Category: ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE

Senegal has rewarded each member of the national football team with cash prizes and plots of land following their win at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Each team member received more than $87,000 (£64,000), roughly Sh9,887,550, and plots in the capital, Dakar, and in the neighboring Diamniadio city during a ceremony at the presidential palace.

President Macky Sall also appointed the team to Senegal’s prestigious Order of the Lion, with fans cheering outside the gates.

The president had earlier thanked the team for reaching the “summit of Africa” and for bringing “pride and honor that marks great people”.

He also praised the team’s coach, Aliou Cissé.

Senegal defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties, becoming the tournament champions for the first time in their history.

Mason Greenwood was arrested and released on bail this week on suspicion of rape, assault, sexual assault, and threats to kill – with his club Manchester United facing Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Friday night

Manchester United’s FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford will be played against the backdrop of one of the toughest weeks the club has endured in recent memory.

Mason Greenwood’s arrest on suspicion of rape, assault, sexual assault, and threats to kill sent shockwaves through the football world, but particularly at United.

Greenwood, who has been released on bail pending further investigations, was heralded as one of the biggest talents to come through United’s Academy in recent years.

A generational talent, lauded at 18 as the best finisher at the club by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, now finds himself suspended by United until further notice.

United interim boss Ralf Rangnick admitted the episode involving Greenwood had been difficult to deal with but urged his players to put it out of their minds going forward.

For now, though, United must forget all about the 20-year-old forward and focus on the task at hand – namely ending their five-year wait to lift a trophy.

The Europa League triumph of 2017 under Jose Mourinho was the last time United won anything, with the FA Cup realistically their only chance of silverware this season.

Although United is in the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Atletico Madrid later this month, few would tip them to go all the way and lift the trophy.

And with the Premier League title well out of reach, the FA Cup has suddenly assumed huge significance for United as they aim to win a trophy and kickstart an era of success.

If United’s preparations were not already hampered by the controversy surrounding Greenwood and his absence, they were further compromised with Rangnick’s claim that Jesse Lingard had asked for time off to “clear his mind” after failing to get a deadline day move away from United.

Lingard countered Rangnick hours later on Twitter, insisting his mind was clear and that the club had advised him to take some time off for “personal reasons”, contradicting his manager’s earlier claim.

It was the second time in recent weeks Rangnick and a player have conducted a public spat, after Anthony Martial – now on loan at Sevilla – contested his manager’s claim he had refused to travel to Aston Villa for last month’s 2-2 draw in the league.

Against that backdrop, tonight’s game is huge for United and Rangnick. Lose and their season is reduced to a desperate scramble for the remaining Champions League spot, in what is now a five-way battle with West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Wolves.

Win and they can build on the momentum of two successive Premier League wins and end a horrible week on a positive note. Now more than ever, United needs to get back to winning ways and to stay on course to end that uncharacteristic trophy drought.

 

Since Manchester United Women last faced Arsenal Women in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, they have seen quite the turnaround in form.

Their November 21 match at Leigh Sports Village saw an unstoppable Gunners side win 2-0 as Marc Skinner’s side went a fourth successive league game without a win.

But in the four WSL games since – either side of the winter break – Man Utd have won all of them, scoring 15 goals and conceding none. They have also had ten more touches in the opposition box per game than any other side while using the fewest players in the league to date.

It has catapulted Man Utd into the top three, setting up a mouth-watering tie with current league leaders Arsenal on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. But just what has been behind such a change in form?

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports’ lead WSL reporter Lynsey Hooper, Skinner said: “I think we firstly highlighted before Christmas what it meant to be ruthless in both boxes. I remember having those conversations and really, it’s just the players taking on the information.

“Most teams present ways to attack you and some teams are patterned. Some teams are fluid, some teams have players that can create wonderful things, so for us, it’s just about understanding what the key code to that game might be.

“The games before Christmas and post-Christmas, we’ve just found a rhythm where we’re playing together more. So our connections are better, we understand each other more, we know what this player is going to do. I always knew it would take time.

“Talking about statistics, you look at my seasons and as I go throughout with a team, the more time we have together, the better our results get. That’s because we work on the connection of the full team. There’s a focus, there’s a growing confidence, and there’s a togetherness.

“I think those are the real key ones without going into more of the tactical stuff for each game, those are the things and the principles that guide us together and bring us to where we are right now.

“Going forward, I think what is happening is we have those wonderful players that can take and create those spaces. And that’s the key thing that they’re spending more time, taking more touches in that final third, which shows me not only are we getting better in there, but more importantly, it’s the psyche of what we’re asking them to do.

“Go and take our way of playing to the opponent, and don’t be scared of that and embrace who you are. We now have other variants where we can hit the counter-attack because we have good wingers in our game, but we also have midfielders who can rotate throughout those systems.

“So we’ve got more variants, and of course, we’ve got Martha [Thomas], Alessia [Russo], and now Signe [Bruun] who can play in those zones.

“And for me, the game is all about connections and relationships. If I and you form a really good and positive relationship, if you fail at any point, I can pick you up.

“It’s these little connections that are a key source to any game. This league is now packed full of wonderful players and great coaches. But I’ve picked up a unique group here, that dodoes love playing with each other. I think that’s a real key, that’s something I had to build on and continue to promote.

“Who would I t be turning that down? So there’s nothing reallyinventivereally inventive about it, it’s just about giving them more time together. That’s why we use fewer fewerplayersfewer players, because how do you get time together to build that unless you play together?”

Is Man Utd ready to compete with the ‘Big Three’?

But for all of their recent form, United still tends to struggle against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City. They have won just one of their last 12 against the traditional ‘big three’ in the WSL, but Skinner thinks it all comes down to experience.

He added: “I think the difference is that those teams have been doing it for a lot longer and they have seasons of experience. For us, we have wonderful players, but we’re growing that experience.

“Sometimes it’s not nice and sometimes you have to take a defeat to know that. It sparks the fire of what you’ve got to do to be there next time.

“We have to do it our way and I think once we have these experiences and more of them, we’re going to grow, grow, grow. What I know about this group, more importantly, is that there’s a fire in them. When there’s a fire, it’s very difficult to put that out.

“We know how difficult this task against an Arsenal side will be. We don’t take anything lightly. But what we do is we believe in each other and we believe in what we’re trying to create. When you have that, you don’t look at the opponent so we talk about these three teams. There are magnificent teams that are not yet in that bracket and are working hard towards being in that bracket.

“But if we will see them as the mountain to climb, I don’t think we will ever climb it. It’s about being ourselves and creating our mountain and being who we want to be. Once we do that, we will then be where we want to be.

“I think we can only really judge ourselves against ourselves. We know how good these teams can be. We know how good their players are, their staff are. But we’ve got to stop chasing at some point and we’ve got to start thinking about who we are and that’s where you grow a team identity.

“We love all of our energy to be in that moment and that’s what my teams will do. We’re going to focus on us and try our best to beat these teams, but grow every time that we play them.”

It is looking more and more likely that these four teams will be competing for just three Champions League spots. But again, Skinner is focused only on United’s ability to achieve.

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Golf Park’s Erick Ooko remained at the top of the leader board after returning a two-under-par 142 on the second day of the Safari Golf tour at Limuru Country Golf Club.

Ooko blamed a few bad birdies particularly at the back nine, however, said he is still looking forward to some better scores in the last two rounds.

“My iron game is excellent except I could not get some of my putts in which cost me some birdies and a better finish’’ said Ooko who got off with a birdie three at the par four-first hole though he dropped a shot soon after.

He however managed to cross to the back nine on two under after a birdie at the par five-third and the ninth. The back nine was not however his best as he dropped shots over the 11th and 13th for two over par and his level par 72 which left him at the top on two under par 142.

On the other hand, Uganda Open champion Justus Madoya remcuttingained in second place this time also on his own after a level-par 72. He equally blamed poor putting for not getting onto the top of the leaderboard. “I had four good chances for birdies but did not make use of them though it is the double at the 13th which made it even worse.

“But that aside, I am still within a reach of my 12 under par projection, with two more rounds to go’’ added Madoya from the Great Valley Golf Resort who dropped a shot at the fifth after picking up a birdie at the third. He was however able to level the back nine despite the double at the 13th, after rolling in two birdies at the 15th and 18th.

Meanwhile, Kenya Railway Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge who had shared the first-round lead with Ooko dropped to joint third with Vet Lab’s Mike Kisia and Edwin Mudanyi. Njoroge shot three-over-par 75 for one over par 145 while Mudanyi posted one over par 73.

Kisia on the other shot so far the best round in the tournament, a four-under-par 68, a score which included four birdies, and an eagle at the home green (18th). He however dropped two shots at the front nine. Making his first attempt to the top was Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi who shot one-under-par 71 to move to seventh place on three over par 147. A total of 26 players made the eight over par 152 cut and will now be chasing the top prize of Sh300,000.

Those cutting included two amateurs John Kariuki of Limuru and a junior player Njoroge Kibugu of Muthaiga who shot five-over-par 77, one better than Kariuki who had started with a 73.

 

The National Sevens Circuit returns after a two-year hiatus in May 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and disruption of sporting activities contributed to its absence in 2020 and 2021.

This year’s circuit will again encompass six rounds starting with the opening of two legs on consecutive weekends in Nairobi before heading to Kakamega, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru for the subsequent legs.

The George Mwangi Kabeberi Memorial Sevens will get the circuit underway on 7/8 May, paving way for the Christie Sevens on 14/15 May at the RFUEA Ground.

There will be a week’s break before the Western Kenya town of Kakamega hosts the Kakamega Sevens on 28/29 May, paving way for the Driftwood Sevens in Mombasa a week later.

Teams will then head to Kisumu for the Dala Sevens on 18/19 June before winding up with the Prinsloo Sevens in Nakuru on 25/26 June.

First played in 1999, The National Sevens Circuit is an annual series of rugby sevens tournaments run by the Kenya Rugby Union in conjunction with host clubs featuring teams from across the country.

Teams compete for the National Sevens Circuit title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament.

EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United suffered their first defeat under interim boss Ralf Rangnick in Monday’s loss to Wolves at Old Trafford, but behind-the-scenes issues are growing fast at a club facing yet another crisis.

Ralf Rangnick is battling to unite the Manchester United dressing-room as he faces up to his first crisis since taking charge.

Cliques are understood to have formed within United’s squad, with interim boss Rangnick facing many of the same problems that forced the sacking of his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

A source close to the squad claimed as many as 11 players now want to leave the club after becoming disillusioned with life at United.

An increasing number of players marginalized under Solskjaer are suffering the same treatment under Rangnick, which has led to divisions within the United dressing-room.

Many of the players are underwhelmed by Rangnick’s coaching and not impressed by his tactics.

His position is further weakened by his appointment only being until the end of the season.

Defender Luke Shaw admitted United’s players were not pulling together in Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Wolves.

The source said: “It’s not good. The atmosphere is really bad and it looks like there are going to be big problems ahead for United.”

Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek, Eric Bailly, and Dean Henderson are among those players who have become frustrated at their failure to be given a chance under Rangnick.

Solskjaer was accused of having ‘favorites’ and sticking with them, despite United’s below-par displays, and now Rangnick is facing the identical problem with the same group of players.

Lingard and van de Beek have yet to start a Premier League game this season, while Henderson wants to go out on loan this month after falling back behind David De Gea in the pecking order.

Rangnick is unwilling to let Henderson leave, but the 23-year-old is desperate to be playing regularly, to ensure he is included in England’s World Cup squad for Qatar in December.

Defender Eric Bailly, who is now on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast, is another player who has become disillusioned at not playing enough, despite United’s poor defensive displays without him.

The resentment felt by players who have been consistently overlooked for selection is threatening the unity and harmony of the dressing-room, with Shaw suggesting there are issues within the group.

 

Ex-United captain Gary Neville pointed to divisions within the squad after a 1-1 draw at second-from-bottom Newcastle on December 27 and hinted at issues between Cristiano Ronaldo and skipper Harry Maguire.

Ronaldo has cut a frustrated figure in recent days, heading straight down the tunnel at the final whistle against Wolves, his annoyance with certain team-mates evident in the defeat.

Writing to his 386million Instagram followers, Ronaldo called for “a higher spirit and a stronger mentality” from United in 2022, but they have started the New Year in the worst possible way.

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Man Utd manager Ralf Rangnick has reportedly been told he will have funds made available by the Glazers in the January transfer window with the club dealing with a dressing room crisis.

Manchester United are facing a dressing room crisis – but the January transfer window means changes could be afoot.

The Mirror understands that up to 11 players are keen to leave United having grown disillusioned with life at the club.

A continuation of the problems that existed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left new interim manager Ralf Rangnick facing a fractured group after Monday’s defeat to Wolves.

A source said: “It’s not good. The atmosphere is really bad and it looks like there are going to be big problems ahead for United.”

Despite the difficulties being faced, owners the Glazers are believed to have made their stance clear to Rangnick – by telling him he will have funds available.

Whilst all eyes are on potential outgoings at Old Trafford in January, The Times report that Rangnick has been told by the club that if he wishes to make signings, he will be backed.

With Rangnick’s deal with United including an additional two years in a consultancy role, his first transfer window could give an intriguing insight into his long-term plans.

RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara could be the first in the door in a £33million swoop with Rangnick already entering talks with his representatives last month.

A move for the Mali international, who has a buyout clause that could be activated in the summer, would signal United’s intent to back Rangnick.

Various other players have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, whilst funds could be bolstered by high-profile exits.

Rangnick is understood to be happy to let Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard leave the club if acceptable offers are received, although he is keen to keep Donny van de Beek and Dean Henderson at the club.

Young defender Axel Tuanzebe, meanwhile, is closing on in a loan move to Napoli which will net the Red Devils a further transfer windfall.

According to the Daily Mail, the Serie A club have agreed to pay United a £500,000 loan fee, as well as a further £333,000 if they reach the Champions League.

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Henry became Arsenal’s record goalscorer during his first spell with the club, but returned for a second act with the London club on January 6, 2012, towards the end of his playing career.

Emotional reunions in football can often flatter to deceive, but a player as well-loved as Thierry Henry at Arsenal was never going to be turned away once the chance of a second spell was on the cards.

Henry was the kind of player who most fanbases don’t get to enjoy even once, so the prospect of a return to north London was the kind of thing some wouldn’t even mention out loud for fear of jinxing it.

When the Frenchman began his second spell at the Emirates Stadium in January 2012, nearly eight years had passed since he became an Invincible. Eight-and-a-half since he put Inter to the sword at the San Siro. More than eleven since his first hat-trick for the Gunners.

He could have come back and done absolutely nothing, and some fans would have had a little problem with that. Just having him around was enough.

Henry’s first Arsenal spell is one of those wherewere, had you not witnessed it yourself, you would assume the praise was a gross exaggeration.

Only five players have scored more Premier League goals than the Frenchman, but the numbers alone don’t allow you to appreciate how much of a treat it felt to watch him at his peak.

A move to Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona had felt like the only suitable departure – a team boasting Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Ronaldinho, and a young Leo Messi could complement his talents in a way few other teams could – but the departure still hurt. Of course, it did.

Still, when the opportunity to bring Henry back to north London arose in 2012, off the back of an underwhelming end to life at Camp Nou and some impressive years in Major League Soccer, any past transgressions were overlooked in a heartbeat.

“When it comes to Arsenal my heart will always do the talking,” Henry said after clinching his return in January 2012.

He had turned 34 a few months earlier, so Arsenal was under no illusions about getting prime Henry, but made the move after losing Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho for the Africa Cup of Nations.

“I always said I was never going where wereto come back and play in Europe again but, when the team you love and support asks you back, it’s kind of hard to say ‘no’.”

The move represented a reunion with Arsene Wenger, the man who first brought him to England in 1999, and the manager tempered some of the excitement after the short-term deal was made official.

“He can be relaxed, not under too much pressure, and be a tremendous help to the team,” Wenger said.

However, while some would read the words “not under too much pressure”, others would stop reading at “Thierry Henry returns” and be delighted with that and that alone.

The Arsenal which Henry rejoined was not the same as the one he had left, but there was still quality there.

Top-four finishes had become more realistic goals than title battles, and an early-season 8-2 defeat to Manchester United had been especially humbling.

Still, Henry had to wait for his debut, starting on the bench as Wenger’s side hosted second-tier Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup, with Chamakh making his final appearance before joining up with the Morocco squad.

Midway through the second half, though, he was on. So was Theo Walcott, his successor in the number 14 shirt, who had shown a knack of his own for delivering tidy finishes from the left channel.

This time, though, it was the man wearing the number 12 who performed the trick, scoring a goal we had seen dozens of times before.

It felt as if someone had opened a time capsule, only to slightly misremember the number on the shirt. Everything else was vintage Henry, right down to the certainty of the ball hitting the net as soon as it found his feet from Alex Song’s pass.