Sports: September 2016

Friday, 30 September 2016

French fighter jets on mission against IS in Mosul

French fighter jets have set off on a mission against Islamic State in its Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.
Eight jets took off from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean in preparation of an offensive backed by Britain and the US to liberate the city.
Iraqi forces will lead the operation, backed by western special forces and aircraft including the RAF, once it starts – possibly in October.
A French defence official said Friday’s mission “in no way” marked the beginning of the battle to retake Mosul.
However, it is unclear whether the jets will carry out airstrikes or reconnaissance.
French radio station RTL reported the warplanes were armed with four 250kg laser-guided bombs each, and that the operation would involve an attack on average every three minutes.
US and British drones have been flying constant surveillance missions over the city.
They have witnessed senior IS leaders flee, but intelligence reports estimate there are between 2,500 and 3,000 fighters left.

Robert Pires has told L’Equipe he thinks Arsene Wenger will remain Arsenal manager until he lifts the Premier League title again.
Pires, 42, spent six years working under his compatriot, between 2000 and 2006, winning the Premier League title twice, including the 2003-04 “Invincibles” season in which the Gunners did not lose a single game.
And the French World Cup-winner, who is an Arsenal ambassador and still trains with the first

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted for the first time he would be willing to manage England in the future if he had no club commitments.
Wenger has been linked with the England job following the Football Association’s decision to part company with Sam Allardyce on Tuesday.
Allardyce’s self-inflicted exit after his controversial comments to undercover reporters has left the

Mikel Obi prefers to play as a second holding midfielder as against the more defensive position he plays at his Premier League club Chelsea, according to Super Eagles coach Salisu Yusuf.
“Mikel prefers to play as second holding midfielder and not the more defensive position he plays at Chelsea,” Yusuf revealed on a television interview programme Friday morning.

Mark Hughes doubts whether Manchester United’s squad have the title-winning mentality that was present when he was at the club.
The Stoke manager will take his side to Old Trafford on Sunday looking for their first Premier League win of the season, having lost four of their opening six matches.
Hughes won two league titles during his two spells at United between 1980 and 1995, and while he is aware of the threat posed by the current crop under Jose Mourinho, he is unsure the players have the same attitude that brought him success during his time at the club.
“I played in a winning Manchester United team that was challenging for titles year on year, and that team from personal experience had the mindset that they have to win every game,” Hughes said at his pre-match press conference.
“I’m not sure whether the current group have that feeling, but they have the talent to do that.
“They have addressed some of their failings from last year with some very big signings. You can

As Arsene Wenger celebrates his 20th anniversary as Arsenal manager, the Frenchman says he will not rule out staying on for another five years nor taking over the England national team one day.
Wenger celebrates two decades in charge of the North London club on Saturday, although this could be his last season as his contract expires next summer.
Wenger will not make a decision on whether to stay on until the campaign ends, but when asked if there could be a 25th anniversary at Arsenal in five years, he told a news conference: “I rule nothing out because I want to work. And I want to do well.
“But I accept as well that it can finish tomorrow. It’s a love story and a love story you expect always to last forever. But it can stop any day.”
Wenger also left the door open for moving into international management when quizzed again about the possibility of taking over the England job.
Gareth Southgate is in temporary charge of the Three Lions after Sam Allardyce left the post this week, with Wenger seen as a possible target for the Football Association next summer if he becomes available.

Gareth Bale says Real Madrid have lacked the consistency to win La Liga during his three seasons at the club, but hopes they can achieve that under Zinedine Zidane this season.
Real finished one point behind champions Barcelona last season, and after winning the Champions League twice since joining Los Blancos in 2013, the 27-year-old hopes to lift the league title next.
“We need to be more consistent,” he told Sport magazine. “We had a very good end of the season last year, but we need to be better at the start and in the middle.
“Ultimately, the most consistent team wins the league. We came very close last year — not close enough, but we’re going to work harder as a team together. Hopefully, at the end of the season,

There is nothing in the world of sports quite like the Ryder Cup. Every two years, the best golfers in the U.S. take on the best Europe has to offer.
What’s on the line this year from the Hazeltine National Golf Club here? It’s not money. It’s national pride and patriotism … a whole lot of it.
Twenty-four of the greatest players in the world are competing at an elite level and America has an ax to grind. This is the biggest event hosted by the PGA of America.
While the U.S. team has won the Ryder Cup 25 out of a possible 40 times overall, it’s struggled recently. The U.S. has won just two times in the last 10 years.But America is better prepped and ready for the 41st Ryder Cup. “We know it’s going to be tough,” said PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua. “We think we have a good shot.”
“We would dearly love to win and love to win in the future, and that’s why we’ve prepared so

Former Arsenal midfielder Liam Brady has described Arsene Wenger as “possibly the greatest” manager in the club’s history.
Brady, who made 307 appearances for the Gunners between 1971 and 1980, has hailed the Frenchman, who brings up his 20-year anniversary at Arsenal on October 1.
He told Omnisport: “I think he will go down as one of the all-time great managers of the club, possibly the greatest.
“I know [former manager] Herbert Chapman, in the history of Arsenal, is an iconic figure but Wenger, in his 20 years, particularly in his first 10, was magnificent.”

Jose Mourinho has said he was unhappy with Manchester United coach Giovanni Cerra ahead of Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Zorya Luhansk because his instructions left Paul Pogba confused.
Mourinho marched from the touchline to the dugout ahead of the kickoff to remonstrate with Cerra and slammed the coach’s laptop shut.
The Portuguese, who also appeared unhappy when addressing assistant Rui Faria on the touchline, told BT Sport after the game that Zorya Luhansk had made changes to their lineup that

John Ogu has denied a media report which claimed his continued absence from the Super Eagles is because he fell out with a senior member of the team.
Ogu, who last played for Nigeria in June 2015, when he came on as a second half substitute in Nigeria’s 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad, however, said he never fell out with

Celtic star Moussa Dembele is cut from the same cloth as Didier Drogba, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.
Dembele, 20, starred in the Champions League on Wednesday, scoring twice in his side’s 3-3 draw against Manchester City.
Rodgers lauded the Frenchman and believes the forward is capable of matching Drogba, who won four Premier League titles and the Champions League once with Chelsea.
“There’s no doubt about it. I worked with Didier at Chelsea and I think Moussa is of that ilk,” Rodgers said.

The Football Association have had to throw out 4,000 T-shirts that they were going to give to fans for England’s game against Malta – because they carried a quote from Sam Allardyce on the front.
Allardyce, 61, was preparing for his first Wembley fixture as Three Lions boss but lost his job after just 67 days following an undercover newspaper sting.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has called his side’s packed October fixture list a “poisoned gift” in the wake of their 1-0 Europa League defeat of Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the lone goal as the Red Devils, who have hit a recent rough patch of results, struggled for long stretches to break through the stubborn Ukrainian side.
The victory, however, eases the strain on United, who have a gruelling fixture list in October, when

John Obi Mikel has claimed that John Terry is likely to finish his career at Chelsea after signing a new contract with the Blues for this season.
Terry looked to be heading towards the exit door at Stamford Bridge after it seemed that the Blues were not going to offer the veteran defender a new contract.
However, the west London club eventually ended up giving the former England international a one-year deal to stay on at the club following the appointment of Antonio Conte as the club’s new manager earlier this year.
Midfielder Mikel now feels that the former England star is likely to stay at Chelsea for the remainder of his career after committing his short-term future to the club.

The Nigeria Football Federation has condemned, in very strong terms, a report in some media outlets that it cannot fly the Super Eagles to a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Ndola onOctober 9, 2016.
The Nigeria football governing body said it viewed the report as baseless, misleading and despicable, not only against Nigerian football, but against the Nigerian nation.
The NFF insisted that the report was the concoction of an idle mind and challenged the purveyors of the falsehood to name their source.
On Thursday, the NFF assured Nigerians that it had concluded arrangements on getting players and officials of the Super Eagles to Abuja for a training camp starting on October 2, getting the team to and from Zambia and getting the players back to their various Clubs after the national

Ahead of their group phase clash with Brazil on Saturday at the 5th FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingoes resumed training on Wednesday afternoon at the Al Wehdat Training Field, Amman with all 21 players participating actively.
The girls were also scheduled to train at the same venue on Thursday.
The Nigeria team had arrived Amman on Tuesday morning after flying from Abuja to Dubai and

Celtic have been fined £8,616 by UEFA after fans displayed an “illicit banner” during their recent Champions League qualifier against Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Fans flew Palestine flags before and during the match against Israeli opposition at Parkhead on Aug. 17, resulting in a charge from European football’s governing body.
UEFA viewed the flags as illicit banners under Article 16 of its disciplinary regulations and at a disciplinary hearing the complaint against the Scottish champions was upheld and the club were

A former Director-General, National Sports Commission, Amos Adamu, has said that saddling non-professionals with sports administration is the bane of Nigeria’s sports development.
Adamu spoke to newsmen in Ilorin on Thursday at the ongoing National Youth Games.
He said that many administrators saddled with the responsibility of piloting the affairs of the nation’s sports had no technical know-how to succeed.
Adamu appealed to the Federal Government to employ professionals to handle sports management.
He said that some of Nigerian coaches lacked the required technical knowledge to train athletes.

Granada youngster Uche Agbo has revealed that he sees John Obi Mikel as a role model, and claims he has learnt a lot from the Chelsea midfielder.
The defender, 20, who recently earned his first senior national team call-up following Leon Balogun’s injury, also expressed his determination to prove his worth to cement his place in Gernot Rohr’s squad.
“Super Eagles’ captain, John Obi Mikel is my role model,” Agbo has said.
“I like him so much and also love the way he plays. And obviously, I have learnt so much from him.”

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have maintained they will fly the country’s team to Zambia for a World Cup qualifier notwithstanding their current financial problems.
According to an official statement, the NFF said they condemn “in very strong terms” a report in some media that they cannot fly the Super Eagles to a World Cup qualifying match in Ndola on Sunday, 9th October 2016.

Sunderland winger Adnan Januzaj ruled out for at least six weeks

Sunderland’s injury problems have worsened with the news Adnan Januzaj has been ruled out for a minimum of six weeks.
The on-loan Manchester United winger, who was returning from suspension after a red card against Tottenham in the Premier League last Saturday, injured an ankle in Saturday’s 3-2 Premier

John Obi Mikel believes that Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte played a key role in John Terry being handed a new one-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Terry declared that he expected to leave Chelsea back in January after being informed that no offer of an extension was forthcoming but, after a lengthy public stand-off, the 35-year-old signed a new one-year deal after meeting with director Marina Granovskaia and chairman Bruce Buck in May.
“I think Conte played a big part in that contract that JT got,” Mikel told Goal. “I think if JT said no, then obviously I don’t think the club would have done that, but I think the fans as well got right behind JT and the fans really wanted him to stay.
“He is the leader, he is the captain and the fans really think with JT we have a better chance of winning the trophy again. I think everyone came together the fans, Antonio and the board did a

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has described India as a “passionate giant” of football, and asked the AIFF to ensure that there is a steady growth of the sport in the country.
Speaking in his first visit to India since being elected president, Infantino said that he was impressed with the work done by the AIFF with regards to introducing youngsters to football.
“India has always been mentioned as the ‘Sleeping Giant’. But from what I have seen here I am sure that India is now the passionate giant of football,” he said.
“India are the world champions of passion. The work done by AIFF is impressive and it is not a coincidence that football is developing in India and the passion is growing year after year. Results won’t be immediate but it will follow in coming years.
“India is a passionate giant because I have been seeing the graph of development. The Mission

Former Barcelona and Argentina coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino was named to coach Major League Soccer expansion side Atlanta United on Tuesday.
Atlanta’s hiring of Martino, first reported by Telemundo, comes as the team prepares for its inaugural MLS season in 2017.
“We are delighted that a manager of Gerardo’s caliber and pedigree will be leading our team into our inaugural season,” Atlanta United president Darren Eales said.”His deep experience and success at both the club and international levels speak for itself, and his vision and approach aligns very well with our club philosophy.
“We’re confident in his ability to help build a winning culture both on and off the pitch.”
Martino has been out of work since resigning as Argentina’s manager following the 2016 Copa America Centenario earlier this summer.
He blamed his decision to resign on the chaos surrounding the leadership of the Argentina Football Association, which has been in turmoil since the death of president Julio Grondona in

Sam Allardyce has been sacked as the manager of England football team after just 67 days on the job, media reports in England indicated.
The Football Association said the termination of his appointment was by mutual consent. Gareth Southgate has been appointed as a temporary replacement.
Allardyce, 61, was accused of offering advice on how to “get around” rules on player transfers. He was also alleged to have used his role to negotiate a deal worth £400,000 to represent a Far East firm.

Nigeria technical adviser Gernot Rohr has handed Uche Agbo his first national team call-up to replace injured Leon Balogun in next month’s Fifa World Cup qualifier against Zambia in Ndola.

Juventus confirm successful surgery for Kwadwo Asamoah

Italian giants Juventus have confirmed that Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah’s knee surgery was a success and expect the player to return to action in 45 days.
The 27-year-old ruptured his meniscus cartilage in a 1-0 win away to Palermo this past weekend – yet another setback for a player who has spent most of the last two years on the sidelines due to

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt joined a long list of global sports stars in offering birthday tributes to Roma legend Francesco Totti.
Totti, who made his Roma debut in March 1993 and hit his 250th goal for the club on Sunday, celebrates his 40th birthday on Tuesday.
Amid worldwide praise, Barcelona and Argentina star Messi said in a special video: “Hi Francesco, I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday.
“I hope you have a wonderful day. I’ve always admired you, and even more so on the day I met you. A big hug!”
Totti, who has spent his entire career at Roma, is in his 25th and likely last season with the ‘Giallorossi’ (yellow and reds).
Although reduced to mostly substitute appearances over the past two seasons, Roma’s number 10 — considered “Italy’s greatest” by former teammate Antonio Cassano — is still hitting goals

Bournemouth are open to the idea of signing Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere on a permanent deal, according to the club’s chairman Jeff Mostyn.
Wilshere, 24, joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan from Arsenal on transfer deadline day in order to get game time and work on his fitness.
The Sun quotes Mostyn as saying at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester: “I think anything is possible.

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah has said he would like to become a fitness coach for Premier League side Arsenal.
British distance runner Farah has supported the Gunners since he was a boy and said he would be open to working for the North London club in the future.

Asian medical chiefs say that scientific testing has discovered no evidence of age-cheating in the AFC Under-16 Championship, which is also a qualifying tournament for next year’s U17 World Cup in India.
Iran, Japan, North Korea and Iraq have advanced to the semifinals of the AFC event, securing their places for the 2017 FIFA showcase.
After Nepal were punished after a failed MRI scan in the 2015 qualification round, AFC medical committee chairman Dr. Gurcharan Singh said that all players in the tournament itself had passed comprehensive checks.
“The AFC takes age-cheating very seriously, and has a comprehensive strategy in place to combat it through close monitoring, on-site screening, sanctions, and importantly, education,” Dr. Singh told the-afc.com.
“The AFC protocol for MRI scanning was devised by a panel of international experts, and is also

Elections for three Asian representatives to the FIFA Council have been delayed after member countries voted 42-1 against the agenda for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) extraordinary congress.
The congress in Goa, India, on Tuesday had been called to elect three new members on the

FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said the organisation is working closely with Russia to formulate tough anti-discrimination regulations for the 2018 World Cup after it emerged that it was disbanding its anti-racism task force.
FIFA wrote to members of the task force to say that it has “completely fulfilled its temporary mission” and “is hereby dissolved and no longer in operation.”
“I have been to Russia twice since I came into office,” Samoura said. “We are working with the authorities there to make sure strong measures are in place to combat racism and all forms of discrimination. They have been very receptive and are committed to this.”
On the decision to end the work of the task force, Samoura added: “It had a very specific mandate. They made some very good recommendations and FIFA has now turned them into a programme and is implementing them. We remain committed to fighting all forms of discrimination and it

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has praised Cristiano Ronaldo as “an unbelievable winner” ahead of the Champions League meeting with Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Dortmund have no fresh injury worries, with only long-term absentees Marco Reus, Sven Bender and Erik Durm missing for the clash, but Tuchel is wary of the European champions ahead of the Group E meeting at the Westfalenstadion.
“It’s a big opponent, a big name — maybe the biggest name in world football,” Tuchel told reporters. “There will be an incredible atmosphere in the stadium. We believe that we can take on the task at hand and put in an exciting performance for our fans.”
Even so, Tuchel recognises that Madrid are fearsome opponents and does not believe the fact they have been held to draws in their last two La Liga games is a sign that their form is waning, highlighting the threat Ronaldo poses.
“Cristiano is one of the best footballers in the world,” he said. “He’s an unbelievable winner, who

The grass is getting greener in Spanish football.
In an attempt to catch up with the financially dominant Premier League, Spain’s top teams are coming up with new ways to promote the sport in their country and improve its global audience share.
And it’s all about the look, beyond the silky skills of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The league introduced an audio-visual rule for this season, forcing clubs to make their stadiums look better on TV if they wanted to cash in on Spain’s improved broadcasting deals. That meant giving a lick of paint to some of the more run-down stadiums, moving spectators to certain areas to ensure they are in camera shot, brightening up advertising hoardings and, yes, making the grass greener on the fields.
“The problem with Spain,” Adolfo Bara, the Spanish league’s marketing director, said on the sidelines of the SoccerEx convention, “is that it’s really hot in summer. If you look, in September in some of the stadiums, the grass was yellow. We now talk to the clubs on how the groundkeepers must make sure it is proper green.”

Atletico Madrid striker Kevin Gameiro has admitted that he could have turned out for La Liga rivals Barcelona instead.
Gameiro, 29, joined Atletico from Sevilla in a deal reportedly worth €32 million in the offseason.
The French international has scored twice in six league matches for Diego Simeone’s side and

Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri believes his world rating would not put him under intense pressure to excel at the 2016 ITTF World Cup slated to hold in Saarbrucken, Germany.
Quadri’s performance at the 2014 edition of the championship remains the best by an African when the Nigeria got to the quarterfinal stage. The Oyo State-born player will be making his third appearance at the tournament as the continent’s flagbearer.
“I am not under any kind of pressure to play in Germany again because I am now getting used to playing under pressure and as a matter of fact I am going to Germany to enjoy myself without any kind of pressure.
“Statistics showed that I am not one of the favourites for the podium finish but similarly I am not really going to be playing without confidence as I always believe strongly in my capability.
“I am praying for a favourable draw that will favour me and if God answers my prayer to be on a good side of the draw, I believe that surprising the world more than I have done in the past is possible,” he said.

The Court of Appeal, Jos Division which sat yesterday has directed that there should be no attempt to tamper with the subject matter of the appeal file by the League Management Company (LMC) against the orders of Justice I.I. Kunda of the Plateau State High Court, Jos.
This is even as the Inspector General of Police monday increased police presence at the premises of the LMC in Abuja to protect the staff and its activities.
Also, the Court of Appeal resolved the issue of who can make legal appearance for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The court ruled that Barrister Maduabuchi who was appointed by Yahaya Adama, an ally of Chris Giwa , cannot claim to be representing NFF when their group is still battling in court to prove their claim at the Supreme Court.
Justice Kunda had amongst several rulings ordered the LMC to reinstate Giwa FC in the 2015/16 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and also the committal to prison of LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko and Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer on contempt charges.
The rulings emanated from a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by one Mustapha Abubakar, a supporter of Giwa FC who claimed that the expulsion of the club from the NPFL has

The Minister of Youth & Sport Development, Solomon Dalung, has called on state governments to invest in youth and sports development.
Dalung, who made the call when he paid a courtesy visit on the governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, at the Government House, in Ilorin, thanked the governor for investing in the National Youth Games through the provision of accommodation for the athletes and officials, facilities and funds.
“Kwara State will be remembered when the history of modern sports development in Nigeria is written, because of the role the state government has played in providing accommodation and other logistics, including financial support for the games.
“The panacea to all related development problems is to re-direct energy to investment in sports. States will forget about spending on security, because those who would naturally have created security problems for you will be dutifully engaged. There will also be much for the economy,

Super Eagles’ former midfielder, Garba Lawal, has joined the league of experts, who believe that Nigeria has the quality in players to beat all the other teams in Africa’s Group B of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying series.
Super Eagles new sensation, Alex Iwobi, gave a man-of-the-match performance during Arsenal FC’s 3-0 defeat of Chelsea in the English Premiership at the weekend, just as Kelechi Iheanacho, Odion Ighalo, Isaac Success, Leon Balogun, William Trost-Ekong and Carl Ikeme, among others, have been in impressive form for their various clubs.
Nigeria will play its first game in the World Cup qualifying series on October 9 away to the Chipolopolo of Zambia. The match fixed for Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola will set the tone for the Eagles’ subsequent matches against their other opponents, including Algeria and Cameroun.
Lawal, who said a player like Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City brings good tidings to the

The influence of China in world football could increase on Tuesday if high-ranking Chinese official Zhang Jian is elected onto the FIFA Council in elections to be held in Goa, India.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is holding an Extraordinary Congress to elect three representatives to FIFA’s new decision-making body which has replaced the scandal-hit Executive Committee.
The chances of Zhang, the vice-president and secretary general of the Chinese Football Association, increased on Sunday when one of the favorites, Saoud A. Aziz Al-Mohannadi of Qatar, was barred from running.
In a statement, the AFC said “FIFA has advised the AFC that, based on the report of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, it has decided Mr Saoud A.Aziz Al-Mohannadi [Qatar] is not eligible to stand in the elections for the FIFA Council.”

Manchester City ‘have permission to play awful’ – Guardiola

Manchester City’s players “have permission to play awful” as Pep Guardiola insists his men are still far away from what he hopes to achieve at the Etihad Stadium.
City beat Swansea 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday afternoon to make it 10 wins out of 10 under their new manager.
Bookmakers have installed City as favourites for the Premier League title and the FA Cup, and are only listed behind Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid for the Champions League.
But while Guardiola is more than pleased with how his players have adapted to his methods in their time together so far, he is adamant that there is much more to come.
Asked if he is close to the level he wants to play at following the win in Wales, Guardiola replied: “No, we are far, we are far. It would be boring: if we are close I can go back home.
“We are here to get better, when you think it’s done why should you keep going? It never ends in football. Always you can play better. Individual performance, collective performance, the reason why we play better… the opponents always create different things every game, how we solve that

Nothing sinister should be read into the disbanding of the FIFA task force on racism as it had simply achieved its goals, FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura said on Monday.
The 54-year-old Senegalese — recruited to some surprise from the United Nations in May and the first woman and non-European to serve on the FIFA executive — added FIFA could live with the perception by many that it was too soon to end the task force’s work.
“We can live with perception but we are taking very seriously our role as football’s governing body to fight discrimination, it is well reflected in the statutes,” said Samoura, who delivered the keynote address at the Soccerex Global Football Convention.
The task force was established in 2013 by disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter to eradicate racism in football but was disbanded recently with the world sports body controversially insisting the mission had been a success.
“It had a very specific mandate and they came up with very strong recommendations and FIFA is

Lukas Podolski has told Bild he believes Jose Mourinho’s treatment of former Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is “ignoble.”
Schweinsteiger has been frozen out at Old Trafford since the arrival of Mourinho in the summer, with the midfielder yet to make an appearance this season.
And his ex-international colleague Podolski, currently at Galatasaray, said: “Looking at Bastian’s

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger lauded Theo Walcott as a “completely different player” after the forward continued his impressive start to the season.
Walcott netted his third Premier League goal of the campaign as Wenger’s men claimed a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday.
The England international was hailed by his manager after Arsenal claimed a league win over their London rivals for the first time since October 2011.
“You cannot question his performance,” Wenger told a news conference.
“But I believe more the change in Theo Walcott is his attitude to this season. He’s ready to fight, commit and straight away he gets the crowd behind him.

Former Flying Eagles coach, John Obuh, has urged the Super Eagles players to ensure they replicate their impressive performances for their various clubs when they meet the Chipolopolo of Zambia in their opening group game of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying series.
Zambia will host Nigeria in Ndola on October 9 and Obuh believes that if the players replicated the standard they have so far displayed for their clubs, the Eagles would win the game.
Speaking yesterday, Obuh advised the Eagles to forget the failures of the past and focus on qualifying Nigeria for the World Cup.
He posits that Nigeria has all it takes to overcome every team in their group if Super Eagles’ manager, Gernot Rohr, used the best available materials to persecute the tie.
He also predicts that the Eagles will win in Zambia, hinging optimism on the resilience and commitment shown by the players in their recent tune up matches.

FIFA has disbanded its anti-racism task force, declaring the work complete despite ongoing concerns about discriminatory behavior in 2018 World Cup host Russia.
FIFA wrote to members of the task force to say that it has “completely fulfilled its temporary mission” and “is hereby dissolved and no longer in operation.”
“I wish I could say that I am shocked by the decision, but unfortunately I am not,” task force member Osasu Obayiuwana told The Associated Press on Sunday. “The problem of racism in football remains a burning, very serious and topical one, which need continuous attention.
“I personally think there remained a lot of very serious work for the task force to have done — the 2018 World Cup in Russia being one such matter. But it is evident the FIFA administration takes a different position.”

Mino Raiola has revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic jokingly threatened to “break his legs” if he had allowed Paul Pogba to join any other club besides Manchester United.
Raiola represented both players, along with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, brokered separate deals that took all three stars to United in the summer — with Pogba’s €105 million world record deal the most significant of them all.
“Zlatan told me, ‘Do not transfer Pogba elsewhere or I will break your legs’,” Raiola told Volkskrant.nl.
The duo have given Jose Mourinho plenty of options on the field, but while Ibrahimovic settled quickly and has already scored four goals for the Red Devils, Pogba has struggled to come to

Manchester City star Raheem Sterling has hailed former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers ahead of their Champions League reunion on Wednesday.
Rodgers, now in charge of Celtic, gave Sterling his debut as a 17-year-old when the pair were together at Anfield, but the England international left in acrimonious circumstances to join City in July 2015 and, just months later, Rodgers was sacked.
Rodgers said they never fell out throughout his protracted departure from Anfield and Sterling told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game against Celtic: “He’s someone who gave me my full chance in the Premier League and gave me loads of starts and loads of confidence.
“It will be good to see him again and wish him well, but on the day it all comes down to trying to win that football match. He was massive for me. Every manager that I’ve worked with I’ve tried to

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