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I Know Why Pinnick Snubbed Me, Says Rohr

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Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr says he knows why the Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick, snubbed him during the bronze medal presentation ceremony at the just-concluded 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

A video of the incidence showing Pinnick avoiding Rohr’s handshake went viral online, with close football followers in the country suggesting there was a rift between the two.

In an exclusive interview with Sports Extra, Rohr admitted seeing the video and offered an insight on what could have led to the incident.

“Yes, I saw it (video), somebody sent it immediately to me, the people did not understand (what happened),” Rohr told Sports Extra.

“Ask the president (Pinnick) why he did it, I didn’t do anything, I wanted to shake him. So you must ask him why he did it.

“I watched the video again when Victor Ikpeba was here (his hotel), we were laughing about it.”

He added, “The president did not explain to me but I know exactly what happened, because I was the last one on the stage. Before me was Tunde, my assistant, who wanted to receive the medal from Pinnick and Pinnick said, ‘No, no, I will start from you (Rohr).’

“There was Constant (Omari), CAF vice president, and he was happy to see me and took me in his arms and gave me the medal, I could not say no. I didn’t even know that Pinnick wanted to give me the medal with him, nobody told me.

“But I heard it after because Pinninck told Tunde that he wanted to present the medal to me, so he was a little bit worried about this situation.

“But I only understood it after. He (Pinnick) went to Constant and asked why he gave me the medal because he wanted to give it to me. But I understand that it was joy for him to give me the medal because we had face-to-face conversation in Cairo, where we could speak about all these problems.

“So, there was no problem between us at that moment, the misunderstanding was unfortunate.”

The former Bordeaux manager wondered why a picture of him and Pinnick standing side-by-side after the incidence didn’t get the same publicity as the video .

“I joined the players for the photo (session), I stayed on the stage and said, “President, come (and join us).’ The photographers could see us (Rohr and Pinnick) behind the players but I didn’t see all these photos, they only shot this video, so many bloggers here in Nigeria.”

The Punch

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Manchester City Deserve to Win, Says Ancelotti

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Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has admitted that Manchester City deserved to win the match because they played better, as Madrid a painful 4-0 loss at Manchester City on Wednesday.

The win completed a 5-1 aggregate defeat for Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final.

Manchester City, who were beaten by Real Madrid at the same stage last season, avenged that heartbreaking defeat with a brilliant performance in front of their jubilant fans.

Only Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, prevented them from inflicting even more damage.

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“They played better than us and deserved to win.

“They put a lot of pressure at the beginning, it worked out well for them because they made it very difficult for us to get the ball in play and they went two goals ahead.

“From then on, it was difficult to get back into the game. We tried in the second half… but it didn’t work out,” Ancelotti told reporters.

Ancelotti admitted it was a painful night but said it was too soon to analyse what had gone wrong.

“Evaluating today, at this moment, makes no sense.

“It is a defeat that hurts, it hurts a lot. But it can happen. We reached the semi-finals of the Champions League against a strong opponent, they played better and left us without a final.

“We have to learn and for the next season, to be better,” he said.

This is coming a year after winning a LaLiga and Champions League double, and becoming the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues.

Ancelotti is now facing up to finishing the campaign with just a Spanish Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup to show for their efforts.

He did, however, set another record on Wednesday, becoming the coach with the most European Cup games (191), surpassing the mark set by former Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson.

But with their rivals Barcelona crowned LaLiga champions last weekend with four-games to spare, Ancelotti was left searching for a silver lining.

“I think it was a good season. We have to show up in the few games we have ahead of us.

“I think that reaching a Champions League semi-final is a success because only four teams make it to the last four,” Ancelotti said.

NAN

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Why We Defeated Chelsea – Arsenal Manager, Arteta

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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has hailed his side’s dominating 3-1 win over Chelsea on Tuesday night.

The Gunners won thanks to a Martin Odegaard double and Gabriel Jesus strike.

Noni Madueke scored the only goal for the visitors in the second half.

“We wanted to [push Chelsea back early on]. We knew that if we dominated them and got in the final third then they were going to have issues.

“In the first 15 minutes of the second half, we should have scored two or three goals – then the game is over,” Arteta said

The result takes Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester City, who face West Ham on Wednesday.

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Frank Lampard Set for Surprise Return to Chelsea

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Frank Lampard is set to be appointed interim Chelsea manager until the end of the season – just over two years after the club sacked him.

He has been out of a job since January when he was dismissed by Everton after less than a year in charge.

The ex-Chelsea and England midfielder previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel’s successor, Graham Potter, was sacked on Sunday.

Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League and drew 0-0 with Liverpool on Tuesday

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