02042019 - Military uncovers arms factory in Benue

46 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019
Work permit
kills Awoniyi’s
Liverpool
dream
Former Flying
Eagles star,
Taiwo Awoniyi
said his
dream of
playing for
Liverpool is
slowly dying
due to his
failure to get
UK work
permit to play in
England.
Awoniyi signed a longterm
deal in August 2015,
but he is yet to kick a ball
for the title chasing
Liverpool. He is on a fifth
loan spell outside of
England with Belgian
side Mouscron.
“It saddens my heart
that it’s been difficult to
get a work permit for the
past four years,” he told
BBC Sport.
“At the end of the season
we have to go back to
Liverpool to discuss.
Everyone knows the
importance of the work
permit and how it works,
and that you’d need to
play for your national
team.
“If you don’t get a
chance with your national
team then it becomes
Messi is not God, Pope
Francis tells Barca fans
For Barcelona fans,
Lionel Messi is
‘D10S’, a combination
of the Spanish word
for “God” - “dios” -
with the No.10 on his
shirt. But Pope
Francis begs to
differ.
Interviewed
by Spanish TV
•Awoniyi
channel La
Sexta on
Sunday, the
p o p e
praised his
Argentine
compatriot
Messi, but
said he must
not be called
God.
“In theory, it is sacrilege,”
explained the leader of the
Catholic Church. “You can’t
do it.
“People could call him
God, just as they might say
‘I adore you’, but only God
can be worshipped.
“(Saying) ‘He’s a god with
the ball on the pitch’ is a
popular way to express
yourself. He’s great to watch
- but he’s not God.”
Pope Francis is known to
be a football fan, and he is
difficult to get it.
“Personally, I chose Liverpool because I would
love to play in the English Premier League for
Liverpool.
“If God says it will happen then it will,
but if not then I can only go on with my
life and career.”
For non-EU players to be granted a
work permit, they must demonstrate
they are an international player of
“the highest calibre.”
This means they must have
played in 75% of a Fifa top-50
ranked national team’s
matches over the previous two
years.
Awoniyi, who helped his
country win the Under-17
World Cup in 2013, is currently
part of Nigeria’s under-23 side
vying for a ticket to the 2020 Olympics
football event in Tokyo.
Chelsea reject Fenerbahce’s
5m Euros offer for Moses
•Moses
Damien Comolli, who
previously worked at
Arsenal and Tottenham
Hotspur, played a key role
in convincing Moses to join
Fenerbahce in the January
transfer window.
The former Nigeria
international has been on
the books of Chelsea since
the summer of 2012 but it
appears his future lies
elsewhere as he is not in the
plans of manager Maurizio
Sarri. Moses’ contract with
Chelsea will expire in 2021.
Fenerbahce quest to sign Victor
Moses on a permanent deal from
Chelsea has been rebuffed by the
Blues.
According to reports in Turkey,
Chelsea turned down the five
million euros Fenerbahce have
put on the table. However it
was gathered that Chelsea are
willing to let Moses go for a
much higher fee.
Fenerbahce’s sporting
director, Damien Comolli is being
expected to go to England to meet
face to face with the Chelsea
executives and thrash out a deal.
also a club member of
Buenos Aires side San
Lorenzo.
Two goals from Messi
gave Barcelona victory in
Herrera signs pre-contract
with PSG
Ander Herrera has agreed a
pre-contract with Paris
Saint-Germain and will leave
Manchester United this summer
to make the move to the French
capital.
Herrera struggled for regular
action in the early stages of the
2018-19 campaign, but has
been a key part of the team since
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced
Jose Mourinho as head coach
•Ronaldo
the Catalan derby over
Espanyol on Sunday,
taking the Liga leaders
another step closer to the
title.
Ronaldo’s return for Ajax
clash will be difficult —Allegri
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri accepts it will
be “difficult” for Cristiano Ronaldo to return from
his thigh injury in time to face Ajax in the Champions
League quarter-finals next week.
Ronaldo sustained the problem during Portugal’s 1-
1 Euro 2020 qualifying draw against Serbia last
Monday and missed the slender 1-0 win over Empoli
on Saturday.
But it now seems Ronaldo could also miss the first
leg of the Champions Leaguelast-eight tie in
Amsterdam.
“Ronaldo is working and we hope to have him for
Ajax, but it will be difficult,” Allegri said at a news
conference. “We hope he can [play], he is working
every day.
“Today’s [Monday] examination is much better, the
leg is better. There are nine days left until Ajax and we
have time to evaluate. We must be careful and evaluate.
“As for Douglas Costa, he’s in good condition and
should be available for Ajax.[Sami] Khedira has worked
with the team and could to be there for Milan.
“Paulo Dybala will be evaluated to understand how
he is doing with the knock on his shoulder. He will not
play in Sardinia [against Cagliari on Tuesday] and we
hope to have him back to face Ajax.”
Zenith Bank/ Delta Principals Cup:
Obule emerges championsin dramatic final
It was a great show of
football artistry at the final
of the Zenith Bank Delta
Principals Cup played at the
Stephen Keshi stadium,
Asaba, as Obule Integrated
School, Sapele came from a
goal down to defeat Boys
Secondary School,
Obiaruku, 2-1 to emerge the
champions of the third
edition of the rebranded
competition.
Bright Osenene put Boys
Sec Sch ahead in the 40th
minute and they were
looking good for the title only
for Obule to score two late
goals to turn the game
around.
Prosper Seruemu started
the revival with the equaliser
in the 76h minute while
Jolomi Neye completed the
come back with the winner in
the 84th minute.
Apart from the winning
prize of N1M for the wining
school, there was a
presentation of a new
hummer bus to Obule by
Delta State governor, Ifeanyi
Okowa.
In his remark, the
Commissioner, Basic and
Zidane yet to give
Hazard move the green light
Real Madrid boss Zinedine
Zidane is yet to give the
green light for his club
to move for Chelsea
attacker Eden Hazard in
this summer’s transfer
window.
Hazard will see his
current deal with
Chelsea expire in the
summer of 2020 and the
Belgium international has
been strongly linked with a
move to Madrid.
According to Marca, both
...as Gov. Okowa donates bus to winner
in December.
The Spaniard’s current deal
with United will expire at the end
of this season, however, and it is
understood that the English
giants are not prepared to meet
his wage demands of £200,000
a week.
According to the Daily
Record, Herrera has agreed a
pre-contract with the Ligue 1
champions as his five-season
stay with United nears its end.
•Pope Francis & Messi
Hazard and Los Blancos are keen for the deal
to take place, but Zidane is yet to sign off on a
swoop for the 28-year-old.
Indeed, the report has claimed that the newlyappointed
head coach wants to first ‘analyse
his squad in detail’ to determine which areas
need strengthening in this summer’s transfer
window.
Hazard has found the back of the net on
16 occasions for Chelsea this season,
while he has managed 105 goals in total
for the
English Man Utd
giants since a
2012 switch demand
from Lille.
Zidane is thought to Kroos, Bale
have as much as £430m
to spend on new players for Pogba
this summer.
Manchester United will
reportedly not
Secondary Education in the
State, Chiedu Ebie, who also
doubled as the chairman
Local O4ganising Committee
of the tournament expressed
joy over the successful
completion of the principal
Cup.
“We have worked hard for
three years to get to where we
are today,” he said.
“There was improvements
on the number of schools that
took part in this year
tournament as we have a
record 756 secondary schools
playing from the preliminary
and the two schools that
played in the finals worked
so hard to get to that stage.
“I want to appreciates the
governor for flying with this
dream and we are hoping to
put together a summer camp
for the best 30 players
discovered during the
•Hazard
consider selling Paul Pogba
to Real Madrid unless they
are offered Toni Kroos and
Gareth Bale in return.
Pogba is once again at the
centre of transfer
speculation after admitting
earlier this week that he
would like to play for the
Spanish giants.
The 26-year-old’s agent is
said to have already been in
contact with Real to get the
ball rolling ahead of the
summer, but Los Blancos
have work to do if they are
to convince United to sell.
Spanish outlet AS reports
that Kroos and Bale are
pivotal to any chance
Zinedine Zidane’s side
have of acquiring Pogba,
who has returned to his best
form since Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer was brought in
three-and-a-half months
ago.
United are said to be after
the duo to soften the blow
of losing one of their key
players, with Kroos
effectively a like-for-like
replacement in central
midfield.
competition.”
Lucky Ighade, Zenith Bank
Plc, Zonal Head, Asaba, who
represented the GMD/CEO,
Peter Amangbo, said they are
happy to invest in the youths
who are the future of the
country.
He however expressed the
company’s commitment to
supporting a Nobel cause
like the principal Cup.
Meanwhile, Delta State
has concluded plans to infuse
sports into the state’s
education curriculum.
The governor, Okowa said
Delta have come to realise
that sports and education
works hand in hand and they
want a sound and healthy
mind for their students.
Earlier in the day, Ekpan
Secondary School, Ekpan
defeated Comprehensive
Secondary School, Ogwashi-
Uku 3-2 to win the bronze
medal.