Saturday 29 November 2014

kent mensah

Nov 26, 2014 13:27:55
Marhaba ball

The official match ball of the continent’s flagship football tournament has a distinct gold and blue colouring and its features are similar to the 2014 World Cup and CL balls

The official match ball for the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 in Equatorial Guinea is Marhaba, a joint statement from Caf and adidas announced.
The ball will be officially revealed on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 during the draw of the final tournament at the Sipopo Convention Centre in Malabo, the statement added.
It has a distinct gold and blue colouring, representing “the contrasting landscapes of the continent, from the Sahara desert to the bright azure sky of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean.”
The statement added: “Like its counterparts in regional and international tournaments, Marhaba has gone through a thorough testing process to make sure that it is suited to the playing conditions during the tournament.
“The technology incorporated into the bladder and carcass of the ball is identical to the Brazuca (2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil) and the ever popular UEFA Champions League Official Match Ball.

The 20 top-flight teams paid out nearly £20 million more between October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014, than the previous year, with Chelsea the highest spenders of £16.77m

Clubs spent £115m in agents' fees in past year, reveals Premier League

Premier League clubs spent a combined £115 million on agents' fees during the last two transfer windows, with Chelsea and Liverpool shelling out the most.

The Premier League released the official figures on Friday, revealing that the top flight's 20 clubs have spent a total of £115,261,136 between October 1 of 2013 and September 30 of this year.

League leaders Chelsea spent the most with an outlay of £16.77m, with Liverpool not far behind on £14.3m.

Jose Mourinho's side have brought in Nemanja Matic, Mohamed Salah, Kurt Zouma, Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, Mario Pasalic, Filipe Luis, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy in the past year.

Brendan Rodgers has invested heavily - adding Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Lazar Markovic, Dejan Lovren, Divock Origi, Alberto Moreno and Mario Balotelli - to build on last season's second-placed finish, though the Reds are struggling in 12th position this season.

Champions Manchester City spent the third-highest amount with £12.81m, while Tottenham were the final club to break eight figures, with an outlay of £10.98m.

Manchester United – who signed six players this summer, including Angel Di Maria for a British-record fee of £59.7m – were fifth in the standings, with a spend of £7.97m, while Arsenal spent just £4.29m – the ninth-highest in the top flight.

Premier League new-boys Burnley and Leicester City spent the least - £711,024 and £1.6m, respectively – with the overall total representing an overall rise of nearly £20m from the previous year's total (£96m)

Sunday 9 November 2014

Manchester United to open Van Persie contract talks in January

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Nov 9, 2014 01:30:39

The Red Devils are wary of allowing the 31-year-old, whose current deal expires in 2016, to enter the final year of his contract with no agreement on an extension

EXCLUSIVE
By Paul Clennam

Manchester United will open talks with Robin van Persie over a new contract in January, Goal understands.

The Red Devils typically offer rolling 12-month extensions to players in their early 30s but are prepared to make an exception for Van Persie by adding another two years to his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2016.

It is believed that the 31-year-old's existing £250,000-a-week salary package will remain intact until 2016, but could decrease by as much as £100,000-a-week over the final two years as he assumes veteran status at Old Trafford.

United regard Van Persie as an asset that would still command plenty of interest and a significant fee in the transfer market, and are wary of allowing him to enter the final year of his current deal with no agreement on an extension.

The club are also mindful of the striker's loyalty to Louis van Gaal, with no guarantees that the former Ajax and Barcelona boss will remain at Old Trafford for the coming years after an underwhelming start to the season.

Van Persie's future became the subject of intense speculation during the brief and ill-fated tenure of David Moyes but he reiterated his commitment in March, telling United's official matchday programme: “The truth is I’m very happy here at this club. I signed for four years and I’d be delighted to stay even longer, beyond the next two years I have left on my contract."

The 31-year-old's prospective new deal would effectively see him end his career at the top level with United, though he harbours a desire to play in the Netherlands again before he retires

FROM GOAL

Premier League Table

SHOW TABLES FOR

Premier League
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	+/-	Pts
1	Chelsea	11	9	2	0	28	11	+17	29
2	Southampton	11	8	1	2	23	5	+18	25
3	Manchester City	11	6	3	2	22	12	+10	21
4	West Ham United	11	5	3	3	19	14	+5	18
5	Arsenal	10	4	5	1	18	11	+7	17
6	Manchester United	11	4	4	3	17	14	+3	16
7	Swansea City	10	4	3	3	13	10	+3	15
8	Liverpool	11	4	2	5	14	15	-1	14
9	Tottenham Hotspur	10	4	2	4	13	14	-1	14
10	Everton	10	3	4	3	19	17	+2	13
11	West Bromwich Albion	10	3	4	3	13	13	+0	13
12	Newcastle United	10	3	4	3	11	15	-4	13
13	Stoke City	10	3	3	4	10	12	-2	12
14	Hull City	11	2	5	4	13	15	-2	11
15	Sunderland	10	2	5	3	11	18	-7	11
16	Aston Villa	11	3	2	6	5	16	-11	11
17	Crystal Palace	11	2	3	6	14	20	-6	9
18	Leicester City	11	2	3	6	11	18	-7	9
19	Queens Park Rangers	11	2	2	7	11	22	-11	8
20	Burnley	11	1	4	6	6	19	-13	7
Last Updated: Saturday, November 8, 2014