cleared off the line by Bacary Sagna, but their return of one win in 16 matches is a damning statistic that points to only one outcome at the end of the season.
And it will not be lost on Tigers fans that the side bottom on Christmas Day have only stayed up three times in the 24 Premier League seasons to date.
Guardiola’s players will not earn many style points for this latest win but the final result is all that matters as they bid to keep in touch with Antonio Conte’s flying leaders.
After starting December with back-to-back losses to Chelsea and champions Leicester, Man City now appear to be comfortably back in the winning groove with nine points from nine.
Sergio Aguero was sitting out the final game of his four-match ban and his absence appeared to be felt in a first half of few chances.
Guardiola decided against employing out-and-out striker Iheanacho from the start in favour of a four-man forward line of Kevin de Bruyne, Sterling, David Silva and Nolito, and they did not click into gear until after the break.
The first warning sign came when De Bruyne hit the post with a cute disguised shot. Sterling then took centre stage with a probing run into the area which proved the turning point, drawing a needless foul from Robertson that presented Toure with a chance from 12 yards that he did not pass up.
Iheanacho, introduced from the bench in the 57th minute, added a simple second after good work by Silva, before more direct running from Sterling forced Davies to turn into his own net in the fourth minute of added time.
The only real scare for Guardiola during the match was the early withdrawal of England defender John Stones through injury, but his concerns were quickly allayed.
“We were a little bit worried about that but it is just a kick, not ligaments or something like that,” said Guardiola.
BBC Sports
by FSL News | 18 Dec, 2016 | African News
The Ivorian International Jonathan Kodjia (Pictured) scored the decisive goal to down QPR 1-0 at Loftus Road Stadium.
The Elephants striker eighth goal of the season was enough to hand Aston Villa a deserved 1-0 win at QPR.
The lively striker, who squandered a golden opportunity to give Steve Bruce’s side the lead at Loftus Road bounced back from his first-half penalty misery to scored Villa’s winner on Sunday.
Kodjia’s spot kick was saved by Alex Smithies, who had an excellent game for the hosts. But the 27-year-old Ivorian made amends with 15 minutes remaining, slotting a low effort home to hand Villa only their second away Sky Bet Championship victory since the start of last season.
The result means the White City-based club are now just three points above the relegation zone, while Villa are six points from the final play-off place.
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