1. Art and Diseño

ARAB TIMES, SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2015
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45
E. Guinea eye semis as Congos collide
Tunisia ready for intimidating atmosphere
BATA, Equatorial Guinea, Jan 30, (Agencies): Hosts Equatorial Guinea are hoping the
decision to relocate Saturday’s African Cup of Nations quarter-final against Tunisia to
Bata gives them the edge over the Carthage Eagles.
before tournament organisers moved it to the port city, citing concerns over the pitch.
However, there is little doubt that the tiny 5,000-seat stadium in Ebebiyin would have been overrun had the game gone
ahead there rather than in the 35,000-capacity Estadio de Bata. The red-clad local fans will be eager to see Equatorial Guinea
make history by reaching the last four for the first time after they were trounced 3-0 by the Ivory Coast in Malabo at the same
The Nzalang Nacional were initially due to tackle Tunisia in Ebebiyin, more than 200 kms by road inland from Bata, stage of the competition three years ago. And Tunisia coach Georges Leekens knows that the noisy Equatorial Guinea support
will create an intimidating atmosphere
for his side on Saturday.
“It will be difficult for us especially
with their fans behind them, but I am
positive in all circumstances,” said the
Belgian.
“They have a balanced team and are
so fast in attack. They have posted a
fantastic performance beyond most
expectations.”
Nzalang Nacional have yet to lose in
Bata and their current side have
exceeded expectations after a chaotic
build-up that included the appointment
of a new coach, Esteban Becker, 10
days before their first match against
Congo Brazzaville, as well as a clearout of naturalised South American
players.
“We now have a
side made up 100
percent of players
from Equatorial
Guinea who are
willing to defend
the colours of their
country,”
said
Argentine coach
Becker.
Goalkeeper
Leekens
Felipe Ovono, from
semi-professional
local side DVO Mongomo has
impressed in the home team’s splendid
run, particularly against neighbours
Gabon in a decisive final group game
where he pulled off several crucial
saves.
Defender Diosdado Mbele has
served out a one-match suspension and
could return to the starting line-up in
place of Estonia-based Daniel Evuy,
while the towering Raul Fabiani Bosio
could start again up front.
The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia were
champions on home soil in 2004, but
they have not gone past the quarterfinals since.
Skipper Yassine Chikaoui has shone
at this tournament playing alongside
the dangerous Esperance striker
Ahmed Akaichi, while Leekens has
stuck with a defence led by experienced Etoile du Sahel goalkeeper
Gabon’s Andre Poko (right), wins a header during their African Cup of Nations Group A soccer match against Equatorial Guinea in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, Jan 25. (AP)
Aymen Mathlouti and Monaco ace
Aymen Abdennour.
The first quarter-final between DR
Congo and Congo Brazzaville will be
Best of the Rest
the first meeting between the two
neighbours in 41 years when Congo
Brazzaville beat DRC (then Zaire) 2-1
Battle for third place moves up a notch
Rampant Juve face Udinese test
MILAN, Jan 30, (AFP): Juventus face
a potentially tricky trip to Udinese on
Sunday looking to reinforce their
seven-point lead of Italy’s Serie A as
the battle for the third and final
Champions League spot moves up a
gear.
Juve scraped into the semi-finals of
the Italian Cup on Wednesday when a
last-gasp Alvaro Morata strike secured
a 1-0 win away to plucky league strugglers Parma.
It was a far from pretty display by
Massimiliano Allegri’s men, but Juve
could be in for more of the same on
Sunday when they face the northerners,
now coached by former Inter handler
Andrea Stramaccioni.
Udinese are on a three-game unbeaten run and are also unbeaten in their
past five league games away from
home.
With an away trip to Napoli and then
Lazio visiting the Friuli Stadium in the
following weeks, Stramaccioni has
stressed the need to show that same
kind of resolve on Sunday.
“We have to stay focused for the
three difficult games coming up,” said
Genoa vs Fiorentina beIN SPORTS 3HD
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Roma vs Empoli beIN SPORTS 3 HD
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Sassuolo vs Inter beIN SPORTS 3 HD
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Cesena vs Lazio beIN SPORTS 10 HD
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Chievo vs Napoli beIN SPORTS 9 HD
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Torino vs Sampdoria beIN SPORTS 2 HD
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Udinese vs Juve beIN SPORTS 3 HD
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Milan vs Parma beIN SPORTS 3 HD
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Stramaccioni.
“But at home, we should be making
life difficult for every one, and that
includes Juventus.
“Obviously, it’s a difficult game but
we’ve already shown we can play on a
par with anyone.”
Juventus, who are expected to be
without Arturo Vidal after the Chilean
suffered a right knee problem against
Parma, beat Udinese 2-0 in Turin in
their second game of the campaign.
They travel north looking to make it
12 unbeaten games in a row, having
last dropped points in a 1-1 draw with
Inter at the New Year.
Roma would be forgiven for hoping
Udinese do them a favour.
Rudi Garcia’s men were held for the
third match in succession last week in a
1-1 draw at Fiorentina which saw
Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman
limp off after 34 minutes.
Having only returned from an eightmonth lay-off due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee in
November, Strootman is set for several
more weeks on the sidelines.
Figo named 5 European nominees for election bid
Russia to cut budget for WC amid economic woes
MOSCOW, Jan 30, (AP): Russia will cut
the budget for hosting the 2018 World Cup
as part of plans to slash state expenditure
while recession looms, Sports Minister
Vitaly Mutko said.
The Russian government is cutting its
spending by 10 percent across the board
after the central bank predicted last month
that the economy could contract 4.5 to 4.7
percent this year, under pressure from low
oil prices and international sanctions.
Mutko, also a FIFA executive committee member, said in comments reported by
the Tass news agency that World Cup stadiums and associated infrastructure would
be exempt from the cuts. However, “various organizational issues” and “subsidies
to the organizing committee” would be
cut, he said, along with spending related to
the draw ceremony.
Mutko did not provide specific figures,
but suggested the cuts would also apply to
the non-exempt areas of World Cup spending.
This month, FIFA President Sepp
Blatter said he had been assured by
President Vladimir Putin that economic
problems would not affect the tournament,
and FIFA told The Associated Press it was
not worried by Mutko’s announcement of
cuts. “We are not
concerned that this
will have any impact
on the delivery of
general infrastructure required for a
successful staging of
the 2018 FIFA World
Cup,”
FIFA
spokesman Olegs
Sokols said in
emailed comments.
In a statement
Mutko
issued to the AP, the
organizing committee said, “This rationalization of federal funding will not affect
key infrastructure essential for staging the
tournament, like stadiums, training sites,
and team base camps, public transportation, IT infrastructure, and safety and
security measures.” At previous World
Cups, FIFA has occasionally picked up the
tab when the host nation’s government has
been unable or unwilling to fund certain
aspects of the preparation. In the run-up to
last year’s tournament in Brazil, for example, FIFA covered a reported fee of $20
million to provide generators to power
broadcast facilities.
Luis Figo identified the five national
federations that formally nominated him
to run for FIFA president against Sepp
Blatter.
The Portugal great said in a statement
he received the endorsement of Denmark,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro,
and Poland.
He was also backed by his own national federation before the entry deadline on
Thursday.
Figo has little track record in football
politics, and was a surprise entry on
Wednesday. “It has been a great start —
my thanks to everyone concerned,” the
former Barcelona and Real Madid playmaker said.
Strootman, 24, will undergo keyhole
surgery on Friday to remove “a mass of
fibrous tissue” in the same knee,
according to a club statement.
The battle for third place, meanwhile, has moved up a notch with
Sampdoria, AC Milan and Inter adding
last-minute reinforcements for the second half of the campaign. Napoli
moved up to third on Monday to sit two
points ahead of Lazio and Sampdoria.
Rafael Benitez’s team face Chievo
away on Sunday.
Chievo will take heart from Genoa’s
performance in a 2-1 defeat to Napoli
on Monday when controversy surrounded both of Gonzalo Higuain’s
goals. Higuain appeared offside as he
scored Napoli’s opener then scored
from the spot following a dubious
penalty decision.
Lazio, one of the league’s form
teams, will be expected to cruise to victory at home to second-from-bottom
Cesena having swept aside AC Milan
twice this week, once in the league and
then in the Cup quarter-finals.
Rivals Sampdoria face a tougher task
away to Torino, when Cameroonian
Samuel Eto’o will be looking to make
an impact on his debut following his
arrival from Everton.
Eto’o said: “Sampdoria weren’t built
to be in third position, but thanks to the
team and the coach (Sinisa Mihajlovic)
we’re in contention. Our objective is to
finish third.”
Inter and fellow strugglers Milan are
both 23 points off Juve’s pace and with
a 10-point deficit on Napoli as their
dismal campaigns continue.
Inter travel to Sassuolo looking to
make amends for their shock 1-0 defeat
to Torino last week, while Milan —
winless in five consecutive games —
host Parma desperate to stop the rot
after a week in which Filippo Inzaghi’s
coaching position came in for heavy
scrutiny.
Milan signed Roma striker Mattia
Destro on Thursday on a six-month
loan deal and the Italy international
said: “We really want to do well and to
show that Milan are a great side, starting from this Sunday.
“This is a big occasion for me, I can’t
wait to get out there and play.”
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Sinclair joins Villa: Manchester
City winger Scott Sinclair has joined
Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the
season, the Premier League clubs said
on Friday.
The 25-year-old has failed to
secure a regular place in the City side
since his move to the Etihad Stadium
from Swansea City in 2012 and has
made only two appearances in the
league this season.
Sinclair spent last season on loan at
West Bromwich Albion, making 11
appearances in all competitions.
Champions City said the temporary
deal with Villa could be made permanent at the end of the campaign.
“I am still hungry to play football, that’s what I told him (Villa
manager Paul Lambert), and I’m
looking forwarding to getting started, hopefully playing every week
and enjoying my football,” Sinclair
said in a statement on Villa’s website (www.avfc.co.uk).
“I believe I have my best years
ahead of me. This is a new challenge,
a new chapter in my life, and hopefully I can settle in as quickly as possible, have a good start and go from
there.” (RTRS)
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Villarreal sign Bailly: Villarreal
have agreed a deal to sign Ivorian
defender Eric Bailly from fellow La
Liga side Espanyol for a fee of 5.7
million euros ($6.5 million, £4.3 million), both clubs announced on
Thursday.
“Villarreal and Espanyol have
reached an agreement for the transfer
of young central defender Eric Bailly,
who will play with the Yellow
Submarine for the next five-and-ahalf years,” said a statement on the
Villarreal website.
The 20-year-old, who is currently
representing his country at the Africa
Cup of Nations, has made just five La
Liga appearances for Los Pericos
since making his first team debut in
October.
Villarreal currently lie sixth in La
Liga and are on a 17-game unbeaten
run in all competitions.
However, they were in need of
defensive reinforcements after selling
Brazilian Gabriel Paulista to Arsenal
earlier this week. (AFP)
Wolves edge closer to signing
Juventus’ Carlos Tevez (left), challenges for the ball with Chievo Verona’ Ervin
Zukanovic (center), and Alessandro Gamberini (right), during a Serie A soccer
match between Juventus and Chievo Verona at the Juventus stadium, in Turin,
Italy, Jan 25. (AP)
BERLIN, Jan 30, (RTRS): VfL
Wolfsburg said on Friday they were
close to signing Germany winger
Andre Schuerrle and selling striker
Ivica Olic to Hamburg SV but the
deals have not been signed yet.
The 24-year-old World Cup winner Schuerrle, who joined Chelsea
in 2013 has struggled to carve out a
regular starting spot.
Croatian forward Olic is set to
move back to Hamburg once the
Schuerrle deal is sealed.
“I say no,” Wolfsburg sports
director Klaus Allofs when asked
whether the much-reported deals
were sealed.
“We have two issues, Olic to
Hamburg and Schuerrle to us. Fact
is this morning that all signatures
are still missing and I am an oldfashioned guy so it is not done yet,”
Allofs told ZDF Television’s morning news programme.
“That is why we are not announcing them yet. For the first case not
much is missing but for Schuerrle
there are still some things to be settled.”
“It is now out in the open that we
are making efforts but it is still not
a done deal yet.”
Congo vs DR Congo beIN SPORTS 6 HD
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E. Guinea vs Tunisia beIN SPORTS 6 HD
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Ghana vs Guinea beIN SPORTS 6 HD
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Ivory Coast vs Algeria beIN SPORTS 6 HD
22:30 Local (Sunday)
in Alexandria, Egypt.
Claude Le Roy’s Congo are living a
charmed life, having been reinstated in
the competition only after Rwanda
were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.
The Red Devils then qualified for the
finals ahead of champions Nigeria and
finished top of Group A after a 15-year
absence from the tournament.
Le Roy has maintained his “incredible” team will keep their feet on the
ground and take it a game at a time.
On Saturday, DRC will be without
injured skipper Youssouf Mulumbu,
who also missed the final group game
against Tunisia with a hamstring injury.
They came through the group phase
with three draws and will need to start
firing more goals if they were to stay in
contention.
“Firstly, we qualified with a lot of
difficulties as we as were the 16th team
to get here. Everybody thought we
would be eliminated but we are still
here,” said coach Florent Ibenge.
“They have a good team with a good
and experienced coach. We just hope
we don’t go behind and have to chase
the game as we did against Tunisia.”
Guinea described their progress, by
the drawing of lots, to Sunday’s
African Nations Cup quarter-final
against Ghana in Malabo as the “gods
of football fortune” smiling down on
them.
The country, devastated by the Ebola
virus in the last year, was thrilled to see
its national team qualify on Thursday at
the expense of Mali after the two sides
finished Group D level.
Chants of ‘Ebola, Ebola’ from rival
fans had a sizeable impact on the players but they still ended up in the finals
after winding up second in their preliminary group section behind Ghana
and ahead of Togo and Uganda.
There was an explosion of joy in the
Guinean capital of Conakry after the
announcement of Thursday’s draw
result with drivers and motorbike riders
honking their horns in celebration.
“It has been a long road,” financial
director of Guinea’s Sports Ministry
Amara Dabo told Reuters. “The gods
of football fortune smiled on us.”
Guinea were banned from hosting
preliminary qualifying games because
of fears over the spread of the disease.
They had to move home matches to
Casablanca in Morocco and as they
travelled they were treated almost as
pariahs.
“We have had to go round in a very
strange context with health checks and
fleeting glances,” said coach Michel
Dussuyer.