The Newfanzone World Soccer Report by Our Man Paul Ayorinde is here 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
News from Germany;
– Germany coach Joachim Low felt his team showed naivety in their 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland. “We are all disappointed,in the last minute we were too naive to have long balls only hyped forward, we didn’t hold the ball and lost the balls. Overall, it was a difficult game, we had to be
patient. In the first half our game was missing width and depth – we have it easy for the Irish to defend. In the second half we made it better and
created more pressure, but unfortunately it did not rewarded us with the second goal.” Low said
– German defender Mats Hummels believes Germany failed to meet the
standards expected of them. “It’s not good enough,it’s not the standard people expect from us and it’s not the standard we set for ourselves.” He said
– Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a third serious knee ligament tear in training.
![Bafetimbi Gomis, photo credit www.swanseafc.pl](https://finixsports.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bafetimbi-gomis-photo-credit-www-swanseafc-pl.jpeg?w=474)
News from France;
– According to Lyon President Jean Michel Aulas, French striker Bafetimbi Gomis turned down Swansea City last year. “The financial results in front of you were not what we wanted. We wanted to sell €20m worth of players, we had an agreement for €12m with Swansea at the beginning of last
season and Bafé thought that Swansea was a second tier club.” He said
– Brazilian striker Adriano is to visit
Ligue 2 side Le Havre ahead of a possible move their incoming President Christophe Maillol confirmed.
News from Italy;
– Inter President Erick Thohir warned Serie A to be open to “globalisation” and “another Calciopoli would be death.”
“Every component of Italian football, the Government, the clubs, the League have to be more friendly to globalisation. Serie A is not easy, I am lucky, but I think it’s a challenge for everyone in football in Italy to be more transparent and open.I tell a lot of my contacts in Italian football that if we do another Calciopoli, it will be the death of Serie A. We wouldn’t be number two,three or four, we’d be number nine.” He said
– Joe Tacopina is officially the new President of Bologna and promised to build a new stadium worth €60m.
– Fabio Borini’s agent Marco De Marchi thanked Inter director Piero Ausilio for praising the Liverpool striker and confirmed a summer offer. “That admiration makes us happy and proud,of course I was aware of it and the interest in the player, but it’s pleasing that Ausilio is stating that publicly. I knew that Inter and other clubs were interested this summer, but for me Fabio is a top class player and it’s only right he try to find
space at Liverpool.” He said
News from Spain;
– Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann says that the chance to work with Diego Simeone helped him to decide to snub Arsenal this summer. “Why Spain and not elsewhere? This is my championship, my home. I’m happy here and Atletico is a great club. The [champions] were
willing to pay €30 million for me,I had the boss on the phone. He motivated me and said the club really wanted me. I knew that I was coming here to learn.I needed a club like that and a coach like Diego Simeone to progress. I always demands intensity in training. That’s my style and I like it.” He said
– Luis Suarez has declared himself “100 per cent ready” to make his
Barcelona debut against Real Madrid on October 25th.”To start with Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu
would be very special,before these games with Uruguay I was not able
to play, but now I feel really good physically,better than I had expected. I’m 100 per cent ready.” He said
– Former Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup believes that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo need one another to keep improving.
“I think they need each other,If one scores a hat-trick, the other tries to
beat that. They are two of the best, not just of this era – in 30 years we’ll be talking about them and the debate will be whether Messi, Cristiano, Maradona or Pele is the greatest of
all time.” He said
– Former Liverpool manager Kenny Daglish says he is honoured to have coached Luiz Suarez.
“More than an honour for him to play under me, it was an honour for me to coach him. So much so that, despite having a golf match scheduled for today, I didn’t think twice when
they invited me to present him with the Golden Shoe. He’s an amazing footballer,” He
said.
![Arsene Wenger](https://finixsports.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/arsene-wenger-e1412728963564.jpg?w=350&h=217)
News from England;
– Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed his midfielder Mesut Ozil “felt a crack” in his knee before halftime in the Premier League clash against Chelsea. “He had a little problem just before he went out at half-time. He had a little pain with his knee,he felt a crack. I said to our physio to keep an
eye on him and if there was anything wrong with him, tell me because when you’re 1-0 down, you want to keep your offensive players on the
pitch.” Wenger said
– Manchester United Assistant manager, Ryan Giggs has described Angel Di Maria as a “free spirit” who he loves to watch and who brings fans to their feet in delight.
“You don’t need to do a lot with him,he’s that sort of player, he’s a free spirit. He will take you from box to
box really quickly and he will create and score goals. He gets bums off seats and he excites me. He’s the kind of player you love to watch.” He said
– Jordan Henderson says Steven Gerrard’s influence on and off the pitch not only makes him a great captain for Liverpool, but also one of
the best in the game.
“Stevie’s probably not only the best captain for Liverpool and before with England, but in the game itself,being around him has benefited me a lot. It’s
been huge. Every day I watch him. It’s his desire to improve. He’s been the best and most influential player here for such a long time but he still wants to get better.” He said
– Paul Scholes has defended England manager Roy Hodgson for revealing that Raheem Sterling was too tired to play against Estonia, while questioning whether the Liverpool player was put under any pressure by his club.
“When he was asked on Sunday why Sterling was not in the team for the Estonia game, Hodgson had to give a straight answer. Sterling is one of
his most important players. If he is not playing then naturally he is going to be asked why,I don’t blame Hodgson one bit. He does his best
to look after the players, win games and give honest answers. Being England manager is hard enough without the added obligation to
accommodate every club’s different recovery plans.” Scholes said
– Lukas Podolski has revealed
his status at Arsenal “has to change” and is open to leaving the club in January. “I have assessed my position in the team, and it has to change now,let’s see what happens in the winter. The fact is that I’m not happy with it, that’s clear.” He said
![Samson Adamu (CEO Kinetic Sports); Felix Anyasi (Chairman, Enyimba FC) during the announcement of Enyimba Football Club's participation in The FC Barcelona Club Challenge at Copa Lagos 2014](https://finixsports.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/samson-adamu-ceo-kinetic-sports-felix-anyasi-chairman-enyimba-fc-during-the-announcement-of-enyimba-football-clubs-participation-in-the-fc-barcelona-club-challenge-at-copa-lagos-e1413384536212.jpeg?w=350&h=234)
News from other parts of the World;
– Lionel Messi has targeted success at next year’s Copa America, saying it has been too long since Argentina won an international trophy.
“We have to fight to win all tournaments,unfortunately, it is a long time since Argentina managed to win something. We came close at the World Cup, but that is already behind
us. We have not won the Copa America for a long time, and the objective is to win it.” Messi said
-Serbia and Albania are facing stiff sanctions after UEFA charged the countries with a number of offences following the abandoned Euro 2016
qualifier in Belgrade. Serbia have been charged with the throwing of
missiles and fireworks, crowd disturbance,invasion of the pitch by supporters, insufficient organisation and use of a laser pointer.
Albania have been charged with refusing to play and the display of an illicit banner.
Both countries are likely to be handed heavy fines and other sanctions, including possible points deductions, when UEFA’s disciplinary body hears the case on Oct. 23. Albania faces forfeiting the match and Serbia could play future games behind closed doors, but UEFA is not expected to
expel the countries from the competition.
Copa Lagos 2014
Organizers of Copa Lagos, have announced Enyimba Football Club’s participation in The FC Barcelona Club Challenge at this year’s edition of Copa Lagos.
Copa Lagos, Nigeria’s highly entertaining international beach soccer festival will hold this year at the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos, from 12th to 14th December 2014.
Enyimba FC, the Aba-based, two-time African Champions, will compete against other premium Nigerian clubs, including Stationery Stores, in The Club Challenge
AFCON 2015 QUALIFIER RESULTS
Cameroon 2 – 0 Sierra Leone
Togo 1 – 0 Uganda
Angola 4 – 0 Lesotho
Ghana 3 – 1 Guinea
Nigeria 3 – 1 Sudan
Zambia 3 – 0 Niger
Egypt 2 – 0 Botswana
Ivory Coast 3 – 4 D.R. Congo
Cape Verde 1 – 0 Mozambique
Burkina Faso 1 – 1 Gabon
Mali 2 – 3 Ethiopia
South Africa 0 – 0 Congo
Tunisia 1 – 0 Senegal
Algeria 3 – 0 Malawi