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Usain Bolt of Jamaica regained his world 100-meter title last night, winning the final in 9.77 seconds at the World Athletics Championships. Six-time Olympic gold medalist Bolt finished ahead of Justin Gatlin of the U.S. (9.85) and Jamaican Nesta Carter (9.95) in Moscow. Gatlin led from the start before Bolt charged through to win on a track drenched by a storm. Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt, a six-time Olympic gold medalist, celebrates after winning the 100-meter final at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow on August 11, 2013. Photographer: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images “I am happy but I wanted to do better,” Bolt told reporters. “My legs were sore after the semifinals, I don’t know why, but the world record wasn’t on so I came out just to win. Back in Jamaica, they do not expect less than that from me. They always expect me to dominate.” Bolt won the event at the world championships in Berlin in 2009, when he set the current world record of 9.58 seconds. He wa

African football governing body, Caf, has announced that the 2013 Glo-Caf Awards will take place in Nigeria's former capital, Lagos on January 9, 2014. It will be the first time Lagos will play host to the event since 2008 when Togo striker, Emmanuel Adebayor was crowned African Player of the Year beating Egypt's Mohamed Abou Treika and Michael Essien of Ghana to second and third places respectively in the Nigerian city. The statement on Caf's official website on Wednesday morning read: "The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirms the date and the venue of the 2013 Glo – CAF Awards. The Gala event will be held in Lagos, Nigeria on the 9th of January 2014. "The event has since been held in five cities; the 2005 edition was held in Abuja (Nigeria), 2006 in Accra (Ghana), 2007-Lome (Togo), 2008-Lagos (Nigeria), 2009-Accra (Ghana), 2010 in Cairo (Egypt) and the last two editions in Accra Ghana." Thirteen awards categories are up for grabs with

Didier Drogba came off the bench to grab a brace, as Galatasaray defeated Arsenal 2-1 to win the 2013 Emirates Cup. Both teams came into the game, knowing that a win will hand them the trophy, after Porto defeated Napoli in the first match played today. It was the Gunners who started the game brightly, but failed to convert their chances. However, shortly before half time, Theo Walcott’s curling effort crept pass Muslera. However in the second half, the inroduction of Drogba and Sneijder breathed new life into Gala’s attack, as the pair combined well several times. The referee adjudged that Miguel had shoved the Ivorian striker in the back, as he tried to control Sneijder’s pass and pointed to the spot. The former Chelsea frontman, who had a remarkable scoring record against Arsenal during his time in England, stepped up and sent Szecensy the wrong way. With the game heading for a draw, Drogba once again controlled Sneijder’s pass in the area sweetly and slammed in the winner

Andre Villas-Boas has slammed Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, for publicly courting Gareth Bale. The Tottenham manager was forced to answer questions about Bale’s future, after his side lost 5-2 to Monaco in a friendly played on Saturday. The Welsh Winger did not travel with the squad, with negotiations ongoing for his move to Madrid. Asked if Ancelotti had acted improperly, Villas-Boas said: “I think so, in my opinion. “Carlo is a person I appreciate a lot and we have great respect for each other, but bearing in mind this situation they have decided to make it public. “Normally in situations like this it is scrutinised by the Football Association with lots of care and attention. We have seen lots of people speak about a player that is not theirs and we are due some respect. “These rumours of an imminent transfer are not true. The only thing we have communicated with Real Madrid is that he is our player and he is not for sale. “Gareth is a guy I really like. We are ta

The build up to the August 14 Mandela Challenge prestige clash between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana has started to reach the real actors of the game, with Chelsea of England’s Victor Moses, declaring that he has missed his colleagues in the national team and cannot wait for the Mandale Challenge to reunite with them. Super Eagles Scribe Dayo Enebi Achor, was quoted by Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, as saying that Moses was the first player to put   a call though to the team to say he will be available for the game and will be among the first player to arrive South Africa for the game. Nigeria’s Midfielder Victor Moses vies with Ethiopia’s defender Biyadiglign Eliase during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Group C match at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg on January 29, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE In consonance with renewed interest by the national team stars for the game, Obinna Nsofor, has been making desperate enquiries about his return to th

Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has given Manchester United fresh hope in their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas by admitting part of the decision about a move rests with the midfielder. The Spanish champions have already rejected bids of £25m and £30m from United for the former Arsenal captain. The Red Devils are now weighing up a third attempt to secure his signature. Martino said: "I would prefer him to stay with us and I dare say he will, but it's his decision." “He is one of the best players in the squad. I think he will stay. But there's a part that he has to decide” Gerardo Martino Barca's hierarchy have always been adamant that Fabregas will not be allowed to leave, but Martino's latest comments carried a significantly softer tone. Speaking after his team's 8-0 friendly thrashing of Brazilian side Santos at the Nou Camp on Friday, the recently appointed Martino said: "I had a short chat with him and told him what I think. "Ce

Oboabona Former Super Eagles coach Christian Chukwu has backed  the decision by Godfrey Oboabona to refuse  to undergo a trial with Arsenal before signing him. Chukwu believes the Eagles defender would have failed the test. Oboabona on Sunday fired a broadside at the Premier League giants, accusing the Gunners of disrespecting Nigerian clubs, after he was offered a trial at the club. “Arsenal’s management told me to come for a trial when I won the Africa Cup of Nations,” The Sun quoted  the 22-year-old centre-back  as saying. “I think I should be above such requests. It is high time some of these clubs started respecting Nigeria.” Sunshine Stars General Manager Mike Idoko stoked the fire on Wednesday when he accused  Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger  of attempting to undervalue the player. Speaking to our correspondent on the telephone during the week, Chukwu said Oboabona would have been rejected by Arsenal  because big European clubs don’t believe in African defenders. T

Nigeria international Christian Obodo, who was reported to be missing by Dinamo Minsk, was found hale and hearty in Udine, Italy on Tuesday. This past weekend, the Director General of Dinamo Minsk, Sergei Pavlyukovich interviewed by goals.by declared Obodo missing. It is not the first time that law enforcements agents have gone searching for the central midfielder. While vacationing in Warri, Nigeria last summer, Obodo was kidnapped by gunmen who later contacted his family and asked for a ransom. He was later rescued by police. In this latest incident, the former Udinese ace was found by a police patrol in Udine, Italy, which is a distance of approximately 1,500 kilometers from Minsk. The police found Obodo in a car with two Romanian girls and a male friend, who was arrested for being in possession of 52 grams of marijuana. Meanwhile, Christian Obodo's agent, Salaroli Sebastian has labelled him a difficult character, often finding himself in conflict situations with

Brazil captured their third straight Confederations Cup title in emphatic fashion, brushing aside Spain 3-0 in the final on Sunday. The tournament hosts were in supreme form inside a raucous Maracana, ripping the reigning world and European champions to shreds to end their 29-match unbeaten run, and claim the trophy for the fourth time, alongside their triumphs of 2009, 2005 and 1997. Fred needed only 90 seconds to open the scoring, before a thumping second from Neymar moments before the break rounded off an excellent Brazil first half.  The onslaught continued two minutes after the restart when Fred put another past a shellshocked Spain, who showed their ineptitude at both ends when Sergio Ramos lashed a penalty off target. Gerard Pique's 68th minute red card ended any fleeting hopes of a comeback from la Roja, as Brazil's win sparked wild celebrations in the stands, which will doubtless be outdone should the Selecao emerge victorious when the World Cup comes to these

Amaju was reacting to the remarks of sports promoter, Martin Osaile who said that Keshi had reached his limit and might not offer Nigeria more than he did at the last Nations Cup in South Africa where Nigeria won the cup 19 years after they did so in Tunisia. Amaju said the following: Coach Stephen Keshi has “It is fundamentally wrong to assume that Keshi has reached his limit. Keshi should not be condemned but celebrated. He has been on duty for only two years and within this period we won the Nations Cup, something we were doing under an indigenous coach for the first time. Everybody is celebrating Alex Ferguson for the feat he achieved with Manchester United. But how many years did he work before he won his first trophy?  Martin Osaile wants Osaze back to the Eagles. I don’t have anything against that. But we won the Nations Cup without Osaze. We all know that Osaze has a history of clashes with coaches. He had problems with Amodu, Lagerback, Siasia and now Keshi. Indiscip

  Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez is expected to secure a £13.5million move to Italian giants Juventus this week. Tevez has been on the radar of a number of the world’s top sides, with AC Milan and Liverpool, as well as boyhood sides Corinthians, and Boca Juniors all linked with the frontman, but he looks to have set his sights on a move to the Serie A champions. The 29-year-old Argentina international has endured a turbulent few years in the blue half of Manchester, having been cut out of the side following a number of pitch-side spats with former Blues manager Roberto Mancini. It seemed the pair had made amends when Tevez made a miraculous return to the squad last year despite an ongoing war of words between the pair, but his future at the Premier League outfit remained uncertain. Many imagined the forward would benefit from a clean slate when Mancini was sacked at the end of the 2012/2013 campaign and replaced by Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini. But it seems Tevez, wh

Liverpool have announced the long-awaited signing of Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet on a long-term deal. The 25-year-old, who is to become the first Belgian to represent the Reds, has impressed during his three-year spell on Wearside following his £2m move from home club Sint-Truiden in 2010. Mignolet, who has earned 13 international caps, is renowned as one of Europe’s brightest goalkeeping talents, and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insisted the young stopper will be given every opportunity to prove himself at the Merseyside outfit. "I am delighted that we have been able to sign one of the top goalkeepers in the Barclays Premier League," Rodgers told Liverpool’s official website. "Simon will join a club that will give him an opportunity to demonstrate and improve his huge talent." The signing casts doubt over Pepe Reina’s future at Anfield, with boyhood side Barcelona thought to be interesting in bringing the Spaniard back to the Nou Camp.

Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, was a sober figure after the team lost 3-0 to Spain in its last group game on Sunday and thus crashed out of the ongoing Confederations Cup holding in Brazil and has already started a post mortem. Team’s Media Officer Ben Alaiya, quotes Keshi as saying despite his bold face on injuries to some of his key players, it turned out that injuries actually decimated the performance of the team at the tournament. “I can’t imagine that my top striker Emmanuel Emenike will miss some of the goals that we missed and even Ogenyi Onazi was sorely missed, Victor Moses would have ruined any team here and ofcourse several other players that should have been here could not make it due to injuries. Among them United States based Bright Dike. Keshi then declared that he knows exactly what to do while appealing to Nigerians to forgive the team for the less than average performance at the tournament. He promised that the team will come good in the Worl

Ogedegbe Primary School in Warri could soon be more than a Primary school. Kids from the school won this year’s Channels Kids Soccer Competition in Lagos. And for that Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan , in line with his sports development programme, plansd to transform the school into a special football nursery that will also take their school work seriously. Interestingly, Dr. Uduaghan was a special guest in the final of the competition with Babatunde Fashola, the Governor of Lagos State. CHANNELS CUP . . . Governor Fashola of Lagos State, Chief Tony Momoh and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and Amaju Pinnick during the presentation of trophy to Sheriff Obukowho Captain of Ogedegbe Primary School, Warri , winners of Channels National Kids Football championship in Lagos. Photo; Henry Unini He watched the team from his state lift the trophy and he invited them to the Governor’s Cup final in Warri, May 29. And yesterday, he visited the school during the i

FORMER Green Eagles goalkeeper, Joe Erico has hailed the Super Eagles performance at the ongoing Brazil 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup describing it as a good step to greater things to come. The former NEPA coach, Erico said the Confederations Cup has given the team handlers the opportunity to really see how far the Eagles can go when they qualify for the World Cup proper billed for Brazil next year. He lamented that the team lacks sharp finishers hence they crashed out of the tournament with only three points after beating the whipping boys of the group, Tahiti. “The team’s performance at the tournament was quite good , it’s very good for us because it has given us the opportunity to really see how far we can go when we qualify for the World Cup. Luckily, we have the last World Cup qualifier against Malawi here  and the experience from playing against the world’s best  at the Confederations Cup will be of  immense help to us. Our strikers are lacking in speed off and on the ball.

West Brom chairman Jeremy Pearce has insisted that the club will not be forced into a cheap sale of Peter Odemwingie. The striker is widely expected to leave the club following a season of unrest, but Pearce is adamant the Premier League club will not part company with him unless their criteria are met. Osaze Odemwingie started just 13 Premier League games last season compared to 25 the year before and also halved his goal tally in the English top flight from 2011/12 to five. The wantaway forward caused a great deal of controversy in the January transfer window when he effectively tried to initiate his own move to QPR, only for it to fall through. “We have a player who is under contract until the end of the season,” Pearce told the Birmingham Mail. “Unless something comes in to change our way of thinking he will be back in pre-season and we will deal with that. “We took a view at the end of January – not only for the reasons of Peter Odemwingie or Queens Park Rangers, a

First Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chief Mike Umeh has blamed Super Eagles chief coach, Stephen Keshi for the team’s poor showing at the Confederations Cup in Brazil. Umeh told Sports Vanguard that  the absence of “big boys” in the team caused their defeats to Uruguay and and Spain. Keshi and Osaze “We played well but our attack failed us. Keshi need to get stronger boys and we have them. I don’t know why he has refused to bring in Osaze,” Umeh said, with a tinge of frustration in his voice. The NFF chieftain said the football house has always given Keshi a free hand. “Yes, we have always given him freedom to operate, but he must work closely with the technical committee.” Chief Umeh said there was nothing bad in Keshi building a squad for the future but that must be done gradually. “It is clear he took a young squad to the Confederations Cup. The young players, particularly the home  based players need to be introduced gradually. They need to be

Former Super Eagles handler, Christian Chukwu has expressed hope in the present squad handled by Stephen Keshi despite the team’s ouster from the FIFA Confederations Cup by Spain on Sunday. “We are out but our heads are not bowed,” Chukwu said, in a chat with Sports Vanguard, Monday. Christian Chukwu and Stephen Keshi “We played well. We used the matches to know our deficiencies in the team and the tournament served as a good preparatory ground for our remaining World Cup qualifiers. For now, we know what we need to fortify the team.” The former Enugu Rangers coach was particularly happy with the experience gained from the tournament. “It was good for the players and they are going to improve.” Chukwu said the team’s biggest problem was their inability to score goals. “Definitely, our attacking line needs the injection of good finishers. But I give kudos to Vincent Enyeama and his defenders. They did a marvelous job. Although they lost concentration at times which resulted

They've had a slow and steady courtship since they started dating as teenage school pupils. And last week, football Theo Walcott finally sealed the deal with fiancee Melanie Slade as they tied the knot in Italy. The young couple, who have been dating for nine years, wed at the Castello di Vincigliata in Tuscany last week. Blonde Melanie, 24, looked stunning in a strapless gown with sweetheart neckline as she wed her Arsenal winger fiance. Speaking to Hello! magazine, the proud groom, 24, said: 'It's fantastic to be able to finally call Melanie my wife. 'Now we're excited to see what the future holds for us. The full interview is in the new edition of Hello! which is out now 'I don't think marriage will change our relationship - I hope not anyway, as it was already everything I could have wanted.' Melanie, who was doing her GCSEs when Theo was selected for the England squad during the 2006 World Cup, admitted it was an emotional day. She enth

FORTALEZA (AFP) – Nigeria captain Vincent Enyeama said Saturday that his side will take to the field with no fear when they tackle world and European champions Spain in their make-or-break match at the Confederations Cup. Nigeria go into Sunday’s game level on points with Uruguay in Group B, but with the South American champions expected to comfortably beat minnows Tahiti, Nigeria will probably have to overcome the group leaders to stand any chance of reaching the semi-finals. Spain have not lost at a tournament since a shock defeat by Switzerland in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, but despite the glittering array of players in their line-up, Enyeama says Nigeria will not be afraid. “I don’t think there’s any Nigerian player here who is scared,” the goalkeeper said during the pre-game media conference at Fortaleza’s Estadio Castelao. “We’re so proud of our teams in Nigeria. The teams in Spain are much bigger than the teams in Nigeria, but we’re very proud of our leagu