Archive for nigeriang

And the Oscar goes to…

27/02/2011 No comments

And the Oscar goes to…

It’s that time of
the year again when the best (and worst) of the Hollywood rabble gather
their best frocks and dish out golden statues to each other. Yes, the
Oscars are here with a new set of movies and stars vying for your
consideration. So what’s new this year? Well, the Academy has decided to
go all young and hip by handing presenting duties to Anne Hathaway and
James Franco. They are the Academy’s youngest hosts in its 83-year
history and might set the tone for future awards ceremonies. Both have
displayed very credible comedic skills in the past, so hopefully there
shouldn’t be too many forced jokes or awkward silences. The 10-film
format for Best Picture has been retained after been introduced last
year. Thankfully, we have a stronger field to pick from this year, so
average films like ‘District 9’ and ‘The Blind Side’ did not creep into
the list. When the likes of ‘Shutter Island’ and ‘The Town’ do not make
the final cut, then you know it’s a tough year.

Best Picture

After the commercial
and critical disappointment of 2009/2010, it has been a decent year for
cinema. The shackles of the global recession were shaken off and people
started going to the movies again. Filmmakers must have missed the memo
because this year’s contenders can hardly be described as feel-good
movies.

‘Toy Story 3’ is
probably the most uplifting of the bunch and even that was known to make
some adult viewers cry. It won’t win but its mere presence is another
testament to the movie-making prowess of Pixar studios.

‘The Fighter’, a bleak biopic of boxer Micky Ward and his junkie brother, is a fine film about redemption and human sacrifice.

‘Black Swan’, is a
neo-noir about a young woman’s struggles with abuse and psychosis. It
will not be to everyone’s taste and this will affect its chances.

‘Inception’ is many
people’s favourite film of 2010 but sadly, its popularity will count
against it. Blockbusters simply do not win in this category.

‘127 Hours’ is a wonderful true-life tale of triumph against the odds but is perhaps too avant garde for Academy tastes.

‘The Kids are
Alright’ is a well rendered account of the realities of single-sex
marriage but it meanders a bit towards a conclusion.

‘True Grit’ is a
remake of the John Wayne classic, a proper Western with delicious vistas
and searing individual performances. The story lacks a bit of depth,
however, and will most likely count against it. Besides, everyone
prefers the original, right?

This predictably
leaves it down to a dogfight between two films: ‘The Social Network’,
and ‘The King’s Speech’. Both have very different types of appeal but if
there is any justice, ‘The Social Network’ will win. David Fincher’s
film about the advent of Facebook is the best all-round film of 2010.
One suspects though that ‘The King’s Speech’ will trump it. The film,
about King George VI’s efforts to overcome his stammer, is the kind that
usually excites the Academy. Where ‘The Social Network’ represents new
age cinema, ‘The King’s Speech’ is a hark back to the classical era and
this might well sway the voters.

Best Director

It is an absolute
travesty that ‘Inception’s Christopher Nolan is not even nominated in
this category. The Academy still turns its nose up at commercially
successful films and ‘Inception’ happens to be the latest victim.

The Coen Brothers
are an Oscar favourite, but ‘True Grit’ is far from their best work.
Nolan, on the other hand, has delivered a filmmaking tour-de-force. Love
it or hate it, one cannot ignore the sheer creative audacity of
‘Inception’. Nolan’s loss will almost certainly be David Fincher’s gain.
‘The Social Network’ is masterfully directed. A movie subject as banal
as Facebook is somehow made engaging by Aaron Sorkin’s sumptuous script
and Fincher’s close directorial control. Of the 82 films that have won
Best Picture, 60 of them have also won Best Director. It would be no
surprise if Fincher goes home with the two gongs.

Best Actor

You might as well
give Colin Firth the award now. In truth, none of the other contenders
would even put up much of a fight. Not that their performances are bad —
far from it — but Colin Firth ticks almost all the Academy boxes.
Period film. Check. English accents. Check. Protagonist struggling with
disability. Check. Firth’s performance as the stuttering King George VI
is so vulnerable, that it has you rooting for him from the word go. It
is good to see Jeff Bridges’ name up again after his win last year. For
too long, he has been overlooked by the Academy. In any other year,
Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder,
would have been a surefire thing but this is Firth’s year.

Best Actress

Natalie Portman’s
name is probably already engraved on the golden statue for her
performance in ‘Black Swan.’ Yet, riveting as it is, her performance
rarely extends beyond timid and frightened in Aranofsky’s film. In a
film which plays heavily on duality, one craves a tougher alter ego to
emerge from the shadows but it never materialises. Nicole Kidman’s role
as a grieving mother in ‘Rabbit Hole’ will probably not be rewarded with
a golden statuette, but it is a far more nuanced performance. The 2003
winner delivers a masterclass in the use of silence and facial
expression as an acting tool. Hers is a genuinely haunting
interpretation about the burden of human loss. However, Portman has
swept the board until now, picking up all the major awards in the
process, and the Academy will most likely follow suit.

Best Supporting Actor

Some performances
are instantly iconic and you realize that the moment you are witnessing
them. Christian Bale’s portrayal of Dicky Eklund, a junkie ex-boxer
living on past glory, is one of those sit-up-and-take-notice moments.
Not only does Bale physically transform himself for the role, he throws
in several verbal and behavioral tics which only a true thespian can
pull off. As one of the last in a dying generation of Method actors,
Bale has delivered a career best and will almost certainly reap the
dividends on the night. Honourable mention goes to ‘The Town’s’ Jeremy
Renner, who shows that his nomination last year, was no fluke; and
Geoffrey Rush for ‘The King’s Speech’. A huge surprise it was that
Andrew Garfield did not make the cut. His portrayal of Facebook
co-founder, Eduardo Saverin, was the heart of ‘The Social Network’.

Best Supporting Actress

This is probably the
most hotly contested category. Yet, there is another glaring omission
from this list — Marion Cotillard. Her role in ‘Inception’ was one of
the best of the year but she doesn’t figure in the nominations. The two
supporting actresses for ‘The Fighter’, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, will
duel it out and both would be equally worthy of the award. However,
strong competition might come in the form of 14-year-old, Hailee
Steinfeld, the precocious co-star of ‘True-Grit’. Academy judges have
never been shy of dishing out awards to young talent when they are truly
exceptional, so Miss Steinfeld can definitely be considered a dark
horse in this category. Helena Bonham-Carter brings tremendous restraint
and regality to the role of King George’s wife in ‘The King’s Speech’
and not many would grumble if she picked up the award.

So that’s it. Good luck to all the nominees. If you are watching in
Nigeria, grab some coffee and ensure you have paid up your cable
subscription. It promises to be another memorable Oscar night.

Click to read more Entertainment news

entertainment

Ministers of major economies reach deal on indicators

27/02/2011 No comments

Ministers of major economies reach deal on indicators

Finance ministers of the world’s major economies reached a
fudged accord on Saturday on how to measure imbalances in the global economy
after China prevented the use of exchange rates and currency reserves as
indicators.

French Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde, who chaired the
Group of 20 talks, said the deal nevertheless represented a significant step
towards better coordination of economic policies worldwide to help prevent
another financial crisis.

“It wasn’t simple. There were obviously divergent interests but
we were able to reach a compromise on a text that seems to us to be both balanced
and demanding in its implementation,” she told a news conference.

Ministers and central bank governors agreed on a list of
indicators including public debt and fiscal deficits, private savings and
borrowing, the trade balance and other components of balance of payments such
as net investment flows.

But at Chinese insistence, there was no mention of the real
effective exchange rate or of foreign currency reserves.

“Reserves have been dropped,” Mr Lagarde acknowledged, adding
that the deal included a mechanism to take account of exchange rates when
assessing the overall balance of payments.

The United States and other western countries accuse Beijing of
keeping the yuan artificially undervalued to boost its exports, hence
accumulating massive foreign currency reserves that they say distort the world
economy.

U.S. Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner repeated after the
talks that China’s currency “remains substantially undervalued” and its real
exchange rate had not moved much despite a slow appreciation since a reform
last June.

“There is broad consensus that the major economies, not just
Europe, Japan and the United States but also the large emerging economies, need
to allow their exchange rates to adjust in response to market forces,” he said.

The world’s number two economy, which overtook Japan this week,
has resisted Western pressure to substantially revalue its currency to help
rebalance global growth.

China’s trade surplus has shrunk of late, perhaps explaining why
it prefers that measure.

Western and Japanese officials said the indicators would in
practice cover balance of payments and foreign reserves, even if those terms
had been omitted to assuage Beijing. Chinese Finance Minister Xie Xuren left
without speaking to reporters.

“We needed to be inventive about wording in the communique in
consideration for a country that did not want to use the term ‘current account
balance’. The statement lists components of the current account balance,”
Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda told reporters.

No specific goals

Mr Lagarde said the indicators were not binding targets but
would lead to the drafting of guidelines for coordinated economic policies to
reduce distortions, and then to a mutual assessment process.

Germany, Europe’s biggest exporter, which has resisted U.S.
effort to set numerical targets for current account surpluses, said no specific
goals would be set for certain indicators.

The G20 ministers acknowledged that economic recovery was
diverging between developed and developing economies, but they differed in
their assessment of global inflation risks.

The communique noted that while growth was subdued in most
developed economies, with unemployment high, major emerging markets were
roaring ahead, “some with signs of overheating.”

European Central Bank President, Jean-Claude Trichet said
inflationary pressures coming from energy and commodities prices must be taken
seriously, and the ECB was determined to avoid second-round effects on wages.

But Mr Geithner said inflation risks in the United States were
moderate.

French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who holds the G20 presidency
this year, urged ministers on Friday not to get bogged down by the indicators
dispute and welcomed the fact that China had agreed to host a seminar on
reforming the international monetary system in Shenzhen in late March.

France has also ran into opposition with its two other G20
priorities — greater transparency and regulation of commodities prices and
reform of the international monetary system.

The G20 communique said ministers agreed to work on
strengthening the international monetary system to help avoid disruptive
fluctuations in capital flows and disorderly movements in exchange rates.

China and Brazil complain that “hot money” inflows risk
destabilising the economies of emerging countries, pointing the finger at the
U.S. Federal Reserve’s money printing via a $600 billion bond purchase
programme.

With world shares at 30-month highs, investors seem content for
the G20 to take its time, whereas at the height of the crisis two years ago,
markets were baying for policy action.

Click to Read more Financial Stories

Money

FINANCIAL MATTERS: Policing the Central Bank

27/02/2011 No comments

FINANCIAL MATTERS:
Policing the Central Bank

The Central Bank of
Nigeria’s (CBN) insistence, last year, on banks’ compliance with
section 5.3.10 of its ‘Code of Corporate Governance for Banks in
Nigeria Post-Consolidation’ raised more questions than it answered.

The CBN’s action
provided one answer: by requiring that “non-executive directors should
not remain on the board of a bank continuously for more than 3 terms of
4 years each, i.e. 12 years,” it attempted to address the task of
ensuring both continuity and the injection of fresh ideas into banks’
boards of directors.

The remaining
questions are a lot more, however, and more pressing. Arguably, the
most obvious problem is why it took the apex bank four years between
the effective date for the implementation of its corporate governance
code, and its insistence on the implementation of a key provision of
that code.

Is it the case that
the apex bank had dropped balls on its watch? Troubling though this
likelihood is, it speaks to the huge burden of combining the management
of monetary policy and banking supervision under one roof – a dilemma
that the directors of the IMF recently referred to as the “potentially
conflicting objectives of monetary policy”.

The world over, the
parameters of the arguments for and against this practice have been
altered by the recent global financial and economic crisis. However, a
decision either way in our case must consider two important facts.

First is that
monetary policy management is an inchoate practice here, a fact further
complicated by appalling levels of fiscal illiteracy at the executive
level. The second consideration derives from the venal nature of life
here. Because our default moral setting is a penchant for the easy way,
a regulator’s assignment was always going to be difficult.

However, this
difficulty is the more so when the regulator appears ignorant of its
own rules. This was always an outside explanation for the apex bank,
having dropped the ball on industry compliance with its own corporate
governance code. It, however, became a real possibility recently, when
the newspapers reported the deputy governor, financial system stability
of the CBN, as having hinted at a conference in Lagos, last Wednesday,
that appointments of sufficiently senior bank officials would now be
subject to the apex bank’s authorisation.

The apex bank may
indeed be reforming its operations in order that it can better take on
the task of strengthening the banking industry’s risk management
framework, but I know that banks in the country have regularly reported
promotions to senior levels to the CBN as a matter of course. And that
the CBN has had cause to object to the appointments by some banks into
certain offices of persons whose fitness and propriety for the new
responsibilities it had doubts over.

Is the CBN dropping
the ball because of a failure to read from its own scripts? Something
about how the CBN has proceeded with the authentication of banks’
customer account details nationwide is highly suggestive of a need to
hold the apex bank’s feet closer to the fire.

Why would it treat
work-in-progress the same way we treat voters’ registration here? I
was, therefore, minded to look again at the corporate governance code,
in search of provisions that the industry may currently be in breach
of, despite the fact that “compliance with the provisions of (the) code
is mandatory”.

What about
independent directors? In “civilised” jurisdictions, the position of
the independent director was conceived of in response to the “conflict
of interest” challenge. Increasingly, companies required persons on
their boards who – unburdened by interests in or previous or past
affiliations with the company or its subsidiaries – can discharge their
duties as directors for the exclusive benefit of these companies.

Responding to this need, the apex bank insists in its corporate
governance code that “at least two (2) non-executive board members” of
banks should be independent directors. Now, in the absence of reports
to the effect that the apex bank has sanctioned banks for breaching
this provision, we may safely assume that there are 48 independent
directors on the board of Nigerian banks.This is one of the many stats
on this economy that challenges one’s belief. Why not solve the problem
by requiring banks to list in their annual reports the number of
independent directors; and the nature of their independence?

Click to Read more Financial Stories

Money

Union Bank to resume operations after labour crisis

27/02/2011 No comments

Union Bank to resume operations after labour crisis

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advised Union Bank to
fulfil its part of the terms of agreement which both parties reached on Friday,
after days of picketing the bank.

Denja Yakub, the Assistant Secretary General of the Nigeria
Labour Congress said at the weekend that the union has decided to suspend the
strike but that it will not hesitate to unsheathe its sword if the bank fails
to keep its part of the agreement. “Yes, we have suspended the strike. We had a
meeting with the bank and the Minister of Labour and Productivity and we were
able to reach an agreement.

The meeting lasted up till 2.30am on Friday. We hope that Funke
Osibodu, the MD of the bank will implement the agreement because if she
doesn’t, we will roll back our terms,” he said. Mr. Yakub said the bank has
decided to meet all the demands of the Union. “They met all our demands. The
union is now being recognised by the bank and they have agreed to call back
those that were sacked, we will give her sometime and watch her implement these
terms” he said.

Business activities have been disrupted at the headquarters of
Union Bank in Marina, Lagos and at branches across the country for days. The
NLC, led by its president, Abdulwaheed Omar, picketed the organisation over its
decision to sack workers and ban union activities. Even the intervention of
Yakubu Alkali, the commissioner of Lagos State Police Command, could not broker
peace between both parties, leading to the decision to go on strike, from an
ongoing picketing.

Back to work

Francis Barde, the spokesperson of the bank confirmed that the
NLC has called off the picketing of the bank and directed its members
nationwide to vacate the premises of the Bank nationwide for smooth operations.

“The order followed the agreement reached last night under the
intervention of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu with the
Union Bank and NLC which suspended the industrial action against the bank and
sought to cooperate with each other in ensuring permanent industrial peace” he
said.

Mr. Barde also said in a statement signed and issued on Friday
that the move was the outcome of constructive and fruitful deliberations.
“Following constructive and fruitful deliberations, we are pleased to announce
that all issues in dispute that led to the current action between the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) and the management of Union Bank of Nigeria PLC have been
addressed to the mutual satisfaction of all parties”, he added.

The workers have accused the bank’s management of mismanagement,
undermining workers solidarity, and indiscriminate staff layoff. The dispute
reached its climax last month when the management sacked 13 staff and withdrew
the recognition of the chapter of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks,
Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI).

Normal banking activities are expected to resume today.

Click to Read more Financial Stories

Money

Arsenal, Birmingham out to end trophy drought

27/02/2011 No comments

Arsenal, Birmingham out to end trophy drought

Arsenal haven’t
won a major piece of silverware since 2005 when they beat Manchester United in
a penalty shoot out to win the FA Cup final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
But they will be hoping to change the unenviable record when they face
Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final today at London’s Wembley
Stadium.Since that scrappy victory over Manchester United six years ago, Arsene
Wenger’s side have left their former home at Highbury for the Emirates Stadium,
reached the final of the UEFA Champions League (in 2006), the Carling Cup final
in 2007 and have been in the title race for the English Premier League title
again and again, but all without success.The club, despite the trophy draught,
continues to keep faith with the Frenchman who will no doubt be confident of
his team’s chances of breaking their hoodoo against a Birmingham City side they
have beaten twice already in the ongoing Premier League season.The first
victory was in October, at the Emirates Stadium, where the Gunners won 2-1
despite having Jack Wilshere sent off. It was then followed by a more
convincing 3-0 win by the London side on New Year’s Day at Saint
Andrew’s.However, for a side that prides itself as one of the best teams to
have ever come out of England, having finished as league champions on 13
occasions, and won 10 FA Cup titles, the Carling Cup is without a doubt far
less prestigious than the league title, as well as the Champions League
trophies that the Emirates faithful crave.

Fabregas out

Nevertheless, winning any trophy – regardless of stature – is
now a key priority for the north London outfit.”I don’t know if not winning a
trophy for a few years puts more pressure on us or not,” Wenger said.”All I do
know is that when you go into a final, you desperately want to win it.”It does
not matter who the favourites are, it depends on how you play on the day. There
is nothing we can do about not winning a trophy since 2005, you have to accept
it, but people should consider how consistent we have been.” If they have to do
it today, they will need to do it without their talismanic captain, Cesc
Fabregas, who has been ruled out of the Wembley final with a hamstring strain.
Fabregas has been joined on the injury train by Theo Walcott, a development
that has dampened the spirits of not a few Arsenal faithful in England and
elsewhere.Fabregas copped injury in Arsenal’s game against Stoke last
Wednesday. Commenting on the development, Wenger said:”It is a very small
injury but Cesc will be out for Sunday. He is disappointed. We all feel sorry
and sad for him. The only way we help him now is to win the Carling Cup as he
contributed a lot in this competition.” It is not certain whether the Spain
international will be fit for the trip to Camp Nou for the second leg of the
Champions League tie against Barcelona. Wenger has refused to comment on the
matter but Fabregas’ personal trainer, Juan Ferrando said on Spanish radio last
week that the midfielder should be fit for the clash against Barca.Despite
being injured, Fabregas wants to play but Wenger is having none of that. With
Arsenal still in contention for a Champions League quarter-final place after
beating Barcelona 2-1 in the first leg of the Round of 16

Birmingham desperate for vic-tory

If Arsenal have gone six years
without a trophy, Birmingham have waited ages for one. The Alex McLeish-coached
side has not won a major trophy since 1963 when they clinched the League Cup
after beating city rivals, Aston Villa in the final. The closest they have come
to laying their hands on a trophy was ten years ago when they lost on penalties
to Liverpool in the League Cup final.Currently in fifteenth place in the
Premier League, the team, which is fighting to avoid relegation, is more than
happy to be in the final having not been given any chance to do so by
bookmakers and football fans.Against Arsenal today, Birmingham would want to
win for yet another reason. Club owner Carson Yeung turns 51 today and the boys
want to give him a quality birthday present.”Carson has had a great run since
he came in here,” McLeish said.”The final will be momentous for him, not least
because it is his birthday. We would all love to give him the best birthday
present ever.With a player such as Nikola Zigic, who at 6ft 8 inches tall is
the league’s tallest man, filing out for Birmingham, Arsenal defenders will
have their work clearly cut out. Apart from Zigic the Gunners’ defenders will
also have to find a way to neutralise the threat of Birmingham’s new signing,
Obafemi Martins who is eager to prove that his goal against Sheffield in a an
FA Cup match on Tuesday was no fluke.But Birmingham are not without injury
worries of their own. Team doctors are working round the clock to ensure that
former Arsenal midfielder, Alexander Hleb, who had stints with Barcelona and
Stuttgart before joining Birmingham, overcome knee injury to feature in the
game.With Hleb’s fitness still a source of concern, another former Arsenal
player, Sebastian Larsson, is hopeful of action against a club where he started
his professional career.Other injury concerns for Birminhgam include the
absence of defenders, Scott Dan and Liam Ridgewell who are hit with hamstring
and calf injuries respectively. Central defender Martin Jiranek has been
declared fit after battling thigh injury.match played at the Emirates Stadium
on February 15, the manager does not want to risk such a key player especially
as the Gunners, currently placed second behind leaders, Manchester United, have
their sights set firmly on the Premier League title.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Manchester City set to prey on Fulham

27/02/2011 No comments

Manchester City set to prey on Fulham

Manchester City will
today continue with their quest to secure a berth into next season’s
UEFA Champions League with a game against Fulham at the City of
Manchester Stadium. Their current position on the Premier League
standings guarantees them a historic spot in next season’s competition
but they will go a long way in further cementing that fact if they
emerge victorious at the end of today’s tie against a side managed by
their former boss Mark Hughes.

And that looks
likely to be the case if one considers the fact that the visitors from
London have won just six times in 25 league visits to Eastlands.
However, Fulham’s recent record at Manchester City has been quite
impressive with three wins, three draws and only two defeats in eight
Premier League visits with their most recent result being a 2-2 draw in
last season’s campaign when they had to come from a two-goal deficit to
claim a remarkable draw thanks to a 68th minute equaliser from Clint
Dempsey. But that aside, they face a Manchester City side who ran out
4-1 winners last time both sides met in November at Craven Cottage
courtesy of goals from Yaya Toure,

Pablo Zabaleta and
Carlos Tevez, who grabbed a brace, with Zoltan Gera claiming a
consolation goal for the home side on that occasion.

Also, they face a
Manchester City side that has, in keeping with the defensive policy of
their Italian manager Roberto Mancini, kept 12 clean sheets in this
season’s Premier League.

Although, their last
outing in the league saw them go down 2-1 to Manchester United at Old
Trafford, City will be buoyed by more encouraging results in the FA Cup
and Europa League that have followed.

Last weekend they
walloped Notts County 5-0 in the FA Cup before following it up with a
3-0 triumph over Aris Salonika in midweek, which booked them a spot in
the Europa League last 16. Injuries But City have won just one of their
last four Premier League games, which came against West Brom and will
be without the influential duo of Adam Johnson and Nigel de Jong who are
both down with ankle injuries. Micah Johnson is also down with a calf
injury while James Milner is also expected to miss out through a
hamstring injury. Irish goalkeeper Shay Given has also been ruled out
for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury even though he
would have had to settle for a berth on the reserve bench owing to the
impressive form of Joe Hart.

Fulham head into
today’s game unbeaten in three of their last games, including two
successive draws against Chelsea and Aston Villa, but they also have
injury concerns of their own. Midfielder Steve Sidwell has been ruled
out for four weeks after damaging knee ligaments, while Philippe
Senderos and Diomansy Kamara are down with back problems. But the
biggest injury problem facing them is Bobby Zamora who suffered a fresh
injury blow on Friday and is doubtful to appear for Fulham.

The striker, who
only returned from five months out with a broken leg in last Sunday’s FA
Cup defeat to Bolton, went over on his ankle in training and faced a
fitness test on Saturday and looks a major doubt for today’s game.

However, Hughes is boosted by the return of Simon Davies (ankle) and Damien Duff (calf).

Liverpool at Upton
Park The other game billed for today in the Premier League comes up at
Upton Park where West Ham will be hoping to secure a win that will
propel them out of the relegation zone against a Liverpool side aspiring
for a top-four finish. Avram Grant’s team have been horribly
inconsistent in the league but must now build on their unlikely recovery
at The Hawthorns in their last outing, together with the FA Cup
thrashing inflicted on Burnley, to inject real momentum into their
campaign. But Liverpool have lost only once at Upton Park since 1999
and could move within three points of fifth-placed Chelsea with a win.
Kenny Dalglish side’s are also unbeaten in eight games and look set to
be boosted today with the return of captain Steven Gerrard after a
three-game absence with a groin injury.

The England international was not risked in last Thursday night’s
Europa League game against Sparta Prague but manager Dalglish later
said the midfielder was close to fitness although there remains doubts
over the fitness levels of Martin Kelly and Daniel Agger, who were both
forced off against Sparta. Fabio Aurelio is equally out of today’s game
as is Andy Carroll who will need to wait another day before making his
debut for the Reds. Luis Suarez will however return to the starting
line-up after being ineligible for the game against Sparta.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Fireworks expected as 3SC host leaders, Dolphins

27/02/2011 No comments

Fireworks expected as 3SC host leaders, Dolphins

In matches this
week, Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), have a tough test ahead of them
as they host league leaders Dolphins FC. This star match would see both
teams going all out for a victory. The Port Harcourt side would be going
with one of the tightest defence line in the league. In the last 16
games, Dolphins have conceded only six goals. The task ahead of 3SC is
to at least have a draw but that may not be easy as the team from Port
Harcourt would be hoping to maintain their lead this season on the
league table. They would also want to improve on last year’s score sheet
where each team got away with just one point.

Things are still
looking up for the team from Ondo State as they travel to Zamfara for
the derby between them and Zamfara United. The Sunshine Stars would be
riding on a high they have been on since they have begun their campaign
to win the league this season. Zamfara United on the other hand have
suffered two league defeat and it seems they may be able to withstand
the fire power of the Stars.

Despite having the
duo of Cletus Itodo and Harrison Egbune off on national assignment, the
Gbenga Odubote managed side would still have determination working for
them as they continue their chase for the first position. Sunshine FC is
currently second behind Dolphins.

The derby between
the two bottom teams would be one to watch as Plateau United would be
hosting JUTH FC. Both clubs have performed below par recently with
Plateau United yet to win a game in the last five matches. Their
inability to score in front of goal could make this match a tough one as
both clubs would be hoping to rise against all odds to score goals.

Enyimba welcome Lobi

Today’s match
between Enyimba FC and Lobi stars may be a relatively predictable as
Enyimba host Lobi. Enyimba would want to regain back their momentum
after a surprising loss to the bottom leaders in the league, JUTH FC.
Victor Barnabas would be would be hoping to do well as his face his
former teammates when Lobi gets to Aba. The peoples’ elephant may have
an easy win as they have done in the past as they have an edge, winning
eight games in the last 14 meeting. Also Lobi have just been able to
garner a point in the last seven visits to the Aba Stadium.

The last match for
the week will be between those meeting each other for the first time
this season. This match would be one to watch as both teams have proved
to be in form. Hosts, Bukola Babes would be hoping to regain their
position back on the table after they lost last week. Both teams have
just lost once in the last five games but it seems Bukola Babes have the
upper hand as the Ocean Boys have not been able to pick a point from
their last seven away matches. They would have a tough time holding off
the attacking strength of the babes who are determined to remain in the
top flight league.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Either Man United or Arsenal for the title

27/02/2011 No comments

Either Man United or Arsenal for the title

Only Manchester
United or Arsenal can win this season’s Premier League title, United
manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday, four days before his side face
champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

United are one point
clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with a game in hand which they
will use up when they visit Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

With the leading
teams having 11 or 12 matches to play, United are eight points clear of
third-placed Manchester City, 10 ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and 12 clear
of Chelsea.

If United beat Wigan for the 12th successive league match they would be 15 points ahead of Chelsea by the time the sides meet.

Ferguson, who has led his side to 11 league titles, virtually dismissed Chelsea’s chances of retaining the championship.

Consistency

“Normally, two teams
break away when you come to the end of the season, it’s always two
teams — that’s the way it’s looking at the moment,” he told reporters.

“I think it’s either Arsenal or ourselves, either one of us will win it.”

Ferguson also
dismissed remarks made by Chelsea captain John Terry who said United
might buckle under the pressure of challenging for the title, the FA Cup
and the Champions League.

“You try things. We all try things,” he said.

“But it won’t be easy (for Chelsea) to come back from that kind of points deficit.

“I said some time
ago, the team that is most consistent would win the league. That is why I
stress that we have to keep our momentum going and get that
consistency.”

Ferguson said
experienced striker Michael Owen, who has made only two substitute
appearances in the league this year and played one full match in the FA
Cup, could face Wigan after recovering from injury.

“He is back training and could be available on Saturday,” he said.

Ryan Giggs could
also return after missing last week’s FA Cup match against Crawley Town
and the Champions League trip to Olympique Marseille.

REUTERS

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Galadima destined for failure in Sudan

27/02/2011 No comments

Galadima destined for failure in Sudan

It was always going
to be tough, if not downright impossible for Ibrahim Galadima to emerge
at the end of last Wednesday’s congress of the Confederation of African
Football (CAF) with one of the two tickets into the highly revered
executive committee of football’s world governing body, FIFA.

Foremost among the
reasons why the former boss of the Nigerian FA didn’t get to secure one
of the two FIFA positions up for grabs in Khartoum, Sudan was the fact
that he was going up against opponents with a far greater influence
within CAF.

There was South
Africa’s Danny Jordaan who was head of the local organising committee
for last year’s FIFA World Cup in the rainbow nation; the first to be
held in an African country. There was also Suketu Patel who is currently
the head of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations
(COSAFA), as well as the duo of Algeria’s Mohammed Raouraoua and Cote
d’Ivoire’s Jacques Anouma, two of the continent’s most experienced
football administrators.

Even Zambia’s Kalusha Bwalya, a former recipient of the African Footballer of the Year award,

was at some point in
the hunt for one of the FIFA seats but tactically pulled out of the
race to concentrate on a spot in the CAF executive committee – the
continental body’s topmost decision-making organ.

Also, anyone with
some measure of knowledge about affairs relating to the continent’s
football body will be quite aware of the fact that CAF under current
boss Issa Hayatou, who has been at the helm of affairs since 1987, is a
close-knit organisation with a top echelon consisting mostly of
individuals who have been in the organisation for at least a decade.

Little wonder why at
the end of the day Algeria’s football federation president, Mohamed
Raouraoua and his counterpart from Cote d’Ivoire Jacques Anouma grabbed
with relative ease the FIFA positions on offer with 39 and 35 votes
respectively; far ahead of their closest rival Suketu Patel of
Seychelles who polled 15 votes.

The Mafia

In fact, the
organisation with headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, is regarded by most
football followers in Africa as a mafia of sorts similar to the infamous
reputation of its supervisory body in Zurich, Switzerland, FIFA.

Lending credence to
this was the failure of South Africa’s Jordaan in Sudan where he polled
only 10 votes, five more than Nigeria’s Galadima which came as a shock
to many.

Shocking because
Jordaan was viewed as one who could help restore the continental body’s
battered image following the three-year ban clamped on Nigeria’s Amos
Adamu by FIFA after he was caught on video in a Sunday Times newspaper
sting operation admitting he could accept cash payment in return for his
votes in the race to host the 2018 World Cup finals, which
automatically led to Adamu’s vacation of his position in the world
body’s executive committee.

When Jordaan decided
to battle for a place on the all-powerful FIFA executive committee, he
must have believed that the entire continent – hopefully still in love
with him after organising the 2010 World Cup – was on his side.

But in Khartoum, the
South African got a taste of the bitter pill of African football
politics that showed once again that the continent’s favourite game is
still in the hands of a select few consisting of officials from North
and West Africa led by the Cameroonian Hayatou, a close ally of Adamu as
well as the duo of Raouraoua and Anouma.

This was probably
why Algeria was rewarded with the hosting rights for the 2009 African
Youth Championships finals, and Cote d’Ivoire given the hosting rights
for the debut edition of the African Nations Championships, also in 2009
even though the west African country was still trapped in a civil war.

Jordaan, unlike
Raouraoua and Anouma, was not a member of the decision-making organ of
CAF. This was also the case with Galadima.

But by far, the
biggest reason why Galadima was always going to be unsuccessful in his
quest to secure one of the two available seats on FIFA’s executive
committee was the failure of Nigeria’s sports establishment to commence
lobbying would-be voters in time.

While other
candidates had long ago, with a couple of them as far back as the past
two years, commenced the business of lobbying, Galadima’s camp, led by
the country’s sports minister, Taoheed Adedoja didn’t set about with
these task until a few days to the commencement of the congress.

Even more ironic is the fact that this came a few weeks after he reportedly urged Galadima to give up his FIFA aspirations.

This was in the
aftermath of Adamu’s decision to contest his initial suspension by
FIFA’s disciplinary committee which later culminated in the three-year
ban by the world body; a decision which Adamu is currently appealing at
the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

Doublespeak

“What the minister
and the NFA should have done is to ask Adamu to withdraw since they have
nominated Galadima,” said former board member of the Nigeria Premier
League, Raymond Nnaji in an interview with a Nigerian website.

“This they did not
do, instead they said that Galadima was on standby as if the seat was
reserved for Nigeria. Everybody knows that they never supported
Galadima; that they were for Adamu. They should go and hide their faces
in shame,” added Nnaji who also stated that both the minister and the
football body should be made to refund tax payers’ money that was
expended in Sudan.

It was an opinion
that concurred with those of former Gombe FA boss, Ahmed Gara-Gombe who
blamed the sports ministry along with the National Sports Commission
(NSC) for not prevailing on Adamu to withdraw his appeal from the CAS
which led to a delay in the commencement of Galadima’s campaign.

“It was always going
to be a futile exercise as valuable time had long been lost,” he said.
“One minute some people are declaring support for Galadima only for them
to reverse their decision the following minute and throw their weight
behind Adamu.

“For me, it was just
a waste of resources because it was obvious to many from the start that
he (Galadima) didn’t stand a chance against those he was going up
against.” Although Adedoja was to later retract the statements credited
to him in the media regarding his perceived doublespeak, claiming he was
quoted out of context, he and other members of the Galadima Campaign
Delegation, as they became officially known, still tarried with the task
of getting down to business; a task they even admitted to being
difficult from the outset.

At least that was
the opinion aired in a letter sent by the Galadima group out there in
Sudan to Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister Odein Ajumogobia on February
21, three days before the election.

Besides stating the
obvious that “campaigning for the FIFA seat is a more arduous task” than
getting Galadima into the CAF executive committee, the group admitted
that they did not commence their campaign in time.

They also admitted
that “it would be a tall order to get two countries from the same region
back on the FIFA team” especially as Adamu and Anouma, who got into
FIFA at the same time were both from the West African sub-region.

Notwithstanding the
odds that stood on their path, the group stated that “a successful
Nigerian bid for the FIFA Executive Committee seat is still considered
achievable. It would however, require a last minute vigorous campaign,
complemented by contacts at the highest level of government to CAF
member states in support of our candidature.” The letter added: “It is
the view of the delegation that overtures made at the highest level of
government to the countries listed below in the following regional order
would go a long way towards facilitating this electoral victory.”
Amongst the countries listed in the letter were Benin, Liberia, Sierra
Leone, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Gambia, Cape
Verde, Mali and Guinea Bissau.

Others were Gabon,
Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea,
Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Mozambique and Lesotho.

Such a move was
however always going to be difficult, if not impossible, especially
considering the short time frame between Monday’s receipt of the
‘urgent’ letter from Sudan and Wednesday’s election.

Government’s fault

Little wonder
individuals like Ayo Ositelu, a veteran sports commentator, is blaming
the government for Galadima’s failure, saying that government did not
act swiftly to ensure that he clinched the position.

“Our quest to
reclaim the FIFA and CAF executive seat suffered a setback because we
did not give Ibrahim Galadima enough support,” he said. “We were not
decisive enough and did not take the necessary steps needed to aspire
for a position at the highest level of football administration. He
added. But has Nigeria gained any benefit from having her nationals in
the top hierarchy of both FIFA and CAF?

“There are huge
benefits especially if the person commands respect within the
organisation but in our case, the benefits have been relatively
insignificant as we have not hosted any of the big tournaments of FIFA
or CAF,” continued Gara-Gombe.

Reminded that
Nigeria had during Adamu’s time in FIFA and CAF hosted the African
Women’s Championship as well as the FIFA Under 17 World Cup, he
retorted: “Those are small tournaments. Outside Africa, the Under 17
World Cup is seen as nothing but a small tournament. He added. “It is
only there for the purpose of developing little boys for the future
while the AWC, as far as I am concerned, is a waste of tax-payers’
money. They are nothing compared to the Nations Cup or the World Cup.

“What people fail to realise is that these people get into these
organisations not just for their country’s benefit but also for their
own personal gain. So there is no guarantee that even if we do get
someone into CAF by the time of the next election that the situation
will improve.” Gara-Gombe might be right about that but only time will
tell if Nigerian football will fare better in the coming years following
Galadima’s failure in Sudan

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Okrika, Obio Akpor square off at Shell Cup final

27/02/2011 No comments

Okrika, Obio Akpor square off at Shell Cup final

The
final showdown between Okrika and Obio Apkor on who gets to carry the
River State Governor’s Cup home will be held on the lush turf of the
Liberation Stadium of Port Harcourt on Saturday. The tournament, which
kicked off on January 20, has seen the two teams, now in the final,
entertain with football skill that is superior to the other 17 teams
that entered for the competition. The newcomers, Obio Apkor, were able
to surprise all with their convincing thrashing of different clubs that
had been tipped to go far. Okrika were last year’s winners and they
have not hidden their interest in retaining the title.

“We are the
defending champions and champions we will remain. We are more resolved
than ever to win the title for the second time,” said midfielder
Obomate Frederick.

On hand to watch
the lads strut their stuff, will be former Nigerian players and other
top dignitaries from the corporate world. They include Segun Odegbami
and Henry Nwosu, former Green Eagles captains. Others include Adokiye
Amesiamaka and John Fashanu. Mutiu Sunmonu, Tony Attah and Emeka Obi
who will also be there to represent the sponsor, Shell Development
Petroleum Company, while the government of Rivers State will be
represented by the governor of the state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and
members of his cabinet.

Also due for the final is the chairman, Rivers State Football
Association, Chris Green, who is also chairman of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) technical committee. Okrika was able to get the final
ticket by ousting last year’s third place finisher Khana 2-1 while Obio
Apkor had the upper hand over Phalga in an encounter that ended 2-1.
Both teams would be meeting each other for the first time in this
tournament. The Rivers State Governor’s Cup offers thousands of
talented footballers in the 23 local government areas of the state an
opportunity to showcase their skills to the big leagues in the land.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports
« Older Entries   Recent Entries »