Football Transfer Rumours Done Deals And Titbits…

Here are the top transfer rumours, done deals and football transfer gist making the rounds as compiled by our man Paul Ayorinde. We also got AFCON 2015 Daily results and fixtures plus FA CUP Round Fixtures and results

you can follow Paul on twitter: @El_Pauleta on twitter and also follow @NewFanzone and we will follow you right back, lets keep the discussion going

Done Deal:

– Karim Rossi has left Hull to join Belgian Pro League side Zulte Waregem on a free transfer.

– Leeds have completed the signing of Sol Bamba from Palermo until the end of the season.

– Watford have announced they have completed a deal for Wigan’s Ben Watson.

– Liverpool Ladies have completed signing of Asisat Oshoala from Nigerian Women Premier League side Rivers Angels.

Asisat Oshoala, photo credit ladies.liverpoolfc.com

Today’s football reports and transfer rumours:

– According to reports,Crystal Palace are nearing a deal to sign Senegal left-back Pape Souare from Lille

– Aston Villa have ended their attempts to sign Manchester City’s Scott Sinclair as manager Paul Lambert admitted he won’t be buying the winger in this transfer window.

– Shakhtar Donetsk are demanding 30 million pounds from Chelsea for midfielder Douglas Costa

– Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he has full confidence in Asier Illarramendi and wants to keep him at the club, despite reports the midfielder is set to move during the January transfer window.

– According to reports,Wojciech Szczesny’s position has been cast into doubt after it emerged that Arsenal are monitoring Norberto Neto.

– West Ham manager Sam Allardyce have confirmed his interest in signing Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher

– According to reports, Lokomotiv Moscow striker Dame N’Doye is attracting the interest of Hull, and has been the subject of a three million euro bid.

– Hannover 96 are reportedly interested in signing Maribor defender Petar Stojanovic

– According to reports,Fiorentina are close to signing Guangzhou Evergrande striker Alberto Gilardino.

– Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho denies the club are interested in signing Juan Cuadrado. “I think he fits well in the Fiorentina squad, and the Colombia squad, [but] not in the Chelsea squad.” Mourinho said

Aleksandar Dragovic, photo credit uefa.com

– According to reports in the Austrian media, Manchester United will complete a £15million deal for Dynamo Kiev centre-back, Aleksandar Dragovic in the next few days.

– Reports suggest that Inter Milan have agreed a deal to sign Marcelo Brozovic

– Kingsley Coman could be key to any deal to bring Sassuolo’s Simone Zaza to Juventus, according to reports.

– Lille have abandoned their pursuit of Icelandic striker Kolbeinn Sighortsson after a bid was rejected by Ajax.

– According to reports,West Brom are in talks with Shola Ameobi over a short-term contract until the end of the season.

– AC Milan have reportedly offered €8million for Cruzeiro midfielder Everton Ribeiro.

– Dnipro insist Tottenham and Liverpool target Yevhen Konoplyanka will not leave the club this month.

– According to reports, Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is set to make a decision on his future next week with West Ham, West Brom and Valencia all keen on signing him

– West Brom are reportedly eyeing a move for Wolves winger Bakary Sako.

– According to reports, Samuel Eto’o will have a medical with Sampdoria on Saturday in Roma before flying to Genoa to complete a move to the Serie A side.

– According to reports, Arsenal have had an offer rejected for Valencia’s Jose Luis Gaya.

Mohamed Salah, credit seriesandmovies.net

– Reports suggest that Roma have agreed deal with Chelsea for Mohamed Salah, on a loan basis with an option to buy for €17million

Football tit bits:

– Football “super agent” Mino Raiola has announced his intention to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency this year. campaign. “It makes me deeply sick just to think about Blatter being re-elected. Do you want a dictator as president of FIFA or a democracy? Even a 15-year-old kid knows that the only good thing about FIFA is the video game. They need more transparency. FIFA should be for the fans, the professional and amateur footballers, but they don’t do anything for these groups. I’ll find five FAs to back me,it’s incomprehensible that some FAs still vote for Blatter. If people vote Blatter, they are voting North Korea, if they vote me, they are voting South Korea.” He said

– AC Milan players will be foaming at the mouth when they take to the field against Lazio on Saturday, according to coach Filippo Inzaghi. “Going by the physical tests, we’re in the same condition as when we beat Napoli. We know what we have to rediscover. Tomorrow you’ll see a team that will be foaming at the mouth. I don’t know if that will be enough, but we’ll try.” Inzaghi said

– Stephane M’Bia is set to make his return from injury and suspension as Cameroon bid to qualify from Group D at the Africa Cup of Nations.

– Colombia boss Jose Pekerman is confident Radamel Falcao will overcome a difficult start to life at Manchester United. “It’s a difficult period for him, but he’s a proven player with regard to his mentality and he’ll keep on working hard. I’m sure that this [difficult period] will just be temporary and he will come through it, I don’t have any doubt. The most important thing is that he is well [after his injuries]. Sometimes these situations are not easy… it’s a shame because he’s a lad we want to be playing regularly as he’s a great player, but I expect it will sort itself out soon.” Pekerman said

AFCON 2015 Group C results:

Ghana 1-0 Algeria

Senegal 1-1 South Africa

AFCON 2015 Group D fixtures:

Cote d’Ivoire V Mali

Cameroon V Guinea

THE FA CUP – FOURTH ROUND RESULTS AND FIXTURES

Friday 23rd January 2015

Cambridge 0-0 Man Utd Full time

Saturday 24th January 2015

Blackburn v Swansea 12:45

Birmingham v West Brom 15:00

Cardiff v Reading 15:00

Chelsea v Bradford 15:00

Derby v Chesterfield 15:00

Man City v Middlesbrough 15:00

Preston v Sheff Utd 15:00

Southampton v Crystal Palace 15:00

Sunderland v Fulham 15:00

Tottenham v Leicester 15:00

Liverpool v Bolton 17:30

Sunday 25th January 2015

Bristol City v West Ham 14:00

Aston Villa v Bournemouth 15:00

Brighton v Arsenal 16:00

Monday 26th January 2015

Rochdale v Stoke 20:00

WSB Regular Season Week 2 Preview

Can Puerto Rico Hurricanes make it two wins in a row against Argentina Condors?

An American derby ends the second week of Season V of the World Series of Boxing, with Argentina Condors at home to Puerto Rico Hurricanes.

The Condors lost their first week bout 4-1 at home against USA Knockouts, while the Hurricanes enjoyed a dream debut as they beat Rafako Hussars Poland at home.

Sunday 25th January is the date, and the Stadium of Argentina Boxing Federation, Buenos Aires is the venue, and fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 00:00 (GMT -3) at AIBABoxingTV.com.

A Flyweight (52 kg) fight opens proceedings, and the fast and pacy Cristian Alan Choque Chambi looks for victory against Puerto Rico’s prospect Jeyvier Cintrón Ocasio who won the silver medal at the 2012 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships, and was one of the youngest competitors in the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he advanced to the quarter-finals, losing only to the two-time AIBA World Champion Misha Aloian.

The second fight of the evening is at Lightweight (60 kg) with Argentina’s Brian Ivan Nunez, who competed in many matches last season fighting Jose Rosario who won the Cheo Aponte Tournament last year.

Up next are the Welterweights (69 kg) and one of Argentina’s best boxers is in action, as Alberto Ignacio Palmetta, ranked top 20 in the world by AIBA faces Nicklaus Flaz who won bronze at the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games.

Argentina Condors Light heavyweight (81 kg) Marcos Escudero then fights Puerto Rico’s Joseph Laboy, before the conquering Super heavyweights (91+ kg) finish the evening off as WSB veteran Facundo Cesar Ghiglione represents Argentina against the powerful Cosme Henrique dos Santos Nascimento.

Algeria Desert Hawks open their WSB Season against Cuba Domadores

The Defending World Series of Boxing (WSB) Champions Cuba Domadores enjoyed a successful start to the competition in week one when they whitewashed Morocco Atlas Lions 5-0, and this time they travel to Africa to face Algeria Desert Hawks.

This will be the first appearance of the season for the Hawks after their first week match with Russian Boxing Team was postponed due to bad weather, and they will be itching to make an immediate impression on the tournament.

Hocine Chalane, Blida hosts the action for this Group A match, and on Saturday 24th January, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 18:00 at AIBABoxingTV.com.

The Flyweights (52 kg) are in action first, and Abdelhakim El Barka has a tough task against Cuba’s Yosbany Veitia who won all eight of his WSB matches last season.

A Lightweight (60 kg) battle follows that, and it doesn’t get any easier for Algeria with two-time AIBA World Champion, Olympic bronze medalist and 6-1 WSB record holder Lazaro Alvarez facing Algeria’s Reda Benbaziz who will look to rely on his past WSB experience.

Algerian Welterweight (69 kg) Sofiane Tabi then looks to showcase his skills in front of his home fans against Cuban gold medal specialist Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo who went 5-0 in his debut WSB season.

Light heavyweight (81 kg) sees Julio Cesar De La Cruz putting his 5-1 WSB record on the line when he faces two-time Olympian and 2007 All-Africa Games gold medalist Nabil Kassel.

The last fight of the evening at Super heavyweight (91+ kg) could be Algeria’s best chance of a win, as they have Hamza Beguerni in action, who memorably knocked out England’s Joseph Joyce in the 2013 AIBA World Championships.

His opponent, Lenier Eunice Pero won the gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games, but the Cuban will have to be wary of the power from his African opponent.

Can Caciques Venezuela create the ultimate upset against Azerbaijan Baku Fires?

After losing 5-0 in their debut World Series of Boxing (WSB) match away in Kazakhstan, Caciques Venezuela look for their first win in the competition at home against WSB Season IV runners-up Azerbaijan Baku Fires.

The Fires crushed Italy 4-1 in their opening match of the season, and will fancy their chances for another big win away in South America.

Estadio Polideportivo José María Vargas, Maiquetía is the venue for the action, and on Saturday 24th January, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 21:00 (GMT -4.5) at AIBABoxingTV.com.

Eduard Johan Bermúdez Salas competed at the 2008 Olympic Games for Venezuela, and he makes his WSB debut at Flyweight (52 kg) against Azerbaijan’s Elvin Mamishzada who impressed in the Finals last year with a decisive win over Cuba’s Gerardo Cervantes.

There is great action at Lightweight (60 kg) in fight number two, with home favourite Nestor Armas in action against The Baku Fires superstar Albert Selimov who snapped the undefeated streak of the number one ranked Lazaro Alvarez last season.

Welterweight (69 kg) Gabriel Maestre Perez reached the quarter-finals of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the Venezuelan many fancy his chances against Yauheni Ramashkevich, who has a 2-3 WSB career record, and lost the deciding match in the Season IV Finals.

The Light heavyweight (81 kg) division always produces entertaining contests in WSB, and Albert Ramon Ramirez Duran makes his debut for Venezuela when he fights 2012 Olympian Soltan Migitinov.

Azerbaijan’s Arslanbek Makhmudov was the number one ranked Super heavyweight (91+ kg) in WSB last season amassing a 5-0 record, and he is the clear favourite in the last fight of the evening against Edgar Ramon Munoz Mata who competed at Light heavyweight in the 2004 Olympic Games.

Mexico Guerreros and Morocco Atlas Lions both aim for their first win of the season

Aguascalientes, Mexico, hosts the first home fixture for Mexico Guerreros in Season V of the World Series of Boxing, and they host Morocco Atlas Lions.

Both Franchises lost their first match of the season, so these five bouts carry huge significance even at this early stage of the competition.

This Group A match takes place on Saturday 24th January, 20:15 (GMT -6) , and fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand at AIBABoxingTV.com.

The Flyweights (52 kg) open this fixture, with speedy Mexican Alam Yael de la Luz Galindo fighting Morocco’s Achraf Kharroubi who won the prestigious Roberto Balado Cup in Havana last year.

Mexico’s Lightweight (60 kg) Lindolfo Delgado began his WSB career last season, and he opens up his account here against Moroccan Abdellah Boudrar who won October’s Mohamed VI Trophy.

An interesting Welterweight (69 kg) clash follows between WSB Season III number one ranked Marvin Cabrera of Mexico fighting Mohammed Rabii who will be looking to cause an upset away from home.

Ecuador’s Carlos Mina claimed the gold medal at the Pacific Cup in the latter stages of last year, and his excellent recent form sees him compete at Light heavyweight (81 kg) in WSB for Mexico.

His opponent is Mohamed Assaguir, a relatively unknown fighter who is looking to make a name for himself in WSB.

The last fight of the evening is a powerful contest at Super heavyweight (91+ kg) and Mexico’s young Edgar Ramirez is a truly promising boxer, and he faces Morocco’s Thierry Adolphe Ngueharoum in a bout that could end very early.

USA Knockouts look to inflict further damage on Italia Thunder in Miami

After their opening week one victory over Argentina Condors, the USA Knockouts seek to make it two wins out of two in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) against Italia Thunder, who are reeling from their opening loss in Azerbaijan.

The Miccosukee Sports & Entertainment Dome, Miami is the venue for this Group B match, and on Saturday 24th January, 19:30 (GMT -5) fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand at AIBABoxingTV.com.

In the first fight of the night, the Flyweights (52 kg) are in action, and Brent Venegas III is one of the brightest prospects in America, but will have to be at his best to defeat Gaurav Bidhuri, an Indian boxer who represents Italy, and who has prior WSB experience for former Franchise Mumbai Fighters.

The Lightweights (60 kg) are in action next, and the 2014 Junior and Youth Open Champion Carlos Balderas is just 19-year-old, one of the youngest competitors in WSB this season, and is tipped as a potential future superstar in the sport.

His opponent is Italy’s Fabio Introvaia, one of the most technically gifted boxers in the Italian squad.

Three-time Golden Gloves Champion Brian Ceballo has big dreams of making the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and the Welterweight (69 kg) fights a decorated Olympian Fred Evans in Miami.

Evans, a Welshman representing Italy, won the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and is a European gold medalist.

US army soldier Steven Nelson only began boxing in 2010, but is now the number one Light Heavyweight (81 kg) for America, and the Knockouts star fights Italy’s Valentino Manfredonia who competed well in many international events during 2014.

Equestrian IT Workshop Held In Lausanne

Equestrian IT experts, show secretaries and event organisers from around the world flew into the Olympic capital of Lausanne this week for a high-tech work-out with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

Last year alone, 3,557 equestrian events were held globally, representing over 150% growth since 2003. As the rapid expansion of equestrian sport continues, the FEI has developed cutting edge IT systems to manage competition entries, results, produce athlete rankings and biographies, and is delivering this content across a variety of IT and digital platforms.

Central to the organisation of equestrian events is the FEI Online Entry System, which was launched in 2013 and gives access to over 100,000 competing athletes through a single online platform. This system links to the publicly accessible FEI Database and feeds the free FEI SportApp, which allows fans to access the FEI’s entire sports calendar, event programmes and athlete biographies, and has specific functionalities for event organisers, officials, athletes and grooms.

Joining over 35 specialists from 12 countries at the FEI’s two-day “Hands-On” IT workshop was Andreas Steidle, founder of the online event management system HippoBase which simplifies advanced data exchange between National equestrian Federations and Organisers. “Technology is playing an increasingly central role in equestrian sport,” he explained. “We need to respond quickly to practical needs of event organisers, specific requests from media and to information-hungry fans. To do this, we must have the capability to collect and supply fast flowing information to traditional platforms and mobile devices. These are exciting times for equestrian sport, and it is impressive to see the promising and sensible approaches being taken by the IT team at FEI headquarters.”

Gaspard Dufour, the FEI’s Head of IT, underlined the central role of technology in equestrian sport and running events. “Managing and accessing data is just one aspect of our work. As well as the huge increase in the number of events globally, we now have over 36,000 human and almost 70,000 equine athletes competing internationally for instance. The FEI is helping organisers to access vital data in the run up to events, and grasp the full potential of technology to improve efficiency on the ground as our events take place.”

FEI President Ingmar De Vos welcomed the equestrian experts from all corners of the world to the HM King Hussein I Building, the FEI’s state-of-the-art headquarters in Lausanne (SUI): “The teams behind the organisation of our events are key to the growth of equestrian sport and they fully understand the impact of embracing new and exciting technology.

“As our sport grows and changes, the FEI is keeping one step ahead by dedicating its technological expertise to creating innovative platforms and systems to advance and modernise our sport and the way it is managed.

“Our interactive workshop this week was the first of a series to take place in 2015, as we look ahead to our major events this year including the joint Finals in Las Vegas of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage in April, the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping series, our European Championships this summer, and of course the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Tunisia To Host 2015 Men’s African Volleyball Club Championship

The African Volleyball Confederation “CAVB” announced that Tunisia will be the organizers of the 2015 Men’s African Clubs Championship March 5 to 17, 2015 in Sousse.

The club Championship is considered one of the most attractive volleyball championships in Africa as it usually attracts more than 16 teams in the last few years.

This competition will qualify the African Representative for the 2015 Men’s Club World Championship which will be held in Brazil May 5 to 10, 2015.

CAVB defined February 28th as a final date for the African clubs to confirm their participation in the African prestigious event.

Esperance receiving the cup

Esperance of Tunisia were the last champions in the same city in 2014 in presence of 18 clubs and they represented Africa in the world championship.

CAVB web site: http://www.cavb.org
Twitter: CAVB Tweets
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAVBVolleyball
YouTube: CAVB Video
Instagram: CAVB_ volleyball

WWE SmackDown Main Event Ends In Chaos As Royal Rumble Approaches

The hard hitting main event match between Daniel Bryan and Kane on SmackDown last Thursday provide wrestling fans with entertainment symbolic of the company.

However, it was how the evening ended that will leave fans salivating ahead of the Royal Rumble scheduled for Sunday.

Daniel Bryan booked his place in the 30-man melee after he pinned Kane in a no disqualification, anything goes bout on SmackDown. But the victory did not come easy for the YES man as he had to cope with assaults from both the Devil’s Favourite Demon and J&J securities at ring side.

However, after Bryan overcame the overwhelming odds and secured his place in the Royal Rumble, he was attacked on his way out of the arena by Big Show and was brought back to the ring for a four on one beat down.

Dolph Ziggler photo credit: Megan Elice Meadows https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhsnap_me/13772747075/in/photolist-mZ3VSt-mZ5K49-ds7R7g-iQ5Hfh-iQ7EtU-iQ5EaQ-iQ7wXb-iQ4UgX-iQ7C8b-iQ5DNs-iQ3HbK-iQ7zqY-aREHFP-bLCAH2-bLCA1Z-bxHUCf-bLCFbH-aRFff2-aRFfoZ-hDoaqq-aEHkQn-aEMbQC-hDnMea-dS8MEN-bLvKdt-aRFfZZ-bjSCaB-bM674X-9zRdhD-9zRdKt-9zRdei-9zRdFi-9zRdtP-aRF218-aRF1NH-aRF1wK-aRF4wg-aRF4ie-aRF3zt-aRF2wZ-dS8MPC-aRF3Ni-aRF45g-bLCJGn-bLCD3B-bxHZs1-bxHVx3-bLCH8X-bxHXpC-8qwCwh

Eric Rowan, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler entered the ring to even the odds, but more athletes soon followed and before long the entire locker room was involved in the Royal Rumble-like free for all.

When the dust finally settled, Ziggler, Ryback, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Big Show, and Kane were left in the ring. A remainder that alliances to last long in the Royal Rumble.

Shehu Bello

Australin Open Update: Federer, Errani Out Nadal,Sharapova In Plus Tennis Updates

The biggest upset of the tournament so far has seen No.2 seed Roger Federer knocked out of the Australian Open tournament by Italian Andreas Seppi 6-4,7-6(5),6-4,7-6(5) in the third round on Friday.

Seppi who had lost all his 10 previous matches against the Swiss won the first two sets against the 17 time Grand Slam champion.

Federer fought back to take the third set but the Italian took the fourth set into a tie-breaker after Federer raced to a 3-1 lead. Seppi fired a passing shot out pf reach of Federer to complete the major upset.

“I just tried to play on the center court again,I just tried to do my best” Seppi said during his post match interview.

Federer has said he will rest through much of February and his scheduled to play in Dubai late next month.

Andreas Seppi will nest face the winner between home favourite Nick Krygios and Tunisian Malek Jaziri.

Roger Federer Australian Open photo credit Chip_2904 https://www.flickr.com/photos/76384935@N00/3248048505/sizes/l

Spaniard Rafael Nadal bounced back from a draining second round battle to beat Israeli Dudi Sela in straight sets 6-1,6-0,7-5.

Rafael Nadal will now meet South African and 14th seed Kevin Anderson who defeated French man Richard Gasquet.

Sixth seed Andy Murray defeated Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-1,6-1,7-5 to reach the round of 16 and will now face Grigor Drimitrov who rallied from a set down to beat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 4-6,6-3,3-6,6-3,6-3.

Tomas Berdych was the first man to reach the fourth round with a resounding 6-4,6-4,6-3 win over Victor Troicki.

To the ladies, Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was pushed to the limits in the first set but still had a resounding 7-5,6-0 win over Carolina Garcia to reach the fourth round.

A crowd favourite at Melbourne and Newfanzone.com female tennis player to watch for 2015,Bouchard is on track to match her semi-final record of 2014.

The Canadian will now face Irina Carmelia Begu who defeated 19 year old German Carina Witthoeft to continue her best ever run in a Grand slam tournament.

Fired up Maria Sharapova cruised into the last 16 of the Australian Open by beating Zarina Diyas (31)of Kazakhstan in straight sets 6-1,6-1

Third seed Simona Halep moved into the fourth round in Melbourne with a 6-4,7-5 win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Friday.

The third seed will now face Yanina Wickmayer,who defeated Sara Errani(14) 4-6,6-4,6-3.

Russian 10th seed Ekaterina Makarova defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova(22) 6-4,6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for 5 years in a row.

Makaraova will next face German Julia Georges who defeated Lucie Hradecka 7-6(8-6),7-5.

Chinese and 21st seed Shuai Peng also progressed into the last 16.

In the Doubles, it was a sad day for Indian tennis players as Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza,Leander Paes
Lost their respective doubles matches.

The mixed doubles will see Mahesh Bhupati Partner up with Jamilia Gajdosova of Austrtalia, Rohan Bopanna combines with Czech Zahalova Strycova and Laender Paes is set to partner Martina Hingis.

TENNIS TITBITS

* Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has said that Andy Murray should not have sacked former coach Ivan Lendl after he has struggled to recapture his form under new coach Amelie Mauresmo.

* 33 year old Lleyton Hewitt has admitted that he is unsure of how long he will be in the game after his second round exit in Australia.

* World No.2 Roger Federer has confirmed that he will be supporting South-Africa at the Rugby world cup and also said he watches cricket frequently.

* Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki claimed that she has been cursed at the Australian Open after losing to Belarusian Victoria Azarenka.

Commonwealth Games Federation Unveils Rugby Sevens Teams Invited To Line Up For Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games

The Commonwealth Games Federation today (Friday, January 23) with World Rugby unveiled the 14 international teams invited to compete for Gold in Rugby Sevens at the Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games.

The history-making line-up includes eight teams for the men’s tournament and six for the women’s tournament – the first time young female athletes will compete in a Rugby Sevens competition at a Commonwealth Youth Games.

Rugby Sevens is already a firm favourite with Commonwealth Games fans – with the two-day tournament at Glasgow 2014 attracting a 170,000 world-record breaking audience for the sport over the two days of competition. And with Rugby Sevens set to make its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro next year, the young Rugby stars of the Commonwealth Youth Games will be looking to get an early foothold in the fast-paced sport which continues to grow and flourish on the global sporting stage.

The teams invited to go for Gold in the Men’s Tournament are: South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Cayman Islands, England, Fiji, Samoa and Australia.

And in the Women’s Tournament teams from Canada, Scotland, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands and Samoa are offered the chance to compete.

Making the announcement, David Grevemberg, Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation said:

“We’re delighted to unveil the Commonwealth nations and territories teams invited to compete in what is one of the world’s great international Rugby Sevens competitions for young athletes and we’re especially pleased to be making history by having the first women’s Rugby Sevens tournament at a Commonwealth Youth Games.”

Vitolio Lui, Chief Co-ordinator of the Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games said:

“Rugby Sevens is fast and furious contest with high point-scoring, hard hits and heroic sprints with just 14 minutes to win the game. It’s all about teamwork, skills and stamina and everyone’s got a job to do.

“Given the high quality of Rugby Sevens competition within the Commonwealth, we look forward to seeing some exciting and excellent performances in Samoa.”

World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset added:

“Rugby Sevens is reaching out, attracting and inspiring new young audiences around the world. We are excited about our Commonwealth Youth Games opportunity to showcase the future global stars of the men’s and, for the first time, the women’s Rugby Sevens.

We are sure that the sport’s winning blend of breath-taking action, competitiveness and entertainment will prove a hit in rugby-mad Samoa.”

Commonwealth Games Associations from the selected nations and territories now have until March 01 to confirm whether they will take up their Rugby Sevens slots along with all the other sports in which they intend to compete.

World Rugby

The Samoa 2015 Youth Games takes place from September 5-11 and will involve around 1000 Young Commonwealth Athletes aged 14-18. This will be the fifth Commonwealth Youth Games with previous Games held in Isle of Man (2011), Pune India (2008), Bendigo, Australia (2004) and Edinburgh in Scotland (2000).

The Commonwealth Youth Games is often the first opportunity to see the next generation of top athletes in action on the world sporting stage. Such sporting successes include English athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill who won silver in the 100 Metre Hurdles and High Jump at the Bendigo 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games and then went on to win bronze in the Heptathlon at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Since then, Jess won the gold medal in the Heptathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Through sport there are great opportunities not only for serious competition and fun but also to play an active part in important areas such as diversity and citizenship. It’s a priority for the CGF to engage, inspire and to help young people realise their potential right across a Commonwealth connected through sport.

Super 4: Flying Eagles Upbeat Against League Top Guns

Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles, have expressed confidence they will give a good account of themselves at the expanded Super 4 tournament, which kicks off on Saturday at the Abuja National Stadium.

The Flying Eagles and the Nigeria U23 team have been handed special invitations to feature in the pre-season competition, which has drawn league champions Kano Pillars, Enyimba, Warri Wolves and Dolphins.

The Nigeria U20, who arrived Abuja on Thursday from their training base in Kaduna, will play their first match on Saturday at the Abuja National Stadium against league runners-up Enyimba.

Kick-off is 3pm.

On Monday, they will take on Pillars, before they battle Warri Wolves on Wednesday and Dolphins on Friday.

Their final match in this round-robin competition will be Sunday, February 1, against Dream Team.

Match times are 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.

Flying Eagles assistant coach Nduka Ugbade said he is confident the team will do well in the Super 4.

“We have worked hard in Kaduna and we believe the team will show this at such a high-performance competition like this,” Ugbade said.

“This is a very good test for us ahead of the African Youth Championship in March in Senegal as it will afford us the chance to see how far we have gone in our preparations and make any necessary corrections before the AYC.”

The national U20s have been boosted with the arrival of Musa Yahaya from the Tottenham Hotspur youth team and Chidera Eze, who is with the FC Porto youth setup.

Skipper Musa Muhammed, Ifeanyi Matthew and Wilfred Ndidi, who have been away in Europe, are expected to join up before the team’s first game against Enyimba.

Full Super 4 Fixtures:

Day 1: January 24:
Dolphins vs Pillars 1pm
Enyimba vs Flying Eagles 3pm
Warri Wolves vs Dream Team 5pm

Day 2: Monday, January 26
Enyimba vs Warri Wolves 1pm
Pillars vs Flying Eagles 3pm
Dolphins vs Dream Team 5pm

Day 3: Wednesday, January 28
Flying Eagles vs Warri Wolves 1pm
Pillars vs Dream Team 3pm
Dolphins vs Enyimba 5pm

Day 4: Friday, January 30
Dream Team vs Enyimba 1pm
Kano Pillars vs Warri Wolves 3pm
Flying Eagles vs Dolphins 5pm

Day 5: Sunday February 1
Warri Wolves vs Dolphins 1pm
Pillars vs Enyimba 3pm
Dream Team vs Flying Eagles 5pm