EKO 2012:Lagos will achieve less in track and field events –Analyst

A sports analyst and former board member of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria has commented on the performance of Lagos state; the host of the 18th Sports Festival in the track and field events that it would not achieve much in terms clinching medals.
Adeyemi Philips who lectures Physical and Health Education at the University of Lagos said Delta, Edo and River states respectively possess more advantage than the host the track and field events of the National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012 because they have top quality athletes which the host do not possess.
“Delta, Edo, and Rivers are the top contenders for the athletics medals, they have top quality athletes. Lagos will find it hard during the competition,”
It can be said now that this claim by the Philips has encompassed performances by the host in the festival as Delta and Rivers states drowned Lagos state on the medals table and as of yesterday Delta was leading the table 10 gold medals, while River is following closely with 8 and Lagos coming third on the table.
He said the whole essence of the Sports festival is for the common goal of the country looking at the development of sports in Nigeria which has recently nose-dived judging by the performance of the country’s sportsmen in world stage.
“The overriding joy will be how many fresh talents we can discover and then be groomed to become world stars.
“This thing about athletes moving from one state to the other when it is time for the sports festival should be a thing of the past. What we want to see are States presenting young and enterprising athletes.
This is the only way Nigeria can produce quality athletes at the international level, the sports festival should be a breeding ground.

Seven goal thriller sends Man U three points clear at the top of the table

Manchester United prepared for next weekend’s derby with Man City by moving three points clear of the champions with a frenzied 4-3 win at Reading in the Premier League on Saturday in which all the goals were scored in the first half.
Hal Robson-Kanu put Reading in front, but Anderson equalized and Wayne Rooney gave United the lead from the penalty spot by the 16th minute.
Adam Le Fondre hit back for Reading and Sean Morrison headed the hosts ahead by the 23rd minute.
Rooney began United’s second comeback and Robin van Persie made it 4-3 by the 34th when the flood of goals ended.
Next Sunday, United hosts second-place City, which was held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday.
Other Matches
Chelsea are now 10 points off the pace in third place after seeing their run without victory stretch to seven games in a 3-1 defeat at West Ham United, while Arsenal tumbled to 10th after a 2-0 loss at home to Swansea City.
Chelsea’s match at West Ham was another game of two halves.
The visitors led 1-0 at halftime, only for the hosts’ rousing second-half fightback to condemn the European champions to their longest sequence of top-flight games without victory since 1995.
Juan Mata scored the first goal of the Rafael Benitez era to put Chelsea ahead at Upton Park but a revitalised West Ham roared back to prevail through goals from Carlton Cole and substitutes Mohamed Diame and Modibo Maiga.
“At this level, you have to take your chances, and we had many clear chances to finish the game,” said interim coach Benitez, who has picked up two points from a possible nine since replacing the sacked Roberto Di Matteo.
Michu was Arsenal’s scourge at the Emirates Stadium, the £2 million ($3.2 million, 2.5 million euros) signing from Rayo Vallecano claiming a late brace for Swansea to leave Arsene Wenger’s side five points below the top four.
“We were not good and Swansea deserved to win,” said Wenger, whose side have made their worst start to a league season since he arrived in 1996.
“Our fans cannot be happy when we do not win games and what we produced today is not enough to keep our fans happy.”
Marouane Fellaini put Everton ahead in the 33rd minute at City, following in after Joe Hart parried his header, but the Belgian’s foul on Edin Dzeko allowed Carlos Tevez to bring the champions level from the spot before halftime.
“It was a hard game,” City manager Roberto Mancini told the BBC.
“We tried to break them down but this week we have played three games in six days so we are tired. We also have players injured.”
A 75th-minute goal by Dean Whitehead gave Stoke City a 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion, and Tottenham Hotspur capitalised on the Baggies’ setback to move into fourth place with a 3-0 win at Fulham.
Brazilian holding midfielder Sandro set Spurs on their way with a wickedly swerving 30-yard effort in the 55th minute, before a quick-fire Jermain Defoe brace took the game away from Martin Jol’s side.
Spurs lost both Michael Dawson and the in-form Gareth Bale to injury, but coach Andre Villas-Boas said: “They are not very serious (injuries) and hopefully we will have them both back soon.”
Harry Redknapp’s home debut as Queens Park Rangers manager ended in stalemate after the top flight’s bottom club were held 1-1 by Aston Villa at Loftus Road.
Brett Holman put Villa ahead in the eighth minute but Jamie Mackie’s fine 18th-minute header levelled the scores for QPR, who had Stephane Mbia taken to hospital following a collision with Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Liverpool climbed one place to 11th after Daniel Agger’s 43rd-minute header secured a 1-0 success at home to Southampton that gave Brendan Rodgers’ side only their third home win of the campaign.

Chelsea’s supporters taunt Benitez goalless game against Man Cit

Rafael Benitez suffered a fiercely hostile reception from Chelsea’s supporters as his managerial reign opened with a goalless draw against Premier League champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich appointed the former Liverpool manager on an interim basis after sacking Roberto Di Matteo only six months after winning the Champions League and FA Cup.
Benitez’s arrival has met with an angry response from Chelsea fans in the wake of his old rivalry with them during his time at Anfield – and they made their strength of feeling abundantly clear.
The Spaniard was met with deafening jeers when he arrived in the technical area before kick-off, with the stadium announcer struggling to make himself heard ahead of a minute’s applause for former Chelsea manager Dave Sexton, who has passed away.
The mediocre affair did little to lift spirits, with City, still unbeaten in the league, marginally the better side but unable to fashion the victory that would have taken them back above Manchester United at the top of the table.
Benitez was left with plenty to ponder after the frosty response from his own fans, who directed abusive chants at him during the game and also delivered a minute’s applause for Di Matteo after 16 minutes, in honour of the Italian who wore the number 16 shirt as a player.
And there was no instant revival for Fernando Torres as he struggled once more – although Benitez will be pleased with a clean sheet.
The antipathy directed towards Benitez continued throughout a subdued first half, with City creating what few opportunities there were.
David Silva headed off target from an inviting cross from Pablo Zabaleta, who saw a shot from the edge of the area blocked by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Sergio Aguero missed City’s best chance four minutes before half-time, heading straight at Cech from eight yards after being set up by strike partner Edin Dzeko.
One of Benitez’s priorities is to rekindle the fire in Torres and it was clear Chelsea’s game had undergone a swift shift in emphasis, with an obvious increase in the number of long balls being hit towards the striker. On this occasion, though, it made life even easier for City captain Vincent Kompany.
Torres came to life on the hour when a loose ball fell in his direction in the area but he could only fire a rising left foot drive narrowly over the bar.
In a torrential downpour, moments of quality were scarce although Chelsea had an anxious moment as the game entered its final 10 minutes as Cech was forced to divert James Milner’s cross with his legs.
Benitez had remained largely impassive but moved to question the fourth official when Ashley Cole’s late shot was clearly turned over by City keeper Joe Hart only for referee Chris Foy to award a goal-kick.
It almost counted as a moment of high drama in a game that was, to put it politely, subdued and low key.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini:
“Games here are always hard but we played well while missing the last pass. We were too soft when we arrived near the box, you can play well, like we did, and not win the game.
“We had the better chances, I think that we lost two points. We dominated the first half, but the second half was not quite like that.
“It was difficult for them [with the atmosphere about Rafael Benitez], but we played well. Last year we lost a good game, this year we took one point. I am not happy but I prefer this.”

Sebastian Vettel wins third F1 world championship for Red Bull

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won a third consecutive world drivers’ title by three points in the Brazilian GP.
In an incident-packed, rain-affected race, Vettel fought back to finish sixth after dropping to last on lap one following a collision.
His rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished second, meaning he needed Vettel to be lower than seventh.
McLaren’s Jenson Button won after leading team-mate Lewis Hamilton was hit by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
The German was trying to pass Hamilton for the lead with 27 laps to go but lost control on the slippery track and slid into the side of Hamilton’s car.
Hulkenberg, driving the race of his career up to that point, was given a drive-through penalty and finished fifth, behind Alonso’s team-mate Felipe Massa in third and Red Bull’s Mark Webber in fourth.
Vettel becomes the youngest driver in history to win three world titles – at six years younger than Ayrton Senna. He is only the third driver to win three in succession.
“It is difficult to imagine what goes through my head now even for myself,” Vettel said. “I am full of adrenaline and if you poke me now I wouldn’t feel it.
“It was an incredible race. When you get turned around at Turn Four for no reason and it becomes like heading the wrong way down the M25 it is not the most comfortable feeling.
“I was lucky no-one hit me but the car was damaged and we lost a lot of speed, especially when it dried up. Fortunately it started to rain again and I felt so much happier.
“A lot of people tried to play dirty tricks [during the season], but we did not get distracted by that and kept going, and all the guys gave a big push right to the end.”
A breathless and topsy-turvy race, with intermittent rain, created drama from the first lap.
Vettel made a bad start from fourth on the grid and at the fourth corner was first tagged from behind by Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen and then hit by Williams’s Bruno Senna.
The impact knocked Vettel into a spin, and damaged the rear bodywork of his car, and he was last as he crossed the line at the end of lap one.
Alonso finished the first lap fifth, but seconds later passed Massa and Webber as they went three abreast into Turn One to take third.
In those positions, Alonso would have been champion, but Vettel set about recovering lost ground and by lap eight was remarkably up to sixth place, while Alonso had slipped behind Hulkenberg after running wide at Turn One on lap five.
Through a series of twists and turns at the front, including varying degrees of rain and a safety-car intervention, Vettel was always in control of the championship.
With 20 laps to go, Alonso was fourth behind Hamilton, Hulkenberg and Button, and Vettel seventh.
As rain began to fall harder, Hulkenberg closed on Hamilton and the two collided. So Hamilton’s last race for McLaren ended in a retirement rather than a victory.
More pit stops were needed for the leaders to fit intermediate tyres as the rain intensified, after which Button led from Massa and Alonso, with Vettel seventh.
Massa let Alonso by into second on lap 62, and two laps later Michael Schumacher, driving the last race of his career, moved over for Vettel to rise into sixth place and make his grip on the title more secure.
In the closing laps, Vettel was repeatedly urged by his team to slow down, reminding him that his position was good enough to win the title.
And then in a final dramatic twist, Paul di Resta crashed his Force India coming up the straight on the penultimate lap and the race finished under the safety car, confirming Vettel as champion.
“I’m very proud of the team,” said Alonso. “We lost the championship before today, not in Brazil, this is a sport after all. When you do something with your heart and do it 100% you have to be proud of yourself and your team and we’ll try again next year.”
Race winner Button said: “I want to congratulate the whole team. This is the perfect way to end the season. We have had ups and downs and to end on a high bodes well for 2013.”

Final Brazilian GP top 10

1. Jenson Button – McLaren 1:45:22.656
2. Fernando Alonso – Ferrari +2.754
3. Felipe Massa – Ferrari +3.615
4. Mark Webber – Red Bull +4.936
5. Nico Hulkenberg – Force India +5.708
6. Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull +9.453
7. Michael Schumacher – Mercedes +11.907
8. Jean-Eric Vergne – Toro Rosso +28.653
9. Kamui Kobayashi – Sauber +31.250
10. Kimi Raikkonen – Lotus +1 lap

Final F1 Driver’s Championship standings top 10

1. Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull 281
2. Fernando Alonso – Ferrari 278
3. Kimi Raikkonen – Lotus 207
4. Lewis Hamilton – McLaren 190
5. Jenson Button – McLaren 188
6. Mark Webber – Red Bull 179
7. Felipe Massa – Ferrari 122
8. Romain Grosjean – Lotus 96
9. Nico Rosberg – Mercedes 93
10 Sergio Perez – Sauber 66

West Brom climb to third for the first time in 22 years

West Brom went third in the Premier League after recording four successive top-flight wins for the first time since 1980 with victory at Sunderland.
The club continued its stunning start to the Premier League season on Saturday by climbing into third with a 4-2 victory at Sunderland.

West Brom’s fourth successive win took them two points ahead of Chelsea, although manager Steve Clarke’s former club can reclaim its spot in the top three by beating Manchester City on Sunday.
Zoltan Gera put West Brom ahead on the half-hour and Shane Long fired into an empty net before half time after goalkeeper Simon Mignolet fumbled Chris Brunt’s pass.
Sunderland launched a fight back when Craig Gardner’s free kick was deflected home in the 73rd minute.
Romelu Lukaku restored West Brom’s two-goal cushion from the penalty spot before Stephane Sessegnon pulled another back for Sunderland. But Marc-Antoine Fortune had the final say, with West Brom’s fourth in injury time.
The Baggies were brimming with confidence from the start and took the lead in spectacular style when Gera turned neatly and blasted a left-foot shot past Mignolet and inside the post.
Sunderland might have been level within two minutes when the ball fell to John O’Shea inside the penalty area but he curled a right-foot effort just high and wide of the top corner.
Martin O’Neill’s side went close again two minutes before halftime when Sessegnon’s enterprising run ended with a deflected shot which West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill stopped with little difficulty.
However, their hopes were dealt a major blow within seconds with Mignolet’s calamity in goal.
The Belgium goalkeeper went down to collect Brunt’s harmless through-ball as Long close him down, but inexplicably fumbled it into the path of the striker, who was left to tap into an empty net.
The game might have been effectively over within four minutes of the restart when Long ran in on goal, only for Mignolet to partially redeem himself with a vital block.
And Sunderland gave itself hope when Gardner’s free kick clipped Fortune in the defensive wall and flew past the helpless Myhill.
But Adam Johnson’s trip on Liam Ridgewell led to the penalty kick which Lukaku converted in the 81st.
Sessegnon pulled a second goal back from close range for Sunderland after Myhill had parried Fletcher’s header in the 87th. But after Lukaku had hit the post, Fortune ended Sunderland’s hopes with a neat finish in the fifth minute of injury time.
In other results, Manchester United came from behind to win 3-1 against Queens park Rangers, who are yet to record a victory this season. Jamie Mackie had put the away fans in a frenxy before goals from Jonny Evans, Darren Fletcher and substitute Javier Hernandez changed the game for the hosts. Everton were held to 1-1 draw by Norwhich while a goal from Charlie Adam ensured Stoke took the three points against Fulham.
Jordi Gomez scored a hattrick including a late winner as Wigan dispatched a resolute Reading side 3-2 at the Madejski.

AVB was terminated, we then won two trophies. I want to hear you congratulate Mr Abramovich for that... We'd have been crucified if we hadn't reported Clattenburg, says Chelsea chief Buck

•  Buck: 'We're the club most in the public eye anywhere in the world'
• Club stands by claim that Clattenburg used term 'monkey'
• 'There have been a lot of incidents involving Terry and Chelsea'
• Terry does NOT run the club, Abramovich does, claims Buck
• Club officials admit Chelsea’s image has been damaged

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has launched an impassioned defence of the club's players in the aftermath of the race-row storm which has engulfed Stamford Bridge following allegations referee Mark Clattenburg racially abused John Obi Mikel.
Buck says Chelsea agonised over the decision but, ultimately, were legally obliged to report Clattenburg in defence of Mikel and fellow midfielder Ramires, who made the initial allegation.
The Blues chief has also backed club owner Roman Abramovich's decision to 'terminate' the tenure of former boss Andre Villas-Boas in a bid to halt the club's side down the Barclays Premier League and save their Champions League aspirations. 

Wise move: Chelsea fans should cheer Abramovich for his decision to sack Villas-Boas

 

Chelsea last week submitted a dossier of evidence to the FA, including signed witness statements from players, alleging Clattenburg used a term understood to have been interpreted as racist during the 3-2 defeat by Manchester United. Clattenburg denies the claims.
Buck, however, cannot understand why Chelsea have come under fire for reporting the Durham official and believes the club have rightly taken the moral high ground.
Buck, in a sensational interview with the Evening Standard said: 'The reaction has been very unfair,' he says. 'We weren't interested in any confrontation with the referee or anybody else, had no thoughts of revenge on the referee. He made two obvious mistakes (sending Fernando Torres off and allowing Javier Hernandez's offside winner) which changed the tide.
'I felt we had the moral high ground, so I didn’t really feel that bad about the defeat or have that feeling in my stomach. I thought we'd be treated very kindly in the newspapers next day.
'It was made after a great deal of anguish and after talking long and hard that evening about what should we do.'
Buck believes the club were forced into a corner and once the two players involved came forward, they had no option but to make the report.
And the American-trained lawyer stands by the claim that Clattenburg used the term 'monkey'.
'We were guided by obligations that are imposed by the Football Association and also as an employer. FA rule E14 basically says a participant shall immediately report to the association any incident or matter which may be considered to be a misconduct.
'Misconduct is a defined term under the FA regulations and includes such racial behaviour. We also had to consider the Equality Act 2010, which imposes an obligation on an employer to take certain actions if an employee is subject to discrimination by third parties.
Suppose we had tried to sweep this under the rug and said to the various players, "Look, it's not a big deal and the press are going to be all over us, maybe you want to reconsider". If that had leaked out, we would've really been crucified.'

Flashpoint: Mikel and Ramires made allegations about referee Clattenburg

GOURLAY: 'RACE ROWS HAVE BEEN BULLET PRINTS IN OUR ARMOUR'

Chelsea’s chief executive Ron Gourlay (right) has described the race rows that have blighted the club over the last 12 months as ‘bullet prints in our armour’ and charged the younger players at Stamford Bridge to repair Chelsea’s damaged image.

The Champions League winners have struggled to win friends during public disputes fueled by racism allegations, while talismanic captain John Terry and big-spending owner Roman Abramovich have long been polarizing personalities in English football.

‘There are things that have happened that damaged the image,’ Gourlay said, acknowledging that Chelsea has been under fire since Terry’s court case and, more recently, reporting referee Mark Clattenburg for alleged racist abuse. ‘There are bullet prints in our armor. We have learned from the mistakes we have made. Hopefully the football club is in a good position to push forward now.’

He believes the widely admired talent of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar is shifting people’s perception.

‘That’s where we want to be,’ Gourlay added. ‘I think people like the way they are seeing Chelsea play football now, and that’s very important because it portrays itself as the image of the club.

‘We are in a very, very strong place,’ the chief executive said on the sidelines of the Chelsea-backed International Football Arena conference in Zurich.

Buck spoke with Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay and headed into the team's dressing room after the match with united at 6.15pm. 
And he says he was careful to rule out any misunderstanding from the players involved - as neither uses English as their first language. Buck was reassured both players spoke good English. 
He said: 'I spoke to the players involved, either because they were allegedly the recipient of that abuse or had heard it, three separate times.
'I asked them if they could be mistaken. I asked them, if they might have heard Mikel instead of monkey. I thought I had covered that base.'
The revolving-door policy operated by Blues' owner Roman Abramovich saw Andre Villas-Boas ditched two-thirds of the way through last season.
The decision came just nine months after they had paid Porto £13million for his services.
AVB failed to convince senior members of the squad, like John Terry  and Frank Lampard that he was the man to lead the club forward.
But Buck denies that Terry runs the club, or that player power is too strong at Stamford Bridge.
In fact it was Abramovich's 'termination' of the Portuguese which led Chelsea directly to their ultimate goal; Champions League glory.
'It didn’t take the players to tell us we were not going in the right direction. I knew that, Mr Abramovich knew that.
'When Andre left, we were in a very difficult situation about to be bounced out of the Champions League, doing very poorly in the Premier League.
'The proof is in the pudding: Andre was terminated and we wound up winning two trophies. I want to hear you congratulate Mr Abramovich and Chelsea for making that change.'

Dogged by controversy: Terry race row with Ferdinand came nine years after he was cleared he was cleared of attacking a nightclub doorman (below)

One thing Buck didn't deny was the negative impact of the Terry race-row which has dogged the club over the last 12 months - just the latest in the line of discretions from the club's captain down the years.
'I can't argue with the fact that, over the last 10 years, there have been a lot of public incidents in which Terry and Chelsea were involved. But I don’t accept that we have something in our hearts that says we’re going to chase the referees.
'It’s just not like that at all, honest. Chelsea are not run by John Terry. I don’t know how I can prove it to you but it’s not true. My club are run by Roman Abramovich.'Life in west london changed dramatically the moment the Russian billionaire arrived.

In stark contrast to ken Bates' loud and brash style, Abramovih remains in the margins, allowing his staff to speak on behalf of the club.

Bright future: Chelsea's young players can help repair the club's damaged image

But Buck denies the claim this proves Abramovich is aloof and hopes the club are moving down the right track to preserve their position in Europe's elite.

He said: 'It's not true that Mr Abramovich does not care what people think about Chelsea. Rightly or wrongly, Mr Abramovich changed English football forever. I feel very strongly that he hasn't had enough credit for what he's done. Chelsea's heart is definitely not black.
'We have to continue to try to be a good citizen and to do things for our community, country and players and play good football.'

In the line of fire: Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay (left) and chairman Bruce Buck at a Chelsea game

UNILAG tops Lagos Inter-tertiary games medal table

The University of Lagos UNILAG have emerged winners of the 4th edition of Lagos Inter-tertiary Games.
Team UNILAG was adjudged the overall best team of the championship with 9 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.
They dethroned last edition’s winners; Team Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH to the third position.
Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH came second with 6 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals, while LASPOTECH won 1 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals.
Lagos state Sports Commissioner, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, who was the chief host of the event, commended the students for their spirit of sportsmanship, adding that the state government is looking at ways to increase the number of sports which the students are competing for in the future editions.