Will Harambee Stars Survive Brokenness? Is David Ospina’s health Improving?,And more stories topping the headlines

With the International break here, the Harambee Stars are still out of funds, to help them prepare and travel to Ghana,Will the Government intervene? Lets wait and see.

Sportpesa League Champions Gor Mahia yesterday wrote history, but how exactly has their sponsors Sportpesa Helped them so far?

Napoli’s Goalkeeper Ospina’s health is now improving after he collapsed during a match.

Take a look at the days top stories making headline:

Where a you Amina? Broke Harambee Stars to miss Ghana Trip

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News coming in is that the national team, Harambee Stars is broke and may miss this weekends AFCON qualifier against Ghana.

This is despite the government through CS Amina Mohammed announcing that they had set aside sh.244 million to help the team prepare for the AFCON 2019 in Egypt in June.

But FKF now say they have not received the said money, and are contemplating give a walk over in this weekend’s tie.

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“This has not happened as we speak. First we were informed the money was sent on Thursday but until today, it has not hit our accounts. Time is running out. If we don’t get it by tomorrow afternoon, it will be very difficult to honor the Ghana tie. We are ready to give a walk-over,” said a FKF official who asked not to be named.

“We have done all this and cannot do anything more until the money is received from the government. We have run out of options and are willing to give a walk-over to Ghana.”

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This will be an acid test for Amina Mohammed, who took over the Sports Docket from Rashid Echesa.

Both Kenya and Ghana have already qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations to be held from June this year.

What contribution has Sportpesa had in the Harambee Stars AFCON Qualification?

After spending fifteen (15) years out in the cold, Harambee stars are expected to show their muscle in the upcoming AFCON but this has come after a cost by a number of entities.

Gaming firm SportPesa has committed to financially bridge the national football team Harambee Stars in breaking their World Cup jinx in 2022.

Stars have never qualified for the global tournament since it’s inception in 1930 and the firm which has been drumming up support for the team to seal a place in the 2022 edition set for Qatar has insisted on putting more efforts to achieve the milestone.

SportPesa busted into the local football market in July 2015 as the official Kenya Premier League title sponsor after the expiry of the preceding three-year long league’s sponsorship deal with East African Breweries.

The bookmaker outlined it’s blueprint of aiding the country in making it to the World Cup and identified the 2022 finals as their target as well as pushing the team to muscle for their return to the African Cup of Nations after 15 years in the cold.

The short term plan of returning to the continental stage came to pass last year after Stars booked a place in the finals planned for Egypt with a group stage match to spare, an achievement which SportPesa believes to have immensely contributed to.

The gaming firm argues that their initial partnership with Football Kenya Federation and funding a number of activities both in the country and beyond, has had the impact felt with the national team.

Through their Chief Executive Officer, Ronald Karauri, the firm highlights sponsoring the league where outstanding players were largely used in the qualifiers.

He revealed that shipping in Arsenal coaches to conduct coaching clinics for their Kenyan counterparts and giving players a platform through the SportPesa Cup which has also played a massive role in Stars’ qualification.

Karauri insists that the activities they have sponsored have directly contributed to their return in the Africa Cup of Nations 15 years down the line.

He said, “By the time we came in the game, people had lost hope and football had been abandoned. We started training camps for capacity building and got Arsenal coaches in the country. All these efforts have culminated in Stars qualification to the Afcon.”

Additionally, the firm sponsored a Kenyan Premier League All-Star team to the United Kingdom where they lost 2-1 to a Hull City select side in February 2017.

The team later played two more international friendlies in July in Spain losing 4-0 to Cordoba FC before bowing 1-0 to Sevilla Atletico.

Prior to the tax laws, the firm had undertaken to reward the national team Sh3 million for a win in the qualifiers.

The team received a similar amount for clinching the 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge after edging Zanzibar on post-match penalties.

Through the SportPesa Cup, Gor Mahia players have had the rare chance of playing English Premier League side Everton twice and Kariobangi Sharks are looking forward to hosting the Merseyside-based team later in the year courtesy of their triumph in the Cup in January.

The administrator is still confident of Kenya making her maiden appearance in the continental showpiece in 2022 even though he admits the hike on taxes imposed by the government on gaming firms and lotteries in January 2018 had slowed their push.

“According to me, 2022 World Cup is still possible even though we slowed down a bit. However, we will still put more efforts and ensure as a country we qualify,” Karauri said.

UEFA drafting plan that will change Champions League nights forever!

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Champions League matches at weekends would not have the backing of supporters, according to a key figure in the European game.

Representatives from UEFA and the European Club Association are set to meet on Tuesday, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that radical changes to the format of continental club competitions will be discussed.

Moving Champions League games to the weekend and introducing a promotion and relegation system are reported to be two of the ideas set to be floated.

However, European Leagues, the organisation which represents 35 professional leagues across 28 countries, believes supporters’ love of domestic action at a weekend would prevent the idea gaining traction.

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European Leagues deputy general secretary Alberto Colombo told Press Association Sport: “Football is a conservative business and we know that the passion of fans is driven by the domestic game.

“English fans love going to see Premier League games at the weekend and it’s the same with fans everywhere else, too.

“We know they won’t back this idea because they love the traditional rivalries between their cities and communities.

“When you go to the office or you’re at school, you don’t have a friend who is a Bayern Munich fan, do you?

“Your colleagues support Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, and those are the rivalries we want to talk about on Monday morning.”

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Colombo was speaking the day before European football’s governing body UEFA meets the European Club Association’s executive board in Nyon.

The Wall Street Journal reported that changes to the format could be introduced as early as 2021.

UEFA, however, has played down the significance of the meeting, describing it as an “informal brainstorming session…to discuss ideas and exchange views regarding club competitions post-2024”.

In a statement, UEFA added: “We will hold similar meetings with other stakeholder groups in the coming months, in order to allow for a proper consultation process before drawing up concrete proposals that could be studied more in-depth before any decisions are made.”

Colombo confirmed that the European Leagues, for example, will also be meeting UEFA in the coming weeks, although no date has been fixed yet.

Napoli ‘Keeper Ospina Improving After Head Injury Scar

Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina remains under observation in hospital but is improving after his frightening collapse following a knock to the head in an Italian league game at the weekend, his father Hernan said on Monday.

The Colombia international had received treatment after colliding with striker Ignacio Pussetto minutes into the game at the Stadio San Paolo.

The 30-year-old, who is on loan from Arsenal, returned to play with bandages around his head after receiving stitches to his forehead.

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But 41 minutes later, Ospina collapsed to the ground and was transferred by ambulance to the nearby San Paolo hospital for tests.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to my son yet because he’s still in intensive care,” his father Hernan Ospina told Naples-based Radio CRC.

“I know he’s fine because my wife is there. He was given a CT scan and a series of checks.


“The national team spoke to a doctor from Medellin to understand more about what happened and he said he’d be off the pitch for a fortnight.”

Ospina, who has 94 caps for the national side, will miss Colombia’s international friendlies against Japan on March 22 and South Korea four days later.

Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti visited Ospina on Monday morning at the Pineta Grande Clinic where he was transferred and placed under observation for 24 hours after Sunday’s game.

The player will be discharged later on Monday, according media reports in Italy.

Napoli, meanwhile, are reported to have ordered an investigation into decisions taken by medics, who allowed Ospina to continue playing, and transferred him initially to the nearby San Paolo hospital where there is no neurosurgery department.

Ospina suffered “a hypotensive crisis resulting from a head injury,” Napoli had said on Sunday, which is a sudden fall in blood pressure which can cause dizziness and fainting.

Ospina played for six years with French club Nice before joining Arsenal in 2014. He arrived in Napoli last August on a one-year loan with an option to buy.

He has played 14 league games for Serie A runners-up Napoli including Sunday’s 4-2 win over Udinese.

Revealed: Eden Hazard’s reaction to Chelsea rejecting Real Madrid’s offer for his services

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Chelsea have reportedly turned down an opening bid from Real Madrid for Eden Hazard ahead of the summer transfer window. While Hazard is reluctant to force his way out of Stamford Bridge, the Belgian has made no secret of his interest in joining Madrid and rumours of an imminent move intensified after Zinedine Zidane returned to replace Santiago Solari as manager last week.

The 28-year-old idolised Zidane as a youngster and Chelsea are now resigned to losing their prized possession ahead of the 2019/20 campaign. However, according to The Daily Record, Madrid’s opening proposal for Hazard was swiftly rejected by Chelsea. The Blues are holding out for a club-record fee of €100million (£86m) for the 2014/15 PFA Player of the Year.

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The report claims that, while Madrid failed with the offer, Hazard took it as a sign they are ready to go all out for his signature this summer. Chelsea want to avoid the possibility of Hazard leaving on a free transfer in 2020 and Madrid are likely to use this to their advantage, just as they did when they landed Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid are also understood to be pursuing deals for Paris Saint-Germain duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Asked whether Madrid want to sign Neymar or Mbappe, Madrid’s president Florentino Perez cheekily replied: ‘Both of them.’ It’s understood Zidane has been handed a £300m warchest to spend on reinforcements in the coming months.

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Willian insists Hazard remains fully committed to Chelsea amid the ongoing speculation regarding his future. ‘No doubt, he’s focused here,’ the Brazilian said last week. ‘He’s never said something about Real Madrid or stuff like this. He just wants to continue to play for Chelsea. ‘First of all, I hope he stays with us. But in football you never know what can happen. Of course, Eden is a fantastic player, one of the best players in the world. ‘He’s my friend, one of the best players I’ve played with in my whole career. I just have to say I hope he stays with us. That’s it.’

Maurizio Sarri has stressed that he’s only interested in keeping player who ‘want to play for Chelsea’. Asked how Hazard will have reacted to Zidane’s return at Madrid, Sarri replied: ‘You have to ask Hazard, I think. I did not speak to Eden about Zidane. ‘I am not worried, you know very well my opinion, I only want players that want to play for Chelsea.’



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