25052018 - BENUE KILLINGS: ETHNIC CLEANSING OR JIHAD? Soyinka, Northern leaders tango

46— Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018
Mikel
happy to join
Eagles camp
Captain Mikel Obi has
expressed his sheer delight
at teaming up with Super Eagles
squad in their 2018 FIFA World
Cup preparations camp in Uyo,
Akwa Ibom
Speaking after arriving the Ibom
Hotels and Golf Resort yesterday,
Mikel said he was anticipating
leading leading the team to the
Russia World Cup in the summer.
“I am happy to be here. It is a huge
privilege to play with this team and
represent Nigeria at the World
Cup,” Mikel was quoted on the
Super Eagles verified Twitter
handle with a picture of a smiling
Mikel at the hotel.
The Eagles will take on
Democratic Republic of Congo in a
friendly game in Port Harcourt on
Monday before jetting out to London
where they face England on June 2.
.
Lewandowski:
I want to be
fresh for
fireworks
Poland’s talismanic striker Robert
Lewandowski changed his
approach to his domestic season at
Bayern Munich in order to arrive at
the World Cup in the best possible
•Rashford
•Obi
form both mentally and physically.
Lewandowski is vital for the Polish team, just
like Lionel Messi for Argentina, Cristiano
Ronaldo for Portugal or Harry Kane for England.
“Since the beginning of the year I tried to slow
down and play optimally. I didn’t want to play
each game and butcher myself,” explained
Lewandowski.
“It gives nothing to me and the team in the
long run. I always had to be available even
though I had struggled with injuries.
“Now the situation has changed. I can sit on
the bench sometimes and don’t need to get up.
It’ll play an important role in my preparations,
especially given the World Cup on the horizon.”
Egypt players to
decide on fasting
Egypt goalkeeper and captain Essam
El-Hadary said that team will meet
to decide on fasting Ramadan or not
during the current preparation camp for
the World Cup in Russia in June.
“We will inform the technical staff of
our decision regarding fasting as soon as
the players meet and agree on what we
will do,” the 45-year-old record-breaking
goalie stated during a press conference
yesterday.
Egypt will play three friendly games
during the camp, which falls during this
year’s Holy month of Ramadan, starting
with Kuwait in Kuwait on 25 May, then a
week later against Colombia in the
Italian city of
Bergamo, and
finally a match
against Belgium in Brussels
on 6 June.
Muslim are obligated to
fast, abstinence from
eating of drinking, from
dawn to sunset
during Ramadan, but
some exceptions are
allowed in cases of illnesses or
travel.
“We all have one dream. We want to
represent Egypt well at the World Cup,”
he added.
•Hadary
Senegal seek
to emulate
2002 class
Senegal’s last appearance at the
World Cup 16 years ago marked a
golden era in the country’s
5 Man Utd players to
watch in Russia
It looks like it will be a busy year for plenty of Manchester United players this summer
as they embark on their summer adventure to Russia for the World Cup. We take a
closer look at who could have a good tournament for their country.
Ashley Young, England
Many might be thinking that he will be a regular starter, but with Gareth Southgate
taking Danny Rose and Fabian Delph as options Young’s chances look likely. Young has had
the pundits eating out of his hand this season; especially his outstanding performance
against Watford. He is still a threat going forward, and Southgate might find it hard to keep
him out of the starting XI especially with him playing wing backs.
Paul Pogba, France
With the national squad, Paul Pogba is a huge influence as he is allowed to roam further
forward and cause more danger away from his own goal. If he has an impressive tournament,
it might give his club manager more confidence in him and allow him to express himself
more. But this is Mourinho we are talking about.
Romelu Lukaku, Belgium
With 33 International goals already, he is expected to add to them straight away as
Belgium face lowly Panama in their first game. This is Lukaku’s second World Cup
having featured in the 2014 tournament, and he scored the goal in extra time against
U.S.A that sent them through to the quarterfinals. Goals are in his nature, and he
will be hungry for more this summer.
David De Gea, Spain
David De Gea is possibly the best goalkeeper in the world right now and
what better way to prove it than on the biggest stage in the world. Spain kick off their World
Cup with a game against rivals Portugal, and De Gea will be hoping to keep former United
legend Cristiano Ronaldo at bay.
Jesse Lingard, England
The Warrington born attacking midfielder has put himself alongside Dele Alli in the
reckoning to start against Tunisia and with a goal in his last international game against
Holland then he may just get the nod. At 25 years old he is no longer a youngster in
football terms so many players will be looking at him to make a difference. Having
tasted defeat at Wembley with United, he will be out to avoid it at all costs with England
this summer.
•Mane
footballing history
and a new
generation of talent
will fancy their
chances of making
a similar impact at
Russia 2018.
Senegal caused
one of the
tournament’s most
memorable upsets
in their only World
Cup appearance,
beating holders
France in the
opening game
before going on to
reach the quarterfinals.
The 2002 side was
spearheaded by
former Liverpool
forward El Hadji
Diouf and the current crop are also
reliant on a man plying his trade on
Merseyside.
Attacking talisman Sadio Mane
carries the goalscoring and creative
burden for Senegal and heads to the
World Cup in good form having
helped to fire Liverpool into the
Champions League final
They will certainly not be daunted
by what awaits them in Russia,
having been drawn in Group H
alongside Poland, Colombia and
Japan with no clear favourite to
progress.
If they are to emulate their
predecessors in 2002 and reach the
quarter-finals, they will then have
to play the first or second-placed
team from Group G, which features
Belgium, England, Panama and
Tunisia.
•Lukaku
•De gea
Colombia’s factbox
FIFA ranking: 16 (till June 7)
P
revious tournaments: Colombia are playing in their fifth World Cup, with their quarterfinal
appearance at Brazil 2014 — where they lost to the hosts — their best performance. The
Andean country is best remembered for its 1990s team featuring characters such as eccentric
goalkeeper Rene Higuita and blond-locked Carlos Valderrama.
Coach: Jose Pekerman: The silver-haired Argentine has led Colombia since 2012, pulling the
“cafeteros” (coffee-makers) out of a lean period and propelling them to their first consecutive
World Cups.
Key players: James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado
Prospects: With a formidable attack and a relatively manageable group, Colombia are highly
competitive. Group H, where Colombia will face Japan, Senegal, and Poland, is the only one to
lack a World Cup winner and should provide opportunities for the South Americans to rack up a
few goals.