Pep Guardiola’s arrival an inflection point in Premier League history

Over 20,000 professional players deemed not one footballer from the English Premier League worthy of starring in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2015, as was revealed at the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich's Kongresshaus.
Barring England, all European hotbeds – Spain, France, Italy and Germany – found representation in a team comprising football’s crème de la crème from the continent.
This has been a recurring theme at the gala in recent years. Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic in 2012 was the last player, having played a full season for an English club, to make the cut.

Premier League’s elite clubs continue to struggle against their contemporaries from the La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A on the grand stage of the world’s biggest club competition year on year.
The Football Association’s flagship brand is the oldest and most watched football league in the world. Sadly, it isn’t the best league in the world. While squad depths of all 20 clubs make for an exciting league, the gap between the best in England and Spain is only growing.
The Premier League’s top dogs come up a cropper against the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the Champions League. If a list of the world’s top 20 players is compiled, not more than two players from England will be part of it at the moment.
From Cristiano Ronaldo to Gareth Bale, Premier League stars continue to be seduced by the prospect of playing in Madrid and Barcelona. Despite a gigantic television rights deal, English top-flight football has fallen out of favor with the very best in the business.
Barring Sergio Aguero, no players of genuine game-changing repute have moved the other way. Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Angel di Maria did, only because they were surplus to requirements at their respective La Liga clubs.
From the perspective of Premier League football fans, a heartening new trend has taken shape of late that could gradually help England regain its position as the ultimate club football destination.
Managers of pedigree – Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Jurgen Klopp – have jumped on the Premier League caravan in the last two years. This clearly is a positive development for the league’s brand. The best players want to work with the game’s best minds, which is why influential managers are pivotal. High-profile figures like these help elevate the stature of a league.
Come June 30, another name will join England’s managerial heavyweights. Manchester City gatecrashed transfer deadline day, announcing Manuel Pellegrini’s summer replacement as the irrepressible Pep Guardiola.
Pep’s credentials are mighty but not spotless. While he ticked all the boxes with the Catalan giants, the missing Champions League trophy with the Bavarians should count as a major miss.
Sheik Mansour has signed the best-paid manager in world football with the singular motive of winning a Champions League. Some believe the Spaniard will make City serial winners, while other feel he could build a dynasty rivaling Sir Alex Ferguson.
Guardiola inherited winning teams at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. This City side is not on the same level as both of Pep’s previous employers. Hence whether Pep can bring transformational
change to the blue half of Manchester remains debatable at this juncture.
However, what is not a matter of debate is the value the 45-year-old brings to City and the Premier League in general. Pulling power
While Lionel Messi, may still be out of bounds for City, Pep will use his pulling power to sign some of the best players in the world. With him in charge, the club will automatically become a popular destination for all the big names. Considering the resources at his disposal, Guardiola will inject City’s already formidable squad with more world-class talent. The opportunity of working under him will be hard for any player to resist.
Play, possession and position
With the Spaniard at the helm, City fans can expect their team to play way better next season. As the great Thierry Henry revealed on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Pep orders his players to stick to a rigid positional system, allowing ‘freedom’ in the final third. No player from the right can move over to the left and vice-versa in Pep’s system. His obsessive approach will help City operate at an extremely high level of efficiency.
Added focus on youth
There is no doubt Pep’s arrival will lead to a rejig of City’s squad. The club’s new youth academy will be the biggest beneficiary of life under the new manager. Guardiola is known to spend considerable time in supervising the development of young players. From nurturing La Masia’s golden generation, to ushering Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich into Bayern’s first team, Pep pays special attention to young talent.
Extraordinary style
Guardiola’s teams play with a distinct style. His system is a cross between thrilling attacking football and organizational discipline in defense. Pep’s drills his philosophy of fierce pressing and speedy attack into the entire squad. He is no advocate of one particular style. The intelligence of his plan lies in its flexibility. At heart, Pep is a pragmatist, which is why his approach will be wedded to City’s strengths.
With 19 trophies in six-and-a-half seasons, Pep’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium marks a definitive moment in Premier League’s history. His unrelenting pursuit of perfection and meticulous attention to detail will not just bolster City but also raise the benchmark of excellence in the league. More importantly, the hallmark of brand Pep, its credibility, will help England’s top-flight football regain its importance and influence in Europe.
Source- zeenews.india

Read More

Bengaluru FC ease past Salgaocar FC to claim second I-League title in three years

Follow @ZeeNewsSports

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC were on Sunday crowned as I-League football champions for the second time in three years as they blanked Salgaocar 2-0 in their penultimate league match here today.

Eugenson Lyngdoh (8th minute) and Seminlen Doungel (87th) socred for Bengaluru as Ashley Westwood-coached side took full three points to clinch their second I-League title in front of their home crowd at the Kanteerava Stadium.
They had won their maiden crown in 2013-14 season and had finished second last season (2014-15) behind Mohun Bagan.
With 32 points from 15 matches, Bengaluru took an unassailable five point lead from currently second-placed Mohun Bagan (27 points from 15 matches) with one match to spare.
This means that their last league fixture against Mohun Bagan on April 23 in Siliguri has been rendered inconsequential as far as I-League title is concerned.
But that match will have importance for deciding the second-place finisher as East Bengal (25 points from 15 matches) are currently at third just two points behind Mohun Bagan.
East Bengal can finish at second if they beat Shillong Lajong in their last match on April 24 in Shillong and Mohun Bagan lose against Bengaluru.
Seeking to clinch the title today itself, Westwood fielded the first choice eleven for the clash with Curtis Osano and John Johnson returning to the fold as centre halves with Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Michael Collins manning the midfield.
Youngster Malsawmzuala got a start with Udanta Singh as the wingmen. Skipper Sunil Chhetri combined with Korean Kim Seong Yong to form the attacking nucleus of the 'Blues'.
It took just eight minutes for Bengaluru FC to open the scoring through Eugeneson Lyngdoh. The India midfielder scored his third goal in his comeback from injury as he latched onto a loose ball from Salgaocar goalkeeper Karanjit Singh's punch off a cross from the left.
Unmarked 25 yards out, Lyngdoh drove it straight across the ground with a right footer to take the early lead and leave the Goans fluttered.
Salgaocar tried to make a comeback as Jackichand Singh made his way past a couple of defenders but Amrinder Singh was quick to get onto the ball. Thangjam Saran Singh was booked after he brought down Udanta Singh during a Lyngdoh freekick and Salgaocar never really pressed after that during the first half.
Kim Seong Yong could have added the second goal for Bengaluru but was blocked by Leny Pereira and on the second attempt off it, Eder did well to deny Sunil Chhetri from close range.
Six minutes past the half hour mark, Salgaocar keeper Karanjit pulled off fine save, diving to his left to deny Michael Collins.
After some lighting related interruption, the second half started with Salgaocar tried to break the resolute Bengaluru defense but were unable to create much of an impact with their attempts.
Skipper Chhetri set up the second goal for Bengaluru which sealed the title three minutes from time. After a fine move at the left channel, Chhetri squared the ball into the box and with Salgaocar keeper Karanjit out of his line, substitute Seminlen Doungel was there to calmly dab the ball into the open net.
The Kanteerava crowd erupted to wild cheers as the referee blew the whistle.
Source-- zeenews.india

Read More

UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich See Off Benfica to Reach Semifinals

Lisbon: Bayern Munich came out on top in an entertaining Champions League last-eight clash with Benfica, reaching the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate victory, after a second-leg 2-2 draw in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola took his German champions to the Estadio Da Luz with a 1-0 first-leg lead thanks to Aruto Vidal's early strike at the Allianz Arena last week.
After a slow start to the game, Benfica drew back onto level terms in the tie in the 27th minute, as Raul Jimenez escaped the Bayern defence to nod past Manuel Neuer.
But Vidal smashed home his second goal of the quarter-final tie seven minutes before half-time to leave Rui Vitoria's Benfica needing two unanswered goals to progress.
The tie appeared all but over shortly after the restart when Thomas Mueller pounced in trademark fashion.
Benfica did manage to create a grandstand finale of sorts through Talisca's set-piece, but it could have been more exciting had Bayern's Javi Martinez been sent off for the cynical foul that lead to the free-kick.
Bayern though join Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City in Friday's semi-final draw, as coach Guardiola looks to sign off with a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles before he joins Man City at the end of the season.
"We're satisfied because the Champions League is a very tough competition. We've achieved our objective and now we want to get to the final," said Guardiola, who has now reached the semi-finals in all seven of his campaigns as a coach.
"From what I read in Germany it would seem that if I leave without winning the Champions League my work will have been incomplete.
"But for us, the coaches, the aim is always to win trophies."
Five-time winners Bayern progress to the last four for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, leaving their opponents without a semi-final appearance in Europe's premier club competition since 1990.
Unenviable task for Benfica
Benfica were undisputed underdogs, and they started this match not just with a deficit to overturn, but without three key forwards.
Top scorer Jonas, who has scored 32 goals this season, was ruled out through suspension, while Nicolas Gaitan and Greek Kostas Mitroglou failed to recover from injuries, meaning that the hosts had depleted attacking options to choose from.
"We finished the game with five players aged between 18 and 21 on the field. We have a team that fought toe to toe with Bayern," said coach Vitoria.
"We were up against a very strong team who score goals wherever they play and that made the difference."
Roared on by the home crowd, the hosts started quickly and after Vidal headed tamely at Ederson Moraes, Benfica struck almost from nowhere.
Eliseu skipped forward from left-back, before chipping in a delicious cross which was headed home by Jimenez for his third Champions League goal of the season.
Bayern were rocked and Jimenez should have put Benfica in front on aggregate just a couple of minutes after opening the scoring but the former Atletico Madrid man stabbed a weak effort straight at Neuer.
Just when the Portuguese champions were starting to gain a measure of control, Lahm's cross was only palmed as far as Vidal by stand-in goalkeeper Ederson, and the Chilean did the rest with a thumping left-footed finish.
World Cup winner Mueller struck in the 53rd minute after Martinez headed Xabi Alonso's corner across the face of goal, to effectively seal Bayern's place in the semi-finals with his eighth goal in Europe this term.
The Bavarians were given a huge slice of luck when Martinez hacked down Benfica substitute Goncalo Guedes when the teenager was clean through on goal, but only saw yellow.
Brazilian Talisca, who had also come off the bench, delightfully curled the resulting free-kick out of Neuer's reach and into the top corner to give Benfica a glimmer of hope, but in the end they ran out of steam.source:sports.ndtv

Read More

Jamie Vardy's Party Set To Become Football's Definitive Cinderella Story

Jamie Vardy has scored 21 goals for Leicester City in the 2015/16 EPL and his contribution has been the main driving force behind the team's success.On a chilly Tuesday evening in London, the Dutch were in town for a football friendly at Wembley. Starting up front for England was the man we had all come to watch -- Jamie Vardy, the Rocky Balboa of English football and the man behind the Leicester miracle this season.

With the No. 10 on his back, the explosive forward charged and probed, chasing everything down in typical fashion. The inevitable beckoned when Vardy found himself in space inside the box, hitting the back of the net from Nathaniel Clyne's cross, lifting the roof off in the 41st minute. It was his second international goal. England were impressive in attack, but a Dutch side in transition came from behind to record a spirit-boosting 2-1 victory.
"Jamie Vardy's havin' a party," echoed through Wembley. Despite the Dutch raining on Vardy's parade, for a lot of us, witnessing the enigma playing at his peak and scoring at the most iconic of stadiums got us our money's worth.
Vardy's meteoric rise has been nothing short of an underdog story for the ages. The Sheffield-born forward's career seemingly has seen more ups and downs than Arsene Wenger's famed zipper.
Released by Sheffield Wednesday in 2002, the Leicester City top scorer started his semi-professional career at Stocksbridge Park Steels in 2003, in the Northern Premier League, an astounding seven-tiers below the Premier League.
Described as a 'rough diamond', it wasn't hard to overlook Vardy's potential in his early years. Fast but lanky, his frame raised suspicions that defenders would bully him off the ball.
Sold to Halifax Town for a measly 15,000 Pounds in 2010, his career look set to follow in the steps of the quintessential 'forgotten footballer' -- raw talent, couldn't impress scouts, didn't make the cut.
Vardy though, kept fighting. Working full-time as a technician, manufacturing medical splints for the disabled, he rallied on, winning promotions with Halifax and later Fleetwood. His goals caught the eye of Nigel Pearson and in 2012, Vardy made headlines, becoming the first non-league player to be sold for 1 million Pounds, as Leicester City took a gamble on the then 25-year old.
Four years on, and a screaming Martin Tyler would have you believe that the football gods have rewarded Vardy with his very own place in Premier League folklore.
"It's eleven! It's heaven for Jamie Vardy!" he exclaimed, as Vardy smashed the league record by scoring in an unprecedented 11th consecutive game.
The feat cemented Vardy as an outlier, as one who went against the grain and ended up triumphant. The once scrawny factory worker now had a full-time job terrorizing Premier League defences.
This season, Vardy has been as heroic, as he has been prolific, and stories like his belong almost exclusively in works of fiction. He will undoubtedly inspire thousands, if not millions of footballers to have the grit to keep going, conquering obstacle, after obstacle, after obstacle.
If indeed the Leicester City fairytale does come true, Jamie Vardy's party will culminate in a well-deserved champagne finale.source:sports.ndtv

Read More

Slumping Barcelona Must Bounce Back: Luis Enrique

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is concerned over his team's form after being knocked out of Champions League.

 

Lisbon: Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted his side are suffering a slump in form after a third defeat in four games saw them dumped out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid. (UEFA Champions League: Antoine Griezmann Double Dumps Barcelona, Atletico Madrid in Semifinals)
Antoine Griezmann struck twice for Atletico in a 2-0 win Wednesday to seal their passage to the last four at Barcelona's expense for the second time in three years, 3-2 on aggregate.
"It is clear that we are not in our best form, especially if you consider how we were playing before, but we need to lift ourselves," said Enrique, whose side's dreams of a treble were dashed.
Barca had gone 39 games without tasting defeat before losing back-to-back La Liga games to Real Madrid and Real Sociedad to leave Atletico also breathing down their necks just three points behind in the title race with six games remaining.
Enrique's men will return to the Vicente Calderon in May for the Copa del Rey final and he insisted a league and Cup double would still mean a successful season despite missing the chance to become the first side to retain Europe's top trophy since it became the Champions League in 1992.
"The team wanted to retain the title, it was one our objectives and excited every Barca fan, but it isn't to be," said Enrique.
"We are finding it much more difficult than normal to score goals and suffering defensively too. We all have to improve and I'm the first one in that regard," he added.
"The objectives for Barcelona are always the highest possible. We should be proud that Barca are always favourites for everything.
"We understand that we have to accept defeat, we have other competitions coming up that we can win. For any coach in the world to win two titles is a successful season."
'Important step'
Victory ended Atletico's seven-game losing streak against Barca dating back to when the Madrid club sealed their La Liga title at the Camp Nou in 2014.
Diego Simeone's men also reached the Champions League final that season before losing in heartbreaking fashion to local rivals Real Madrid in the final.
Real lie in wait once more along with Bayern Munich and Manchester City in Friday's semi-final draw.
Simeone is determined Atletico's journey towards a first Champions League title won't end in the last four.
"I don't have any thought for the semi-finals other than winning," he said.
"We won't have anything easy. City have incredible financial power and Real Madrid and Bayern are historic teams in this competition.
"For Atletico to be among the four best teams in Europe is an important step, but just that, because we want more."
Griezmann was Atletico's hero as he took his tally for the season to 29 in all competitions with a towering first-half header before sealing the tie from the penalty spot two minutes from time.
However, the Frenchman was quick to laud the collective effort of his side as they shut out Barca's fearsome front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar for their 29th clean sheet of the season.
"Everyone works hard defensively and tactically we are nearly perfect," said Griezmann.
"We are very happy tonight. I'm happy because I scored two goals and tomorrow we won't talk about these two goals but the great effort of the team to be in the semi-finals."

 

source:sports.ndtv

Read More

Marcus Rashford Takes Manchester United F.C. Into FA Cup Semifinals With Win Over West Ham 

 

Manchester United players celebrate after enter the FA Cup semifinal with win over West Ham.United in Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay to bolster manager Louis van Gaal. 

West Ham were bidding to crown the final cup tie at their venerable Boleyn Ground home with victory, having pushed United close at Old Trafford in the 1-1 draw when the teams first met.
But it was Van Gaal's United, for whom Wayne Rooney returned to action after two months out with a knee injury, who advanced to a Wembley semi-final against Everton on April 23 courtesy of 18-year-old Rashford's sixth goal of the season and a close-range Marouane Fellaini effort.
"I think we controlled the game for 85 minutes and could have finished the game much earlier, but then they scored and it is very nervous till the end," said Van Gaal.
On Rashford's goal, he said: "It was a great goal. I was behind him on the bench and I saw his view, and I shouted 'Shoot!'"
Having been under fire for several long months, Van Gaal now has a chance to finish a gruelling season by leading United to a first FA Cup triumph since 2004, which could yet keep him in a job.
West Ham, who set up a nerve-jangling last few minutes through James Tomkins's header, must now seek to ensure that when Van Gaal's men return for the last ever game at the Boleyn Ground on May 10, their dreams of Champions League qualification remain intact.
"It is not what we wanted of course, but we gave our best," said West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, whose team lost for the first time in 17 home games.
"We are going to bounce back."
West Ham shared six goals with Arsenal in a gripping game on Saturday and they started this match with comparable abandon, Enner Valencia threatening and Dimitri Payet trying to catch David de Gea out with a cunningly disguised free-kick.
Kouyate offside
But West Ham's eagerness to attack left them exposed at the back and as the visitors began to venture forward, they found unexpected space.
The quicksilver Rashford had a pair of efforts blocked, while Fellaini, who came in for Morgan Schneiderlin, saw a shot pushed over by West Ham's cup goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
As heavy rain began to fall, Rashford wriggled away from a posse of defenders and released Jesse Lingard, whose side-foot effort obliged Randolph to save with his legs. Shortly after, West Ham alumnus Michael Carrick volleyed wide.
Lingard rattled a stanchion soon after the change of ends and although Cheikhou Kouyate then worked De Gea at the other end, in the 54th minute United's pressure told.
A clearance from Michail Antonio found its way to Anthony Martial, who helped the ball on to Rashford, and the teenager applied further gloss to his gleaming reputation by shimmying inside Tomkins and planting a sumptuous finish in the top-right corner.
Not even the most ardent West Ham regular could have complained that the goal was undeserved and with 23 minutes remaining United doubled their advantage.
A cross from the right reached Martial at the back post and from his mishit shot, Fellaini steered the ball into the net with his knee from about three yards out.
After De Gea had produced a razor-sharp save to thwart Antonio, Tomkins nodded in a knock-down from Andy Carroll with 11 minutes remaining to set up a rousing finale.
Rooney made his entrance as a late replacement for Rashford, but he had no opportunity to influence proceedings in West Ham's half as Bilic's side laid siege to the United goal.
Carroll headed narrowly over from Aaron Cresswell's cross before De Gea saved twice, from Kouyate and Carroll, and when Kouyate headed the rebound from the latter attempt into the net, to United and Van Gaal's immense relief the flag went up for offside.source:sports.ndtv

 

Read More

Cardinals' Arians takes aim at moms as he defends safety of football

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians continued his offseason crusade to save the future of football, this time at the Arizona Cardinals High School Football Coaches Clinic.
"We feel like this is our sport," Arians said Friday, via FOX Sports 910 in Phoenix. "It's being attacked, and we got to stop it at the grass roots. It's the best game that's ever been (expletive) invented, and we got to make sure that moms get the message; because that's who's afraid of our game right now. It's not dads, it's moms."
Earlier last month, Arians told MMQB that parents who won't let their kids play football are "fools." But it's not just Arians who is trying to change the narrative on football safety.
source- foxnews

Read More

Former Saints DE Will Smith dead after he and wife shot in road-rage attack

he and wife shot in road-rage attack

Former Saints defensive end Will Smith is dead after he and his wife were shot in a road-rage attack late Saturday night in New Orleans.
The shootings took place during an argument that occured when Smith's SUV was rear-ended at an intersection, police said. Smith died behind the wheel while his wife, Racquel, was wounded in the leg. A 30-year-old man and the gun are in custody, authorities announced.

Read More

Garth Brooks hosts football camp too

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Garth Brooks wasn't only playing for packed houses at the KFC Yum! Center this weekend. The country music superstar also held a football camp.
The Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and ProCamps have a 10-year history of impacting kids across the nation. The Teammates for Kids provides scholarships for underprivileged children allowing them to attend the ProCamps Sports camps, which are hosted by professional athletes.
OTHER NEWS
+ Freezing temperatures affecting local farms
+ Benefit bash goes to the dogs & cats
+ Concrete Ball benefits solid cause
Saturday's camp, which took place at the Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex, featured former University of Louisville standout and current Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Eric Wood.
"The chances of them to become an NFL player are probably slim, like everywhere else around the world," Brooks said. "But the chances of them growing up to be a good human being, this is what we're planning on, so that's why we're here."
One hundred boys and girls between the ages of 9-13 from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana, Sunrise Children's Services and Tickets for Kids Charities took part in the camp.
Sourse-wave3

Read More

English Football Association to ask FIFA to research dementia link to soccer

The English Football Association will ask FIFA to investigate whether former players have dementia as a consequence of brain damage from playing the game.
Three members of England's 1966 World Cup squad — Martin Peters, Nobby Stiles, Ray Wilson — have Alzheimer's, family members told Saturday's Daily Mirror newspaper.
Concerns have grown in Britain about the impact of head injuries after campaigning by the family of former England striker Jeff Astle, whose death in 2002 was attributed to repeatedly heading heavy, leather balls.
English FA medical head Ian Beasley is seeking assistance from world soccer's governing body to help determine if there are definitive long-term health dangers from playing the game, and if prospective players should be warned.

"We are taking some research questions to FIFA imminently to ask, 'Can you help us in trying to find out if dementia is more common in ex-professional footballers?'" Beasley told The Associated Press on Saturday.
"The trouble is we just don't know ... it's a massive undertaking to try and decide whether there's an association between having played professional football and cognitive decline, dementia you might call it commonly — brain damage causing functional impairment over time. We just don't know. It's always tempting to say 'It must be.' But we're not sure."
Last year, the U.S. Soccer Federation recommended a ban on headers for players 10 and under in a bid to address concerns about the impact of head injuries.
Beasley, who is also the England team doctor, wants researchers to assess whether the severity of any brain damage depends on which position the person played, how many games they played, and at which level.
"The hope is (FIFA) will tell us one way or another," Beasley said. "This is a health and safety issue in the end, and that's what it will come down to. You may still want to be a professional footballer but at least we can advise you what the chances are of something irreversible happening to you."
FIFA chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak was not aware of the FA seeking specific research into links between footballers' brain trauma and dementia.
"We have very little evidence that would substantiate that assumption for football players," Dvorak told the AP at the Football Medicine Strategies conference in London. "But that's the reason why we are also studying the long-term changes of former professional male and female footballers. Not only for brain dysfunction but also early onset of osteoarthritis.
Source-baltimoresun

Read More

Darren Cooper on football: Jabrill Peppers, Chris Partridge give back to Jersey

WALDWICK — Having played multiple positions already in his college football career, Jabrill Peppers tried on a new role as coach/mentor Saturday afternoon.

The former Paramus Catholic star and current Michigan redshirt sophomore spent his afternoon at Superdome Sports working with kids at the Game Changers youth football camp.
Former Paramus Catholic head coach and current Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge was nearby working the camp as well.
“I feel like it’s your duty to come back,” said Peppers. “If you were fortunate enough to make it and you have people who look up to you and want to hear what you’re saying, why not do it? Why not?”
“We got the weekend off, but I’m too restless to take the whole weekend off,” said Partridge. “Jabrill happened to be home as well, so we figured we would come over and try to help out. I have a lot of pride in New Jersey football.”
Both left before the high school-aged kids arrived, as per the new NCAA rules banning college coaches from working so-called satellite camps that are off-campus.
Wearing neon green and red cleats and a purple hat from his fraternity, Peppers watched the aspiring defensive backs work and threw passes to them. He seemed to genuinely enjoy his time, offering pointers and posing for pictures.
“This brings back memories,” said Peppers. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do it, just because there were guys who took time out to do it for me. It meant a lot to me. Once you see that someone made it from your community, that gives you a lot of hope.”
Peppers and Partridge have been linchpins of a pipeline of talent that sprung up seemingly overnight from New Jersey to Ann Arbor. It continued this past fall when the Wolverines received commitments from DePaul standout running back Kareem Walker and Paladins star defensive lineman Rashan Gary.
“It feels good to say that you maybe started the trend,” said Peppers. “But at the end of the day, we just want ballers and it happens than most of the ballers are from Jersey. We all know each other. We grew up around the same area. We want the same thing. We all love to play football. We are just trying to go out there and dominate and show them how New Jersey does it.”
Peppers was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season after doing a little bit of everything for the Wolverines. He played safety, cornerback and nickelback on defense. On offense, he lined up at quarterback in two games and carried the ball 18 times as a running back. He also returned punts and kickoffs.
The latest buzz out of Ann Arbor had Peppers playing linebacker in spring ball; interestingly enough, that would mean Partridge would be his coach. Again.
Partridge laughed when asked if Peppers would be a linebacker this fall.
“We’ll see,” Partridge said smiling. “Is he going to be a linebacker? No. But will he be a linebacker? Sometimes.”
Michigan will have a new defensive coordinator, the well-regarded Don Brown who led Boston College’s No. 1-ranked defense in 2015. Peppers called him a “cool grandpa” figure. But like most defenses in football now, they are trying to find a way to match offenses that spread the field horizontally and put athletes in various spots.
“My position definitely has some linebacker tendencies, but I’m not going to just be sitting at linebacker the whole time,” said Peppers. “They’ll be doing a lot with me in terms of using my skill set to my best advantage and to my team’s best advantage. It’s like a nickel[back], but in Coach Brown’s defense it’s considered a Sam [strong side] backer. It’s kind of a hybrid, bigger defensive back.”
Peppers said he weighed 207 and was getting on a flight back to Ann Arbor today. He is on track to graduate and will be NFL Draft eligible after this season — Peppers missed most of his true freshman season with a knee injury.
Under new coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines finished 10-3 in 2015 and ranked No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll. They crushed Florida in the Citrus Bowl, 41-7, a game Peppers missed with a hand injury.
Michigan will be considered a contender for a Big Ten and national title in 2016. Don’t be surprised if Gary plays right away — he’s that good — and Peppers should be even better contributing in multiple ways.
“We just want to improve from last year,” said Peppers. “We lost a couple of games we should have won. We just have to finish. That’s the main thing, just finish games. We don’t want to give anyone room to breathe, that’s our main thing right now.”Source-northjersey

Read More

Because of spinal issue, former Jenks star Dylan Harding’s OSU football career ends

Updated: Saturday April 9, 2016 8:29 pm

Former Jenks High School star Dylan Harding announced on Twitter that his Oklahoma State football career has ended.
A backup safety who played for two seasons on special-teams units, Harding would have been a junior during the 2016 season.
Harding’s tweet: “For everyone that hasn’t seen or heard, I got diagnosed with spinal stenosis that’s causing me to leave the game I’ve played since the 2nd grade. I’ll never forget the young days of watching Bedlam games with my pops and dreaming of being a part of something that special.
“Thankfully, I got that opportunity and I’ll never forget it. I just want to say thanks to my family, friends and people who followed this dream of mine as it turned into a reality. I want to specifically say thank you to all of the coaches and my dad who have spent countless hours with me, trying to better me as a person and a football player.
“I got to experience something I’ll never forget and (will) cherish forever. . . . I’ll forever be grateful. #GoPokes.”
According to the Mayo Clinic website, spinal stenosis is “a narrowing of the open spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to the arms and legs. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.”
At Jenks, Harding was a member of two state championship teams. At Oklahoma State, he played in a two-season total of 22 games. This is an excerpt from a 2015 Tulsa World piece: “If you examine a replay of the 2014 Bedlam punt return — Tyreek Hill’s 92-yard, fourth-quarter runback that pushed the game to overtime — there was an interesting convergence of former Jenks teammates Harding and Steven Parker (then a freshman at OU).
“As Hill drifted toward the Cowboys sideline, Parker was in pursuit. Near the OSU 20-yard line, Harding made contact with Parker, but didn’t attempt a knockdown because it could have resulted in a flag for a block in the back. Harding’s restraint was a factor in what became a historically significant Bedlam moment.”
As a Jenks senior, Harding was a Tulsa World All-State selection who excelled both as a safety and a receiver (21 catches, 563 yards, seven touchdowns). The most memorable of his TDs occurred with 25 seconds remaining in the 2013 MidFirst Bank Backyard Bowl, when he collected a Cooper Nunley pass and raced to the end zone to complete a 76-yard play and give the top-ranked Trojans a 20-16 victory over No. 2 Union.Source--tulsaworld

Read More

Russell Wilson is endorsing a weird new educational football bread

When it comes to thinking outside the box for endorsement purposes, it's hard to beat Russell Wilson. The Seahawks quarterback takes marketing to a different level.
But his latest endeavor, as a spokesman for "Eat the Ball" -- an educational bread! -- is just plain weird.
Via Eater comes the story of Wilson's attachment to the football- and globe-shaped bread, "the bread of a new generation."
Wilson touts not just the cool football-shaped bread that people can take to a tailgate but also the "education[al] purpose" of the globe-shaped bread.

"The thing that got me to eat the ball and really understand and gravitate towards the program is it's not just athletic balls for the kids or the people just in general to tailgate. it's also an education purpose. The eduction purpose of, there's an EarthBall, so it has all the seven continents. So imagine a kid goes up to a line and he's grabbing that piece of bread. Rather than just grabbing a normal piece of bread, he's grabbing something that can trigger his mind to think about the continents of the world, what city is where, where they want to go. Eat the Ball. It's changing the game for food for kids, for people all over the world. It's huge in Europe now and we want to bring it to America."

It's hard to fathom how football-shaped bread is "changing the game for food for kids" and "for people all over the world." It's bread shaped like a football.
You're getting smaller sandwiches, you've got to be getting way more carbs per bite than you would with normal bread and, again, just because someone can imagine a visit to Italy when they sample a ham and cheese sandwich doesn't mean they're experiencing a life-altering moment.
Does eating a hamburger entail making a football-shaped patty? That's a total nightmare, regardless of how natural the bread ingredients are.
This bread is different, that's for sure.Source--cbssports

Read More

Former Vanderbilt football player found guilty of rape

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A former Vanderbilt football player has been found guilty of raping an unconscious student in a dorm.
It took less than three hours for the jury of nine men and three women to find Cory Batey guilty of aggravated rape, two counts of attempted aggravated rape, facilitation of aggravated rape and three counts of aggravated sexual battery.
Batey, a 22-year-old from Nashville, is one of four former football players charged with rape and accused of violating the female student in a dorm room in June of 2013. He was the only one on trial.
The verdict Friday arrived as other colleges and universities across the country continue to face significantly increased scrutiny of sexual misconduct on campus, both by activists, lawmakers and the federal government.
A jury last year convicted Batey and former player Brandon Vandenburg on multiple aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery charges. The verdicts were thrown out after Davidson County Criminal Court Judge declared a mistrial after lawyers discovered that the jury foreman had been a victim of statutory rape.
Just like the trial last year, the retrial featured graphic images and videos of the sexual assault. Police said they recovered images and videos from the players' cellphones. Testimony showed that one of the players sent video of the assault to friends while it was happening.
"Our first thoughts are with the victim and the incredible strength she has shown, and continues to show, both throughout the investigation and the legal proceedings," Vanderbilt University Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Beth Fortune said in a statement. "Our heart continues to go out to her as she has endured this retrial. This case has had a lasting impact on us all.'
The trial this week once again raised questions about bystanders in campus sexual assaults. At least five student athletes saw the unconscious woman in a state of distress but did not call for help, including several who testified that they saw her lying partially nude in a dorm hallway.
In closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that the woman was raped in the dorm room and then taken out in a hallway and left out there like trash. But they also said jurors had more than enough evidence to convict.
"I've never had a case that was videoed and photographed by the people who committed the crime," Tom Thurman, one of the prosecutors, told jurors.
Prosecutors said the dorm room attack lasted 32 minutes and it was Batey who was all over the woman once the players got her in the room.
Batey testified that he had been drinking heavily, blacked out and couldn't remember the sexual assault.
"There's nothing to show that Mr. Batey has a memory of anything," defence attorney Courtney Teasley told jurors in closing arguments. She called Vandenburg the "puppet master" and said Batey was the second drunkest person in the room and was being used as the entertainment by his teammates.
She said what happened to the woman was bad but it wasn't rape. "We know what rape is and Mr. Batey's not guilty of that," Teasley told jurors
She compared Batey to the victim and said both had blacked out. However, prosecutors maintained that, unlike the victim, Batey was walking around.
The victim in the case testified earlier in the day, the second time in a year that she told a courtroom full of strangers what happened to her. When a prosecutor showed the woman a picture of herself unconscious, she broke down in tears and said: "It's me. It's me."
She was then a 21-year-old incoming senior. The woman, who graduated from Vanderbilt and is now in a neuroscience Ph.D program in another state, said she has no memory of the sexual assault. She testified that she woke up alone in a strange dorm room, feeling sick and not knowing where she was or what happened to her.
She said she had been dating Vandenburg for about two weeks, and the last thing she remembered was him plying her with alcohol at a popular bar the night before.
The woman discovered what happened after police showed her some of the images and video recovered from the cellphones. Nashville police got involved because Vanderbilt officials contacted them when school surveillance footage showed players carrying an unconscious woman in a dorm.Source--brandonsun

Read More

ICC World Twenty20: Joe Root sounds out warning to West Indies ahead of title clash

Batsman Joe Root feels former champions England carry the confidence of overcoming different challenges during the World Twenty20 as they gear up to face the West Indies in Sunday's final at the Eden Gardens.
"We've found ways of winning games of cricket, which is really important," Root said on Friday ahead of a practice session at the Eden Gardens. "We found ourselves in a number of different situations that we have overcome. It means that whatever happens, we would have been in that situation before. We have experience to go back upon -- ways that we have been successful." (England, West Indies to wear black armbands in memory of Kolkata flyover tragedy victims)
England, looking for a second title to add to their victory in 2010, lost to the West Indies by six wickets in their opening Super 10 game in Mumbai before turning things around with a 230-run chase against South Africa.
On a slower pitch in New Delhi, England won close games batting first against defending champion Sri Lanka and Afghanistan before an impressive seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the first semi-final.
Root said there had been no conscious change in the way they played after the initial setback against 2012 champion West Indies.
"There hasn't been any attitude swing or the way we approach practice," Root said. "But we stayed true to what we believed in as a side and how we want to play our cricket. Everyone's contributed in some way, shape or form, which is always nice going into a final."
Root is England's top scorer in the tournament with 195 runs while Jason Roy (183) and Jos Buttler (155) have also been among the runs.
England's bowling unit has also been effective with pace bowlers Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes taking charge in the end overs with finesse. (Balanced England 'buzzing' for big Eden final)
"The way we've bowled at the death has been outstanding. It's about making sure everyone is doing what he does in practice. Every game has been rocking for us (in the tournament) so hopefully it will be the same" in the final, Root said.
Asked if it was better to face the West Indies rather than pre-tournament favorite India on home soil, Root said the opposition didn't matter.
"If you are going to win the World Cup, you have to be the best throughout the tournament," he added.
Root said the big-hitters from the West Indies could be stopped if runs are dried up since they usually look for boundaries.
Chris Gayle had smashed a 48-ball 100 not out with 11 sixes and five fours to help chase 183 against England while Lendl Simmons got 82 not out in 51 against India in the semifinals with seven fours and five sixes.
"If you get a string of dot balls, you can find ways to keep building them and put them more and more under pressure," Root said.source-intoday

Read More

World Football Mourns Death of Dutch Master Johan Cruyff

Supporters are embraced in front of a picture of Johan Cruyff during a memorial at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.

Amsterdam: The death of Johan Cruyff, whose creative genius on the pitch and inventive brilliance as a coach changed the modern game, prompted an outpouring of tributes to a figure hailed as doing more than anyone to "to make the beautiful game beautiful". (Dutch Football Legend Johan Cruyff Dies of Cancer)
In his heyday in the early 1970s, Cruyff, slender, quick-witted and outrageously gifted, helped a generation of football fans across the world see the game in a different light.
Unquestionably the best player in the world in that period, he was voted three times winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or so that he is now often mentioned alongside the pair widely considered the finest to have played the game, Pele and Diego Maradona.
Tributes from legends
Brazilian Pele said on Thursday: "Johan Cruyff was a great player and coach. He leaves a very important legacy for our family of football. We have lost a great man." (Romario Hails Johan Cruyff as 'Best Coach' Ever)
Maradona said: "We will never forget you, mate" while another Argentine Lionel Messi, the world's best current player, added: "Another legend has left us today."
Cruyff, who had announced last October that he was suffering from lung cancer, had said only last month that he was "2-0 up in the first half" of his battle against the disease. (Neymar Says Johan Cruyff's Death a 'Great Loss')
Poignantly, that turned out to be one of the last public statements made by the sage whose observations on the modern game were eagerly courted in global football, with his weekly column for De Telegraaf newspaper a must-read until the end.
Cruyff died surrounded by his friends and family at his home in Barcelona, according to his official website.
The news prompted eulogies from his home country with Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, saying: "The whole world knew him and, through him, the world knew the Netherlands."
The Netherlands' international against France on Friday in Amsterdam will be halted for a minute-long silence after 14 minutes in tribute to Cruyff, who wore the number 14 in his playing days.

A black ribbon is seen in the grandstands of Camp Nou stadium during the Johan Cruyff memorial in Barcelona on March 26.

© Reuters

In his adopted home of Barcelona, though, the loss was just as keenly felt with Cruyff having become an iconic figure in the Catalan city, where their current world-beating team, featuring Messi, still bears the hallmarks of his attacking invention.
As Pep Guardiola, one of his successful and influential successors as Barcelona coach, said: "He painted the chapel and Barcelona coaches since have merely restored or improved it."
Total Football
As a player with Ajax Amsterdam, Cruyff was the dazzling poster boy for the philosophy of "total football", embodied in coach Rinus Michels' magnificent Dutch team that he captained in his pomp to the 1974 World Cup final.
"Total football" centred on the idea of players being accomplished and comfortable enough on the ball to play anywhere -- and Cruyff, endlessly skilful and lightning fast in thought, was seen as the 'total footballer'.
It was during that World Cup in Germany that he treated a global audience for the first time to a magical piece of skill, dragging the ball behind his standing leg with the inside of his foot to bamboozle a Swedish defender. Thus was his monument, the "Cruyff turn", born.
Great players often do not make great coaches but Cruyff was a glorious exception, creating the Barcelona 'Dream Team' that won four straight Spanish titles and their first European Cup between 1991 and 1994.
Born Hendrik Johannes Cruyff, he joined Ajax as a long-haired teenager and inspired them to three successive European Cups between 1971-73 before joining Barcelona for a then world record transfer fee of $2.0 million and guiding them to the 1974 Spanish title.
He was the best player playing for the best team in the 1974 World Cup and, beyond Germany, there was huge disappointment worldwide that his brilliant Netherlands side were beaten 2-1 in the final by the hosts after Johan Neeskens scored an early penalty awarded when Cruyff was brought down in the area.
The Dutch also got to the World Cup final in 1978 but lost again, this time without Cruyff who had quit the national side, saying years later he walked away after an armed kidnap attempt.
The possession-based playing style Cruyff promoted as Barcelona coach, with an emphasis on relentless attack, has been widely copied and is credited with underpinning Barca's subsequent successes, as well as those of the Spanish national team.
During his reign, Cruyff, who had been a heavy smoker, underwent double heart bypass surgery and subsequently gave up smoking, replacing his cigarettes for lollipops.
Former England captain Gary Lineker, who played under Cruyff during that period at Barcelona, summed up the Dutchman's towering contribution by saying on Twitter: "Football has lost a man who did more to make the beautiful game beautiful than anyone in history."

Read More

Lionel Messi Provokes Outrage in Egypt by Donating Boots

A charitable gesture by Lionel Messi has provoked outrage in Egypt, where a lawmaker and football official took offense at the donation.

Cairo: Lionel Messi had donated his boots to a private satellite channel during an auction the channel to auction them off for charity.
A charitable gesture by Argentinian football star Lionel Messi has provoked outrage in Egypt, where a lawmaker and football official took umbrage at the donation: his football boots.
Messi, in an interview with the private satellite channel MBC Misr, had donated his boots to the channel to auction them off for charity.
"Messi, I really thank you," said the interviewer as she sat across from the Barcelona player, dangling his boots, in the segment aired on Saturday.
While no one would consider being hit with a shoe or boot, or being labelled a shoe a compliment, it is especially insulting in Middle East cultures.
Donating boots, it emerged, was equally insulting to Egyptian member of parliament Said Hasasein, who attacked Messi on his television show.
"This is my shoe," he said, holding up a beaten loafer. "I donate it to Argentina.
"This is an insult to Egyptian people," he elaborated, thumping his fist on his desk.
Egyptian Football Federation spokesman Azmi Mogahed phoned in to the show to express his outrage.
"Even in our religion..." he began to say, when Hasasein interrupted: "His religion is Jewish!"
Mogahed agreed. "I know he's Jewish, he donates to Israel and visited the Wailing Wall and whatever ... we don't need his shoe and Egypt's poor don't need help from someone with Jewish or Zionist citizenship."
"People in Argentina sleep in parks!" Hasasein added.
Messi was born into a Catholic family, and has made the sign of the cross after scoring goals.
Some Egyptians criticised Messi, and his interviewer, on Twitter, using the hashtag "Messi's boot for the Egyptian people."
"It's not your fault, Messi you dog. It's the fault of that son-of-a-shoe channel, and that daughter-of-a-shoe interviewer," wrote one.
Others, including former Egyptian football star Mido, defended Messi.
"The most precious thing a writer has is his pen, and the most precious thing a football player has is his boots," he wrote on Twitter.  source sports.ndtv

Read More

Brazil's Sports Minister Resigns, Says President's Office

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff departure is unlikely to have much of an effect on preparations for the August 5-21 Olympics.

© AFP

Rio de Janerio: Brazil's sports minister is resigning four month before the country hosts the Olympics, the office of embattled President Dilma Rousseff says, amid continuing uncertainty over the fate of six other Cabinet ministers. (Read More in Football)
Rousseff's office announced on late Wednesday that George Hilton had asked to leave the position and would be temporarily replaced by a top ministry official.
Hilton's departure is unlikely to have much of an effect on preparations for the August 5-21 Olympics as his role in the project was marginal. He had been sports minister for slightly over a year.
The Wednesday's announcement capped weeks of confusion about whether Hilton would stay on as minister. He left his party after it pulled out of Rousseff's fragile governing coalition this month, in an apparent bid to hold onto his job. But a top Rousseff aide said last week that Hilton would resign, although his ministry declined to confirm it at the time.
A similar back-and-forth also affects six other Cabinet positions held by members of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, known by the Portuguese initials PMDB, which decamped from Rousseff's coalition on Tuesday. Party leaders said all their Cabinet ministers, as well as hundreds of other federal government employees, would have to resign immediately.
But Agriculture Minister Katia Abreu said on Twitter late Wednesday that she didn't plan on leaving either the government or the party. Her tweet suggested the other five PMDB Cabinet ministers held the same stand.
Abreu is a close confident of Rousseff.
It wasn't immediately clear how the PMDB - Brazil's largest party - would respond to the minister's defiance.
Brazilian news media have suggested Rousseff planned to offer the vacated ministries to the six smaller parties that remain in her coalition in a bid to help her secure their support in an upcoming Congressional vote on impeachment proceedings against her. Rousseff faces impeachment on charges she violated fiscal rules and needs 172 out of 513 votes in the lower house to bury the proceedings.
But the defection of the PMDB, which has been a key part of the governing coalitions since Brazil emerged from military dictatorship in 1985, appears to have made it more difficult for her to avoid impeachment.
Rousseff's approval rating has plummeted amid the worst recession in decades, rising unemployment and an outbreak of the Zika virus, which has been linked to a spike in cases of a rare birth defect.  source:sports.ndtv

Read More

India lose 1-2 to Turkmenistan, finish last at football Word Cup qualifiers

Follow @ZeeNewsSports

Kochi: India ended their 2018 World Cup football qualifying campaign on a disappointing note as they lost to Turkmenistan 1-2 in their last group match to finish at the bottom of the heap here on Tuesday.

The Indians led 1-0 at the breather with a dominating show in the first session in hot and humid conditions courtesy a Sandesh Jhingan strike, but conceded two goals in the second half to lose the Group D match at the Nehru Stadium.
Jhingan's 27th minute header raised hopes for the Indians to end their disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign on a winning note, but they allowed Turkmenistan to come back strongly in the second half with a sloppy performance.
The visiting side, which struggled to cope with the heat and humidity in the first half, regrouped themselves in the second and pumped in two goals through Amanov Arslan (49th) and Serdaraly Atayew (70th) to collect full three points.
Turkmenistan also wasted a penalty early into the match with Arslan shooting the ball wide off the target in the 21st minute.
India ended their campaign at the bottom of the five-team Group D with just three points with a lone win over Guam in their home leg match last year.
Turkmenistan, who were also already out of reckoning in the World Cup qualifying campaign, ended at third position with 13 points. The tiny Pacific nation of Guam ended above India at fourth with seven points.
Today's match did not have much significance for India as far as their World Cup qualification was concerned as they were already assured of a bottom finish irrespective of the result. A win, though, could have some impact on India's chances for qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup.
India were to feature in a play-off round of even to feature in the qualifiers of the Asian Cup irrespective of today's result. But a win today would have ensured a lesser team for them in the play-off round of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
The Indians were to be blamed themselves for today's defeat as they squandered a 1-0 lead with a dominating display in the first 45 minutes as they controlled the match till the end of that period.
Turkmenistan, however, could have taken the lead in the 21st minute as they earned a penalty after Pritam Kotal brought down Arslan Amanov inside the area. Arslan himself took the spot kick but shot wide even as Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu dived at the right direction.
India punished the visiting side for wasting the penalty as central defender Jhingan came up to head home from a set piece.
He outjumped his Turkmenistan rivals to connect a Narayan Das free-kick which India earned after a foul on captain Jeje Lalpekhlua who led the home side as an injured Sunil Chhetri did not take the field.
Turkmenistan, who had beaten Oman and drawn with mighty Iran in their campaign, showed in the second half why they are ranked 113th in the FIFA charts, 47 places above India as they brushed aside the tough playing condition here to score twice in the second half.
Turkmenistan's equaliser though was due to a goalkeeping mistake by normally reliable Gurpreet as he found himself out of position as the cross from Didar Durdiyev sailed over him for an unmarked captain Arslan to head the ball home into the empty net.
Second half substitute Atayev then scored the what turned out to be the winning goal in the 70th minute as he got the better of every Indian inside the box
to slot the ball home.
He side-stepped an advancing Gurpreet and then fired a low shot into the net with all other Indian defenders trying to reach to the ball in vain. source:ndia.com

Read More

Toure to leave Man City when Guardiola arrives?

IMAGE: Yaya Toure of Manchester City reacts. Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images.

Manchester City's Yaya Toure has reportedly been preparing to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer as the midfielder is yet to be told about his future under Pep Guardiola.
Reflecting on the news, Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk said that they would start discussing transfer with the other clubs as City's chances of offering a new contract to the 32-year-old before Guardiola's arrival seemed to be in doubt.
"City don't do anything concrete. Yaya has given everything for the club and we don't feel that this situation is the right way to show how much they appreciate him," Seluk was quoted as saying by a football website.
Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus are reportedly interested in signing the Ivorian international, whose contract expires at the end of next season.
Toure has netted only six goals in 26 Premier League appearances he had made for City this season.
Guardiola, who would leave his current club Bayern Munich this summer, had earlier signed a three-year deal of more than 15 million Euros a year to take over as City manager.  source:rediff.com

Read More