News sport : VOD: Hines Ward's speech to Colorado State

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,


Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward played with new Colorado State coach Mike Bobo when the two were at Georgia. And Bobo used the connection with Ward to bring the now-NBC analyst to CSU to speak to his team.


Ward hit on a very similar thing that another NBC analyst, Tony Dungy, did when he spoke to the Texas Longhorns, saying "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."


When speaking to Texas, Dungy told the team that talent isn't everything when it comes to winning Super Bowls.


Bobo was Georgia's starting quarterback in 1997 with Ward as the team's leading receiver. The Bulldogs won the Outback Bowl over Wisconsin at the end of the season. Before replacing Jim McElwain as the Rams' coach after the 2014 season, Bobo was the offensive coordinator at Georgia.


(H/T Football Scoop)


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1O41G3u
Read More

News sport : Power Rankings: The first 6 races of 2015

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

1. Daytona: Much like 2014, the racing in the Daytona 500 was a great start to the season. Unlike last year, the sun was out for the race, which created a different set of circumstances for drivers to face throughout the race. But we loved how the 500 turned into a strategy race before late cautions bunched up the field and created the restrictor plate chaos that we've become accustomed to seeing. And no, we're not discounting the race because it ended under caution. If you're a regular reader of the site, you know we don't judge races simply based on their highlight appeal.


2. Martinsville: Yeah, the race lasted about four hours, but there weren't any lulls in the action, the finish was great (and clean!) and drivers had the opportunity to drive through the field. Look at Martin Truex Jr., who started up front, fell back because of a power steering problem and ended up back in the top 10. Yeah, we may be biased because we watched this race from the stands (and it went faster because we were there), but the only other worthy contender for the second spot is next, and we'll explain why it's third.


3. Fontana: For us, the madness at the end of the race actually discounts it. It was a fun race heading for the all-too-rare fuel mileage finish when it was derailed by debris cautions. We've clamored about our hate for conspiracy theories before, and inconsistency doesn't equal conspiracy. However, we'll admit to feeling a bit empty (like a fuel tank after a fuel-mileage race) following Brad Keselowski's win. The win is in no way illegitimate. Rather, it's the easiest "what-if?" race of the first six.


4. Atlanta: Kevin Harvick had the fastest car for most of the race, but Jimmie Johnson was the fastest over the last 14 laps and got the win. Watching Harvick and Jeff Gordon come through the field at the beginning of the race was fun and made you want to be in the production truck or at the race and able to solely watch the two drivers.


5. Phoenix: While it was fun to wonder if Jamie McMurray clears Kevin Harvick off turn two following the final restart, is there any belief that McMurray would have been able to hold off Harvick for the rest of the race? OK, we see you believers, and you're wearing No. 1 hats. You don't count. We're also staunch advocates of an an accelerated aging process for the track's surface. Not that we're against Harvick's domination by any means, we just want to see multi-groove racing and tire wear.


6. Las Vegas: What was the defining moment from the race? Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne? Kevin Harvick led 142 laps and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried a strategy play to beat him with two tires. It didn't work, and as pit stops cycled through the final time, Harvick cruised to a 1.6 second victory.


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1c48OiI
Read More

News sport : Richie Incognito excited for his second chance with the Buffalo Bills

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

There were times over the past year when Richie Incognito wondered if he would simply fade away from the NFL.


No team signed him last season after Incognito was the key figure in the Miami Dolphins' 2013 bullying scandal, in which offensive tackle Jonathan Martin left the team. Incognito said he though he was close to signing with a couple teams, but nobody gave him a contract and he sat out all year. It looked like nobody thought the 31-year-old guard would be worth the ensuing media attention.


The Buffalo Bills, with new coach Rex Ryan, weren't scared off. They signed Incognito.


"There were some dark days where I didn't think I was ever gonna play again," Incognito said, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "It really just kind of fueled me to work harder."


As the Bills' offseason program began, Incognito opened up about his second chance. He said he was in great shape. Sitting out a year in exile over the controversy was a wake-up call.


"Incredibly humbling," Incognito said, according to the Bills' transcripts. "Taking a step back, taking a year off. It was a learning process, it was frustrating. But, I think at the end of the day, humbling is the best way to describe it."


Incognito is back. So is Martin, who signed with the Carolina Panthers after the San Francisco 49ers cut him this offseason. Martin doesn't want to discuss what happened in Miami. For Ryan, what happened doesn't matter. He spoke of Incognito's sincerity when he spoke to him and his desire to play football. Now that Incognito is with the Bills, Ryan said all that matters is what he does going forward.


"What’s in the past is in the past," Ryan said.


All that will really matter is if Incognito, a former Pro Bowler, can help the Bills at a troublesome guard spot after sitting out a year. He'll always be known for what happened with the Dolphins, but the Bills likely don't have to worry about Incognito being a problem. After all he has been through since news broke of the problems in the Dolphins locker room, one would assume Incognito will be the model teammate.


"It was definitely difficult sitting out," Incognito said. "Knowing I could still play, knowing I had talent to contribute. Like I said, it was a learning process. At first, there was a lot of frustration, you know, “why am I not signing, why am I not on a team?” Then, it was a time for inner reflection, kind of a time for growth. Then, it was an acceptance. Accepting the fact that I’m not going to play this year and that I’m going to have to chalk it up and wait for another opportunity."


- - - - - - -


Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1CuoS2u
Read More

SA’s best humbled in Africa

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Brazilians and Amakhosi out of Africa's premier club competition following defeats to TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca


|||

So much for this being the year when South African football reclaims its status as one of the continental giants! Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs’ exit from the CAF Champions League at the weekend has served to illustrate just how long we still have to go before we can return to those heady heights of the late 1990s.


The Brazilians and Amakhosi were dumped out of Africa’s premier club competition following defeats to TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca on Sunday, losses that undermine our assertion that the Absa Premiership is one of Africa’s top leagues.


In a year when all our national teams qualified for their continental competitions and the national Under-17s actually made it to the World Cup, there was a huge excitement that our game is finally getting back on track following many years of failure.


And the hope was that this semblance of success will also be experienced at club level on the continent.


But with reigning champions Sundowns coming a cropper in Lubumbashi after having won their first leg at home and champions-elect Chiefs expectedly going down in Casablanca following defeat on home soil, it is back to square one.


Of course Orlando Pirates – who else given the Buccaneers’ torch-bearing feats of previous years? – are still in the race after progressing to the second round of the lesser CAF Confederation Cup.


All this though is simply not good enough for a country with so much in the way of resources, and a claim to having the best administered and most financially stable league on the continent.


And while they will likely point to the tough conditions they faced on their trips as well as the renowned blatantly biased officiating in favour of the home teams as defence for their failures, both Sundowns and Chiefs essentially lost their ties in the first leg. Their failure to emphatically win at home, Chiefs actually lost, was always going to make things mighty difficult for them in the second leg.


And this is one big lesson our teams just continue to refuse to heed despite our having returned to the continental game way back in 1992. What is very clear is that CAF are not going to do anything to improve the situation for teams visiting the north, western and to some extent the central parts of the continent.


So to circumvent those issues, our clubs need to learn to take advantage of the home matches and win well. Take Chiefs for example. When they hosted Raja – in Durban because they wrongly thought they’d get a bigger crowd and make more money – they played in a near empty stadium that hardly helped their cause.


On Sunday they walked onto a near capacity arena teeming with a hostile crowed that jeered their every move while acting as a 12th man for Raja.


And just as in the first leg, Chiefs’ failure to convert chances proved their undoing.


It is going to take a while before we get to the top echelon of the continental game.


And while it is always easy to point the finger of blame at the national coach when Bafana Bafana fail, those who criticise the man in charge of the country’s team must also look back to see what it is he has to work with. Until our clubs succeed on the continent, it will be unrealistic to expect our country to be dominant in Africa. - The Star






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1CixWaF
Read More

News sport : Jimbo Fisher says Florida State needs to 'grow up'

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was not impressed with his team's play during the second scrimmage of the spring Monday.


He said many players were simply trying to "endure" the scrimmage rather than playing hard throughout it's entirety. And then he said his team needed to grow up and it was a bit soft.


"Need to grow up," Fisher said via Warchant.com. "A bunch of young guys think they're real good and they're not close. Got ability, got to learn to play with intangibles. A little bit soft as a team overall, both sides."


There's likely a both truth and motivation involved in Fisher's statements. After seven players were selected in the 2014 NFL draft following FSU's national title over Auburn, five players declared early for the 2015 NFL draft. And coupled with players who had exhausted their eligibility, FSU is having to replace half of its 2014 starting lineup in 2015.


The turnover is a side effect of success, certainly, but many players may be learning this spring just how much effort it takes to have the opportunity to play for the national title two years in a row.


"This team has to get tougher, mentally," defensive back Jalen Ramsey said. "That's the honest truth. This team has to get tougher mentally. We're soft right now. Not always physically soft, just mentally soft. I just don't understand it. It'll come along."


The Seminoles' spring game is Saturday. A good performance there makes Monday seem like a distant memory. But if Fisher doesn't like his team's effort then as well, the Seminoles may be entering fall practice with a storyline to rival the departure of Jameis Winston. And, via Warchant, Ramsey warned of what could happen if the Seminoles don't improve from Monday.


"If they're going to settle for what we just did out there, nobody's going to enjoy the season," he said. "We're not going to enjoy the season, coaches aren't going to enjoy the season, fans aren't going to enjoy the season."


For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1IntP5t
Read More

News sport : Florida has 6 healthy scholarship offensive linemen

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

With another injury, Florida will only have enough scholarship offensive lineman to fill out one unit.


The Gators are down to six healthy scholarship linemen after Roderick Johnson suffered what coach Jim McElwain termed a "stinger-ish type of deal" during practice on Friday and is out indefinitely.


McElwain said Johnson lost feeling in the fingers of one of his hands. Johnson played in all 12 of Florida's games last season and started three.


"You know, he got banged up and kind of felt you know his fingers kind of went numb," McElwain said via InsidetheGators.com. "I still don't know quite what exactly that is other than you know those are things that you're always very cautious with and we'll get that thing looked at by a lot of different people.



"They went in and found out there were some things that he might have had well before from that area. And, if they had shown me the X-ray, I wouldn't have been able to tell what the heck it was anyway. We'll do, obviously, what's in his best interest. In moving forward, we'll make sure we do what's best there."


Offensive lineman Trip Thurman is also out because of a shoulder injury. If the injuries were happening during the regular season, you couldn't blame Florida fans for having flashbacks to 2013. Two years ago, the Gators had an incredible injury plague. Eight players were lost for the season before the end of September and the injuries didn't stop in October and November.


Johnson is likely out of the Gators' spring game on Saturday, and McElwain also said his absence likely affects what the school will be doing in it. Florida had already decided not to go with a team format for the game because of numbers at certain positions and the decision is now supported even more with four walk-on players on the offensive line's second team.


Instead, McElwain said the spring game will be positioned as offense vs. defense with a special scoring system that will focus on specific in-game scenarios. He also said Will Grier was ahead of Treon Harris in the Gators' quarterback competition simply because he's had more time in practice. Harris missed time during spring practice after his 16-year-old cousin was shot and killed.


For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1c3FTeK
Read More

Deja vu for City fans

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Manchester City supporters who have seen their team's Premier League title challenge disintegrate before their eyes in recent weeks could be forgiven a nagging feeling of deja vu.


|||

Manchester City supporters who have seen their team's Premier League title challenge disintegrate before their eyes in recent weeks could be forgiven a nagging feeling of deja vu.


City plundered 102 goals as they streaked past a faltering Liverpool in last season's title race, but Monday's 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace left their defence of the trophy in pieces.


Nine points behind leaders Chelsea having played a game more, Manuel Pellegrini's side need a minor miracle to retain the title and now face a fight to avoid a place in next season's Champions League play-off round.


The club's previous title triumph, in 2012, was followed by a similar slump.


Having snatched the crown from Manchester United's grasp on the final day of the 2011-12 campaign, City stagnated and finished the following season 11 points adrift of their derby rivals in second place.


Manager Roberto Mancini paid the price with his job, sacked two days after a shock defeat by Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup final, and a similar fate may lie in store for Pellegrini.


Heralded as the antithesis to the spiky and combative Mancini, the urbane Chilean steered the club to a league and League Cup double in his first season.


But Pellegrini's position now appears under serious threat, with British bookmakers offering odds of 2/7 that he will no longer be at the helm on the opening day of next season.


Former United manager Alex Ferguson accused City of slackening off after their 2012 league success in his autobiography and it is a charge that his former captain Gary Neville repeated on Monday.


“They have got a mentality problem, there is no doubt about that. This team cannot sustain success, and I think that is a terrible thing to have levelled at you,” said Neville, now a television pundit.


“When you win championships, you have got to be able to come back again with hunger and they do not. They get to the top of the mountain and drop off it.”


The club's failure to reach the Champions League quarter-finals also counts against Pellegrini, even if there was no disgrace in succumbing to the genius of Barcelona's Lionel Messi as City did in the last 16.


But while Pellegrini is expected to carry the can for City's failure to kick on, fingers are also being pointed at figures higher up in the Etihad Stadium hierarchy.


It is CEO Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain who are responsible for the club's transfer activity, not Pellegrini, and the club's close-season dealings left much to be desired.


Despite Financial Fair Play restrictions, City splurged £32 million ($47.6 million, 43.8 million euros) on Eliaquim Mangala, but the French centre-back has been unable to hold down a first-team place.


Fernando, Bacary Sagna and Willy Caballero have added little beyond squad depth and it says much that it was 36-year-old Frank Lampard, supposedly on the brink of semi-retirement in Major League Soccer, who had made the biggest impact by the time Wilfried Bony arrived from Swansea City in a £25 million deal in January.


“I think it is so poor from those at the top of the club,” said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, Neville's fellow pundit on Sky Sports. “It is mismanagement from them.”


Compounding matters, City's stalwarts have struggled to recapture the heights of last season.


While Joe Hart has impressed, Sergio Aguero has scored only three league goals in 2015, the influence of Yaya Toure and David Silva has diminished and captain Vincent Kompany appears to be in terminal decline.


Arsenal and United have both exploited City's difficulties to surge past them and on Sunday the champions face a potentially chastening trip to Old Trafford.


With a seven-point advantage over Liverpool, a top-four place does not appear to be in jeopardy, but a fourth-place finish would represent another damning fall from grace. – AFP






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1c3FJUz
Read More

News sport : Army getting new unis, reportedly changing nickname to Cadets

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Army will reportedly be known as the Cadets instead of the Black Knights next season.


The school is announcing a uniform makeover and a nickname change on Monday, April 13. The uniform changes are part of Army's agreement with its uniform supplier, Nike.



From Army's site, which will broadcast the rebrand at 8 p.m. ET Monday:



With the goal of developing an innovative and consistent athletic identity that pays tribute to the Academy's legacy and tradition, Army Athletics, U.S. Army and Academy leadership, Nike, current and former cadet-athletes, coaches, historians and West Point graduates, collaborated on a nearly 18-month brand evolution program.



Will the team no longer have its fantastic gold helmets with a black stripe? We hope not.




The name change to Cadets isn't a new one. The Black Knights nickname has only been official since 1999.


"We really want to make sure we have something that identifies regionally, nationally and internationally," Army athletic director Boo Corrigan said to the Army Times in November.


According to the Army Times, the Black Knights nickname took off as an alternative moniker for the school during the football team's heyday in the 1940s. From 1944-1946 Army went undefeated. The time period was also during running back Glenn Davis' record-setting success. Davis has the careeer yards-per-carry record in college football, the record that was challenged in 2014 by Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1yRQ4HY
Read More

SA football mourns Henyekane

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula expressed his sadness at the death of footballer Richard Henyekane, who died in a car accident.


|||

Johannesburg – South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula, expressed his sadness at the death of South African soccer player Richard Henyekane who died in a car accident in in the early hours of Tuesday morning.


Striker Henyekane made nine official appearances for the national team, Bafana Bafana.


“Henyekane’s passing is a great loss for our country and to the entire football fraternity,” Mbalula said. “He comes from a family of soccer players as his brother, Joseph Henyekane was also a professional footballer. Football in South Africa is poorer without him. On behalf of the government of South Africa, we send our deepest condolences to his family, to his other family, Free State stars and to all the football loving people of our country.”


Henyekane was currently a player for Free State Stars and the club broke the news of his death.


In a statement the club said: “Free State Stars hereby expresses its heartfelt condolences on the passing of star striker Richard Henyekane in the early hours of this morning.”


Henyekane was travelling with four other passengers when the accident happened.


“We wish to say to the Henyekane family that they must know that we are with them at all times, and trust that they will put all their sorrows in the hands of God the Almighty in this hard period,’ the club said. “‘To the Stars family of fans, sponsors, supporters and others we believe that this is a period in which you will remain steadfast in praying for Henyekane’s teammates as they come to terms with this sad moment.”


Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation also sent its condolences to the family, saying: “South Africa’s football community is poorer with the loss of this talented star.” – ANA






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1FxeXxC
Read More

Bafana to play Mauritius in Chan qualifier

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Bafana Bafana have been drawn against Mauritius in the preliminary stage of the Orange African Nations Championship Rwanda 2016 qualifiers.


|||

Egypt – Bafana Bafana have been drawn against Mauritius in the preliminary stage of the Orange African Nations Championship (Chan) Rwanda 2016 qualifiers.


The draw was conducted at the Caf Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.


Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba said on Tuesday his charges would not underestimate their opposition.


“Some may be thinking we are playing Mauritius so it will be a walk in the park, but there are no easy teams anymore in international football,” said Mashaba.


“Every team wants to do well and if they believe you are a powerhouse they come to you firing on all cylinders, so we must prepare well and work hard for our success.”


South Africa are among 42 teams that will be taking part in the qualifiers – these will produce 15 finalists who will join hosts Rwanda at the tournament scheduled to take place from January 16 to February 7 2016.


Bafana will host Mauritius on the weekend of June 19-21, while the return leg will be held two weeks later.


Should South Africa proceed to the next stage, the First Round, they will then face the winner between Swaziland and Angola with the first leg scheduled for weekend of October 16-18. The second leg will be played a fortnight later.


“The last time, we did not do well at home in the Chan tournament and many will still be making reference to that so we have to improve on that,” said Mashaba.


“We need to pick a strong team that will represent this country well because we have many capable players who are home-based and can hold their own against other nations. I am confident we will succeed.” - ANA






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1PfduSa
Read More

Reds looking for FA Cup boost

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Liverpool will hoping for a lift in the FA Cup having seen their challenge for a Champions League spot all but disappear.


|||

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is looking to avoid an FA Cup upset at Blackburn as his side try to ease the disappointment of their fading challenge for a place in the Champions League.


A run of eight wins from nine Premier League games up to the middle of March had put Liverpool in a strong position to secure a top four finish.


But successive defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal either side of the international break have left Liverpool in fifth place, well adrift of the top four.


Rodgers's team were out-played in both games and their sudden downturn in fortunes has been compounded by suspensions to Emre Can, who was sent off in last Saturday's crushing 4-1 loss at Arsenal, as well as captain Steven Gerrard and defender Martin Skrtel.


The fall-out from Raheem Sterling's decision to halt contract negotiations has also proved a distraction.


Yet Rodgers is still hoping to finish the season on a high by bringing silverware back to Anfield for the first time since Liverpool won the League Cup in 2012.


If the Reds can see off Championship club Blackburn in their quarter-final replay at Ewood Park, they will be through to a semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley later this month.


But Rodgers won't underestimate Gary Bowyer's team, who have already knocked out top-flight sides Swansea and Stoke this season.


“There's no doubt there is disappointment at losing those games having put ourselves in a great position. We'd worked very hard to get ourselves into the position we were in before the Manchester United game,” Rodgers said.


“We're honest enough as a group to focus and analyse that we did not perform well enough, and when you don't against top-quality squads then unfortunately you can lose. But it's gone now. We need to focus on doing the very best we can.


“The group is very committed to winning this trophy, but in order to do that you have to qualify and we know Blackburn will be a difficult game for us.


“It's something we want to do as a group. We've made steady progress over a couple of seasons and arrived in a Champions League place last year and nearly won the league.


“A trophy this season will mark another step forward for us. Of course, it's a difficult game for us but getting to a final and winning a trophy is what we want.


“We made that a real strong objective for us this season, to do well in the cups, and this is an opportunity to get to another semi-final.”


Like Rodgers, Liverpool's Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho stressed the need to make amends by going all the way in the FA Cup, with either Arsenal or Reading waiting as potential final opponents.


“Winning the cup would save our season. It is very important for us to have that as an objective,” Coutinho said.


Blackburn held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in the first meeting at Anfield last month.


Rovers famously won the Premier League title at Anfield 20 years ago and after recent troubled times, including relegation in 2012 and the imposition of a transfer embargo due to financial issues, manager Bowyer is delighted to be giving the club's supporters another glimpse of glory.


“I am really pleased for them more than anybody else to have that opportunity to bring Liverpool back to Ewood Park and get Ewood Park rocking and remind us of the Premier League days,” Bowyer said.


“It will bring back fond memories, it's where everybody wants to be, and this will be a little taster for us.


“You've only got to look at our home form against Premier League teams in the FA Cup and we've done particularly well.” – AFP






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1yRDxEE
Read More

Blatter wants harsher sanctions for racism

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Fifa president Sepp Blatter called for tougher punishment for teams and associations found guilty of racism and discrimination.


|||

Cairo - Fifa president Sepp Blatter called for tougher punishment for teams and associations found guilty of racism and discrimination and said monetary sanctions were increasingly ineffective.


Statutes allowed for stiffer sanctions which now had to be implemented as the battle against 'the scourge of racism and discrimination is not being won', he told the Confederation of African Football congress.


“We have to punish not only through fines and stadium closures but we have to use our rules to suspend teams, to take away their points or even to relegate them if racism continues,” Blatter said.


Blatter reminded African countries of extensive financial support to the continent's football associations from world football's governing body as he opened the congress in a Cairo hotel on Tuesday.


Blatter, who is expected to get extensive support from the continent's 54 countries when he stands for re-election next month, said Fifa had spent some $700 million on various programmes across Africa.


“We should maybe spend more to prepare a better future for the children,” he added, mirroring the promises of his three rivals in the Fifa election for more financial assistance for member countries.


Blatter was met with a warm ovation from the African delegates in contrast to having to sit through stinging criticism when he attended the Uefa congress in Vienna last month.


Tuesday's Caf congress was also attended by Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Dutch Football Association President Michael van Praag and former Portugal international Luis Figo, who are all standing against Blatter, but they were not permitted to address the assembly.


Caf president Issa Hayatou, who last year pledged his members' support to Blatter's bid for another term in office, repeated his call for Africa to back the incumbent.


“He has been a faithful partner and in Africa we acknowledge our friends and offer them that they deserve,” added Hayatou. – Reuters






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1HKYvtN
Read More

Stars player dies in accident

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Free State Stars player Richard Henyekane has died in a vehicle accident, the Premier Soccer League club said.


|||

Johannesburg – Free State Stars player Richard Henyekane has died in a vehicle accident, the Premier Soccer League club said.


Free State Stars hereby expresses its heartfelt condolences on the passing of star striker Richard Henyekane in the early hours of this morning, [Tuesday],” the club said in a statement.


”He was, unfortunately the only one to lose his life in this incident.”


Henyekane was travelling with four other passengers when the accident happened.


The club sent condolences to his teammates and supporters.


”We wish to say to the Henyekane family that they must know that we are with them at all times, and trust that they will put


all their sorrows in the hands of God the Almighty in this hard period.”


”To the Stars family of fans, sponsors, supporters and others we believe that this is a period in which you will remain steadfast in


praying for Henyekane’s teammates as they come to terms with this sad moment.” – ANA






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1JiYuOR
Read More

News sport : Duke's forgotten freshman helps carry the Blue Devils to a title

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

INDIANAPOLIS — One month into his debut season at Duke, freshman guard Grayson Allen could feel himself slipping into what he calls spectator mode.


He was only playing a handful of minutes in most games and twice he hadn't even gotten off the bench at all. As a result, the former McDonald's All-American spent long stretches of games sulking on the bench instead of concentrating on how he could contribute in limited minutes.


"I did get down on myself and I think that hurt me," Allen said. "I wasn't expecting to get in and I was acting like I wasn't part of the team on the bench. I was just watching. Eventually [Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski] sat down with me and told me not to just work toward next year. He told me to stay ready because my time was this year."


Never has Krzyzewski spoken truer words than those. This season indeed was Allen's time, even if the phenomenally talented freshman had to wait until Duke's very last game to have his breakout performance.


With Duke trailing Wisconsin by nine points early in the second half of Monday's title game and stars Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow saddled in foul trouble, Allen entered the game and provided a spark. He scored eight of his 16 points in the next two minutes, a one-man surge that lifted the Blue Devils back into striking distance and enabled them to capture Krzyzewski's fifth national championship with a 68-63 victory.


Allen's first big shot was a 3-pointer in which he made his defender pay for helping off him too far. He scored Duke's next five points attacking Wisconsin's slower defenders off the dribble, blowing by a flat-footed Sam Dekker for a 3-point play on one possession and drawing a foul on Duje Dukan on the next.


"He put us on his back and he put us in position to win," Okafor said. "We all knew how good he is. He's always one of our best players and our hardest workers and he proved it today."


That it was Allen who sank some of Monday's biggest shots has to be galling for Wisconsin because the Badgers probably didn't spend much time preparing for him. On a Duke team that features this June's potential No. 1 overall draft pick in Okafor and two other elite first-year stars in Winslow and Tyus Jones, Allen is truly the forgotten freshman.


Although Allen received scholarship offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Texas and Miami before committing to Duke late in his junior year, he has been forced to wait his turn while his classmates have flourished. Allen had only scored 16 or more points twice all season before Monday night and had gone scoreless in 14 of Duke's games.


What was frustrating sometimes for Allen was that his lack of playing time wasn't a product of anything he was doing wrong. He drew praise from the coaching staff for his work ethic and intensity in practice, but he was stuck behind the likes of Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook, Matt Jones and initially Rasheed Sulaimon in a crowded Duke backcourt rotation.


"We'd been riding those other horses," Duke assistant Nate James said. "It wasn't that coach didn't believe in him. It was just Quinn, Tyus, Matt, they had been playing great for us."


Had it not been for Sulaimon's Jan. 30 dismissal from the team, Allen might never have cracked Duke's rotation this season. He hadn't logged double-digit minutes in any ACC game prior to that, but he received at least 10 minutes in eight of the Blue Devils' 13 remaining regular season games thereafter.


Allen was still the last player in Duke's eight-man rotation, but he showed enough burst off the dribble and enough confidence as a shooter for Krzyzewski to trust him in big postseason games. He also benefited from a chat with assistant coach Jon Scheyer after an 0-for-3 shooting effort in Duke's opening-round NCAA tournament win over Robert Morris.


"What he had done so well up until that point was next game, next play, and that during that game he got a little frustrated," Scheyer said. "We just had a little talk about moving on to the next game, and every game since he has been great."


Though Allen had nine points in the national semifinals against Michigan State including a big baseline dunk, it was Monday's title game that proved to be his breakthrough.


On the biggest stage in college basketball, in front of more than 70,000 fans, Allen logged 21 minutes, sank 5 of 8 shots and kept his team in the game long enough for Tyus Jones and Okafor to deliver the daggers in the final minutes. Duke's freshmen scored every one of the team's 37 second-half points, and Allen accounted 10 of them.


In December, Allen admits he might not have been prepared to make that kind of impact off the bench. On Monday night, he was focused, attentive and a long way from spectator mode.


"I knew I might never get another chance to win a championship, so I figured I might as well go out there, be aggressive and give it my all," Allen said. "I dreamed about this ever since I saw Duke win a championship in 2010 over Butler. To finally be here and to have this actually happen my freshman year, it's amazing."


- - - - - - -


Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1O1BbMj
Read More