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Showing posts from February, 2018

Cameroon: Coton Sports fires coach Birwe Minkreo

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Placed  10th  on the overall classification table with  5 points , the management of  Coton Sports of Garoua  has decided to put an end to the contract of its coach  Birwe Minkreo  who was in his  2nd season as head coach of the Garoua based club. Coton Sports has recently recorded a series of poor results; snatching a  4-4  draw at home to  APEJES of Mfou  after 10 minutes of extra time. A humiliating home defeat  0-1  last Sunday 25th February against  AS Fortuna  (new comers of the Elite league), left the coach in a delicate position. Birwe, who last season earned a  second-place  non-qualifier for the African competitions, was already on the hot seat after a disastrous African Champions League campagne ( 0 points out of 18 possible in the group phase ). The club administration exposed below the reasons for his exit: – In view of the poor results that Coton Sport FC recorded last season both in the league, in the cup of Cameroon Cup and in the group stage of the African

MTN Elite one: Results and ranking after day 4 action

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Results day 4,  MTN Elite One Eding -Yafoot  2-1 Apejes-yosa  0-0 Unisport -New star  2-0 Stade Renard -Aigle  0-0 Ums Loum  -Fovu Baham  1-0 Coton Sports –  AS Fortuna 0-1 Colombe-Feutcheu  1-1 Bamboutos-Astres  0-0 Union  – Dragon  2-1 Ranking after the 4th day of play 1- Feutcheu 8 points 2- Unisport 7 points 3- Fovu 7 points 4- Eding 6 points(-2 M) 5- Bamb 6 points 6- Ums 6 points  7- Yosa 6 points 8- Fort 6 points 9- Astres 5 points(-1M) 10- Coton 5 points 11- Stade 4 points 12- Drag 4 points 13- Yafoot 4 points 14- Usd 4 points(-1M) 15- Colomb 2 points(-1M) 16- Apejes 2 ponts 17- Aigle 2 points 18- Newst 0 point(-3M)

Hummels slams Lewandowski in bust-up

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Mats Hummels accused his Bayern Munich team-mate Robert Lewandowski of an 'attitude' problem in a training ground bust-up on Wednesday, according to reports. Bayern are 19 points clear in the Bundesliga table, but tensions often run high in the star-studded squad for starting places. Temperatures in Munich were well below freezing at Bayern's Saebener Strasse training ground during the angry exchange. According to German daily Bild, who have a reporter at Bayern training sessions, Hummels and Lewandowski traded insults in a practise game. When Lewandowski briefly paused to tie his laces, allowing the opposing team to score, Hummels ripped into the Poland star, a team-mate in the exercise, sparking a war of words. "Lewy, are you serious? You're seriously tying your shoes? Holy shit!," yelled Hummels, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany. Lewandowski fired back, "you just lost the ball," to which Hummels replied: "that was a mistake

'Barca being harmed by fixture schedule'

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Barcelona have been "harmed" by this week's La Liga fixture schedule, coach Ernesto Valverde said on Wednesday. Barca, who sit seven points above nearest rivals Atletico Madrid in the table, visit Las Palmas on Thursday on the island of Gran Canaria, a three-and-a-half-hour flight from mainland Spain. Three days later they host second-placed Atletico in a potentially pivotal tie in the title race. “In this set of fixtures we’re being harmed by the schedule, yes,” Valverde told a news conference. “We know that sometimes the decisions are influenced by things not necessarily from a sporting perspective,” he added in a comment seemingly aimed at the role of television broadcasters in fixture scheduling. Atletico face local rivals Leganes at home on Wednesday and the Barca coach feels that could work in favour of Diego Simeone’s side when the top two meet on Sunday. “We’re harmed because we play tomorrow at nine in the evening and Atleti, who we’ll face with

PL still the greatest prize for Pep

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted the Premier League title is the most important trophy for his team to win this season, ahead of even potential Champions League success. The runaway Premier League leaders already have one piece of silverware in the bag, after winning the English League Cup Final in convincing fashion against Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday. But, as he prepared to face the same side in a league game at the Emirates, Guardiola is far more interested in the six victories that will make the English title a mathematical certainty for City. "We are fighting for the most important title of the season by far, the Premier League," Guardiola told a news conference on Tuesday. "More important than the Champions League, more important than the FA Cup, Carabao (league) Cup. That is enough encouragement to be focused. "The next six fixtures are terrible in terms of quality of the opponents, and we have four games away and we still have t

Arsenal need to be clinical - Wenger

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged his team to make the most of their chances when they face Manchester City for the second time this week in Thursday's Premier League clash. The north London outfit were brushed aside by a dominant City side in last Sunday's League Cup final with Pep Guardiola's team converting all three of their shots on target to win 3-0 while Arsenal failed to convert either of their chances. "We are very disappointed because we lost an important game. We need first to recover and then prepare for the next challenge together," Wenger told a news conference on Wednesday. "When you look at the end of the game Man City had three shots on target and we had two. We need to turn the decisive moments in our favour and play with more freedom than we did." City can re-establish a 16-point lead atop the standings when they travel to sixth-placed Arsenal, who are 27 points behind Guardiola's side. The defeat, along with Ar

‘City need more trophies to be the best’

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Manchester City have won many admirers in their "wonder season" but need more trophies to be considered the best Premier League team ever, ex-Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has said. City won manager Pep Guardiola his first silverware in England last weekend, romping to a 3-0 victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final. The runaway league leaders are also on course to win a third Premier league title in seven seasons. "Everyone recognises the football that they're playing this year is high up there with some of the best we've seen in the Premier League era," former Wales winger Giggs said. "But to compare them to ourselves, Arsenal and Chelsea, you have to win multiple titles. You have to be consistent, not just one wonder season, which they are having." United have won 13 championships since the Premier League era began in 1992-93, Chelsea have five, Arsenal are third in the list with three followed by City on two. Giggs, who wo

Conte, Mancini on Italy coach shortlist

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Italy's new coach will be Antonio Conte or Roberto Mancini or Luigi Di Biagio, Italian federation vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta said on Wednesday. "We plan on appointing the new coach by June. Conte, Mancini or Di Biagio? These are the names, it won't be anyone else," said Costacurta at Italy's Coverciano training camp outside Florence. Former AC Milan star Costacurta has been given the task of finding a replacement for Gian Piero Ventura, who was sacked after Italy's World Cup exit. All three are former Italian international players. Costacurta did not mention former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, who has said he would leave French club Nantes if offered the Italy job. Conte, 48, coached Italy from 2014 to the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championship before taking over at Chelsea. "I never said I preferred Conte," continued Costacurta, who had said in an interview this week the Chelsea boss was the number one c

World Cup coaches brace for VAR

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World Cup coaches expressed a quiet confidence on Wednesday about Video Assistant Referee technology ahead of its likely adoption for this year's showpiece event in Russia. Representatives from the 32 teams to have qualified for the World Cup gathered in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for a briefing on how "modern life" was taking over the beautiful game. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is expected to be given the green light by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), when the body that determines the laws of the game meets on Saturday. VAR has been heavily promoted by world football's governing body Fifa, despite its implementation this season in leading leagues such as the German Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A not convincing everyone. Earlier this week, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said European football's governing body would not introduce VAR in next season's Champions League due to ongoing "confusion" s

Uefa hit Nasri with six-month doping ban

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Former Manchester City midfielder and France international Samir Nasri was handed a six-month doping ban by European football governing body Uefa on Tuesday "for using a prohibited method". Nasri, 30, had appealed to Uefa for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) following a multi-vitamin intravenous booster he received at a Los Angeles clinic in 2016. That was rejected last March, as was an appeal in December to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, he still has the right to appeal against his ban, Uefa said. The method is on the World Anti-doping Agency's prohibited list and carries a maximum ban of four years. Nasri is currently without a club having left Turkish side Antalyaspor by mutual consent last month. The doping affair started when a Los Angeles clinic called Drip Doctors tweeted the fact they had treated Nasri with an intravenous vitamin booster while the player was on holiday there. Nasri was at that time on loan from City at Sevilla, who

Buffon ready to play again for Italy

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Italy goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon confirmed on Tuesday he is ready to come out of international retirement if he is called up for friendlies against England and Argentina. Buffon called time on his international career after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, losing a two-legged play-off to Sweden to miss the tournament for the first time in 60 years. But Italy interim national coach Luigi Di Biagio said on Monday he was ready to recall Buffon for friendlies against Argentina and England in Manchester and London on March 23 and 27. "I had thought about going on holiday for a few days with my family, but when the national team needs you, you must be present and not desert them," Buffon told Italian programme Tiki Taka. The 40-year-old Juventus goalkeeper has represented the Azzurri for 20 years, winning the 2006 World Cup title, and earning a record 175 caps in a brilliant career. He had been bidding for a record sixth World Cup appearance.

Zidane to rest Ronaldo

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Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is giving Cristiano Ronaldo a break and has left him out of the 19-man squad to face Espanyol in La Liga on Tuesday. But Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are both included in the squad, a week before the second leg of the Champions League last 16 against Paris Saint-Germain. "It is very important to always keep Cristiano in peak form. He knows that from time to time he must rest," Zidane told a press conference on Monday, suggesting that the decision was mutual. "He knows this very well and we talk, as always, a great deal." It will be the second time in three games that the coach has not picked the Portuguese star. Ronaldo also missed the league game against Leganes last Wednesday, which Real won 3-1. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro will likewise miss the game with a reported stomach problem. Zidane has called up 19-year-old Oscar from the academy team.

Liverpool can beat anyone - Mane

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Sadio Mane says Liverpool "can beat any team in the world" as Jurgen Klopp's men chase the Premier League runners-up spot and eye the Champions League quarterfinals. Liverpool are third in the table, two points behind Manchester United after just one defeat in their past 19 Premier League matches and are virtually guaranteed progress in Europe after a 5-0 first-leg win over Porto in the last 16. Klopp's side have scored 103 goals in all competitions this season with their forward line of Mane, 31-goal Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino tearing opposition defences apart. "I can sense that the club is moving in the right direction," Mane told Liverpool's official matchday programme. "There were a couple of difficult years at Liverpool a while back but those things happen to every single club in the world. "At the moment we are in a good way so everything is possible. I think we have improved a lot in the past few months. We know that

MTN Elite One Season Review So Far

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Since the kick-off of the country’s MTN Elite One football on February 10, passionate football fans are filled with excitement as they welcome the new season. With new players, new kits, new sponsors, new managers and perhaps some new fans, games played from Day 1 to 3 gave us 46 goals and also some surprising results. As is the case in the game of football, history has been made and remade since the beginning of the championship. After three days of play already, it’s a good time to take stock as we look at the surprises and debutants in this year’s championship while bringing you some statistics. After 3 games, Fovu of Baham founded in 1978 sit top of the pile, having drawn one and won two of their three games as they make their return to Cameroon’s top flight football. Also at the first place with seven points is Feutcheu FC that has a formidable record as they have won four and drawn one of their last matches since September 28, 2017. On her part, third place Bambo

Cameroon Mtn Elite One: Top 3 coaches who might lose their jobs before the 5th day of play

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The Cameroon MTN elite one championship will open its day 4 games this Sunday, February 25, 2018 with 9 matches on various stadia. Three coaches are on a “hot seat” and may lose their job at the end of this fourth day of play. Dieudenné Nke (UMS LOUM): Dieudonne Nké of UMS Loum is aware of  sitting on an ejectable seat as he penned a two year deal with the 2016 champions of cameroon. UMS Loum trails a bad reputation of sacking its coaches for often very little, or if the latter is not in good terms with Pierre Kwemo, the club’s almighty president. Many who preceded him as coach of UMS Loum had paid the price of their differences with Pierre Kwemo; Olivier Nankam was sacked after winning the Cup of Cameroon in 2015. Anicet Mbaga Foe who then took over did not spend 2 months on the yellow blue bench. Bonaventure Djonkep was sacked on May 17, 2017 after only 14 playing days and a 3rd place in the overall standings. After 3 days of the 2017/2018 Mtn Elite One championship, Nke’s re

Cameroon Mtn Elite One: Top statistics after day 3 games

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As the 2018 elite one season continues to produce action and attraction around the country,  h otlinesports237 took interest in some top stuff about the league so far. ZERO 0)   Zero  represent number of goals  Aigle and Colombe  have scored this season. Aigle have played 3 games so far while Colombe have played 2 games.Two of Aigle’s games have been against previous winners UMS Loum and Union Sportive Douala.While one of Colombe’s game has been against 14 times champions, Cotonsport, both clubs have failed to score against Bamboutos FC. 0) Zero : YOSA, Bamboutos and Eding have conceded zero goals this season. EDING have played 2 games less. ONE 1)  One goal was enough for YOSA to end Stade Renard’s over two years unbeaten home record to Elite visitors. Since Renard got promoted to elite 1, they have now suffered just a single defeat (Against YOSA).The last team to beat Stade Renard in Melong was  Renaissance of Ngoumou in Elite 2 in 2016  when Stade Renard got promote