Premier League - Arsenal plan friendly in Nigeria

Fri, 04 May 11:34:00 2012

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Arsenal are planning to visit Africa for the first time in 19 years by travelling to troubled Nigeria for a pre-season friendly.

The opposition for the August 5 match is not yet known but is likely to be a leading African national team, the London club said on their website on Friday.

The friendly will be played at the 60,000-capacity Abuja National Stadium.

Arsenal, who are also planning pre-season games in China, Malaysia and Hong Kong, last visited Africa for a tour of South Africa in 1993.

The Islamist group Boko Haram has been fighting a low-level insurgency in Nigeria for more than two years.

Although its attacks are mostly in the north of Africa's most populous nation it has bombed several targets in the capital Abuja, located in the centre of the country.

The office of local newspaper This Day was hit on April 26 by a car bomb and last year United Nations headquarters and the office of the chief of police were struck by suicide bombers.

The sect, which wants to impose an Islamic state on Nigeria's evenly mixed population of Muslims and Christians, has been blamed for hundreds of killings since its uprising against the government in 2009.

Bolt may face surprise challenge in 100 meters

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt could have an unexpected challenger when the Jamaican world record holder runs his first 100 meters on Saturday. Asafa Powell, who held the world record before Bolt became athletics' biggest name, is considering switching from the 200 to the 100 at the Jamaica International Invitational because of a minor groin injury.
Meeting official Donald Quarrie said no decision had been made, but the sprinter's agent said they were evaluating all options.
Powell originally had been scheduled to run the 200 against 100 meters world champion Yohan Blake, but the groin injury has the world's third-fastest man contemplating a move to the shorter, less stressful distance.
"If I don't run the 200 and get in the 100, that would be fine with me because this is what I'm training for and I have to be ready at anytime," Powell told Reuters. "I feel good so we'll see."
With the London Olympics less than 85 days away, Bolt is hoping to make the race a test of his preparations with or without Powell. His only race of the season has been a 4x100 meters relay.

Sir Alex Ferguson:  City's title race in their hands

Fri, 04 May 1:41:10 2012

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Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected Roberto Mancini's insistence that Manchester United remain favourites for the Premier League title.

Despite Manchester City's victory over United on Monday, which took them back to the top of the table on goal difference with just two matches remaining, Mancini continues to regard his team as underdogs.

His theory is that United have an easier run-in, which in some senses is correct given City must travel to face in-form Newcastle on Sunday.

However, Ferguson does not believe that is any basis for thinking City are going to blow their chance to secure a first championship since 1968.

"What do you think?" said Ferguson when Mancini's theory was put to him during Thursday's press conference. "They've got two games left. If they win their two games they win the league.

"People talk about goal difference, but it depends how many they win by. Say they win 3-0 on Sunday, their lead would be 11 and they still have QPR at home. That would be impossible."

 

Premier League - No deal talk yet said RVP

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Arsenal striker Robin van Persie was relaxed about his future as he collected the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award on Thursday evening, insisting no matter what happens during the rest of his career he would "always be a Gunner".

The Netherlands striker, 28, topped the poll of journalists with a landslide victory ahead ofManchester United duo Wayne Rooney andPaul Scholes, with Fulham's Clint Dempseyfourth.

Van Persie's 35 goals in all competitions have helped propel Arsenal into the top four of the Premier League, leaving them on the brink of automatic promotion to the Champions League next season, a European campaign Van Persie looks set to be part of as he plans summer talks over a new deal.

He said: "That is still the plan, we haven't set a date but I will have a meeting with the boss like we did before, now we will be having a meeting about my future, and lots of other things.

"Arsenal is an unbelievable club, the player I am today is because of Arsenal. When I actually signed the deal (to join Arsenal) it was a dream come true.

"If you ask the likes of Robert Pires how he feels, what he feels like he will say 'I feel like a Gunner' - and whatever happens with me I will always be a Gunner."

Rivalry Show Down in Wembley

Fri, 04 May 09:45:59 2012

Defender Jamie Carragher thinks the intensity of the rivalry between Liverpool and Chelsea has faded slightly in recent years but that will not prevent a fierce FA Cup final battle on Saturday.

From the middle part of the last decade there has been a glut of encounters between the two sides and Saturday's will be the 31st since the start of the 2004-05 season - and there is then a league match to follow on Tuesday.

"It (the rivalry) started six or seven years ago for different reasons," said the 34-year-old. "It is still a big rivalry but I think it had more to it then."

The League Cup final of 2005 saw an increase in hostilities when Jose Mourinho's infamous finger to the lips gesture incensed Reds fans as their side lost 3-2.

Liverpool got their revenge with a Champions League semi-final victory at Anfield, although Mourinho still complains about Luis Garcia's 'ghost' goal.

The subsequent familiarity - this will be their third meeting this season with Kenny Dalglish's side having been victorious in the Carling Cup at Stamford Bridge - may have lessened the impact somewhat, but that does not mean their Wembley clash will be any less of an occasion, according to Carragher.

He added: "Maybe Mr Mourinho had something to do with it. We seemed to be playing them four or five times a season. They are a great side and have had great players. We respect them and I am sure they respect us."

Only Carragher and Steven Gerrard remain from Liverpool's team from the 2005 League Cup final while Chelsea still have Petr Cech, Paulo Ferreira, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Carragher can recall some epic personal tussles with Drogba.

"Me and Drogba, Stevie and Lampard, have had some great battles over the years," he added. "There have been some great memories from those games. But you never know who they will pick; 

Premier League - INCREDIBLE PAPISS                             Thur, 04 May 10:50:00 2012

Papiss Cisse scored two of the goals of the season as Newcastle United shocked Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to land a blow to the Blues’ Premier League top-four hopes, and do a world of good to their own.

The Senegalese striker put the visitors ahead with a flick-volley combination that evoked memories of Thierry Henry and Matt Le Tissier before, halfway through 10 minutes of stoppage time, he unleashed an outrageous swerving volley from an acute angle that silenced Stamford Bridge.

The match was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote, who landed heavily after appearing to be elbowed by Chelsea's John Obi Mikel - Toon boss Alan Pardew later revealed that the Ivory Coast international was "fine", but there could still be retrospective action for Mikel.

Cisse, meanwhile, has 13 goals in his first 12 games for Newcastle, making him comfortably the most prolific top-flight striker per-minute this season.

It was also Newcastle’s first win at Chelsea since 1986, and one that put them four points ahead of the Blues with two matches remaining: Tottenham stay ahead of the Magpies on goal difference after their win at Bolton, the battle for fourth now between two rarities - Premier League clubs managed by Englishmen.