Thursday 8 October 2015

Sport Major: Vincent Enyeama Retires from Nigeria Football Team.

One of Nigeria’s best goalkeepers, Vincent Enyeama has said that he is no longer a player with Nigeria’s senior football team, Super Eagles. Enyeama who took to his Instagram page,  ‘vinny 2908’, said he has served Nigeria his best while in the pitch and now, has retired from active play with Eagles to focus on his club career.
“I have fought a good fight for more than 13 years. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith and sang the anthem with passion. henceforth, there is laid for me a crown which only GOD can reward me for my 13 years of national services. God bless NIgeria.
“Henceforth, I am no more the captain of the NIgerian senior football team, I am no more the goalie of the team. I am out of the team. I am no more available for international duties.
“I want to say thank you to every Nigerian fan and supporter world wide. It’s been the most trying period of my life but I know that Nigerians are there for me and God is with me. God bless NIgeria,” he said.
Recall that the former Eagles captain was recently stripped of that title by the Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh and handed over to CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa, following an altercation between them.
Although Oliseh has said the rift between him and Enyeama has been sewn, he insisted that his decision of stripping the former Eagles captain of his title was based on discipline. ‘’I want a captain who is disciplined. A leader who can motivate other players. A player who  comes to camp early. I want a young player not a retiring player as captain. And Ahmed Musa is that player. He is my captain.’’
“The fact is that I would like to have somebody (as captain) who is thinking of playing now and not somebody who is preparing for retirement or thinking of life after-football. And I think it’s time we had peace and quiet around the Super Eagles. That is why I am glad that most of the players here are finding ways to work as a team because I get the feeling now that they are aware that they are representing 170 million people’’, Oliseh said on Brila.

FIFA: Hayatou Steps in as Temporal President

CAF President, Issa Hayatou
African football leader Issa Hayatou on Thursday took temporary charge of FIFA after Sepp Blatter was “relieved of his duties” because of his 90-day suspension, the world body said.
Hayatou, 69, is president of the Confederation of African Football, and takes over as senior vice president of FIFA. He has in the past been reprimanded for misconduct by the International Olympic Committee.
“Joseph S. Blatter was relieved of all his duties as FIFA president” after the move by the FIFA ethics committee to suspend him for 90 days because he is under criminal investigation by Swiss prosecutors, FIFA said.

Sourced from Guardian News

Messi in Court for Tax Fraud

Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father Jorge are to stand trial on three counts of tax fraud that could carry prison sentences, a Spanish court confirmed on Thursday.
In a court filing, the judge in charge of the case rejected a request by the public prosecutor to try only the footballer’s father.
The pair were accused in 2013 of defrauding the taxman out of 4.16 million euros ($4.69 million) in taxes related to Messi’s image rights between 2007 and 2009 through the creation of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay.
No date has been set for the trial, which will take place in Vilanova i la Geltru, a town 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Barcelona.
Prosecutors had asked for the case against the four-time World Player of the Year to be dropped as the alleged fraud was in their estimation carried out by his father, who has managed his son’s affairs since he was a child.
They asked for Jorge Messi to be handed an 18-month prison sentence and a fine of half the defrauded amount.
However, lawyers acting on behalf of the tax authorities pleaded for the player to also be tried and for both defendants to face a 22-month prison sentence.
In any case, both are unlikely to end up in jail as sentences of less than two years are normally suspended for first time offences in Spain.
“There are rational signs that the criminality was committed by both accused parties,” said the judge.
Messi, 28, is the fourth richest sportsman in the world, according to Forbes magazine which estimates he earns almost $65 million a year.
The news is just the latest blow for the Argentine, who will be out of action for six weeks due to knee ligament damage.