Season
Price of garri soars in Enugu
ArewaLife Price of cassava flakes popularly called garri and regularly consumed by Nigerians have continued to increase in Enugu State, according to newsmen. NAN correspondent, who conducted a market survey in Enugu on Friday, reported that the price of the staple food has increased by 20 per cent between January and March, 2021. NAN reports that a 4.5 liter bucket of the food item now sells for between N1,100 and N1,400 as against between N900 and N1,000 sold in January, depending on the type. A visit to some markets in the state capital showed that a 4.5 liter paint bucket of white garri sold for N900 in January now went for between N1,100 and N1200. At the Ogbete, Garki and New Markets, a paint bucket of white garri is sold for N1,100 while the yellow garri of the same bucket goes for N...
Kylian Mbappe wants 700,000 euros a week
Kylian Mbappe has said he will only renew if big money is involved. He has yet to make a firm decision on his future, but he is clear that he wants a pay rise if he is to extend his contract. He wants 36 million euros a year, like Neymar. PSG are going to be involved in tough negotiations to keep hold of Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is studying his options before deciding on his future, but he is clear what his transfer demands are if he is to form part of a new peoject. And his salary is the main issue. Mbappe wants to be seen as one of the best footballers in Europe and he wants that to be reflected in his salary. According to ‘The Athletic’, Man City have pulled out of the race to get the French striker after finding out about his transfer demands. Kylian, therefore, wants to earn sligh...
Carlo Ancelotti: Everton not at Chelsea level
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted his side had been second best all night during their defeat at Chelsea stating the Meyserside club are not at the same level with the Blues. An own goal by Ben Godfrey and a second half penalty from Jorginho consigned Everton to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, leaving them four points adrift of Chelsea in fourth but with a match in hand still. Chelsea dominated the fixture and could have won by a bigger margin, with Kai Havertz also having a goal ruled out in the second half for handball. And Ancelotti claimed that his side have plenty of work to do before now and the end of the season if they want to somehow battle it out right to the very end with the likes of Chelsea for a Champions League spot. “They played better than us,’ Ancelotti told BT Sp...
Graeme Souness blasts Liverpool over defeat to Fulham
Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness, slammed his old team’s performance for defeat to Fulham. The Reds put in another flat performance despite the extensive changes, with a late first-half strike from Mario Lemina giving Scott Parker’s side a huge three points in their quest for survival. “It’s been disappointing,” said Souness. “You’ve got a group of players who will be looking to tell the manager by their performances ‘we should really be in the starting 11.’ That has not happened today from any of them. “They have been a shadow [of their former selves]. There is one word I associate with Liverpool for the last three years:, intensity. They were a team you didn’t want to play against. Now it is a team that are an easy touch, and that is unacceptable. “It is unfathomable. I struggle to say i...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Manchester City still far ahead of others
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has downplayed suggestions his side have reignited the Premier League title race after ending Manchester City’s 21-match winning run with a stunning 2-0 derby victory. Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw struck early in each half at the Etihad Stadium as United inflicted a first defeat on their rivals since November. The result cut City’s lead over United at the top of the Premier League to 11 points and, while it may be a stretch to suggest the title race has been reignited, it has slowed what was looking like a procession. Solskjaer stopped short of claiming the victory will act as a springboard to catch City in the title race this season, telling Sky Sports: “We just take one game at a time; City are too far ahead for us to think we can catch them. Last year we caught 15 ...
Bundesliga: RB Leipzig knock Bayern Munich from top after romp at Freiburg
RB Leipzig climbed top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 3-0 romp at Freiburg to replace previous leaders Bayern Munich, who later host Dortmund in Germany’s ‘Klassiker’. Christopher Nkunku, Alexander Sorloth and Emil Forsberg scored the goals in Freiburg which lifted Leipzig one point ahead of Bayern, who are at home to Dortmund (1730GMT). “That was a mature performance,” Leipzig sports director Markus Kroesche told Sky. “Anything is possible,” he replied when asked if Leipzig can stop Bayern winning a ninth straight league title this season. Leipzig impressed in their final tune-up before facing Liverpool in Budapest next Wednesday in the last 16 of the Champions League having lost the first leg 2-0. Leipzig took the lead at Freiburg after a first-half blunder by home goalkeeper Flori...
Liverpool’s centre-back crisis worsens as manager confirms Ozan Kabak injury
Kabak was brought into Anfield during the January transfer window following a series of injuries at centre-back for Liverpool. The 20-year-old has not made an ideal start to life in the Premier League. His debut came against Leicester City, where his mix up with goalkeeper Alisson allowed Jamie Vardy to tap home to put the Foxes 2-1 ahead late on. After a victory in the Champions League over RB Leipzig, the Turkey international was once again under fire after the 2-0 home defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby. This was followed by a victory at Bramall Lane, before a 1-0 loss against Chelsea. Kabak is now believed to be a doubt for the visit of relegation strugglers Fulham, as reported by Times journalist Paul Joyce on Twitter. The extent of his problem is currently unknown. The loanee ...
PIB: Rivers governor supports allocation of 10 per cent oil revenue to host communities
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has advocated not less than 10 percent fund allocation to host communities in the Petroleum Industry Bill that is still before the National Assembly. Governor Wike said it is also necessary that the bill state in clear terms what specific development projects that the allocated fund should be spent on, so that development of host communities can be truly actualised. The governor gave the charge when the members of the National Assembly Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill, visited him at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Thursday. Governor Wike stated that oil bearing communities have suffered the loss of their livelihood, good drinking water and their socio-cultural life disrupted because of the insensitivity of the International Oil compan...
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid ordered to further tighten belts by La Liga
FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will have to cut down the costs of their squads by more than 35 million euros ($42.14 million) following new salary limits imposed by La Liga on Tuesday to cope with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures, published twice annually following each transfer window, dictate how much teams can spend on players, coaches, support staff and their youth teams. They are calculated in line with revenues, which have been obliterated by coronavirus restrictions preventing fans from attending matches for 12 months while depressing the transfer market and reducing income from merchandising. Barcelona are the club most acutely affected by the new limits and will be forced to reduce their costs by an additional 35.7 million euros, to 347 million. League ...
Manchester City in bizarre spat with Opta
Manchester City are in another battle with stats boffins Opta over Pep Guardiola’s managerial record. But Opta acknowledged Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Ham as the moment Pep reached his double ton. The Athletic report that City officials made the case in a meeting with Opta. The report adds that games that are decided on penalties are what’s causing the stats imbalance. Opta and City also held differing views over their incredible winning streak. The stats experts said that the win against Swansea made it an English record of 15 wins in a row in all competitions. But City think they already hold the record when they won 20 in a row during a dominant 2017-18 season. However, one of those games was won on penalties against Wolves in the Carabao Cup. Opta stats recorded that as a draw, which...
Manchester United rages at penalty talk as team draw another blank
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday. United was furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half. The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials. “It’s all these outside influences. That’s influencing referees,” said an unusually irate Solskjaer. “We’ve ...
Ademola Lookman thrilled to play for Fulham
Ademola Lookman says he is enjoying his time with Premier League club Fulham. Lookman linked up with the Whites on a one-year loan deal from German club RB Leipzig last summer The 23–year-old has been one of the key performers for the Cottagers, contributing four goals and three assists in 22 league appearances. “I’m enjoying my football here, that’s the most important thing,” Lookman told the club website. “For me, it’s just all about improving every single day I can, learn as much as I can off the gaffer and off the coaching staff.” Lookman has urged the Craven Cottage outfit to give their best when they square off against Roy Hodgson’s men at Selhurst Park. “We need to be at the top of our game also but we’ll definitely be going there to get the three points like in any game that we are...
