Nigeria Content Online

Chest pains which
confined Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier to a hospital bed for
eight days, a decade after he underwent open heart surgery, are a
salutary reminder of the stresses of an unforgiving job.

The 63-year-old
Frenchman is now recovering at home and has relinquished control of the
Premier League club for the remainder of the season.

Heart problems have
been a recurring theme in British football management, with the best
known being, Scotland manager Jock Stein’s death from a heart attack
after his team’s match against Wales in 1985.

Another Scot,
Graeme Souness, was only 38 when he had a triple heart bypass while
managing Liverpool in 1992 and Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson
had a pacemaker inserted in 2004. Two English managers, Joe Kinnear and
Barry Fry, have suffered heart attacks.

Tricia Kalloo is
the owner of Wellness International, which provides the opportunity for
English football managers to have free and regular checkups in
coordination with the League Managers Association (LMA) under the Fit
to Manage programme.

In a telephone
interview with Reuters, Kalloo said football managers endured stress
levels similar to those of senior executives in other occupations.

Heavy workload

“We can see similar levels of stresses in senior executives as we do in football managers,” she said.

“With football managers, their stress begins not just from the moment that they step on the field.

“Their stresses can
begin a couple of days into the lead up to the game. Football managers
endure this build-up of stress over a significant period of time and
recurring through a season.

“There can also be pressures with the club and the day-to-day activities that we are probably not aware of.”

Kalloo said one of
the contributing factors to their stress level was the sheer number of
hours a football manager worked, which has been estimated at more than
80 hours a week during the season.

“We are thinking of
training, we are thinking of time at the club, of game time and travel
time. I believe that is what drives those statistics,” she said. “Not
much rest.”

Kalloo said the
programme had a pool of some 290 managers who could undergo checkups in
Wellness International’s London or Manchester offices.

“Managers, current
or retired, can also access a mobile service if they live close to the
area where it is being delivered,” she said. “It gives them an idea of
any health risks they may have.

“This accessibility
has proven to be successful as it brings the service to the range of
managers, not just with clubs who are under constant stress, but
managers who might be temporarily out of the game but involved in other
activities and retired managers who need to keep monitoring their
health and take good care of themselves.

Insecure trade

“In terms of the
total membership, we probably have approximately 50 percent of the
members coming through at any one time. Given the success rate of the
programme and the number of managers who benefit from this, it is
disappointing that we do not see more managers through.”

Kalloo said one
factor all managers had in common, whether they were ex-professional
players or not, was a passion for their job.

“I think it’s a
genuine passion from every manager that we see that drives them, the
dedication and ultimately the stress levels,” she said.

Football management is a notoriously insecure trade, with managers hired and fired on a regular basis.

“I believe that is
something that they are all very much aware of,” Kalloo said. “Of
course it affects them but I think there is a general understanding
that it’s one of the risks of the job.

“We do work with a number of lawyers, senior executives or chief executives who have similar stresses or reactions.

“Remember that we all endure some type of stress and it is really
about the way we handle. It is about coping strategies. You and I may
have an exact situation in life but our ability to cope with it is very
different and hence our stress levels would be different.”

REUTERS

As the nation
heaves a sigh of relief after the national polls, the Nigerian polo
family, the management of Zaria Polo Club and enthusiasts of the sport
of kings are looking forward to the much-hyped Zaria annual polo
festival.

Traditionally
billed for the Easter holiday period, but pushed forward by the
elections, the Zaria 2011 festival, which holds later this month or
early June, would provide a convivial ambience for the polo fraternity
to celebrate with some of their own who made it at the polls.

Acting captain of
Zaria Polo Club, Alhaji Aminu Gagare who dropped this hint, said
arrangements are in top gear for Zaria to host its 2011 tournament.
Gagare, who would not confirm the date until he clears it with the
Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF), says the event will be one of the best
Zaria has witnessed in recent times.

“Arrangements are
on course and the club management has been holding discussions with our
patrons, benefactors and potential sponsors and everything is looking
good for a grand event that would further consolidate the return of
noble game to the ancient Zauzau kingdom,” Gagare said.

Zaria Polo Club,
which is bracing up to host its second tournament since coming out of
decades of inactivity, is overwhelmed by the level of interest as most
clubs across the country are jostling to play in Zaria.

“We are overwhelmed
by the huge interest our tournament is generating, and we are currently
discussing with officials of the Nigerian Polo Federation for
permission to invite more than the mandatory number of clubs for the
fiesta” the captain pointed out.

Getting ready

NPF President,
Francis Ogboro has confirmed that the body is working closely with
Zaria Polo Club to host the festival. According to the polo boss,
tournament details and the date for the tournament would be made public
soon.

Apart from the
growing interest from participating clubs that stretches from Port
Harcourt to Sokoto, Yola, Kaduna, Jos, Katsina, Bauchi and Abuja,
corporate organizations are angling to use the event to market their
products and services in Zaria and its environs.

Already, the polo
club nestling on the serene Queen Elizabeth Road in Zaria GRA, is
wearing a new look as a communications company is seeking to get Zaria
under its growing sponsorship list of polo events in the country.

A visit to the
university town reveals the whole city beaming, with its ever growing
student population, bracing up for a real festival as the polo ground,
the club house and the pavilion is wearing a new look.

Also, side boards was already in place with few horses trotting around as the countdown to the prestigious event begins.

The city will
receive thousands of visitors, as most of the players currently
preparing for the Polo World Cup qualifier, would use the event to
showcase their skills before departing to Malaysia.

The ancient kingdom
of Zazzau in Kaduna State came alive last year as polo made its long
awaited return to ancient city. The tournament, which attracted over
ten teams from Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and host Zaria, galloped off on
April 2 and climaxed with fanfare on April 4. The festival enjoyed the
blessing of the Emir of Zazzau, Shehu Idris and his Katsina counterpart
and life chairman of Nigerian polo, Abdulmumuni Kabir.

The three-day
fiesta was undoubtedly the biggest sporting carnival the kingdom has
witnessed in decades, with tourists and polo enthusiasts arriving Zaria
in droves.

At the end of the event, Katsina Max Air and Kano Nakudu polo teams
emerged winners, carting home the highly-revered Royal Signal Cup and
the Emir of Zauzau Cup respectively.

What United must do the Champions
League final is in the future but there is a present challenge which is
blue, in the form of Chelsea.

What does Alex Ferguson need to do?

Between being
cautious and going gung-ho? They lead the table with three points and a
point from today’s match will not be a disaster – so playing on the
counter with the pace of Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier Hernandez, could
be the preferred option.

In the champions
league win over Chelsea, United showed a patient side and the ability
of Ryan Giggs to play the killer pass was key to the two-legged win,
even though the two sides mirrored a 4-4-2 formation.

So today, Rooney
will have to drop into the hole but he must be supported there by Giggs
– a feature that was missing in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal last Sunday.
Rooney was too isolated and was suffocated by the attentions of Alex
Song and Aaron Ramsey. Michael Carrick must get back to the groove he
showed against Chelsea in the Champions League clashes.

What Chelsea must not do

Chelsea must go
into today’s match with the notion that there is nothing to lose, and
that trophies are not won by second-place finishers. Chelsea have
reverted to their tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation and have scored 11
goals in their last four matches. Against Tottenham, Carlo Ancelotti
tried to pair Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres but the experiment did
not work out too well. So expect Drogba to start with Salomon Kalou and
Florent Malouda. Ramires should also start with Frank Lampard and Mikel
Obi.

As it showed
against Arsenal, United do not like players running at them like Jack
Wilshire did, so Ramires, though not as skilful as Wilshire, can still
commit the midfielders and defenders to track back. Branislav Ivanovic
will take up his battle against Nani and Ashley Cole could also
bejoined in battle with Antonio Valencia. Chelsea have momentum but
United have proven over the years that they do not accept defeat until
the final whistle.

Flashback

In the 1995/96
league title run-in, Newcastle manager, Kevin Keegan had a public
break-down; live on television after being needled by the ‘master’ in
psychological warfare, Alex Ferguson.

Keegan, while
responding to questions after a match against Leeds, lost his cool over
Ferguson’s claim that teams tried harder to beat Man Utd than Newcastle.

“I’ve kept really quiet, but I’ll tell you something: he went down in my estimation when he said that,’ Keegan said.

He continued, “I’ll
tell ya – you can tell him now, he’ll be watching – we’re still
fighting for this title. And I’ll tell you honestly, I will love it if
we beat them – love it!”

Newcastle ended up
second after United had clawed back a 12-point deficit with the
pressure of mind games with United manager Alex Ferguson appeared to
have taken its toll on Keegan. Newcastle were thus denied a first title
since 1927. Man Utd led the table by two points with one game left, and
beat Tottenham 3-0 to claim the trophy.

Quotes

“If you don’t
recognise who won the league the year before, you’re very foolish. It
is not easy winning the league, even if it was only by a point. They
still won the league and they’re a very experienced, formidable side
and anybody who finishes above Chelsea will win the league.” – Alex
Ferguson predicted in November that the season would come down to a
fight between his side and the Stamford Bridge outfit

“Obviously, it
gives Chelsea a major chance now and that’s what happens. They got
great decisions for them. We never seem to get these kinds of
decisions. They seem to be getting them. They got one to win the league
at Old Trafford last season so that’s a worry.” – Alex Ferguson started
his mind games on Sunday immediately his side lost 1-0 to Arsenal as he
accused referees of favouring Chelsea

“You need to use
character and personality to play this match. Both teams have that, but
it is the momentum. It is the best moment to play there because now our
condition is good and the momentum is also. But obviously it will not
be easy to play there. I don’t think we are better [than United]. I
think we have the same power, the same strength, and the same ability.”
– Carlo Ancelotti after the 2-1 win over Tottenham last Saturday

“We know if we want
to win the game we have to play with confidence. The results against
them in the Champions League were very good. I think that gives us the
psychological advantage. We just have to concentrate on our football
and winning the game. If we do that then everything will be fine. If we
win this one then it is a great advantage for us. It is nearly over
then. We have a great chance.” – Nani saying United hold a
psychological edge over Chelsea in today’s encounter

The referee – Howard Webb

When the name of
the referee for the Man Utd versus Chelsea match was revealed on
Monday, United fans gave a collective sigh of relief whilst Chelsea
fans started fearing the worst.

Ken Ochonogor, a sports presenter and an avid United fan put the appointment succinctly.

“When we played
Chelsea, they brought Atkinson, who is a Chelsea fan so the Premier
League had to balance it by giving us ‘our’ referee. Now we are sure
that the league will be won at Old Trafford on Sunday.”

And Webb’s alleged
bias for United started back in the 2008/2009 season. A match between
Tottenham Hotspurs and United in April 2009 was the day this legend was
born.

United were 2-0
down to Tottenham at half-time with the title race also balanced
precariously when Webb awarded Michael Carrick a more than dubious
penalty after he lost the ball and fell over Tottenham goalkeeper,
Heurelho Gomes in the box in the 56th minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo
scored and United, mounted a famous comeback. United finally won 5-2
but there is the likelihood that the comeback would have been
impossible if Carrick had not been awarded that penalty.

Spurs midfielder
Jermaine Jenas said afterwards: “I think it was a case of a referee
crumbling under the pressure at Old Trafford really than making
decisions.

“One thing which
struck me about it was that he didn’t even think. It was like he’d
already made his mind up when he came out for the second half that he
was going to give something.”

Webb was demoted to the Championship the following week as punishment for the mistake but United still went on to win the title.

Liverpool were also
left fuming in January when Webb awarded an early penalty to Dimitar
Berbatov to give United the lead, a decision that was classified as a
‘joke’ by Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish. To rub salt into an open
wound, Webb then sent off Steven Gerrard for a two-footed lunge on
Michael Carrick, though it must be said that it was the right decision.

Afterwards it
became a Twitter rant as former Liverpool player, Ryan Babel, posted a
mocked-up picture of Webb in a United shirt and the Football
Association promptly handed down a £10,000 fine for the Dutch player.

Also to help the myth grow, Webb has awarded United three penalties in the last four games he has officiated at Old Trafford.

But there in comes
the fear that Webb will try too much on Sunday to be seen as fair,
thereby hampering his ability to give key decisions the way of United.

It is hoped for
Webb’s case and other referees that today’s match will pass without any
incident and that United and Chelsea do not crowd the referee when
there are contentious issues to be addressed.

Managers’ head to head

Juventus 2 Man Utd 3; agg 3-4; (Champions League semi-final, second leg, April 1999)

AC Milan 3 Man Utd 0; agg: 5-3; (Champions League semi-final, second leg, May 2007)

Man Utd 2 Chelsea 2 (Chelsea won 4-1 on penalties); (FA Community Shield, August 2009)

Chelsea 1 Man Utd 0 – (Premier League, November 2009)

Man Utd 2, Chelsea 1 (agg 3-1); (Champions League quarter-final, second leg, April 2011) </

The three day
national workshop for coaches and fitness educators tagged ‘Personal
and Corporate Health Fitness Training’ which was held between Wednesday
and Friday, saw participants of the programme appreciative of the new
knowledge impacted. The seminar was aimed at sensitizing fitness
coaches and trainers on new techniques available to them. Also it was
an enlightening session to show that general fitness is a must for
everyone.

“Fitness is not for
athletes alone, it is for everybody and it is not supposed to be a
stressful thing and we want to encourage these trainers on what they
need to do to encourage more people to engage in physical fitness,”
says Wale Adeoye, who is administrative secretary of the Consult Centre.

“When you are okay in your body, it has a way of affecting your mind and emotions and your mental capacity,” he says.

The training, which began on the Wednesday saw participants coming from as far away as the University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

Held at a hall in
the National Institute for Sport building, the seminar began with
exposition on the components of physical fitness. Obaro Odion, a
fitness coach who resides in Lagos, explains that physical fitness is
in two phases:

“There is the
general fitness, which is the state of wellness that an individual
possesses. Some components of it include agility, muscle flexibility,
balance and stamina. Then there is specific fitness which is something
that sports athletes should have. That means there is a level of
fitness required in an athlete that an individual may not necessarily
possess.” Beyond exercise, Odion also explains that physical fitness
transcends beyond exercise. “Fitness should be an important part of our
lives and it is usually achieved through exercise, getting enough rest
from stress and eating a balanced diet. That means attaining physical
fitness is not complete without having all the three components in
place.”

Tosan Lawal, a
football coach at the Delta State University explains some of the
benefits of fitness, “It gives one the capacity to go through the day’s
activities with more vigour, it also helps to increase the mental and
physical stamina of the individual and it helps the body to function
effectively.”

He went ahead to
explain that as a coach he would tailor what he had learned at this
seminar to help his team in developing flexibility and agility.

Odion says that the
three-day event has been very enlightening. “For me that I come across
a myriad of people of different age, sizes with different physical
conditions, it will help me serve them in the best way that would suit
their physiology. There is a woman I work with who has problems with
her knees and with this seminar; I will be able to help her better as I
understand better.” Another coach, Dennis Owolabi who attended the
programme from Maiduguri, has however cautioned that exercise is not
the only characteristic that maintains physical fitness. “We should
also remember that good food is important to help the body regain lost
energy and there is need for our people to learn how to manage stress,
because if we eat good food and exercise but accumulate stress, it is
still bad for us. After a while stress begins to affect the body, so it
is important that we find ways to ease tension.”

Owolabi further
went to explain such ways, “exercise is a perfect way to ease stress
because it makes you more relaxed and you will be able to sleep well.
You can also ease tension by taking massages.”

Auwalu Ahmed, also
from Maiduguri, gave kudos to the organisers, “I am impressed by the
organisers and by the efforts they put into providing us with trained
personnel, some of them are actually professors in UNILAG (University
of Lagos). I have been able to learn new techniques and to see that
some techniques which we had been using before had become obsolete. I
am glad I came for this seminar.”

Adeoye expressed satisfaction at the outcome, “We are happy to be
able to serve our people this way and we are satisfied that they
(participants) are also satisfied. I envisage a situation where these
people who not only pass this knowledge to their clients but also to
their fellow mates who were not able to come here.”

Mark Webber
indicated on Thursday that he would see out his Formula One career at
Red Bull and revealed how close he came to quitting the sport a few
years ago.

The 34-year-old
Australian, whose contract with the world champions expires at the end
of the year, told reporters at the Turkish Grand Prix that he had three
options for 2012 and the choice would be his.

“Stay here, stop or drive somewhere else – which is probably unlikely,” he said.

“It’s obviously down a lot to how I feel about things and we’ll see how we feel later in the year,” he added.

“I could have
stopped two, three years ago but I didn’t, I kept going. The results
have been good in the last few years and are still being good now.”
While Webber joined Red Bull in 2007, finishing 12th and 11th overall
in his first two years with the team, the Australian was clearly
referring to his difficult years at Williams before then in 2005 and
2006.

“It’s old ground
isn’t it?,” he said when pressed on the subject. “We know the window in
my career where I was thinking about it (stopping). It didn’t happen, I
came to Red Bull and (we’ve) done some great things together.

“There’s still a lot of big boxes to tick hopefully and do some great things.” Title contender

Webber won four
races last season and was a title contender, if not favourite, going
into the final race in Abu Dhabi won by German team mate Sebastian
Vettel.

Vettel won the race and the title, becoming the youngest ever champion at 23 years old, and has gone from strength to strength.

The youngster has
been on pole position for all three races this season and won two of
them, finishing second in the other in China.

Webber’s third
place in China was his first podium finish since Brazil last November
and the rise of Vettel has led to speculation that the Australian could
look elsewhere next year or retire.

He said he was keeping things open, and the team were happy with that.

“We haven’t had too
many discussions yet but obviously in the next few months things will
start… it’s not really a big subject,” said Webber.

“We realise how
many good things we’ve done together and there’s a good chance of doing
some very good things again together in future. Whether it ends this
year or I go again next year, it doesn’t depend on results.

“(The) results will be fine. It depends on how I feel,” said the man who won in Monaco and at Silverstone last year.

“There’s a lot of
things that have happened in the last few years that have been big
highlights for me and sensational moments so I hope I can add to those
in the next few years and go from there.”

Webber had not won
a race before he joined Red Bull, a third place in Monaco in 2005 being
his best previous result, and he was 10th and 14th overall in an
uncompetitive car with former champions Williams.

“I just didn’t enjoy my time before I came here,” he recalled.

“At Williams, it was a tough fight for me. At that point I had to restart my career in a way and it worked out very well.

“So obviously I made the right decision there and since then I’ve
taken it step by step, which has been the right way for my mentality
towards the job and probably also suits Red Bull quite well.”

REUTERS

A headed goal by midfielder Custodio
gave Braga’s “group of heroes” an enthralling 1-0 win over Benfica on
Thursday and a place in the first all-Portuguese Europa League final.

Outsiders Braga beat their more illustrious Portuguese compatriots on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw in the semi-final.

Braga will travel
to Dublin for their debut European final on May 18 to face Porto, who
swept past Villarreal 7-4 on aggregate thanks to their 5-1 triumph in
last week’s first leg.

Hosts Braga,
started sharply at their distinctive stadium, where a sheer wall of
rock forms one of the four sides, and went ahead on 19 minutes when
Custodio gave keeper Roberto no chance by towering above the defence to
score after a corner.

“I am not the hero,
we are a group of heroes. There are no words, there is an immense joy
in the air here,” Custodio said, as television images showed hundreds
of Braga fans celebrating in the centre of the northern city.

Pressing hard,
Braga gave Benfica scant room to deploy their flowing game, but the
visitors came close to levelling the match when Argentine forward
Javier Saviola sent a scuffed shot against the post five minutes before
the break.

Benfica continued
to struggle and their first chance in the second half came on the hour
mark when substitute winger Franco Jara sent a dipping shot wide from
the edge of the box.

They then missed
two chances in the 79th minute when Nicolas Gaitan forced keeper Artur
to touch away a fierce shot and Luisao sent a header wide from the
ensuing corner with Saviola arriving seconds too late at the far post.

Braga responded
with two chances of their own in the 84th minute, Custodio and Hugo
Viana both forcing Robert into reflex saves with powerful drives as
they held on to book a spot in the final.

“We deserve to be in the final, justice was done and this is very gratifying,” Braga coach Domingos Paciencia said.

“The final is there
for us to win, that is obvious. We have already shown we can do it,”
added the coach, who spent most of his playing career as a striker at
Porto.

His side dropped down to the Europa League from the Champions League
group stage and then knocked out Liverpool and Dynamo Kiev before
meeting compatriots Benfica.

REUTERS

Lionel Messi will
one day be regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, said
Argentina coach Sergio Batista after watching his two-goal Champions
League display for Barcelona against Real Madrid.

The second goal by
Argentina’s little left-footed genius in Barca’s 2-0 semi-final first
leg win on Wednesday was reminiscent of the dribbling Diego Maradona’s
spectacular effort against England at the 1986 World Cup.

“We saw the Messi we all know and love. He’s on his way to becoming the best player in history,” said Batista.

“Given what we
already know and because he surpasses himself day by day, he’s already
the best in the world,” the coach told Argentine radio station La Red.

“I left the stadium
telling myself, ‘Thank God players like (Barca pair) Xavi and Messi
exist’. They give you goose bumps, they thrill anyone.”

Batista lavished
praise on Maradona, his captain in the team that won the 1986 World Cup
in Mexico, but said Messi was capable of surpassing him.

As coach of Argentina at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Maradona himself said “Messi has already surpassed me”.

Mario Kempes, top
scorer when Argentina won their first World Cup title in 1978, said of
the Barcelona player last year “all he needs is to put the cherry on
the cake which is the World Cup”.

Messi, 23, who has
notched 52 goals in all competitions this season, is admired around the
world and nowhere more than his home country where cafe chatter among
football followers is dominated by comparisons with the great Maradona.

Mission 2014

After the 4-0
thrashing of Maradona’s team by Germany in the 2010 quarter-finals,
Argentina’s fans are eyeing the 2014 finals in Brazil, hoping Messi
will cement his place among the all-time greats.

Barcelona’s flowing, attacking game suits Messi perfectly and Batista’s plan is for Argentina to play like the Spanish side.

Alfredo di Stefano,
instrumental to Real’s domination of the European Cup between 1956-60,
did not need a World Cup to be regarded as the first in the line of
true greats that contains Pele, Johan Cruyff and Maradona.

Di Stefano played first for Argentina, then Spain in an era of much less international football.

Messi may not get
away with just his exploits for Barcelona to enter the pantheon but
will go close if he goes on to claim a second Champions League winner’s
medal at Wembley next month.

He will also look to help Argentina win their first title in 18 years at the Copa America on home soil in July.

Perhaps Messi’s father, Jorge should be asked for a prediction after his forecast for Wednesday’s match proved spot on.

He told TyC Sports
in an interview on Thursday: “I told (Lionel) to go and enjoy the
match, which Barcelona would win 2-0 and he’d score both goals”.

REUTERS

The
last set of matches before the lucrative mini-league stage of the CAF
Champions League continues across Africa today and for Nigeria’s
representative, Enyimba FC, it is win or bust! The Peoples Elephant, as
they are fondly called by their fans, are gunning for a third Champions
League crown but face a stern test against one of Libya’s most
successful club sides; Al Ithihad at the Aba International Stadium
later today.

While Ithihad is
dictating the pace in the Libyan league, which they have won a record
16 times and currently occupy top spot, same is not for Enyimba who are
10th on the log in the Nigeria Premier League which has been on break
for a while.

That
notwithstanding, Enyimba’s captain, Chiedozie Johnson in an interview
with cafonline.com, said he is confident that his team will beat the
Libyan champions when both teams go head on in today’s winner takes all
fixture.

“We left Aba for Port Harcourt to train because we know how important this game is” he said.

“Everybody wants to
give his best because our fans have not sipped from the CAF cup for a
very long time. Let us say we are determined to secure victory.

“Over the past few
days we have undergone series of trainings just to be in shape. We
expect a good outing on Sunday. All of us like the Champions League
medal. We want to wear it, we want to drink from the cup. When you
bring all these together, you will agree with me that this is serious
business. Everybody is serious and determined to win.”

Enyimba enjoys a
slight advantage going into today’s game as the tie, which was meant to
be played on a home and away basis, was reduced to a one-legged affair
owing to the unrest in Libya.

Johnson though,
admitted that this not necessarily translate to an advantage but he was
however upbeat that his team can maintain their 100 percent winning
record at home

“We are going to use our excellent home record to full advantage” he said.

He continued “I
know that at this stage of competition, the venue may not matter so
much. I am sure that we have thousands of fans who would motivate us to
victory”.

“We will be careful
not to let ‘home advantage’ get into our heads. We will play the match
knowing full well that a winner must be decided on Sunday (today). Our
fans look up so much to us and we cannot afford to disappoint them in
their own home”

Ithihad has in its
fold some Nigerian players, top of whom is Izu Azuka. The team formerly
had Super Eagles star, Victor Ikpeba also on its payroll.

Johnson is however
indifferent about all that “It is a good thing that there are Nigerians
in their team. This will not be the first time we will play against a
team that has Nigerians playing for them. As a matter of fact, most
club sides in Africa have Nigerians playing for them. We are going to
play our game as a team against a team not as individuals or against
individuals. We will not let the presence of Nigerians distract us. We
are going to play against a Libyan club side not against Nigerians”.

Emordi’s thoughts

On his part, Okey
Emordi, the CAF Champions League-winning coach of Enyimba, insisted
that his side will not be looking at either their records or that of
their opponents Libya’s Ittihad FC in today’s game. Also speaking to
cafonline.com on the crucial encounter, Emordi said his wards are fired
up for victory.

“We are very
serious as we would not like to be knocked out at this stage. Football
is a dynamic game and for you to remain in reckoning, you must
constantly update your skills”.

This is the first time Enyimba will be playing against a Libyan side at any level and that for Emordi is no big deal.

“Football has only
one language, which is skill. Football does not understand any known
human language. So, the language we are going to speak in the match is
skill” he said.

He continued “The
pattern we are going to play is skill. So, it does not matter whether
we have never played a Libyan side. What they have is skill and tactics
and we are going to follow them in that direction.

“I also know we
have been playing against North African sides. Though it will not be
correct to say their patterns are not entirely similar, we know their
ways and can check them comfortably”.

Emordi said the pleasure of lifting the Champions League for the second time as a coach is important to him.

“It feels good to win and we cannot achieve that except we win on
Sunday to enable us advance to the mini league. I tell you the players
are anxious to go beyond the Sunday match. Individually and as a team,
we are eager to be victorious for our numerous fans, Nigerians,
management and for ourselves. We are motivated by the pleasure of
winning. Nigerians like winning and Aba is equally a community that
likes good football. When you win, you attract more followership. You
know football is a game of followership. God willing, we will win” he
concluded.

Teenage prodigy,
Matteo Manassero is expected to make his US Open debut next month and
he simply cannot wait to take on the famous Congressional Country Club
course in Bethesda, Maryland.

The 18-year-old
Italian is 33rd in the world rankings and needs to remain in the top 50
by the end of May in order to make certain of his place in the second
major of the year.

“I’m really looking
forward to playing one of the world’s most famous courses,” twice
European Tour winner Manassero told Reuters on the eve of the Spanish
Open.

“I don’t know
anything about the Congressional, except I know the rough will be long,
but tough courses suit my game and I’m excited about making my debut.”
The June 16-19 US Open will be held for the third time on the Blue
course at Congressional where South African Ernie Els won the most
recent edition in 1997.

Manassero became
the youngest winner on the European Tour when he lifted the Castello
Masters title in Spain last year, at the age of 17.

Europe’s 2010
Rookie of the Year then proved his maiden victory was no fluke by
landing the Malaysian Open crown in Kuala Lumpur last month.

While Manassero is
delighted to have won twice already in his fledgling career, the
teenager is also concerned about a possible backlash.

Lots to learn

“My wins have happened very soon which is nice because I can now go on and achieve more,” he said.

“(But) I do wonder if it has all come too soon because now everybody expects me to win when I still have a lot to learn.

“There will be bad times but I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it especially as I have a good team around me.”

Manassero,
competing this week for the first time since his Malaysian triumph, is
juggling the demands of the tour with trying to complete his formal
education.

“It’s not easy to
combine the two but I try,” he said. “I want to finish my studies, so I
travel with my books and do my exams.”

Manassero said that qualifying for next year’s Ryder Cup near Chicago was in his thoughts.

“The Ryder Cup is far away … (but) obviously it’s on my mind,” he explained.

“My present goal is
to make the top 10 in the Race to Dubai,” added Manassero who now holds
13th place on Europe’s money-list.

REUTERS

French Sports
minister Chantal Jouanno will announce on Monday the initial findings
of a probe into alleged racial discrimination within the country’s
soccer federation.

France coach
Laurent Blanc, who helped win the 1998 World Cup as a player, has been
implicated in the affair but has yet to attend a Ministry hearing into
reports the federation wanted quotas for African and Arab players in
youth teams.

“I want to bring
serenity because what is happening is dramatic for football and for
sport,” Jouanno, who has backed Blanc, told reporters as she confirmed
her first report would land on Monday.

“You cannot accuse
Laurent Blanc of being racist and we must tell everyone to remind
themselves of the wonderful image of France ‘98.”

Since investigative
website Mediapart first broke the story on alleged quotas, a ministry
and separate federation inquiry have been set up with the latter due to
make its first report on Tuesday although that could be delayed.

The latest
information published by Mediapart is a chart, which it says was
circulated internally at the federation and identifies young players
with dual nationalities who were likely to choose to play for teams
other than France.

“What we should
look at is what this chart was really about,” added Jouanno, who
refused to say when Blanc would be heard by the inquiries, given he is
on holiday in Italy.

“The date of the hearing is confidential, I promised him,” she said.

“He is in the process of reviving the France team and he instils values. Now we must find a solution to the crisis.”

France endured a
woeful World Cup last year and their players even went on strike but
they are top of their Euro 2012 qualifying group under their new coach.

Blanc, slammed by
some of his France ‘98 team mates, has denied being racist and has said
any comments he made at a November meeting into dual nationality
players were taken out of context but could “offend some sensibilities”.

REUTERS