Girl’s Conversion To Islam Saga: Niger Govt Wades In As CAN Absolves Etsu Nupe Of Forced Conversion

The media war between the Christian Asscociation of Nigeria (CAN) and the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar over the conversion of a 25-year old lady, Charity (A’isha) Uzoechina to Islam, may have been resolved following the intervention of the Niger State government in the matter. It was learnt that the Niger State government’s intervention was based on the directives of a letter from the Presidency which called for amicable resolution of the issue so as not to degenerate into religious crisis in the state. At a stakeholders meeting which lasted more than two hours at the Government House, Minna and was attended by the Etsu Nupe, the national secretary of CAN, Niger State chairman of CAN, the pastor and mrs. Raymond Uzoechina (the girl’s parents), Charity, former Niger governor, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure and some senior security officers, it was agreed by all parties that the March 4 order of a Shari’a Court in Bida that placed the convert under the protection of Alhaji Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe, would be vacated. Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, CAN national secretary, Rev (Dr) Musa Asake absolved the Etsu Nupe of any blame in the matter saying the respected royal father was misinterpreted by the media. He said “We have actually resolved the issue. There is a good understanding now, especially as it concerns the person of respectable status, the Estu Nupe who has been misrepresented by the media”. On why Pastor Uzoechina had severally accused Etsu Nupe, Rev. Asake responded: “It was so because the Royal Father has been the person being mentioned to be in custody of the lady, so the parents have nobody to talk about but him. How did he get the custody of the lady, we did not know but now we know. That is why.” Niger State Deputy Governor, who brokered the meeting, Hon. Musa Ibeto said the purpose of the parley was to find a way to reunite Charity with her family in such a way that she would not come to any harm by her father; the reason she sought the court’s protection in the first place. Admitting that at her age – 25-years old – the lady has the right to practice any religion of her choice, Hon. Ibeto explained that the reason for seeking to vacate the court order was to explore means of reuniting Charity with her parents. Although the Deputy Governor was not categorical on who would eventually take custody of Charity, he explained that “unless the order is vacated, nobody can take any decision; it is only if the order is vacated that she can decide on her own.”

Couple, Baby, Motorcyclist Crushed To Death By Commercial Bus In Lagos

Four persons were yesterday crushed by a commercial bus along Sagamu road, in Ikorodu area of Lagos. The deceased, included a man, his wife, their one and half-year-old baby and the commercial motorcyclist. A commercial bus (danfo) was said to have rammed into a motorbike which was conveying the family of three. The driver of the commercial bus zoomed off, abandoning the victims in the middle of the road, according to an eyewitness. “It was a pathetic sight this morning. What attracted us was a bang and before we knew what was happening, we saw the motorcyclist, a man, his wife and their male child sprawled on the ground. They were flung in different directions on the road.

“Another vehicle even ran over the man. To avoid further damage to the corpses, people started flagging down vehicles plying the route. Just then, some policemen from Sagamu division arrived the scene and took the bodies away,” an eyewitness, Adewusi Oladimeji told Vanguard. The policemen reportedly found an identity card on the commercial motorcyclist bearing the name Olatunji. One of the sympathizers was said to have identified the passenger and his wife as Mr and Mrs Yaya Mogaji, and the baby as the couple’s one and half-year-old baby, their only child. The bodies were said to have been removed by the policemen including the wrecked motorbike. Investigation, according to police sources, was ongoing with a view to apprehending the fleeing driver of the commercial bus.

Ryan Giggs: Manchester United's greatest ever player?

Manchester United have had many great players down the years - but is Ryan Giggs the best of the lot?

There are many names affiliated to Manchester United. Whether it's Sir Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Eric Cantona, Sir Matt Busby or Denis Law.

However, arguably the greatest player to ever wear the famous red shirt is none other than the Welshman, Ryan Giggs. Here's a look at the man who has played more than 1,000 matches in his career.

Giggs signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in 1990 at the age of 17. Prior to this he had appeared for United's rivals Manchester City and schoolboy and youth level but was convinced to join the Old Trafford club by manager Alex Ferguson. He made his debut for United the following year and scored his first goal for the club ironically in the Manchester derby to give his new club a 1-0 win.

He won his first cap for Wales in the same year and was the youngest player to ever represent the country for seven years. Giggs played just two games in his first season in football but despite being still aged 17, he broke into the first team for the start of the 91/92 season.

By doing so, Giggs paved the way for a lot of future young talents to make the grade at Old Trafford. In particular Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Gary Neville. In his first full season with United, the Welshman made 50 appearances in all competitions, a remarkable number given his young age but unfortunately for Giggs and co. United finished second in the table behind Leeds in the final year of the English First Division.

Giggs also captained the United youth team to the FA Youth Cup in 1992 and also enjoyed his first taste of silverware with the senior team, that being the League Cup as United defeated Nottingham Forest in the final, just a small sign of things to come.

The 1992/93 campaign marked the first season of the new Premier League era. Giggs had emerged as one of the best young wingers in English football alongside Steve McManaman. For the first time in 26 years, United were crowned the champions of England thanks in no small part to the Welsh winger who scored nine league goals that season to earn his first of thirteen Premier League winners medals.

The following season saw Giggs at the peak of his powers alongside the likes of Eric Cantona, Andrei Kanchelskis and Roy Keane who had recently signed from Nottingham Forest. The 1993/94 campaign saw the Welshman score a career high of 17 goals in all competitions, that majority of those coming in the league as United retained the Premier League crown.

Giggs was also named as the PFA young player of the year for the second time in as many seasons, a feat that has only been matched by Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney. Due to a number of injuries, the Welshman was unable to recapture his form of the previous two seasons and thus United relinquished the Premier League title to big spending Blackburn Rovers.

However fully fit again, Giggs returned with a vengeance and despite trailing Newcastle United for much of the season and at one stage by ten points in the table, United managed to go on a long unbeaten run in the league and following a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough in the final game of the 1995/96 season, the title was back at Old Trafford for the third time in four years. United also won the F.A. Cup in 1996 with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.

United regaining the Premier League title meant automatic qualification to the Champions League group stage. It was the first chance for the likes of Giggs, Beckham, Keane and Scholes to really show what they could do in Europe. The most memorable game of the 1996/97 Champions League campaign was a 4-0 win for United at Old Trafford against Porto in the quarter final.

Porto along with Juventus had been dubbed as the best team in Europe, however that night United showed they were a force to be reckoned with in the premier club competition in the world. Giggs scored the third goal that night and with it, United advanced to the semi final where they were defeated by eventual winners, Borussia Dortmund. Despite being unsuccessful in winning the Champions League, United won the Premier League yet again to prove they were still the dominant force in English football.

The following season, United missed out on the title by a single to rivals Arsenal. A poor run of form towards the end of the season and a number of injuries to key players including Giggs, Peter Schmeichel and Gary Neville saw United finish the season trophy-less for only second time in nine years.

The 1998/99 campaign would prove to be the most successful in the history of Manchester United football club. Thanks to the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and of course Giggs, United became the first and to this day only English side to win the Premier League,  the F.A. Cup and the Champions League in one season.

A number of memorable moments for the Welshman were the now famous extra time winner he scored against Arsenal in the F.A. Cup semi final to give his side a 2-1 win and also a last gasp equaliser against Juventus in the Champions League semi final first leg at Old Trafford. Giggs also set up Sheringham for the equalising goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final before Solskjaer scored the winner seconds later. With it, Giggs had now added a Champions League winners medal to his long and ever-growing list of honours.

From 1999-2001, United won the Premier League three times in a row becoming the first and thus far only team to achieve this feat.

Giggs became the club's longest serving player when Denis Irwin left the club in the summer of 2002. The Welshman scored his 100th goal in all competitions for United during a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge the same year. In May 2003, United were crowned Premier League champions for an eighth time, Giggs managed to score a highly impressive 14 goals in all competitions that season, however it would be four years before the winger and United tasted Premier League success again.

In May 2004, Giggs won the fourth F.A. Cup winners medal of his career as United defeated Millwall 3-0 in the final at the Millennium Stadium in the Welshman's hometown, Cardiff. Two years later at the very same venue he won his first English League Cup winners medal since 1992 as United defeated Wigan 4-0 in the final. Giggs was also inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 for his longevity and achievements within the game since first signing for the club 15 years previous.

United regained the league title after four years in transition in 2007. The following two seasons, United retained the league title and for the second time the club had one the Premier League three times in a row.

In 2008, United faced Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow. The game finished 1-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo giving United the lead before Frank Lampard equalised for Chelsea. Still level after 120 minutes the match went to penalties. Fittingly Giggs scored the decisive penalty before United goalkeeper Edwin Van deer Sar saved the following spot-kick from Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka and with it for the third time in the club's rich history, Manchester United were crowned as the champions of Europe.

Giggs was voted the PFA Players' Player of the Season in 2009, the first time he had received the award in almost twenty years of service. At the end of that same year, the club legend was named the Manchester United Player of the Decade.

In 2010, Giggs scored the first ever league penalties of his career by scoring two from the spot against Tottenham Hostpur in a 3-1 win at Old Trafford. In 2011, he surpassed Bobby Charlton's appearance record by playing his 607th league game for the club against Liverpool.  United won the league for a record 19th time in 2011 and also reached the final of the Champions League but were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in the final at Wembley.

In February 2012, Giggs made his 900th appearance for Manchester United in an away game against Norwich City. He marked this honour by scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute to give his side a 2-1 win. Following the match, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson stated that playing 900 matches won't be done for a single club will never be done again. A year later the Welshman scored his first goal of the season during a 2-0 home win over Everton. He extended his run of scoring in every Premier League since it was formed in 1992.

In the first knockout phase of the Champions League, Giggs made the 1,000th appearance of his career against Real Madrid at Old Trafford. Unfortunately the rare achievement was overshadowed as United were eliminated from the competition, losing 3-2 on aggregate to the Spanish giants. However two months later the club were crowned champions of England for the 20th time in their history and with it Giggs earned his staggering 13th Premier League winners medal.

In the summer of 2013, Ferguson who had managed United for 26 years retired and was replaced by former Everton boss, David Moyes. In July of this year, Giggs was appointed as player/coach of Manchester United for the coming season and also signed a one year contract extension with the club he has played for since he was 17.

There really isn't enough words to describe what a credit Ryan Giggs is to himself and to Manchester United. He has never been sent off at club level and just once while playing for Wales. Not to mention his achievements with United, Giggs also captained the Great Britain team that took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

He was capped 64 times for the Welsh national team and scored 12 goals for his country. He has thus far won the Premier League 13 times, the F.A. Cup four times, the League Cup four times, the Champions League twice and the FIFA Club World Cup once. His individual honours are second to none and the Welshman was also selected for the Champions League dream team in its tenth anniversary.

For a man who has made 1,000 appearances for club and country, it's no surprise that the Manchester United legend is on par with the best players who have ever played for the club. Giggs takes his place alongside other club greats such as George Best, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Bryan Robson, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona and many others as arguably the greatest Manchester United player of all time.

Do you think that Ryan Giggs is the best player to ever wear the red and white of Manchester United?

Luka Modric set for Real Madrid stay

Manchester United look set to miss out on another transfer target this summer

Rumours have emerged recently that Tottenham were hoping Luka Modric will be added onto the already ridiculously inflated £85m offer Madrid have offered for Welsh winger, Gareth Bale.

Daniel Levy shouldn’t hold his breath, however, as it has now emerged that Real Madrid are determined to keep Modric at the club in an attempt to make Bale’s switch to Spain a bit more comfortable. 

Modric signed for Los Merengues last summer and despite not setting the world alight in his first season, in the final few months Modric started to showed the fans the player the club shelled out for.

Arguably his best performance came against United in the Champions League and clearly the scouts at Old Trafford haven’t forgotten his display that night. 

Manchester United have apparently set their sights on the Croatia international after being rejected by Fabregas and Thiago and are supposedly lining up a £25m bid for the player.

It seems Moyes is set to miss out on yet another big name, according to the Daily Mail, meaning it is looking more and more likely the club will end up turning to Marouane Fellaini. 

Real are adamant that the midfielder will remain at the club not only to babysit Bale, but also as Modric possesses the fairly rare skill set required to cover for Alonso should the Spaniard not be available.

New boss Carlo Ancelotti is also a well known admirer of the midfielder as he tried, on several occasions, to bring the player to Chelsea during the Italians stint in West London. 

No doubt with a happier dressing room at the Bernabeu, the opportunity to line up with his former team-mate and the chance to play for a manager who genuinely wants him at the club, Modric should soon enough be regularly putting in the displays that had us all purring in England before his switch.

 

Manchester United: Five future stars

Five Manchester United youngsters that could break into the starting XI this season.A lot has been made this summer of how David Moyes will improve on his title-winning squad, with Manchester United being linked with numerous high-profile players, but the club already has a host of talent waiting to break through the ranks.

The Red Devils pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, if anything, has given the youngsters a chance to show the manager what they are capable of ahead of the new campaign. A few have put in some excellent performances, and provided Moyes with plenty to think about as he continues in his pursuit to strengthen the side.

Wilfried Zaha

In 2011/12 Zaha was awarded the Football League’s Young Player of the Year, he went one better last season, being named the PFA Championship Player of the Year. Due to his displays he was snapped up by United in January for £15m and immediately loaned back to Crystal Palace, where he went on to help the club gain promotion to the Premier League. It was believed that Palace wanted to keep the winger on-loan again this season, but after having impressed Moyes with his dazzling performances throughout United’s pre-season tour, he looks set to stay at Old Trafford. The 20-year-old certainly has the skill-set to be a big hit in England’s top flight. He has bags of pace, trickery, vision and great awareness. His desire to take on and beat a man is also an invaluable trait and he certainly looks to offer something different to United’s squad.

Adnan Januzaj

This young talent is the latest to emerge from a crop of Belgium stars. He was named on the substitutes bench in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game in charge, against West Brom, and has featured extensively in United’s pre-season tour. At 18-years-old, Januzaj is a long way off reaching his full potential, but if the early signs are anything to go by, he is going to become a future superstar. He is small, nimble, has quick-feet and possesses great technique. He is perhaps what United have been searching for - a creative midfielder - and has been one of the star performers of their pre-season.

Jesse Lingard

Lingard is another attacking midfielder that has risen through the ranks at Old Trafford. The Warrington-born youngster has become one of the stand-out talents in England, at reserve and under-21 level. He has taken United’s Far East tour by storm, scoring four goals in four appearances, which include some tremendous individual efforts. The 20-year-old has proven to be capable of mixing the spectacular with the clinical, his direct running causes defenders problems and he certainly has the confidence and ability to break into Moyes’ squad this season.

 
Nick Powell

Powell was brought in last summer by Sir Alex after agreeing a £6m deal with Crewe. However, the 19-year-old’s debut season for the Reds was cut short following a series of injuries. He managed only six appearances in which he scored a single goal. The young Englishman has now recovered from an operation and could well feature for United in the coming season. He is an exceptional talent and can score goals with his bursts forward from midfield, which is usually accompanied by a fierce shot. Although, it is understood the player could be loaned out this year, with Wigan reportedly interested in acquiring his services as they bid to regain their Premier League status.

Michael Keane

Keane is another talent that is expected to be involved in the first team this season. The 20-year-old was on-loan at Leicester City last campaign, in which he made 22 appearances and even managed to score two goals. It is now believed the Englishman is ready to make the transition into United’s squad after having impressed during his time in the Championship. The defender has been used by Moyes in the club’s pre-season tour which further suggests that Keane’s future lies at Old Trafford. He is strong, quick and has a great reading on the game. But he will do well to break into a team that is already so strong in the centre-back department.

 

 

Luis Suarez sets transfer deadline

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez wants his future resolved by next week

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has set a deadline of Friday week to get his future resolved, as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City track the controversial Uruguay international.

Although reluctant to sell Suarez, Liverpool are holding out for an offer of upwards of £50 million if they are to entertain the prospect of allowing the 26-year-old to leave Anfield before the transfer deadline.

Arsenal have made two bids for Suarez - both of which have been rejected by Liverpool - and were led to believe their most recent offer of £40,000,001 would be enough to activate a release clause in the player's contract.

This, however, was not the case and, with Liverpool in a strong bargaining position, it remains unclear is Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will make any further attempts to bring the Uruguayan to the Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are reported to view Suarez as an alternative to Wayne Rooney should the Manchester United star not join the Stamford Bridge club, while Manchester City were credited with interest in the Liverpool hotshot on Wednesday.

Suarez now hopes to have his destination decided by the end of next week, although Liverpool's insistence that he will not be sold to a Premier League rival may prevent the player securing the transfer he seemingly craves.

"Luis wants everything done and dusted by next Friday," a Liverpool source is reported to have told SportsDirectNews.

"He’s keen to move on, as people know, but he doesn’t want it to turn into a saga. He knows clubs are interested in him and he desperately wants one of them to make an acceptable offer soon."

 

Real Madrid are planning for Ronaldo exit, says Calderon

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes Bale could be Ronaldo's replacement

 

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes the La Liga giants are chasing Gareth Bale because Cristiano Ronaldo could leave the Bernabeu this summer.

Real Madrid have reportedly made a world record bid of £85million for Bale and the winger is said to be desperate to move to Spain.

Calderon - who resigned as president in 2009 - told talkSPORT that Ronaldo is not 100 per cent happy with life in Madrid. 

"I know that he is not happy at all with the attitude and behaviour of the president," said Calderon.

"He is asking for €20million net every season which is going to be difficult for Real to accept."

“I think the president has all his eggs on the table just in case he can’t get the renewal of Cristiano. That is my impression.

“He’s afraid at some moment that Cristiano will say, ‘I am not going to go on’. That will be bad news for Madrid. 

"I would like to see him retire at Real but now the situation is difficult. Let's see in the next weeks or months if it can be sorted out and he can stay.”

Ronaldo has been linked with a move back to Manchester United during the summer as new boss David Moyes looks to make his first marquee signing of his Old Trafford reign.

However, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti recently labelled Ronaldo a 'phenomenon' and said he was looking forward to working with the Portuguese superstar.

Jose Mourinho also recently said that Ronaldo would be staying at Madrid, however it now seems that the former Manchester United star's future at the club is far from certain.