Connect with us

Sports

‘Salah isn’t world class’

Egypt and Africa’s celebrated football star, Mohamed Salah, may have impressed many but not a Russian whose son is billed to line up against Egypt in the on-going mundial

Published

on

Egypt and Africa’s celebrated football star, Mohamed Salah, may have impressed many but not a Russian whose son is billed to line up against Egypt in the on-going mundial.

He is “an exceptional player but not a world-class football star”, says Dmitri Cheryshev, as his son prepares to meet the Liverpool forward in Egypt’s clash with Russia at World Cup 2018.

The 25-year-old forward took the Premier League by storm in 2017-18, sweeping to the Golden Boot as a 44-goal haul also helped the Reds to the Champions League final.

An unfortunate injury suffered in that fixture prevented Salah from making his mark in Egypt’s World Cup opening-game defeat to Uruguay, but he has been declared fit to lead his country against the hosts on Tuesday.

He will be the man the Pharaohs look to for inspiration, but former Russia international Cheryshev doubts that a man sparking Ballon d’Or talk will be the same player for his country as he is at club level.

Cheryshev said in KingFut: “He is an exceptional player, but [he is] not a world-class football star who can compete for the [World Cup] Golden Boot.

“Right now [the contenders for the award] are Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar and maybe [Harry] Kane.

“Liverpool uses Salah properly, here, in the Egyptian national team, things will be different.”

Cheryshev’s son, former Real Madrid midfielder Denis, will be hoping to line up against Salah in midweek after stepping off the bench to bag a brace in a 5-0 mauling of Saudi Arabia.

He will be in confident mood if called upon, with Russia having defied expectations in their opening outing to lift the spirits of a nation desperate for home success.

Cheryshev added: “The team is getting ready for Egypt.

“I played against [Egypt head coach Hector] Cuper’s teams before, he is the most tactical coach, you never know how to approach his teams. Any chance we might have we should use [in that match].”

Sports

Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay, 4×400 teams qualify for Olympics

Published

on

Team Nigeria on Sunday morning booked two places at the upcoming Paris Olympics Games in the Mixed 4x400m relay and 4X400m men’s events with automatic qualification spots at the ongoing World Relays in the Bahamas.

The mixed 4x400m relay team which had the quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Chidi Okezie, and Esther Elo Joseph, picked the slot after finishing second behind the USA in their heat with a time of 3:13.79, to ensured Nigeria’s presence on the Olympic stage.

Both Nigeria and the US were a distance ahead of other in the heat and it was obvious as at the third leg that the race was between the two countries.

According to reports on the race, Okezie ran an impressive third leg in 44.78 to handover his baton first, but a US Olympics gold-medalist, Kendall Ellis, was too much for Esther Elo Joseph in the anchor leg as she led the United States to the finish line first.

Continue Reading

Sports

Kenyan footballer arrested over brutal robbery, murder case

Published

on

A Kenyan footballer, Byron Billy Owuor, has been arrested in connection with a violent robbery that led to the murder of a businesswoman in the Kondele area of Kisumu County of the country.

Owuor, a former Kisumu All-Stars player, was arrested after an AK47 rifle linked to violent robbery and murder was recovered and linked to him.

According to media reports, the 26-year-old midfielder was arrested along with another suspect for their alleged roles in a crime that has shocked the local community.

Police authorities confirmed that they seized the AK47 and 36 rounds of live ammunition linked to the robbery which took place on January 27th.

In a statement by the country’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the weapon was used to fatally shoot the business woman, Grace Awino Adero, who operated an M-Pesa shop with her husband.

“The assailants attacked the couple, making off with the day’s earnings and killing Mrs. Adero, while her husband narrowly survived the encounter,” the DCI said.

“The cold-blooded killers, believed to be part of a larger gang, fled the scene on an unmarked motorcycle, retreating to a hideout in Kasagam.

“Hours later, a suspicious saloon car was located by the Kasagam police during a routine patrol. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered a homemade pistol and four mobile phones, alongside an AK47 rifle without its magazine.

“The investigation revealed that the rifle had been obtained illegally from Uganda,” the DCI noted.

A media report stated that the case took a significant turn when detectives identified Robert Wakolo Okoth, also known as Michael Osama, as the alleged mastermind behind the syndicate’s criminal activities.

“Following this lead, a coordinated sting operation was conducted at Osama’s residence near Rai Primary School in Kasagam. During the raid, Osama’s 17-year-old brother, also believed to be a gang member, was arrested.

“The items recovered from the house include an AK47 magazine loaded with ammunition, six rounds of .38 special ammunition typically used in pistols, and five ID cards from different individuals.

“A green camouflage bag and a Kenya Armed Forces Comrades Association card were also found, pointing to the serious nature of the gang’s operations.

“With the arraignment at the Winam Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court, detectives have been granted an additional 14 days to wrap up their investigation.

“The focus now turns to capturing the remaining gang members whose identities have been uncovered but remain at large,” the statement said.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Behind the News5 hours ago

Behind the News: All the backstories to our major news this week

Over the past week, there were many important stories from around the African continent, and we served you some of...

Tech6 hours ago

Nigerian retail startup Renda secures $1.9m funding to drive expansion

Nigeria’s retail startup, Renda, has announced securing a $1.9 million pre-seed round of equity and debt funding to enable it...

Culture6 hours ago

Burna Boy emerges Africa’s top earning artiste in the US from tours, concerts

Nigerian Afrobeats sensation, Burna Boy, has emerged as the first African artiste to stage the highest-grossing arena concerts and tours...

Sports7 hours ago

Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay, 4×400 teams qualify for Olympics

Team Nigeria on Sunday morning booked two places at the upcoming Paris Olympics Games in the Mixed 4x400m relay and...

VenturesNow12 hours ago

FX bank swaps account for 30% of Nigeria’s external reserves— Fitch

Global credit ratings firm, Fitch, has claimed that approximately 30% of Nigeria’s external reserves is comprised of foreign exchange (FX)...

Metro12 hours ago

Nigeria: Civil society group sues 36 govs, Wike over N5.9tn, $4.6bn loans

A civil society organisation in Nigeria, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has dragged the 36 state governors of the...

Metro1 day ago

Kenya: President Ruto hints at ‘dire’ weather outlook as Cyclone Hidaya nears

President William Ruto has announced that the severe rains that have been plaguing Kenya for the past several weeks resulting...

Politics1 day ago

Again, Rwanda denies it attacked displaced persons in DR Congo

For the sixteenth time, Rwanda refuted US charges on Saturday that its troops attacked a camp for internally displaced persons...

VenturesNow1 day ago

Nigeria offers oil majors faster exit if …

Oil-rich West African country, Nigeria, has offered major oil companies, such as Exxon Mobil and Shell, that planned to leave...

VenturesNow1 day ago

Nigeria’s Security Exchange chief to meet foreign, local crypto exchanges, others over crypto regulation

On Monday, local and international cryptocurrency exchanges will meet with Dr. Emomotimi Agama, the recently appointed Director General of the...

Trending