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

Messi, Bolt pay tribute to Roma ‘legend’ Totti

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

Arsenal’s Wilshere could stay at Bournemouth – Mostyn

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.

Arsenal fan Mo Farah open to becoming fitness coach for Gunners

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.

AFC says ‘no age-cheating’ in Under-16 tournament in India

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

Asian election for FIFA Council delayed after agenda blocked

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 plans to introduce anti-racism regulations ahead of 2018 World Cup

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

Cristiano Ronaldo ‘an unbelievable winner’ – Tuchel

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

La Liga clubs want greener grass for more appealing television broadcasts

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.”

I could have joined Barcelona instead of Atletico Madrid – Gameiro

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

I’m not under pressure to perform in Germany – Quadri

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.

A’Court fixes October 11 for hearing of all LMC appeals

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

Invest in sports – Dalung tells govs

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,

WCQ: Nigeria has players capable of winning group B ticket – Lawal

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

China could gain more FIFA influence with council elections

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.”