SPORTS: Rio 2016 Olympic torch relay to visit 250 cities in Brazil

Mario Andrada, director for communications of the Organizing Committee of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, presides over a press conference providing the preliminary information on Olympic torch relay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jan. 29, 2015. The relay is scheduled to be conducted in 250 cities, including Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, and all of the capital cities of the Brazilian states. The relay will last between 90 to 100 days, with a total of 10,000 bearers involved.

2015AFCON:Zambian referee to officiate Ghana - Guinea game

Caf has named Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe to handle the quarter-finals match involving Ghana and Guinea on February 1, Goal Ghana can reveal.

The Kapiri Mposhi native will be assisted by Evarist Menkouande from Cameroon and Waleed Ahmed Ali from Sudan at the Estadio de Malabo Sunday.

Ghana topped Group C with six points ahead of Algeria with the head-to-head rule and will play Guinea who placed second at the expense of Mali.

Sikazwe is not new to Ghanaians as he was the fourth referee when the west African giants defeated South Africa 2-1 in Mongomo in their last group game. He also officiated the semi-finals involving Ghana and Nigeria in the 2014 CHAN tournament in South Africa which ended 0-0 but Ghana won 4-1 on penalties.

2015AFCON: Black Stars to receive $90,000 each is....

Should Ghana win the 2015 African Nations Cup,each player of the Black Stars will receive a total of $90,000. 
According to our sources, the players are due to be paid a qualification bonus of $30,000 each, after winning Group C and qualifying for the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, should Ghana defeat Guinea in Sunday’s quarterfinal, each player would receive $15,000 and a victory in the semifinal would net each player $20,000.

Each player in the team will earn $25,000 should Ghana win the final game and take the trophy.

EPL:Diego Costa to miss three EPL games after stamping ban upheld

*Out of City clash Saturday
The Brazilian-born Spain striker has been given the ban after treading down on Liverpool’s Emre Can in the first half of the Capital One Cup semi-final, second leg, at Stamford Bridge earlier this week.
Chelsea, who are five points clear at the top of the table, will be without Costa for games at Aston Villa and at home to Everton.
Chelsea had given their full support to Costa for the hearing, which was fast-tracked to ensure an outcome was reached before the huge match against City,
Originally published as Costa out of City clash after long ban upheld

Australian Open:Howzat! Ball girl takes classic catch

Ball girl takes classic catch at Australian Open game between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka 

AN Australian Open ball girl was cheered at Rod Laver Arena after taking a great catch during the men’s semi-final.

The highlight came during the second set in the match between Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic.
At 4-2 up in the second set, Wawrinka served a fault which Djokovic returned before Wawrinka hit it away.
The girl, on her knees at the net, didn’t miss a beat, sticking her hand out to make the one-handed catch.
The crowd went wild cheering her on with the ball girl smirking after realising her efforts did not go unnoticed.

 

SPORTS:Chelsea close on Cuadrado, Liverpool eye Konoplyanka

Sky Sports reports that Fiorentina are in talks with Chelsea, but the English club must reach the $51m buyout clause before the Serie A club even countenances the idea.

Vincenzo Montella, Fiorentina’s coach, said: “In his contract there is an escape clause and if another team pays this amount he can leave Fiorentina — and if he agrees (to leave). But I think he will stay at Fiorentina.

“The clause says £35 million and only in this situation is it possible to buy. But I have not spoken to him about it.”

Manchester United had been strongly linked to the Colombian in the summer window, but The Daily Mail reports that recent suggestions they may try to scupper Chelsea’s bid by offering Adnan Januzaj as bait is off the mark.

Andre Schurrle, who plays a similar role to Cuadrado, appears on the way out at Chelsea but Wolfsburg chief executive Klaus Allofs told Kicker no deal has been done yet to sign the German World Cup star.

Finally at Stamford Bridge, The Daily Mail suggests 18-year-old Real Betis winger Dani Ceballos is in their range as well.

AFCON205:Guinea Lucky over Mali, Ghana Waits For Clash At Quarters

Guinea have qualified for the African Cup of Nation quarter finals following a draw by CAF beween it and  Mali after both teams tied on all fronts after final group games on Wednesday. They will now meet Ghana

Saudi's Want To Host A Men Only Olympics

SAUDI Arabia wants to host the Olympics — the catch being it’s only willing to allow male athletes to compete on its soil.
Prince Fahad bin Jalawi al-Saud, a Saudi Olympic Committee consultant, is proposing a joint bid in which the games be segregated with Bahrain hosting the women’s competitions.
“Our society can be very conservative. It has a hard time accepting that women can compete in sports,” he told Francs Jeux, a French sports website. “We could envisage a joint bid. Bahrain would hold the women’s events, we would hold the men’s competitions.”
The International Olympic Committee recently changed its rules to allow joint bids.
Saudi Arabia sent female athletes to the Olympics for the first time at the 2012 London Games after Qatar and Brunei also acquiesced following pressure from the IOC.
However, 800-metre runner Sarah Attar and judoka Wojdan Shaherkani were criticised on social media as “prostitutes” by hardliners in the strictly religious kingdom despite being accompanied by a male guardian and wearing a Sharia-compliant kit that covered their hair.
The two women competitors were given special dispensation to compete by the IOC after the Saudis’ only legitimate female qualifier — showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas — had to pull out when her horse was injured.
The IOC has already responded to Prince Fahad bin Jalawi al-Saud’s proposal, saying the country can’t “outsource” its social issues and declaring it ineligible to bid until restrictions on women in sport were lifted.
“A commitment to ‘non-discrimination’ will be mandatory for all countries hoping to bid for the Olympics in the future,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement. “Countries like Saudi Arabia must really work to allow female athletes to freely participate.”
Originally published as Saudis want to host a men-only Olympics

: Atletico Madrid’s Arda Turan throws shoe at linesman

Turan completely lost his cool during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey match against Barcelona.
Barcelona won the game, 3-2, but it was no easy task. The match featured plenty of action and controversy. But the most peculiar moment came just before halftime.
All the hard fouls and cards that were given out were obviously too much for Turan to handle, so he decided to take his anger out on the officials by throwing his shoe at the linesman.

Somehow, Turan wasn’t ejected for throwing his shoe. Instead, the referee showed him a yellow card.

SPORTS:Two-matches ban for Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a two-match ban after being sent off during Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Cordoba.

The Portuguese star will will miss home ties against Real Sociedad and Sevilla and he will be available for the derby face Atletico

Costa's fate in hands of referee

Referee Michael Oliver will have the final say on whether Diego Costa is banned for this weekend's game against Manchester City.
The Chelsea striker was accused of stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night as his side came through a tight second leg to reach the Capital One Cup final.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers afterwards said Costa was lucky to escape punishment, a view shared by Thierry Henry and Jamie Redknapp in the Sky Sports studio but not by Jose Mourinho.
Oliver will be asked by the Football Association on Wednesday whether he or any of his colleagues saw the incident: if the answer is 'no' that will open up the possibility of retrospective punishment.
Under Premier League rules an independent three-man panel assesses video replays before deciding on any action, but League Cup regulations are different and the final decision is the referee's.
That means Oliver would be asked to assess the incident retrospectively. If in his judgement Costa was guilty of a straight red-card offence the player would automatically be banned for league games against City, Aston Villa and Everton.
Costa would have until 6pm the following day to contest the decision, and a hearing would then be fast-tracked. Whatever the outcome, there would be a resolution before the City game.

Mourinho Hit with FA Fine

Jose Mourinho has been fined £25,000 for comments he made following Chelsea's game at Southampton in December. 
Blues manager Mourinho had suggested there was a 'campaign to influence referees' decisions against his side' after Cesc Fabregas was denied a penalty in the Premier League match which finished 1-1 at St Mary's. Mourinho had denied the charge.
An FA statement read: "Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing, Jose Mourinho has been fined £25,000 after he was found to have breached FA Rules in relation to media comments.

"The Chelsea manager denied that comments he made after the game against Southampton constituted improper conduct in that they alleged and/or implied bias on the part of a referee or referees, and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"The Independent Regulatory Commission found the comments were a breach of FA Rule E3 in that they were improper and brought the game into disrepute.
"The Commission did not, however, find that the comments implied bias on the part of a referee or referees. Mr Mourinho, who had requested a non-personal hearing, was also warned as to his future conduct."
Mourinho attended a personal hearing after being charged following the comments, which came after Fabregas was booked for a dive at St Mary's.
It followed incidents of diving in previous matches involving Diego Costa, Willian, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill.
The Portuguese said afterwards: "That's a campaign, that's a clear campaign.People, pundits, commentators, coaches from other teams - they react with Chelsea in a way they don't react to other teams.
"They put lots of pressure on the referee and the referee makes a mistake like this. We lose two points, Fabregas earns a yellow card.
"In other countries where I worked before, tomorrow in the sports papers it would be a front-page scandal because it is a scandal.
"I think it is a scandal because it is not a small penalty - it is a penalty like Big Ben.
"In this country - and I am happy with that, more than happy with that - we will just say that it was a big mistake with a big influence in the result.
"I am happy that it is this way, with respect for the referee. He made a big mistake like I make, like the players make sometimes."

Figo wants To Replace Blatter

Portugal's most-capped player is the fifth man to declare an interest in opposing Sepp Blatter in the May election - and he claims he has the five nominations required to stay in the race beyond Thursday's deadline.
The Scottish Football Association are among five FIFA members to nominate Dutch FA boss Michael van Praag, while Sky sources understand the Football Association will endorse the candidacy of Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein.
Jerome Champagne and former Newcastle winger David Ginola are the other potential candidates, although Champagne admitted this month he was not guaranteed to win the necessary support while Ginola has been forced to deny his campaign is a publicity stunt.
Speaking exclusively to CNN Figo said: "I care about football, so what I'm seeing regarding the image of FIFA - not only now but in the past years - I don't like it.
"If you search FIFA on the internet you see the first word that comes out: scandal, not positive words. It's that we have to change first and try to improve the image of FIFA. Football deserves much better than this.
"I've been talking with so many important people in football - players, managers, president of federations - and they all think that something has to be done.
"Last year was the World Cup, I was in Brazil and I saw the reaction of all the fans regarding the image of FIFA and I think something has to be changed. Change in leadership, governance, transparency and solidarity, so I think it's the moment for that."
Blatter is standing for a fifth term despite growing opposition to his presidency from Europe, in particular.

SPORTS: Wild celebrations turn tragic for home fans

There were wild celebrations nationwide and sadly, four deaths last Sunday, as hosts, Equatorial Guinea, marked their qualification to the quarter-finals for this year's African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The national team, nicknamed, the National Thunder, stunned Group A favourites, Gabon 2-0 to ease their way into the next round, a result that excited their teeming fans and also, no doubt, satisfactory to organisers, considering what their exit would have done to attendance at the tournament.

After picking only two points from their first two games, the Equatorial Guineans had to win at all cost to stay on, but against their close neighbours, Gabon, who they co-hosted the 2012 event with, it was not going to be that easy. However, against all odds, the National Thunder did not only survive, but ensured that the Azingo Nationale of Gabon, rather exited the competition as Congo also beat Burkina Faso 2-1 to finish as Group A leaders.

Moments after the final whistle, it was not just the bench that began their wild, uncontrollable celebrations, but it was a feeling that resonated all over the country, with both young and old, most of them wearing their national replica jerseys, pouring out onto the streets to jubilate.

In the process, four children between the ages of eight and 12 years, lost their lives as they were run down by careless taxi drivers, who were also caught in the frenzy.

The incidents, two in Malabo where young cousins, aged 10 and 12, came out to join in the celebration in their neighbourhood, were both knocked down and killed instantly by a teenager taxi driver who apparently was drunk.

There was another incident in Bata, where the driver also lost control and run into the 11-year old who was in front of his mother's bar watching the action. It was even sadder in Mongomo, where the eight-year-old boy, dashed out of the house and without watching, tried to cross to join the fun on the other side of the road, but was knocked down and killed instantly by a taxi driver who was speeding and blurring his horn as his way of celebrating.

Though these tragedies might have been unfortunate, they did little to dampen the entire nation's spirit as they commended the players for their bravery and determination.

The celebrations were understandable, considering the fact that the hosts almost did not make it to this 30th edition as they were disqualified for fielding an unqualified player during the qualifiers and were only handed a lifeline when they stepped in as hosts following Morocco's withdrawal at a very late time.

They hardly had time to prepare, compared to the teams who played in the qualifiers but, in true fighting spirit, the proved capable on then night when their character was put to the test, securing their second quarter-finals berth only on their third attempt.

For Gabon, who also reached the quarter-finals as co-hosts in 2012, it was a sad end to their campaign, given that they had started on a bright note, beating the 2013 runners-up 2-0 on the opening day, but must have been undone by their 0-1 loss to Congo in their second match.

TOP News:Tanzanian albinos face attacks, murders in brutal body part trade

 THEY are the marginalised group in society ostracised for their appearance and hunted for their body parts.
And now more than ever, Tanzania’s Albino population are facing increasing danger with dozens murdered in the east African country since 2000.
Authorities and experts say Albinos in the country are not only suffering increased discrimination but daily danger fuelled by a belief that their body parts fetch between $600 and $75,000 for a whole corpse.
Sometimes victims are attacked by their own families while others are targeted by strangers for limbs or other body parts in a brutal and mistaken belief that their body parts have magical powers.
The plight of the nation’s Albino population, which affects roughly around one in 1400 people, was again brought into the spotlight earlier this month when police offered a reward for information leading to the recovery, dead or alive, of an albino girl feared to have been kidnapped for her body parts.
Four-year-old Pendo Emmanuelle Nundi was kidnapped in December last year from her home in the northern Mwanza region, but has yet to be found despite several arrests.
Body parts from albinos are sought after in Tanzania for witchcraft, and at least 74 albinos have been murdered in the east African country since 2000, according to United Nations experts.
“We continue to call on the public to give us information. We have promised three million shillings (around $1,700) for any information that can lead to finding Pendo, dead or alive,” Mwanza police chief Valentino Mlowola told state-run TBC1 television said.
Since the girl’s disappearance, police have arrested 15 people — including the girl’s father and two uncles and the government has also imposed a ban on witchdoctors and has launched an education campaign to end the killing of albinos.
In August, a UN rights expert warned that attacks against albinos were on the rise because Tanzania’s October 2015 presidential election was on the horizon, encouraging political campaigners to turn to influential sorcerers for help.
Last May Tanzanian police arrested two alleged witch doctors after an albino woman was hacked to death for body parts.
Munghu Lugata, 40, was killed after her attackers hacked off her left leg above the knee and chopped off three fingers according to rights group Under The Same Sun, which campaigns for the rights of albinos.
In Tanzania, albinos are often targeted, attacked or killed due to a widespread belief that charms made from their body parts bring good fortune and prosperity.
“Witch doctors tell their clients that the skin, hair, blood and organs of persons with albinism when combined with their secret magic potions guarantee success, wealth and election victory,” the group said in a statement.
Albino sufferers are not only discriminated against and persecuted in Tanzania but in many African countries, rights groups claim.

SPORTS:Obisia Nwakpa offers steps to Boxing greatness

Former national boxing coach Obisia Nwakpa now retired from public service has provided guidelines he says are imperative for making boxing great again in the country.

“It all bothers on coaching. Right now none of those engaged as national coach has the requisite qualifications, none has train the training or experience to hold office and none of these individuals holds the passport to train up a boxer to be world class,” he told Sports Vanguard in Lagos.

The former African and Commonwealth super light-weight champion explained his idea this way. “For you to have coach who can produce world class boxers, that person must have boxed at amateur and professional levels for years. He would not only have these, such a person must have proved himself well at these levels, winning laurels for the country and during which time he would have gathered experience to pass on to aspiring boxers.” In doing this the man must have fought at levels of the major multi sports events Nigeria takes part including the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.” He said it is in the process of doing these the expected coach would have learnt the noble art of self defense, which parts are broken into departments namely principles, concepts and disciplines.

“My observation is that those named as national caches these days lack knowledge of the sport  and are unable to train up good boxers because they do not even spend up to five years as amateur boxers or in professional so lack the knowledge to impart on the young ones. So, for us to return to winning ways there has to be a decision by the National Sports Commission to employ people with right qualifications, especially ones with experience.” “Any man who lacks knowledge of the core boxing departments namely the disciplines with its five to seven branches, the concepts and its branches and the principles and its branches, cannot function as a coach. That’s where I think we have not done right to get the sport grow,”

Obisia has also faulted the country’s mode of preparation for games, saying no coach worth it’s salt can impact knowledge to boxers within the two or three months of camping orientation. It’s a long term task by which a coach uses a time line to work on each of the above boxing terms and techniques I have outlined, He added.

ODD: I Pee In A Bottle To Save Money-Hunt

United States: The crazy lengths people will go to in order to save money, chronicled in Extreme Cheapskates

WHAT would you do to save a few bucks? Maybe you’d take your own lunch to work instead of buying it, or walk places rather than drive.

What about peeing in a bottle to avoid flushing the toilet, therefore saving a few cents? That’s just one of the crazy measures taken by a next-level penny pincher.
Extreme Cheapskates is an eye-opening reality show from the United States that airs on Foxtel and chronicles the lives of people who are obsessed about saving money.
Here are just a few of the more bizarre examples.
PEEING IN A BOTTLE
Victoria Hunt is very conscious of her water usage, but not because she’s an environment-loving conservation. She’s all about saving a few bucks.
For a grand saving of $10 per month on her water bill, Hunt pees in a bottle. Yep. Instead of flushing her number ones, she stores them in a container next to her loo.
Then, once or twice a week, she empties the waste into her compost heap.
In a further effort to save cash, she only showers at the gym where she works out most days.
-HeralSun

 

 

SPORTS:The emerging AFCON defenders

Attacking stars often steal the limelight at the Africa Cup of Nations, but in 2015 it is several defensive prospects who have caught the eye.

Diosdado Mbele Mba Mangue is a 17-year-old who earns a few hundred Euros per month from his club, Leones Vegetarianos, in Malabo, but he has been one of the revelations of this Africa Cup of Nations.

Mbele has played at the heart of Equatorial Guinea’s defence and, although he was lucky to escape with a yellow card for his ‘tactical’ foul on Burkina Faso’s Jonathan Pitroipa on Wednesday, he has performed very well.

There were high hopes for another teenager, South Africa’s Rivaldo Coetzee, but he went off on a stretcher early in his team’s first game. The Ghana full-back Baba Rahman has had an outstanding season for Augsburg in the Bundesliga and is apparently wanted by Roma.

Marseille’s Cameroonian Nicolas N’Koulou has been earning rave reviews, and Algeria expect much of Aissa Mandi (Stade Reims) and Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli).

Mali’s Molla Wague, on loan to Udinese from Granada, has not had a great season with his club but he looked impressive against Cameroon.

What is going on? Is Africa beginning to produce good defenders – something it has never been noted for before?

The list of Africa’s greatest defenders would not be a long one. Sammy Kuffour, the Ghanaian who was a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and scorer of the goal that won them the Club World Championship in 2001, is out on his own at the top.

He would be followed, in no particular order, by Lucas Radebe (South Africa), Noureddine Naybet (Morocco), Taribo West, Celestine Babayaro (Nigeria), Rigobert Song (Cameroon) and Kolo Toure, who is still going strong for Ivory Coast and performed well in their opening game against Guinea.

One man who should know whether defending is becoming more popular on a continent where everyone wants to be a striker is Herve Renard. The Ivory Coast coach fielded three more promising young defenders alongside Toure against Guinea – Serge Aurier of Paris Saint-Germain at right-back, Wilfried Kanon of ADO Den Haag at left-back, and Espanyol's Eric Bailly in the middle. Between them they do not even have a quarter of Toure’s caps.

“Maybe there are more defenders good enough to play in Europe now,” Renard told Goal. “Fifteen years ago speed was not as important as it is now for defenders. They must be fast, as well as physical. Most African defenders are both.

“African defenders are naturally powerful, they have improved the tactical aspect, and we all need fast defenders. That is what has changed.”

The one who stands out to Renard is N’Koulou. “His partnership with Stephen M’Bia [the defensive midfielder just ahead of him] is a perfect combination of skill, power and experience. Sometims N’Koulou doesn’t look like a defender at all – he reminds me of Laurent Blanc.”
-GNA/ATS

Personality:'My Parents Funded My Children's Education Not Rawlings':

Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has revealed that she had to rely on her parents and friends to fund the education of her children while she was still the First Lady of Ghana.

“Even in office I wasn’t earning any income, I was lecturing outside and I was making some money but I put all the money into women empowerment programmes because the government was not giving me one cedi for what I was doing”.

“There was so much politicking about my husband giving me money, no he didn’t, I have told this story before,” the former first lady said in an interview on ETV.

The founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement added that she had no choice than to rely on her parents because her husband, ex-President Rawlings rejected his salary from the state.

“He was not earning an income,” Nana Konadu told Bismark Brown of ETV Friday January 23. She added “No, he wasn’t taking it…I’m telling you. Maybe you should call him here and ask him.”

“Can I say who was helping me to take care of my [children]? My parents, my parents were helping me take care of my children”.
-GNA

Sports/Asian Cup2015:China buy extra support against Australia as billionaire lends support

CHINESE billionaire Xu Jiayin is digging deep into his sizeable pockets to ensure Team Dragon has plenty of support when they to try spoil the Socceroos’ Asian Cup party at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday.
The real estate mogul and co-owner of heavyweight Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande has bought 5000 tickets for the game.
Courtesy of Xu, whose estimated wealth last year was $7.5 billion, the tickets will be distributed free, along with red “Go China!” shirts, outside the ground before the start of the match.
He hopes it will lead to a sea of red in Suncorp Stadium to counter the green and gold of Australia that will dominate the stands.
The match was all but a sell-out on Wednesday night, with close to 50,000 fans expected for the Socceroos’ second game in Brisbane in less than a week.
Australia’s 1-0 loss to South Korea last Saturday night condemned them to second spot in Group A, ensuring they would remain in Brisbane for their quarter-final.

Sports: Grant Blames Tall Senegalese For Ghana Loss

Ghana coach Avram Grant has attributed his side’s defeat to the burly nature of the Senegalese players.

He said in a post-match interview that the Black Stars lost the game because the Senegalese were taller and bigger than the Ghanaians which robbed them off all the aerial tussles.

The defeat notwithstanding, Grant is hoping to turn things around in his last two Group games against South Africa and Algeria to keep Ghana in the competition.

“It was very disappointing because we did everything to win the game. They scored from high balls. It was difficult to compete against them in the high balls. We lost the battle in the air,” said Grant.

The former Chelsea coach added: “It was difficult for us to compete, but the players did well, and this is the reason why we scored the first goal. It was a difficult match for us. We were playing against experienced and very physical players.

“When we played the ball along the ground it was good. We opened the scoring and had good chances.

“We don’t want this result, but I’m sure as you saw the players showed good mentality and we hope it will be the same next game. But we knew that if we lost nothing would be decided.”

Sports2015AFCON:Wakaso Admits Algeria Clash Will Be Tough

Ghana midfielder Mubarak Wakaso says his teammates must punch above their weight against Group C leaders Algeria in Friday's crucial encounter.

The Black Stars would press the exit button from the tournament if they suffer another defeat against Les Fennecs after losing 2-1 to Senegal on Monday.

Algeria were 3-1 winners over South Africa in their opener and laid down the gauntlet to other title contenders.

Wakaso, who came on as a second-half substitute, knows they will have to dig deep to deflate the high-flying Algerians.

“Algeria are a really good team, and we need to work hard in order to get all six points from the next two games,” Wakaso said.

2015afcon: Algeria Promise Ghana Hell

With their first three points safely tucked under their armpits and a lead in the Group C standings, Algeria are confident they will be the first to progress from the 'Group of Death.'
How do they intend to do that? By winning again when they play Ghana in their second game on Friday.
"We saw Ghana play against Senegal and if that is how they are going to play, then we strongly believe we will win against them. Football does not follow logic, but sometimes, you play a team and you just know you will win.
If we survived against South Africa, then certainly, we can make it against Ghana even though we are not going to underrate them," Coach Christian Jean Gourcuff said in a post match interview.
Though he insisted they would take their campaign one match after another their fighting spirit and unrelenting effort is their trump card against a Ghana side that showed up in the first half but went to sleep in the second half against Senegal in their opening game last Monday.

Sports: 2015AFCON; Kuffuor Blasts Grant's Ghana Tactics

Former Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffuor has expressed concern about the tactics the Black Stars used against Senegal in their Group C opener at the ongoing 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

According to him, Coach Avram Grant’s charges sat too deep in their own half, especially during the second half which was not the best.

Kuffuor lamented that the tactics the senior national team used, aided Senegal to carry the day with a shocking 2-1 win.

The ex-Bayern Munich of Germany stopper said Ghana started brilliantly but got deflated after just 15 minutes of play, allowing Senegal to take over.

“Ghana sat too deep in their own half for most parts of the game which to me was not the best of tactics.

“This approach to the game created a big problem for the Black Stars,” Kuffuor said on Supersport.

He explained that Coach Grant’s tactics gave Senegal too much room to operate and bombard the Black Stars with a series of attacks.

Kuffuor said it was not appropriate for the Black Stars to adopt such a strategy whilst playing at the highest level.

The ex-Ghana stopper expressed sadness about how Ghana succumbed to Senegal on Monday.

Kuffuor was of the view that the Black Stars did not deserve to lose the game “but their tactics led them down”.

Sports:Chinese Billionaire Buys 20 Percent Stake In Atletico Madrid

 Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin has bought 20 percent stake in Spanish league champions Atletico Madrid, Wanda Group announced on Wednesday.
The real estate tycoon closed the deal with Atletico chairman Enrique Cerezo in Beijing. According to the contract, Wang will pay 52 million U.S. dollars for the stake, which is set to ease the Spanish outfit's debt burdens.
Both parties were pleased with their cooperation.
During Wang's visit in Spain last autumn, Spanish club Valencia happened to be on sale. Wang was expected to become the dominant stockholder of Valencia.
"I have been considering for a long time and compared the two clubs, and our final decision is Atletico," Wang said.
"The president and CEO of Atletico Madrid club are good friends of mine, so it is a bargain price. We know last year, a Chinese club sold their 50 percent stake for almost 200 million dollars," he added.
China's largest e-commerce company Alibaba Group paid 192 million dollars for 50 percent stake of the country's Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
As for Atletico, the deal will add more international flavor to the club.
"Wanda is the leader of global real estate industry, I hope our corporation could help to promote our international image," said Enrique Cerezo.
The deal involved opening three Atletico Madrid football schools in China, sponsorship deals and a possible tour by the club to China later this year. Also, Dalian Wanda owner Wang and Atletico will combine to invest 34 million dollars for a youth center in Madrid to foster Chinese soccer talent.
Wang expects to enlarge Chinese football-playing population to 10 million, which as he believes is the key point of Chinese football's development.
"As long as China's football population reaches five million, our national team will be unmatchable in Asia," Wang said.
Wang disclosed Wanda may continue to invest in other European football clubs.
"Wanda may continue to buy stakes in other European football clubs," he said. "We want to offer more opportunities to talented Chinese youths to play on the international stage."
Wanda Group has been funding a youth training project which already brought 90 young Chinese players to Spain and the number is expected to reach 180 in 2017.
"These 90 kids are the hope of Chinese soccer and they will spend six years in Spain," Wang said. "Most of them will train with Atletico. We believe Atletico is very earnest and committed to youth training."
Wang, ranked 42nd in Forbes' list with his fortune estimated at around 18 billion dollars, said his cooperation with Atletico is based on friendship with the club's chiefs and his own dream to raise the game of young Chinese players.
"What we are doing is to raise the level of Chinese game," said Wang. "Hopefully, three to five among those 90 young players will play for top European clubs in the future and in five years, Spain-trained players will fill the Chinese team in the Asian Cup."
Wang was once owner of the Dalian Wanda football team in then Chinese first division league, the predecessor of the current Chinese Super League, but sold the club in 2000 over disillusionment with a league rife with corruption and scandals.
In 2011, Wang returned to Chinese soccer as a sponsor of the Super League. And he started investing widely in major European cities.
Wang, who raised 3.7 billion US dollars last month by floating a chunk of his Wanda stock on the Hong Kong stock market, is the latest major foreign investor in Spain's football market.

SPORTS: Ronaldo will win more Ballon d'Or than Messi: Zidane

PARIS: Zinedine Zidane insists that Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has more to give in the future and will end up winning more Ballon d'Or titles than rival Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

"Ronaldo will win more Ballons d'Or," he told Goal.com on Monday.

A week ago in Zurich, the 29-year-old Portuguese striker was crowned the world's best player of 2014 for the third time overall, leaving him just one behind his Argentine counterpart.

"What he's doing is from another planet. If this continues, he will improve even further and may end up winning more than Messi," said the iconic Zidane, 42, who's coaching Real reserves Castilla after retiring from soccer with Real, Xinhua reported.

The former France international had a lot to say about compatriot Karim Benzema, saying he's exceptional for Los Blancos.

"He is another very important player. Sometimes it is discussed whether to change to him to a No.9 for Madrid and it's wrong. All wrong," said Zidane.

"He is not a player who will score 60 goals a year like Cristiano, but thanks to his quality, he links up with everyone and always makes the moves that the team needs," he added. "Very few in the world can do that."

LIFE:Saudi Arabia Is country that beheads women

Woman struggles during state sanctioned beheading, 10th execution this month in Saudi Arabia 

SAUDI Arabia has long been known as a place that plays by its own rules.

Floggings and beheadings are a pretty standard affair. Strict rules are enforced against women, including no driving, voting or swimming. Christians are banned from openly practising their religion. The press is not free.
Last week Saudi officials enforced their rule with the violent, heartbreaking, public beheading of a woman who protested her innocence until the final moment when a sword fell across her neck. A member of the public who filmed and uploaded the execution was arrested but the footage cast a light on the extreme practice. It also begged the question: What is going on in the desert kingdom that we don’t see?
“I DID NOT KILL. THIS IS INJUSTICE”
Those are the final words of accused murderer Layla bint Abdul Mutaleb Bassim before she was held down and beheaded in a busy street in the holy city of Mecca this week. The woman was pleading her case when the sword fell ... twice.
She was accused of sexually assaulting and murdering her 6-year-old stepdaughter.
The execution was by no means an exception. This year alone, 10 people have been beheaded there — 87 people were executed last year and 78 people were executed there in 2013, placing Saudi Arabia behind only Iran and Iraq in terms of the sheer volume of state sanctioned executions. More than 2000 people were executed in Saudi Arabia between 1985 and 2013. Elsewhere, Blogger Raif Badawi was jailed for 10 years recently after starting a website for social and political debate in Saudi Arabia. Raif will receive 50 lashings a week for a year for setting up the Saudi Arabian Liberals website.
The prosecution first called for him to be tried for apostasy (when a person abandons their religion), which carries a death sentence in Saudi Arabia. Then, in May this year, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a fine of over $300,000 AUD and 1000 lashes. When he is finally released, Raif faces a 10-year travel ban which would keep him from his wife and three young children in Canada, according to Amnesty International.
Spokesperson Amelia Freelander said there are many examples of serious human rights violations taking place in Saudi Arabia that the rest of the world might not know about.
“In 2013 and 2014, at least three people were executed in Saudi Arabia for crimes that were allegedly committed when they were under 18 years of age, in violation of international law,” Ms Freelander said.
RESTRICTIONS ON WOMEN
Loujain Al Hathloul is 25 years old. She is the face of female activism in Saudi Arabia and wants the government to stop arresting women for driving their cars. She was arrested alongside Maysa al-Amoudi, 33, and detained for the offence. The Guardian reported the pair were to be tried in a terror court. Both women were holding valid UAE drivers licenses.
“This is only one of the many forms of discrimination women face in both law and practice,” Ms Freelander said.
“Female citizens are assigned a legal male guardian from their immediate relatives. This male guardian can legally marry her off as a child to a man decades older. He can also easily legally ban her from education, work, international travel and marriage.”
WHAT IS WAHHABISM AND HOW IS IT ENFORCED?
Wahhabism is a purist and strict interpretation of Islam and the foundation of criminal justice in Saudi Arabia. It originated in the 1800s and it forbids the open practice of other religions.
In July 2013, the European Parliament identified Wahhabism as the main source of global terrorism, according to New Statesman.
In the Wahhabi view, formed by eighteenth century preacher and scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, punishments such as public beheadings are intentionally medieval. They are a throwback.
“The death penalty or stoning for adultery and fornication, flogging and amputation for stealing, and punishments of retribution, are sanctioned by the Quran and are unchangeable,” legal scholar Shahid M. Shahidullah told vox.com.
Amnesty International says public executions are often based on “confessions obtained under torture or deception”.
In the most recent example, where Bassim struggled and had to be restrained before her execution, authorities did not reveal hard evidence.
“Investigations led to her trial which proved she was guilty,’ the interior ministry was quoted as saying.

 

AFCON:Senegal earns a well-deserved victory over Ghana

Senegal earned a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Ghana in the first Group C game of the 30th Africa Cup of Nations at Estadio De Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea.

Though Ghana created some descent chances in the first half, it was a game the West African neighbours could have buried Ghana with more than two goals having dominated the entire second half.

Ghana scored first in the 17th minute, after initiating an attack that saw Jordan Ayew setting up Christian Atsu, who was brought down by keeper Bouna Coundoul.

Andre Ayew converted it for Ghana.

Two subsequent chances after the first goal could have given Ghana a three nil lead after the first half, but Atsu squandered both chances in the 32nd and 39th minutes.

Senegal also created two clear chances that could have earned them goals in the first half, but Serigine Mbodja’s header hit the cross bar, whilst keeper Razak Braimah did an excellent job by parrying Mame Biram Diouf bicycle kick to corner.

A fairly balanced game in the first half but a one sided affair in the second half.

The Stars were clipped in all departments of the game and never came close to scoring.

With the trend of the game, it was obvious Senegal were capable of fetching the equaliser and they realised that in the 57th minutes through Chekhou Kouyate, who headed home from a rebound after an initial cross hit the goal post.

The West African neighbours never relented in their effort and pinned the Stars to their own half till stoppage goal from Moussa Sow.

Sow, who was well placed in the vital area in a similar fashion headed in the match winner for Senegal.

Line-Up; Ghana: Razak Brimah, Harrison Afful, Baba Rahman, Awal Mohammed, Jonathan Mensah, Daniel Amartey, Rabiu Mohammed/Afriyie Acquah, Agyemang Badu, Christian Atsu/Wakaso Mubarak, Andre Ayew/David Accam, Jordan Ayew

Senegal: Bouna Coundoul, Cheikh M’Bengue, Pape Souaré, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Papy

Djilobodji, Mohamed Diamé, Papa Kouli Diop/Henri Saivet, Zargo Touré, Papiss Cissé, Dame N’Doye/Musa Sow, Diafra Sakho.

GNA

AFCON2015:Black Stars Performance Not Good Enough, Says Dede Ayew

Andre Ayew led the senior national team of Ghana for their first game in the 2015 African Cup of Nations as Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan sat out the game due to sickness.

The Black Stars lost the game to a late goal from Senegal’s Moussa Sow after Mame Biram Diouf had equalized an Andre Ayew penalty goal for Ghana.
The captain on the day could not hide his disappointment after the game, ruing some missed chances and criticizing the Black Stars.
“We were leading and in the first half we had two chances more to kill it. If we’d even one out of the two chances, we would have been 2-0 up and will be a totally different game. But we couldn’t, and that is part of the game – we’re going to score goals, we’re going to miss goals but what is important is that the second half performance wasn’t good enough. We need to work on it and prepare [for the next game].”

Ghana will play Algeria and South Africa for the last two games of the group that has been tagged the ‘Group of Death’ for the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
  -MTN Football 

Saudi Arabia;The Country That Beheads Women

Woman struggles during state sanctioned beheading, 10th execution this month in Saudi Arabia 

SAUDI Arabia has long been known as a place that plays by its own rules.

Floggings and beheadings are a pretty standard affair. Strict rules are enforced against women, including no driving, voting or swimming. Christians are banned from openly practising their religion. The press is not free.
Last week Saudi officials enforced their rule with the violent, heartbreaking, public beheading of a woman who protested her innocence until the final moment when a sword fell across her neck. A member of the public who filmed and uploaded the execution was arrested but the footage cast a light on the extreme practice. It also begged the question: What is going on in the desert kingdom that we don’t see?
“I DID NOT KILL. THIS IS INJUSTICE”
Those are the final words of accused murderer Layla bint Abdul Mutaleb Bassim before she was held down and beheaded in a busy street in the holy city of Mecca this week. The woman was pleading her case when the sword fell ... twice.
She was accused of sexually assaulting and murdering her 6-year-old stepdaughter.
The execution was by no means an exception. This year alone, 10 people have been beheaded there — 87 people were executed last year and 78 people were executed there in 2013, placing Saudi Arabia behind only Iran and Iraq in terms of the sheer volume of state sanctioned executions. More than 2000 people were executed in Saudi Arabia between 1985 and 2013. Elsewhere, Blogger Raif Badawi was jailed for 10 years recently after starting a website for social and political debate in Saudi Arabia. Raif will receive 50 lashings a week for a year for setting up the Saudi Arabian Liberals website.
-NEWSLTD

 

NEWS:AirAsia black box recordings reveal crash not terror related say investigators

DATA from the AirAsia black box recovered last week has revealed the plane did not go down due to a terrorist attack investigators say.
Reuters has reported that investigators working in the recovery of AirAsia flight 8501, which crashed in the Java Sea last month, are for the first time ruling out a terror incident.
About 50 per cent of the information from the black box flight recorders has been decoded lead investigators told Reuters in an exclusive interview.
In the recordings received so far the air safety investigator has said the pilot’s voice is the only one that can be heard in the cockpit.
The recordings from the cockpit also don’t show any sign of a threat just a busy pilot handling the plane, the investigator said.
The search for passengers is ongoing as is the effort to recover the plane.
Indonesian search teams were considering using a crane to recover the fuselage of the AirAsia jet.
Thirteen divers had been sent to estimate the weight of the remaining wreckage and look for bodies but weather was hampering their work, search operation director Suryadi Supriyadi said on Monday.
“There’s still no significant progress so far,” he said.
The technical options to raise the fuselage include a barge equipped with a crane or inflated lifting bags used to recover the aircraft’s tail last week.
The aircraft crashed on December 28 en route to Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia with 162 people on board.
So far 53 bodies have been found. There have been no survivors.

SPORTS:What The Hell Are TEnnis Players Wearing?

*Australian Open 2015: outfits ause rage at Melbourne Park 

IT might not be as hot at Melbourne Park as it has been at previous tournaments, but there’s no shortage of brightness at this year’s Australian Open.

The garish fluoro outfits sported by many players, including plenty of Aussies, have spectators rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
Even the ever-elegant Roger Federer has succumbed, with sponsor Nike seemingly determined to burn as many retinas as possible this summer.
Have a look below and let us know what you think of this year’s neon trend.

Sports/ Cricket: England Crush India

ENGLAND established their credentials as a World Cup bolter as a fast bowler who left Australia with the ‘’yips’’ last year returned with a vengeance at the Gabba.
Enigmatic Pommy quick Steven Finn (5-33) sent a wrecking ball through pathetic India (all out 153), almost a year to the day after flying out of Brisbane as a tortured soil.
Finn made a premature exit from Australia before a one-dayer in Brisbane after the Poms labelled him “not selectable” due to technical problems with his bowling action.
The big quick did not play a competitive match in almost three months in Australia and was the only member of the initial Ashes squad not to feature in the Test series.
Finn had the fast bowling ‘yips’ - the dreaded psychological affliction which prevents somebody from releasing the ball to any normal standard.
But that seemed a lifetime ago as he took his best ODI figures, against a woeful Indian side which struggled dreadfully with the extra pace and bounce of the Gabba.
“I have a few bad memories of Australia from last year and I am just glad we won this game and I helped do it,” Finn said.
”A lot has happened in the last 12 months and it is pretty much a year to the day that I went home from that tour of Australia.
”That corner has been turned. I felt like I turned it a little while ago.

Jose Mourinho regrets missing out on Steven Gerrard

LONDON: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has said failing to sign Steven Gerrard remains one of his greatest regrets as he urged Blues fans to stop mocking the Liverpool captain.

The two Premier League clubs will clash again when they meet at Anfield on Tuesday in the first leg of a League Cup semifinal, with Gerrard having already announced he will leave Merseyside at the end of this season to join US Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy.

During his first spell as Chelsea manager, Mourinho was on the verge of bringing midfielder Gerrard to Stamford Bridge in 2005 but the former England captain ultimately decided to stay with his home town club.

His decision arguably cost Gerrard the chance to win the Premier League title, something he has not yet managed in his illustrious career and a feat he is unlikely to achieve this season given Liverpool are currently a huge 17 points behind leaders Chelsea.

"He (Gerrard) is a historical player for Liverpool, a historical player for the Premier League and an opponent I have always admired and respected," Mourinho said.

"We did everything to try (to sign him) and it was almost there. I was dreaming of (Claude) Makelele, Gerrard and (Frank) Lampard in midfield.

"We were playing in a proper triangle without a number 10 and playing Maka in front of the defenders.

"Me, Mr (Roman) Abramovich (Chelsea's owner) and Peter Kenyon (the Blues' then chief executive) at that time, we dreamed of that.

"His people were open to him joining a top side like Chelsea. But to me personally he never said he would come. Never.

"He (Gerrard) was always a Red and I think the decision was right." Mourinho, asked if failing to bring Gerrard to Chelsea was his biggest transfer regret, said: "Yes, but I have another one when I was trying (to bring) Lampard to Inter.

"I was almost there and it didn't happen too. I had a couple of disappointments and that's normal in football."

Maria Sharapova off court: at ease and enjoying life to the full

For someone who has been scrutinised so closely since her life-changing Wimbledon success at the age of just 17, Maria Sharapova has developed her own instinctive auto-surveillance strategy. While the highest-paid sportswoman on the planet says she can mostly live her life as she wishes, she is rarely inclined to lower her guard. 
"Even when people are not watching, I'm always a little bit aware … I always have my eyes around," says Sharapova, the five-time grand slam champion and world No.2. "It can be in any situation – whether I'm in a restaurant, or just walking around. But I feel pretty good about the things that I'm able to do, and I've never really felt too restricted."
Russian-born Sharapova lists her residence as Florida, but also has a home in California she shares with her partner, men's top-tenner Grigor Dimitrov, and where there are myriad Hollywood types and other celebrities to share the long paparazzi lenses. The 27-year-old says she tries to treat photo and autograph requests from fans as merely a sign of recognition and appreciation, while happy to front up unadorned for her regular caffeine hit.
"No matter what people define me as, and say that I am quite well-known, I'm able to live a very normal, easy life. I'm lucky enough not to have a lot of cameras following me around," says Sharapova, whose face helps to sell everything from make-up and luxury watches to German cars, French mineral water and her own confectionery range.
"I live in a country where I think actors and musicians are a little bit more of a bigger deal than maybe athletes are – which I'm very thankful for," she smiles. "At the end of the day I can wake up and not feel like I have to put on red lipstick. I don't know if I'd ever be able to manage that! I just want to go get my cup of coffee and I'm able to do it. I mean, I don't wear pyjamas [out], but I don't have to, like, have the full gear on."
-SMH.COM

AUSSIE Open Champion Li Na Reveals She’s Pregnant

RETIRED two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na has announced she is expecting her first child.
Li, who won the title at the Australian Open last year and then walked away from the game in September due to chronic injuries, made the announcement during an on-court ceremony before the night session at Rod Laver Arena.
Known for making jokes at her husband’s expense at Melbourne Park over the years, the 32-year-old Li was far more charitable this time, giving him credit for his part in the pregnancy.
“Me and Dennis we are so excited our first child will be out in the summer,” she said.
“Dennis is doing good job, he just makes one ace.”
Originally published as Li Na tells centre court she’s pregnant

Asian Cup: Stage Set For Iran versus Iraq

IRAN booked an intriguing quarter-final date against Iraq, while Bahrain sent Qatar home from the Asian Cup without a single point.
We’re Up for the Cup!
IRAN V UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
A LATE goal from Reza Ghoochannejhad was enough to give Iran victory over UAE, sealing top spot in Group C and booking a likely quarter-final spot against Iraq in Canberra.
In front of a vocal crowd of more than 11,000 in Brisbane, it was a hard-fought affair with UAE dominating possession and passing but Iran the bigger goal threat as the game wore on.
The breakthrough came form a corner as normal time ticked over, the ball went deep before being played in where “Gucci” was waiting to head home in the six yard box.
WATCH ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS IN MATCH CENTRE
ABDULRAHMAN’S SILKY SKILLS
It was again the Omar Abdulrahman show for much of the clash, as the silky left-footer stole the show in Brisbane with his pinpoint passing and fast feet for UAE.
The highlight for the playmaker coming in the first half when he left four Iran defenders for dead. He’s all class is the big-haired No.10.

.Rio2016 Olympics : Babayaro urges Siasia to seek fire-brand players

Former international Celestine Babayar has urged Samson Siasia not to tone down standards in his selection of players in order to make Nigeria’s dream of a second medal prospect in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games a reality.

The Chelsea and Atlanta ’96 gold medalist said in an interview that “for Siasia to build an Olympic team capable of making an impression at the All Africa Games and in Rio 2016, he should have an eye for top quality players who parade outstanding skill.

In the same manner, he urged Siasia to also insist on discipline and high standards. “He must not compromise on discipline and standard,” he stated.

Besides he enjoined Siasia to shun acts that could put the country’s goal of producing another outstanding team for the up-coming Olympics in jeopardy.

Babayaro, who said it’s not an impossibility to put together another award winning team in the mould of the Atlanta’96 gold-winning side, for which he played a remarkable role, cited favouritism and bias as acts that would not impede success if put aside by the coach Sasia. “If he has the right collection of players, there in lies the key to success, he added. Babayaro played alongside the likes of Sunday Oliseh, Garuba Lawal and Dosu Joseph in the 1996 Eagles team.

Alakija Topples Oprah As world’s Richest Black Woman

There’s an upside to dressing the first lady of Nigeria. And it’s not what you think.
A Nigerian tycoon named Folorunsho Alakija has apparently just displaced Oprah Winfrey as the world’s wealthiest black woman. New surveys say Alakija is worth anywhere from $1.2 billion to $3.3 billion, depending on who’s counting.
The main source of Alakija’s wealth is a 60% stake in an offshore Nigerian oil company called Famfa Oil. (She also has interests in fashion and printing.)
Alakija’s path to those riches start in the UK, where she went to study fashion design in the 1980s. She returned to Nigeria to start out in business for herself with a high-end tailoring service called Supreme Stitches. Among her roster of clients was the country’s then-first lady.
Fast forward to 1993. Alakija’s proximity to the senior ranks of government meant that she, along with a clutch of generals and other officials, managed to obtain offshore prospecting licenses. Alakija partnered with Texaco to explore her block. In 2000, they discovered a 1-billion-barrel oilfield. The rest, as they say, is history.
UBS estimates that Alakija is worth $1.2 billion today. Ventures Africa says she has a $3.3 billion fortune. That puts her ahead of  Winfrey, who is worth $3 billion, according to Forbes.
-MSN

Sports: Brazil's Dani Alves Man U Tango

MANCHESTER United are reportedly close to signing Dani Alves from Barcelona at the end of the season.  Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu indicated the full-back’s future at the cup may be drawing to a close.  “What concerns us now is that he plays and contributes to the team,” Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio. “What is to come, will come. We never explain what we do on the issue of contracts.  “If it is done, it will be done discretely, like always,” he said.  It comes as three other players were reportedly being eyed by the Red Devils. Nathaniel Clyne, Mats Hummels and Kevin Strootman are all being considered.  Those deals may be scuttled by Manchester City though — the club recently outlayed almost $50 million for Wilfried Bony and its spending spree is unlikely to be over. Originally published as Alves may be off to Man United

Sports/Tennis:Rafael Nadal Says He's In No Shape To Win Australian Open – Unlike Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been compared and contrasted plenty of times in their career. The methodical and the inspired; the statesman and the upstart; the righty and the lefty. But surely there cannot be a greater imbalance between the outlook of the two all-time greats as right now.
After winning more matches than anyone on tour in 2014, Federer said he felt calm, secure – and ready to challenge for an 18th grand slam in the Australian Open, beginning on Monday.
On the other hand, Nadal says he's simply trying to stick around in Melbourne. The Spaniard, seeded third after his worst season win-loss ratio in a decade, gave a bleak view of his chances at Melbourne Park.
"I would be lying if I said I feel I am ready to win today," he said. "I don't feel myself ready to win... if I am here in a press conference in one week, maybe I will say another thing.
"Last year, yes... I don't consider myself one of the favourites here."
Nadal's woes are intertwined with injuries that have ruined his last six months. First a wrist injury forced a three-month lay-off, with lacklustre results on return. A back complaint adding to his troubles, Nadal then withdrew from the ATP tour finals with appendicitis. The Spaniard said as much as he practiced, it could not replace competitive time on court.
"You need to play more matches than four of five in seven months," he said. "You feel in better shape physically when you play matches, when you have confidence about your movements.
"It is a question of time and work, I am working big time."
Federer's fine 2014 season continued into Brisbane's lead-up event, which he won convincingly over Milos Raonic in the final. With a Davis Cup success stretching his season, the Swiss master has delayed his off-season until after Melbourne to continue his strong form.
Chasing an elusive 18th major, Federer said he may well be in career-best form.
"I would hope that over the years I've always improved," he said. "I think I'm serving more consistent and stronger than ever ... my backhand is working better than it has in the past.
"My concentration is better than it's ever been. The question is confidence, forehand, movement."
Those questions will be tested first by Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu, ranked No.46, in the first round on Tuesday.
Nadal will play Russian journeyman Mikhail Youzhny, ranked one spot lower at No.47.

EPL:Chance For Chelsea To Pull Clear

* Thibaut Courtois set to return for leaders
The Blues can pull five points clear of title rivals Manchester City - but only if they beat a tough Swansea side.

MANAGER QUOTES

Garry Monk (Swansea): "It's probably the strongest squad I have ever seen at Chelsea. They're a fantastic team - exceptional, world class players all over the pitch. They have got an exceptional manager as well. At the start of the season I said they were my favourites to win the league and I still believe that, albeit they have got competition from teams around them."

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea): "I don't think the big boys feel too much pressur. We are big boys, they (Manchester City) are big boys. It does not affect us a lot, the result of the other one. We both have jobs to do. (Whatever) the result of the other one, we have to try to win matches. If you can get points tomorrow, don't think that affects the City game."

Williams Hungry For Record Sixth Australian Open Title

Serena Williams hopes her burning desire to win the Australian Open helps her banish four years of disappointment and claim a record sixth title in Melbourne.
Williams, 33, has endured mixed form in her lead in to the year's opening grand slam, in the Hopman Cup in Perth and during her time on the practice court.
The top seed and world No. 1 could have a tough start at Melbourne Park, potentially facing a pair of former grand slam finalists in the opening four rounds.
She begins against Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium, although on Saturday she professed to not knowing who she had drawn nor anything about the player when informed of her name.
What Williams does know is that her motivation to claim another Australian title burns as much - if not more - than any of her opponents, particularly after crashing out in the fourth round last year.
"It would be really great. I've been going for number six for a number of years now," Williams said.
"It would be really special for me. I would be really happy. I want it I think more than anyone else here. But that doesn't mean I'm going to get it, so I'll have to fight hard to get it."
The last of Williams' five Australian Open wins was in 2010.
The fight Williams spoke about could ultimately be against Maria Sharapova, with the No.2 eying the opportunity to regain the top ranking should she win in Melbourne.
"Look, obviously No.1 is a ranking that every single player wants to grab and works so hard for," Sharapova said.
"There's a lot of players that have an opportunity to get there, and I'm one of them. I am, of course, determined to do that. But by doing that you need to win more matches than the person that's in first place. So that's the goal."
Sharapova, who plays a qualifier in the first round, could face Eugenie Bouchard in the quarter-finals and Ana Ivanovic, whom she beat in the Brisbane International final last weekend, in the semis. She could then meet Williams in the final.
Williams' immediate goal is to return to the form that allowed her to capture last year's US Open crown - the 18th title of her glittering career.
She has blamed her struggles in recent weeks on fatigue but is expected to have her power game and touch in better condition come Tuesday.

Sports: Pelé Woos Crowd At US Football Convention

Pele was the star attraction at the opening of the 2015 National Association of US Soccer convention.
The player who many see as the best of all time was representing New York Cosmos and answered a number of questions from excited fans.
Pelé made over 50 appearances for the New York Cosmos at the end of his career in the 1970's and is still held in high regard at the club. He was made an honorary president of the club in 2010.
Pelé was joined at the convention by Spanish player Raúl who recently joined New York Cosmos following his comeback from retirement.
Another Brazilian legend was present at the convention as Ronaldo was representing Fort Lauderdale.

Sports:FIFA Give Ghana FA Ultimatum Over Ugandan Player Ochaya

(FIFA) has asked Ghana to show prove why they cannot give Uganda player Joseph Ochaya an International Transfer Certificate.
"The World governing body wrote to the Uganda FA on Wednesday indicating that they have given the Ghana FA at ultimatum till Jan. 20 to prove that Ochaya cannot be allowed to join a team of his choice," said the FA's spokesman Hussein Ahmed on Friday.
Ochaya who formerly played for Ghana's League Champions Asante Kotoko sought assistance from FIFA after his employers were not fulfilling part of his contract terms which forced him to return to Uganda last year.
Ahmed explained that the Ghana FA has been tasked to attach any evidence why they have not issued an ITC to the player.
David Tamale, secretary to Ugandan Champions KCCA FC told Xinhua in an interview that they are trying to sign Ochaya because the player does not want to go back to Ghana.
"Ochaya has a point if Asante Kotoko failed to pay him what he was meant to get. Let them release him so that we can get the best out of him since he is even our former player," added Tamale.
KCCA FC are preparing for a preliminary round match of the 2015 CAF Champions League against the Cameroon League Champions. Two other Ugandan players Emmanuel Okwi and Godfrey Walusimbi have in the past had FIFA force their respective clubs Etoile Du Sahel to release the players because of breach of contract.

Missing twice-cut-off penis likely taken by stray animal

A cheating Chinese man's twice-cut-off penis is missing after his wife threw it out the window of the hospital where he had it reattached after she cut it off with scissors.
Hell truly had no fury like that of the scorned Feng Lung, 30, who discovered her husband was having an affair with a 21-year-old woman.
The violent incident began when Fan Lung, a 32 father of five, reportedly used his wife's cellphone to send his mistress a "saucy email" but forgot to log out of his account, allowing his wife to access the secret messages to his lover.
In a fit of rage, Feng grabbed a pair of scissors, stormed into their bedroom and cut off her husband's penis.
According to The Mirror, Fan was rushed to hospital, where doctors were able to reattach the penis.
But Feng crept into her husband's hospital room as he slept and cut it off again before throwing it out the window.
Fan then turned on his wife and was seen attacking her outside the hospital, naked and with blood streaming down his legs.
A hospital spokesperson told The Mirror that Fan was stopped and his wife was taken in for treatment, "and then we discovered she had chopped his penis off again".
Despite a search of the area outside the hospital, doctors and police officers were unable to locate the penis.
Officials believe Fan's penis may have been picked up by a stray cat or dog.
Fan was transferred to another hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and was "in a stable condition but extremely emotionally distraught".
Fan's mistress was said to be unperturbed by his missing member, and planned to marry her lover as soon as possible.
"It doesn't matter that he's lost his fertility, he has five children already," she reportedly said.
Feng has been charged with grievous bodily harm.

Sports:Azarenka ignores numbers in chase for better year

The number next to Victoria Azarenka's name in Friday's Australian Open draw will not be the high seeding she is used to, but a world ranking of 41, something the dual champion is determined to disregard.
Emerging from a bleak year soured by injury and a broken romance, Azarenka is unseeded at a grand slam for the first time since 2007, and could conceivably meet Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova as early as the first round.
Her new and unwanted status, she insists, is not something that matters, for however it feels, or doesn't, nothing will change. "The important thing is to go out there and play, seeded or unseeded. What's important is to get ready, prepare, control what you can control, and that's what I'm gonna do."
The 25-year-old says she has never looked at the numbers, not since her long climb up the rankings to No. 1 began for the girl from Minsk via Arizona, then Monaco, and now also California. It is, she says, about what happens on the court. Pushing, testing yourself. Repeatedly. "There's no miracles, you've just got to go through it over and over again."
Thankfully dusted is a 2014 non-season, foot and knee injuries restricting Azarenka to just 24 matches. The new year started with a first-round loss at the Brisbane International before an enforced training week at Melbourne Park; what the Belarusian is initially more reluctant to revisit is her troubled 12 months, the depths of her struggle having been documented last week in a revealing interview with The New York Times.

AFCON 2015: The Players

The African continent is looking forward to exciting action from the 368 players who will represent the 16 participating countries at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

Only 71 home based players were able to make the squad lists of their respective nations with DR Congo side TP Mazembe being the African club contributing the highest number of locally based players to the continental football showpiece.

297 from the total number of players are foreign based with a wide array of star players expected to light up the competition including Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan, Algeria’s Yacine Brahimi, Jonathan Pitroipa of Burkina Faso, Gabon’s Pierre Emerick Aubemayang, Zambia’s Stoppila Sunzu, Tunisia’s Yassine Chikhaoui and the reigning Africa Footballer of the Year award winner, Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast.

Interestingly, the French Ligue 1 has contributed 73 African players to the AFCON 2015, being the league with the highest number of foreign based players at the continental tournament.

However, DR Congo and AS Vita attacker Fermin Ndombe Mubele, who recently won the Africa Player of the Year based in Africa, will be expected to make a case for home based players with a fine performance at the continental championship after making the Leopards final 23-man squad.

Woman Raped 300 Times While Sleeping

Lifestyle

Woman was raped by husband more than 300 times while she slept 

A WOMAN has spoken out about shocking abuse she faced being repeatedly raped by her husband while she slept.

Sarah Tetley woke one morning to find her husband Charlie molesting her, she told ITV’s This Morning program.
“I woke up in the morning in that sort of drowsy just waking up stage and realised that he was molesting me in my sleep,” she said.
“At the time I thought I’ll just pretend I’m still asleep, see what’s going on. He stopped pretty quickly and I left the bedroom and went downstairs, I think I sat up watching some rubbish on telly and drinking coffee.”
Once her husband had left in the morning, the 26-year-old mum went to her neighbour and said she didn’t know what to do. It was the neighbour who encouraged the panicked victim to call the police.
It wasn’t until police investigated and discovered hundreds of videos on his computer that Sarah realised the extent of what her husband had been up to.
Police discovered 316 videos in total, she said, and were shocked by what they found.
Sarah’s husband had filmed himself having sex with her, and sometimes using household items to abuse her. She believes she may have been drugged during this time.
“A couple of the videos I watched you couldn’t hear me breathing and I didn’t really appear to be moving at all ... I did look like I was dead in some of them,” she said.
“A lot of the videos weren’t just of him but of household objects and things he would decide to do with those. It was quite disturbing.”
Sarah told the morning program she was completely shocked by what had happened to her while she slept, and never suspected a thing.
“In the morning I might wake up with a dead arm ... but nothing that made me think something untoward was going on,” she said.
“No matter how I think about him, I didn't see that coming ever.”
Mr Tetley last year pleaded guilty to 26 counts of rape taking place between January 2011 and October 2013 and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
When he was convicted, the investigating officer praised Sarah for her bravery and hoped her husband’s admission would help her “move on with her life and put the events of those two and half years behind her”.
Sarah is now using her story to encourage others to speak out about abuse.
“If in any way you’re being abused you should tell someone — even if it’s just mentally — whatever kind of abuse it is,” she said.
“And especially if people are secretive. It might be nothing but it might also be something quite big.

 

Witchdoctors Banned In Tanzania For Albino Killings

TANZANIA has banned witchdoctors to try to stem a surge in murders of albinos, whose body parts are sold for witchcraft, officials say.
“These so-called witches bear responsibility for the attacks against albinos,” interior ministry spokesman Isaac Nantanga said.
The ban follows the kidnapping last month of a four-year-old girl by men armed with machetes, who took her from her home in the northern Mwanza region.
Police have since arrested 15 people, including the girl’s father and two uncles, but she is still missing.
At least 74 albinos have been murdered in the east African country since 2000, according to United Nations experts.
After a spike in killings in 2009, the government placed youngsters in children’s homes in a desperate effort to defend them.
As well as the ban, the government has launched an education campaign to end the killing of albinos.
“We are keen on addressing the issue of abductions and killings of people with albinism once and for all,” home affairs minister Mathias Chikawe said.
The ban however does not cover traditional healers who use herbs to help the sick.
Mr Chikawe said the government and the Tanzania Albino Society (TAS) agreed on Tuesday to form a task force for conducting special operations against the kidnap, abduction and murder of albinos. “We are against those who cheat people that they will be rich by possessing charms, as well as fortune tellers and those distributing talismans,” Mr Chikawe said.
“People should also be repeatedly told that the only way of becoming rich is through hard work and not possessing charms.” A hereditary genetic condition which causes an absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, albinism affects one Tanzanian in 1400, experts say. In the West, it affects just one person in 20,000.
In August, a UN rights expert warned that attacks against albinos were on the rise because Tanzania’s October 2015 presidential election was on the horizon, encouraging political campaigners to turn to influential sorcerers for support.
Albino body parts sell for about $US600 ($649.18) in Tanzania, with an entire corpse fetching $US75,000 ($81,146.88), a fortune in the impoverished country.
The Malian singer Salif Keita, himself an albino, has led an international campaign against the trade and also to change traditional attitudes towards people with albinism.

-NEWS LIMITED

Life: Wife Chops Off Cheating Husband’s Organ, Twice

HELL hath no fury like a woman scorned.
A jealous wife in China chopped off her cheating husband’s penis as he slept, then snuck into his hospital room after he had it sewn back on — and hacked it off again and tossed it out the window.
Fan Lung, a dad of five, sealed his fate when he decided to use his wife’s cellphone to send his secret lover a hot and heavy email, Central European News reports.
The 32-year-old forgot to log out of his account after the message was sent, which is how his 21-year-old wife, Feng — who is now under arrest for grievous bodily harm — came across the saucy exchange and snapped.
The jilted wife went berserk, grabbed a pair of scissors, stormed into their bedroom and cut off his penis while he was sleeping.
Lung was rushed to the hospital, where doctors were able to save the appendage and sew it back on.
But Feng was able to sneak into the recovery room, where she chopped his penis off a second time and threw it out the window, according to CEN.
A shocked Lung chased his wife outside, despite losing a lot of blood.
“Staff rushed out to see what was happening and found the patient with blood streaming down his legs hitting the woman,” a hospital spokesman said. “He was stopped and the woman was taken in for treatment, and then we discovered she had chopped his penis off again.”
Despite desperate search efforts, authorities were unable to find Lung’s manhood. Police believe it may have been stumbled upon by a stray dog or cat, according to CEN.
The woman Lung was cheating with — Zhang Hung, 21 — said she’s OK with her man not being able to have more children.
“It doesn’t matter that he’s lost his fertility,” she told CEN. “He has five children already.”
- Source: australscope