UEFA Champions League semi-finals

The Champions League semi-finals have arrived and
two great matchups await. Chelsea face Barcelona
later today while Arsenal play defending champions
Manchester United tomorrow.
Watch out for Barcelona's Yaya Toure and Samuel Eto'o as well as
the Chelsea quartet-Drogba, Essien, Kalou and Mikel Obi.
Arsenal's quintet-Toure,Eboue,Diaby,Adebayor and Song play
on Wednesday.

Droba vs Eto'o
http://en.afrik.com/article15624.html

Toure focuses on Chelsea
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=820323.html

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/04/26/1230664/barcelonas-yaya-toure-hails-didier-drogba-as-the-best-in-england

NFL Draft news

The 2009 NFL draft has come to an end and a handful of players mentioned in our draft preview were selected. Here's the list:

B.J. Raji-Selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 9th pick in the 1st rd.
Brian Orakpo-Selected by the Washington Redskins with the 13th pick in the 1st rd.
Chris Ogbonnaya-Picked by the St.Louis Rams with the 2nd(211)pick in the 7th rd.

DE Pannel Egboh from Stanford signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers after the draft.

2009 NFL Draft Preview(African Edition)

It's April and the time is upon us once more. The Combine has been held and teams are getting ready for OTA's and training camps but in between is the crap shoot that is the NFL Draft. Teams have measured,prodded and analyzed as best they can and are getting ready to select and invest a lot of money in several young men fresh from the college level. As has been the case recently, there are a number of young draft studs with African heritage that are preparing to hear their names called at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday and Sunday. Here are the names you'll want to get familiar with if you haven't already.

1.B.J. Raji- Boston College Defensive Lineman. The 6-2,337 lb Raji projects to be drafted as high as #5 but most likely somewhere in the top 10.
2.Brian Orakpo-UT EX. The former Longhorn is a hybrid Defensive End/Linebacker and his play last season before his injury contributed to his high draft status. Look for Orakpo to go in the top 12.
3.Pannel Egboh-The big Defensive End from Stanford is a projected 6th rounder.
4.Cyril Obiozor-Texas A&M Defensive End. Obiozor visited with several teams and is projected to be a 7th rounder.
5.Wopamo Osaisai-Stanford Cornerback with great speed. Osaisai will be a late round pick.
6.Chris Ogbonnaya-UT Running back will probably be a free agent signing after the draft.
7.Uche Anyanwu-Safety from Nevada.
8.Leyon Azubuike-Temple Defensive End.
9.Ataefiok Etukeren-Georgetown Defensive End.
10.Obozua Ehikioya-Running back from IAA Marist.
11.Moise Fokou-Cameroonian Linebacker played at University of Maryland.
12.Oghogho(OG)Igbinosun-Marist Linebacker.
13.Raphael Nguti-Offensive tackle from U.of Albany.

Dikembe Mutombo ends his career

Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo has officially ended his NBA career due to the injury he sustained in last nights playoff game. Deke tore his Patella tendon in his left knee during the loss to the Portland TrailBlazers and will undergo surgery to repair the tendon. The tributes to his great career are pouring in as fans and media alike look back on Mt.Mutombo's excellent 18 year career.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6387460.html
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/160496-a-final-wag-of-the-finger-to-dikembe-mutombo
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4089934


A look back on Deke's career


The most endearing image from Deke's career


Mutombo's Rockets teammates having fun imitating him.

Dikembe Mutombo injured in Game 2 vs Portland

Dikembe Mutombo injured his left knee in tonights playoff Game 2 vs the Portland TrailBlazers. The legendary center from the Republic of Congo had seen his minutes increase in the playoffs but after getting tangled with Greg Oden while going for a rebound, the initial word is that Deke suffered a torn Patella tendon in the knee.
We'll keep you updated.
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews
.asp?sport=NBA&id=201&line=115152&spln=1

MLS notes

The 2009 MLS season has kicked off and a number of Africans are intent on making their mark in the MLS this season.
Macoumba Kandji, the former Atlanta Silverbacks(USL) player from Dakar,Senegal scored his first goal in MLS on Saturday for the New York Red Bulls against Real Salt Lake.
Dominic Oduro-Ghanaian native and former FC Dallas player has made the move to New York and will be looking to add more speed to an already speedy team.
Emmanuel Ekpo-The Nigerian u-23 midfielder is making his mark on the Columbus Crew this season as he's found a starting role in Coach Robert Warzycha's defending MLS championship squad.
Andy Iro-The English native of Nigerian descent will be looking to line up next to Chad Marshall in the center of the Crew's defence this season. Unfortunately he picked up a red card vs Chivas USA and is serving a suspension.
Kenny Mansally, Sainey Nyassi-The Gambian forward and his midfield compatriot Nyassi have garnered starting roles with the New England Revolutions. The Revs are always a lock for a winning season and look for Nyassi and Mansally to play important roles.
Kheli Dube-The Zimbabwean forward is looking to hold onto a starting forward spot but at the moment is coming off the bench for the Revolution.
Amaechi Igwe-The US native of Nigerian descent has proven himself to Revolution coach Steve Nicol and Igwe has locked down the left back position with the team.
Chukwudi Chijindu-The former University of Connecticut striker is looking to show he can play at the pro level. Chijindu scored his first goal for Chivas USA on Sunday.
Sanna Nyassi-The speedy twin brother of Sainey is holding down the flanks for the expansion Seattle Sounders. Nyassi has helped the Sounders get out to a good start in the 2009 campaign and his speed and creativity will be important in helping the team avoid a bad stretch of games.

Iginla and Calgary Flames aim to knock the Blackhawks from 1st rd

Jarome Iginla has led his Calgary Flames team to the 2009 NHL Playoffs but after a narrow 3-2 loss in OT to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames look to bounce back and even the series.
The Chicago Sun-Times has a few words from Jarome.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1532442,CST-SPT-hside18.article

FA CUP matches this weekend

Arsenal-Chelsea
The Chelsea Quartet-Essien,Drogba,Kalou and Mikel face off with Arsenal's quintet-Adebayor,Eboue,Diaby,Toure and the solid Alex Song.
Manchester United-Everton
Joseph Yobo is back in training for Everton and may make the squad for Sunday's match while Steven Pienaar will most likely assume a starting role.

NBA Playoffs set

The NBA regular season has come to a close and it's playoff time. Not many sons of the soil will be partaking in the post season action but we have the lowdown on those that will be. Watch out for:
Ime Udoka-Ime's San Antonio Spurs side face the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.
DJ Mbenga-DJ and the Lakers play the Utah Jazz in the first round and have home court advantage in the West.
Dikembe Mutombo-Mt.Mutombo will be lending his experience to the Rockets in their bid to get out of the first round for the first time in more than a decade.The Rockets face the Portland Trail Blazers.

Chicago have a matchup with the defending champion Boston Celtics but Luol Deng will more than likely miss the series as he is still out injured.

UEFA Cup report

The UEFA cup wrapped up the quarterfinal 2nd legs with Shakhtar Donetsk soundly beating Olympique Marseille. Taye Taiwo, Mamadou Niang, Charles Kabore, Bakari Kone and Hatem Ben Arfa all started for L'OM.
Stephane Sessegnon and Sammy Troure started for PSG as the Parisian side lost to Ayila Yusuf's Dynamo Kiev side thanks to Guinean striker Ismael Bangoura leading the way for Kiev's 3-0 result.
Manchester City beat Hamburg 2-1 but were knocked out on away goals. Nedum Onuoha started for City while Dennis Aogo and Jerome Boateng started for Hamburg. Burkina-Faso midfielder Jonathan Pitroipa also started for the German side.
Christian Obodo and Kwadwo Asamoah saw the field as their Udinese side were knocked out of the UEFA cup by Werder Bremen. Both sides played to a 3-3 draw but Bremen had the better away goal margin.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/index.html

UEFA Champions League QF Day 2 Results

Arsenal and Manchester United pulled out victories in their Quarterfinal ties vs Villareal and FC Porto respectively on Wednesday. Manchester United got a 1-0 win in Porto thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo special while Arsenal secured a 3-0 win at Emirates. Emmanuel Adebayor added another goal in between Theo Walcott's opener and Robin Van Persie's final goal to move the Gunners to a semi-final matchup with Manchester United.


Adebayor relishes Arsenals end of season run
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/85/england/2009/04/16/1212514/emmanuel-adebayor-relishing-arsenals-end-of-season-run-in

Wednesday UEFA CL Preview

Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League 2nd rd kicks off today/tonight with two delicate matches on offer. Manchester United try to overcome the two away goals they let Porto score in their 2-2 draw last week, while Arsenal attempt to add to the away goal they scored at El Madrigal last week vs Villareal.
Here's the news:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=265555&league=UEFA.CHAMPIONS&cc=5901

Adebayor ready to lead Arsenal to glory
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/article.html?Adebayor_ready_to_lead_Arsenal_to_European_glory&in_article_id=621329&in_page_id=43

Bacary Sagna believes Arsenals team spirit is the key
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=633987&cc=5901

Champions Lge Results

Tuesday's UEFA Champions League action saw one team facing a major away goals deficit stage a valiant comeback while another managed to get a respectable score in the 2nd leg.
Bayern Munich came into their 2nd leg matchup with Barcelona down 4-0 but were unable to stop Malian International Seydou Keita from putting in an away goal for Barca. Franck Ribery opened the scoring for Bayern but the Blaugrana would have no slip-ups at the Allianz Arena.
Liverpool on the other hand came in with a belief that their 3-1 deficit to Chelsea could be overturned. Things looked good for Liverpool in the 1st half as they went to the break with a 2-0 lead, unfortunately Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink lit his team up at the break and a Drogba special followed by a superb free-kick by Alex and two solid Frank Lampard goals ended a thrilling 2nd leg at 4-4 (7-5 on aggregate).


Drogba's goal

Champions league QFs

The 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League kicks off today with two matches that some would consider done and dusted due to 1st leg results. Liverpool play at Chelsea and Barcelona make the trip to the Allianz Arena to play Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are down 3-1 to a resurgent Chelsea side after the reds let in three away goals while Bayern face a similar uphill task with a 4-0 deficit from the first leg.
Some news from the teams:
Kalou talks up the Chelsea fans
http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2009/04/14/1209030/saloman-kalou-hails-chelsea-fans-ahead-of-liverpool-test

The reds are wary of Droggles
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1716/champions-league/2009/04/08/1197813/liverpool-chelsea-buildup-reina-calls-drogba-a-pain-in-the-butt

Essien is ready
http://news.myjoyonline.com/sports/200904/28697.asp

Samuel Eto'o will be back in action for Barca
http://www.rotowire.com/Samuel-Eto'oFils-googid5457-spsoccer.htm

Seydou Keita proclaims the greatness of Barca in Europe
http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/04/09/1200431/barcelona-are-the-best-team-in-europe-yaya-toure

Footy roundup

footy roundup

Interview with the player-Ime Udoka

African Sports Blog caught up with San Antonio Spurs and Nigerian Basketball forward Ime Udoka recently. We asked Ime a number of questions to get a feel for the Oregonian on and off the basketball court. Check out the bonus mini-interview with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich at the end of Ime's interview.

A.S:When did you start focusing on Basketball while growing up?
Ime:Probably about 8,9,10 years old. I think I played everything but I kind of fell in love with Basketball while watching Clyde Drexler and some of those guys(Portland TrailBlazers).

A.S: What other Sports did you play?
Ime: Football, Baseball. I grew up playing Baseball but I started playing Basketball after watching the Blazers while growing up in Portland. I played a bit of everything, did a lot of stuff but Basketball is the one I fell in love with.

A.S:How was the support from your parents when you started getting serious with Sports?
Ime: I was basically following in the footsteps of my brother and so was my sister. They played high school, college ball and my sister in the WNBA, so my parents encouraged us from a young age.

A.S:What were your feelings, your emotions like after you left Portland to sign with San Antonio in 2007?
Ime: I understood there was a business side to it. Portland felt they had to develop some of the younger guys and see what they had with them but at the same time I did want to stay but there was a team out there that I could strengthen as well.

A.S:What are your thoughts on your time with the Spurs so far?
Ime:Great last year, you know getting to the Western Conference Finals, established myself a little bit. I was able to contribute but this year has been a little more up and down, playing time-wise and a little inconsistent. I know it just takes one game and I can be where I was last year so that's my focus going into the playoffs.

A.S:What were your impressions of the Nigerian team, the entire set-up as well as the team's performance after the 2006 FIBA World Championships?
Ime:Well Sam Vincent is a good friend of mine and coached me in the D-League and then he coached my sister at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. His experience is great and then he led us to our best result at the tournament(2006 FIBA Worlds). The team was good and so were the young guys we had. The organization was not the best-professionally but if they can take care of that we can have the best team in Africa.

A.S:How many times have you been to Nigeria?
Ime:Twice. I've only been to Abuja really and I've flown out of Port-Harcourt but I love it. I love seeing my roots and where my people come from and being out there with them. I hear Lagos is wild and some other places but I haven't had the chance to experience it much but the time I did spend in Nigeria I loved it.

A.S:Where's your Dad from in Nigeria?
Ime:Akwa-Ibom

A.S: Your Nigerian national team-mate Gabe Muoneke spoke in the past about your love for Fufu, what's your favourite Nigerian meal?
Ime:Yeah my father used to love cooking that. I'm not a spicy eater so I don't like Pepper soup but egusi, edikaikong, pounded yam, I love all that.

A.S: Favourite Nigerian Saying?
Ime: I've learnt some pidgin English, my favourite would have to be "you dey craze". I can't speak it well but I can understand it.

A.S: What happened after the 3rd place game in the 2005 African Basketball Championship? Gabe gave us some info as to what happened, he basically called it your Gladiator moment due to the way you dispatched the Algerian's trying to brawl with you. What's your side of the story?
Ime:It was us against the crowd. Something we're not really proud of but you know we basically had to fight our way out of there and have each others backs.It was an ugly situation.

A.S:Favourite sport other than Basketball?
Ime:I played Football and loved playing it but I'm a big Boxing fan. I used to be a big Lennox Lewis fan but now I root for Samuel Peters.

A.S:Favourite athlete outside of Basketball?
Ime:Lennox, the way he took care of the mental as well as the physical side of Boxing. I like the top guys in all sports, the way they dealt with their aspirations to be the best in their sport.

A.S:Favourite Basketball player of all time?
Ime:I love Clyde(Drexler), that's the reason I started playing the game. I'm a different sort of player than him but he's the reason I started playing.


A.S:What advice would you give to the young kids trying to make it to the league like you did?
Ime:Stick to your dreams. I'm a prime example of determination, discipline and doing everything you can do to get to where you want to be. Don't let anyone tell you no.


Bonus "Mini-interview"
San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich

A.S: What are your thoughts on Ime's performances from last season to this current season?
Pop: Ime is highly respected for his leadership and knowledge of the game He is always ready when called upon to get on the court. He hasn't gotten as many minutes this season when compared to last but he is always ready and is a true professional.

College/NCAA ball news

Al Farouq Aminu is returning to Wake Forest for his Sophomore year-http://www.accsports.com/daily-links/200904065127/daily-links-april-6.php
His brother Alade Aminu will be partaking in the 2009 Portsmouth Invitational as is
Bamba Fall from SMU, Josh Akognon from Cal.State Fullerton(Shout out to Mark Stein),Weyinmi Efejuku of Providence and Alfred Aboya of UCLA. Daily coverage of the pre-draft camp can be found at http://probasketballnews.com/story/?storyid=347

A couple of good articles on UConn big man Hasheem Thabeet:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/sports/ncaabasketball/04uconn.html?hpw
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/sports/ncaabasketball/22araton.html?_r=1&em
http://mvn.com/outsider/2009/03/nba-crystal-ball-hasheem-thabeet-will-be-the-next-dikembe-mutombo.html

Champions League News

Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield with Didier Drogba stealing
the show for the Blues.


Arsenal tied Villareal 1-1 at the Madrigal with the help of an audacious bicycle kick from Emmanuel Adebayor.


Barcelona thrashed
Bayern Munich 4-0 with Samuel Eto'o carrying on his good form in La Liga into the Champions League knockout stages.

Adebayors Goal

Amr Zaki stirring it up

Pharoahs of Egypt striker Amr Zaki is once again in the thick of controversy. The on-loan Wigan striker had a war of words during internationals week and now Zaki has been denounced by Wigan manager Steve Bruce as "unprofessional" after failing to return to England in a timely manner last weekend. Zaki's future with the Latics is now up in the air but he'll still have his takers once the Summer transfer window opens up.

http://www.football365.co.za/story/0,22162,
14317_5149223,00.html

http://
www.oddspreview.com/category/Football/Wigan-boss-Bruce-
slams-AWOL-Zaki-200904060083/

Draw for 2009 FIFA WYC in Egypt

The draw for the 2009 Fifa World Youth Championship in Egypt
has been made and the African teams have been drawn into difficult
groups. South Africa got the easiest of draws while Nigeria,
Cameroon,Ghana and Egypt all have their work cut out for them.

The draw as follows:

Group A
Egypt
Italy
Paraguay
Trinidad & Tobago

Group B
Spain
Nigeria
Tahiti
Venezuela

Group C
Cameroon
Germany
Korea Republic
USA

Group D
Ghana
England
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

Group E
Australia
Brazil
Costa Rica
Czech Republic


Group F
UAE
South Africa
Honduras
Hungary

Football bits

Ade Akinbiyi makes the move to the MLS-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/
hi/football/teams/b/burnley/7973868.stm
Frederic Kanoute signs a contract extension with Sevilla-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/
africa/7978725.stm
Derek Asamoah signs with Hamilton Academic-
http://news.bbc.co.
uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/7979602.stm
Sam Sodje signs loan deal with Leeds United-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/
hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/7966696.stm