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EMAIL FROM AMERICA:The Naipaul in us

The writer V.S.
Naipaul is at it again. He has just visited Africa and written about
his contempt for that continent in his new book The Masque of Africa.
He travels to places like Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast,
Gabon and South Africa – to discover the “nature of African belief”
according to a recent review of the book by Sameer Rahim in the UK
Telegraph. Rahim gives the clear impression that this book does not
improve upon the silence. It is the same tired, stereotypical garbage
about Africa and civilisations of colour. You wonder if at 80 years of
age, he is finally losing it. In Gabon, his legs give way and someone
attempts to transport him in a broken wheelbarrow. Give me a break! Why
the drama?

The sad truth is
that ever since Naipaul was born, as he would put it, among the
wretched of the earth, he has struggled obsessively to escape his skin.
He fills great books with reams of self-loathing. His interviewers
never fail to notice this little man of colour in the English
countryside dressed in a Tweed jacket. Almost every interview of him
mentions with breathless wonder that this man from India via Trinidad
is dressed – in a Tweed jacket. It is the ultimate rejection of his
claim to another civilisation, and humanity. Just like us. Naipaul is
us.

The African
intellectual from the beginning has been frustrated by the constant
label of “the other” that is implied in how Westerners view Africa and
her inhabitants. It just seems like there is nothing we can do or say
that lets even our most liberal Western friends view us as part of a
bland, no-drama humanity. It understandably upsets us, and when
Naipaul, one of us, joins in the heckling, we froth in the mouth. There
is plenty of blame to go around, but African intellectuals are refusing
to accept credit for any of the blame. We have abandoned the peasants
who spent so much to get us an education and get them out of hell. We
are in pursuit of our own needs, screw the community. Wine glass in
hand, we mouth white words to white-out what we view as our frailties.
Let us be honest: why would anyone look at the charade that is Nigeria
today and be respectful of her? It is taboo to talk about these things;
it is self loathing and racist. With the awesome power of the white
man’s own words, we bully the West away from the table of dialogue. In
secret, we admire these strange, racist, prejudiced people that see
tomorrow, and go into it fighting. They are next to their God, the
racist Narcissus who sends mean armies after us in gleeful hunt.

We obsess about
what people think of us. I say, get over it; they probably believe we
are pretend humans. A pox on their houses. We are not savages. The real
savages are the racists in our midst. Possessing only primitive
instincts, bereft of thinking skills, they shudder at the other. Racism
is savagery; it diminishes the perpetrator and assigns humanity to the
garbage heap of Early Man. Only savages would spend three trillion
dollars on an unnecessary war against those who cannot tell nuclear
from noodles. Ask the Iraqis.

There is no
defending Naipaul. Achebe already deconstructed Naipaul’s demons and I
couldn’t agree with him more. But I must say, it is time to move from
yelling at racists, real or imagined, to reflecting also on our role in
this mess. Naipaul’s ‘A Bend in the River’ was written over four
decades ago. Today, black Africa may have regressed from that point in
time. Why are things the way they are? We get defensive and yell:
“Can’t you see, we are human like you, we wear suits, and we eat ice
cream with cutlery!” “We are like you!” is our best defence against
charges of our human ineptitude. Yet, our leaders can barely sustain
what passes for modern society, even when they are given all the
resources. They steal it and invest in pretend processes. Kenya has
just spent sinful resources on producing a ‘constitution’ when the bulk
of her people will not know one if it is pressed against their noses.
Face it: what is racist about pointing out that much of black Africa is
a farce today, many thanks to us her intellectuals and leaders?

Raheem observes this about Naipaul: “Perhaps, like his father, he is
worried about what he sees when he looks in the mirror. Is he the Nobel
Prize-winning sage who has written 30 acclaimed books over 50 years? Or
is he a fraud, pretending to be a country gentleman in Wiltshire when
his true home is among the wretched of the earth?” The question should
be directed not only at Naipaul, but at all of us, fighting gamely to
flee the condition we were born into. We may be blue-suited frauds
pretending to be country gentlemen even as we ignore the travails of
our fellow wretched of the earth.

D’Comeback, a dance movie from the Diaspora

D’Comeback, a dance movie from the Diaspora

On September 7,
Ozone Cinema, Yaba, hosted the first screening of the American-produced
Nigerian movie, D’Comeback. Produced by Prominent Cease, a group of
Nigerian entrepreneurs based in Washington, US, D’Comeback is a
fictional adaptation of the Biblical story of King David.

It is not all
religion however; though there are clues in the characterisation and
plot, it is not quickly apparent that the movie is based on a Bible
story. Directed by Femi Agunbiade, D’Comeback opens with a murder scene
witnessed by David, who is hidden in the shadows of the dark alley
where the crime takes place. The place is Ijoton, a town made unique by
the one code by which all its people live: disputes are settled by a
dance off.

Saul Johnson a
wealthy entrepreneur and the larger than life leader of Ijoton, was
introduced. And the next scene has Saul’s dancers, ‘The Enforcers’
battling it out in a dance off – a la ‘You Got Served’. The unthinkable
happens as they lose to the Goliaths, a rival dance group. This trend
continues, and Goliath takes up a number of Saul’s businesses, until he
has to seek recourse.

Laid out in
chapters, the movie chronicles Saul’s search for a means to redeem his
dance group and secure his empire – a search that leads him to David,
one of the best dancers in Ijoton. David initially refuses to join the
Enforcers, as he disparages the team. “The Enforcers are the wackiest
crew in Ijoton, and I’m not joining them because I’ve got a rep to
protect,” he declares.

Saul is stumped by
this refusal until Micah his daughter decides to help lure David, “No
one refuses me,” she declares to her father, “everyman has an itch; it
just means you have to scratch it.” David eventually caves in.

Micah and David

Soon David wins the
Enforcers’ dance battles and becomes an executive in the Johnson’s
business, but things soon go sour when Saul realises that David is
quickly gaining prominence. Saul, in his ensuing jealousy and paranoia,
develops a split personality that is evident in many scenes. The
condition gets worse after he tries unsuccessfully to put an end to
Micah and David’s budding romance. He begins to devise many plans to
eliminate David- one of which goes awry as he ends up killing his wife
instead.

Saul, aggrieved by
this loss, kills himself and leaves the reins of his business
unwittingly to David as in the wake of his father’s death Jonathan
exiles himself. Micah too, increasingly dissatisfied with David whom
she sees as lacking the ruthlessness of her own father, takes off. What
follows is a correction of Saul’s notorious legacy, and the dismissal
of Gwapo, Saul’s hired assassin.

The last thing
David wants is to become like Saul, and he is the epitome of all that
is different until he meets Beth, the wife of his dancer, Uriah. What
ensues is an affair with Beth, a pregnancy, an attempt to cover the
shame and finally David’s cold hearted murder of an innocent man. The
play explores the repercussion of David’s wickedness, and his eventual
repentance and redemption. The accusation by Saul’s wife on the shady
origin of her husband’s wealth is however not expounded.

Modern twists

A number of factors
make the movie a novel departure from the familiar Bible story. The
dance choreography routines that incorporated some spectacular dance
moves will, no doubt, be an attraction to the younger audience.
‘Ijoton’ depicts a dance town, using a play on the Yoruba word for
dance – Ijo.

With good picture
quality and well executed scenes such as a car bombing; the movie,
which is said to still be in post production stage, should fare well in
cinemas. The actors, unknowns, give impressive deliveries – especially
those playing David, Saul and Leila. Most remarkable though, is the use
of modern day phenomena to explain Biblical references – for instance,
the evil spirit that the Bible says was sent by God to torment Saul is
explained through hallucinations and the emergence of his split
personality.

Also, while the
story seemed to lack a larger social backdrop, beautiful outdoor scenes
like a plane hangar and a harbor are shown – thus succeeding in showing
rather than just implying the wealth of the Johnsons. Also commendable
is the movie’s use of Nigerian soundtrack, specially written and
produced for the movie. Though it starts out on a slow pace, which is
particularly due to dance scenes that went on too long, the movie picks
up eventually.

Shileola
Adeniranye, one of the film’s nine producers, was present at the
screening, and spoke about the movie, scheduled to premiere on
September 29. She disclosed that D’Comeback was shot in six months on a
modest budget of 90,000 dollars, using a wholly Nigerian cast and crew.

The concept of dance

So how did the
producers come up with the concept of dance as a determinant of
community disputes? Adeniranye responded that with the increasing
popularity of dance, especially among the youths, it was a way of
capturing that segment of the audience. “As stated in the Bible, Saul
commanded an army of soldiers, it would have been difficult staging
battles and wars, so we thought to use dance competitions instead. It
also helped that one of the producers is a choreographer.”

A graduate of
English and creative writing, Adeniranye said the producers hope “to
inspire people and create entertainment that is engaging.” She also
spoke about the perceived bubble effect caused by the absence of any
landmarks or references to a larger society, “That was deliberate;
Ijoton is a fictional place, so it wouldn’t do for us to have shown the
White House or other identifiable places. We wanted to keep away those
factual details.”

Diasporan movie

Shafy, whose face
and voice featured many years back in musician Seyi Sodimu’s hit track,
‘Love Me Jeje’, played the part of Saul’s wife, Leila, and was at the
screening. “It was not a very challenging role for me,” she disclosed,
“I am a married woman, so I just had to put myself in the frame of mind
of a woman whose husband was cheating, and imagine the hurt” Asked what
she thinks about the Diaspora making a Nigerian movie for Nigerians,
she reacted, “Why not? If we are there and (Nigerian movie makers) are
trying so hard to break into the international scene, why can’t we do
movies and send them home? We are steadily doing things people here can
be proud of,” she concluded.

The movie begins
its cinema run in Nigeria in October. Kene Mkparu, CEO of Film House
and former MD of Genesis Deluxe Cinema, Lekki, controls the movie’s
distribution in Nigeria. “I like supporting Nigerian products and this
movie is 100 percent Nigerian,” he said. He noted the strong suits of
the movie thus: “Nigerians are a religious people so there will be
identification with its theme. Also, it’s an interesting retelling of a
Biblical story as set in the modern day will make a connection with
many people, especially the youth. And in how many Nigerian Movies have
you seen street dance that is done well?”

While Mkparu assured Nigerians that the premiere will air a digital
version that will further enhance picture quality, he expressed
satisfaction with the production so far, saying “D’Comeback meets the
technical, performance and cinematography standards of any good movie.”
He however did mention one change he would have made in the movie if he
had been involved in its production from start, “I would have included
a known Nigerian face in the cast; not for any performance reasons but
strictly from a marketing standpoint.”

Exhibitions evoke memories of Nigeria’s past

Exhibitions evoke memories of Nigeria’s past

The National
Museum, Onikan, Lagos, was unusually busy on September 1 when it played
host to the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and National Orientation,
Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed, who arrived just in time to re-commission the
General Murtala Mohammed Gallery, and also open an exhibition of
pottery in Nigeria.

Surprisingly, and
quite unlike many Nigerian events, the occasion began right at the
stipulated time -11am, with cultural displays by the museum staff
followed by brief speeches by the minister; the director general of the
National Commission of Museums and Monuments, Yusuf Abdullah Usman; and
the National Museum curator, Ibironke Ashaye.

The event, which
was put together as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s golden jubilee
independence celebration, which is just a few weeks away, attracted
guests from all walks of life.

In his opening
speech, the minister said the re-commissioning of the gallery was aimed
at “reminding [Nigerians] about our diverse but similar heritage, the
sacrifice of our founding fathers, some of whom lost their lives to
ensure that Nigeria is not only united, but stands as an independent
sovereign nation, which it is today.”

He added that the
pottery exhibition will go a long way to remind Nigerians of the
importance of the art of pottery, which represents the indigenous
cultural art that abounds in the country.

The opening

After the brief
talks, all roads led to the new-look Murtala Mohammed Gallery, located
a few kilometres from the main gate. Many present were impressed at the
level of rehabilitation that had gone into the project. A few chuckles
could also be heard by some others who felt that it was a long time
coming and should not have been neglected until now, just as the
jubilee independence celebration draws near.

A tour round the
‘Nigeria Yesterday and Today’ exhibition immediately struck a chord
with many who confessed that they felt transported way back to the
country’s political history. The main attraction was the bullet-riddled
Mercedes Benz 230.6 of the late military ruler, Murtala Mohammed.
Besides this, displayed in black and white on the walls, were images of
past Nigerian leaders from the colonial era to the present time.

Prior to this
section, initial pictures on view included those of the past Ooni of
Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi; Oba Akitoye of Lagos; and the Emir of Kano;
while the portrait of Nigeria’s president, Jonathan Goodluck, and his
deputy, Namadi Sambo, completed the roll call. There were also shots of
King Jaja of Opobo, and the lowering of the Union Jack flag when
Nigeria gained independence in 1960.

As the minister was
shown round the gallery, a guest who had taken a cursory look at the
images drew the attention of a friend to the poor quality, due to
over-reproduction or poor scanning.

Eyes kept returning
to Murtala Mohammed’s car. Although it’s been 34 years since the 1976
coup which claimed the life of the late Head of State and many actors
have long left the scene, the red upholstery of his Mercedes Benz
reminded one of the murderous violence of his death, on February 13,
1976.

The Pottery Exhibition

Moving on to the
Pottery Exhibition, the building, which houses the various pots on
display, was not as roomy as the Murtala Mohammed Gallery. However, a
look at the pottery arrangements and information displayed reveal that
much time and energy had gone into putting it together.

The minister was
once again taken on a tour of the various items on show. As usual,
there were so many security personnel and entourage around him that it
was almost impossible for visitors to appreciate the items.

On display were
earthen wares from various parts of the country. One information worthy
of note was the fact that pottery was used for various purposes ranging
from decorative, burial (Dakakari people of north western Nigeria),
musical (common to the Igbo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups), to
domestic purposes.

Going round the
exhibition space, a dimly-lit thatched roof hut that houses a
traditional furnace became quite conspicuous, and thus caught the eyes
of all present.

After a nearly
two-hour tour of both projects, the minister, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed,
took his leave, but not without fielding questions from journalists.

Although his
answers were mostly one-liners, he reiterated the ministry’s plan
towards ensuring that tourism in Nigeria ranks first in the world.

At the end of the
day, it seemed as though the whole exhibition was all about the
minister because no sooner had he left than the halls were empty. They
would unfortunately remain so until the next day’s round of visitors,
as the exhibition opened properly to the public.

The Pottery Exhibition is on display at the museum for nine months.

STUDIO VISIT:Art of the Mangrove III

STUDIO VISIT:Art of the Mangrove III

Why Art?

Art is my life and a major part of my development. It makes me create and search for depth.

Training

A Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine and Applied Art from the University of Education, Rivers State, with a major in Painting.

Medium

Acrylic, oil, and goache.

Influences

Picasso. I really like so much of his work and style.

Inspirations

I am inspired by
African historical relevance; traditional mode of life and art; and
finding my cultural root identity challenging.

Best work so far

Not yet on canvas. Entire works sold and paid for; works I see no more.

Least satisfying work

Sometimes, I get
meticulous about details on my works. Least satisfying work most times
turns out to be my best work of art because a lot of meaningful time,
passion, and study would go into it. I love to celebrate every work,
but most of all, I love to show my best pieces.

Career high point

So far, I will say
my shows, presentations, and professional experiences in the United
Kingdom; and my works, personal projects and portfolios.

Favourite artist, living or dead

Seal.

Ambition

To be competitive, relevant in the global art scene, getting into contemporary mode of expression with my works.

European leagues resume after Euro qualifiers

European leagues resume after Euro qualifiers

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Everton seek to shock United

‘Nil Satis Nisi
Optimum’ is woven on the crest of the Everton shirt, and it is Latin for
‘Nothing But The Best.’ They will have to give that and much more if
they are to get any result as Manchester United come to town. The
Toffees have started as miserably as they started last season, with one
point from three matches, but will take heart from the 3-1 win over the
Red Devils last season. Another plus for David Moyes and his boys is
that not many in the squad were away on national duty; but almost the
full roster of United players have been junketing around Europe in the
past week. Everton should then be fresher and ready to play a high tempo
game against their United rivals.

One player that will
always give more than the required is club captain, Phil Neville, who
has issued a rallying call to his team mates that they will have to be
at their best as a team to get any result against Alex Ferguson’s side.

Neville knows the
experience of playing United both as a former player and as an opponent.
Speaking on evertontv, he said: “Sometimes you can win a game with
maybe eight players playing well, at their best. But against Man United
you need all 11.” Wayne Rooney will be back to his boyhood club and he
should expect some abuse from the terraces. England team mate Phil
Jagielka concurred and said Rooney must expect it in light of his recent
misdemeanours. “He normally gets quite a bit of stick anyway. I can’t
see that changing on Saturday.” The reaction of the fans may then be
consequent on his performance. The booing of the home fans could trigger
a relapse of the old and reckless Rooney. Nigerians, Yakubu Aiyegbeni
and Victor Anichebe, will be hoping to be part of the Everton squad
after missing out of the first three matches. The match is an early
lunch kickoff.

Nsofor set to debut against Chelsea

It will be top
against bottom as West Ham under former Chelsea manager, Avram Grant,
face a free-scoring Chelsea side that are yet to concede a goal in the
three-week old league. New recruit from Inter Milan, Obinna Nsofor,
should get his chance to strut his stuff on English soil in this London
derby as he makes his debut against the table-toppers. One thing Nsofor
has noted about the English Premier League is the speed at which the
game is played. “English football is very fast and I have to contend
with that challenge,” he said. “It is not a big deal because I can cope
with any pattern in football. Within this short period, I have seen a
lot of difference and I am ready to make an impact here with West Ham.
My colleagues have told me so much about the fans here, and I am so
eager and excited to be part of the fun. I have enough experience to
help me with the new challenge in England and I believe I will be okay.
It is also a league that has many Nigerian players so I am at home.”
Meanwhile Chelsea will be keen to extend the Hammers’ misery with maybe
another goals avalanche. The Blues could be without Captain John Terry
and Frank Lampard.

LA LIGA

Herculean task awaits Hercules at Camp Nou

Barcelona just took
off from where they stopped as they dismembered Racing Santander 3-0,
with David Villa making a scoring debut for the Blaugrana, and hosting
Hercules should not be a herculean task. The 1996/97 season though
witnessed Hercules do the double over their mighty rivals in a 2-1 and
3-2 wins. This current Barcelona side will not be looking back but
forward and the real bet will not be if Hercules will be able to beat
Barca on their own patch but how many goals will be scored by the likes
of Lionel Messi, Villa and the rest of the gang.

Real Madrid face a tougher job against an obdurate Osasuna side, and
Jose Mourinho will have to play without Cristiano Ronaldo. The new
tactician has bemoaned the lack of quality strikers in the team, but
Karim Benzema will be raring to replace Ronaldo. Both Benzema and
Gonzalo Higuain scored for their countries on Tuesday and will want to
get off the mark for their clubs.

Sports

Flamingoes coach hails resilient foes

Flamingoes coach hails resilient foes

Coach of Nigeria’s
U-17 women’s national team, Peter Dedevbo, has praised the Trinidad and
Tobago team for the resilience they displayed in their match against the
Flamingoes.

Nigeria defeated the
hosts 2-1 in a match played in the early hours of Thursday Nigerian
time, and advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA U-17
Women’s World Cup courtesy of a match winning goal that arrived four
minutes from time by Loveth Ayila. It was a hard fought victory for the
Flamingoes, and Dedevbo who had expected a much easier game than the 3-2
opening day win over defending champions North Korea couldn’t help but
commend the Trinidadians for their effort. “I was very impressed by the
Trinidad and Tobago team,” said the Nigerian coach, who was on his feet
for most parts of the game against the Soca Princesses. “They have a lot
of talent and the determination and the courage they showed throughout
the match was commendable.”

Excellent goalkeeping

The victory margin
could however been much wider but for some inspirational goalkeeping
from Linfah Jones, in goal for the defending champions. The goalkeeper
stood like a rock between everything the Nigerians could aim at her
goal. Even on the few occasions that she was beaten, such as in the 24th
minute when she was rooted to the spot following a rocket of a shot
from 25 metres by the Nigerian captain Oluchi Ofoegbu, her crossbar was
on hand to come to her rescue.

The Nigerians
nevertheless went ahead in the 28th minute of the game when Francisca
Ordega coolly headed the ball over the advancing Jones after latching
onto a long ball. But Jones soon made another save to prevent Halimatu
Ayinde from doubling the tally. Ayinde had also fluffed a chance in the
fifth minute which would have put the Flamingos ahead. Jones’
goalkeeping heroics, and Nigeria’s profligacy in front of goal, then
paid off for the Trinidadians when Linda Hinds levelled in the 36th
minute with a well placed shot for her second goal of the tournament.
The ball rolled onto her path following an initial save by Nigerian
goalkeeper Amina Abu.

The Trinidadians then displayed a great deal of determination to keep
the score line level and appeared set to walk away with a point before
Ayila’s late goal sealed victory for Nigeria and with it a ticket to the
quarter finals, even with the game against already eliminated
Chile.Trinidad and Tobago, for their part, must secure a win to progress
at the expense of final-day opponents North Korea. The North Koreans
defeated the Chileans with a comfortable 3-0 margin.

Sports

Brilliant Federer downs Soderling

Brilliant Federer downs Soderling

Roger Federer won a
measure of revenge and a return to the US Open semi-finals as he beat
fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling 6-4 6-4 7-5 on Wednesday to book his
place in the last four for a seventh successive time.

Federer, showing the
all-round brilliance that has won him a record 16 Grand Slam titles,
refused to let gusty winds at Arthur Ashe Stadium slow down his charge
as he routed Soderling, who had eliminated him in the quarter-finals at
this year’s French Open. The 29-year-old Swiss, whose string of five
consecutive US Open titles was snapped in last year’s final, commanded
his serve with power and precision through the adverse conditions to
quash Soderling in just under two hours. Federer demoralised the
big-hitting Swede, who was runner-up at the last two French Opens, by
firing in 18 aces, while Soderling could only muster two as he went down
meekly on a cold, windy New York night. The Swiss master said figuring
out how to deal with conditions was simply part of his job description.

Serving in the wind

“I’ve practised my
serve my whole career,” said Federer, who put 64 per cent of his first
serves in play and won 86 per cent of them. “If I can’t serve in the
wind I’ve got a problem. “You can wake me up at 2:00 in the morning or
4:00 in the morning I can hit serves.

It’s what we do.”
Soderling, who lost his first 12 matches against Federer before beating
him at Roland Garros, was full of praise for his opponent. “He’s a good
wind player,” the 26-year-old Soderling said. “He moves really well.
He’s always in the right place.” On Federer’s serving, he said: “He was
brushing the lines with his first serves which is not easy.” Soderling
squandered some early chances to get ahead, letting three break points
slip away in Federer’s first service game and then another one before
the second seed used a deft drop shot to break in the seventh game and
served out the opening set.

Federer took the decisive break of the second set in the fifth game.
Soderling came alive in the third set, hitting out more powerfully and
hustling around to engage the Swiss in rallies and broke for a 5-3 lead
after three Federer errors. But serving for the set, Soderling’s big
forehand let him down when he dumped two forehands into the net to give
the break right back. Federer then ran off the next three games, closing
with a bullet ace out wide. Next up for the second-seeded Federer will
be third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who beat France’s Gael Monfils
to advance. Federer beat Djokovic in the Flushing Meadows final in 2007
and in the semi-finals the last two years. “He’s obviously looking for
that big breakthrough here in the Open, so it’s going to be a tough
one,” Federer added.

Sports

Klitschko not Peter will be knocked out

Klitschko not Peter will be knocked out

The camp of
WBO/IBO/IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has continued to
predict a knockout victory for the Ukrainian when he fights Samuel
Peter on Saturday. But Abel Sanchez, the trainer of the Nigerian
Nightmare insists it will be the other way round.

Both fighters are
scheduled to meet in the German city of Frankfurt in what is a rematch
of their first encounter which took place in the United States of
America in September 2005.

On that occasion
when Peter challenged Klitschko for the first time, he lost on the
judges’ scorecard but not before flooring Klitschko no less than three
times.

Less than a
fortnight ago Klitschko taunted Peter, saying: “I don’t want to dream
about this fight, otherwise, it’s a ‘Nigerian Nightmare.’ But I will
let my fists talk in the ring instead of talking dreams.” The Ukrainian
then added, “Don’t go to the refrigerator to get a beer, because I do
see myself knocking Samuel Peter out – earlier, later, with a left hook
or a right hand or whatever. I treat every fight as if it is my last
fight.”

As close as you get

A few days ago in
Germany, Klitschko allowed Peter to take pictures of his championships
belts but stressed that is as near as he will get to winning them.
“Sam, you can touch the world championship belt. I’ll also let you take
pictures with it. This is my personal gift for you – but you won’t come
any closer to that belt,” Kiltschko said.

Klitschko’s trainer
Emanuel Steward wasn’t also left out of the verbal war as he predicted
that his fighter will make it a short night for Peter.

Although Steward
was quick to admit that Peter has greatly improved since losing his
world title to Wladimir’s elder brother Vitali Klitschko in 2008, he
couldn’t stop himself from predicting that the Ukrainian is better and
should finish off the Nigerian in five rounds.

“I think Klitschko
has become the perfect boxer. He works perfectly, not only with the
left hook, but with his right hand. Although his most dangerous punch
is the left hook. He dictates the pace of his fights, and clearly keeps
his distance. If he wants to, he can make it a real fight. This time he
will not be overexcited, like five years ago, when he fought with
Peter. Then Wladimir was full of emotion. Now he is more stable and
mature, self-confident and more balanced, and his punch is more
powerful than it was then. I think we will win in the fourth or fifth
round.”

No escape this time around

Sanchez is however
sick of all the talk from the Klitschko camp and has come to the
defence of his ward by stating that Peter will secure a knockout win on
Saturday unlike five years ago when Klitschko was let off the hook.

“There is too much chatter about Wladimir Klitschko getting a
knockout victory,” Sanchez said. “I think this is bull… It’s going to
be a short fight, and it’s going to be Sam who will win by knockout,
and at most he’ll get it by the sixth round.”

Sports

By accident or design, Capello hits on winning formula

By accident or design, Capello hits on winning formula

England’s second
accomplished victory within a week may not have erased the bitter
memory of a woeful World Cup campaign but the dark clouds hanging over
coach Fabio Capello’s head are showing signs of dissipating.

Injuries and
retirements may have forced the Italian’s hand but England’s
performances in the 4-0 home win against Bulgaria and Tuesday’s 3-1 win
against Switzerland in Basel have been a breath of fresh air and even
Capello appears to be having fun.

Whether by design or by accident, England suddenly look like a team capable of shaking off years of under-achievement.

When substitute
Darren Bent rammed in England’s third goal to put Capello’s side top of
Euro 2012 qualifying Group G, his grizzled face broke into a broad
smile and he cheekily poked out his tongue at goalkeeping coach Ray
Clemence.

It was a moment of
spontaneity that matched much of the play of his team, which while
still set up in traditional 4-4-2 formation, suddenly looks to have
shed the straight-jacket that suffocated their soccer in South Africa.

Emile Heskey’s
retirement from international football and the injury to Peter Crouch
meant Capello had no option but to abandon his preference for a target
man and play Jermain Defoe in unison with a deeper-lying Wayne Rooney.

Immediately the dynamic was changed.

Long aerial passes,
of which Steven Gerrard often used to over-play, became pointless and
the emphasis was on quick incisive passing into the feet of mobile
strikers.

It worked a treat
and the only surprise was that England failed to add to the early
opener scored by Rooney – his first competitive goal for his country
for nearly a year.

Perfect display

Rooney’s vision is
wasted when he leads the line chasing down the channels and his
movement and passing against Bulgaria was a reminiscent of his
Manchester United team mate Paul Scholes at his best.

Skipper Gerrard
clearly reveled in his role too, which was more akin to the position he
plays to such effect with Liverpool and the dilemma Capello now faces
is what happens when Frank Lampard, ruled out through injury, is fit
again?

“The first half was
perfect – everything the manager asked of us,” Gerrard, who played in
the lively Adam Johnson for England’s second goal, said after the game.

“We got the game plan spot on. People were talking about how good Switzerland are, defensively, but we just tore them apart.”

Manchester City’s
Johnson, who replaced the injured Theo Walcott early on, has scored in
both Euro 2012 qualifiers and oozes composure, having stepped up from
the under 21s with fellow City player James Milner, another player to
impress.

England’s defence
coped easily without John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, although the likes
of Michael Dawson, who was injured against Bulgaria, Everton’s Phil
Jagielka and Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott will face much sterner
tests.

With England
already in a commanding position in the group, Capello will now turn
his thoughts to the visit of Montenegro next month – the Balkan side
having emerged as the unlikely challengers for top spot after also
winning their opening games.

England should now
qualify with something to spare from a group that suddenly looks very
enticing but, after all, that is the bare minimum requirement for a
coach costing the Football Association a staggering amount of money
each year.

It is when the pressure is really on and the fear of losing becomes intense that players and managers often revert to type.

So until England qualify for Euro 2012 and prove that they can also
play vibrant football against teams like Spain, Germany and the
Netherlands, when it really matters, Capello will still be shadowed by
the bitter memories of South Africa.

Sports

Heartland plots Al-Ahly fall

Heartland plots Al-Ahly fall

Nigeria’s sole
surviving representative in the CAF Champions League, Heartland FC left
for Egypt on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s crucial tie against Al-Ahly in
Cairo. Heartland will be aiming for a win to keep their hopes of
advancing to the semi-finals of the competition alive.

Having secured
their first win of the group stage in their 2-1 win over another
Egyptian side, Ismaily, in Owerri, on August 30, Heartland know
anything less than a win against the six-time Champions League winners
will knock them out of the competition.

With Algeria’s JS
Kabylie already assured of a place in the semi-finals, with three wins
and a draw (ten points), the Naze Millionaires have to claim the second
spot to make the next round from Group B.

Free for all

The situation in
the group is dicey as a win for either Al-Ahly or Heartland on Sunday
will see the victors claiming second place, until the final round of
matches, to be held in a fortnight, when Heartland play hosts to JS
Kabylie while Ismaily take on Al-Ahly in an all Egyptian derby.

A win for Al-Ahly,
who are currently second with five points, and a loss for Ismaily on
Friday in their game against JS Kabylie, will guarantee Al-Ahly a spot
in the competition’s last four as Heartland, at present are in third
spot with four points.

An away win for the
Naze Millionaires and a loss for Ismaily, will see Heartland requiring
just a draw in their next match to secure second place. With these
scenarios at the back of their minds, Heartland’s preparations have
been in top gear ahead of Sunday’s game which the club’s assistant
coach, Emeka Ezeugo believes will not be a stroll in the park.

“We are going into
their own territory and they are not just going to sit down and watch
us win. They will try everything they can to keep us from winning. They
would be utilising every opportunity they get so we know we are in for
a tough game and therefore we should not relax,” said the former Super
Eagles midfielder.

With the team
travelling almost 4,000 kilometers from Nigeria to Egypt, jetlag and
other factors could come into play which is why the club’s management
opted to travel to Egypt on Wednesday, four days ahead of the match in
order to get the best performance out of the players.

“It is sure that travel would have its effects on them as they would
be moving to an entirely different environment. That is why they are
moving to Egypt (Wednesday) so as to get acclimatised with the new
environment.”