Sports
Fans In Calabar Call For Wenger’s Sack
Supporters of Arsenal FC of England in Calabar have called for the sack of the manager, Arsene Wenger, following the team’s scandalous defeat by rivals Manchester United on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Some of the angry fans said in Calabar that the 8-2 humiliation was an evidence of the sliding fortunes of the club.
“If Wenger continues to remain as the head coach of Arsenal, the club will be relegated because he has refused to buy experienced players,’’ said Mr Jude Okwe, a journalist.
Okwe said that Wenger had remained adamant in making reasonable signings, insisting that unless he was sacked, nothing would come out of the club in the current season.
“Wenger has forgotten that when he had the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, Marc Overmars and Patrick Vieira, he almost won everything.
“So, he should know that a good team should be a blend of the old and new,’’ he said.
Another supporter, Mr Steve Ndem, a barber, said that Wenger needed to change his approach if he was to succeed.
“For Arsenal to succeed this season, Wenger must drop his tight economic policy and enter the market immediately for some quality players,” he said.
Ndem urged the club directors to go back to the drawing board on the issue of summer signings and make money available as soon as possible.
“The club directors should make funds available for more players and if Wenger refuses to buy, he should be sacked, ” he said.
Mr Ambrose Duru, a student, however, said that it was too early to call for Wenger’s exit, stressing that the premiership was still young to assess the strength of the team.
“The squad is very young and may overcome the initial stage fright before long but that should not stop the coach from buying mature and experienced players,” he said.
Duru further said it would be a miracle if Arsenal finished among the top four in the current season.
He said Arsenal needed overhauling from the coaching crew to the players, adding that the club’s policy of selling players without replacements was dangerous.
“The club sold Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy and is still planning to sell more before the close of the transfer market.
“Incidentally, they are not making any serious offer for top quality players in Europe, so this is ridiculous,” Duru said.
The loss to Manchester United was the second for the club in the three-week old 2011/2012 premiership season.
Arsenal had earlier lost to Liverpool FC 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Newcastle United in their opening game of the season.
Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.