News

Arsenal to Face Atletico Madrid in EUROPA Semi-Final Tie

Published

8 years ago

April 13, 2018

Eric

Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Europa League in a mouth-watering clash of two big clubs that have taken a backseat in their domestic leagues in recent years.

French club Marseille will play FC Salzburg, a club backed by soft drinks giant Red Bull, in the other semi-final.

Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will play the first leg at the Emirates Stadium against Atletico, led by French striker Antoine Griezmann, who are favourites to win the competition for the third time.

Wenger, whose side play Man United away in the Premier League between the two semi-final legs, had identified Atletico, Champions League finalists in 2014 and 2016, as the most dangerous side in the draw.

“Everybody speaks about Atletico Madrid that they look the strongest team on paper,” he said, but he also described Marseille as a difficult place to go.

The first legs will take place on April 26 with the second on May 3.

“They are a similar kind of club to us,” Atletico Madrid director Clemente Villaverde said at the draw in Nyon.

“Arsenal are a great team, they’re up there every year fighting for trophies and getting deep into their European competitions,” he said.

Arsenal reached the last four of the Europa League after surviving a scare against CSKA Moscow in Thursday’s quarter-final second leg in the Russian capital.

Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey both scored late in the game for Arsenal to calm nerves after CSKA had raced into a 2-0 lead on the night. The London side won 6-3 on aggregate.

Atletico lost 1-0 to Sporting in Lisbon on Thursday but advanced 2-1 on aggregate.

British bookmakers William Hills make Madrid hot favourites to win the competition, but explained why Arsenal fans still have reason for optimism.

“It could be argued that Arsenal need this more than Atletico as a route into the Champions League next season,” said William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly.

“Their Europa League form has been in stark contrast to their Premier League form during the second half of this season and they have every chance of progressing,” Crilly said.

Marseille overcame a first-leg deficit to beat German side Leipzig 5-3 over two legs in their quarter-final, while 1994 finalists Salzburg produced the shock result of the night by defeating Italian side Lazio 4-1 at home to win 6-5 on aggregate.

Salzburg have already beaten Marseille once in the competition this season, a 1-0 victory in Austria. The teams also drew 0-0 at the Velodrome.

“But this time it’s the semi-final so it’ll be different,” Marseille director Andoni Zubizarreta told beIN Sports.

The former Spain goalkeeper refused to accept it was an easy draw however.

“The four clubs have worked a lot to reach the semi-finals and yesterday Salzburg was very strong against Lazio,” Zubizarreta insisted in reference to the four goals Salzburg hit past the Romans on Thursday.

The games will be played on April 26 and May 3.

AFP

News

Fubara Appoints New SSG, Chief of Staff

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Governor Siminalayi Fubara has appointed Dr. Dagogo S.A. Wokoma as the new Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) and Barrister Sunny Ewule as Chief of Staff, after the recent shake-up of the State’s political and administrative structure.

The appointments were announced on Thursday in a Special Government Notice signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi, and made available to journalists. Both appointments take immediate effect.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi, the governor appointed Dr Dagogo Wokoma as Secretary to the State Government and Mr. Sunny Ewule as Chief of Staff.

The statement said the appointments take immediate effect, adding that the new appointees would be sworn in at 2:00 p.m. at the Executive Council Chamber, Government House, Port Harcourt.

The development comes amid the protracted political crisis in the State, which recently escalated into impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, by the State House of Assembly. The crisis was eventually diffused following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.

Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, had last week announced during plenary that the Assembly formally withdrew the impeachment notice against the governor and his deputy after the President’s intervention.

Political observers suggest that the dissolution of the cabinet may be part of efforts to rebalance the power structure in the following the peace accord. However, it remains unclear whether the new appointees are aligned with the governor or loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The statement read in part: “The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has appointed Dr. Dagogo S.A. Wokoma as the Secretary to the State Government and Barrister Sunny Ewule as the Chief of Staff.

“Both appointments are with immediate effect. The new appointees will be sworn in at 2:00 pm.today, Thursday, February 26, 2026. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Executive Council Chamber, Government House, Port Harcourt.”

News

Court Strikes Out Forgery Case Against Ozekhome As FG Withdraws Charges

Published

3 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Federal Government has formally withdrawn the forgery charge filed against senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome, bringing an abrupt pause to a case that had drawn public attention.

The charge was originally instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
It followed a judgment delivered by a London court over a property linked to the late former FCT minister, Jeremiah Useni.

In January, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the matter from the ICPC for what it described as effective prosecution.

However, proceedings took a new turn on Tuesday at the FCT High Court.

The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed Peter Kekemeke that the Federal Government was withdrawing the case file for “further instruction”.

He explained that the decision was taken in line with the provisions of Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

Counsel to the defence, Paul Erokoro, SAN, told the court that his team had no objection to the withdrawal of the charge.

In a brief ruling, Justice Kekemeke held that since the application was not opposed, it was granted.

He consequently struck out the charge and ordered that the case be dismissed.

The withdrawal effectively halts legal action against Ozekhome over the alleged forgery linked to the disputed property transaction.

News

Vexatious and Meddlesome: ADC Condemns Wike’s Tour of FCT Polling Units

Published

6 days ago

February 21, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of interfering in the ongoing Area Council elections in Abuja by visiting polling units during voting hours.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described Wike’s movement across polling centres as “direct interference” capable of intimidating voters and election officials.

The party alleged that the minister’s tour of polling units came after what it termed a unilateral curfew imposed on potential voters, arguing that such actions raise questions about neutrality and fairness in the electoral process.

“The African Democratic Congress strongly condemns the movement of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, around various polling units in Abuja under the guise of monitoring,” the statement read.

ADC further argued that Wike is not a registered voter in the Federal Capital Territory and, as a serving cabinet minister with clear partisan affiliations, has no constitutional role in the conduct of the election.

The party also cited reports of voter suppression and intimidation, alleging collaboration between agents of the All Progressives Congress and some security personnel. It urged its agents and supporters to remain calm but vigilant, while documenting and reporting any irregularities.

Beyond the minister’s presence, ADC raised concerns over disruptions to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, stating that the platform remained inaccessible while collation was ongoing. The party called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately restore full functionality of the portal and provide a public explanation for the disruption.

Describing Wike’s presence at polling centres during active voting as “vexatious and meddlesome,” the party warned that such actions risk undermining public confidence in the credibility of the elections.

Earlier, videos circulated by Wike’s media aide, Olayinka Lere, showed the minister visiting polling units in Karu, Karshi and Garki.

Speaking after the tour, Wike maintained that the elections were peaceful, security personnel had performed effectively and voter turnout was impressive in satellite towns, though relatively low in parts of the city centre.