AKONO TOO WANTS HIS MONEY!

Former Cameroon coach Jean-Paul Akono has asked the Football Federation (FECAFOOT) to settle his salary arrears to enable him pay for treatment for cardiac troubles, which led to his resignation from the helm of the team as caretaker last June.

Akono claims the body owes him 80 million CFA francs ($160,000, R1.6m) corresponding to his eight months of unpaid salaries.However, in a statement released on Friday, the Fecafoot rejected responsibilities for the situation, saying Akono’s case was being handled by the ministry of sports.

Cameroon will host Tunisia on November 17 in the return leg of the World Cup playoff after holding the Carthage Eagles to a goalless draw in the first leg.

The Indomitable Lions coach Volker Finke met with the authorities early this week to iron out issues within the team notably differences with captain Samuel Eto’o, who made a surprised comeback against Tunisia after purportedly announcing his retirement from the set up.

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MIDDLE EAST ONE.....TWO!

The Golden Eaglets will face Iran in the round of 16 at the ongoing Fifa Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The Nigeria defeated Iraq’s under-17 side 5-0 in their final group game in Dubai on Friday to finish as winners of Group F.

They will now meet Iran in the round of 16 after the Asians finished as the runners-up in Group E following their 1-0 over Austria.Having scored 14 goals and conceded just four in the group stages, Manu Garba’s charges will now be viewed as firm favourites to progress to the quarterfinals of the competition.
Nigeria’s game against Iran will be played in Al Ain on October 29.

If the young Nigerians overcome the Iranians, they will face the winner of the round of 16 contest between Uruguay and Slovakia in Ras Al-Khaima.

Round of 16 fixtures
Italy v Mexico
Japan v Sweden
Brazil v Russia
Honduras v Uzbekistan
Uruguay v Slovakia
Morocco v Ivory Coast
Argentina v Tunisia
Nigeria v Iran

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WAFU CUP MOVED TO KUMASI

The Ghana Football Association has confirmed Kumasi as the new venue for this year's Wafu Zone B tournament. The venue change from Accra has been made necessary due to the sudden unavailability of the Accra Sports Stadium. The stadium in the Ghanaian capital has been rented out to another corporate for an event. This information was however not made available to the Ghana FA-the organizers-during the planning stage for the tournament.

"We had a message from the Ghana Sports Authority that after they approved Accra as the venue for the matches, apparently another company had earlier booked for an event that will clash with the Wafu matches," Ibrahim Sannie Daara, the Ghana FA spokesman told reporters in Accra on Friday. "As a result we have decided to play the Wafu matches in Kumasi and the dates won't be changed because of the tightness of the football calendar."

Eight teams will be competing in the tournament which kicks off on November 21. Like the Accra schedule, all matches will be played at the Baba Yara Stadium. Ghana are drawn in Group A of the tournament alongside Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Benin. Togo, Niger, Gabon and Senegal will compete
in Group B.

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NAMO DROPPED!

Stephen Keshi has dropped Glo Premier League hotshot Victor Namo from his squad for Monday’s friendly against Jordan in Amman.

Namo scored 18 goals in the just-concluded season to help Nasarawa United escape the drop.   
He said his experience with the national team was worthwhile and hopes for more. 

"I didn't make the final list to Jordan, all of us can't go, but my experience in camp was a good one for me,” Namo said. "I have learnt a lot, I won't be a novice next time in the national team camp with this experience. I am looking forward to more of such experience." 
  
Namo has also reacted to critics who have questioned his claim to the league hotshot because 13 of his 18 goals came from the penalty spot. The former Kano Pillars star Namo retorted, "Penalties are the most difficult part of scoring goals because everyone even the fans expect you to score. For me, the goals I got during regular play were the easiest. I was therefore amused when I heard people saying I got more of my goals from penalties."

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HOWARD IS NEW SHOOTING STARS COACH

Franklin Howard has returned as coach od Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan.    
In a statement released by 3SC media officer Jubril Arowolo, Howard came tops among 13 candidates who applied for the job and he will be assisted by former Shooting Stars player Edith Agoye, while Adeyemo Ayodele will resume as the trainer. 
  
The release read: "The board and management of 3SC have employed Franklin Howard (head coach), Edith Agoye (assistant coach) and Adeyemo Ayodele (trainer 2) to replace the sacked coaches. This was after coming tops in the interview for seven shortlisted candidates out of 13 coaches who applied and with the endorsement of Oyo State ministry of sports and they resume immediately." 
  
Frankin will have the daunting task of leading Shooting Stars back to premier league as like he did in 2008/2009
  
The former central defender has been capped at U20 and full international levels. He played for ACB, Lagos, New Nigerian Bank and Enugu Rangers.

before he was relieved of his appointment.

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MOURINHO AND WENGER AGAINST RUSSIAN WORLD CUP BOYCOTT

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has said that a boycott of Russia 2018 would end up harming the wrong people.

"Who is more important? The billions of people in love with the game around the world, or a few thousand that go to football stadia and have a disgraceful behaviour in relation to the black players. If I was a black player, I would say the other billions are much more important." added Mourinho, whose side play Toure's City in the Premier League on Sunday.

"Let's fight the thousands but give to the billions what they want: the best football. Football without black players is not the best football."

Meanwhile Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said it was too soon to be discussing a boycott.
"It's a bit early because it's not proven what happened," said Wenger.

And Manchester United boss David Moyes said walking off the pitch in response to racist abuse, which has been suggested as one way of confronting the problem, was not a good solution. "That gives the people chanting or shouting against you what they want," he said. "That is not the way. Sanctions have to be taken on the club, the players and other supporters who are involved.
That is the best way to get the message through."

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"I'M NOT DEAF!"

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure insisted today (Friday) "I am not deaf" and that he had been the victim of racist monkey chants in Moscow. UEFA, European football's governing body, has charged CSKA Moscow with the "racist behaviour of their fans" following Wednesday's Champions League encounter in the Russian capital which City won 2-1. Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan could also face disciplinary action, having failing to request an appeal for fans to stop their chanting after Toure complained.

But while CSKA have insisted their supporters have done nothing wrong and what Toure heard was just general booing, their stance has been backed up by the club's Seydou Doumbia -- an Ivory Coast team-mate of the Manchester City man. Toure, however, said Friday that Doumbia was just speaking up on behalf of his employers.

Former Barcelona star Toure, speaking today said, "I am not deaf. We are all humans. It is not a nice feeling to go and play a football match, to bring joy to the people and to be called a monkey or to hear monkey noises. I don't look like a monkey. Other people must have seen it."

"Doumbia is a young brother. Someone I admire who I have known a long time -- we come from the same country. I don't want to say things that will put him in trouble but you can see a little bit the manipulation around all this. It is so pathetic and so sad to see things (racism) like that. I am ashamed to still have to talk about this subject."

Immediately after the match Toure suggested a boycott by black players of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where there is plenty of recent history of players suffering racist abuse, could be on the cards. However, Toure rowed back from those comments Friday by saying: "We know there are very large stakes for the country (Russia) around the World Cup. But let's leave FIFA (football's world governing body) and UEFA to do their work. UEFA has decided to apply the rules -- that's all we want," he added.

"A lot of things have been said about racism. If today an organisation and supporters stray from the straight path or slip up, the goal is to see them straight again."

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