Why Mikel Should Remain At Chelsea

The future of Nigeria Captain and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel looks very uncertain, and it seems his days at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end.

His agent John Shittu who brokered the move to Chelsea following the saga between the London Club and Manchester United has shot down reports suggesting him leaving Stamford Bridge citing all of such links as rumours. However, the future of the midfielder who have spent 10 years at Chelsea is still under massive speculation without a clear picture of where the Chelsea man should pitch his tenth come next season.

Following the announcement of Antonio Conte as new Chelsea Coach in the latter stage of last season, Mikel rejected a new three year deal and decided to wait till summer to make a decision about his future with first team football in mind. Following an £8 million interest from Turkish Giant Bekistas and other suitor’s interested in his services, it could be in Mikel's best interest to remain at Stamford Bridge amid all the speculation.

On this note we highlight some reasons why the Mikel Obi should remain at the club next season.

TO REMAIN AMONG THE ELITES

Mikel celebrates first Champions League goal against Sporting Lisbon among the Chelsea elite players.

John Obi Mikel has paid a big price in world football and in Nigeria football at large and it is right for him to reap the fruits and the dividends at the moment.
A player who was converted from attacking midfield position to a defensive midfield player  under Coach Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in 2006 have been a long serving player for the club along side John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic and with the aforementioned staying put at the club, it will be nice for Mikel to bury the hatchet and settled down at the club which have fetched him glory in the UEFA Champions league in 2012 and some other trophy with 2015 Premier League crown a worthy of note.
There is need for Mikel to remain at Chelsea alongside Cesc Fabregas, Gary Cahill, William and star player Eden Hazard as his presence around the Chelsea bunch will endear him with massive recognition and possible limelight. A further stay at Chelsea will enable Mikel remain among there elite as the pre-season approaches in earnest.

Euro 2016 participants only absentees as Jose Mourinho readies Man Utd for pre-season fixtures

New Manchester United signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly as well as the fit-again Luke Shaw are among the players who have been training under Jose Mourinho's watchful eye ahead of the club's first pre-season friendly this weekend.

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United's maiden fixture under Mourinho - appointed as manager in May, succeeding the sacked Louis van Gaal - is a trip to Wigan on Saturday.

The contest could see first run-outs for forward Mkhitaryan and central defender Bailly following their big-money summer moves from Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal respectively.

And there is also a chance of it featuring Shaw, the full-back who missed the rest of United's season and England's Euro 2016 campaign after suffering a broken leg in September.

A statement on United's website on Wednesday said a number of youngsters are likely to feature in the match as well, with some, including James Wilson, Andreas Pereira, Tim Fosu-Mensah, Axel Tuanzebe, Joel Castro Pereira and Dean Henderson, having trained with the first team that morning.

The likes of Memphis Depay, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Adnan Januzaj, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones and Daley Blind were also part of the proceedings at the club's Aon Training Complex in Carrington, overseen by Mourinho and his long-time assistant Rui Faria.

Not present was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, United's other new summer recruit who is currently on holiday after playing for Sweden at Euro 2016.

Other Euro 2016 participants not involved included England's Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford and Chris Smalling, a trio Mourinho has said will be on the club's tour of China that begins next week but not play in either of the games.

United are scheduled to face friendlies on the tour against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City on July 22 and 25 respectively.

Euro 2016: Italy qualify for last 16

Brazil-born striker Eder overcame an otherwise patchy performance to hit a cracking late winner in a 1-0 victory over Sweden that sent Italy into the last 16 of Euro 2016 on Friday.

Eder, playing in his first major finals for Italy after being naturalised last year, came close to being substituted by Antonio Conte after a dismal opening half up front alongside Southampton striker Graziano Pelle.

But the Inter Milan striker had the Italy bench celebrating wildly on the pitch at the Stadium de Toulouse with a well-taken 88th minute strike after running on to Simone Zaza’s header to beat Andreas Eriksson at his far post.

“I’m very happy with the goal,” said Eder, who this season has struggled to make an impact at Inter Milan after moving from Sampdoria in January.

“I’m delighted for the team, and I’m very happy the coach has kept faith with me.

“I think it helped me I wasn’t playing for Inter Milan a lot at the end of the season. That helped me to save some energy for this championship and also allowed me to work a lot of my fitness.”

Italy, 2-0 winners over Belgium last week, now top Group E with six points, leaving Sweden, who had late claims for a penalty waved away, realistically needing to beat Belgium on Wednesday if they are to have any hope of making it to the knockout phase.

After a mediocre display in Sweden’s 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland, all eyes were on captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the towering striker sought to make his mark by becoming the first man to score in four editions of the competition.

But a cautious Italy restricted the former Juventus and Paris Saint Germain striker to few real chances in front of a huge army of yellow-clad Sweden fans.

Defender Giorgio Chiellini was handed that task but he said it took a concerted effort.

“You can’t afford to give strikers like him an inch. He can transform balls that most humans can do nothing with into goals,” said the Juventus defender.

“But it took the whole team to help close him down. Zlatan is 80 per cent of Sweden’s team.”

Tinubu buys 250 GCE forms for students in Lagos.

Lagos – Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (APC-Lagos Central), on Friday distributed 250 General Certificate of Education (GCE) forms to students to enable them write the examination and seek to advance their education. Oluremi Tinubu Tinubu distributed the forms at a Town Hall Meeting organised by her in Lagos with the theme: “Creating Purposeful Partnership.’’ 


She said the gesture was to appreciate the partnership and support of her constituency, as well as bring government closer to the people. “The purpose of this gathering, among other things, is to bring the government closer to the people. “Your cooperation and partnership over the years has been purposeful as elders, men, women and youth,’’ she said. Tinubu, while giving account of her stewardship in the senate, said she belonged to six different committees.

 “I have been assigned to the following Committees: Women Affairs, Environment, Air Force, Employment, Labour and Productivity, Tertiary Institution and TETFUND as well as Constitution Amendment. “I will continue to give my constituency a great voice in the senate and be a representative you can trust and count on,’’ she said. The senator urged her constituency to continue to pray and support the present government as it strives to make Nigeria better. “All hands have to be on deck to achieve that new Nigeria we voted for. “I implore you to keep your unwavering confidence and faith in this nation and in the present government as we are all in the planting season and sooner there shall be bountiful harvest.

Negotiations over Jose Mourinho's image rights are delaying him becoming the new Manchester United manager.

Mourinho is expected to replace sacked Louis van Gaal, with talks ongoingbetween his agent Jorge Mendes and United officials.

But it has emerged that Chelsea still own the 'Jose Mourinho' name as a trademark - meaning United may need to pay a six-figure sum for the rights.

However, the issue will not scupper any deal, which is expected this week.

Discussions will now enter a third day, despite the deal to bring the 53-year-old former Chelsea boss to Old Trafford being largely complete. On Wednesday, Mourinho told waiting reporters at his home in London that he was going to Portugal.

What is the hold-up?

Chelsea registered both the name Jose Mourinho and his signature as a European trademark in 2005, meaning they can use it to sell merchandise such as toiletries, technology, clothing and jewellery.

Sports lawyer Carol Couse told BBC Sport it was "really unusual" for an individual not to own the trademark to their own name.

"Chelsea could be earning revenue every time someone uses Mourinho's name. It could prevent United from exploiting his signature," said Couse, of law firm Mills & Reeve.

"One of the things United will be looking to acquire is not only Mourinho's image but also his name.

"If United had a brand of Mourinho clothing it would be in breach of the trademark Chelsea currently own."

What are the possible solutions?

Mourinho cannot override the trademark, so the options are:

• United do not use Mourinho's name against the exhaustive list of items that Chelsea have registered - from umbrellas to watch straps, lingerie and talcum powders.
• United pay Chelsea for a licence so they can use Mourinho's name on club merchandise
• United ask Mourinho to buy the trademark back
• United challenge trademark if they can prove it has not been used by Chelsea

"That would be pretty costly," said Couse, who estimated the fee for a licence as "hundreds of thousands of pounds".

"Look at the value of the deals that have been done for Mourinho to date. What would be the value of a Jose Mourinho watch?

"He has managed Inter and Real since then. They have either acquired the rights from Chelsea or managed the use of his name.

"If Chelsea didn't grant a licence, every time United used Jose Mourinho's name in a commercial capacity against those products, Chelsea could sue Manchester United. I would suspect United would rather just pay a licence fee."

Any other issues?

There is also potential conflict between Mourinho's personal deals - such as his one with car manufacturer Jaguar - and United's shirt sponsor agreement with Chevrolet.

"I don't think that in itself would hold up any negotiation," Couse explained. "A lot of world-class players go to Manchester United with their own personal deals. Mourinho's deals will be in a personal capacity."

Couse said United cannot force Mourinho to drive a Chevrolet car, for example, or wear Chevrolet clothes outside of club capacity, but they could pay him an incentive to buy out the Jaguar deal early.

Chelsea declined to comment when contacted by BBC Sport.

Will Mourinho splash the cash? Will he give youth a chance? Or will there be a full-scale clearout? Choose your fantasy Man Utd starting XI.

Man Utd XI for 2016-17

Who will be in the team for the start of the season? We've included the current squad plus a selection of players linked with United.

Jose Mourinho: Manchester United manager talks continue

Jose Mourinho and Manchester United are set to enter a second day of talks, with the Portuguese expected to become the club's next manager this week.

Mourinho's agent, Jorge Mendes, met United officials on Tuesday but a deal has not yet been announced.

Dutchman Louis van Gaal, 64, was sacked as United boss on Monday, two days after winning the FA Cup at Wembley.

He led United to fifth place in the Premier League but failed to get them past the Champions League group stages.

The former Netherlands boss was also criticised for his lack of attacking football, with United only scoring 49 goals in the top flight.

Nigerians, UNICEF Remember Chibok Girls, Lament Damage to Girl-Child Education

• B’Haram responsible for 1m out-of-school children
• Aisha Buhari to launch book on victims of insurgency
Nigeria tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the abduction of about 276 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, with the failure to rescue them and government’s seeming inability to do anything about it, and the devastating effect of insurgency particularly on the girl-child again coming to the fore.The Minister of Women Affairs and Women Development, Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan at an educational summit with the theme ‘Endangered Education,’ held as part of ‘Global Week of Action’ in commemoration of the 2014 abduction lamented that girls’ education particularly in the insurgency-ridden states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa had come under a serious threat.

“It is unfortunate that almost two years since the abduction of the Chibok girls by ‘Boko Haram insurgents’, the girls are yet to be rescued despite effort by government and support from international community.

“As we all know, since 2009, the insurgency and counter-insurgency activities in the north-east part of Nigeria have displaced over 1.3 million people of which 57 percent are children.

“Hundreds of children including girls have experienced different types of violence ranging from sexual abuse, death of one or both parents and family separation,” she said.

The minister however, explained that government had put in place some measures for protection and access to education for the Nigerian child particularly the girl-child.

They include: promulgation of the Child Rights Act, 2003, and its domestication in 23 out of 36 states; and the enactment of Violence Against Persons’ Prohibition Act (VAPP), 2015, which criminalises violence against all persons and makes penalties for offences

Former minister and one of the founders of Bring Back Our Girls, Oby Ezekwesili, in a speech at the education conference, said the number of girls with access to school and completing primary and secondary education in the south is higher than in the north.This, she described as a major contributor to higher levels of poverty in the northern region of Nigeria.

Giving statistics, she said the average poverty level in the three northern zones is 73.8% compared to an average of 63.3% in the south according to a report published by the British Council Nigeria, in 2012.

“With 60% of the poor in Nigeria estimated to be women and 70% estimated youths, even if we continued to grow at 7% and not the latest lower rate of 2.8% recorded in 2015, we should urgently interrogate the growth structure that is failing to maximize our country’s human capital- women and youths,” she added.

Ezekwesili also stated that only 20% of women in the north west and north east of the country are literate and inequality and its root cause can be traced to unequal access to education.”
And as a fallout of lingering Boko Haram’s attacks in the north east , about one million children have been robbed of education, as the activities of the insurgents have dealt a deadly blow on the educational system of the area.

According to the Human Rights Watch report released yesterday between 2009 and 2015, Boko Haram’s attacks had destroyed more than 910 schools and forced at least 1,500 more to close, with at least 611 teachers deliberately killed and another 19,000 forced to flee.

“The group has abducted more than 2,000 civilians, many of them women and girls, including large groups of students.”In a related development, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has alerted that the number of children involved in ‘suicide’ attacks in Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad and Niger has risen sharply over the past year, from four in 2014 to 44 in 2015.

UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Manuel Fontaine, said: “Let us be clear: these children are victims, not perpetrators. Deceiving children and forcing them to carry out deadly acts has been one of the most horrific aspects of the violence in Nigeria and in neighbouring countries.”

Released two years after the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, the report “Beyond Chibok” shows alarming trends in four countries affected by Boko Haram over the past two years:
·Between January 2014 and February 2016, Cameroun recorded the highest number of suicide attacks involving children (21), followed by Nigeria (17) and Chad (2).

Human Rights Watch’s 86-page report, titled; “‘They Set the Classrooms on Fire’: Attacks on Education in Northeast Nigeria,” which documents Boko Haram’s increasingly brutal assaults on schools, students, and teachers since 2009 in Borno, Yobe, and Kano states, indicted Nigeria’s security forces for contributing to the problem by using schools as military bases, thereby putting children at further risk of attack from the Islamist armed group.

According to Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, Mausi Segun, the insurgents’ brutal crusade against western-style education, is robbing an entire generation of children in northeast Nigeria of their education. “The government should urgently provide appropriate schooling for all children affected by the conflict.”

In late 2012 and early 2013, as Nigerian security forces expanded military operations against Boko Haram, the insurgents became more brutal, deliberately targeting and killing teachers, school administrators, and education officials. The group also attacked students to keep them out of school and forcibly recruited students into Boko Haram’s ranks.

“Its fighters abducted female students as ‘wives,’ effectively for sexual slavery. As security tightened, Boko Haram adopted suicide bombings as a tactic at schools and other locations, killing increasing numbers of children and school staff,” the report read in part.

In another development, wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari in furtherance of her avowed commitment to the amelioration of the plight of the parents of the abducted Chibok girls and over 40 Buni Yadi boys murdered by the Boko Haram terrorists, will make a public presentation of her book titled The Essentials of Beauty Therapy at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja tomorrow to bring to the front burner the sad episode.

The wife of the president has decided that proceeds of the book launch will be dedicated towards charities and bettering the living conditions of families of the embattled girls, parents of the deceased boys and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Ronaldo sets TWO new Champions League records

Portugal international, Christiano Ronaldo, hits his third hat-trick in this season’s competition to fire Real Madrid into the semi-finals setting two new records.

The Portugal international rose to Real Madrid’s rescue once again as his hat-trick secured a 3-2 victory over Wolfsburg helping the Spanish club into the Champions League semi-finals.

Zinedine Zidane’s men suffered shocking 2-0 defeat in Germany by Wolfsburg but Ronaldo struck three times to pull Madrid through.

His hat-trick was his third in the competition this season. No other player can match that, nor can anyone else say they have scored 15 or more goals in the Champions League in two different campaigns.