Brazilian midfielder Sandro has claimed European clubs treat players unfairly following his failed transfer to Sporting Lisbon.
The former QPR player was on the brink of joining the Portuguese club before he failed a medical, however the player has claimed the story was farce and described as a ploy to reduce his proposed wages.
In an interview, he revealed: “Clubs can treat players like meat, they don’t treat people like a person. Football is this — the club treat you like a product. It was near my wedding in Portugal and I said ‘Yes’ both to the club and my wife!
“I was ready to sign but it wasn’t until one week before my wedding in Brazil that they said they were ready to sign. Why were they doing this to me? One week ago I had been in Portugal.
“I agreed to do it but had a feeling they were not expecting me to do the medical, as I arrived in the hospital and there was no kit to go on the treadmill to run. Players don’t need to bring their own kit for a medical!
“I ran with the hospital kit and it was fine. The second part was looking at my body as they need to check everything and this was amazing. They only checked my right knee.
“I knew I needed to do both knees, both ankles, check the hamstring, calves. I’m a product and must be fit. I said, ‘You don’t want to check my other knee?’ And they said it was fine but in my mind it wasn’t fine.
“The doctor said I had an inflammation in my patella but QPR knew this and so did Tottenham — it is normal for a player. The doctor said it was fine and that I could sign.”
“The club were saying my knee was not OK. It all made sense to me. After ten minutes, my agent called me again and said they were offering half the salary with bonuses. The last thing my agent said was that you don’t want to go to a place like that.
“I was supposed to sign for four years so I said I would do it two years, no problem. I’ll show them. But they just wanted to halve the salary. It made sense to me. Why only check one knee and not the body unless you don’t want to buy me?”
The embattled player described his present situation has he is being left in a limbo as he looks to get a new club before the end of the summer transfer window.
Juventus Legend Rues Life Without Pogba
Goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon has revealed how Juventus misses French midfielder, Paul Pogba following his departure from the Italian Champions.
Paul Pogba who joined Manchester united in world record fee this summer is currently been missed by former teammates not on the pitch but off pitch due to his jovial nature.
“He’s a good kid, The important thing is that his attitude is excellent on the pitch and in training. Manchester United have signed a very good player and a very good teammate. Manchester United is big club and always will be, But with this transfer there’s no doubt they have increased their level.”Buffon disclosed.
READ MORE: Barcelona Confirms Imminent Departure Of Key Player To Man City
The Italian legend who have seen a lot of players arrive and leave the club heaped praises on the 23-year old midfielder for his friendly nature.
Although, Juventus started life without Pogba on an impressive form, beating fiorentina 2-1 on through Gonzalo Higuain’ winner they might still feel the gap left in the dressing room by Pogba.
It appears the Italian giants have adequately prepared for life without on the pitch after the arrivals of Higuain, Dani Alves, Miralem Pjanic and Marko Pjaca.
Antonio Conte Makes “Fab” Transfer U-turn
Chelsea coach, Antonio Conte has expressed his desire to keep Cesc Fabregas at the club.
Conte appears to have had a change of heart on the future of Fabregas after the Spaniard’s impact in the late minutes of the match against Watford.
The former Italian national team Boss disclosed: “We all know Cesc is a great technical player with a good pass and good assists and I made this substitution because I wanted more quality, Cesc is working very hard to show me that he deserves to play and I want to see this – all the players showing me that they deserve to start the game and if I see this commitment I’m a very happy manager.
“That all the players think of the team, not himself, is important. And that is happening in Chelsea.”
Cesc Fabregas was reportedly nearing his Chelsea exit before the match as Spainish giants, Real Madrid were said to be in pursuit of the former Barca midfielder in a deal that could see Columbia midfielder, James Rodriguez arrive at the Stamford bridge this summer.
APC Deceiving Nigerians, PDP Reveals
The spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has said that the leadership style of All Progressive Congress (APC) is not encouraging to Nigerians.
Adeyeye spoke in response to the APC National chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun’s claim that 33 trillion of the country’s oil revenue was unaccounted for during president Goodluck’s Administration.
Adeyeye said that APC National Chairman’s claim “portrayed the ruling party as being dangerously obsessed with the frivolity of bamboozling Nigerians with high-sounding figures only for entertainment purposes.”
“Unfortunately, such avoidable mischief especially on issues bordering on the nation’s economy, has continued to hunt the image of our Nation at a time we are in desperate need of investment from the international community,” Adeyeye added.
Islamic Cleric Arrested For Sexually Assaulting 10-Year-Old Boy
Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Nasarawa State has paraded a 45-year-old Islamic cleric (Mallam) for allegedly sexually assaulting a 10- year-old boy in Lafia.
Lawan Bashir-Kano, Commandant of the agency in the state, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Lafia.
He said; “On Tuesday, August 16, the Command, through intelligent reports, arrested one Shahidu Suleh, a mallam, for sexually assaulting his supposed student (Almajiri), Okasha Ishaka”.
“We were able to trace and pick him with the boy who he claimed he was teaching the Quran.
“The boy narrated that the man had been having sex with him and threatened to kill him if he exposed him.”
The Commandant said the result of the test carried out showed that the boy was sexually assaulted.
ISIS Bomber Kill 50 During Wedding Ceremony
At least 50 people were killed in a southeastern Turkish city close to Syria when a suspected suicide bomber linked to Islamic State jihadists attacked a wedding thronged with guests, officials said Sunday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the IS extremist group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack in Gaziantep late Saturday that targeted a celebration attended by many Kurds.
The explosion was the latest attack to rock the key NATO member in a horrific year that has seen strikes blamed on Kurdish and Islamist militants as well as a bloody July 15 botched coup.
Gaziantep governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement that 50 people had been killed, raising a previous toll of 30. He had previously said 94 were woungAIded in “the abhorrent terror bomb attack on a wedding”.
Erdogan said in a statement there was “no difference” between the group of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen whom he blames for the failed coup bid, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) “and Daesh (IS), the likely perpetrator of the attack in Gaziantep”.
“Our country and our nation have again only one message to those who attack us — you will not succeed!” he said.
Reports said the wedding had a strong Kurdish presence. The Dogan news agency said the bride and groom were from the mainly Kurdish region of Siirt further to the east and had themselves been uprooted due to the flare-up in violence with Kurdish militants.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said its members had been present at the wedding which was also attended by many women and children.
The Hurriyet daily said the bride and groom — Besna and Nurettin Akdogan — were in hospital but their lives were not in danger.
Erdogan said the aim of such attacks was to sow division between different groups in Turkey such as Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen and to “spread incitement along ethnic and religious lines”.
Many jihadists see Kurds as one of their main enemies, with Kurdish militias playing a significant role in the fight against IS on the ground in Syria.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Gaziantep would show the same spirit it had shown in 1921 when it defeated French forces in Turkey’s Independence War which led to the word Gazi (war hero) being added to its original name of Antep.
“Our grief is great but be sure our unity and togetherness will defeat all these diabolic attacks,” he said.
AFP
FINALLY, Niger Delta Avengers Ready For Dialogue, Pick Edwin Clark As Negotiator
The Niger Delta Avengers say it is ready to dialogue with the federal government to putt an end to hostilities and crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The militant group, in a statement by its spokesperson self-styled Brig. Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, the group picked Chief (Dr.) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark and other unnamed Niger Delta elders at its negotiators.
Niger Delta Avengers Statement reads;
“The struggle has always being a Pan-Niger Delta one, we only know the anti Niger Delta elements are using some disorganized characters from the region to scuttle all effort to restore the essence of our humanity; resources control and self-determination.
“We are going to support any collective/negotiation team emerging from the Chief (Dr.) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders conference to engage with the federal government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational Oil Corporations and neutral international mediators that will be focused on achieving the short, medium and long term frameworks and objectives to de-escalating conflicts in the Niger Delta. Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly stated in various reports, declarations and recommendations of the likes of the Sir.Henry Willinks minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria (1957-8), The Kaiama Declaration document, The General Alexander Ogomudia report, The Leedum Mittee headed, Niger Delta Technical Committee report and restructuring to fiscal federalism.
“We have resolved to reject any idea of the peace of our times; we want the peace with honor this time around! Our advice to our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders is that, whenever this inhuman project called Nigeria and her government is ready for dialogue/negotiations with them, this mandate should be treated with that care as driving a vehicle like that of a truck laden with fire.
“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interest of the Multinational oil Corporations, but we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period if, the Nigerian government and the ruling political APC continues to use security agencies/agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade especially Ijaw communities.
“We promise to fight more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity fails. Therefore, we will give our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders that tacit support to the dialogue table with the government and the Multinational oil Corporations whenever the enabling environment prevails.
“We also use this medium to warn those using rogue platforms like the defunct so-called MEND, RNDA- Cynthia Whyte especially Charles Okah who is franchising these internet based banditry from his prison cell, through Victor Ebikabowei Ben (Boyloaf), Timipre Silva, Selekaye Ebikabowei, Ayirimi Emani, Michael Johnny, Governor Adams Oshiomole to please inform those their paymasters that the days of doom are here. That those sold and bought up interests from around the corridors of power cannot arm-twist the NDA with bandits, drug addicts, illegal bunkerers, bank robbers and disorganized characters to derail the Niger Delta struggle. Thanks for reading.
