Childish Mourinho, boyish Wenger.

   Since the 'Special One' arrived the shores of England in 2004, it has been from one controversy to the other. Be it known however, that the foul air generated by Mourinho's fart is actually one of the things that make the EPL thick. Personally, I try as much as lies within me never to miss his post match conferences. He will always throw banter. Whenever his team looses, then according to him "the best team lost" and when he wins then "the best team won". Controversial, yet a very interesting character is the man Jose Mourinho.

Take Super Eagles back to Lagos!

   "All we are saaaying...give us more goooals...". This chant will keep ringing in your ears from every corner of National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State as a player even when the team is two goals up. Lagos football fans are insatiable. Their clamour for football excellence is second to none. They will push the players until they have given their very best on the field. They respect nobody. The average Lagos football fan will hustle through the week and raise cash to watch a team play, but you must be ready to leave your sweat on the grass.
   "Ogbeni no fall my hand o! If you do anyhow you go

Sunday Oliseh returns!

   The pass master was today shown to the world as the new Super Eagles Manager. Sunday Oliseh, former Borussia Dortmund and Juventus midfielder was as expected, installed as the new manager in a move anchored by the NFF Chairman, Amaju Pinnick.  When news of his hire surfaced initially, a lot of people expressed fears based on his managerial inexperience while the rest, me inclusive, rejoiced as it came as no surprise.

Manchester United leading the transfer battle.

   For all the insults hurled at Manchester United's Executive Vice Chairman, Ed Woodward, he has redeemed his name. The accountant turned football executive shocked (even himself) fans of the club when the Manchester club pulled off a hat trick of Memphis Depay, Bastian Shweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin. This is a man who spent almost an entire transfer window chasing the shadow

Sepp Blatter and FIFA Crisis: My Take.

   The fire had been raging for a while. Even before the Congress last week, a number of key officials had been arrested over allegations of fraud and corruption. It didnt get to Blatter. But then, like the very hated NEPA official who arrives your compound with his evil looking ladder to disconnect you from the power source;

Real Madrid: Immaculate and Shameless.

   Sometimes, a critical look at the modus operandi of football clubs makes one want to weep. Real Madrid have been in the news in the last couple of weeks before and after their eventual elimination from the UEFA Champions League. The talk was about the looming sack of the Real Madrid Manager, Carlo Ancelotti. When the rumour surfaced initially, I dismissed it and said O di egwu. E no go happen. But then you remember the club in question and their penchant for sacking coaches and you home in on a possible truth.
   The fifty five year old Carlo Ancelotti joined Real Madrid from PSG in 2013. He guided Madrid through 119 matches from which he won 89, drew 14, lost 16 and came off with a percentage win of 74.7%. Above all, he brought the elusive 10th UEFA Champions league trophy to the Bernabeau. Yet, he was sacked. The list of Real Madrid Managers in the last 15 years:

1. Vincent Del Bosque  Nov 1999 - June 2003
2. Carlos Queiroz           June 2003 - May 2004
3. Jose Camacho             May 2004 - Sept 2004
4. Marino Remón           Sept 2004 - Dec 2004
5. Vande Luxemburgo  Dec 2004 - Dec 2005
6. Juan Ramon Caro       Dec 2005 - June 2006
7. Fabio Capello              July 2006 - June 2007
8. Bernd  Schuster          July 2007 - Dec 2008
9. Juande Ramos             Dec 2008 - June 2009
10. Manuel Pellegrini    June 2009 - May 2010
11. José Mourinho          May 2010 - June 2013
12. Carlo Ancelotti          June 2013 - May 2015.

   Ladies and gentlemen, above are managers that Real Madrid have employed and sacked in the last 15 years! Real Madrid is the most valuable club in the world, no doubt. Sales from Cristiano Ronaldo's shirts is higher than the annual budget of 10 top teams in Africa. They are the richest and most glamorous. Their obsession with Barcelona is crazy. Fiorentino Perez not helping matters too. Sometimes I wonder what Real Madrid as a club actually want from football. Perez in his statement thanked Carletto for his time and said that in a club like Real Madrid "...expectations are high". Serious? Higher than the fact that the man handed your club the Champions League trophy that has eluded Madrid for over a decade? Crazy!
   Truth is that there is no manager Real Madrid will not sack at most 3 years into his contract no matter how good you are or you deliver the head of John The Baptist. They already sacked Mourinho. Who then is left? It is really a shame. I have tried to dig out from this my mango head what the problem of this beautiful club is. The reason I went the extra mile to watch Madrid games in the just concluded season was Toni Kroos. That guy for me is the best midfielder in the world. He plays with such elegance  and vision that reminds me of Zinedine Zidane. How that calibre of player found himself in the heap of drama and shame called Madrid beats my imagination.
   I have come to a personal conclusion that every Real Madrid action in the last 10 years was taken with Barcelona in mind. So long as their obsession with Barcelona FC remains, their present craze of sacking performing managers will never stop. It's a shame.  A pity.

Photo credit: zeenews.india.com
Follow Ikenna Enenta on Twitter: @ikenna005

Nigerian Football Comedy turning to Football again.

    "Kenneth Ilodigwe and Achebe! The only other partnership you can imagine in central defence that will compare to that pairing is if Rio Ferdinand and Paolo Maldini ever played together". Those were the words of my father. Growing up, before my father started taking me to matches, he always came back and told me stories of the games. Those stories were never complete without Ilodigwe, Achebe, Amasiemeka, Okosieme and Okala from Rangers International of Enugu and Patrick Ekeji of Vasco Da Gama. In his excitement, one of his favorite lines was delivered in conc Udi language..." Dominic Nwobodo na e nye goal k nd'ma! (Dominic Nwobodo scores like a ghost). He was and indeed remains a die hard fan of Rangers. He would drive to Enugu every weekend to see a Rangers game. My father is like the average fan of Liverpool; based on past successes, he doesn't understand why Rangers is struggling today. He doesn't also understand the empty stands at the stadia during Nigerian football league matches.
   For many years, the Nigerian football league would best be described as a comedy show. I maintain that the footballers themselves are not to be blamed. At all. One might mention rascality among the players. Don't we see such rascality  amongst players in the EPL, La Liga and Serie A? That's why there are rules guiding the game. I played a game in the league where on entrance to the field, the referee told me that no matter what we do, we will loose the game. We scored in the first five minutes and he upheld the goal believing himself to wreck us. When it dawned on him that he, the referee was loosing the game to us, he awarded a penalty kick to our opponents. The penalty taker calmly blew the ball over the bar. He called for a retake, our goalkeeper caught it. He called for another retake, over the bar!!! Three successive penalty kicks! Long story cut short, we played out a draw. Point being that the bane of the Nigerian football league for more than two decades have been officiating.
    Before two years ago, the home team had the responsibility to cater for the officials assigned to a game. Feeding, accommodation, transportation and other logistics. Now, tell me how a referee that knows a host team is in charge of his pay will go on to the field and be fair to both teams. The referee is human. Probably with a family to cater for and a life to live. In a league game between Sharks and NPA, 2003, the center referee was beaten black and blue at the end of the game by the home fans. 2012/2013 season game between Ocean Boys and Enyimba at the Samson Siasia stadium Yenagoa. The game ended abruptly in the first half when Enyimba scored the second goal. Walahi Enyimba use tip tap finish Ocean Boys. The players of Ocean  Boys were literally breathing from every known and available hole on their bodies. Enyimba was balling and I was enjoying the game. All of a sudden, fans invaded the pitch in pursuit of Enyimba boys who ran for dear lives. Game over. I noticed something later though; the referee was not spared by the crowd. The home fans expected the referee to be on their side but the referee was obviously a fan of good football.
   The importance of beautiful officiating can never be over emphasised. The number of games that can be fixed without a referee is negligible. For a game to be fixed without qualms the referee has to be involved. When the Nduka Irabor led League Management Company was formed in 2012, we didn't expect much from them. Today, the LMC have turned around the fortunes of the Nigerian Football League around for good. Presently, the officials that officiated week 9 games between Gabros/ Sharks and Wikki/ Lobi are under investigation based on a submission by LMC to the NFF. Such measures can only enhance discipline among officials and players. The LMC is doing a very beautiful work with the league organisation. The league is returning to football again after many years of being pure comedy.
   Also, attendance to games have improved. Aba Township Stadium, home to Enyimba, deserve a special mention for the near full capacity in games, week in week out. The Glo Nigeria Premier Football League is on the rise. With the passion the current NFF President Amaju Pinnick has for the game, we can only expect better. As for my darling Rangers in whom my septuagenarian father is well disappointed in, a change in fortune is needed. ASAP. The team should quit being the Arsenal of Nigerian League. Win league una no go win. Go relegation una no go go! Unu a ga a buzi ogbenye buru amosu? 

Photo Credit; @LMCNPFL
Follow Ikenna Enenta on Twitter; @ikenna005