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Retired primary school teacher defeats Bauchi speaker

The Speaker of the
Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Ahmed Faggo of the PDP, has
lost his re-election campaign to represent the Shira constituency in
the Bauchi State House of Assembly. He was defeated by a retired
primary school teacher, Awwal Hassan of the Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC).

This was contained
in a statement signed by the state administrative secretary of the
Independent National Electoral Commission in Bauchi, Aminu Adamu Bello,
which contained the list of successful candidates for the
constituencies in the state.

According to the
statement, the result of 27 out of the 31 state constituencies showed
that the PDP won 22 seats while the CPC opposition won five seats. Bye
elections will be conducted for the remaining four constituencies on
May 5. The cancelled gubernatorial elections in Ningi and Misau local
government areas due to irregularities affected the constituencies.

Speaking to NEXT,
the retired primary school teacher thanked God and his students and the
people of his constituency that came out en masse to vote for him, and
pledged to work hard in order to develop their constituency.

The PDP won in Pali, Duguri/Gwana, Kirfi, Zungur/Galambi, Dass,
Lere/Bula, Bogoro, Warji, Dambam/Dagauda/Jalam, Darazo, Sade, Ganjuwa
East, Ganjuwa West, Katagum, Sakwa, Jama’are, Itas Gadau, Disina,
Giade, Madara/Chinade, Udubo and Gamawa state constituencies. The CPC
won in Azare, Shira, Toro/Jama’a, Bauchi and Lame constituencies while
the bye elections will be held in Ningi, Burra, Chiroma and Hardawa
state constituencies.

newstoday

Market capitalisation sees marginal increase

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Market capitalisation sees marginal increase

The market capitalisation of equities at the Nigerian Stock
Exchange (NSE) appreciated marginally by 0.08 percent at the close of trading
session last week, as against a decline of 0.06 percent recorded in the
preceding week.

The NSE market capitalisation of the 194 First-Tier equities
closed last Friday at N8 trillion after opening the week at N7.994 trillion,
reflecting N6 billion gains.

Meanwhile, about N5 billion was lost in the previous week. The
NSE All-Share Index in the week under review also rebounded by 0.08 percent or
21.6 units to close at 25,041.68 basis points from the 25,020.08 recorded at
the beginning of trading during the week. The Exchange has attributed the
marginal gains recorded to the reduction in the number of trading days. “The
stock market opened for three days as last Monday was declared a public holiday
by the federal government to commemorate Easter Monday celebration and Tuesday
was selected to hold the rescheduled State Governorship and House of Assembly
elections,” it said.

Analysts at GTI Capital, a stock broking firm, said the market
witnessed a two day upward rally last week while the rally came to a halt on
Friday “as portfolio investors balance their accounts for the usual month end
reports.” They said despite the significant loss in value in the NSE market
capitalisation, “other subsector gauges remain active.” In the mean time,
market watchers have advised investors to maintain value investing approach in
the coming weeks.

Gainers and Losers

The number of gainers in the week closed at 39 stocks compared
with the 56 stocks recorded in the previous week. Nestle Nigeria topped the
gainers chart for the week with five percent appreciations or N18.39 to close
at N386.22 per share. On the losers’ side, a total of 44 stocks recorded price
decline in the week compared with the 34 stocks that declined in the previous
week. Chemical and Allied Products topped the losers chart for the week with
49.9 percent depreciation to close at N20.99 per share.

A total of seven equity prices were adjusted during the week for
dividend and bonuses as recommended by their board of directors.

The total volume traded in the week closed at 0.92 billion units
valued at N9.72 billion compared with 2.26 billion units valued at N14.15
billion recorded in the previous week.

The banking subsector was the most active during the week,
measuring by turnover volume, with 626.41 million shares worth N6.01 billion.
Volume in the banking subsector was largely driven by activity in the shares of
Zenith Bank, United Bank for Africa, Guaranty Trust Bank and Access Bank.

Trading in the shares of the four banks accounted for 412.2
million shares, representing 65.80 percent and 44.57 percent of the subsector’s
turnover and total volume traded during the week, respectively.

The insurance subsector, boosted by activity in the shares of
NEM Insurance Company and AIICO Insurance followed on the week’s activity chart
with a subsector turnover of 77.61 million shares valued at N55.41 million.
Trading on NEM Insurance Company accounted for 49.03 percent of the insurance
subsector.

Money

Ensuring food security in Africa

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Ensuring food security in Africa

By most accounts, agriculture is the mainstay of most African
economies, as experts insist that Africa has what it takes to produce food for
its population of about one billion people and even export food to other
regions of the world. The continent, which is blessed with good weather and
geographical conditions, has the capacity to produce food to feed its
inhabitants, all things being equal.

Agricultural experts, however, note that some regions of the
world, including Africa, have been experiencing a food crisis, as global food
prices spiralled upwards, partly because of rising fuel prices, among other
factors.

The rising food prices have elicited a lot of concern from
observers and agencies such as the World Bank, whose Food Price Index is
currently around its 2008 peak.

Since June 2010, an additional 44 million people fell below the
1.25-US-dollar poverty line as a result of higher food prices, says the latest
edition of World Bank’s Food Price Watch.

The situation may even get worse, as simulations show that a
further 10-percent increase in the food price index could lead to 10 million
people falling into poverty, while a 30-percent increase could increase poverty
by 34 million people.

African economies

However, the situation varies from country to country. The World
Bank publication indicates that low-income and lower-income countries are
experiencing an average 5 percent points’ higher food price inflation, when
compared to better-off countries. A special focus on the Middle East and the
North African region in the publication reveals a double-digit food price
inflation in Iran,

Egypt and Syria, with more moderate levels in other parts of the
region. In spite of the gloomy picture, experts, nonetheless, insist that
Africa has the wherewithal to produce abundant food, attain food security and
even export food to other continents. Calestous Juma, a professor of the
Practice of International Development, Harvard Kennedy School in the US,
belongs to this school of thought.

He stressed that agriculture remained the strength of most
African economies, adding that if agriculture was given priority attention in
Africa, the region had the capacity to withstand the vagaries of rising global
food prices.

Mr Juma, who said this at the recent IMF/World Bank Spring
Meeting at Washington DC in the US, stressed that African leaders should focus
their attention and energy on how to use agriculture to foster the region’s
development.

“Agriculture and economy are one and the same, in the sense that
the African economy is driven by agriculture,” he said, adding:

“Therefore, the countries’ ministers of agriculture ought to be
the presidents to enable them to effectively coordinate agricultural activities.”
Mr Juma reiterated that the rising food prices in Africa could be effectively
curtailed if there was a pragmatic focus on agriculture.

Develop agriculture

Sharing similar sentiments, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the managing
director of the World Bank, urged African leaders to focus more attention on
developing their countries’ agricultural sectors, while making pragmatic
efforts to boost food production.

“I think African countries really have to sustain their efforts
to use agriculture funds to ensure food security,” she said.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala stressed that the global food crisis had been
haunting the world, adding, however, that virtually all the African leaders had
come to realise the pivotal roles of agriculture in efforts to boost the
economy.

Agnes Edmond, an agriculturist, supported Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s
sentiments but insisted that greater efforts should be directed at expanding
the people’s access to credit facilities for agricultural ventures.

She noted that most African farmers were hamstrung by their lack
of access to agricultural funding, adding that issues regarding the land tenure
system should also be examined.

“Africa has a lot of contentious issues. Corruption should be
checked, the land tenure system should be properly managed, while farmers
should have little difficulties in accessing credit for farming activities,” Ms
Edmond said.

Money

Oil drops sharply after bin Laden’s death

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Oil drops sharply after bin Laden’s death

Oil prices fell more than 3 percent on Monday after U.S. forces
killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after a decade of military operations
across central Asia and the Middle East.

ICE Brent crude futures for June fell $4.22 to a low of $121.67
a barrel before recovering some ground to trade around $122.85 by 0942 GMT.
Last month Brent hit a 32-month high above $127.

U.S. crude slid $2.40 to $111.53. Early futures market volume
was depressed by a public holiday in Britain and several other countries, which
may have added to price volatility, oil brokers said.

The oil market focused on whether the news would help unwind the
risk premium attached to prices because of war in Libya and unrest in the
Middle East and North Africa.

“There’s probably a knee-jerk reaction to the extent that part
of the geopolitical risk has been supported by al-Qaeda, so there will be an
initial sell-off,” said Jeremy Friesen, commodity strategist at Societe
Generale.

Economists including David Cohen from Action Economics warned
that in the near term, Mr bin Laden’s killing might trigger a violent response
by al-Qaeda, but analysts said it was unlikely the network would succeed in
disrupting oil supplies.

The closest al-Qaeda has been to hitting the oil industry was on
February 24, 2006, when Saudi forces repelled a suicide attack on the Abqaiq
oil-processing centre, the world’s largest.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI have
not issued any warning of a credible or imminent threat, but President Barak
Obama warned Americans to remain vigilant.

“Temporary”

Thorbjørn Bak Jensen of Global Risk Management suggested the
initial sell-off was unlikely to last.

“We regard the reactions as temporary as nothing fundamentally
new is really on the table. If anything it might be a good idea to secure oil
costs,” he said.

Oil was already down before the bin Laden news, after NATO air
strikes over the weekend killed one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s sons and
industry sources said Saudi Arabia raised output in April.

Mr Gaddafi’s youngest son and three grandchildren were killed in
a NATO air strike, the Libyan government said on Sunday. Britain said that
while it was not targeting the leader, it was homing in on the regime’s
military machine.

“What’s happening in Libya is probably an event that will see
Gaddafi moved out of his position, so the risk premium which relates to Middle
East concerns will start to erode,” said Jonathan Barratt, head of Commodity
Broking Services.

Saudi Arabia’s crude oil output edged back up in April to around
8.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from roughly 8.3 million bpd in March as
demand picked up, Saudi-based industry sources said on Sunday.

The dollar strengthened by around 0.2 percent on Monday
following last week’s slide, deterring investors from piling into commodities
this week and triggering a 10 percent plunge in spot silver prices.

Money managers increased their bets on higher U.S. crude oil
prices to a combined record level in New York and London in the week to April
26, data from the CFTC showed on Friday, as U.S. prices rose to their highest
level since September 2008.

Volatility and uncertainty due to the pan-Arab protests and
Libya’s conflict have tempered oil trading. The U.S. 30-day average volume was
down by nearly 130,000 lots compared with the 250-day average at the end of
last week, Reuters data showed.

Money

Retire old legs from Super Eagles now, Nnamdi tells Siasia

Retire old legs from Super Eagles now, Nnamdi tells Siasia

The gradual phasing out of aging players from the Super Eagles by coach Samson Siasia has been described as good for the team. AC Milan player, Nnamdi Oduamadi, said as much to NEXT in an interview after the Nigeria’s U-23 team beat their counterparts from Liberia 6-1, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin on Saturday.

He observed that in view of the tiring legs, it is becoming very difficult for the aging players to continue to assist the younger ones as they apparently have lost the pace which they were once known for. Odumadi said that with hard work, he hopes to get another call up to the senior national team to fight for a shirt.

The tension-soaked second leg match of the London 2012 Olimpic Games qualifiers saw the visitors taking the lead from the spot kick in the 24th minute after dictating the pace of the first ten minutes.

The Austin Eguavoen-tutored side, however survived the early onslaught piled on the by the visitors. Nigeria got the equaliser through Daniel Uchechi from a penalty in the 29th minute. The Liberian side thereafter lost control of the midfield, as the duo of Uchechi Nnamdi and Nosakhare Igiebor took full charge of the midfield, completely cutting off the visitors, and this resulted in three more goals before the end of the first half.

On resumption for the second half, Ganiyu Oseni increased the tally to four to give hope to Nigeria’s bid to hoist its flag in London in 2012 and further dashing the hopes of the Liberians.

The introduction of Ikande Harmony in place of Odumadi Nnamdi in the 82nd minute of the game also yielded dividends as Oseni increased his tally to two. Though it must be noted that the Nigerian players missed several gilt-edged scoring chances before Nosa Igiebor scored his third goal of the encounter in the 88th minute to end the game six goals to one.

Roberto Landi, the Italian coach of the Liberian side described his lads as a young, home based team, which he said he is fine-tuning for the future of the national team of Liberia. He however said that a costly mistake by his side made them pay dearly with the wide goals margin.

Coach of the Dream Team V, Austin Eguavoen, dedicated the victory to departed Super Eagles defender, Olubayo Adefemi. Adefemi died in a ghastly motor accident in Greece, and was buried in Lagos on Friday. Eguavoen described Adefemi as a dependable player who always played to instructions, saying that he left when Nigeria needed him most in the process of rebuilding of the national team. A one-minute silence was observed in Adefemi’s honour before the commencement of the game.

Sports

Nigeria rise to see off Cameroun

Nigeria rise to see off Cameroun

The
Flying Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday emerged champions of the 2011
African Youth Championship after a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Young
Lions of Cameroun.

It is the sixth time the Flying Eagles will be crowned champions of Africa and also their first AYC title since 2005.

Sunday’s win also means that the Nigerians head into July’s FIFA World Cup in Colombia as African champions.

The Nigerians
however, made things tough for themselves after squandering a two-goal
lead in the match which was played at the Dobsonville Stadium, in
Soweto.

With a quarter of
an hour left on the clock, Olanrewaju Kayode opened scoring for the
Flying Eagles with a shot from inside the Camerounian area following an
error from the Young Lions’ defence.

And when Uche
Nwofor converted from the penalty spot after Kayode was brought down by
Young Lions goalkeeper, Komguep Efala four minutes later, the Nigerians
probably thought they were home and dry.

Fightback

But with eight
minutes left on the clock, the Camerounians, like wounded lions, fought
back and pulled back two goals within the space of two minutes with
Franck Ohandza leading the fight back for his side.

The Thailand based
striker, who grabbed the only goal of the game when both sides met in
the group stage of the tournament, ran into the area and turned his
marker, Gbenga Arokoyo inside-out before slamming the ball off the
underside of Danjuma Paul’s crossbar.

Two minutes later,
Edgar Salli, brought the Young Lions back on level terms with the
Flying Eagles with an unstoppable drive from inside the Nigerian area
after some sloppy defending by Ganiyu Ogungbe, who uncharacteristically
headed the ball onto the path of the Camerounian forward.

The game then
drifted into extra time, but it was the Nigerians that were to have the
last laugh, when substitute Terry Envoh dribbled his way into the
Camerounian area in the second minute of extra time, to score what
turned out to be the match-winning goal.

It was a deserved victory for the Nigerians who were for the greater part of Sunday’s encounter the better side.

Kayode’s show

John Obuh’s side
also had far more chances than the Camerounians and came close to going
ahead in the 11th minute through Kayode. But the ASEC Mimosas of Cote
d’Ivoire youngster, following a cross from the right by Nwofor, headed
the ball onto the crossbar much to the delight of Efala who was rooted
to the spot.

And with two
minutes to the end of the first half, Kayode found some space in the
Camerounian area only to smash his shot onto the side netting with
Efala at his mercy.

The Camerounians
also had chances of their own and Salli proved more than a handful for
the Nigerian defence with his powerful runs and mazy dribbles. But the
Nigerians always looked the more likelier to score, and deservedly went
ahead in the 75th minute when Kayode latched onto an error by the
Camerounian defence, ran into the area before slamming the ball past an
onrushing Efala.

Four minutes later,
Efala was slow in coming off his line and brought Kayode down in the
area for a penalty, which Nwofor dispatched with ease to grab his
fourth goal of the tournament, and thus overtake South Africa’s Lucky
Nguzana on the scorers’ chart.

Then came two goals
in as many minutes by the Camerounians, before Terry Envoh, who took
the place of the injured Abduljeleel Ajagun on the dot of 90 minutes,
dribbled his way past the tiring Camerounian defence, before calmly
slotting the ball under the onrushing Efala for the cup-winning goal.

It wasn’t over yet
though as the Camerounians adopted a gung-ho approach and could had
pulled back on level terms once again but for impressive saves by the
Nigerian goalie.

Not even a 113th minute red card to Kayode for a second bookable
offence could deny the Nigerians a deserved victory as they now set
their sights on Colombia.

Sports

Russia return imminent for Martins

Russia return imminent for Martins

Nigerian
forward, Obafemi Martins looks set to rejoin Russian club Rubin Kazan,
come the end of the season following an injury-ravaged campaign with
Birmingham.

The Nigerian
international joined the English Premier League outfit in January on
loan until the end of the season from the former Russian league
champions.

Although the former
Inter Milan striker didn’t make an immediate impact with the Blues, he
was to etch his way into the hearts of the club’s fans when he scored
the match-winning goal in their English League Cup final win over
Arsenal at Wembley.

But a spate of
injuries has limited the Nigerian’s appearances for Alex McLeish’s side
to just four starts before his Wembley heroics. And the Scotsman has
hinted that the club’s Wembley hero may have kicked his last ball for
Birmingham.

Martins underwent
surgery last Thursday to repair a stress fracture in his left leg, and
is expected to be sidelined for up to four months, by which time his
loan at St Andrew’s would have expired.

And McLeish has
revealed that making the Nigerian’s move to England permanent when the
transfer window reopens in July has not crossed his mind.

Shame

“It’s a shame for
Oba,” McLeish said in the build-up to Birmingham’s 1-1 draw against
Wolves. “He will probably never have to buy a drink in Birmingham
again, but he’s had a strange season.

“At Wolfsburg and
then Rubin, he never cemented a place. Coming to us, I think he was
looking for a bright new future but he was never quite right.

“I think he showed
flashes in the final, the goal and the time after it when he ran at
Arsenal’s back four and went round the keeper. He was at his best.

“But there were times when I thought ‘where’s the wee man’s explosive jumping power and pace?’.

“Eventually it was clear there were problems. When he went away with Nigeria a sore groin stopped him playing.

“When he came back he was complaining about his shin. It was the stress fracture, it crept up on him.

“What we do in the future with him? I’ve not really given it a thought,” he added.

Sports

Arsenal blast league wide open

Arsenal blast league wide open

Arsenal started the match like a house on fire, even though they were without the injured Cesc Fabregas. They kept United pinned in their half with about 80 perecent possession in the first ten minutes but the clearest chance in this time, was in the third minute, when a loose ball fell to Jack Wilshire on the edge of the United box but he dragged his shot wide.

This is the kind of missed opportunities that has led to the collapse of the Gunners’ season.

Another great chance was created by Arsenal in the seventh minute when a teasing cross from the left by Gael Clichy was blazed over by Theo Walcott. And in the passage of play, with Arsenal setting a high defensive line, Javier Hernandez was caught offside twice in the first quarter of the game.

There will always be talk about the referee and this match will not be an exception.
Chris Foy, the man chosen to handle the FA Cup final, made too many wrong decisions in the first half and about half of the incidents involved Manchester United captain, Nemanja Vidic. The Serbian centre-back fouled Wilshire on the edge of the box in the 19th minute but Mr Foy waved play on. But the most contentious happened in the 32nd minute when Vidic used his arm to divert for a corner, a cross by Walcott from the right wing. So as the first half ended, all the talk was about the gaffes of Chris Foy.

Ramsey’s goal

The second half was no less easy for Mr Foy as he continued to fumble major decisions. Andrei Arshavin came on for an injured Samir Nasri, but the Gunners kept their shape. Arsenal started on the front foot again but the first goalmouth action was caused by the Red Devils.

In the 50th minute, a free kick about 30m from goal, was almost converted by Rooney but Arsenal’s young goalkeeper, Woljech Szczesny made an outstanding save while Patrice Evra fired into the side netting from a tight angle on the follow up.

United grew in confidence after that near goal and started pushing Laurent Koscielny and Johann Djourou back a bit. But on Arsenal’s next foray forward, they got a deserved goal. Aaron Ramsey won a ball in midfield and fed Robin van Persie, who had shifted to the right.

Van Persie then teased Evra before laying the ball back into the path of Ramsey, who coolly slotted past van der Sar, in goal for United. United then had to at least seek an equaliser and Alex Ferguson brought on Dimitar Berbartov for Hernandez, who had been kept quiet by the Arsenal defenders. Szczesny made a good save in the 77th to help keep the Gunners lead intact.

Rooney played in Nani but Szczesny was quick off his line to make a good stop. Michael Owen replaced Michael Carrick in the 85th minute to try and salvage a goal and Owen almost repaid the faith of his manager in the 87th minute. There were strong penalty appeals, at least from the United bench, when Owen went down just inside the box after contact with Clichy.

Television replays showed that it was a borderline decision for Mr Foy, who waved play on. And that was the last chance that United could muster. They now go into a crunch week where they face Schalke 04 in the Champions League semifinal second leg with a comfortable 2-0 lead and wait to entertain Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday for what could be a title-deciding match.

Sports

POINT BLANK: Will Bin Hammam upset football’s applecart? (2)

POINT BLANK: Will Bin Hammam upset football’s applecart? (2)

With Joao Havelange having a 24-year stretch as FIFA boss and Joseph Blatter
now in his 13th, it’s no surprise that Mohammed Bin Hammam advocates term
limits being inserted into the world governing body’s statutes.

“Eight years is a long time for anyone to be president and I do not need
longer than this to implement my programme,” the FIFA presidential candidate
told me during an exclusive chat in Banjul, capital of The Gambia.

“About eight, nine months ago, I submitted a proposal to the FIFA executive
committee, in which I suggested that the terms of the president should be
limited to a maximum of eight years, with the rule only taking effect from
2011… Unfortunately, this motion was defeated.”

That vote has not brought an end to a sore subject many in the game’s
fraternity believe must be confronted, in order to ensure a steady flow of
innovation from FIFA’s upper chamber.

But assuming Bin Hammam will make this issue a cardinal point of his
presidency, should he be elected, it could be akin to barking up the wrong
tree.

“If you are asking me whether I will resubmit this proposal to the executive
committee, I am not too sure about that… But I can assure you that I will not
stay for more than two terms if I am successful.” “I took over as Asian
Football Confederation (AFC) president in 2002 and introduced a three-term
limit (a maximum of 12 years in office). So, if I am not successful in my bid
to become FIFA president, I’ll end my career in 2015, when my final term ends.”

Having accused Blatter of being a “sit-tight president”, one would assume
the AFC boss will sound the warning bells of doom for FIFA, should the Swiss
get a much sought after final term in office.

But Bin Hammam is complimentary of his long-term ally turned political
adversary.

“Competition is the way to make the organisation vibrant… If Blatter
continues his work after the elections, should he win, I think it will be good
for FIFA…” “My feelings for him have not changed and I hope we will shake
hands after the contest is over. I do not see him as an enemy and I hope he
feels the same.”

To have a serious chance of winning the contest, the Qatari needs
substantial African support, with CAF, alongside UEFA, being the largest
confederation in the world.

But personalities within the continent question the genuineness of Bin
Hammam’s relationship with Africa. The AFC president has been accused of using
his Gulf wealth to interfere in CAF’s political matters, especially during
elections into its executive committee and polls for the continent’s FIFA exco
representatives.

Many say his alleged support for Algeria’s Mohammed Raouraoua, was vital to
the latter’s successful bid for a seat on the FIFA executive committee last
February.

Accusations of skulduggery, predictably, attract a denial from the AFC boss.

“Some people may see it that way but I have never influenced anything
internally in Africa,” he claims.

“My relationship with the continent’s federations and administrators is a
close one. I have passed the stage of mere friendship with Africa.”

But the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – the smallest country ever to be awarded
the hosting rights – is all about business.

With Qatari temperatures reaching up to 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees
Fahrenheit) in the summer months, when the tournament will take place, the
unsolved mystery of how the tournament will thrive remains – but not for Bin
Hammam.

“The months of June and July are a peak tourist season in Qatar. There are
people on the streets and it’s not as difficult a place as is suggested.”
Should he fail to ascend the FIFA presidency, Bin Hammam claims he’s content to
ride into the political sunset.

“In 2015, my life in football will end and I’ll go back to my family. I have
11 children and 15 grandchildren, so I have a lot of work at home to do!”

But victory in the May 31/June 1 poll will certainly turn things on its
head. That, certainly, is not on Joseph Blatter’s wish list.

POSTSCRIPT

In a previous column titled ‘Amos Adamu’s macabre dance’, the erroneous
impression was given that the former FIFA executive committee member had lost
his right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Although FIFA told me that “The findings of the decision of the FIFA Appeal
Committee… were notified to Mr Adamu on 4 February 2011,” which would have
barred him from an appeal, this was incorrect.

The full judgment, needed before a CAS appeal can be filed, was not
delivered to Mr Adamu until April 12, which means he has until 3 May to appeal.
FIFA has given “apologies if there has been any confusion”.

Sports

Ranting Mourinho writes off Real’s chances

Ranting Mourinho writes off Real’s chances

Jose Mourinho wrote off Real Madrid’s Champions League chances
and accused Barcelona of being favoured by the footballing authorities after
his 10-man side lost their semi-final first leg 2-0 on Wednesday.

Real had midfielder Pepe sent off after 62 minutes and Mourinho
was sent to the stands for his protests soon after, and Lionel Messi took full
advantage to score both goals in a stunned Bernabeu.

“Congratulations to a fantastic football team,” the Real coach
said in a rambling rant at the post-match news conference.

“But congratulations for all they have as well, it must be
difficult to get all this power. Where does this power come from? I don’t know
if it’s because they give UNICEF publicity (on their shirts)?”

Mourinho went on to list Barca’s semifinal victory over Chelsea
in 2009, the Inter Milan semifinal from last season and now “the scandal of the
Bernabeu”, as he suggested unfair red cards had been issued to rivals playing
the Catalan side. “This thing happens in each semifinal,” he said.

“I am here just to ask this question and I hope to get the
answer one day.

“I respect him (Barca coach, Pep Guardiola) a great deal as a
coach and a person…but I would like to see him win a Champions League without
scandals.

“Pep is a fantastic football coach and he has won one Champions
League. I would be ashamed to have won it after the scandal of Stamford Bridge
(when he said Chelsea should have had four penalties).

“I won two Champions Leagues with Porto and Inter and won both
on the pitch. We won with work, effort, sweat and fight.”

Mission impossible

The second of those European crowns came after a famous
rearguard action with 10 men at the Nou Camp last season, losing 1-0 after
having won the first leg 3-1.

However, Mourinho quickly ruled out any chance of another heroic
performance in next Tuesday’s second leg at Barca’s stadium.

“Obviously in the return leg it’s a very difficult mission,” he
added. “It’s not very difficult, it’s impossible.

“They will get to the final and that’s that”

Real have had a player sent off in each of the four ‘Clasicos’
they have played in La Liga, the King’s Cup final and the Champions League this
season, and now will be without the suspended Sergio Ramos and Pepe next week.

Mourinho, who said he was not supposed to be speaking to the
media after having been sent off, will have to watch from the stands.

When asked what he had said to receive the punishment from the
German referee, Wolfgang Stark, he replied: “I didn’t say anything, I just
applauded his decision with two thumbs.

“If I told UEFA and him what I thought and feel, I would end my career now.”
On television replays of the incident he could be seen to say “Well done, well
done” to the fourth official after Pepe was sent off for a high-footed
challenge on Barca fullback Dani Alves.