NPFL Elite Players Scheme: Yobo set to join Kano Pillars or Ifeanyi Ubah FC

Former Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, will sign for a Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, after reaching an agreement with the League Management Company (LMC).

According to the LMC, Yobo will be assigned to a club for the last 12 matches, under the NPFL Elite Players Scheme.

Four teams – Kano Pillars, Akwa United, IfeanyiUbah FC and Wikki Tourists – are all fighting to land the former Everton and Fenerbahce defender.

English Premier League: Newcastle, Norwich relegated

Newcastle United and Norwich City were relegated from the English Premier League on Wednesday as Sunderland secured their survival with a one-sided 3-0 victory over Everton.

Sunderland centre-back Lamine Kone’s first two goals for the club and a Patrick van Aanholt free-kick took Sam Allardyce’s side four points clear of danger with one game remaining.
Norwich returned to the Championship a year after promotion despite a 4-2 win over Watford, while Newcastle, Sunderland’s arch rivals, will play in the second tier for the first time since 2010.

It is the fourth season in a row that Sunderland have pulled off a late escape to avoid relegation and it guarantees the northeast club top-flight football for a 10th consecutive season.


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TIME FOR CHANGE: Wenger protesters clash during Arsenal game

Arsenal fans opposed to long-serving manager Arsene Wenger were drowned out by supporters backing him during the north London club's Premier League home game with Norwich City on Saturday.

In a pre-planned protest, hundreds of fans held up A4 posters bearing the words "TIME FOR CHANGE" in the 12th minute of the game at the Emirates Stadium, in a nod to Arsenal's 12-year league title drought.

But in response thousands of fans chanted "There's only one Arsene Wenger!", with some holding aloft placards in support of the under-fire Frenchman.

World Cup: Yobo's Dream

....what if I can make it to 104 in Brazil?

For Joseph Yobo, the pre-match ritual is as much a part of the game as the half-time team talk. In his 16 years as a professional, the Nigeria defender has always readied himself for action the same way, slipping on his shirt and then singing and praying before stepping on to the pitch. It is a routine he has gone through innumerable times – but on precisely 100 occasions for the Super Eagles. A sterling servant for his country, Yobo had the honour of bringing up his century of caps against Argentina in Nigeria's final Group F game at Brazil 2014.

Although his side slipped to a 3-2 loss in that match, the 33-year-old came away with almost entirely positive memories. After all, not only did he hit a significant personal milestone, Bosnia and Herzegovina's 3-1 victory against Iran ensured that Nigeria tied down a berth in the Round of 16. "Qualifying for the knockout phase was our first objective," the Super Eagles' captain told FIFA.com. "We're very happy because that hadn't happened to us since 1998. This time, we did it with pride, by finishing second and trying to win first place against Argentina."

'I'm proud of our team'
They gave the South Americans a genuine scare too, though Yobo feels they could have done even more. "We're disappointed because we didn't play that game to win it from the very first minute," explained the Fenerbahce stopper, who spent the last six months on loan at Norwich City. "We thought a draw would be a good result, but in the second half we came out even stronger to try and win the match. That's what we should have done from the very first minute."