Is He Finally Heading to Madrid? Chelsea Star, Eden Hazard Rejects Captaincy

Eden Hazard who has been with Chelsea since 2012, and will be one of their longest-serving players when John Terry leaves at the end of the season, has rejected the captain armband, and also talked on an alleged move to Real Madrid.

Eden Hazard celebrates scoring for Chelsea

 

While speaking in an exclusive interview with SkySports, Eden Hazard disclosed that he is not the right person to succeed John Terry as Chelsea captain.

 

The Blues will be seeking a new permanent skipper this summer when their long-time armband wearer departs.

 

Gary Cahill, who has captained the team for the majority of the season, is the obvious candidate to replace Terry.

 

However, Hazard could stake a claim, particularly having skippered his national team, though the Belgian does not believe he would be the right choice.

"I think we have some of the player they can be more than a captain in this team. You know when it is not John [Terry] it is Gary [Cahill]. 

"Gary make a great job. In the [FA Cup] semi-final [Cesar] Azpilicueta for the first time wear the armband. They deserve to be captain."

 

Hazard went on to explain why he does not have the right attributes to be Chelsea captain.

 

"In the national team I say I don’t know if I’m a good captain. I’m a captain on the pitch. Outside the pitch for me I don’t like to talk a lot.

"In England I think the captain has to talk to make the people ready for the games. I’m not this kind of guy. I can talk with my feet, but it’s not my job to talk to everyone."

 

Reflecting on his future, Hazard, who is a potential target for Real Madrid, said: "There is no sign of a new contract for the moment. I am focused on the last month, and we will talk later.

 

"It's not in my mind now. I have two or three years left. I just want to finish the season well and we will see afterwards."

 

Hazard missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award as he was pipped to the prize by team-mate N'Golo Kante.

 

"It's fully deserved," said Hazard. "He had a great season with Leicester and then this season too.

 

"You know the trophy most times goes to the player who scores some goals or gets some assists and wins games, but N'Golo changed that. He is not scoring goals or making many assists, but he does a fantastic job on the pitch. He deserved to win." 

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So Sad! Watch How Brighton Goalkeeper Scored Two Identical Own Goals as Team Misses Title (Video)

Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale scored two freakish own goals on Friday as the Seagulls lost 0-2 at Norwich to miss out on securing the Championship title in England.

Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper, David Stockdale looks dejected after scoring two own goals at Carrow

 

Brighton goalkeeper, David Stockdale was cursing his luck on Friday night after scoring two identical own goals at Norwich.

 

Stockdale may have been celebrating promotion with the Seagulls at the start of the week, but by Friday evening he was left reeling with two unlucky comical incidents at Carrow Road.

 

First, the Seagulls stopper could not reach Alex Pritchard's long-range effort in the 18th minute, with the ball coming out off the post, off his back and into the net. And on 39 minutes the unthinkable happened again, as Pritchard's effort again came off the woodwork and over the line, via Stockdale.

 

That meant Norwich went into the break 2-0 up having not even hit the target with one of their shots. It also meant Norwich were benefiting from an own goal for the third time in their last four home games.

 

Brighton, who were promoted to the Premier League on Monday, needed a victory to wrap up the Championship title.

 

Brighton & Hove Albion manager, Chris Hughton spoke on the two own goals and said:

 

"That's not something I have ever seen before. It happens to keepers from time to time, but not usually twice in one game.

 

"Obviously there is no blame attached to David at all - he was just trying to make the saves and the ball just came back off him.

 

"What I would say is that we were punished for allowing the player to get his shot away by not closing him down on the edge of the box.

 

"Norwich have got a lot of quality in their side and when that happens you are asking for trouble."

 

Brighton must now wait until at least Monday to clinch the title, as Newcastle must avoid defeat against Preston to take the race into the penultimate round of fixtures.

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Osaze Moves To Indonesian Club

Former Nigerian international Osaze Odemwingie has completed his move to Indonesian first division club Madura United FC.

The former Stoke City forward was introduced in an unveiling ceremony in Jakarta on Monday, by club’s President Achsanul Qosasi and manager Haruna Sumitro to the club fans ahead of their league opener.

The club confirmed the signing of the Nigerian international through their Twitter handle on Monday. “Welcome Peter Osaze Odemwingie!” in a club shirt with Odemwingie’s name and number 24 boldly on it.

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Manchester United Finally Leaves Sixth Position After Over 100 Days

Some Manchester United fans will probably be rejoicing after Everton moved to sixth position on the Premier League table a position the Red Devils have occupied since October. They stayed there for too long despite presently enjoying a 17-match unbeaten run in the league.

The good news is that United can catch up as they have played only 26 matches while Everton have played 29 matches. If United wins tomorrow they will move to 5th position while Arsenal will move to sixth. A draw will ensure that they have joint points with Arsenal and Everton but they will remain in 7th.

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Bolt To Skip World Relays As He Prepares To Retire

Usain Bolt is poised to skip next month's IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas as he prepares to retire from the sport later this year.

The reigning Olympic 100m and 200m champion told reporters at a track meeting in Kingston on Saturday that he was unlikely to feature in the Jamaica squad for the two-day championship set for April 22-23. 

"My coach hasn't said anything about it (World Relays), so I doubt that I will be competing there this year. I am just trying to stay injury free," said Bolt, who is looking forward to his final race on Jamaican soil, the Racers Track Club Grand Prix set for June 10. 

"It's just going to be exciting and emotional, I think it might be a little bit emotional, but I am looking forward to it, it's my coach's meet, so I am excited to be a part of it." 

As the reigning world champion over 100m and 200m, Bolt qualifies automatically for the World Championships in London and will not take part at the Jamaican Championships qualifying event in June. 

The 30-year-old said he was happy with his training for the final few months of his career, which will end with his retirement after the World Championships. 

"Everything is going smooth, so the key thing is to stay injury free. I am just going to continue pushing myself and pushing my body and I hope it will work out," he said.

Bolt, the world record holder, successfully defended his Olympic 100m, 200m and 4x100m crowns at last year's Rio de Janeiro Games.

AND ALREADY JAMAICANS HAVE STARTED RESPONDING;

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Chelsea Beat Arsenal 3-1

Chelsea put at least a finger on the Premier League title on Saturday after victory over Arsenal saw them go 12 points ahead of their nearest rivals.

Marcos Alonso was given the benefit of the doubt from referee Martin Atkinson as he opened the scoring for Chelsea after 13 minutes, injuring Hector Bellerin with a flailing elbow in the process.

But any doubt about the legitimacy of Chelsea's lead was put to bed early in the second-half as the Belgian sensation Eden Hazard scored a wonderful solo goal to double their lead.

Cesc Fabregas, playing against his former club, took advantage of a Petr Cech mistake to score against his former club, capping a good day for Chelsea and the end of Arsenal's title hopes. Lol awww.

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Wawrinka Beats Djokovic To Win US Open Title

Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka beat world number one Novak Djokovic with a scintillating display to win his first US Open and third Grand Slam title.

Wawrinka, seeded third, won 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 7-5 6-3 to add the US title to those he had already won in Australia and France over the last two years. The 31-year-old hit 46 winners in a brilliant display of shot-making.

Serbia's Djokovic made a strong start but struggled physically as the final entered a fourth hour in New York.

Wawrinka has now won all three Grand Slam finals he has played and his last 11 finals in a row, while on Sunday he became the oldest winner of the US Open since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970.

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Nigeria makes it the semi-final after beating Denmark

Nigeria has qualified for the semi finals of the male football event at the ongoing Olympic games by beating Denmark 2-0 this night.

Nigeria will now play Germany in the semi-final. We say big congrats to them. More more victories please.

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Usain Bolt Qualifies For Semi-Finals

Usain Bolt has qualified for the men's 100m semi-finals with a comfortable win in the heats.

The Jamaican strolled home in a time of 10:07 ahead of tomorrow's semi-finals and final as he bids for a triple-triple gold.

Bolt's start was not to his liking but he pushed on to pip Bahrain's Andrew Fisher in the final 10m to win the heat.

Bolt's rival Justin Gatlin also won his heat with a gentle run that came through in 10:01.

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Explosion rocks Nigeria, Spain match

There was a controlled detonation of a suspected bomb at the venue of the match between Nigeria and Spain late on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Olympic basketball match was fixed for 11pm Nigerian time.

The explosion occurred just as the teams began to play at the venue not so far from the revered Maracana Stadium.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that specialist officers were drafted in when the package was discovered and they had to systematically manage the explosion without creating panic and causing injuries to spectators in the hall. Even though spectators heard the huge bang when it was detonated, the players were deep in their business and may have imagined it was part of the usual drums and noise by the fans.

The coaches and top officials were however briefed about measures undertaken when the package was discovered.

Nigerian coach, William Voigt, who spoke about it said although he was worried he had to manage the information in order to avoid distracting his players. Nigeria lost the match 96-87.

Voigt said, “I had been notified. In fact, Ike (Diogu) was wondering what we were talking about. I decided not to say anything to anyone else. I didn’t really want it to be a distraction. I knew, certainly, when whatever it was went off.”

The American who coached Nigeria during its first African cup success in Tunisia last year, however, said that even though the bomb threat was a huge concern, he wouldn’t attribute the incident to why his players started the game slowly and eventually lost.

 “It’s something everybody noticed but the players didn’t. So I don’t think we can use that as a reason for why we weren’t ready to start,” he said.

The explosion is not the first mark of trouble in a country known for organised violent groups, even though they had been safe from raw terrorism in the last few years.

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Why Is This Female South African Footballer Protecting Her Privates?

South African female footballer, Nothando Vilakazi baffled Olympics viewers when she protected her private part during a shoot in their match against Brazil.

Well.. the answer could be that it just hurts a lot having a ball smacked at you by a professional footballer, regardless of what is downstairs. But it still made for a peculiar site

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Onazi completes move to Trabzonspor

Nigeria midfielder Ogenyi Onazi  has completed his move from Italian Serie A club Lazio to Turkish Super League side Trabzonspor.

Trabzonspor announced last week that they had agreed a a four-year contract worth €5m  for the 23-year-old, who helped the Super Eagles win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

Onazi, who Biancocelesti  valued at £7m,  was  linked with Premier League sides Swansea, West Ham and Sunderland, as well as Greek powerhouse  Panathinaikos and Turkish champions Besiktas in the summer window transfer market  before Trabzonspor surfaced out of nowhere to land the player.

The former My People star, whose contract with Lazio   was scheduled to end in 2018, struggled for  starts at the Rome outfit last term.

The  White and Blues confirmed on Tuesday  they had sold Onazi, who made  19 appearances for them last season,  to the Black Sea Storm.

“S.S. Lazio communicates that Ogenyi Eddy Onazi has been sold on a permanent basis to Trabzonspor,” the 2013 Coppa Italia champions said in  a short statement.

Onazi, who represented Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, guiding them to the second round, didn’t say goodbye  to his teammates at Stadio Olimpico. He  launched scathing attacks on them, accusing them of being dishonest.

“I’ve never had a friend in Lazio. There you make people laugh, and then stab you in the back. All the time I was alone,”Klix.ba quoted the player as saying.

Meanwhile, Lazio are currently looking to Ligue 1 candidates Paul-Georges Ntep and Ivan Cavaleiro to replace Antonio Candreva.

The sale of their international star to Inter left a gaping hole on the Biancocelesti’s wing, but they have a number of options to fill it.

Il Corriere dello Sport reports that there are two primary candidates for that position, only one of which will join the Italian side.

The first is Stade Rennais’ Ntep, who plays mostly as a forward, but whose quick pace and technical skill allows him to be deployed in Candreva’s role.

The second is Monaco’s Cavaleiro, who is a more natural winger. Both players would be a solid investment for the future, being aged 24 and 22 respectively.

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NFF to pay siasia - Report

Samson Siasia

The Nigeria Football Federation President  says it will  use the  $60,000 grant  recently received from the Confederation of African Football  to clear the unpaid salaries of  the national Under-23 team coach Samson Siasia and his assistants,

Before the Olympics in Rio, Siasia told the media he has not received his salary for five months.

It has also been reported that the former Super Eagles  coach threatened to quit his post after the team’s win over Sweden in Manaus on Monday and had to be begged by his players led by Chelsea star Mikel Obi to rescind this decision.

“I have directed the secretariat that the $60,000 we received from CAF be used immediately to pay the U23 team coaches,”  the outlet quoted the NFF President Amaju  Pinnick as saying on Tuesday. “ We are in the process of paying them.”

The NFF boss admitted the federation is “financially challenged”.

He said the past NFF administration led by Aminu Maigari left his board with “an obscene amount of debts.”

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See The Nigeria Table Tennis Player Who Beat One Of Africa Record In Rio 2016

See The Nigeria Table Tennis Player Who Beat One Of Africa Record In Rio 2016

In the current Olympic games, Aruna Quadri, has break the record of being the first Nigerian, and also African, table to tenis player to reach quater final. He will be playing his next match on Tuesday 16, of August.

He also won an international table tenis game played in Dubai. And has reached many more height. Click here for more info. Let support our Nigeria players by cheering and wishing them good on there twitter and instagram page.

Although female table tennis on the other hand did not go any further after their first victory.

See more photos below:

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Rio 2016: Iraq hold Brazil as Nigeria advance

It was a tale of mixed fortunes for host nation Brazil, who are still searching for their first win and goal, as Nigeria became the first team to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the men’s football event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, after they beat Sweden 1-0 in Group B on Sunday in Manaus.

AS Roma forward Sadiq Umar scored a first-half winner for the African champions, who won gold and silver at Atlanta ’96 and Beijing ’08 respectively, to help them scale through after winning their first two group games at the event.

Colombia, who drew 2-2 with Sweden and Japan respectively are second in Group B.

But Brazil, led by Barcelona forward Neymar, could not find a way past their stubborn Group A rivals Iraq, who held them to a 0-0 draw in Brasilia. It is Brazil’s second goalless draw of the tournament after they drew blank against South Africa on Thursday.

Brazil are desperate to claim the one football prize that has so far eluded them: Olympic gold. However, they were jeered by an impatient home crowd of more than 60,000 after failing to beat Iraq.

Brazil had 20 shots at goal, but only managed six on target as the Asian side held on in their second Group A fixture.

“We need to apologise to the fans, to the people,” Brazil coach Rogerio Micale was quoted as saying by BBC. “As the time passes and we can’t score, the anxiety increases, and in this situation it’s easier to make mistakes.”

Iraq coach Abdulghani Alghazali said, “It’s a historic day for Iraq to be able to draw against Brazil at its home. It’s a great achievement for Iraqi football.”

Denmark top the group with four points after Robert Skov’s 69th-minute winner gave them a 1-0 victory over South Africa.

Defending Olympic champions Mexico recorded a 5-1 win over bottom side Fiji, who conceded eight against South Korea in their opening game.

Erick Gutierrez scored four second-half goals as the Mexicans came from behind to beat the minnows in Salvador.

Fiji held a shock half-time lead thanks to Roy Krishna’s header. But Mexico, who drew 2-2 with Germany last time out, were impressive in the second half, particularly Gutierrez.

Mexico are second in Group C, level on four points with South Korea after they were pegged back by Serge Gnabry’s late equaliser. Germany are third in the table on two points.

In Group D, Portugal continued their 100 per cent start with a 2-1 win over Honduras in Rio. Alberth Elis gave Honduras a first-minute lead before goals by Tobias Figueiredo and Goncalo Paciencia earned Portugal the points.

They beat Argentina 2-0 in their opening game. Argentina knocked Algeria out of the Olympic football competition with a 2-1 win over the North African team.

Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa scored and set up Jonathan Calleri’s winner. Both teams finished the game with 10 men after Argentina captain Victor Cuesta and Ayoub Abdellaoui were sent off.

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