Super Eagles Stars, Kelechi Iheanacho & Alex Iwobi Nominated For European Young Player Of The Year

Sterling performances by Nigerian youngsters, Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi has earned the duo nominations for the 2016 European Golden Boy awards.

Kelechi Iheanacho & Alex Iwobi

 

Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City, Alex Iwobi of Arsenal, Marcus Rashford of Manchester United, and Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur are among the 40 nominees for the 2016 Golden Boy award, run by the Italian newspaper, Tuttosport and awarded to Europe’s most impressive footballer under the age of 21. 

 

The award, founded in 2003, relates to performances across a particular calendar year, with the winner decided by a panel of 30 journalists. 

 

Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero,  Paul Pogba, and Raheem Sterling are past winners, while Manchester United’s Anthony Martial claimed the prize last year.

 

Iheanacho’s Manchester City are currently flying high this season, and are yet to lose a game with the 19-year-old already contributing goals for the Citizens both in the Premier League and in the Champions League.

 

Iwobi’s Arsenal have also had great shows in recent weeks, having started the season with a home loss to Liverpool. The Nigerian international returned from injury to reclaim his spot as a first team regular for the Gunners.

 

The list in full:

 

Dele Alli (Tottenham), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Leon Bailey (Genk), Riechedly Bazoer (Ajax), Gabriel Boschilia (Monaco), Julian B.randt (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Fernandez (Sevilla), Andreas Christensen (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ante Coric (Dinamo Zagreb), Amadou Diawara (Napoli), Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Danilo Barbosa (Benfica), Moussa Dembélé (Celtic), Ousmane Dembélé (Dortmund), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Breel Embolo (Schalke), Gabriel Barbosa (Internazionale), Aleksandr Golovin (CSKA Moscow), Goncalo Guedes (Benfica), Demarai Gray (Leicester), Marko Grujic (Liverpool), Alen Halilovic (Hamburg), Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Viktor Kovalenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Lucas Hernández (Atlético Madrid), Emanuel Mammana (Lyon), Nathan (Vitesse), Olivier Ntcham (Genoa), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich), Jairo Riedewald (Ajax), Rúben Neves (Porto), Tonny Sanabria (Real Betis), Leroy Sané (Manchester City), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht), Almamy Touré (Monaco).

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Argentine player shoots referee dead & injures another player after he was given red card

An amateur football match was marred by violence after a player shot and killed a referee and also injured another player after he was given a red card. The match took place on Sunday in the Campo de la Ribera area of Cordoboa, Argentina. The referee, Cesar Flores, 48, was killed after being shot three times - once in the head, neck and chest, according to police.

According to the report bt MirrorSport, Police say referee Cesar Flores, 48, showed the assailant a red card for making a heavy tackle on an opponent. The player, who is at large, then retrieved a gun from his bag and shot Flores three times. He also wounded another player, 25-year-old Walter Zarate, before fleeing the scene.

Walter Zarate, was taken to hospital, though he is not in critical condition.

"It all happened during the match,” a police spokesman said. “We don’t know what happened with the referee but the player was angry and went to get his gun and killed him.”

The shooting appears to have taken place during an amateur game that the Argentina’s Football Federation might not have organized. If so, this looks like a case of social problems in the South American nation spilling onto the field of play.

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'I will never quit Man U, your claims are outrageous'- coach Louis Van Gaal blasts media

Man U coach Louis van Gaal has insisted that he will not resign despite the huge pressure he is facing in his second year as the coach of Britain's biggest and most successful club. The Dutch man lost at home last week to Southampton and his style of play has infuriated fans with many calling for him to be sacked and replaced with either Ryan Giggs, Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho.

Van Gaal labelled the stories suggesting he had to be persuaded to stay as "awful and horrible" on Thursday's press conference ahead of the F.A cup clash with Derby County. Asked about the claims he offered to walk away from the job, Van Gaal told reporters:

"I have not mentioned that, ever. I am always fighting. I have signed a three-year contract here. It's a process, not one game, and I want to continue until the end. When I'm not willing to do that, I don't think I would have started here one-and-a-half years ago. When I have signed for clubs, I have always spoken a long time with the CEO or with the owners, not only at United, but also at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and I have the faith that they always support me. But that gives more pressure to you, because you must fulfil the expectations they have of you. Of course we can fulfil those expectations. We are now only halfway. I cannot lose any more, because then I am condemned for the fourth time that I have been sacked."

Manchester United is fifth in the Premier League. They are out of the Champions League and the League Cup.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic becomes the highest paid footballer in France

According to les Parisen newspaper, the 34 year old PSG star striker has been handed a 700,000 euros ($760,000) monthly pay-rise making him by far the highest-paid footballer in France.
Ibrahimovic joined the club in 2012 from AC Milan and has scored 127 goals in 156 games since then. He now gets 1.5 million euros ($1.1 million) a month before tax under the performance-based hike agreed late last year

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Louis van Gaal future: Manchester United deny manager offered to resign, will not meet Ed Woodward today

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal Getty Images

Manchester United have denied that Louis van Gaal has offered to resign as manager, with no meeting planned between him and executive vice- chairman Ed Woodward scheduled for today.
Woodward is not in Manchester today to meet the Dutchman, who flew into Manchester Airport last night after a trip to Holland, to begin preparations for Friday's FA Cup tie with Derby County.
Van Gaal may have asked United for at least the third time following Saturday’s home defeat to Southampton whether they require him to walk away. That has been his response to the lowest moments in the season, though on each of the three occasions he has been seeking a clarification of the club's views on him, rather than offering to quit.

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