OTHER SPORTS

MARK O’Brien has had a few weeks he will never forget. His world was turned upside down last month when he was told he would need heart surgery to repair a faulty valve.

The Champions League group stage could prove an early graveyard for European champions present and past unless results go their way Tuesday and Wednesday. Barcelona need to win if they wish to avoid becoming the first defending champions not to qualify for the knockout stage the following season.

THE CAF Champions League broke with recent tradition and shed itself of many of its top contenders in the early qualifying rounds, making the field for the 2009 title wide open. And after the dust had settled, this year’s edition of the elite competition marked

IN Nigeria, as one great adventure comes to an end, another is just about to begin. The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2009 might well be approaching the finish line, but at the same time the new National Technical Centre is preparing to open its doors in Abuja. Built as part of FIFA’s Goal Programme,

FIFA said that it will hold a disciplinary hearing on Maradona on Sunday over the Argentine coach´s sexually-explicit rant after his team´s World Cup qualification. “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Marcel Mathier, will grant the head coach of Argentina a hearing

Just a few days to the match on Saturday between Ivory Coast and Guinea at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Vahid Halilhodzic talks about the match, which promises to be crucial for the Syli National and evokes the current state of the Elephants.

THE concept of re-branding is not new in the lexicon of evolving democracies and in climes that seek to embrace pluralistic developmental paradigm. Potent paraphernalia employed by institutions, government and corporate bodies over the years to carve a favourable niche and perception is the instrumentality of Sports.

AFRICA’S representatives at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup have experienced varying levels of success in Nigeria. After a first round with highs and lows for the continent’s teams, two of five remain for the knockout rounds.

VISITORS to Enugu taking in a match at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium during the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009 quickly came to appreciate that the south-eastern city is a football hotbed. The stands were constantly awash with colour and noise regardless of the teams playing or the status of the match.

MANCHESTER united have been left with a headache from a double injury blow to defender Rio Ferdinand and midfielder Darren Fletcher ahead of Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge. It has emerged that Ferdinand’s continued absence is actually due to his long- standing back problem,