Hosts Nigeria handed tough FIFA Under-17 World Cup draw

August 8, 2009

Hosts Nigeria will have a tough task defending their FIFA Under-17 World Cup crown after being drawn in a tough first round group that includes Germany, Argentina and Honduras.

The three-time world champions will open the tournament on October 24 against Germany at the Abuja National Stadium.

Twenty four years ago, Nigeria defeated Germany 2-0 to win the inaugural event in China.

The other 20 teams in the tournament are drawn into five groups of four teams each.

Three-time champions Brazil head Group B based in Lagos along with Japan, Mexico and Switzerland.

African champions Gambia are in Group C in Calabar along with Iran, Colombia and the Netherlands.

Burkina Faso will be based in Group D in Nugu with Turkey, Costa Rica and New Zealand.

Group E will be in the northern city of Kano where United Arab Emirates, Malawi, Spain and the USA will play.

Group F, in Kaduna, features Uruguay, Korea, Algeria and Italy.

The competition will end on November 15.

LAGOS (AFP)

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US celebrates huge Confed Cup victory over Spain

June 25, 2009

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP) – Brilliant tactics helped the United States pull off a stunning 2-0 win over Spain and reach the Confederations Cup final, something coach Bob Bradley described as huge.

A first half strike from Villarreal’s Jozy Altidore and another 16 minutes from time by Fulham’s Clint Dempsey did the damage on Wednesday in what will go down as one of the biggest victories in US football history.

They also had a flawless performance by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and a commendable defensive display to thank for earning them a shot at the trophy on Sunday against either Brazil or hosts South Africa.

“When you play Spain you certainly have to work very hard as a group to defend. We made a special point to close down Xavi as best we could to prevent his penetrative passes,” said Bradley.

“We felt strongly that when we got the ball we needed to be aggressive and have the confidence that we could keep the ball and move it.

“We did a very good job of sealing down the middle of the field. Our backline did very well. It was a team effort to just try and make sure our defending was good and look for moments to score.”

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque admitted his side were outfoxed.

“We faced a team that played with good energy, was good in attack and was fast. We were surprised. The entire team was very dangerous for us,” he said.

“We are in the world of sport and it was a strong rival and I cannot be unhappy with the effort made by the team. We did everything we could.”

It was a remarkable upset on a freezing night that not only ended Spain’s record of 15 consecutive wins but also prevented them from surpassing Brazil’s 35-match unbeaten run.

Spain will have to be content with going into the history books level with the South Americans after their first loss since November 15, 2006.

“For us it’s a big night, huge,” added Bradley.

“We’re excited to be in the final and when you’re there you have chance to win. The motivation will be very high.”

Spain had won all three previous encounters but the United States’ miracle run to the last four, qualifying on goals scored after finishing level with Italy on goal difference, showed they could not be understimated.

Spain had the first chance of the match but the US weren’t sitting back and Charlie Davies sent a spectacular bicycle kick flashing just wide.

With Dempsey firing a long range drive close soon after it was clear they meant business.

At the other end Cesc Fabregas sent a cross in from the left which Fernando Torres volleyed just past the post.

They combined superbly again shortly after with the Liverpool striker forcing a fine one-handed save from his Merseyside rival Howard.

But in a major shock the US took the lead on 27 minutes when the powerful Altidore muscled past Joan Capdevila and Carles Puyol with Iker Casillas unable to prevent his shot finding the back of the net.

It was only the third goal Spain had conceded in 16 games.

Spain were in trouble but bounced back with a hatful of chances with Torres and Sergio Ramos in the thick of the action only for heroic defending to deny them.

They went to the break losing 1-0 and in need of something special.

David Villa almost provided it soon after the restart when he let rip from just inside the box but Howard turned it round the post.

They threw all they had at the Americans but captain Carlos Bocanegra and his defensive partners held firm and against the run of play they scored a second.

LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan sent a cross in from the right and errors by Gerald Pique and Ramos allowed Dempsey to hustle the ball over the line for a famous victory.

Brazil and South Africa play their semi-final on Thursday.

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Nigeria rebels threaten FIFA junior World Cup

June 15, 2009

LAGOS (AFP) – Rebels in Nigeria’s restive Niger Delta on Monday claimed more attacks against facilities run by US oil giant Chevron and warned FIFA against letting Nigeria host the under-17 World Cup tournament.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) also threatened to extend its operations to other states in the oil-rich region.

MEND said it had started a massive fire that destroyed the Abiteye flow station and had blown up two other Chevron facilities there early on Monday.

Likening its operations to a hurricane, the group said it would be extending its actions beyond Delta state.

It would move “into the neighbouring states of Bayelsa and Rivers before passing through the remaining states of Ondo, Edo, and Akwa Ibom then finally head off-shore,” said MEND.

And it added: “We will want to use this opportunity to advise FIFA to have a re-think about Nigeria hosting the under-17 World Cup tournament at this time, as the safety of international players and visitors cannot be guaranteed due to the current unrest.”

The tournament is due to run from October 24 to November 15, and Nigeria has scheduled some of the matches to be played in the Niger Delta region.

The statement also called on people from the southern Niger Delta region living in the north of the country to return home within the next eight weeks.

MEND said it was issuing the warning “because a major event will occur in that part of the country and reprisal attacks directed at them cannot be ruled out.”

It gave the same advice to northern Nigerians living in the Niger Delta.

While the north of Nigeria is predominantly Muslim, the south is mainly Christian.

Monday’s operations were the latest in a series of MEND attacks on Niger Delta facilities run by the US oil giant designed to demonstrate that a recent government crackdown in the region has had no effect on its ability to operate.

One attack in May cost Chevron 100,000 barrels a day in lost production.

MEND, which says it wants a fairer distribution of oil wealth to local people, said it would keep up its operations until oil production in the country had been brought to a halt.

“We hope that by the time the oil and gas exports come to zero, Nigeria will maintain those positions from the export of groundnut oil,” it said.

Since 2006, MEND had been sabotaging the oil industry infrastructure and abducting oil workers, to the extent that it has seriously disrupted Nigeria’s oil production.

Overall the unrest has caused oil production — Nigeria’s main export — to fall by nearly a third, from 2.6 million barrels a day in 2006 to 1.8 million currently.

Nigeria gets 90 percent of its foreign currency from its production in the Niger Delta region, according to figures from the International Energy Agency.

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Different histories, same challenges for sides at CONCACAF U-17 Championship

April 20, 2009

TIJUANA, Mexico –The United States has a streak it would like to continue, Mexico has one it wants to improve upon – and Honduras wants to start a streak.

The CONCACAF Under-17 Championship starts Tuesday in Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente with a doubleheader featuring Honduras against Canada, and Caribbean champion Cuba facing the United States. It’s the beginning of a 12-day event that will decide the confederation’s four qualifiers for the U-17 World Cup October 24-November 15 in Nigeria, and for the first time since 1996, a regional champion.

“The first goal is to be a semifinalist,” U.S. coach Wilmer Cabrera said. “If you’re a semifinalist, you’re in the World Cup. After that, if you qualify, you want to win.

“You have to worry about qualifying first. You have good players, but they’re less mature. You go little-by-little, step-by-step. They’re young.”

The United States is the only country to have qualified for every U-17 World Cup since FIFA initiated the tournament in 1985, finishing as high as fourth in 1999.

Mexico enters unbeaten in its last 10 games in the tournament, although after winning the World Cup title in 2005, it failed to qualify two years ago. El Tri managed only two goals and three draws in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying in 2007, leaving it behind Haiti and Honduras.

And while Honduras is the only team to play in each of CONCACAF’s 13 previous final rounds of qualifying, last time out was the first time it made it to the World Cup.

While having qualified for every World Cup, the United States did not play in the 1985 CONCACAF championship, having won the inaugural title in 1983 and thus exempted from having to qualify for the World Cup two years later.

Besides Canada, Cuba, Honduras and the United States, host Mexico will be joined in Group B by Costa Rica, Guatemala and Trinidad.

That group will open on Wednesday, with Guatemala playing Costa Rica and Mexico facing Trinidad.

Costa Rica enters having qualified for four straight U-17 World Cups and six of the last seven, missing only in 1999. Only the United States has a better record within CONCACAF in that time period.

The United States will enter as a favorite of many, sporting a lineup with several players on the rosters of pro clubs and one striker, Joseph Gyau, with an international pedigree.

Gyau, who is lists his club as the amateur side FC Delco near Philadelphia, is the son of Philip Gyau, who played six times for the United States senior team and helped it qualify for the World Cup in 1990 for the first time in 40 years.

Mexico arrives with virtually an entirely professional side and Honduras, which won its three-team qualifying group in Central America without allowing a goal, will be led by Anthony Lozano of Olimpia, who played for his country at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Trinidad in March.

While Mexico, the United States and Costa Rica will arrive as the favorites of many, Cabrera says predicting the success of youth players is a risky endeavor.

“At this age, you cannot expect one player to step up” he said. “This is a difficult age. You have good players who sometimes have very good days, sometimes are OK, and sometimes they don’t look good at all.”

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Walcott´s return can fire Arsenal

March 10, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Arsene Wenger hopes Theo Walcott’s return to action in Sunday’s FA Cup fifth round clash against Burnley will give Arsenal the momentum to keep their season alive.

Walcott is back after surgery on a shoulder injury sustained during training with England before their November friendly against Germany.

The 19-year-old, who last played for Arsenal on November 15, was in fine form before the injury and Wenger believes he can have a significant impact on a big week for the Gunners.

Victory over Championship club Burnley at the Emirates Stadium would set up a winnable home clash with Hull in the quarter-finals. Then Wenger’s side travel to Italy for Wednesday’s second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Roma hoping to hold onto their one-goal lead.

Wenger knows Walcott’s shoulder will be tested by the physical demands of top-level competition but he expect the teenager to cope.

"It is very important to see how he will respond with his shoulder and I think he looks to be nearly there. To have him back is great and he can be very good for us," Wenger said.

"However, the difference between training and competition is different.

"Theo is very fit, but after that you have to get used to tackles and go into the challenges."

Walcott’s return, and that of Croatia striker Eduardo from a hamstring injury, are perfectly timed for Wenger, who has seen his side struggle to score in recent weeks.

Arsenal ended a run of four successive goalless league draws by beating bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion in midweek, but Wenger knows he needs as many attacking options as possible for the sterner tests that lie ahead – starting with Owen Coyle’s Burnley.

Wenger will not underestimate the challenge posed by the Clarets, who knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup at Turf Moor in December and also beat Chelsea and Fulham in the same competition.

"It is an important game and not one we will treat lightly. We treat it with respect and focus," Wenger said.

"We know Burnley well and that they are a good side. The Championship teams are now a serious candidate in every game.

"They have shown that recently, and we have the experience of playing Championship teams.

"The gap has been reduced between Championship teams and the Premier League – you see that in the results of the FA Cup and League Cup."

Wenger is set to rotate some of his personnel on Sunday, with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski given another chance to impress but defender Kolo Toure, who has a calf injury, will not be risked.

Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor is unlikely to be match fit in time for the Roma game as he battles to recover from his own hamstring injury.

"I have to measure the consequence of resting one or two players more and having a bad game, and of making sure we get through," Wenger said.

"You give your best and make sure it works, so we will give our best and it will work.

"The best way to prepare for the next game against Roma is to win on Sunday."

Burnley have impressed with their fluent passing football this season and Coyle insists he has no intention of playing for a draw at the Emirates.

"Whoever plays for Arsenal, you can guarantee they’ll be an international player and that in itself tells you the enormity of the task," Coyle said.

"But we’re going to look to be positive in the game, commit players forward at each and every opportunity and see where it takes us.

"I’ve said before, I’m not going to set a team out to go and stop the game. We’re taking over 5,000 fans and it would be remiss of me to just sit behind the ball and not offer anything in terms of an attacking threat."

Written by: AFP

Tags: arsene wenger, attacking, champions league, CHELSEA, clarets, clash, croatia, Eduardo, emirates, Emirates Stadium, emmanuel adebayor, England, English Premier League, FA Cup, fulham, Germany, gunners, HULL, Italy, level competition, london, midweek, november 15, Owen Coyle, physical demands, quarter finals, Roma, shoulder injury, side travel, significant impact, tackles, Theo, theo walcott, turf moor, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion

Walcott´s return can fire Arsenal

March 8, 2009