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Complacency, Family, Nationality: Why Özil Was Left Out Of Arsenal’s PL Squad, With 8 Months To Run On His Contract…

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1 month ago

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Mesut Ozil (Coutesy photo)

World cup winning German midfielder and Arsenal FC highest earner, Mesut Özil will stay out of action for the Gunners, until at least January.

After being left out of the Europa League squad about only a fortnight ago, Mesut Özil will also now officially not participate in the Premier League for Arsenal, as he doesn’t appear on the 25-man list that will be submitted to the English FA. Not until next year in the January transfer window can Özil feature for the North London club again, when reversible changes can be implemented.

For keen followers of football, moreso the EPL, such a decision could honestly not be unexpected, the club’s desperate search for a number 10 in the summer transfer window ideally suggested the dire need of replacing the German at the Emirates, it was a signal that aroused so much anticipation about Özil’s future at London based club.

It’s a genuine speculation therefore that not only will Özil miss out for Arsenal for the coming fee months, but he might as well never play for Arsenal ever again!

And the fact that Ozil has not featured for Arsenal in any competition this season hinted on the possible “end” of his time at the club.

Mesut Özil is still under contract at Arsenal for the next 8 Months, and will still remain the club’s top earner at £350K per week for the rest of the season.

Greek veteran defender, Sokratis Papastathoupoulos is the other foreign senior player expected to be left out. Sokratis, like the German international was also not named to the Europa League roster either.

The Gunners apparently have 19 non-homegrown players, having added in Ghanaian Thomas Partey from Atletico, Brazilian midfielder Willian from London rivals Chelsea and another Brazilian Gabriel Magalhaēs from French outfit Lille.

Arsenal can only nominate 17 of the foreign players to fulfill the 25-man squad, with the remaining 8 having to be homegrown, according to the English FA requirements. As a result, both Özil and Sokratis have been sacrificed, and they will not make the final squad.

Per Mertesacker, the Arsenal academy chief and former teammate to Özil revealed that Özil’s priorities might’ve shifted to his family.

He said, “A lot has changed for Ozil away from the field, he got married, has a family. Perhaps his focus has changed. Nevertheless, he is still happy and happy to play football”

“He’s the only player I’ve played with for three teams – Bremen, Arsenal and also at the DFB (Germany). So I’m very sorry that he’s currently in a situation where he’s not really used,” he added.

Theoretically, Özil who joined Arsenal as the record signing could still leave the club, the MLS transfer window is still open until October 29th and there are several clubs interested in signing the German. But Ozil, who last featured for Arsenal in March against West Ham in which he assisted the winner after featuring in the past 10 consecutive games then, has vowed to regardless stay at the London club until he sees out his contract.

“I am here until the last day of my contract and will always give everything for the club,” Özil had said back in August.

After the coronavirus break and due to back problems, Özil has since lost in standing and was also one of the big losers in the latest Premier League market value update.

The boss, Mikel Arteta’s perspective on former teammate is ideally justifiable that Özil is not part of the long-term plan, and he probably wouldn’t want to deny minutes away from any other player who is slated for a longer project with the Gunners.

Failed interrelations between the boss and player might also be a factor, to a smaller extent though, but it clearly is turning out lately that Arteta finds Özil too incompetent to fit anywhere into his high end pressing tactical setup, and neither does the German’s purely technical game match the way Mikel wants the club to play, with a feasibly more physical approach to the game.

 

By Baron Kironde

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VIPERS SC v AL HILAL CLUB: Kajoba Has No Excuse To Fail At Home, Toha, Shaban All Up For Selection…

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18 hours ago

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November 28, 2020

By

Vipers’ head coach Fred Kajoba

CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Preliminary Round

November 28, 2020

Uganda Premier League Champions, Vipers SC will host Al Hilal Club in the first leg of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League Preliminary round at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende today at 4pm.

It will be both an exciting and challenging moment for Vipers’ head coach Fred Kajoba, who will be leading his side for the first time at this grand stage and against a more tested and experienced opponent.

For the Venoms, there is no two ways about it as it will be a ‘do-or-die affair’ as they vividly know that a comfortable home victory will give them the impetus to go further in the elite league ahead of the trip to Sudan next week for the return leg at the Omdurman Stadium.

There’s hardly any excuse for Kajoba’s side despite lack of competitive games as a result of the delay in resumption of the domestic league. The reigning StarTimes Uganda Premier League champions have done more than ample preparations and are in perfect shape for this anticipated encounter.

“We have been working on quite a lot and we are happy that the team is very positive. The lads are in great shape and beaming with confidence. We are keen to get the best results on Saturday,” says Kajoba.

This will be the first time Vipers is meeting Al Hilal Omdurman but the second time the former faces a club from the neighbouring nation of Sudan.

How Vipers has fared at home in the preliminary round in previous CAF club engagements.

 

2016: Caf Confederations Cup

Vipers 1-0 Enyimba FC (Nigeria)

2017: Caf Champions League        Vipers 0-0 Volcan de Moroni (Comoros)

2017: Caf Confederations Cup    Vipers1-0 Platinum Stars (South Africa)

2018: Caf Champions League

Vipers 1-0 El Merriekh (Sudan)

Vipers 0-2 CS Constantine FC (Algeria)

2018: Caf Champions League        Vipers 0-0 Club Sportif Sfaxien (Tunisia)

Team News:

Venoms coach Fred Kajoba has a fit and raring healthy pool of players to choose from for his Match Day Squad as there are no injury concerns.

The tactician will unleash Congolese import Ceasar Manzoki Lobi, who will also be making his debut, in the Venoms colours since joining last month from AS Vita.

Rashid Toha, Livingstone Mulondo and Mohammed Shaban, who missed last season’s action due to injuries are all back, will be available for selection and are likely to have a decisive say in the match on Saturday.

 

By Baron Kironde

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Impressive Performance Lands Kyetume Juicy MelBet Sponsorship Deal Ahead Of New UPL Season.

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2 days ago

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November 27, 2020

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Melbet Uganda has taken on the sponsorship of StarTimes Uganda Premier League club Kyetume FC in a multimillion deal to see the Mukono side facilitated throughout of the 2020/21 Uganda Premier League season that set to commence on the 3rd December 2020.

The alliance between the two parties that they dubbed a marriage will involve revenue share, development of senior and youth teams, infrastructural development and branding of kits, stadium.

Exact details into how worth the deal is and its longevity were reserved, but Kyetume will take 30% of Melbet profits for a given period of time signed underneath the agreement.

As the new season is knocking in, the Uganda Premier League side will now atleast start off their second top tier football campaign in a favorable position, as regards to sponsorship.

Mr. Yasin Asiimwe, the MelBet’s Chief Operations Officer disclosed that Kyetume’s impressive performance last season which was also their first in the top tier is what inspired the alliance.

Asiimwe remarked, “Kyetume had a remarkable maiden season which clearly indicates that when given the financial support they can turn into a top side.”

Asiimwe revealed that MelBet is also looking forward to adding a financial package to Kyetume so that it further improves into a top club.

The Mukono based side earned promotion to the StarTimes Uganda Premier League at the start of the 2019/2020 season under the stewardship of Jackson Mayanja who’s now turned technical director of the club.

Kyetume finished an impressive 11th position on a very tricky UPL table having collected upto 30 points as debutants.

 

By Baron Kironde

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Football Legend Diego Maradona Dies From Heart Attack At 60…

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4 days ago

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November 25, 2020

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Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona has died from a heart attack just days after turning 60.

The Argentinian football legend died at home, his lawyer said, just two weeks after having surgery on a blot clot in his brain.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time on the pitch, his life off the pitch was equally notorious – amid battles with drug and alcohol addiction.

Maradona won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986, having knocked England out of the tournament in a match which saw him score the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal.

He also achieved league success with Italian side Napoli, winning the Serie A title in 1987 and 1990, along with an Italian Cup in 1987 and a Uefa Cup in 1991.

But it was also during these years that his addiction to cocaine took hold. In 1991, the year he left the club, he was banned for 15 months for drug violations.

Maradona has died aged 60

In 1994 he was thrown out of the World Cup in America after failing a drugs test, and in 1999 and 2000 he was taken to hospital suffering heart problems.

The Argentine news outlet Clarin broke the news on Wednesday afternoon UK time, describing the news of Maradona’s passing as having a ‘worldwide impact’.

The sad news was confirmed by Maradona’s lawyer. Soon, tributes were pouring in from all over the world of football.

Maradona left hospital on November 11 just eight days after being admitted for emergency brain surgery.

The iconic former Argentinian footballer was driven away from the private Olivos Clinic just before 6pm on November 11 as hundreds of fans of photographers tried to get a glimpse of him.

Maradona was hospitalised the previous week and had to have an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Argentinian TV reporters travelling on motorbikes filmed the ambulance carrying him leaving before following the vehicle to transmit every inch of his journey.

His lawyer, Matias Morlahas said that the 60-year-old would continue to receive treatment for alcohol dependency.

Maradona, who was the coach of Gimnasia y Esgrima in his home country, had been admitted to hospital on several occasions since his retirement. He almost died of cocaine-induced heart failure in 2000 and underwent years of rehabilitation.

Maradona, who was well known for having a wild lifestyle during and after his playing days, had a gastric bypass operation to lose weight in 2005 and was once more hospitalised two years later for alcohol-induced hepatitis.

He also fell ill at the last World Cup in Russia, where he was filmed passing out in an executive box when Argentina took on and beat Nigeria in Group D.

Source: Daily Mail

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