#Lunch_Time_Sport With #Andrew_Wamono Uganda Premier League (UPL) returns today Friday with action-packed eight fixtures lined but it is URA-Express at Lugazi likely to capture much imagination. URA goes into this encounter on the back of back-to-back wins while Express travel after drawing one and losing the other in their last two matches. Defending champions KCC, fresh from a 4-0 humbling of Soana, face unpredictable Lweza at Wankulukuku while table leaders Vipers travel to Bul. ……….. The latest rankings by the Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa) have placed Rwanda as the best ranked nation in the CECAFA region. Rwanda who were disqualified from making it to the Group stages of the 2015 Afcon qualifier because of using double named player moved by 22 places and are now placed 68 according to the latest rankings released on Thursday. ……….. Uganda now sit in second position in the CECAFA region in 78th followed by Tanzania (105th), Sudan (110th), Ethiopia (111st), Kenya (116th), Burundi (127th), South Sudan (189th), Eritrea (202nd), Somalia (204th) and Djibouti (206th). Algeria is the highest ranked African country in 18th, followed by Tunisia (22nd), Ivory Coast (28th), Senegal (35th), Ghana (37th) and Guinea (39th). ……….. AFRICAN SCENE ……….. Ivory Coast and Mali will face Nigeria in warm-up games ahead of Januarys Africa Cup of Nations. The Ivorians will play Nigeria, who did not qualify for the finals in Equatorial Guinea, in Abu Dhabi on 9 January. Mali, who finished third at the 2012 and 2013 Nations Cups, face Nigeria four days later in the same city. ……….. FIFA have cleared former Switzerland U20 international Steven Archibong Effiong Ukoh to represent Nigeria at full international level. The versatile midfielder, born on 19th June, 1991, to Nigerian parents in Berne, Switzerland, currently plays for Biel-Bienne FC in the European country. ……….. INTERNATIONAL SPORT ……….. Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has been given a one-match ban by the Football Association as punishment for his Super Mario post on social media. The Italian, whose suspension rules him out of Sundays home game against Arsenal, has also been fined £25,000 and must attend an education course. ……….. Newcastle United goalkeeper Jak Alnwick is fit to face Sunderland in Sundays Premier League Tyne-Wear derby. The 21-year-old third-choice stopper had been doubtful after injuring his shoulder in Wednesdays 4-0 Capital One Cup quarter-final defeat at Tottenham. ……….. Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has insisted he is a head coach and not a manager in an apparent criticism of the clubs transfer dealings. The Uruguayan has vented his frustration about a lack of quality at the club, who lie 15th in the Premier League table. ……….. Cardiff City has said that owner Vincent Tan has cleared some of the clubs debts relating to the building of its new stadium in 2009. Debts racked up by player purchases under previous owners have also been resolved. The amount owed to the billionaire by Cardiff could now rise above the £150m it was estimated to be in May 2014. ……….. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov, Arsenals second-largest shareholder, have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in a matter of days as a result of Russias economic troubles. Abramovich and Usmanov, two of the Premier Leagues most high-profile investors, are joined by Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev on a list of 15 Russian billionaires who have been hit hard by a drop in the ruble. And among those 15 are Abramovich, Usmanov and Rybolovlev, with Arsenal shareholder Usmanov losing $809 million (£516m), leaving his net worth at $13.4b (£8.6b). ……….. Rangers have announced the appointment of existing board member Derek Llambias as their new chief executive. The Scottish Championship club made the announcement to the Stock Exchange ahead of Mondays annual meeting. Englishman Llambias, 58, a former managing director of Newcastle United, joined Rangers board as a non-executive director in November. ……….. Borussia Dortmund and Germany winger Marco Reus has been fined more than half a million Euros for driving without a licence for years. The 25-year-old international, who has been advertising the clubs car sponsor and has also been in ads for a petrol company, received speeding tickets on at least five occasions since 2011 before authorities realised he had been driving without a licence ever since. Dortmunds prosecutors office said the fine was 540,000 Euros ($664,848) related to incidents from 2011 until this March. ……….. Qatar is reportedly paying migrant workers to pose as fake fans in an attempt to make sporting events appear more popular in the country. A report claims that the World Cup 2022 hosts are offering to pay thousands of supporters around 60p an hour. It is alleged that workers from Ghana, Kenya and Nepal will attend football, volleyball and handball events dressed in white robes and headscarves in order to resemble a Qatari fanbase. ……….. Michael Garcias decision to resign as Fifas independent ethics investigator is a new low for footballs governing body, says Vice-president Jim Boyce. American lawyer Garcia claimed Fifa published an incomplete and erroneous report following his two-year study into 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding. On Friday, Fifa members will vote on whether to publish a longer report. ……….. TRANSFER TALK ……….. Manchester United will try to sign Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi, 26, if they fail to capture their top target, Borussia Dortmunds 26-year-old centre-half Mats Hummels. ……….. Manchester United could spend £30m in the January transfer window. Louis van Gaals top targets remain Kevin Strootman and Ron Vlaar. ……….. Liverpool are prepared to make a £50m bid for Real Madrids French forward Karim Benzema, 26, in the January transfer window. ……….. Liverpool is considering replacements for Captain Steven Gerrard and could move for Aston Villas Fabian Delph in January. ……….. Manchester United and Chelsea will both try to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in the summer. The midfielder is also wanted by Arsenal and Manchester City and could cost up to €90 million (£70m). ……….. Arsenal is preparing a £26 million (€33m) offer for Barcelona and Spain forward Pedro. ……….. Rolando Aarons Newcastle contract talks have broken down after the player rejected a six-year deal worth €7,500-a-week. Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in the teenager. ……….. Tottenham and Liverpool are keen to sign Portos 28-year-old forward Jackson Martinez in January. ……….. The Reds are also interested in Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph and see the 25-year-old as a long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard, 34. ……….. Atletico Madrid centre-half Diego Godin, 28, a transfer target for Chelsea, dismisses a move to the Premier League and says he wants to stay at the La Liga champions. ……….. Southamptons Dutch manager Ronald Koeman says his side will not bid for Netherlands and Galatasaray midfielder Wesley Sneijder, 30, as they would not be able to afford his wages. ……….. Wolves are set to sign Iceland attacking midfielder Gudmundur Thorarinsson, 22, from Norwegian top-flight side Sarpsborg 08. ……….. French side Lille want to sign Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore, 25, on a loan deal in January, but the Black Cats are hoping for a permanent move. ……….. West Ham striker Carlton Cole, 31, wants to stay with the Hammers, despite starting only one Premier League game since August. ……….. UPL, DECEMBER 19, 2014, 4.30PM URA FC vs Express FC – Lugazi BUL FC vs Vipers FC – Kakindu, Jinja Soana FC vs Police FC – Kavumba RC Lweza FC vs KCC FC – Wankulukuku Entebbe FC vs Rwenshama FC – Nakivubo Simba FC vs Kira Young FC – Bombo SCVU vs Sadolin Paints – Namboole SC Villa vs Bright Stars – Mityana #MULEMBE
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 09:53:42 +0000