Draw leaves Levante in trouble

A 0-0 draw at home to Deportivo Coruna on Friday left Levante in trouble in the Spanish Liga.

Deportivo were slightly the more ambitious of the two sides, and had a goal from veteran defender Alberto Lopo disallowed for offside on the half hour.

Levante's best player was promising goalkeeper Diego Marino.

The draw left Levante fourth from bottom with 16 points, and Deportivo 15th with 17 points.

Leaders Real Madrid will take on midtable Espanyol on Saturday, then Barcelona and Atletico Madrid - who are in joint second place - will clash on Sunday.

Barcelona, Atletico braced for thriller

Another tough, demanding match is exactly what Barcelona's embattled coach Luis Enrique could do without at the moment, given all his present problems.

However, this is just what he will have on Sunday, when in-form champions Atletico Madrid visit the Camp Nou.

Diego Simeone's warriors will make the trip in high spirits after Wednesday's 2-0 defeat of crosstown rivals Real in the Spanish Cup.

"We are really enjoying ourselves at the moment and playing well," said Atletico midfielder Koke after the defeat of Real.

"We are really looking forward to going to the Camp Nou again. That ground has special memories for us, after what we did there last season."

Atletico battled out a memorable 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou in May, on the last day of the season, to clinch their first league title since 1996.

Since that disappointing draw, nothing has gone right for Barca - either on the field or off it. Anything but a convincing win on Sunday could lead to the Camp Nou exploding against Luis Enrique.

The controversial coach lost most of his remaining credit with the Barca fans on Sunday when he left South American idols Lionel Messi and Neymar on the subs' bench during a 1-0 defeat at lowly Real Sociedad.

Messi reportedly stormed at the coach in the dressing room, then failed to turn up for training on Monday, citing a stomach bug.

Luis Enrique denied on Wednesday that he had an issue with Messi, saying: "I don't have any problems with any player at all. I have the same relationship with them as at the start of the season, there has been no change in that respect.

"The continuity of us coaches always depends on the results. I feel backed up by both the club and the players," he added.

Barca and Atletico are one point behind leaders Real, who have a game in hand.

In addition to the Luis Enrique-Messi storm, Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu added to the turmoil by sacking sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta on Monday, then on Wednesday announcing presidential elections for the summer.

But former club president Joan Gaspart predicted boldly that "Barca will win 5-0 on Sunday and everything will calm down."

Not that things are much calmer at Real Madrid, after defeats against Atletico in the cup, Valencia in the league and AC Milan in a friendly.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti knows that his team need an emphatic win at home to mid-table Espanyol on Saturday in order to avoid the kind of crisis Barca are going through.

Welsh winger Gareth Bale has been accused by fans and media of being selfish and not passing when in front of goal.

Real might again be without defender Pepe, who missed the Atletico game with a pulled muscle. Midfielder Luka Modric is still injured.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Valencia will visit Celta Vigo and Sevilla, who are fifth, will make the short trip to Almeria.

The weekend's other games are Levante v Deportivo Coruna, Malaga v Villarreal, Eibar v Getafe, Athletic Bilbao v Elche, Granada v Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano v Cordoba.

Real back to winning ways v Espanyol

La Liga leaders Real Madrid returned to winning ways after consecutive defeats when they shrugged off playing most of the second half with 10 men to secure a 3-0 win at home to mid-table Espanyol on Saturday.

Beaten 2-1 at Valencia in La Liga last weekend and 2-0 at Atletico Madrid in the King's Cup last 16 first leg in midweek, Real took the lead at their Bernabeu arena when Cristiano Ronaldo set James Rodriguez up to score in the 12th minute.

Gareth Bale arrowed a free kick over the wall and into the net off a post to make it 2-0 in the 28th minute before fullback Fabio Coentrao was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle eight minutes into the second half.

Despite that setback, Real remained in control and substitute Nacho clipped home a third goal for the world and European champions, the defender's first for the club, 14 minutes from time.

The victory stretched Real's lead over second-placed Barcelona at the top to four points. Barca play at home to champions Atletico, who are third and level on 38 points with their hosts, on Sunday.

"Today things went well," Real playmaker Isco said in an interview with Spanish television.

"We are happy with the victory and to win again and get back on track," added the Spain international.

"We have to continue in the same way in the league and if the other teams slip up then so much the better."

Real, whose Spanish record winning streak of 22 matches was ended by Valencia, have a game in hand over Barca and Atletico, with all three teams now having played 17 matches.

Isco said Saturday's win would lift Real for Thursday's Cup return leg at home to Atletico, when they need to score at least twice to have any hope of successfully defending their title.

"It's going to be tough but we will devote all our energy to the task," he added. "With the support of the fans, I think we can mount a comeback.

Ball hog' Bale angers Ronaldo again

Gareth Bale angered Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo for the second La Liga game in a row on Saturday when he opted to shoot instead of passing in the second half of a 3-0 victory against Espanyol.

Ronaldo, well placed in the penalty area to the Wales forward's left during a swift break, reacted furiously after Bale's weak effort went wide.

It was a similar situation last weekend when Bale chose to go for goal instead of squaring the ball to Karim Benzema in the 2-1 defeat at Valencia.

Bale's actions on Saturday prompted whistling from fans at the Bernabeu and will do nothing to dispel the impression that he can be selfish, something that has earned him the label "ball hog" in the Spanish media.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti played down the incident and noted the Welshman had earlier scored a superb free kick that put Real 2-0 ahead.

"Later on the fans wanted him to pass to Cristiano but forwards are determined to score when they are through on the goalkeeper," Ancelotti told a news conference.

"Generosity is very important and if someone is being selfish then we will address it," added the Italian. "The supporters are very demanding when it comes to the important players and Bale is one of those.

"We shouldn't blow this out of proportion. It's one moment in a football game.

"Relations between them (Bale and Ronaldo) and everyone are very good. We are all pursuing the same goal which is to lift Real Madrid as high as possible."

The victory over Espanyol put them four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga ahead of the second-placed club's game at home to champions Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

West Brom beat Hull in Pulis's debut

Saido Berahino gave Tony Pulis a winning Premier League start at West Bromwich Albion by scoring in a 1-0 victory over Hull on Saturday.

Berahino met an indirect free kick from Victor Anichebe to smash home the winner in the 77th minute for his ninth league goal of the season.

West Brom were awarded the free kick after Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor picked up a back pass from Ahmed Elmohamady.

Hull struggled to create chances after strikers Abel Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic both had to be substituted with injuries.

Pulis was brought in to replace the fired Alan Irvine with the task to keep West Brom in the topflight, and the club moved to 14th place with the victory, two points outside the 

QPR lose 10th straight away game

Queens Park Rangers set an unwanted Barclays Premier League record on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat against Burnley at a bitterly-cold Turf Moor.

It was QPR's 10th consecutive away defeat from the start of the season and the result sees Burnley leapfrog the visitors to leave Harry Redknapp's side in the bottom three.

Sean Dyche's Clarets had two exquisite goals to thank for the three points - from Scott Arfield and Danny Ings either side of Charlie Austin's penalty.

Burnley had the better of the chances after that.

Man City lose ground in title race

Manchester City lost ground to Chelsea in the Premier League title race after dropping two points against a determined Everton with a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Manuel Pellegrini's side was far from its best and even the return from injury of leading scorer Sergio Aguero as a second-half substitute could not get the defending champions over the line.

Fernandinho put City in front in the 74th minute but Steven Naismith's glancing header shortly afterward earned a deserved draw for the hosts.

City certainly missed the commanding presence of Yaya Toure, on African Nations Cup duty with Ivory Coast, and have not won a match in which he has been absent for almost exactly 12 months.

Chelsea pull clear, City held by Everton

Chelsea re-asserted themselves as Premier League leaders with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday as champions Manchester City were held to a draw at Everton.

Jose Mourinho's team have watched a nine-point advantage over City vanish and began the day with an identical record but edged two points clear with goals from Oscar and Diego Costa sealing a 10th home league win out of 10.

City took the lead late on at Goodison Park through Fernandinho but Steven Naismith earned the hosts a point.

Chelsea have 49 points from 21 games with City on 47.

Eight-placed Liverpool edged nearer the top four with a 1-0 victory at Sunderland, Lazar Markovic's first Premier League goal deciding the contest at a blustery Stadium of Light.

They are now four points behind fourth-placed Southampton who play third-placed Manchester United on Sunday.

"It was an outstanding team performance today. We had great control of the game but I suppose the only disappointment is we did not have more goals," manager Brendan Rodgers, who was without the rested Raheem Sterling, told BT Sport.

Queens Park Rangers fell into the relegation zone after a 2-1 loss at Burnley, becoming the first Premier League side to lose their first 10 away games of the season.

Both sides ended with 10 men at Leicester City where the hosts stayed bottom despite beating Aston Villa 1-0 while Tony Pulis enjoyed a winning reign as West Bromwich Albion's manager thanks to 1-0 defeat of Hull City.

Swansea City and West Ham United drew 1-1.

Later on Saturday in London Tottenham Hotspur can move into fourth position with victory at Crystal Palace who find themselves joint bottom in Alan Pardew's first league game in charge.

Toure wins African Footballer of Year award

Yaya Toure was named African Footballer of the Year for a record fourth straight time at the annual Confederation of African Football awards on Thursday.

The Ivory Coast midfielder joins Samuel Eto'o as the only players to win the continent's top individual award four times but only Toure has done it in successive years, starting in 2011.

His latest triumph came ahead of two other finalists, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, in a poll of the coaches and captain's of Africa's national teams.

"I've been very blessed all these years," Toure said at the ceremony. "I want to thank all the football fans and say 'Thank you Africa'."

Toure's award comes on the back of his stellar performances for Manchester City in the Premier League rather than his achievements with the Ivory Coast.

The Ivorians failed to reach the second round at last year's World Cup in Brazil and struggled through the qualifiers for the 2015 African Nations Cup.

The 31-year-old Toure scored in Manchester City's League Cup final win over Sunderland in March and notched 20 goals in helping his side regain the Premier League title, a feat for a midfielder that only Frank Lampard had managed before him.

However, Toure suffered heartbreak in Brazil when the Ivory Coast were denied progress from their World Cup group by a last minute Greece goal. He captained the Ivorians in two of their three games ahead of Didier Drogba.

Toure will lead the team at this month's African Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea.

He had won the award ahead of Seydou Keita (Mali) in 2011, Drogba in 2012 and John Obi Mikel of Nigeria in 2013. Aubameyang and Enyeama were finalists for the first time at the 2014 awards.

Oshoala wins Caf player award

Super Falcons' talented striker Asisat Oshoala was on Thursday named the 2014 Glo/Caf African Women Player of the Year.

The Rivers Angels forward defeated compatriot Desire Oparanozie and Cameroonian goalkeeper Annette Ngo Ndom for the coveted award in the colourful yearly awards ceremony in Lagos.

The lanky goal poacher five-star performance at the 2014 Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada where she won the Golden ball and Golden boot awards with stunning seven goals as well as her eye-catching feat at the 2014 Africa Women Championship (AWC) where she picked the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and silver boot award made her the overwhelming choice for the award.

Oshoala too was the clear match winner for her side, Rivers Angels at the 2014 Federation Cup final at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos against Sunshine Queens.

The former Robo FC markswoman became the fourth Nigerian player to win the Africa best women player award after Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha and Cynthia Uwak.

Nkwocha won the title for four times in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011 while Uwak won the prestigious award twice in 2006 and 2007 and Akide won the maiden edition in 2001.

There was no Glo/Caf African Women Player of the Year award in the immediate past edition of the award.

Oshoala was equally named the Youth Player of the Year while her unarguable outstanding performance in the year in view helped Nigeria to win the Women’s National Team of the Year.

Oshoala will be the star watch for Super Falcons at the upcoming 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada.

The Glo-Caf Award Winners

National Team of the Year (Men) - Algeria

National Team of the Year (Women) - Nigeria

Club of the Year - ES Setif of Algeria

Most Promising Talent - Yacine Brahimi of Algeria

Youth Player of the Year - Asisat Oshoala

Coach of the Year - Kheireddine Madoui of ES Setif

Woman Player of the Year - Asisat Oshoala

Referee of the Year - Papa Bakary Gassama of The Gambia

African Legend Award - Oryx Club and Stade Malien

African Player of the Year (based in Africa) - Firmin Mubele Ndombe of DR Congo

African Player of the Year - Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast

Sevilla beat Granada in Copa del Rey

Kevin Gameiro scored a goal and created another for Sevilla to beat Granada 2-1 in the Copa del Rey first-leg quarterfinals on Thursday.

Gerard Deulofeu passed to Gamerio whose shot rebounded off the post and landed back in the Deulofeu's path for the first in the 32nd minute.

Granada missed a chance just before halftime when midfielder Manuel Iturra's cross pinpointed striker Isaac Success on the penalty spot, but Success headed it over the crossbar.

Gameiro took advantage of a defensive mix-up in Granada's penalty area to tap in Ever Banega's well-placed free kick in the 53rd.

Lass Bangoura pulled one back on his Granada debut on loan from Rayo Vallecano when his free kick went straight through the defenders' wall in injury time.

Neymar hits brace as Barca crush Elche

Neymar's double helped Barcelona cruise to a 5-0 victory in the first leg of their King's Cup last 16 tie against Elche on Thursday to ease the pressure on coach Luis Enrique.

The Brazilian put the Catalan club ahead after 34 minutes when he fired home following a well worked move and after that the flood gates opened against the bottom side in La Liga.

Six minutes later Luis Suarez slotted past Przemyslaw Tyton after creating the chance with a delightful dummy as he allowed the ball to run through his legs before bearing down on goal.

Lionel Messi, who was the focus of attention following a reported bust-up with Enrique, looked very motivated from the start with some lively runs and converted a penalty just before halftime after Neymar was felled by defender Enzo Roco.

Jordi Alba made it 4-0 with a clinical finish from a Messi pass after 55 minutes and Neymar got his second foal with a deflected drive from distance five minutes later.

Shortly afterwards Neymar was substituted and made it clear he was unhappy as he shook his head when walking off.

It was an important win for Enrique who was criticised for leaving Messi and Neymar on the bench for the defeat by Real Sociedad last Sunday with his team stuttering under him.

The coach put out a first choice strike force against Elche as he could not afford another slip-up and he received a mixed reception from the Camp Nou crowd.

At several times during the game fans chanted his name but they were then drowned out by whistles.

"The only reflection that I will make is that which interests me, and I value the support of the fans to the players. They are the protagonists in this show and I like it that they are supported," he told a news conference.

"This is basic if we are going to have a good season and it is great if they can back the players."

It has been a difficult week with presidential elections brought forward a year to the end of this season due to general dissatisfaction with the management of the club.

"I think that our supporters have belief in us and in this sense I am in favour of the decision to hold elections by the president (Josep Maria) Bartomeu as a generous gesture" said Luis Enrique.

"This is a way of bringing some calm and hopefully we can build on that with some good results."

Barca will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the King's Cup quarterfinals once they finish off Elche. Atletico hold a 2-0 first-leg lead after the home leg on Wednesday.

Time factor cost Keshi Equatorial Guinea job

Despite failing to qualify Nigeria to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Stephen Keshi could have put up an appearance as well at the competition with the host team Equatorial Guinea.

However, the former defender turned down the offer when he was approached by the football federation of the central African country, because it was already too late to do any meaningful work before the tournament.

“I travelled to Malabo in December to discuss a contract of two years to take effect after the 2015 Afcon,” Keshi told Paris-based pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique.

“Few days ago, the football federation contacted me to ask of I was still interested in the job. But with about 10 days to the tournament, I felt time was too short to do any good work. I don’t know the team or the players,” he said.

Keshi said although the financial proposal was interesting, he had to weigh the risk in case of a flop which could affect his career.

“You need a minimum of one month to prepare for a tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations,” he said.

The contract of the Nzalang Nacional former coach Andoni Goicoetxea expired in December and was not renewed.

Esteban Becker from Argentina, who led the Equatorial Guinea women’s team to continental triumph in 2012, has been appointed as Goicoetxea successor.

Fennec Foxes remain best in Africa

Fifa have unveiled the first team ranking of year with Germany, Argentina and Colombia holding the top three spots, while Belgium, the Netherlands and Brazil follow in logical order.

In Africa, Algeria remain the number one team in 18th position overall, followed by Tunisia 22nd and Ivory Coast 28th – all bound for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

In the top 20 African teams, only Mali and Gabon gained points, one and three respectively. DR Congo and Burkina Faso lost one point each while Zambia lost four. The other teams retained their score from the previous ranking.

Top 20 African teams

1. Algeria (18th) 2. Tunisie (22nd) 3. Ivory Coast (28th) 4. Senegal (35th) 5. Ghana (37th) 6. Guinea (39th) 7. Cape Verde (40th) 8. Cameroon (42nd) 9. Nigeria (43rd) 10. Mali (49e) 11. Zambia (50th) 12. South Africa (52nd) 13. RD Congo (57th) 14. Egypt (60th) 15. Congo (61st) 15. Gabon (62nd) 17. Togo (62nd) 18. Burkina Faso (64th) 19. Rwanda (68th) 20. Uganda 

Asian powerbrokers line up to support Blatter

A parade of powerful Asian soccer officials lined up to back Sepp Blatter's bid for a fifth consecutive term as Fifa president on Friday, underlining the task candidate Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein has in unseating the Swiss incumbent.

The Jordanian prince's decision to run for world soccer's top job has breathed new life into the race but senior officials at an Asian Football Confederation meeting in Melbourne said the 47-member Asian bloc was united in its backing for Blatter.

AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the governing body had agreed to back Blatter at meetings in 2013 and 2014 and the position had not wavered.

"We are committed, all the member associations are committed to (Blatter) and from what I heard from them, today and the last few days, we will continue to commit to that promise," Shaikh Salman told reporters after the AFC extraordinary congress in Melbourne on Friday.

"We all know the decision has been made, if we are committed we never change our word.

"I don't want to give false hopes to anybody. I have to be clear on that."

Prince Ali, an AFC vice president, was one of the last to arrive at the congress and swept into the meeting room at a luxury hotel in Melbourne in campaign mode, shaking hands with every delegate within reach.

He has strong European backing in the presidential race, which culminates in an election in Zurich in May, but analysts believe the key battleground will be Asia, with the African bloc having already pledged their support for Blatter.

The Jordanian royal may also find support in Concacaf, the confederation of North American and Caribbean countries, which is no longer as solidly behind Blatter as it was in the past.

The support of Olympic Council of Asia boss Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, one of the world's most powerful sports officials, has been seen as vital for Prince Ali's hopes of swaying Asian candidates.

But the Kuwaiti also poured cold water on his candidacy.

"I think as Asia, what we said for two years, we are with Blatter," Sheikh Ahmad told Reuters.

"I doubt it (will change)."

Sheikh Ahmad later told reporters Prince Ali had not consulted other AFC members in his decision to run.

"It's his decision, he took this decision without calling anybody, or waiting for anybody to give his review or idea.

When asked if he thought Blatter deserved another term Sheikh Ahmad said: "I think, yes," despite a myriad of allegations of corruption that have harmed the governing body's image in recent years.

"We decided in the general assembly to vote for Blatter, so I think now Prince Ali has to consider that and he has to think about this matter a lot.

"I think I was clear. Kuwait will vote for Blatter."

Despite the claims of unanimous support for Blatter, a number of member nations declined to state their position.

Australia's soccer federation said in a statement their board had yet to decide. Another senior AFC official cast doubt on the idea that the bloc would vote in unity for Blatter.

Refreshing times beckon for NPFL in 2015

After a blistering show in the 2013/14 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season, the countdown for the new season has started. There have been a hue and cry about the kick-off date for the new season being fixed for March 7 as too distant into the New Year since African champions, the Super Eagles, will not take part in the Africa Cup of Nations following their failure to qualify for the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

But the off-season has been ongoing with a handful of transfer speculations involving the movement of players and managers. The big news of the off-season so far has been the governance structure.

Two years down the line, and the Nigerian top flight appears to be getting out of the wood from its previous governance crisis. The club owners, who had earlier opposed this governance idea, made the announcement of the board themselves. The club owners also stated that the NFF general assembly also ratified the LMC governance structure.

“Following the endorsement and adoption of the new League Governance Structure for the Premier League in Nigeria by the NFF Executive Committee and its subsequent ratification by the General Assembly, as well as approval by the CAC, a new League Board has been okayed by the Club Owners and the League Management Company.

“In line with the new provision as adopted, the Club Owners have sent in their six member representatives into the board who are to work with an independent chairman, and three independent members, as well as an appointed CEO for the league.

“A joint meeting of the leadership of the Club Owners led by the Acting Chairman, Barrister Isaac Danladi and Acting Secretary Alloy Chukwuemeka and topshots of the LMC held in Abuja on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 in an acceptance ceremony by the new members.

“The club owners and members of the LMC expressed satisfaction with the new development as a roadmap towards a robust league administration in Nigeria, which will enhance the sustenance of the ongoing positive reforms of the league,” a statement from the club owners read last month.

The new LMC governance structure

The governance structure for LMC Limited was agreed in September 2013 during a plenary session between the LMC and representatives of the club owners in the NPFL. The English Premier League (EPL) model, which operates as a registered company under the Football Association Premier League Limited (FAPL) was adopted. But the LMC structure is clearly different from the FAPL which has just the the chairman of the EPL and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company and without representation of the EPL clubs on the board.

The board of the LMC has seven members of an independent chairman, two independent members, three representatives of the participating clubs and a CEO or Managing Director of the company. Already the selection committee which includes two members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Shehu Dikko as chairman of the LMC.

“Under the new management Mallam Shehu Dikko becomes the new Chairman of the LMC Board, and automatically the second Vice President of the NFF in line with provision of the statutes. Other members (Directors) include Dr. Ayo Ayodele, Mr Dominic Iorfa, Hon. Nduka Irabor, Hon. Akin Akinbobola, Mallam Salihu Abubakar, and Prince Okey Ibeh.

“The seven-man Board will at later date appoint the Deputy Chairman and the CEO for the League Management Company in line with the provisions of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company.

“Others who were appointed as Alternate members (Directors) from the Club Owners include Chief Okey Kpalukwu, Alhaji Mahmud Umar and Alhaji Suleiman Chindo," stated the club owners.

Dikko resumes office as the new LMC chairman on January 21.

The new season

The commencement date for the new season is already known, but a number of enthusiasts feel the March 7 kick-off date is unsatisfactory. But outgoing LMC chairman, Irabor, told supersport.com that the decision was taken in cognisance with the fact that majority of the clubs are still tied to the apron of state government, who finance them.

"We have to understand the environment in which we operate within and also know that we need to consider that 96% of the clubs participating in the league in the coming season is under the management of government and their finance depend largely on this. Remember it is a political year and you cannot put the cart before the horse less we run into hitches if we decide to start the league now especially before the general elections when campaigns take place at venues of league matches," Irabor explained.

This brings to the fore the issue of community ownership of clubs which the LMC has proposed. The league company has proposed a three-step approach that includes Promoters, Registration and Ownership (PRO). The first real problem which the LMC would have to tackle with the club licensing system coming into the effect in this regard will be the ownership and control of clubs.

There could arise the contentious issue of the ownership and control of Abia Warriors and Enyimba by the Abia State government as well as Dolphins FC and Sharks FC owned by the Rivers State government. This clearly negates Fifa's law under the ownership and control of clubs participating in the same competition.

Irabor has already raised fear of how the state government who own and control the clubs "will be able to cope as we already have a 30% cut in our revenue as a nation."

That raises the fear of how the clubs would be able to meet up their financial obligations (in terms of wages) to their players and coaches in an election year and at an austere time when the nation's revenue has dropped.

But the LMC is also looking at innovative ways to financially reward excelling clubs. The league company now wants to start a cash-for-crowd reward whereby the participating clubs now stand a chance of earning additional cash through the number of fans attending their home matches. In that area, only one club, Kano Pillars, have successfully filled up their stadium for every home game in the past seasons. The reward for fans improved attendance is also another way to put the clubs on their toes and ensure they fashion out ways of worming their hearts into their immediate communities.

Any on-the-pitch attraction?

At the same time, the clubs need to keep some of their big stars in the coming season who could possibly attract fans back to their grounds. Last season's top-two performers, Mfon Udoh and Emem Eduok, look to be on their way to sign with clubs abroad though the latter now enmeshed in a transfer controversy looks more likely to leave sooner than expected.

But the men who could become the stars to watch in the coming season are Peter Ebimobowei, who has joined Dolphins and Kano Pillars striker, Adamu Hassan. Ebimobowei scored 18 goals and Hassan accounted for 14.

Apart from the players, the return of 3SC to the top flight adds to the number of the traditional clubs in the country. The rivalry between 3SC and their southwest opponents, Sunshine Stars, is one of such game to look forward to in the new season.

Certainly by the time the pre-season tournament, the Super Four, gets underway later in January, with Kano Pillars, Enyimba, Dolphins and Warri Wolves going head to head in a round-robin format, the complexion of who will be the star attraction of the 2014/15 season would be known.

© supersport.com

Wolves insist Odah not for sale

Glo Premier League side, Warri Wolves have reminded clubs interested in the signature of goalkeeper, Okiemuta Odah to look elsewhere at least for the upcoming 2014/15 season.

The management of the side said Okiemute will serve off his contract with the Warri-based side before he will be considered for release to any other interested side.

“After our meeting on Wednesday's evening we looked at some of the requests from other clubs interested in our players while we agreed on some to go we decided against the release of Okiemute Odah at least for now. We will not sell him even for one hundred million Naira because he is part of the coaches’ plan for the upcoming season.

“We’ve also registered him for the Caf Confederation Cup assignment and if he is fit he will be on the plane to defend his fatherland in Burkina Faso next month.

“He is an important player and he is well behaved and the fans like him so his own case is a special one. There are some good players that are serving as bad influence and we didn’t waste our time in debating their matters.

“We’ve asked them to go but in Okiemute's case he will serve us for this season. We know our pedigree in the land and only the best is good for him,” said Etu.

The Seasiders are excited at the prospects of facing other continental bound clubs before our trip to Burkina Faso and we commend the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for enlisting the Under-20 and Under-23 teams as that will give us good test.

"We’re happy that in the absence of a running league we have something to really test the strength of our team especially the inclusion of the two national teams. We want to commend the NFF for that and we are looking forward to a good outing,” said Etu.

Warri Wolves will confront the Burkinabe side, Racing Club de Bobo-Dioulaso in the preliminary round of Africa’s second tier club competition, Caf Confederation Cup.

Neuer aims to end Ronaldo, Messi reign

Manuel Neuer kept a clean sheet against Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he helped Germany to a fourth World Cup title, and he now aims to beat the two stars for the Fifa Ballon d'Or award as well on Monday.

Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid) and Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) have won football's most prestigious individual prize in the past six years and have continued to score freely in 2014.

But Neuer has been on the forefront of redefining the role of a goalkeeper in the modern game, most notably at the World Cup in Brazil but also at his club Bayern Munich where he has let in a league-record four goals in the first half of the current season.

Neuer, 28, spoke of "a huge honour for me" when the final shortlist was announced by Fifa in December. "There's no guarantee a goalkeeper will ever be nominated."

The German is the first goalkeeper to make the final three of the award in its current form since 2010. No goalkeeper was named World Footballer in previous years, with German Oliver Kahn second in 2002. Soviet legend Lev Yashin was the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or award, more than 50 years ago in 1963.

"To a very large extent, the credit has to go to my teams. We had a magnificent 2014 with FC Bayern and Germany and won trophies," he said.

Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "I'm really delighted for Manuel Neuer. He put in some outstanding performances at the World Cup, and also in the Champions League and Bundesliga, and he's won things."

Neuer won a league and cup double for Munich on top of the World Cup, where Germany opened 4-0 over Ronaldo's Portugal and won the final 1-0 against Messi's Argentina.

That was the same amount of trophies than Ronaldo (Champions League, Spanish cup, European Super Cup while Real's Club World Cup title came after the shortlist announcement).

Messi won no titles on the pitch in 2014 but at least the Golden Ball award as best outfield player in Brazil.

Neuer won the Golden Glove in Brazil - partly for acting like an outfield player himself as the prime example of "a new era of goalkeeping in modern football," according a report from Fifa's Technical Study Group.

"The modern goalkeeper acts like an additional outfield player and is the starting point of many attacking movements with precise short or long passes out of defence. He reads the game well and must be ready for any intervention outside the penalty area to intercept an opponent's attack," the report said.

Messi unlikely to win Ballon d'Or

How is it possible that a player who guided his country to the World Cup final and bettered more scoring records can be considered to have had a flat year?

That is the paradox surrounding Lionel Messi in 2014.

The little Argentine is one of the three candidates for the prestigious Fifa Ballon d'Or award, to be given in Zurich on Monday, together with Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal, and Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Messi won the award in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and came second behind Ronaldo in 2013. However, he is not considered to be the favourite this year.

That although he led Argentina to their first World Cup final since 1990 with four goals and several assists; and bettered the all-time scoring records in the Spanish Liga and the Champions League in 2014 in Barcelona's shirt as well.

The main reason for this is that Messi had a disappointing 2014 for Barcelona, by his high standards, with no titles and culminating in an alleged rift with coach Luis Enrique.

The death through throat cancer of previous coach Tito Vilanova seemed to affect Messi profoundly. The Argentine idol said several times that Vilanova was the coach with whom he had the best rapport.

Messi, introverted and withdrawn, is the not the easiest star for coaches to handle, as Pep Guardiola found out between 2008 and 2012.

Barca chose the little-known Argentine Gerardo Martino to succeed Vilanova partly because of his Rosario connections to Messi, but the Catalans had a disappointing season without trophies under Martino.

Messi often looked lethargic and pathetic, even disinterested on the field for Barca. He was accused by some sections of the Catalan media of reserving his energy for the World Cup.

In addition, he was plagued with various muscle injuries plus a tax evasion indictment from the Spanish authorities.

Some sections of the Camp Nou started to jeer Messi towards the end of the past season, leading him to say: "I am very happy here and want to stay, but if people want me to leave then we should look for a solution."

Paris St Germain, Chelsea and other top clubs reportedly showed an interest, prompting Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu to give Messi his seventh contract improvement in eight years.

Bartomeu is now trying to calm things down between Messi and new coach Enrique, but the rift will clearly not help Messi to reestablish himself as the world's number one ahead of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo confident of Ballon d'Or

Cristiano Ronaldo, never short on self-confidence, is fairly sure of retaining the Fifa Ballon d'Or award on Monday, after a memorable 2014 in which he scored 63 goals for Real Madrid and Portugal in all competitions.

His rivals for the coveted award are old adversary Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina - the winner in 2010, 2011 and 2012 - and Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Ronaldo, who is 30 in February, has not said much about the award recently. However, he did raise eyebrows a few months ago by saying: "In my head, I think I am the best player in the world."

Statements over the years - in 2011 he infamously said "some people jeer me because I am rich, handsome and a great player" - have led to Ronaldo being considered arrogant in some quarters.

The fact that he is the first player ever to have a museum dedicated to himself, on his home island of Madeira complete with a massive statue,-has confirmed this negative impression for many people.

Not that Ronaldo is very worried about his critics, after a remarkable year in which he guided Real to four major trophies: the Champions League, the Uefa Super Cup, the Club World Cup and the Spanish cup.

Ronaldo's goals record in these triumphs was nothing short of astonishing. He banged in 17 goals in the Champions League, then scored both goals in Real's 2-0 defeat of Sevilla for the Uefa Super Cup in August.

He was top scorer in La Liga last season with 31 goals, and is currently way ahead atop the scorers' chart with 26, a tally which puts him on course to beat Messi's record of 50 goals in 2012.

However, Ronaldo's critics point to the fact that he again failed to shine on the most important stage of all: the World Cup finals.

He scored only one goal at the tournament, the same as in 2010, and failed to guide Portugal beyond the first round, while Messi's Argentina reached the final and Neuer's Germany won the trophy.

Nonetheless, 2014 was an excellent year for him, and this is why he is considered favourite to win the Ballon d'Or in Zurich on Monday.

"Not everybody likes Ronaldo, it has to be said," commented Radio Marca recently.

"But what cannot be denied is that he is the best footballer in the world at the moment, even though the World Cup was not a success for him and Portugal.

How Enyeama lost Caf award to Toure

The voting pattern for the 2014 African Footballer of the Year has revealed that Vincent Enyeama finished third behind Yaya Toure and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Ivory Coast and Gabon respectively.

The 32-year-old LOSC Lille goalkeeper had been tipped as the main challenger to Toure in the Caf award prior to its announcement of winners in Lagos on Thursday night.

But instead it was the Nigerian captain and goalkeeper, who finished in third place and 70 points behind Yaya Toure, who has now won the African Footballer of the Year award for a record fourth successive time.

The voting pattern released by Caf shows that Toure got 175 points while 120 went to Aubameyang and Enyeama got 105. Ghana captain, Asamoah Gyan and Nigerian winger, Ahmed Musa, who made the top-five got 94 and 78 points respectively from the coaches and technical directors who voted.

Votes for Enyeama and Musa

Interestingly, many pundits and football enthusiasts might find it shocking that only two coaches or technical directors from Guinea and Swaziland deemed Enyeama fit to be the 2014 African Footballer of the Year. However, 13 of those who voted including the Nigerian coach or technical director believes Enyeama was second best last year.

But CSKA winger, Musa, though got lesser number of points to Enyeama's total, three of the voters picked him as Africa's best for the past year. The coaches or technical director of Cape Verde, Nigeria and Tanzania voted for Musa as Africa Footballer of the Year.

How Yaya Toure emerged

Out of the 39 head coaches or technical directors who voted, 27 picked the Ivorian midfielder as the African Footballer of the Year. It was overwhelming. Aubameyang who finished second had just two coaches/technical directors from his country, Gabon and Botswana giving him full marks. Ghana's Gyan, who finished in fourth got the backing of three coaches or technical directors from his country, Sao Tome and Principe as well as Togo.

Only Botswana, Burundi, Nigeria and Zambia did not vote Toure as a top-two candidate for the African Footballer of the Year.

Last year Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel, came close in second place behind Toure. Enyeama on photo-sharing social media portal, Instagram has already thumbed up the Ivorian on his victory.

"Congratulations to Yaya Toure for being the 2014 African Footballer of the Year. #BravoYaya," he wrote.

The race for the 2015 African Footballer of the Year had begun and the Africa Cup of Nations is one of the place to start off but Enyeama, Musa and their countrymen will be missing from that tournament which kicks off in Equatorial Guinea on January 17.

Chelsea, City look to avoid upsets

Level at the top of the Premier League, Chelsea and Manchester City know neither can afford to slip up this weekend.

Joint Premier League leaders Chelsea and Manchester City go into the weekend's round of fixtures with a dual purpose of maintaining form and avoiding mistakes.

Chelsea host managerless Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge while City are away to out of form Everton.

The leaders have 45 points each and an identical goal difference of 44-19.

Chelsea are likely to start with Diego Costa after he was a substitute in the FA Cup win over Watford last time out.

The club's top goalscorer, Costa will fancy his chances against a Newcastle side reeling from the loss of manager Alan Pardew.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will want revenge over Newcastle after losing to them at St James' Park last month, and to make up for the 5-3 defeat at Tottenham in the last league outing on New Year's Day.

But Newcastle won at Manchester City earlier in the season and 17-year-old forward Adam Armstrong believes they can do the double over the league leaders.

"We've got to go for it," Armstrong told local Newcastle paper The Shields Gazette.

"Chelsea came to St James' Park and we were the underdogs but I thought we had our best game and won 2-1. Man City is a massive club with a huge stadium, but we went there and won 2-0."

City take on an Everton side that has struggled for consistency so far this season.

Manuel Pellegrini's side won 3-2 at Everton in the run-in to their title triumph late last season but lost 1-0 there a month ago.

City will welcome back goalkeeper Joe Hart after two matches on the sidelines while Everton manager Roberto Martinez will have full back Leighton Baines fit again.

Martinez will be looking for more goals from Romelu Lukaku after the striker came off the bench to salvage a draw in the FA Cup tie with West Ham on Tuesday.

"We had played three times in six days and so someone like Rom, with his body and pace and power, sometimes it is impossible to play 90 minutes in every game," Martinez told the Liverpool Echo.

"Every player wants to play every minute and no player will ever tell you they are not available. He is ready to perform now and give everything he's got on the pitch.

"But it has been that type of season, as a team, where we haven't got any momentum in the league going and clearly the individuals show that as well."

Third meets fourth as Manchester United entertain Southampton, with Saints manager Ronald Koeman looking for revenge after losing at home to United last month.

United could have Angel Di Maria to start for the first time since an injury lay-off while Luke Shaw is battling to be fit.

Tottenham and Arsenal will be out to capitalise on any dropped points above them as they travel to Crystal Palace and host Stoke City respectively.

At the other end of the table, bottom side Leicester face Aston Villa while second-bottom Burnley are at home to fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers.

Liverpool travel to Sunderland, West Ham are away to Swansea and West Brom take on Hull in the weekend's other matches.

FIXTURES

Saturday

14:45 Sunderland v Liverpool
17:00 Burnley v Queens Park Rangers
17:00 Chelsea v Newcastle United
17:00 Everton v Manchester City
17:00 Leicester City v Aston Villa
17:00Swansea City v West Ham United
17:00 West Bromwich Albion v Hull City
19:30 Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday

15:30 Arsenal v Stoke City
18:00 Manchester United v Southampton

Norwich City appoint Neil as manager

Norwich City have appointed Hamilton Academical boss Alex Neil as manager, the English Championship club said on Friday.

The 33-year-old arrives at Carrow Road having guided Hamilton to third in the Scottish Premiership this season after earning promotion during his first full campaign in charge last year.

"I'm absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to manage a club of the stature of Norwich. It's an exciting challenge at a huge club and one that I'm looking forward to," Neil, who replaces Neil Adams as manager, told the club's website (www.canaries.co.uk).

Norwich, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, are seventh in the second tier with 37 points from 24 matches. Neil Adams resigned as manager on Monday.

Schalke keeper to miss season restart

Schalke 04 keeper Ralf Faehrmann will miss the Bundesliga restart at the end of the month after straining a knee ligament in training, the Champions League club said on Friday.

Faehrmann was injured on Thursday with the club saying it could have been far worse than was initially feared.

"The diagnosis on Friday meant worse fears were thus not confirmed but the 26-year-old will still miss the season restart," Schalke said in a statement.

The royal blues, who take on holders Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 next month, are fifth in the Bundesliga with the league resuming on January 30.