The Ministry of Health in Uganda has set conditions as they have finally cleared the FA to host the Guinea football team in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier on September 10th. Charles Bakkabulindi, the State Minister for Sports told AfricanFootball on Friday that the clearance has now come through, but with some conditions. The Cranes are meant to host Guinea at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole in their second Group E game after facing Ghana away on September 6th. On Thursday the FA disclosed that the Ministry had asked Fufa not to allow the Guinea team entry into Uganda because of fear of the Ebola virus. Guinea together with Sierra Leone and Liberia are the seriously hit countries in West Africa where several people have died of the virus. In a letter signed by Prof. Anthony K.Mbonye on behalf of the Director of General Health Services in the Ministry of Health, they have advised Fufa to allow the Guinea team travel with only 25 persons excluding fans. …………... The Football Federations of Uganda and Rwanda have accepted a joint bid together with Kenya to co-host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). Early this week the Kenya FA President Sam Nyamweya indicated they were ready to bid before he contacted his counterparts in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. But the Uganda FA President, Moses Magogo told AfricanFootball that they have accepted the joint bid, but will still have to consult with the government. This development comes after Libya who had been selected to host the 2017 Afcon event pulled because of the political instability on-going in the country that has led to delays in plans to build stadiums .Libya had hoped to build 11 stadiums at a cost of US$314 million to be able to host a successful event. CAF say that countries wishing to host the tournament have until September 30 to express their interest. A decision on Libyas replacement will be made next year. …………... AFRICAN SPORT …………... Ivory Coast will be disqualified from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations if they forfeit their qualifier against Sierra Leone because of fears over Ebola. The Ivorian government will not allow the match, which is scheduled for 6 September in Abidjan, to go ahead. Ivory Coast said their options are to relocate the game or forfeit. But a Confederation of African Football spokesman told BBC Sport: If a country forfeits one qualifier, they will be disqualified from the championship. Sierra Leone is one of six nations with cases of Ebola and the Ivorian government is concerned the deadly virus could be imported into the country. In an attempt to minimize any risk, Sierra Leone has named a squad of players based outside the country. Caf had said on Thursday that as far it is was concerned the game would be played in Abidjan as scheduled. …………... World football governing body FIFA have warned Nigeria could be banned if “elected” Chris Giwa-led executive did not vacate the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) office by midnight Monday. In a letter dated Friday, August 29 and signed by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valke, FIFA warned Giwa and his executives to stop parading themselves as NFF officials, stating that they do not recognise their election of Tuesday even though FIFA also reported “it appears the ministry of sports has recognised them”. …………... The immediate consequence of a FIFA ban on Nigeria would be that the African champions will forfeit two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers fixed for September 6 against Congo in Calabar and September 10 against South Africa in Cape Town. The crisis caused by the purported election has meant league matches will not be played across the country as scheduled this weekend after referees, club managers and players agreed to boycott until the situation was resolved. …………... Nigerias football championship has been suspended indefinitely because of a referees strike in protest at a leadership crisis in the game. Officials have taken action following a controversial Nigerian Football Federation election on Tuesday, which has split the governing body. The Nigerian Referees Association (NRA) has withdrawn its members from matches until sanity is restored. …………... INTERNATIONAL SPORT …………... North Korea dictator Kim Jong-Un has reportedly ordered the state to broadcast Premier League matches illegally. The political figure, who is believed to follow Manchester United, has called on Korean Central TV to show top-flight games from England without getting official approval. According to the Daily Star, a league spokesman has said: Nobody has the rights to broadcast Premier League football in North Korea so if this is happening then it is copyright theft, plain and simple. The Premier League has previously threatened to take legal action against anyone who broadcasts matches without owning TV rights. …………... Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal wants England boss Roy Hodgson to clarify comments made about Luke Shaw. The United left-back is currently out with a hamstring problem but his club manager says that has nothing to do with his general fitness. Hodgson recently voiced concerns over Shaws fitness which followed Van Gaals decision to make the 19-year-old train on his own in pre-season. Van Gaal believes the comments were inappropriate after Shaw worked hard to put his early-season fitness concerns behind him. …………... Former Manchester United player Danny Webber’s move to non-League Salford City has led to more claims and counter-claims about the way the fabled Class of 92 is running the club. Rival teams, reportedly envious Evo-Stik Division One North side Salford are now owned by the multi-millionaire set of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville, believe the famous five will be buying success. The latest unsubstantiated allegation is that league leaders Salford, who have maximum points from four games, are paying Webber £800 a week an extraordinary amount for a player performing in the Northern Premier League. However, the Class of 92 is fed up with rumours since they took over about the inflated spending, insisting it is far from the truth and having a destabilising effect on both fans and a largely volunteer workforce. …………... Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes that his team is in contention to be crowned Premier League champions by the end of the season. The Red Devils fell from first to seventh last season under Sir Alex Fergusons successor David Moyes, which prompted the club to replace the ex-Everton boss with Van Gaal. The Dutchman led the Netherlands to third place at the World Cup in Brazil earlier this summer, but is yet to win a competitive fixture with United having recorded one defeat, one draw and an exit from the Capital One Cup. We can be the champions in my first year, yes, Van Gaal said in his weekly press conference. Maybe you shall laugh. Also in my former clubs I have started like this - its not big news or different. As a manager you have to survive because nowadays the fans are asking for results and thats the question - can I receive enough time to do all the steps we have to do? Maybe you can support Louis van Gaal when you believe in him. …………... Jamie Carragher has admitted that he was flabbergasted to hear Sir Alex Ferguson blamed for Manchester Uniteds recent struggles. The Scot retired at the end of the 2012-13 season after guiding the Red Devils to the Premier League title, the 13th of his career. However, United have struggled since his departure under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, with some people suggesting the strength of the squad Ferguson left as the reason for the hardship. Carragher wrote in the Daily Mail: When his name was mentioned, however, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief. Sir Alex Ferguson. …………... Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo joked that he would be sent to prison if he commented on FIFAs decision to hand rival Lionel Messi the Golden Ball at the World Cup. Ronaldo, who won UEFAs European Player of the Year award on Thursday, refused to comment on the Argentina captain being named the star of the tournament in Brazil in the summer. Messi helped his side to the World Cup final, where the South Americans were beaten 1-0 in the final, but Ronaldo hinted that he felt the Barcelona man was not a worthy winner of the award. …………... Xabi Alonso said goodbye to Real Madrid on Friday and admitted he turned his back on a possible return to the Premier League because he did not want to spoil his Liverpool legacy. The former Spain midfielder, who joins Bayern Munich from Real Madrid after five years at the club, has been linked with a return to England with former coach Jose Mourinho in the past and even to former rivals Manchester United this summer. But speaking from the Bernabeu he said: I had five great years at Liverpool and I would rather just keep that memory as it is. The interest came in from Bayern in the last two weeks and its the right decision. …………... Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the Portugal squad for the countrys opening Euro 2016 qualifier. The Real Madrid forward suffered with injury problems over the course of the summer, but he has scored three goals for his club in their opening four games of the season. The Portuguese face Albania in their first qualifying match for the tournament and manager Paulo Bento has admitted that he is concerned over Ronaldos fitness.Theres a question over his fitness, Marca quotes him as saying. Regardless of having played regularly, he cant compete.However, there are call ups for rumoured Arsenal target William Carvalho and new Sporting Lisbon signing Nani. …………... Portugal squad in full: Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Dinamo Zagreb), Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon) Defenders: Andre Almeida (Benfica), Vitorino Antunes (Malaga), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Al-Sailiya), Neto (Zenit St Petersburg), Pepe (Real Madrid), Joao Pereira (Valencia), Reuben Vezo (Valencia) Midfielders: William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon), Andre Gomes (Valencia), Raul Meireles (Fenerbahce), Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Adrien Silva (Sporting Lisbon), Pedro Tiba (Braga), Miguel Veloso (Dinamo Kiev) Forwards: Bruma (Galatasaray), Eder (Braga), Ricardo Horta (Malaga), Ivan Cavaleiro (Deportivo La Coruna), Nani (Sporting Lisbon), Vieirinha (Wolfsburg) …………... Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly introduced a new set of rules for his players to abide by for the new season. The former Barcelona boss led the Bundesliga side to the German title with ease, as well as the DFB-Pokal during his first season in charge at the Allianz Arena. According to the Daily Mail, Guardiola has taken a strict approach to managing his players by warning that they will be fined almost £200 if they are late to team meetings, if they fail to put dirty clothes into the laundry baskets provided and if they do not keep to the dress code. Reports have also claimed that players will be punished if they take phone calls on the first floor of the training ground facility on Sabener Strasse, if they are deemed overweight and if they fail to eat within an hour of a training session or match coming to an end. It is believed that captain Philipp Lahm is responsible for collecting the fines should any player disobey Guardiolas rules. …………... Alessandro Del Pieros decision to join the new Indian Super League has sparked a political debate back home in Italy. With two Italian military personnel currently being held in an Indian jail under suspicion of shooting dead two local fishermen, relations between the two nations are frayed. And as a result, Del Pieros announcement on Thursday night that he had agreed to join the Delhi Dynamos has therefore drawn condemnation. The 39-year-old has signed a contract until December with the Delhi Dynamos, after which he may accept another offer which was made to him in recent weeks from Hungarian side Honved. …………... Gerard Piques girlfriend Shakira has confirmed that she is expecting her second child with the Barcelona defender. The couple, who have been in a relationship since 2010, are parents to son Milan, who was born in January last year. During an interview with Septembers Spanish edition of Cosmopolitan magazine, the 37-year-old Colombian singer confirmed that she is pregnant with her second baby boy. Shakira performed at the World Cup earlier this summer in Brazil, where her other half failed to progress past the group stages with Spain. …………... DONE DEALS …………... Barcelona has completed the transfer of Brazilian right-back Douglas Pereira from Sao Paulo for a fee up to £4.4m. The 24-year-old, still to be capped by Brazils senior side, has signed a five year deal with the Spanish club. …………... Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has joined AC Milan on a two-year loan deal. …………... Wolves have cancelled midfielder Jamie OHaras contract by mutual consent. The 27-year-old Londoner was signed, initially on loan, from Tottenham Hotspur by Mick McCarthy in January 2011, before completing a £5m move to Molineux six months later. …………... QPR have completed the signing of Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy on a four-year deal. The 24-year-old broke into the first-team at the Madejski Stadium during the clubs 2012-13 Premier League campaign, earning himself a call up to the England national squad in May 2013, yet not featuring. …………... Blackburn has signed Everton defender Shane Duffy for a fee of £1.5million. The Republic of Ireland international struggled to breakthrough at Goodison Park. …………... TRANSFER GOSSIP …………... Daley Blind is set to join Manchester United from Ajax for around £14million. The two clubs have agreed a fee, and the player just needs to agree personal terms, which is expected to be a formality. …………... Manchester United will push Javier Hernandez towards a move to Juventus as they bid to sweeten up the Serie A side to land Arturo Vidal. …………... Louis van Gaal has raided former club Ajax to bring Timothy Fosu Mensah to Old Trafford. The 16-year-old was at Carrington on Friday to undergo a medical and agree terms on a £300,000 transfer, with the Red Devils beating Man City to his signature. …………... Manchester United is attempting to sell several players before the end of the transfer window in order to reduce their wage bill. Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez, Anderson, Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa could all move on. …………... Midfielder Tom Cleverley, 25, is weighing up a £7m offer from Aston Villa following talks with former Old Trafford captain Roy Keane. …………... Tottenham are closing in on a move for Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck with Roberto Soldado expected to leave White Hart Lane for a loan spell with Juventus. …………... United and Liverpool are set to do battle over teen sensation Martin Odegaard. The 15-year-old made his Norway debut this week. …………... Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of winger Alessio Cerci, 27, after Torinos president Urbano Cairo revealed the forward would be sold for the right price. …………... Arsenal was locked in talks with Borussia Dortmund trying to agree a fee for £20m-rated central defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos. …………... Chelsea has agreed a deal for Queens Park Rangers striker Loic Remy after matching his release clause. The Frenchman will replace Fernando Torres. Meanwhile French coach Didier Deschamps wants QPR striker Loic Remy to move to a bigger club. …………... Chelsea has been told to forget about signing £20million Roma striker Mattia Destro. …………... Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger is set to complete a move back to his first club Brondby before Mondays transfer deadline. The Danish Superliga clubs chairman Jan Bech Andersen confirmed on Aug. 1 that he wanted to sign Agger. Sources have told ESPN FC that they are on the verge of agreeing a deal with Liverpool for the 29-year-old. …………... Tottenham have reached agreement with Montpellier for the transfer of midfielder Benjamin Stambouli. The 24-year-old, a former France Under-21 international, is now set to travel to England to undergo a medical. …………... West Ham has rejected a £3m bid from Hull City for midfielder Mo Diame, who QPR are also interested in. …………... West Ham have emerged as leading contenders to sign out-of-favour Alex Song, after the player was told his future does not lie at the Nou Camp. …………... Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has agreed to join Marseille on loan. …………... Saphir Taider is set to leave Southampton just three weeks after arriving on a season-long loan. The 22-year-old had joined with a view to a permanent deal. …………... Leicester City has had a bid accepted for Queens Park Rangers right back Danny Simpson. The 27-year-old joined Rangers last summer. …………... Crystal Palace has entered the race to sign Norwich striker Gary Hooper and are also trying to land Zeki Fryers from Tottenham. …………... Roma have agreed a €15m fee with PSG for Adrien Rabiot. The Serie A side must now agree personal terms with the 19-year-old who had been targeted by Arsenal. …………... Sunderland has made an enquiry for Porto defender Rolando. The Portugal international spent last season on loan at Inter and could be allowed to leave again this summer, with Gus Poyet having now made contact. Everton are also interested. …………... Galatasaray are interested in signing 22-year-old Atletico Paranaense striker Marcel, with Coach Cesare Prandelli particularly keen to secure a deal. …………... Hertha Berlin is going to sign Salomon Kalou. They reached an agreement with the player and are in advanced talks with Lille. #MULEMBE
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 06:20:34 +0000
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