Moses celebrates 100th EPL game with win

Getting ready for the World Cup qualifying match against Ethiopia comes in different ways for Nigerian players. On Sunday, Victor Moses celebrated his 100th English Premier League appearance with the match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. It was a superb outing for the Super Eagles attacker as his team Liverpool defeated their hosts 3-1 to move up to the second spot of the league table.

Moses who joined the Reds on loan from Chelsea at the start of the season said he was excited by the result. His key goal attempt was saved.

He wrote via his Twitter handle, “Buzzin with the win great result the lads were brilliant.”
Moses has been called up by Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi for the October 13 match in Addis Ababa in search of a Brazil 2014 World Cup ticket.

But the match was not just for the Nigerian as Luis Suarez crowned his Premier League return with a brace.
Having completed a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last season, Suarez scored in each half at the Stadium of Light as Liverpool ended a run of three games without victory.

Daniel Sturridge had given Liverpool the lead with his fifth goal of the season, with Emanuele Giaccherini replying for Sunderland early in the second half after Suarez had made it 2-0.

It was Sunderland’s first league game since the dismissal of manager Paolo Di Canio, but although they are now four points from safety, interim coach Kevin Ball will have been heartened by their second-half reaction.
Both sides threatened from early set-pieces, Keiren Westwood denying Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Sebastian Larsson rattling the visitors’ bar, before the away side went ahead in contentious circumstances in the 28th minute.

A left-wing corner found Sturridge unmarked at the back post and although he shaped to head the ball, it actually struck his elbow before bouncing over the line.

Sunderland’s defenders did not appeal, however, and eight minutes later Sturridge’s teasing low cross from the right allowed Suarez to slide home his first goal since completing his suspension.

The Uruguayan celebrated by lifting his jersey to reveal a T-shirt bearing a picture of his family with his new-born son Benjamin, who was born on Thursday. Moses son Brentley celebrated his first birthday last Friday.

The hosts were quick to react though, and after former Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had saved with his feet from Craig Gardner and Adam Johnson had shot narrowly over, they drew level in the 52nd minute.
Mignolet could only parry a low drive by Ki Sung-yueng and Giaccherini swept the loose ball home with his left foot to reduce the arrears.

There were chances for both teams, Mignolet denying Gardner again, while Westwood saved from Victor Moses and Kolo Toure, before Suarez tucked in his second goal from another Sturridge cross in the 89th minute.

Emirates opens VIP Lounge at Real

Emirates on Saturday opened its exclusive branded VIP Lounge at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium – coinciding with the match between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.

Unveiled less than four months after signing the five-year shirt sponsorship with Real, the new lounge was officially opened by Emilio Butragueño who is the club’s Institutional Relations Manager and a former player. He did that in company with Emirates’ Manager Spain and Portugal, Fernando Suárez De Góngora.

Covering an area of 375sqm, the innovatively designed space can comfortably host more than 200 guests during match days. The bespoke design is modelled after the cabin of a Boeing 777 – the same aircraft currently serving the route between Madrid and Dubai.

The lounge will be open to its invited guests an hour before and after matches and is situated just below the VIP boxes from where guests can enjoy matches with an unparalleled view of the pitch and stadium.

Gongora said, “The Emirates VIP lounge is yet another milestone in the partnership between Emirates and Real Madrid, and highlights the immense value we see in our relationship with the club and with Spain.”

The rise of the text tattoo

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It probably wasn't on Shakespeare's radar that his work would one day unite Megan Fox, Danielle Lineker and Lindsay Lohan. But it has - they all have Shakespeare quotations tattooed on their bodies. Why are more people getting such high-brow inkings?
The trend for long pieces of script is part of the tattoo's journey from the margins to the mainstream.
Rarely a week passes without a celebrity being spotted with a defiant rallying cry, knowing aphorism or erudite quote inked on their bodies.
Angelina Jolie, the doyenne of written tattoos, was recently spotted with a long bit of text - thought to be Arabic - on her right arm. It joins a Tennessee Williams quotation, the Arabic word for determination, and the geographical co-ordinates of her six children's birthplaces, among others.

Literary quotations, song lyrics and philosophical musings are popular. Megan Fox took her Shakespearean tattoo from King Lear - "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies" - while Danielle Lineker chose "Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt" from Measure for Measure, and Lindsay Lohan went for "What dreams may come" from Hamlet.
It's not all high culture, though. Harry Styles has a few words from George Michael's Careless Whisper on his feet - "never gonna" on his right foot and "dance again" on his left.
People often seek out the profound or portentous phrase. David Beckham has "Ut Amen Et Foveam" - So that I love and cherish - below wife Victoria's name, as well as the saying "Perfectio in Spiritu".
Script has always had a following in the tattoo subculture - "Carpe Diem" is a staple. But as techniques have improved, the lengthy quote has grown in popularity, says Stefano C, a tattoo artist at Frith Street Tattoo in London.

He had to fit AA Milne quote "Always remember you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" between someone's arm and shoulder. It took up 10 lines. Many people have more personal text, such as a grandfather's favourite saying.
Length can be a problem. "People come in with a big essay. But in order to age well, it needs to be big letters," he says.
His focus is on making it look good. "It needs to be elegant and easy to read."
Librarian Meghan Jones has a line from graphic novel The Sandman by Neil Gaiman on her arm - "Sometimes, when you fall, you fly." She had just left university and moved to London, and everything was in flux. The tattoo has helped her to conquer her fears, she says.
"It acts as a totem. It's something I think about when I'm not sure which way to go."
But why text and not a picture? "I can't think of an image that would have the same emotional meaning as a quote," she says.
Elis Ing, an American in London, has "Know ye now, Bulkington?" a line from her favourite book, Moby Dick, on her wrist. The quotation is about not taking the easy option, of being independent and not feeling the need to head to shore, even during the worst storm.
Ing grew up near the book's land-based setting of New Bedford, Massachusetts, but now lives in London. "I've lived here for 11 years and do get very homesick every once in a while. The line reminds me of the fact that I'm much better off here. London is almost that deep sea." By chance Moby Dick is the favourite book of her husband and once she realised, the tattoo was deployed to reel her beau in.
"Our friend Tom mentioned Moby Dick in passing and Adam said it was one of his favourite books. I rolled my sleeve up and said, "Oh, this Moby Dick?" as casually as I could. It was all very smooth for two big geeks," she says.
People stop to ask her what it means. "I do have to explain that chapter [about Bulkington] to a lot of people." But rather than put her off it, outlining the book's message to strangers has brought her closer to the text, she says.
Simon Topps, who runs a recruitment agency in Milton Keynes, has a line from the Kate Mosse novel The Winter Ghosts - "We are who we are because of those we choose to love and because of those who love us." It takes him back to his first holiday away with his girlfriend in Gran Canaria, which is where he read the novel. "It reminds me of my fiancee," he says. "I was a typical guy when I met her. She sorted me out."
Nick Christian, a marketing manager in London, had part of metaphysical poet John Donne's The Sun Rising tattooed on to his leg in his final year at university. The lines - "Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time" - were intended to impress "a very smart girl" who had several tattoos. It was a doomed attempt.

But for a while the poem became a philosophy to follow about accepting things that can't be changed. "The truth is it's just about falling for a girl by accident and feeling a bit helpless," he says.
Some subcultures, such as metal, hip-hop or those based around graphic novels, are particularly fond of tattoos.
They can be inspiring, says writer and critic Sam Leith, but there are pitfalls. "Your tastes will probably change fundamentally. You may really think that Catcher in the Rye is the secret to your whole personality at 15. At 50, you probably won't. Something cryptic and short is better."

Why the musings of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard or a Guns N' Roses lyric needs to be branded across someone's back might puzzle some people. Can't someone just keep it in their head?
Ing says the Moby Dick quote is about not wanting to forget that moment of connection. "I so wanted to remind myself. I didn't want to forget. I wanted my future self to remember that it's important to be independent," she says.
Like all tattoos there's a contradiction - of wanting to be unique and at the same time part of something, says Nina Jablonski, professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.
"It's about establishing shared identity and signifying something important to that individual," she says. And there's the element of the icebreaker - that quote from Shakespeare, Dante or line from Nietzsche introduces you to someone.
There's also more than a soupcon of showing off, says Adrian Todd Zuniga, founder of Literary Death Match - in which writers read from their work in front of an audience, plus a panel of judges. The tattoo fits into an increasing hunger for literary cachet, he believes.
"We know from Death Match that people want to be and feel literary. It's the one thing that is everlasting and cool. They want to be perceived as bookish."
It doesn't always work, especially when the choice of text seems incongruous. Eyebrows were raised when Danielle Lloyd sported a Latin quote that probably intended to capture Nietzsche's "What does not destroy me, makes me stronger" philosophy, but actually translated as, "Who I wear away for me only for me strong".
There's another question that bothers the literary purist. Does this person really understand the author's meaning? Megan Fox may know the meaning of the "gilded butterflies" speech. "Or maybe she just thought it sounded pretty," says Zuniga.
Jablonski, author of Skin: A Natural History, is mystified by the trend. She has already seen how easily these quotes - often in tiny print so that they fit - get blurred. "With the trend towards text it's very common for the text to be blurry after six months to a year," she says. "After two years some are already illegible."
Ing loves her Moby Dick tattoo. Her only fear is that a forthcoming BBC adaptation and a movie of the book to be directed by Ron Howard will change it. The whaling novel might become hip, she fears.
"It'll be like pirates a few years ago. I'd be seen as trying to be cool which is the last thing in the world I wanted."
-BBC

PHOTOS: Genevieve Nnaji Spotted at Bachelorette Party in London

Popular Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaj has been spotted recently at a sparkling bachelorette party in London.

The African Movie Academy Award winner, Genny, was invited to the party by the top UK based PR consultant Vanessa Amadi.

Such parties usually signify the upcoming marriage, so, probably, Vanessa Amadi is getting married this weekend in London.

Check out the photos from the party below: 

And our best congratulations to Vanessa Amadi, if these drinks were for her upcoming marriage indeed!..
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/48360.html

REVEALED: Modest Lifestyle Of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg

There is a general notion that a person's financial worth can be deduced by the car they drive. Although somewhat popular, this assertion has been downplayed by the world’s youngest billionaire, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.

Some of his contemporaries or multi-millionaires and billionaires drive Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, Aston Martins and Bugatti Veyrons, which come with hefty price tags running into hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions.

 

Zuckerberg, 29, and currently worth $19bn, according to Forbes, drives an Acura TSX and a Honda Fit, which cost about $30,000 and $18,000, respectively.

 

His Acura TSX, is an entry level luxury sedan which uses a 2.4 litre in-line 4 cylinder engine. It can churn out 201 hp and 172 lb-ft torque and has a 5 -speed automatic transmission, which comes with steering-wheel paddle shifters for optional manual shifting. The car is quite packed with luxury features like leather interior, automatic climate control, a seven-speaker sound system, Satellite Radio, Bluetooth and HandsFreeLink.

 

Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984 in White Plains, New York, to Edward Zuckerberg, a dentist, and Karen (née Kempner), a psychiatrist. Even though, he was raised Jewish, Zuckerberg had since described himself as an atheist. As a junior student, Zuckerberg won prizes in science (mathematics, astronomy and physics) and classical studies. While most of his mates were busy playing games as young students, Zuckerberg was creating them.

 

In his early teens he created a music player named Synapse – as a school project – with help from a friend, which used artificial intelligence to understand one’s taste in music and created a playlist accordingly. Software bigwigs like Microsoft and AOL tried to buy it and even recruit Mark. But he refused both. Instead, he went to Harvard in 2002.

 

On February 4, 2004, with the help of his room mates, Dutsin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, and using the finance provided by another friend, Eduardo Saverin, he launched what was then called, The Facebook. It was an instant hit, and soon made Mark the next big thing.

 

On September 14, 2012, Facebook hit 1 billion users, a remarkable feat for a company that started in Zuckerberg’s dormitory room while he was at Harvard. Zuckerberg later dropped out of Harvard in his second year to concentrate on his project.

 

If you think that Zuckerberg’s home will suggest his enormous wealth, you are mistaken. The American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur owns a house in Palo Alto , California, which is his first property investment. But prior to this, he had always stayed in rented apartment. Zuckerberg lives in the house with his wife, Priscilla Chan. The young billionaire is known to be a fan of renting and a relatively modest lifestyle.

 

The house sits in the area of 5,1617-square-foot, was originally built in 1903. Since the house is of historic times, it boasts gorgeous historical elements, like sash windows, coffered ceilings, French doors, and deep porches. The 5-bedroom house was bought for $7m. Although the house is grand, it is still considered modest, compared to the residences of Zuckerberg’s other IT contemporaries.

 

Zuckerberg does not own a private jet, but Facebook authorised its CEO and COO to use private aircraft for business purposes to maximise such executives’ productive time and ensure their quick availability. On some occasions, the jet could also be used for personal purposes.

 

On May 19, 2012, Zuckerberg got married to his long time college sweetheart, Priscilla, in an astonishing ceremony at his Palo Alto home in California . The propitious wedding was kept behind the curtains in such a way that even the guests thought they were attending Priscilla’s graduation from the Univeristy of California.

 

/Naij/

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Strike Continues, Says ASUU

University teachers said yesterday that their strike will go on — 89 days after it began.
This is in spite of the intervention by Vice President Namadi Sambo in bringing the lecturers back to the negotiation table.
The teachers are seeking proper funding of education and the payment of their N87 billion earned allowances.
These are part of the 2009 agreement between the teachers and the government. The government has offered N30 billion for the earned allowances and made available N100billion for projects on the campuses. The lecturers rejected the offer. The strike has been on since July 1.
The latest position of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella association of the teachers to go on with the strike, was made known yesterday by University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter Chairman Dr. Karo Ogbinika, in a statement.
According to him, ASUU last month pulled out of the negotiation with the Federal Government, which was represented by Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, based on the government’s insincerity and non-commitment.
He said the Presidency intervened, calling for another round of meetings with Vice President Namadi Sambo last week which, according to ASUU, also ended in a stalemate.
The union said it was disappointed because it hoped the Presidency’s intervention would dampen the tension the strike had generated; but, rather, the government was re-echoing the same stance by Suswam, which was why ASUU withdrew from the negotiation.
ASUU said: “After the meeting on September 19 with the Vice-President, it is clear that the Federal Government is merely paying lip service to education in Nigeria and deceiving the public on its commitment to its transformation agenda.
“The Nigerian people should not be deceived. How can there be a meaningful transformation when the education sector is neglected and gradually taken over by private entrepreneurs, including government functionaries who are busy bulding private universities with stolen funds in and outside Nigeria. Can these universities be truly called private?
“ASUU is assuring Nigerians that it will not back out in its struggle to ensure that the government is made to do what is right in the education sector. This is a commitment that all members of the union have vowed to pursue to its logical conclusion.”
The union said it had reported back to its various zones many of which still insisted the strike must continue.”
Hundreds of students of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) yesterday gave the Federal Government a one week ultimatum to meet all the demands of ASUU or face the wrath of students.
The students, who staged a peaceful protest, urged the Federal Government to respect and implement the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement.
Addressing the protesters at the BUK gate, the university’s Students Union President, Sani Ibrahim, said they were forced to stage the protest, “because we are tired of staying at home”. “Our mates in other countries are in school; why should the case of Nigerian students be different?”
“As part of the struggle to fight for our right is being pursued, I will like to salute our students for their patience while receiving the negative consequences of bad governance. We believe that the delay in resuming lectures in our universities is not only lamentable but also devastating. We believe even more strongly that now is the time to let our leaders know that enough is enough and we shall wake up and say ‘no’ to injustice being meted out to Nigerian students.
“We also call on the government to review the annual budget for the education sector from eight per cent to 26 per cent, so as to ensure adequate rehabilitation of infrastructure in our universities, including hostels, laboratories, potable water and constant supply of electricity.
“We are calling on ASUU to give government more opportunity to dialogue so as to quickly resolve the differences in the best interest of Nigerian students. We are giving ASUU and the Federal Government one week to sort things out and resume lectures; otherwise Nigerian students will look for other alternatives to fight for our right. Education is our right and no one should take it away from us,” Ibrahim noted.
But for the intervention of the police, who pleaded with the protesting students, they would have taken to the streets.
ASUU members at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) insisted yesterday that they would not return to work, until the Federal Government resolves the issues.
This was contrary to a report that the management was already consulting with the striking lecturers on the need to call back the students by end of this month.
The union urged Vice-Chancellor Prof. Femi Mimiko to toe the path of rule of law and refrain from any desperate act of self-help in his attempt to reopen the university.
In a statement by their counsel, Mr. Charles Titiloye, the union noted with great concern the threat by the vice-chancellor to re-open the University for academic activities, despite of the strike.
The union warned that it would not allow contract lecturers or newly employed graduate fellows to be used to resume teaching in the school.
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/48269.html


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It's finally happened. Khloe Kardashian drops Odom from her name

Khloe has removed her husband's name from her instagram page and now from her Twitter page. 5...4...3...2.. before they announce the divorce...

Meanwhile friends of Lamar insist he didn't send the Tweet that bashed his father for calling out the Kardashians. Sources told TMZ that Lamar Odom is holed up without Internet (by choice) and has no idea his father even gave an interview. So someone else must have sent that Tweet from his account

Transfer saga, Oboabona blames agents

Super Eagles defender, Godfrey Oboabona has lifted the lid on speculation that he was poised to join Barclays English Premier League club, Arsenal in the summer.

Several reports had claimed that the 23-year-old was poised to join the Gunners in the summer but the centre half has now exclusively told supersport.com that agents made up stories about the purported transfer.

“A lot of agents out there want Oboabona Godfrey as their player. I would not run after an agent that is close to a club like, say, Real Madrid just because it’s a big club,. Those (stories that I was on my way to Arsenal) were stories of agents and I don’t know anything about that,” he told supersport.com.

Oboabona, who has already been capped 27 times at international level with Nigeria, is however not having much joy at Turkish Super Lig club, Rizespor following his switch from Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, Sunshine Stars in the summer.

He has yet to play a single minute for Rizespor in the 2013/14 Super Lig season which is already five weeks old.

“So far I have played two games for the club and even scored in one of the test matches.

“ I did not do pre-season with the club and the manager (Riza Calimbay) is trying to see my potentials before he throws me in but so far they have been very professional in the way they treat me,” he said.

Rizespor will face Galatasaray in the Super Lig on Saturday but it appears highly unlikely that the Nigerian will make his league debut against the star-studded Cimbom at the Türk Telekom Arena.

PHOTO of the day

Killer hornets sting at least 19 people to death in China, nearly 600 stung

HONG KONG - At least 19 people have been stung to death by hornets -- which may include the world's largest hornet species Vespa mandarinia -- in China's central Shaanxi province in the last three months, according to the city government of Ankang, the apparent epicenter of a recent spate of fatalities and injuries.

A total of 583 people in the area have been stung by hornets since July 1, say city officials. Seventy victims are still recovering in hospitals.

Chen Changlin was hospitalized after being attacked by hornets, while harvesting rice last week.

"I ran and shouted for help, but the hornets chased me about 200 meters, and stung me for more than 3 minutes," he recounted to the state-run China Youth Daily.

Chen said hornets had first swarmed a woman and child working nearby, who then ran towards him. Both later died from the hornets' toxins.

"The more you run, the more they want to chase you," said another victim, whose kidneys were ravaged by the venom. When he was admitted to the hospital, his urine was the color of soy sauce, according to local reports.

Earlier this month, 30 people -- including 23 primary school children aged between six and eight years -- were injured in a hornet attack in Guangxi province, south of Shaanxi. Their teacher, Li Zhiqiang, told his students to hide under tables as he tried to drive away the insects before he lost consciousness. The school's headmaster told local media that most of the injured suffered stings to their heads, necks, hands and feet.

Nearly 60 students and teachers were injured in a separate incident in the province at the start of the month, according to state media.

Experts say a number of reasons may have contributed to the apparent increase in hornet activity, including the region's recent hot, dry weather, land development and hornet sensitivity to the smell of people.

The Asian killer hornet, which is suspected in these incidents, are formidable, carnivorous killers, according to the non-profit Honeybee Conservancy. The species feed their young with the larvae of other insects and use their talons and mandibles to sever the limbs and heads of their prey. The hornet's venom sting is a neurotoxin so powerful that it dissolves human tissue, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

This week's latest incidents spurred the Ankang city government to hold an emergency video call addressing local concerns. Vice Mayor Lu Qi said he would increase investment in regional hornet control. Mayor Xu Qifang added the city would establish a 24-hour emergency hornet response team.

Lionel Messi appears in Spanish court over tax fraud

Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi and his father have arrived at a Spanish court to face tax fraud allegations.

The 26-year-old Argentine, four times Fifa World Player of the Year, and his father Jorge Messi are accused of defrauding the authorities of more than 4m euros ($5.4m; £3.4m).

They are suspected of using companies abroad - in Belize and Uruguay - to sell the rights to use Messi's image.

They both deny the allegations, which date back to 2007-09.
'Tougher line'

The striker gave a thumbs up as he arrived at the court in Gava - the affluent Barcelona district where he lives.

Messi and his father are being questioned in a closed-court session. They are accused of three counts of defrauding the Spanish state of taxes.

The income related to Messi's image rights included contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, and the Kuwait Food Company.

In August, Jorge Messi made a payment of 5m euros to the tax authorities - the 4.16m euros of the alleged unpaid tax plus interest.

But state prosecutors are still pursuing the case - as the tax authorities are taking a much tougher line as a result of Spain's economic crisis, reports the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid.

Earlier, Messi stated that he and and his father "have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations".

'Humble'

Messi's net salary from Barcelona is said to be about 16m euros a year, making him one of the world's most highly-paid sportspeople.

He has also signed multi-million-dollar endorsements with commercial sponsors around the world.

Messi's achievements on the field have made him one of the most marketable in the business.

He came from a modest background and has overcome a serious health issue, joining Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and making his first-team debut only three years later.

But the allegations are a big blow to the prestige of the player, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class footballers.

Kroenke wants Wenger to stay

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has made it clear he wants manager Arsene Wenger to stay at the club and end the Gunners' trophy drought.

French boss Wenger has already been at the north London side for 17 years. But Arsenal have now entered their ninth season without silverware, their last major trophy the 2005 FA Cup.

Wenger's contract is due to expire after the end of the current campaign and there has been speculation regarding the 63-year-old's long-term future.

But American businessman Kroenke, in a rare interview with Friday's Daily Telegraph, made it clear he wanted Wenger to stay in post.

"There's no one I feel more strongly about and I think he is doing a great job," Kroenke said.

"We have been very supportive, we have never wavered, we are proud of him, proud of the club, the way the club is run and how it holds itself out to the world."

Asked if Wenger was part of Arsenal's long-term plans, Kroenke replied: "That's exactly right. Arsene knows how we feel, what our philosophy is, what we want to do and I feel like we are totally aligned.

"I think he wants to do it the exact same way as we do."

The club record signing of Germany international Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42.4 million ($66 million, 50 million euros) was a departure from recent Arsenal transfer policy but Kroenke insisted it had not been motivated by the board.

"I really enjoy Arsene -- very smart, very intelligent. He has an absolute view on how he runs that team and the club. He has earned that right.

"Don't look for me to interfere with that. I have learnt over the years that sometimes owners try do that and it is not so good.

"We've always said that there are resources available. There are guys who say that we should push Arsene harder to spend. That's fair enough --there are always lots of opinions but Arsene is an independent thinker and planner.

"He works very hard at it and has a wonderful record. He was trained in economics, my undergraduate study was in economics."

Kroenke -- whose other sports interests include running ice hockey team Colorado Avalanche, Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids and the Denver Nuggets NBA basketball side, rejected the view advanced by some Arsenal fans he is unconcerned about winning trophies with the Gunners.

"There would be nothing more thrilling," said Kroenke. "I'm not getting any younger," the 66-year-old added.

"It's something I would like to achieve. I've done it a couple of times in the US and it was unbelievable.

"For the players, for the coaches and the manager, as well everyone around the club, I can't imagine the level of excitement.

"The idea that no one cares or is passionate about that sort of thing is just beyond the realms of imagination."

Old allies AVB, Mourinho to collide

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will put their Premier League title credentials to the test when they renew their rivalry at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Both teams made a raft of new signings during the close season and have made steady starts to the new campaign ahead of the 149th encounter between the two London clubs.
An injury-time goal from Paulinho gave Spurs a 1-0 win at Cardiff City last weekend that took them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table, while Chelsea are two points back following a 2-0 victory over Fulham.
The game will not want for sub-plots, with Portuguese managers Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho due to face off for the first time since they ended their collaboration at Inter Milan in 2009.
Villas-Boas failed to emulate his former mentor during an unsuccessful eight-month stint at Chelsea between 2011 and 2012, but in Spurs he has found a club with its eyes on the same prizes.
Spurs have conceded only one goal to date, in a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on September 1, and Villas-Boas says such parsimoniousness will stand them in good stead for the visit of his former team.
"What we're seeing this season in the Premier League is that it's tight at the top. I would expect a tight encounter," said the Spurs coach, whose side crushed Aston Villa 4-0 in the League Cup in mid-week.
"We've looked solid at the back; not just clean sheets, but the amount of opportunities allowed. We'll have to show that ability again."
Chelsea centre-back David Luiz, who has made just one league start under Mourinho, says it would be wrong to attach too much importance to the touchline duel between the managers.
"It's Chelsea and Tottenham, not just Mourinho and Villas-Boas," the Brazilian told the Chelsea website.
"It'll be a fantastic derby. Everyone will watch this game, everybody wants to play this game. Tottenham have a great team."
Arsenal saw a run of 10 consecutive away wins come to an end in 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup on Wednesday, but they prevailed on penalties to maintain their recent momentum.
Arsene Wenger's side are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, but on Saturday they visit a Swansea City side smarting after their League Cup defence was ended by second-tier Birmingham City.
Manchester United reacted to their 4-1 derby humiliation at Manchester City last weekend by eliminating Liverpool in the League Cup and the champions will hope to get back to winning ways in the league by defeating West Brom.
The crushing loss to City left the champions five points below Arsenal in eighth place, but centre-back Jonny Evans says he has known darker days at Old Trafford.
"I have been on the training ground where the atmosphere has been worse than it was when we came in the day after the (City) game," said the Northern Irishman.
"We had no complaints at the weekend. Everyone was honest in their assessment that we didn't apply ourselves the way we should have.
"It is hard for the fans, the players and the manager as well. We just had to move on from it quickly."
City continued their goal-scoring form by avenging last season's FA Cup final loss to Wigan Athletic with a 5-0 League Cup win over the Championship side in mid-week, ahead of a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Montenegro striker Stevan Jovetic opened his account for City with a brace and will hope to keep his place in the starting line-up at Villa Park.
The post-Paolo Di Canio era continues for Sunderland with a home game against Liverpool on Sunday, when caretaker coach Kevin Ball will once again be in charge of first-team affairs.
Liverpool can call upon last season's top scorer Luis Suarez for the first time in the league this season, after he returned to action in the mid-week loss to United following a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
Meanwhile, Everton will put the last unbeaten record in the division on the line when they play host to Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday.
Fixtures
Saturday:
Aston Villa v Manchester City
Fulham v Cardiff City
Hull City v West Ham United
Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion
Southampton v Crystal Palace
Swansea City v Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
Sunday:
Stoke City v Norwich City
Sunderland v Liverpool
Monday:
Everton v Newcastle United

Gallery: Housemates in Ghana for Sellybration

Dillish, winner of Big Brother The Chase, and former housemates, Melvin and Maria have arrived in Accra for the birthday celebrations of their Ghanaian housemate, Selly.

They were met at the Kotoka International Airport on Wednesday evening by Selly and fellow BBA housemates, Elikem and Pokello as well as the press.

Also joining Melvin from Nigeria was Big Brother All Star winner and Jara's host with the most, Uti Nwachuku.

Here are some snaps of the housemates arriving in Ghana:

Ethiopia Confirms Oct. 13 for Nigeria Match

Ethiopia Football Federation says the World Cup qualifier against Nigeria will be held on the 13th of October in Addis Ababa.

The Nigeria Football Federation had earlier complained that Ethiopia had not confirmed the match day.

The General Secretary of the Ethiopia Football Federation, Yigsaw Bezuayehu disclosed that the match will be played on Sunday October 13th.

The overall winners of this playoff matches will qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.