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Showing posts from January, 2018

Cameroon: Stadia/towns to be used by Cameroon’s league one and two clubs for the 2018 season

After two postponements, all is nearly set for the kick off of the 2018 professional football league season in Cameroon. Sources related to  APEJES OF MFOU  and  FEUTCHEU FC OF DJIKO  have confirmed that the opening game in the Elite one competition will take place on  Sunday 11th of February 2018  in Limbe. The opening game will be a confrontation between two of the wonderful performers last term. FEUTCHEU FC of Djiko Bandjoun( 4th last season )will welcome APEJES of Mfou ( 3rd last season ) in Limbe. The rest of the fixtures come up from the  Monday the 12th of February . Ahead of the new season, some clubs have been allocated new venues within and without their regions of origin. This comes in the back drop of the closure of Stadia in especially the Littoral and West region.As renovation work continues ahead of  AFCON 2019 . In the south west region were there is no Club from the region in Elite competitions,  Buea and Limbe  will host Matches. Amongst Elite one clubs to

Cameroon: Pre league friendlies announce another Soccer Party this weekend in the South West Region

In prelude to the kick off of the 2018 football season in Cameroon clubs have been engaged in a series of friendly games with the Elite one competition expected to begin on the 11th of February 2018 in Limbe. Bamboutous of Mbouda and New Stars of Douala are amongst the 9 Elite clubs that will play their home matches this season in the South West Region. Ahead the task that awaits these clubs in the New season, Bamboutous FC’s sporting Director; Kuate Yaro has confirmed reports that the “Mangwa boys”will play two friendly games this Sunday in Buea. In the first game to begin at 1:30 PM local time at the  Molyko Omnisport Stadium ,the Mangwa boys will take on amateur side Best Stars Academy of Limbe and at the 3:30 local time on the same day and Pitch,  Bamboutous FC  will take on fellow Elite one side  New Stars of Douala . New Stars will use the game as the last preparation match ahead of the clubs CAF confederations cup game against  Deportivo of Niefan g on the  10 th of Febru

Arsenal sign Auba, City up Mahrez bid

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee of around £56 million on Wednesday as Manchester City upped their bid to sign Leicester's Riyad Mahrez in the final hours of the transfer window. The 28-year-old Gabon striker signed a contract with the Gunners until 2021, becoming the Gunners' second big-name signing of the January transfer window after Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined from Manchester United. The signing, which translates as $79 million, or €64 million, will boost Arsene Wenger's forward options after the departure of Alexis Sanchez to United in a swap deal with Mkhitaryan but raises questions about Alexandre Lacazette's future in the first team. "Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has joined us from Borussia Dortmund on a long-term contract for a club-record fee," Arsenal said in a statement on their website, describing him as one of the world's most highly rated strikers. "This deal is subject to the

Chelsea complete Giroud signing

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Chelsea have strengthened their forward line with the signing of French striker Olivier Giroud from Arsenal on an 18-month contract, the Premier League clubs said on Wednesday. Giroud's arrives at Stamford Bridge after struggling to cement a place in the Arsenal starting line-up this season, with manager Arsene Wenger preferring to start Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette as a lone striker. Giroud provides Chelsea boss Antonio Conte with options up front and eases the pressure on their record signing Alvaro Morata, who has gone off the boil after a good start to life in London. "Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in the Premier League," the 31-year-old Giroud said in a statement. "They have won maybe the most trophies in the last six or seven years. It's a massive club and I am proud to sign for Chelsea, and I'm looking forward to playing." Giroud has made 16 league appearances this season, 15 as a substitute. He joined Arsenal from French side

Chelsea complete Giroud signing

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Chelsea have strengthened their forward line with the signing of French striker Olivier Giroud from Arsenal on an 18-month contract, the Premier League clubs said on Wednesday. Giroud's arrives at Stamford Bridge after struggling to cement a place in the Arsenal starting line-up this season, with manager Arsene Wenger preferring to start Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette as a lone striker. Giroud provides Chelsea boss Antonio Conte with options up front and eases the pressure on their record signing Alvaro Morata, who has gone off the boil after a good start to life in London. "Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in the Premier League," the 31-year-old Giroud said in a statement. "They have won maybe the most trophies in the last six or seven years. It's a massive club and I am proud to sign for Chelsea, and I'm looking forward to playing." Giroud has made 16 league appearances this season, 15 as a substitute. He joined Arsenal from French side

Ozil becomes highest-paid Arsenal player

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German World Cup winner Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal a big boost on Wednesday by finally agreeing a new contract which will see him become the highest paid player in the club's history, according to the BBC. The broadcaster reports that the 29-year-old playmaker – who has been with the Gunners since joining from Real Madrid for a then-record club fee of £42.4million in 2013 – signed a three-and-a-half year contract and will earn around £350 000 a week. Speculation over both Ozil and Chilean Alexis Sanchez's futures have plagued the club for almost a year, as both their contracts were up at the end of the present campaign. However, while Sanchez left for Manchester United, where he has become the highest paid player in the Premier League at a pre-tax weekly wage of £500 000, Ozil has committed himself to Arsenal until 2021. According to the BBC, both parties reached an agreement last weekend and Ozil signed the new contract at Arsenal’s training ground on Wednesday. Merc

Batshuayi seals loan switch to BVB

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Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi has moved to Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the season, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. Belgium international Batshuayi made 53 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions since joining the club from Olympique de Marseille in July 2016, scoring 19 goals. The 24-year-old, who represented his country at Euro 2016, hopes regular first-team action will help his chances of featuring more prominently at this year's World Cup in Russia. "In order to achieve my big objective, I want to play as much as possible and score many goals. The World Cup is taking place in the summer," he said in a statement. Batshuayi, who has scored 10 goals in all competitions this season, took advantage of a rare start to score twice as Chelsea eased past Newcastle United 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup last weekend. The German side will hope Batshuayi can fill the boots of the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, after the G

Valverde lauds Coutinho’s versatility

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Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has hailed record signing Phillipe Coutinho’s versatility, saying he sees the Brazilian playing a variety of roles for the Catalan side. Many wondered where Coutinho, who joined from Liverpool for £142 million this month, would be deployed by Valverde. There was a theory that he was signed as the natural heir to central midfielder Andres Iniesta, who will turn 34 this year, but that may not be the case with Barca often deploying a 4-4-2 system this season. “What’s his ideal position? He’s a player who acquits himself well to various positions on the pitch: be it as a central midfielder or on the left or right of a frontline,” Valverde told a news conference on Wednesday. “He’ll help us in attack and is versatile enough to play in a few different positions. At Liverpool he often played on the left, while with Brazil he’s deployed on the right. We’ve seen that it’s gone well for both of those sides.” Coutinho could be handed his second start

Nigeria face Sudan, Morocco tackle Libya

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"Miracle" semifinalists Sudan defend a 2 550-day unbeaten African Nations Championship (Chan) record when they tackle Nigeria in Morocco on Wednesday. The east African country have played 10 matches spanning eight years in the biennial tournament for home-based footballers, winning six and drawing four. However, finishing unbeaten as 2011 hosts failed to bring Sudan the title as they lost on penalties to Angola after a drawn semifinal. None of the 29 other nations who have qualified for the Chan can match the Sudanese record, which many pundits believe will end in central city Marrakech against the Nigerians. Sudan have grinded their way to the last four on the back of a strong defence set to face its greatest challenge against the highly creative west Africans. No team has carved open rearguards more regularly than the Nigerians and they will be hard to stop should the likes of Anthony Okpotu become more clinical inside the box. Recently hired Sudan coach Zdra

City get chance for revenge at Wigan

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Manchester City will have a chance to avenge their shock defeat to Wigan in the 2013 FA Cup final after the sides came out together in Monday's draw for the fifth round. Wigan, top of the third-tier League One, became the first team to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season when they beat City 1-0 in the 2013 final. They then lost 4-1 to Arsenal three days later, a defeat that sent them down to the second-tier Championship. They then beat City in the Cup again the following season, winning 2-1 in the quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium, and were only denied a place in their second consecutive final on penalties by Arsenal. Huddersfield Town will have the chance to repeat their Premier League defeat of Manchester United at the Kirklees Stadium if they see off Birmingham City in their fourth-round replay. Meanwhile, a fiery London derby between Championship side Millwall and Tottenham Hotspur will be on the cards if they win their respective replays. The

Cameroon: Yong Sports Academy sign a current international goalkeeper

YONG SPORTS ACADEMY(YOSA) have secured the services of Chadian international goalkeeper ADOUM DEFFALLAH IDRISS on a 1 year deal. The  23 year  shot stopper who was born in Ndjamena on 31/10/1994 came through the academy of Centre de Formation Avenir (CFA) and got his first professional contract in 2008 with Chadian side  Elecsport . ADOUM, safe hands experience brings a lot to YOSA and bright light in YOSA goalkeeping department.A goalkeeper who has played in the  CAF champions league  with Elecsport in 2009, Renaissance FC of Ndjamena 2014, 2016.He equally featured for Elecsport in the 2012 CAF confederation cup. ADOUM DEFFALLAH  a new comer in the Cameroon professional football league arrives with his ego very big after participating in the  South Africa 2010 world cup qualifiers ,the UNIFAC cup, Afrcan nations cup qualifers, African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers and the CEMAC tournament which he won with Chad in 2014. With multiple league title wins in Chad for Ren

Goal Scorer Lukong Fonyuy Joins PWD Bamenda

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PWD SC of Bamenda has taken movves to solve its attacking problems in the upcoming football season by signing prolific goal scorer Lukong Ahudu Fonyuy from Cosmos FA of the Mbam. Born in Yaounde in 1998, the native of Nso from the Northwest has pledged his services to PWD Bamenda for an unspecified duration. Lukong Ahudu Fonyuy started his football career with local side Kumbo Strikers in 2014 before joining Comos  FA of Mbam the following season.  He played two seasons for the Bafia outfit and was relegated to the Elite II in 2016. Lukong then continued his adventure with Cosmos in the Elite II before moving over to Tanzania where he joined Azam FC, one of the most successful clubs in the East African country. But he failed to put pen and paper together because Cosmos refused to liberate him.  He made the journey back home in 2017 and continued to play with Cosmos to see out the rest of his contract. While fulfilling his contractual obligation, Lukong was very instrumental in

City sign French defender Laporte

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Manchester City completed a club record deal for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte on Tuesday in a move by Pep Guardiola to bolster the Premier League leaders' defence for the title run-in. City tweeted the announcement of the reported £57 million ($80 million, 65 million euros) deal with the message: "Defensive reinforcements acquired!" The 23-year-old Frenchman is Guardiola's sixth signing of the 2017/18 season and has joined in a deal until 2023. "I am very happy to be here," Laporte said. "City are a club with a lot of ambition and they are one of the best teams in Europe. "I am looking forward to working under Pep Guardiola and trying to help the club to achieve success." Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, said: "We are delighted to have signed Aymeric. We have assessed defensive options and he is a player we have admired for a long time. "With his quality and ability to play out from the back

Sanchez all set to face Spurs

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Jose Mourinho said Manchester United are a "happy camp" after returning to winning ways following a disappointing run of results in December, buoyed by the signing of Alexis Sanchez. After ending 2017 with three successive draws, Mourinho's side, second in the Premier League, have won all five of their games since the turn of the year. Sanchez is set to make his first Premier League appearance for United against Tottenham at Wembley on Wednesday after his debut for the club in the FA Cup on Friday. "We have managed to win every match in January, I think three Premier League matches and two cup matches, so five victories makes a happy camp," Mourinho told MUTV, the club's in-house TV station. "We are playing with a good balance. It is not easy to not concede goals because of the high quality of football in this country but scoring goals and winning matches is very important because we need points. We are playing well and we deserved these resu

Icardi fuels Real Madrid speculation

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Inter captain Mauro Icardi added fuel to speculation that a €110 million move to Real Madrid could be close after posting "to say goodbye is to grow" on Instagram. The 24-year-old striker has been linked with a multi-million euro move to the reigning Spanish and European champions. The Argentine has attracted Real's interest after scoring 18 times in the league. His wife, Wanda Nara, who is also his agent, is an avid user of social media. And the forward quoted the Argentine song 'Adios' with the phrase "to say goodbye is to grow" on his official Instagram page, along with the caption "Bye Bye", and a waving emoji. Inter insisted no negotiations were under way with Real Madrid or any other clubs. Moreover, the 110 million euro termination clause cannot be exercised in January. Coach Luciano Spalletti has insisted Icardi is committed to Inter but the coming months could be decisive for the Argentine's stay in Milan. After In

Fitness key in Eagles’ CHAN tie v Sudan - Dike

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Former Golden Eaglets coach, Alphonsus Dike has said Super Eagles CHAN team must be 100% fit to overcome the Sudanese opposite, Falcons of Jediane in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco. Eagles will confront the East Africans in Wednesday’s CHAN semifinals clash at the 45,000 seats Grand Stade de Marrakech, Morocco. The West Africans overcame stubborn Angolan side, Palancas Negras 2-1 in the quarterfinals in Tangier while the Sudanese overpowered championship favourites, Chipolopolo of Zambia 1-0 in Agadir to pave the way for the last four clash. Dike said the handlers of the Eagles must strive to work on the players’ shooting accuracy to ensure that every chance is maximally used. “Sudanese live in high altitude area they are distance runners with a lot of stamina and they have the speed. “They are physical, too which have been quite helpful in their past matches. “Eagles must be 100% fit as fiddle to withstand the Sudanese in the CHAN semifinals clash on

Italian FA fails to elect president

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The Italian football federation (FIGC) sank further into crisis on after failing to elect a new president on Monday, two-and-a-half months after the national team failed to qualify for the World Cup. After four rounds of voting at a general meeting held in Fiumicino near Rome, none of the three candidates – the president of the Amateur League (LND) Cosimo Sibilia, the president of the third-tier Lega Pro division Gabriele Gravina and the head of the professional players' union (AIC) Damiano Tommasi – managed to obtain a majority. The failed elections mean that Italian football is without a president for both the FIGC and top division Serie A and has no national team coach, following Gian Piero Ventura's dismissal post-World Cup failure. Sibilia, Gravina and Tommasi were vying for the position left by previous president Carlo Tavecchio, who was forced to step down after the Italian national team's elimination from this summer's World Cup in Russia, the first tim

Coleman set to return to the Everton squad

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Everton full back Seamus Coleman will return to the squad for Wednesday's Premier League game against Leicester City after recovering from a broken leg, manager Sam Allardyce said on Monday. Coleman played 58 minutes for the under-23 side last week, his first match since suffering a double leg break while representing Ireland in March last year. "Seamus is in the squad for Wednesday and it seems, hopefully, that from here on in, he can have an injury-free run until the end of the season," Allardyce told a news conference. "He is a very important player. But, if and when he does play in the team, he needs time. He has been out an awful long time. "It was such a long period of time out that he cannot be expected to hit his top form immediately. But it is very important to have him back, and to have his influence not just as a player but as a person and a human being." Allardyce said left back Luke Garbutt will also return to the squad after he w

Sane has ligament injury, no date yet for return

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Manchester City's Germany winger Leroy Sane sustained ankle ligament damage during their FA Cup fourth round win at Cardiff City at the weekend, the Premier League club said on Monday. Sane had to come off at halftime following a challenge from Cardiff midfielder Joe Bennett, who was booked for the challenge before later being sent off for another foul. "Sane has since undergone scans that confirm the 22-year-old is set for a spell on the sidelines - although no timeline has yet been set for his return," league leaders City said on their official website (www.mancity.com). City manager Pep Guardiola was angered by Cardiff's physical approach and said after Sunday's game that Sane "will be out for a while, minimum two to three weeks or a month". "I have said many times, all the referees have to do is protect the players - not just the Manchester City players, all players," added the Spaniard. Sane has been on top form this season wi

Aubameyang close to Arsenal move

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is closing on a switch from Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal as Arsene Wenger looks to boost his forward options, reports in Germany and Britain said on Monday. German magazine Kicker reported the clubs had agreed on a 63-million-euro ($78 million, £55 million) fee for the player and that as part of the deal Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud could move to Germany on loan until the end of the season. But the report said Giroud was still dragging his feet and would prefer to stay in England and move to Premier League side Chelsea. The BBC also reported that the move was close, quoting a figure of £60 million but said the deal would not go through until the German club had a replacement lined up. The Bundesliga club turned down a bid of 50 million euros from Arsenal last week, the BBC reported. Gabon international Aubameyang, 28, played for Dortmund in their 2-2 draw against Freiburg on Saturday but did not score. Aubameyang was jeered by his own fans on

‘Ibrahimovic free to go if he wants’

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Manchester United will not stand in the way of Zlatan Ibrahimovic if he wants to leave the club, manager Jose Mourinho said on Monday. But the Swedish striker, linked by British media with a move to LA Galaxy, has not mentioned the subject to his manager. "If that is true and Zlatan wants a future in another club in another country, then I give to help and create conditions for that to happen," Mourinho told reporters. The 36-year-old Ibrahimovic, who joined United in 2016 and is out of contract in the summer, has hardly played this season after suffering a knee ligament injury last year. But Mourinho said Ibrahimovic was striving to get back to peak condition. "He's working hard to be fit. I’m not saying injured because he's not injured. I think he's in a moment of trying to feel really ready for the demands of Premier League football." Mourinho also gave an update on midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who is free to talk to other clubs a