BAMY BLOG

Pep Guardiola has apologised to Burnley manager Sean Dyche for his behaviour after Manchester City equalised in their 4-1 FA Cup third round victory. City boss Guardiola gestured angrily towards Dyche, making a 'yapping' gesture at his counterpart and the fourth official, as a furious row erupted between the two at Eastlands on Saturday following Sergio Aguero's 56th-minute equaliser. "I am sorry, I apologise. I didn't want to get out of control," Guardiola said. Aguero's leveller came from a quickly-taken Ilkay Gundogan free-kick which angered Burnley players, who thought that referee Graham Scott allowed the set piece to be taken before they were ready. Guardiola later claimed his gestures were simply a request for Burnley to leave the officials alone, but it was certainly an ugly scene and one that ended with fourth official Andy Haines ordering the Spaniard to return to his technical area. "I said 'Leave the referees please'

The Non-academic Unions of Universities who commenced an indefinite strike December4, 2017, after accusing the government of violating an earlier agreement on the sharing of earned allowances and non fulfillment of the agreements. Have come out to say the strike action this time would be more intense. The unions said this in a statement signed by the chairman of the joint committee, Samson Ugwoke, on Sunday. The union said universities’ managements have the right to announce resumption of activities but the union members, ”have a right to deny the University system of their services till their rights are respected and honoured.” According to the statement, the unions said they were not unaware of the ”antics of vice chancellors and managements of institutions to create a likeness of normalcy by announcing resumption of students and other activities.” The statement said the unions, ”had made the strike action comfortable for institutions,” by providing social amenities which wil

FA Cup holders Arsenal were sensationally dumped out of the competition by Nottingham Forest on Sunday, joining Leeds United as big-name casualties on a day of shocks. Elsewhere, West Ham stayed alive with a goalless draw at Shrewsbury and Tottenham scored three goals in eight second-half minutes to see off the challenge of League One side AFC Wimbledon. Championship side Forest revived memories of their glory years under Brian Clough, putting 13-times winners Arsenal to the sword in an incident-packed 4-2 win at the City Ground. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who made nine changes to the side that drew with Chelsea in the Premier League in midweek, defended his team selection for the third-round tie. "We have many players on the edge and we play again on Wednesday," he said. "When you don't win the selection is always questioned. "I believe we had an experienced team -- eight or nine internationals. It would be easy to think that was the problem. &q

Philippe Coutinho's 160-million-euro ($192 million) deal to join Barcelona is likely to unleash a series of big-money transfers, not least as Liverpool seek to re-invest the proceeds. It took the third largest amount ever paid for a footballer to prise Coutinho away from Liverpool and the rumour mill has already linked the club with Leicester's Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez as a possible replacement for the Brazilian playmaker. Neither club has officially confirmed or denied the deal, despite reports from France saying Mahrez would have a medical soon at Liverpool. The club's number one target, according to many reports, is the French international forward Thomas Lemar, part of the impressive Monaco team that reached the Champions League semi-finals last year but which has since been dismantled. Arsenal had a £92 million bid ($125 million, 104 million euros) for 22-year-old Lemar rejected in the summer transfer window and the player is reportedly keen to work with

No fewer than 490 out of 5,027 Nigerian returnees from Libya arrived in Port Harcourt Airport on Sunday. They arrived at about 4.55 p.m. They arrived a chartered aircraft marked MaxAir. Scroll down to see more pictures of the returnees:

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has again said there is no plan to increase price of premium motor spirit, PMS, also known as petrol. In a statement by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, of NNPC, Ndu Ughamadu, the corporation said the pump price of petrol remained N143 per litre in NNPC Retail outlets and N145 in other fuel stations, while maintaining PMS ex-depot price of N133.28k per litre to marketers. “In the last few weeks, the corporation has increased its daily truck-outs of PMS per day to ensure petrol sufficiency across the states of the federation. “Motorists and other consumers of petroleum products are assured that NNPC has a robust sufficiency of petroleum products to cater for their daily consumption. “Marketers are hereby cautioned against hoarding or diversion, as law enforcement agencies have been enjoined to deal appropriately with defaulters. “Again, NNPC affirms that it has no intension, whatsoever, to execute any inc

Celebrity couple, Banky W and Adesua are again trending online following the release of their documentary ‘The wellingtons.’ The couple in the documentary showed on Saturday revealed the highlights of their relationship and wedding ceremony. On Banky W’s part, he revealed that they had been in the relationship since 2015, adding that they started dating after he slid into Adesua’s Dm on Twitter. According to him, he never planned to date or marry anyone from the entertainment industry but got star struck after he realised Adesua was spiritually filled. He said, “I met Adesua in 2015 and after inquiring about her from her manager, Isioma, i went online to search for her and found her social media handles. “I looked her up online and I liked what I saw. I googled her, stalked her on the gram and a day or two later, I slid into her DM like the real man that I am. “I had two defining moments with Adesua. One was before we started speaking. It was actually when I was stalking h

The U.S. trade deficit increased more than expected in November as imports of goods surged to a record high amid strong domestic demand, making it likely that trade will subtract from economic growth in the fourth quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday the trade gap widened 3.2 percent to $50.5 billion. That was the highest level since January 2012 and followed an upwardly revised $48.9 billion shortfall in October. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit increasing to $49.5 billion in November after a previously reported $48.7 billion deficit in the prior month. Part of the rise in the trade deficit in November reflected price increases. When adjusted for inflation, the trade deficit rose to $66.7 billion from $65.6 billion in October. The so-called real trade deficit for October and November was above the third-quarter average of $62.0 billion. That suggests trade will probably subtract from gross domestic product in the October-December quarte

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has voiced fears over the use of video assistant referee (VAR) technology in English football, saying it could interrupt the flow of games and frustrate fans. VAR will be used for the first time in a competitive club match in England on Monday when Brighton host Palace in an all-Premier League tie in the third round of the FA Cup. The former England manager, who has turned around Palace's season, was at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia as a television pundit when VAR was used and is concerned about the impact it could have. "I experienced it during the Confederations Cup, albeit from a television studio," said the 70-year-old. "It was chaotic there, so if you ask me what my opinion of it is, based on my experience of what happened during the Confederations Cup, it didn't work very well at all, because the communication between the referee and the guy on the machine wasn't working well. "No one wanted goal

A vicar who got fed up of brides turning up late to their own weddings has imposed a £100 fine on those who cannot stick to their allotted time slot. Canon John Corbyn has imposed the charge on couples who arrive more than 20 minutes late to their service at Holy Cross Church in Bearsted, Kent. The fee, which is built into the cost of the ceremony, is then handed back to the couples in a cheque along with their marriage certificate if they successfully make it to church on time. The Canon has also implemented the system at nearby St Mary’s Church. So far, he is yet to fine anyone. He said: “I’m not calling it a fine, but if you want to hire the venue for one hour or two hours, you pay different amounts. “The money goes to the 20 or so volunteers who give up their time to assist at a wedding, including the verger, organist, choir and bell ringers. “These people give an hour or so out of their day — generally at a weekend — which can turn into 90 minutes or more if the cer

Arsene Wenger has compared the life of George Weah to a film script following his former player’s election as president of Liberia. Weah, who played for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan during a glittering career, last week secured a stunning run-off victory in the West African country’s first democratic transfer of power in decades. Idolised in Liberia as “Mister George”, Weah, 51, is to be sworn in on January 22, replacing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who in 2006 took the helm of the nation first founded for freed US slaves. Arsenal boss Wenger has been invited to Weah’s inauguration but expects to be too busy to attend – the date falls two days before the second leg of Arsenal’s League Cup semi-final against Chelsea. Wenger signed Weah in 1988 when he was manager of Monaco, guiding his career for the next four years, and views the 1995 FIFA world player of the year as a shining example to the rest of the game. “I have been invited by George to come to the day where he

Entertainer D'banj as he onften calls himself has been honoured with a chieftaincy title in Imo State. According to TMZ, the pair who have been dating since June 2017, went their separate ways a few weeks ago after their long-distance became too much to handle. TMZ also disclosed that Nicki is not pregnant following the recent pregnancy reports. Read TMZ full report below. Nicki Minaj and Nas are donzo and she's definitely NOT pregnant ... TMZ has learned. Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the rappers broke up a few weeks ago after the relationship ran out of steam. They've been dating since June 2017, but we're told living in different cities was just too much. There were recent reports Nicki was pregnant, but we're told there's no truth to that. Both superstars will be getting back to strictly biz, we're told -- Nas focusing on his record label and his chicken and waffles joint, Sweet Chick. Nicki's also juggling multiple bus

Koko master D'banj the 'Entertainer' as he calls himself has been honoured with a chieftaincy title in Imo State. The musician was named as the “Ezi Enyi Ka Nwanne of Amuzi”, Obowo in Imo State. He has joined the league of other Nigerian celebrities and politicians that have been conferred with a title in a land different from theirs. Congrats to him, see more photos below...

Arsenal have agreed their first signing both of the January transfer window and Sven Mislintat’s tenure as head of recruitment with the £1.9 million arrival of Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos. The 20-year-old has been recruited from PAS Giannina but will now spend the rest of the season on loan, probably in the Bundesliga. His arrival underlines how Arsenal’s transfer strategy will focus heavily on recruiting young players in their late teens and early twenties in the hope of identifying major future talents. That has been the bedrock of Arsene Wenger’s transfer strategy for much of the past two decades, although the past four years has seen a subtle move to paying bigger fees for ready-made players. There has been frustration, though, at how close the club came to signing players like Kylian Mbappe and N’Golo Kante before they became wanted by the very richest clubs in Europe and Arsenal are determined to improve in that age group. Mavropanos, who is 6ft 4ins, made h

Chelsea has finally completed their widely anticipated first January signing today. The 24-year-old England midfielder has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract and will wear the number eight shirt. After the signing, Barkley said, “I’m overwhelmed, I’m looking forward to it and I’m really excited to get started.” “To be given a fresh start at a new club like Chelsea, it’s unbelievable for me. I’m looking forward to continuing where I left off at the end of last season and hoping to improve and add more goals to my game.” A hamstring injury has kept Barkley out since August, which means he is eligible to play for Chelsea in all four competitions in which they are competing. Chelsea club director Marina Granovskaia said, “Ross is a player we have long admired and are certain he will prove to be an important player for Chelsea.” “He possesses outstanding technical and physical attributes, matched with good experience of the Premier League and a strong desire to succeed at

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, believes the major solution to the fuel scarcity challenges in the country is for Nigeria to fix its refineries. Kachikwu gave the recommendation today during a public hearing convened by the Senate to investigate the fuel scarcity that hit the nation in the last few weeks. He emphasised that Nigeria cannot run away from the fact that working refineries would go a long way to resolve fuel crisis and prevent further occurrence of the hardship the people faced during Christmas and New Year celebrations. The minister, however, informed the lawmakers that the Ministry of Petroleum and relevant agencies were looking at an 18-month emergency period when they would need to address the pricing issue of the products which was at the centre of the recent fuel crisis. According to him, the difference between the 170/171 naira landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, and the 145 naira actual cost ne

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has confirmed he will be contesting the FA’s charge over his conduct at West Brom on New Year’s Day, as he continued his war of words with referees following Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea. Arsenal conceded their fourth penalty of the season, the most in the Premier League, in the 67th minute of their draw with Antonio Conte’s side at the Emirates. Hector Bellerin was judged to have fouled Eden Hazard while he was attempting to clear the ball in the area, though contact seemed to be minimal. Hazard would cancel out Jack Wilshere’s opener before Marcos Alonso gave Chelsea a lead they only lost in added time, when Bellerin gained redemption with a curling effort. “It was a good game where we saw fantastic actions on both sides, a game where we have shown great mental resources,” Wenger said. “I knew before the game that the last 20 minutes would be difficult for us because we have a big disadvantage with the schedule.” “We got again a farcical

Jose Mourinho has dismissed reports he may walk out on Manchester United this summer as "garbage", saying he sees himself staying long-term at the Premier League giants. The United boss was in defiant mood when quizzed about his future ahead of Friday's FA Cup tie with Derby, with morning reports saying club officials fear he is disenchanted with life at the club. "Look, it depends on what you want to know and what you want to speak about," Mourinho said. "If you want to speak about some news, I say 'garbage'. I don't find a better word to define the talk. "If you want to ask me directly, which I suppose you want, if I see myself next season in Manchester United, I say I see myself here. And, as I said when I arrived, I'm going to leave when the club wants me to leave, because I have no intention to leave at all. "My intention is to stay, and to work and to improve and to bring the club to where the club belongs and I wa

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta chapter, has announced the suspension of its over three months’ strike. The lecturers, however, kept mum on whether they would conduct the suspended second semester examination, which was scheduled to commence on September 18, 2017. The suspension was announced by the Chairman of the ASUP in the institution, Kola Abiola, after the congress the lecturers held on the campus on Wednesday. While he said the meeting addressed the crisis between the state government and the union, he added that there were pressures from prominent indigenes of the state on the union to suspend the action. He said, “The congress decided to suspend the strike following the pressures it received from many concerned prominent personalities in the state over the logjam.” It would be recalled that crisis erupted as a result of the government’s plan to upgrade MAPOLY to the Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology,

Hector Bellerin came to Arsenal's rescue as the defender's last-gasp strike earned a dramatic 2-2 draw in a heated London derby against Chelsea on Wednesday. Bellerin looked set to be the villain of the piece for Arsenal after the Spaniard's foul on Eden Hazard conceded a penalty that allowed the Chelsea star to cancel out Jack Wilshere's opener. When Marcos Alonso put Chelsea in front with just six minutes left at the Emirates Stadium, Bellerin's misery seemed complete. But the 22-year-old enjoyed a sweet moment of redemption in the 90th minute as he lashed in only his second goal of the season. The frenetic conclusion to a thrilling encounter actually did little for either team's prospects in the Premier League. Chelsea remain in third place, one point behind Manchester United and 16 adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City. Arsenal, who have now won only once in 13 league meetings with Chelsea, are languishing in sixth place, five points behin

The United States, Britain and Norway have called on parties in South Sudan’s conflict to stop violating a ceasefire signed last month, their heads of mission in the capital Juba said on Tuesday. The deal aimed to end a four-year war between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels in which tens of thousands of people have been killed. But since the signing of the deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, there have been several reported violations for which both sides have been blamed. The United States, Britain and Norway form a group that supported the 2005 accord leading to the independence of South Sudan from Sudan. They have threatened to impose individual or group sanctions for those violating the ceasefire. “We call on all signatories, and the field commanders who answer to them, to immediately end all military operations,” the three Western countries said in a statement. They added that field commanders and their political bosses would be held accountabl

The Israeli government has issued a notice for thousands of African migrants to leave the country or face imprisonment. The migrants will be given up to $3,500 (£2,600) for leaving within the next 90 days. They will be given the option of going to their home country or third countries. If they do not leave, the Israeli authorities have threatened that they will start jailing them from April. The UN refugee agency said the controversial plan violated international and Israeli laws. The Israeli government says their return will be humane and “voluntary”. The order exempts children, elderly people, and victims of slavery and human trafficking. A spokesperson for Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority told the BBC there were currently 38,000 “infiltrators” in Israel, of whom just 1,420 were being held in detention facilities. Israel uses the term “infiltrators” to describe people who did not enter the country through an official border crossing. Many of the migran

Prof. Olufumilayo Adesanya-Davies, a  professor of Language and Communication Arts at the Rivers State University of Education, on Tuesday, declared her intention to contest Nigeria’s presidential seat during the 2019 general elections. Adesanya-Davies, a lady that comes from  Ira, Kwara State, said the sale of the nomination forms free for women aspirants encouraged her interest in the race. She, however, said she was still keeping the platform of the party under which she would contest a secret. She then went on to say the following; “I am aspiring to be the next president of Nigeria. I am out to put laughter of joy in the mouth of all Nigerians. I have discussed this with the former presidential candidate, Sarah Jubril, who incidentally is from Kwara State. Her reaction was that ‘if a miracle like this will ever happen, we have paid the price in Kwara State and it is going to happen in the state. “Nigeria has opened the ground for the Nigerian women, my ticket is that of

Barcelona striker Ousmane Dembele, who has been sidelined since September, has been cleared to make his comeback in Thursday's Copa del Rey clash against Celta Vigo. The French international has not played since tearing his hamstring at Getafe on September 16, just three games into his Barca career following a 105-million-euro ($124 million) move from Borussia Dortmund that could rise to as much as 145 million euros. "After a lengthy recovery process from an injury to the femoral biceps on his left thigh, the 20-year-old Frenchman is now available for (Barcelona coach) Ernesto Valverde," Barcelona said on Tuesday. Holders Barcelona will face Celta Vigo, coached by former Barca goalkeeper and assistant manager Juan Carlos Unzue, in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Cup.

 Sergio Aguero says he would like to see out his present contract with runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City which runs until 2020. The 29-year-old Argentinian striker had been rumoured to be unhappy at not always being a first-choice starter. However, he looks set for a long run in the starting line-up with Brazil youngster Gabriel Jesus suffering a knee ligament injury in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace. "I have until 2020, I think," said Aguero regarding his contract. "The truth is that I hope to see out my contract and I'll try to do my best from here until the end of the season, and after that we will see what happens with me," added Aguero, who is City's all-time leading scorer and netted his 185th goal for the club in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Watford. Aguero has been with City since 2011 and memorably scored the goal that clinched the title on the last day of the season in 2012 at the expense of city rivals Manchester

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah hopes to add the African Player of the Year award in Ghana Thursday to his rapidly expanding collection of individual honours. The Egyptian, scorer of 23 goals in all competitions midway through his first season at Anfield, has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year and Arab Player of the Year. Salah, Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund and Gabon are the contenders for the highest African individual football honour. The scoring feats of Salah have installed him as the public and media favourite to succeed Algerian Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City as the No 1 African footballer. "I want to be the best Egyptian footballer ever," said Salah after receiving the BBC award last month. "When I came to Liverpool I hoped to show everyone my abilities. I scored a lot of goals with Roma and am very happy being successful at Liverpool." Salah also starred for Egypt, scoring

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has slammed Premier League referees by claiming they are stuck in the 1950s. In a lengthy blast at the game's authorities, Wenger also called for the handball rule to be changed after the controversial late penalty conceded by Arsenal's Calum Chambers in Sunday's draw at West Bromwich Albion. The Football Association has charged Wenger following his conduct in the referees' changing room after that match. Wenger pointedly said Mike Dean "saw what he wanted to see" at the Hawthorns and believes referees in England need to sharpen up. "For me, they have to serve the game like we have to serve the game, and to try to give positive emotions to people who love football in the stand," Wenger said. "It's not appropriate any more, in 2018, that the guy calls a player, speaks half a minute, or a minute to him, to say, 'Look, you have to behave properly.' That is gone. "That is not the rhythm o

Jurgen Klopp insists Philippe Coutinho was genuinely injured for Liverpool's 2-1 win at Burnley as he laughed off talk of the Brazil forward joining Barcelona. Coutinho missed Monday's Premier League fixture at Turf Moor with a thigh injury amid a backdrop of speculation over a move to the Nou Camp in the January transfer window. The rumours were fuelled further by pictures – subsequently removed - of a Barcelona shirt with Coutinho's name appearing on the website of Nike, the Catalan club's kit manufacturer, over the weekend. However, Reds boss Klopp claims there was nothing untoward behind the 25-year-old's absence from Liverpool's squad at Turf Moor as he responded to questions about the Nike pictures. "I heard about it. Somebody told me and I thought 'wow'. But I couldn't be less interested in anything in the world!" Klopp said. "Him (Coutinho) and Mohamed (Salah) are injured, not massively but enough for today, no cha

Former world number one Andy Murray has withdrawn from the season-opening Brisbane International in a major setback to his Australian Open preparations. He suffered a right hip injury in 2017 and has not played on the ATP tour since losing a tough five-setter to American Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Murray said on Sunday he felt in great shape and that he was confident he would play in Brisbane. But the 30-year-old Scot issued a statement Tuesday announcing his withdrawal from the tournament, and did not say whether he would be able to play the year’s first Grand Slam. Murray said he would stay in Brisbane as he “works towards returning to the tennis circuit”. “I’m very disappointed to be withdrawing from the Brisbane International,” he added. “I came here with every intention of making a strong start to the year, but sadly my team and I don’t feel that I’m where I need to be just yet to compete at the highest level.” Murray joins top seed and world n

The Lagos State police has allegedly arrested a man, Fatai Adebayo aka Alese, suspected to be the chief herbalist and leader of the popular badoo cult. The Lagos State police announced their breakthrough on Tuesday, after the herbalist was arrested at his shrine in Imosan Village, a suburb of Ijebu-ode, Ogun State. More pics below..