The Sinister Motives Behind The $2.1 Billion World Bank Loan.

Recently in Nigeria there is good news from America, concerning the $2.1 billion loan from the World Bank to President Muhammadu Buhari to rebuild the North Eastern region of the country which has been destroyed by the Boko Haram Insurgency.

Extension of Leroy Sane's Contract, Shows Schalke 04 Is Getting It Right Again.

 Fans of German club Schalke 04 are not happy with the going talks for the transfer of midfield star Julian Draxler to Juventus. These are trying times for the Gelsenkirchen Club, who as of 2011 reached the semi final of the Champions League.

Bojan Krkic: How Mark Hughes Succeed Where Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique Failed?

When Stoke City's Mark Hughes made a big gamble on ex Barcelona and AS Roma player Bojan Krkic, it was dubbed by many as a move that he will live to regret and may cost him his job. Bojan was acquired for €1.8 million from Barcelona in 2014.

Toyin Saraki, Zainab Dakingari and EFCC Prosecution.

It is only in Nigeria that an anti-graft agency will invite a suspect for questioning and interrogation and it will be interpreted as politically motivated or witch hunting. What has happened to the universal know. Aspect of law which starts that "a suspect is innocent

Is Diego Rolan Of Bordeaux, the Striker Newcastle Really Needs?

Last season English North East club Newcastle United faced a striker problem. After the signing of Emmanuel Rivière from Monaco to partner Perez Ayoze and Papis Cisse, Newcastle thought they were fortified in the striking department. Ayoze blew hot and cold and

Bayern Munich Fortifies For 2015/2016 Season With Arturo Vidal Signing.

2015 has been a year of trophy and success for Chilean Midfielder Arturo Vidal. For the first time, Vidal won a double with his Italian Club Juventus and reached the Champions league final for the first time in 12years (2002). It did not end there,

Julian Draxler Be Warned "The Grass May Not Be Greener In Juventus

Paulo Dybala, Simone Zaza, Mario Mandukic , Fernandi Illorente and Alvaro Morata.  These players are strikers for Juventus football club in Italy.  Juventus does not play more than two strikers in any of the matches and a look at their squad shows that their

Chelsea 2015/2016 Priority Season Purchase.

Chelsea football club is one of the strongest team in Europe. Last season Chelsea was top of the EPL from day 1 to the last day which is an impressive record. During the course of 2013/2014 season, Jose Mourinho had made excuses and claimed his Chelsea team was "Little Horses," thus rejecting the favourite tag, instead promising that the 2014/2015 season will be their vintage season. By May 2015, it was clear that Mourinho was not just a coach but also a prophet as his team swept the the EPL. This could not have been possible without the creative wizardry of Cesc Fabregas who ended the season with an impressive 18 assists despite playing in deep midfield with Serbian Nemanja Matic  for most of the season. The main man tasked with creating chances and sharing the pressure with Eden Hazard is Dos Santos Emboaba Jnr better known as Oscar. Oscar ended the season with six goals in 28 appearances having a shot accuracy of 51% and created 36 chances with eight assists. At the tail end of the season, Oscar ran out of steel and became a shadow of himself as has been the case since his first season at the club in 2012.

This brings the question of selling club favorite Juan Mata to Manchester United. In his two seasons at the club, Mata won the Fan's Player of The Season twice and the Player's Player of The Season once , yet coach Jose Mourinho sold him based on his inability to help the team when out of possession. This season, Chelsea has made two major signings which are more of replacements than addition. Radamal Falcao for Didier Drogba and Asmir Begovic for Petr Cech, while rivals like Manchester United and Liverpool have made more than five major signings.

What Chelsea needs next season isn't precisely a defender or a striker but a creative play maker slightly behind the striker (Typical no 10). This is due to the hot and cold form of Oscar and the fact that partnering Fabregas with Matic brings out the best from the team. Even with the public pursuit of Barcelona's Pedro and John Stones (Everton), what Chelsea urgently needs next season is a playmaker to push Oscar to his high level by providing enough competition for him and reduce the burden and pressure on star player Eden Hazard while feeding Costa, Remy or Falcao.

The playmaker role is difficult to get competent players to perform the role consistently but with the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Felipe Andersonb and Isco available then it could do Chelsea a favour to sign any of these.

At 25 years, Pjanic played 34 matches for AS Roma of Italy, scoring five goals and creating ten assists and 63 chances with a shot accuracy of 53% although he will come at a high cost given that he is a star player for Roma.

Felipe Anderson is also just 22 years. He played 32 games , scoring 10 goals with assist of seven , creating 32 chances with shot accuracy of 62%. Anderson however, might not be an upgrade on Oscar but could be a worthy replacement for him when Oscar isn't fit or gets injured.

Finally Isco might be the best choice with his nine assists, four goals, 69% shot accuracy , creating 53 chances all in 34 league matches, but he might be the most expensive given he plays for Spanish power house, Real Madrid.

In all these, Chelsea desperately need to retain their league trophy and challenge for Europe this season and might need to sign a playmaker . It is still too early to conclude if Jose Mourinho will sanction such purchase but time will tell.

Osun Salary : Aregbesola Basking In Oppression.

"Many of our governments, at all levels, lack imagination and zeal. We all wait for the monthly federal allocation. Every state including the Federal Government, should strive for financial autonomy and self-sufficiency." These were the words of the most infamous governor in Nigeria right now - Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State in March 2014 at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission's Good Governance Forum in Abuja. It did not end there as Aregbesola continued "When our administration came in, our (Osun State) internal generated revenue was a paltry ₦300 million monthly but in less than a year, we doubled it to ₦600 million and by the grace of God today, it is ₦1.6 billion. Our target is to be able to earn ₦5 billion every month on our own," he concluded.

Coroner's Corner : Chris Benoit (Professional Wrestler)

Christopher Michael Benoit was born in Montreal Canada on May 22, 1967. Benoit became a professional wrestler and debuted as a wrestler on November, 22, 1985. He is a two-time World Champion, winning the World Heavyweight Champion of the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) World Heavyweight Champion. He held 22 titles all within the WWF/E, WCW, NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) and ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling). He was also the 12th WWE Triple Crown Champion and 6th WCW Triple Crown Champion, thus becoming the only second of five men in Wrestling history to win both WWE and WCW Triple Crown Championship. He was bound to retain his WWE 3rd World Championship, the night of his death.

Why Benteke Is Brendan Rodgers' Last Gamble

It is no longer news that Brendan Rogers had an abysmal season in Liverpool last season rather, the news is that Liverpool owners gave him a second chance. Football analysts were not surprised when Liverpool Central Midfielder Joe Allen admitted last month that Rodgers would have been sacked if he was in another club "Yeah of course, some owners may have been less tolerant after the way the season went," he said. It got so bad that Liverpool were thumped 6-1 on the last day of the season by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.

The Gradual Untagging Of The Negative Perception Of Nigeria And Nigerians.

For so many decades Nigeria and Nigerians have been ridiculed and made a laughing stock abroad. It got so bad that every news from the foreign media was centred on the problems of monumental corruption, unemployment, deplorable power supply and increased insecurity all ravaging the country. What made matters worse was that the leaders of Nigeria at various times were seen as benefiting from the rot in the system , hence doing little or nothing to reverse the ugly trend.

It Is Now Or Never For Mario Gotze To Leave Bayern Munich.

Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze all sound familiar and have one thing in common. They all left Borussia Dortmund at the "Peak" of their respective careers and till date their form and careers hasn't been the same. They have regressed despite accumulating different trophies which Dortmund may not have offered them. Little wonder central midfielder Ilkay Gundogan resigned with the North Rhine-Westphalia side, after his contract expired and after being courted by the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The Dark Side Of Sylvester Stallone "Rocky" And Reasons We Have To Fight Adversity.

This is one of the SADDEST stories ever told in Hollywood. His name is Sylvester Stallone. One of the GREATEST and MOST famous American Movie Superstars. What many movie fans don't know is that before stardom, Stallone was a struggling actor in every definition. At some point, he got so broke that he stole his wife's jewellery and sold it off. Things even got so bad, that he ended up homeless. Yes, he slept at the New York bus station for three days, unable to pay rent or afford food. Stallone's lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any stranger, because he couldn't afford the luxury of feeding the dog any longer( he finally sold it for $25 only). Stallone walked home crying the day he sold the dog at the liquor store.

Why Sunday Oliseh Has Come To Stay.

It has been drama and comedy at the Glass House (Nigeria Football Federation Headquarters) for some months now. This is due to the internal wrangling and conflict that existed between then Super Eagles Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi and the NFF led by Chairman Amaju Pinnick. While I will resist the temptation to get involved in their crises and stating who maybe wrong or right, I will like to point out certain bitter facts in Nigerian football today.

The Many Questions Only Col. Sambo Dasuki Can Answer.

Nigerians were shocked on July 17, 2015 when news broke  out that some officers of the Directorate Of Secret Security Service lay siege at the Asokoro, Abuja residence of Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) just 24 hours after he was sacked as the National Security Adviser (NSA) by President Muhammadu Buhari. Flash back to January 2015, in Chattam House In London, when the then National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan prophesied what will turn out to manifest  (postponement of elections in February as earlier planned due to Insurgency in the north east). Before then, Dasuki had made the following statements on assuming office in June 2012,

Story Of One Who Won Everything But Left Unfulfilled (Nani).

                                     

Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha better known as Nani is a Cape Verdean born Portuguese player who is most famous for his time at English giants Manchester United. In the summer of 2007, after the gamble on Christiano Ronaldo paid off, then coach Sir Alex Ferguson raided the Portuguese League and paid a whopping €25 million for the then 21 year old from Sporting Lisbon.

Shocking is an understatement of what football fans felt, when it was confirmed that after spending six years at Manchester United, and never really living up to his potential, Nani was set to join Turkish football giants Fenerbahce. This is no insult to Turkish football but with no Turkish team having reached the second round of the 2014/2015 champions league, it was like Nani chose the easy part for am early retirement in Turkey.

Nani's case is quite different from Robin Van Persie who also moved to Fenerbahce because unlike Nani, the Dutch man fulfilled his potential though he did not win much trophy. Last season, Nani went on a season long loan to Sporting in a deal that brought Marcos Rojo to United.

Nani was known for individual brilliance, step-over, ball control and accurate long range shooting. He was once at a point compared with club legend and compatriot Christiano Ronaldo and was excused by the fans with being too young to show enough consistency. It was after the departure of Ronaldo that Nani stepped up his game in 2010/2011 season. That season, Nani played 31 matches with 14 assists and nine goals. He went on to win the "Players Player of the Season" award and lost by only one vote to Javier Hernandez as the "Fans Player of the Season" as United won a record breaking 19th league title. That was the last time fans saw the best of Nani as the next season he slipped off the starting XI never to reclaim it again till he left.

Even on the international scene, Nani has failed to replicate his best form, blowing hot and cold. It was difficult to know what to expect from Nani at any given time.

Nani will be remembered as a "Near Man" at Manchester United as he leaves. He played 230 games scoring  40 goals with his best being the individual goal at Arsenal in  2010 en-route to United winning the league title that season. Nani though leaves United with lots of trophies including Champions League, FA Cup and the Premier League, but it is sad and disappointing that the English premier league never saw the best of him.

Leicester City Starts New Season Without Nigel Pearson.

Patience is known as a virtue in the society worldwide but that is the opposite in English football nowadays. In the English Premier league last season, the average managerial tenure is 2.2 years and 50% of teams in the bottom half changed their managers last season.

That brings us to the sacking of Nigel Pearson by Leicester City on 30, June 2015 and the appointment of Italian Claudio Ranieri last week. Leicester stated that the  "Working relationship between Pearson and the Board was no longer Viable". Pearson joined Leicester for a second spell on 15 November 2011, while they were still in the Championship. He led Leicester to promotion at the end of the 2013/2014 season, winning the Championship after going 20 league games unbeaten In the 2014/2015 season in the Premier League, also Pearson would go on to lead Leicester to finish 14th in the league table after winning seven of their last nine games while fellow Championship promoted sides like Burnley and QPR were relegated.

It was shocking that Pearson was sacked on the 30th of June, 2015, after his son's (James Pearson) involvement with two other Leicester players in an orgy video tape with Thai prostitutes during the teams tour of Thailand. Pearson on his part  had endured many controversies while at Leicester and was even rumoured to have been sacked in February 2015,  after an incident involving the throttling of a Crystal Palace player (James McArthur ) in a league match.

The controversy did not stop there, as Pearson once labelled a journalist an "Ostrich" during his post match press conference after the defeat to Chelsea in the League. Pearson also once told a Leicester fan at the King Power Stadium to " F**k off and die".

There is a debate on how unfair it was that Pearson was sacked over his son's demeanour, hence to embark upon such a path would be lunacy (Hence the young man's sins should not be inflicted upon the father). Also some argue that Pearson was not sacked as a direct consequence of his son's escapades but as a punishment for accumulated misdemeanour. Quoting Seneca "It is not the last drop that empties the water clock, but that which has previously flowed out."

It could also be said that Leicester were wrong to have sacked Pearson due to his results with the team all through his stay. With Pearson, Leicester became a tough, well-organised team coupled with an abundance of emotional resilience which saw them become the only third team to escape from relegation after being bottom of the league at Christmas. Pearson may be slightly unconventional but his players fully understood his personality. He attracted several high profile players to the club which includes Robert Huth (Stoke City), Esterban Cambiaso (Inter Milan), Mark Schwarzer (Chelsea) and Andrej Kramaric (Dinamo Zagreb).

Also in an industry like football where result is the priority, then Pearson deserved time and patience. Instead of making Pearson the hate guy for his son's demeanour, it should maybe better to accept that Pearson is a "Perfect Manipulator". After all, he delivered against all odds by keeping Leicester up while the likes of Burnley ,QPR and Hull all went down with their higher budgets.

Which ever way, Pearson would  have had a divided conflicting resume as result of his time in Leicester depending on whose side you are. Once again with Pearson "Patience" has proved a difficult virtue in English Football.

The Sudden Resuscitation Of EFCC .

It is surely big news that the EFCC is now the most active government agency in Nigeria in this administration. Formed in 2003 by then President Olusegun Obasanjo with it's first Chairman as Nuhu Ribadu, the EFCC by 2006 had 31 out of the country's 36 governors under investigation. This led to high profile arrests and impeachment of Governor's Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa) and Joshua Dariye (Plateau). Also Governor's James Ibori (Delta), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu)were also arrested and tried. The fear of EFCC then was intense and corruption was reduced, though it was alleged that the EFCC only targeted political opponents of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, which led to the rumour that the EFCC was a "Witch Haunting" institution.

Reasons Why The Loss Of James Milner May Derail Manchester City.

"I thought at times in City, I won Player of the Month and then didn't play for three, four or five games after. I feel here (Liverpool), if I play well, I'll keep the shirt. It's down to me ." "The role of filling In, more when other people aren't available,

Is Schweini A Gamble Or A Masterstroke?

Bastian Schweinsteiger is a name that needs no introduction in footballing circus. He is a World Cup and Champions league winner for Germany and Bayern Munich respectively. Schweini as he is fondly called is a Bavarian and made his debut in 2002 for Bayern.

The purpose of this article isn't to discuss about his move from Bayern to Manchester United, rather to decipher if the signing is a gamble. This is because Schweini has been severally injured since the 2010-2011 season. His injury record was so bad that after a five star performance at the World Cup, he had to wait till November 22, 2014, to make his first Bundesliga appearance. Last season was his second lowest league appearance (20 games) since the 2002/2003 season that he made his debut (14 games).

Was Fabian Delph Right To Reject Manchester City?

Trending on the news for three days 9 July - 11 July 2015 was the purported transfer of Aston Villa Captain Fabian Delph to Manchester City for £8 million. It was a move that neither Villa not Delph came out publicly to quash. It was surprising

How Buhari Got It Right With Sacking Of Service Chief's.

Excitement is an understatement of what Nigerians felt on 12 July 2015, when the Presidency announced the compulsory sacking and retirement of all service chief's in the country. This was long overdue and it seemed like

Why Ashmir Begovic And Chelsea Are A Match Made In Heaven

It was like a day of mourning on June 6, 2015 in West London following Arsenal's official signing of Chelsea's mystique iconic goalkeeper Petr Cech. It was something no Chelsea fan ever imagined could happen. It even got to a point,

Why The Signing Of Arda Turan Will Set Barcelona Backwards.

Eyebrows were raised when Barcelona announced the official signing of 28 years old Turkish and Athletico Madrid attacking midfielder Arda Turan for £24.4 million last week. Turan cannot be classified as a bad player but the question most

22 Rivers State LG Chairmen and Nollywood Drama

The recent activities of the court and 22 LG Chairmen of Rivers State looks  nothing but a Nollywood movie. Just within a week the Federal High Court in Port-Harcourt sacked the 22 LGA Chairmen elected during the last days of

Coroner's Corner: Samuel Doe (21st President of Liberia)

Samuel Doe with then Secretary of Defense of the United States Caspar W. Weinberger outside the Pentagon in 1982 when the going was good.

Samuel Kanyon Doe hails from the

Van Persie: Hero Or Traitor?

"I took the number 20 shirt because I'm here to win a 20th title with United", were the words of Dutch striker Robin Van Persie upon signing for Manchester United from rivals Arsenal in 2012. What makes this statement special is

Ikorodu Robbery Arrest: Is The Nigerian Police Force Finally Living Up To It's Name?

Officers of the Nigerian Police Force are often derided as the "Most Corrupt Nigerian Professionals". This negative tag did not just come up, rather it has been there for ages and this is something no Inspector General of Police has

Has Liverpool Got One Over Manchester United With Clyne Capture?

Towards the end of last season one defender was synonymous with Manchester United and that was Southampton's right back Nathaniel Clyne. Since the retirement of Gary Neville , United have not had a permanent replacement.

Buhari : Nothern Colonization Of Nigeria.

Mrs Amina Zakari (Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission), Ahmed Idris (Accountant General of the Federation), Mordecai Ladan ( Director, Department of Petroleum Resources) and Lawal Musa Daura

Garry Monk (Swansea) Proves Experince Isn't Everything In Management.

On the eve of February 14 ,2014 after the sacking of Michael Laudrup (Most successful Swansea Manager in Premier League history) many British football fans were left sad and envisaged doom for the club in South Wales. Just 11 months earlier,

Does Harry Rednapp Still Have Something To Offer?

"I don't think he has the passion for the game like people think". "Harry is not a bad person but he is a very bad coach and for me, and a very bad manager". This were the words on Harry Rednapp by Moroccan former QPR player Adel Tarrabt who recently joined Portuguese

Cech: Are The Gunners Now Title Contenders?

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech finally made his long rumored move to Arsenal on June 29, 2015 after weeks of speculation. It was a transfer rare in the history of English top division, given the rivalry between Chelsea and Arsenal. Since the ugly swap involving William Gallas (Chelsea) and £4 million for

Senator Ndume Ali: Lightening strikes twice

An African proverb claims "Lightening cannot strike twice" but this wasn't the case in Nigeria on June 26th and 30th of 2015. On both days the Judicial and Legislative arm of government all failed Nigerians. Senator Ali Ndume is a

Why Schneiderlin's capture might end Carrick's United career

 Manchester United fans will be desperately and attentively glued to news outlets and social media this summer. Reason being the clubs public courting of Southampton's French Morgan Schneiderlin and Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos.