Harry Redknapp has expressed his delight to have managed “special talent” Papa Bouba Diop during his time at Portsmouth. The former Senegal international spent three years with Pompey after teaming up with the club from Fulham in 2007. Diop played a key role for Redknapp’s side as they clinched the FA Cup in 2008 and featured in more than 50 games for the club under the English tactician before leaving for AEK Athens. The midfielder passed away on Sunday at the age of 42 after a long illness and Redknapp has expressed his sadness for his demise, while eulogizing him for his contributions during his playing years. “I was very lucky to have managed such a fantastic boy – he was special. He did a great job for me at Portsmouth and I think the Portsmouth fans loved him,” Redknapp told BBC Spor...
Thiago Silva is eager to point out that he is not at Chelsea to “visit tourist sites” and “go through the motions”, with the Brazilian defender determined “to win” with the Blues. The 36-year-old centre-half has made a habit of doing that throughout his career to date. Stints with AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain delivered Serie A and Ligue 1 titles, while Confederations Cup and Copa America glory has been savoured with his country. Silva is now taking on a new challenge at Stamford Bridge after forming part of a serious squad refresh by Frank Lampard in west London. He is still finding his feet in new surroundings, with a costly error made on his Premier League bow against West Brom, but the intention is to become a commanding presence for the Blues. Silva told Chelsea’s official matchday...
Brendan Rodgers hailed Jamie Vardy’s “incredible view of football” after the Leicester talisman scored a hat-trick for the Premier League pacesetters in their 5-2 victory against Manchester City. The 33-year-old former England international converted two penalties and scored one from open play as the 2016 champions came from 1-0 down at the Etihad on Sunday. It is the first time in 686 games as a manager that Pep Guardiola has seen his side concede five goals. The victory gave Leicester maximum points from their first three games in the English top-flight for the first time in their history. Rodgers praised Vardy’s overall awareness of the game. “He’s a phenomenal player,” said the Leicester boss. “He’s tactically so good. You see his goals and runs but he has an incredible view of footbal...
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is moving for free agent Daniel Sturridge. The Daily Mail says Wilder is keen on snapping up free agent Sturridge following his release from Turkish side Trabzanspor earlier this year. The ex-Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City striker, 31, has been without a club since his Super Lig adventure was ended in March. His contract with was ripped up in March after he was hit with a four-month ban for breaching betting rules. But Sturridge has been training hard to keep himself fit. And despite being linked with cccc’s Inter Miami, the English hitman has his sights set on another shot in the Premier League. Sheffield Utd are eager to strengthen their forward line before next month’s transfer deadline. And a deal securing Sturridge until the end of the season is sta...
Cameroon’s veteran leader, Paul Biya, on Monday, announced the country first regional elections in December, including in two western regions in the grip of a revolt by the anglophone minority. The indirect elections on December 6 in the country’s 10 regions will put in place councils provided for in a 1996 constitution in a move towards decentralisation but not yet implemented. These councils will also be elected in the two western regions where a nearly three-year-old insurgency has claimed over 3,000 lives. The two restive anglophone regions are home to a large minority of English speakers in a country where French speakers are the overwhelming majority — a situation that is the legacy of the decolonisation of western Africa by France and Britain more than six decades ago. Years of rese...
Arsenal beat Liverpool 5-4 on penalties on Saturday to lift the Community Shield, the curtain-raiser for the English domestic season, after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw on a chilly afternoon at Wembley. Gunners captain and match goal-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang blasted home the final penalty of the afternoon to complete the north London side’s second win over the league champions in the space of six weeks following a shortened summer break. “We are improving. There is still work to do but I’m really happy and it’s an exciting time to be an Arsenal player,” Aubameyang told BT Sport after the match. It was the Gunners’ second trophy within a month following the side’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea on Aug. 1. The game was a very even and at times rather slow affair, with Liverpool...
Former Super Eagles coach chief Adegboye Onigbinde has insisted that the late Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun remains the best footballer ever produced by Nigeria. Onigbinde said as much as the Balogun family today remembers the late soccer legend who died 48 years ago at the age of 45. Balogun was the first Nigerian to play professional football in England, signing for Peterborough in 1949 and also had stints with Queens Park Rangers where he played 13 times and scored three goals in 1956. Two-time Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has described the late Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun, as the best footballer ever produced by Nigeria. Today, 30th July, marks the 48th year anniversary of the death of Balogun who died in his sleep in 1972. pic.twitter.com/bSF1vIW74n —...
Former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa has died age 81 in a Dar es Salaam hospital, the government announced Friday. He was the country’s third president after independence from Britain in 1962 and ruled from 1995 to 2005. “I’m saddened by the death of the third president of Tanzania and that is a big loss for us as a country. Let’s pray for him and more information will follow later,” said President John Magufuli in a short televised speech. He did not reveal the cause of death. Mkapa was born in 1938 to a poor family in south-eastern Mtwara. He earned a degree in English in Uganda and later worked as a journalist before being appointed the press secretary for the country’s first president Julius Nyerere. He held several cabinet posts, such as foreign minister and information minister ...