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Tag: Bordeaux

  • Football: Battle royale as France, Argentina clash in Bordeaux

    Football: Battle royale as France, Argentina clash in Bordeaux

    There is no love lost between France and Argentina on the football field these days and their quarter-final meeting in Bordeaux tonight will add spice to the men’s Olympic tournament.

    The last-eight clash between the rivals is in many ways exactly what was needed for a competition mainly reserved for players aged under 23, lacking in star names and struggling to attract attention from the general football public.

    There will be plenty of reasons to follow the encounter between two of the leading contenders to go all the way and win gold in Paris on August 9.

    It will be the first meeting of the nations since Argentina players were recorded singing racist chants about their French counterparts as they celebrated winning the Copa America in mid-July.

    FIFA announced that it would investigate the chants, which targeted France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe among others and included racist and homophobic insults.

    The chants even led to a diplomatic incident, with Argentina apologising after the South American country’s vice president, Victoria Villarruel, wrote on X that France was a “colonialist country”. “Enough with feigned outrage, hypocrites,” she added.

    Argentina players have already been booed by rival fans during the Olympic tournament and can expect another heated welcome from the French crowd.

    “With everything that has happened recently, everyone in France was affected, so we will see what happens in the quarter-finals,” warned France’s Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after the hosts finished the group phase with three wins out of three.

    Today’s showdown will also be the first between the sides since the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar which Argentina won on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw.

    However, the men’s Olympic football tournament is an under-23 competition, albeit with the exception of up to three over-age players per squad.

    Only two members of Argentina’s Olympic squad, Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez, played in the 2022 game, and none of France’s.

    That perhaps removes a little of the edge, but in purely footballing terms it will still be a fascinating contest.

    France are going for football gold on home soil 40 years after taking the title at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

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    “If we want to come away with the medal, we have to be ready to play any opponent wherever it might be,” Argentina’s Thiago Almada, an unused substitute in the 2022 World Cup final, told broadcaster TyC Sports.

    There are few household names in either team, although Manchester City’s Alvarez will lead the Argentina attack, while France are captained by Alexandre Lacazette and can also call on new Bayern Munich signing Michael Olise.

    Both sides do have legendary coaches, however – France with 1998 World Cup-winner Thierry Henry, Argentina with his fellow former Barcelona star Javier Mascherano, who won Olympic gold as a player in Athens and in Beijing.

    Whoever prevails will advance to a semi-final in Lyon next Monday against either Egypt or 2004 silver medallists Paraguay, who meet in the last eight in Marseille.

    All the quarter-finals go ahead today , with Morocco up against the United States in Paris before Spain take on Japan in Lyon.

    Spain are gunning for more glory a matter of weeks on from winning Euro 2024 as they target a second Olympic men’s football gold after 1992.

    Japan have come to this Olympics with a young squad but were the only team other than France to win all three group games.

  • Koscielny joins Samuel Kalu in Bordeaux ahead new season

     

    Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny will team up with Nigeria international Samuel kalu at Bordeaux after agreeing a deal with the Ligue 1 side on Tuesday.

    The French defender, 33, made clear his desire for a move last month when he refused to travel on Arsenal’s pre-season tour of the United States.

    His standoff with the club reportedly came after the Gunners rejected his request to be released from the final year of his contract.

    “The club is delighted to be able to count on a player with such experience at the highest level,” Bordeaux said in a statement.

    Koscielny played 353 games for Arsenal, winning the FA Cup three times, and was named club captain at the start of last season following the retirement of Per Mertesacker.

    “We thank Laurent for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future,” Arsenal said in a statement.

    Koscielny made over 51 appearances for the Les Blues. Prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia Koscielny announced that he would retire from international football after the competition. He was however not included in the squad after an

    Achilles tendon injury ruled him out of contention. The France team went ahead to clinch the world cup title after beating Croatia 4-2 in the final at the Luzhniki Stadium.

    While Koscielny sealed a three year contract that will see him remain at the French club till 2021, his Nigerian would be teammate Samuel Kalu sealed a five year contract with the club in 2018 from Gent.

    Kalu who has made over 21 appearances for the side will be hoping for a better outing when the new season kicks off on Friday, close to a month after he returned from the Nations cup in Egypt.

    Koscielny and Kalu all things being equal will file out on Saturday when Bordeaux kicks off the season away against Angers SCO.

  • Soyinka not leading delegation to Bordeaux

    Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka is not part of the delegation to the maiden edition of Nigerian Cultural and Film Festival in Bordeaux, France.

    A statement from his office yesterday described the story that he was leading a delegation to the event as “erroneous”.  The film festival is taking place from September 16 to 19 in France.

    The statement by Jahman Anikulapo on behalf of Soyinka office said, “I wish to bring to your attention the erroneous report that claimed that Professor Wole Soyinka will be “leading the delegation” of filmmakers and culture workers to a festival in Bordeaux from September 16-19, 2018.

    “While it is true that Prof Soyinka has given his customary support to the initiative to showcase aspects of Nigerian creative industry at the festival in Bordeaux; at no time did he promise or agree to be part of a delegation, much less to lead it. He promised to make an appearance at the Festival, nothing more. The impression created is thus embarrassing, to say the least, and misleading.”

    The Nation had yesterday reported that Prof Soyinka was to lead the delegation.

     

  • Soyinka to speak at Nigerian Cultural & Film Festival, Bordeaux

    AS part of its mission of upholding the image of Nigeria, Content Warehouse Limited, an audio-visual and cultural promotion organization, is set for the maiden edition of Nigerian Cultural & Film Festival; an event projected to be one of the biggest showcases of Nigeria’s creative works in Bordeaux, a notable tourist city in France.

    Taking place from September 16 to 19, 2018, Nobel Literature Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka will be speaking at the event, which will have a delegation of Nigerian film industry stakeholders .

    According to Founder of the project, Mr. Ralph Nwadike, other delegates whose agencies are supporting the event include Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, CEO of Africa Independent Television; Dr. Samantha Iwowo; Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board; Otunba Segun Runsewe, D.G of The National Council for Arts and Culture; Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, M.D of Nigerian Film Corporation, and London-based Nigerian filmmaker Biyi Bamidele Thomas.

    “The festival will be showcasing our arts and crafts, including our dance and drama. We will showcase our historical pictography and documentary,” says Nwadike.

    Disclosing that one of the highlights of the event will be an agreement signing between Nigeria and France on film related issues, Nwadike is optimistic that the event will put paid to some of the wrong impressions outsiders may have about Nigeria.

    “Let it be known that we are not a terrorist country, that we are not a country of kidnappers, assassins and murderers; hence we have put together some of the best known names and personalities to lead this delegation of culture, of music, of fashion, of food, of television and film to showcase to the world. This is who we are; a country blessed with abundance in everything and much more,” he says.

    The Nigerian Cultural & Film Festival is being coordinated by cultural promoters like Barrister Tunji Bamishigbin, Mr. Francis Onwochie, Mrs. Nkechi Nwadike, Mr. Forster Ojehonmon, Mr. Pascal Ojukwu and Mr. Austin Okagbue and Henry Okoro, who are based in France.

    On the choice of Bordeaux for the cultural event, Nwadike who is President of Association of Movie Producers (AMP) says the Consul General of France, Mr. Laurent Polonceaux and the late Pierre Cherruau who was the then audio-video attaché suggested the location, adding that “Paris is already saturated with different festivals and Bordeaux is not just a beautiful city, it is the wine capital of the world. And Bordeaux deserves something big, something unique with its own class and its own identity.”

    Planned as an annual event, former audio-visual attaché of France to Nigeria, Pierre Barrow will join Soyinka and others to speak on culture, films and government policies.

    The four-day event is expected to close with an awards night, including a posthumous award to Pierre Cherruau.

  • Bordeaux, Panthinaikos, Anderlecht chase Awoniyi

    Bordeaux, Panthinaikos, Anderlecht chase Awoniyi

    SL10.ng can confirm that scouts representing a number of top clubs in Europe will be in the stands on Sunday when the Nigeria Under 20 National Team take on their Senegalese counterparts at the African Youth Championship.

    Bordeaux, Panthinaikos, RSC Anderlecht, AEK Athens and Red Bull Salzburg have posted scouts to monitor at close quarters Flying Eagles strikers Taiwo Awoniyi and Saleh Usman.

    Other players in the squad that are on their radar include midfielders Akinjide Idowu, Obinna Nwobodo and Abdullahi Alfa, while defenders Mustapha Abdullahi and Bello Zaharadeen will also be scouted.

    Despite signing a preliminary contract with Kalmar shortly after the 2013 Fifa Under 17s, the primary focus of the emissaries is on Taiwo Awoniyi, who is believed to be attracting attention from an unnamed Italian club as well.

    Also, a top Norwegian agent, who has the ears of Molde, Sarpsborg 08 and Lillestrom, will run the rule over the Flying Eagles stars today in the game against Senegal.

  • Bordeaux ready to offer Arsenal ace escape route

    Bordeaux ready to offer Arsenal ace escape route

    Unwanted Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has been offered a lifeline by former club Bordeaux which could open the door for a high-profile replacement arriving at the Emirates in January.

    The president of the Ligue 1 club Jean-Louis Triaud has publicity declare interest in

    resigning the 28-year-old striker with Wenger eager to offload the striker and his

    £60,000-a-week wages out of the Emirates Stadium.

    Chamakh enjoyed a prolific eight-year stint at the French side between 2002 and 2010 and Triaud was clear that he would be welcomed back with open arms.

    “Chamakh could return. There is a serious chance. It is feasible for us and him but the

    choice is down to Arsenal,” he declared. “If he’s not happy then we are in a position to talk about it.

    “In December 2011, I sent a message to say the door was open for a return but Chamakh wanted to stay. Now the message is there again with the same objective.”

    However he did make clear that Bordeaux are unlikely to be able to match his Premier League salary and he would have to take significant wage cut to move back home.

    “Money is the key question because salaries in the Premier League are enormous,” he admitted, “but it’s also necessary for him to play.”

    If Chamakh does depart the club, Wenger could try to bring Llorente to the Emirates as he seeks to reinforce the strike force which remains under strength after the sale of former talisman Robin Van Persie to Manchester United in the summer.