Hardworking Super Eagles midfield General, Eddy Ogenyi Onazi, says he was shocked that despite the protestations of Argentine legend, Diego Armando Maradona, that French midfielder, Blaise Matuidi has not been sanctioned for the hard tackle on him that tore his left leg tendon, by world soccer governing body; FIFA.
Speaking in Brasilia after undergoing surgery on the injured left leg, Onazi said what FIFA has done is not to respect the rules that they themselves have set. “The French side will announce to the world before a game that we are very physical so that they can come and commit murder and get away with it, yet FIFA will fold their arms and do nothing. I am totally in tune with Maradona, who believes that the tackle on me was worst that what Luis Suarez did to Italian Chellini.”
Onazi shows his injured left leg on Tuesday afternoon
“I will please beg that FIFA should go back and watch the tape of the game and apply necessary sanctions for the good of the game, otherwise it’s Nigeria today, it could be another big country tomorrow. Justice must be done”, he declared.
Also an angry Osaze Odenwingie has queried the officiating of American referee, Mark Geiger, describing it as not only appalling but against what the General Coordinator for the game between Nigeria and France, Walter Sieber of Canada came to preach to the Super Eagles in Campinas, the Nigerian team base camp.
“I recall that when the Canadian came to us he showed us a film of a defender holding down a striker in the vital area in the course of a game and he was very clear that it should be a penalty. I was then shocked that when I was held by the waist by a French defender, so much so that I could not move with the referee watching at close range, the man waived play on instead of a penalty and a possible expulsion for the player. “FIFA should not make the world believe that they use double standards at the World Cup, I am shocked that even the media is keeping quiet over the blatant officiating.
He also lambasted the cancellation of Nigeria’s opening goal and the brutish hacking of teammate Ogenyi Onazi. “It was obvious that some forces wanted France to defeat us at all cost but one day Africa will get at par with the rest of the World in football”, he lamented.
Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, has said his widely reported resignation from the job may have been a case of misunderstood speech he made to the players in the dressing room after the 0-2-0 loss to France in the second round of the ongoing World Cup in Brazil.
“What I said to my players was that this maybe my last match at the helm of affairs in the national team, because my contract terminates with the World Cup and I have not been offered a new one. I was a bit shocked that the global media went to town to say I have called it quits with the national team. Resignations are not done on the pages of newspapers but formally”, he said.
He however did not deny that some countries have showed interest in him which he believes is good for Nigerian football and coaches but assured that he will not abandon ship without a formal notice.
Stephen Keshi – Super Eagles Coach
Similarly, the national team is expected to return to Nigeria on Friday this week after their ouster from the Mundial. However, not all the 23 players will return with the team to the country as some of them have already gone to join their clubsides for pre-season preparations. Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, said all logistics have been put in place for those who will not come with the team to Nigeria and those who are returning home for a hitch free trip.
Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that Indonesia’s Rio Haryanto will drive on day two of the sixth 2014 F1 test At Silverstone on July 9th, joining Will Stevens who drives day one.
Rio joined EQ8 Caterham Racing in January to contest the 2014 GP2 championship and is currently tenth in the standings with 26 points after a good start to his season. He will now step up to an F1 seat for the third time in his career, having previously taken part in F1 tests in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Silverstone in 2012.
Rio Haryanto: “I can’t wait to be back in an F1 car and I’m delighted it’s with Caterham F1 Team, the senior team to EQ8 Caterham Racing. The last time I drove an F1 car was at the young driver test at Silverstone in 2012 and with the new engine regulations this year I’m sure it’ll be a very different experience. The goal for me is to use this day as another learning experience, another chance to build on the F1 laps I’ve already done, and while my focus before the test is obviously to do the best job I can in GP2, I will be 100% ready to work to the plan the team set and help them develop as best I can.”
“I would like to take this chance to thank Pertamina for their continued support during my GP2 season with EQ8 Caterham Racing, which has provided me with the opportunity to test the Caterham F1 Team car.”
The ITF today announced the acceptance lists for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Tennis Event. Thirty-eight countries are represented in the boys’ and girls’ events that comprise 32 players in singles, 16 pairs in doubles, and 32 pairs in mixed doubles. The Youth Olympic Tennis Event, for players aged 18-and-under, will take place on 17-24 August at the Tennis Academy of China on hard court. All players will contest all three events.
The second Youth Olympic Games, held on 16-28 August, will welcome around 3,800 athletes from the 204 National Olympic Committees to Nanjing. Young athletes – aged between 14 and 18 years – will compete in 28 sports.
Entries are headed by the current boys’ and girls’ junior world number ones, Andrey Rublev of Russia and Ivana Jorovic of Serbia. Rublev, who won the 2014 Roland Garros junior title, is joined by fellow Russian Darya Kasatkina, the Roland Garros girls’ champion. Sun Ziyue and Xu Shilin will represent the host nation in the girls’ singles.
A maximum of two boys and two girls per country are eligible to compete. Players must also have made themselves available for selection to represent their country in any of the ITF junior team competitions between 2011 and 2014.
Singles acceptances were based firstly on a player’s junior world ranking (12 places), then on ranking by region (16 places). The remaining four positions were allocated either by the IOC or the next highest ranked player. The Youth Olympic Tennis Event is a Grade A event on the 2014 ITF Junior Circuit, offering bonus ranking points.
Mixed doubles will feature in the Youth Olympics for the first time following its successful re-introduction at the London 2012 Olympic Tennis Event.
Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, who won five singles titles in an outstanding career, will represent tennis on site as an Athlete Role Model. The Athlete Role Models programme will be implemented by the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (NYOCOG) as part of the Culture and Education Programme.
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The Youth Olympic Tennis Event provides a valuable opportunity for some of our most promising young athletes to have their first Olympic experience and represent their country on a major stage. We were delighted with the success of the inaugural event in Singapore, since when several competitors have already made progress on the professional circuit.”
The draws for the Youth Olympic Games Tennis Event will take place at 16:00 local time on Friday 15 August at the Tennis Academy of China
The acceptances for the boys’ and girls’ singles event are below. The doubles and mixed doubles entries will be determined on site and will comprise players already involved in singles. For doubles and mixed doubles, athletes without a partner from the same country are allowed to compete with a player from a different country.
2014 YOUTH OLYMPIC
Youth Olympic Tennis Event – Boys Acceptance List by Country
Argentina – Francisco Bahamonde, Matias Zukas
Australia – Harry Bourchier, Marc Polmans
Bahamas – Rasheed Carey, Justin Roberts
Belgium – Clement Geens
Brazil – Orlando Luz, Marcelo Zormann
Burundi – Guy Orly Iradukunda
Colombia – Luis Valero
Croatia – Nino Serdarusic
Cyprus – Petros Chrysochos
Hungary – Andre Biro
Japan – Ryotaro Matsumura, Jumpei Yamasaki
Korea, Rep. – Chung Yunseong, Lee Duck Hee
Montenegro – Pavle Rogan
Peru – Nicolas Alvarez, Juan Jose Rosas
Poland – Kamil Majchrzak, Jan Zielinski
Russia – Karen Khachanov, Andrey Rublev
Serbia – Petar Conkic
Slovakia – Martin Blasko, Alex Molcan
South Africa – Lloyd Harris
Sri Lanka – Sharmal Dissanayake
Sweden – Daniel Appelgren
USA – Alex Rybakov
Youth Olympic Tennis Event – Girls Acceptance List by Country
President of Nigeria Football Federation, Aminu Mohammed Maigari, has expressed heartfelt appreciation to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR), the Federal Government and indeed all Nigerians for their support, after Nigeria exited the 2014 FIFA World Cup in gallant fashion on Monday.
A two –goal defeat by France in Brasilia was very cruel end to a game dominated in large parts by the spirited African champions. Yet, this still represented Nigeria’s best outing at the FIFA World Cup in 20 years.
“We must applaud Mr. President and the Government of Nigeria for the massive support the NFF and the team received all through the qualifying series and the tournament proper. Mr. President’s personal keen interest in the team saw us qualify for the finals and put up a credible campaign here in Brazil.
“The players were brilliant. They showed heart and commitment and deserve the praise of Nigerians for their efforts.”
Nigeria football supremo also hailed the support of his colleagues on the NFF board, NFF Management and Staff, the National Sports Commission, members of the National Assembly, Chairmen and Secretaries of Football Associations in the States, top shots of the various Leagues, top government officials from the States, former Nigeria Coaches, former Nigeria captains and officials of federal agencies and parastatals who were in Brazil to cheer the team.
Paul Pogba power –headed in from a corner after Vincent Enyeama could only get a hand to the ball, with 10 minutes left, and Captain Joseph Yobo, on his 100th cap, got the wrong leg across to score in his own net in added time.
The score –line was flattering to the French, who had to endure a scary first half as the Super Eagles showed their wings all over the pitch and even got the ball into the net, only for the referee to rule it offside.
Nigeria continued to probe in the second period but the loss of energetic Ogenyi Onazi to midfield saw that section collapse and hand the advantage to the Europeans.
Elimination means the Super Eagles must fly out of Brazil within the next 24 hours.
Ekaterina Makarova and Sabine Lisicki kept the surprises coming at Wimbledon on Monday, taking out two of the pre-tournament favorites in fourth and third round play, respectively.
The No.19-seeded Lisicki completed her rain-suspended match against No.11 seed Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, after the two were stopped at 6-4, 1-1 on Saturday due to a combination of rain and darkness.
Though the result was an upset on paper, it wasn’t a massive surprise given Lisicki’s history at Wimbledon – she’s reached the quarterfinals or better here in her last four appearances, including a year ago, where she made the first Grand Slam final of her career here, falling to Marion Bartoli.
Lisicki was also absolutely lethal in this match. She had one more unforced error than Ivanovic, 21 to 20, but had a whopping 16 more winners, 40 to 26. She blew through the third set in 27 minutes.
“The crowd knows my story here,” Lisicki said. “I came here as a young girl, and I came back from injury, and it’s a big story with me and Wimbledon. I love the support that I’m getting here.
“It’s so much more enjoyable.”
Lisicki and Ivanovic’s match was one of two third round matches that were held over until Monday. The other one, which was left with Yaroslava Shvedova leading Madison Keys on Saturday, 7-6(7), 6-6, never took the court again, as Keys was forced to retire from the match due to a left thigh injury.
The first wave of fourth round matches also took the courts of the All-England Club, and it was over on Court 3 where the biggest rumblings were made, as the No.22-seeded Makarova pulled off the first big upset of Week 2, running away with it against the No.4 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-3, 6-0.
“Agnieszka, she’s really good on grass, and she’s had great results here,” Makarova said. “I just beat her once in the US Open last year, so in this match I was just trying to remember my emotions and my game from there, and how I was playing. And it really worked today. I was so solid and so calm during all the match and all the points. I just waited until I was comfortable and then I was aggressive.”
Makarova has been to Grand Slam quarterfinals before – three of them, two at the Australian Open and one at the US Open – but there’s something different about this one. “I’ve already been in the quarters three times, so maybe I’m kind of used to it, and I have a different feeling now,” she declared.
“Before maybe it was a feeling like it’s kind of over, but now I really want to go forward.”
Elsewhere, No.13 seed Eugenie Bouchard edged No.25 seed Alizé Cornet in a tight one on Centre Court, 7-6(5), 7-5, No.6 seed Petra Kvitova cruised past Peng Shuai, 6-3, 6-2, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova upset No.16 seed Caroline Wozniacki to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, 6-2, 7-5, and No.23 seed Lucie Safarova ended the run of qualifier and fellow Czech Tereza Smitkova, 6-0, 6-2.
With Kvitova, Safarova and Zahlavova Strycova all winning, it’s the first time in the Open Era that three Czech women have reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam together – of any Grand Slam.
The other fourth rounds – No.3 seed Simona Halep against Zarina Diyas, No.5 seed Maria Sharapova against No.9 seed Angelique Kerber and Lisicki against Shvedova – will all take place on Tuesday, as well as the first two quarterfinals – Kvitova against Zahlavova Strycova, Makarova against Safarova.
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