The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cardiff City

  • Sala: Nantes launch legal bid to force Cardiff to pay £15m

     

    Cardiff City have been left stunned after Nantes demanded payment for the £15million transfer of Emiliano Sala, who is missing and feared dead, after his flight went off-radar on a journey from France to Cardiff.

    The Premier League club were shocked to receive a formal letter from Nantes on Tuesday asking for payment within 10 days.

    The two clubs are now embroiled in a legal dispute.

    Cardiff’s first payment would ordinarily be due within seven days of the player signing, but the club do not intend to make any payments until the conclusion of official investigations into the causes of his disappearance.

    However, Nantes made an email request last Thursday and then followed it up with a formal written request on Tuesday.

    Sala’s mother, sister and brother have this week been in the company of the Argentine consular in France as investigations continued after a private plane carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson went off-radar on January 21

    A body has been located in the aircraft but the two families were still to be informed of the identity as of Wednesday.

    The Sala family are currently in Nantes anxiously awaiting the fate of Emiliano and are still to learn whether it is even his body in the aircraft.

    There is understandable bewilderment from those close to Sala that distasteful financial discussions can even be taking place while the search for his body continues.  The Air Accidents Investigation Branch have been searching the English channel for the wreckage.

    An official investigation into the crash, including the pilot’s qualifications and the condition of the plane, is likely to follow.

    The situation is further complicated as French club Bordeaux are also due 50 per cent of the reported £15m transfer due to a clause inserted when Sala joined Nantes in 2015.

  • EPL: Vardy strike gives Leicester win at Everton

    Jamie Vardy’s 58th minute strike gave Leicester City a 1-0 win at Everton on Tuesday and condemned the Merseysiders to their fourth defeat in five English Premier League games.

    Leicester boss Claude Puel made four changes from the team which lost to Cardiff City on Saturday, including leaving midfielder James Maddison on the bench.

    Also, Marco Silva recalled Brazilian Richarlison to his starting line-up.

    After a poor first half, the decisive goal came when Everton defender Michael Keane mis-controlled the ball to Ricardo Pereira, who sent Vardy through.

    The striker made no mistake with a low drive past Jordan Pickford, before celebrating with a cartwheel in front of the travelling Foxes’ fans.

    Gylfi Sigurdsson blasted over from a promising position for Everton, but Leicester should have doubled their lead when Harry Maguire somehow missed the target from point-blank range.

    Everton, with just one win from their last eight games, have now failed to win in their last four home matches.

    The win moves Leicester up into seventh place, on 31 points, four behind Manchester United.

    Everton manager Silva was frank in his assessment of his team’s performance.

    “A disappointing result, poor performance to be honest. In this moment we have to be honest and look clear at the game.

    Read Also: Vardy earns Leicester narrow win at Chelsea

    “Poor performance since the first minute. We knew what they came here to do, playing a 4-5-1 and waiting for our mistake,” said the Portuguese who accepted his players looked nervous.

    “When you play so anxious you make easy mistakes like the one we conceded. There is no reason they are under the normal pressure we’ll find the reason for that,” Silva added.

    Puel was delighted with the way his team carried out his gameplan.

    “The organisation of the team was perfect and I am happy for the players because we lost our last game at home to Cardiff and it was not a fair result,” the Frenchman said.

    “We said after that game we wanted to take three points away. It was a difficult challenge of course, but the team showed character.

    “We know all the players are tired like us, but the most important thing was to show our strength in this moment. We needed to have a different adaptation for this game.

    “In this situation it is not just the quality, but the physical makes a difference. We needed to find the right situation to move.”

  • Cardiff beat Leicester to earn first away win

    A late-minute goal from midfielder Victor Camarasa and a penalty kick save from goalkeeper Neil Etheridge on Saturday ensured Cardiff City beat Leicester City 1-0 for their first away victory.

    Claude Puel’s Leicester, carrying momentum from consecutive wins against Chelsea and Manchester City in the English Premier League, dominated the early exchanges at the King Power Stadium.

    They came close with long-range efforts from James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira.

    Leicester had their best chance of the first half in the closing stages when Jamie Vardy was slipped through by Maddison, only for the striker to shoot straight at Etheridge.

    The hosts looked certain to claim consecutive home wins for the first time this season when Maddison was clipped inside the box by defender Sean Morrison.

    But they were denied, thanks to Etheridge’s stunning save.

    Maddison had a chance to make amends from the rebound, but defender Sol Bamba dived in to turn the ball away for a corner kick.

    With Leicester supporters heading towards the exit, Camarasa curled the ball past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from the edge of the box to secure a dramatic win for the Welsh side.

    With the goal coming in the second minute of added time, the victory takes Neil Warnock’s Cardiff up to 16th place in the league standings, four points clear of the relegation zone.

    Etheridge, who will miss the Philippines’ Asian Cup campaign to help Cardiff’s top-flight survival bid, said the result should lift the spirits in the dressing room during the season’s second half.

    “It was a great save to help the team but the main thing for us today (Saturday) is the great win — our first away from home,” the 28-year-old said. “It gives us momentum going into the new year.

    “We just need to keep focusing and keep concentrating. Obviously it’s a very tough league. To keep two clean sheets in a row is outstanding. The boys have done very well.

    “We take every game as it comes. We’ve got a tough game against Tottenham on New Year’s Day, but we’ll enjoy this one for now.”

    Leicester slipped to eighth spot after failing to capitalise on almost two-thirds of ball possession and 16 attempts on goal.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Warnock expects to end managerial career at Cardiff City

    Neil Warnock has called Cardiff City his “farewell club”, as he admitted preserving the Welsh club’s English Premier League status this season could be his final challenge as a football manager.

    Warnock turns 70 next month and is the second oldest manager in the top four divisions of English football.

    Cardiff’s home league match against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday completes a century of games for Warnock, who is in his 17th coaching job and 39th season as a manager.

    “I look at the club as a farewell club. I don’t think I’ll be leaving the club and going to another.

    “When you get to my age, you can’t really look beyond the next few months or weeks, whatever job you are in, not just football,” Warnock, who is contracted to the end of next season, told reporters.

    Read Also:Chelsea is a big club – Moses

     

    Warnock is currently on a stringent fitness regime to ensure he can deal with the burden of modern-day management.

    He remains hopeful of staying at Cardiff beyond this season, his health permitting.

    “Life changes so quickly, you can’t really plan ahead. You can hope to plan ahead.

    “We’re better when we’re underdogs and to achieve the impossible this season would be my miles, my biggest achievement,” the manager added.

    Cardiff City, currently 19th in the league, are seeking to bounce back from two defeats when they face 12th-placed Brighton.

  • Fraser doubtful for Leicester clash with hamstring injury

    Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Fraser is a doubt for Saturday’s English Premier League clash against Leicester City after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty with Scotland, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday.

    Fraser played the full 90 minutes of Scotland’s 4-0 defeat by World Cup semi-finalists Belgium in a friendly at Hampden Park last weekend before returning with the injury.

    “Ryan had a hamstring problem so has been working with our medical team since he returned here,” Howe told reporters.

    Read Also: EPL Results: Man City, Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea win matches

    The 32-year-old has started all four matches for Bournemouth this season and scored in the 2-0 victory over promoted Cardiff City in their league opener.

    Howe said defender Charlie Daniels was another injury concern, having picked up a niggle in the international break but was happy to welcome midfielder Junior Stanislas back from a knee problem.

    “Junior is working his way back to fitness. A big positive was that he came back into training during the international break. He won’t be ready for this weekend but we’re pleased with his progress,” Howe added.

    Bournemouth is sixth in the standings with seven points from four matches.

  • Ameobi promises to do more for Cardiff City

    Ameobi promises to do more for Cardiff City

    Sammy Ameobi has said he can do more for Cardiff City while on loan from Newcastle United.

    “I’m really enjoying it,” said the 23-year-old. “We’ve had a great start to the season and we’ve got a very good team too.

    “It’s a really great city to live in, while it’s also good to see the national team doing so well. You can feel the buzz as you walk around the city, as it’s obviously a big thing here, so it’s nice to embrace it.

    “But the Cardiff fans have not seen the best of me because I am only coming off the bench. I wanted to come and excite fans. I am a very direct player. I can feel the buzz when I am playing. It’s pressure but I am really confident.”

    “Everyone is really together and pushing in the same direction here at Cardiff too. There’s no-one thinking ‘it’s all about me’ – everything is done for the benefit of the team. It’s a good spirit to have and hopefully we can take it forward into the next spell of games.

    “I’ve had to bide my time as I was a few weeks behind the others fitness-wise when I arrived. Obviously the guys are doing so well at the moment, but I’m glad I’m getting to play my part in it as well.”

  • Ameobi targets promotion with Cardiff

    Ameobi targets promotion with Cardiff

    Sammy Ameobi has said his ambition with Cardiff City is to secure promotion to the English Premier League.

    The winger expressed delight at making his debut for Cardiff City in Capital One cup game against AFC Wimbledon, which the Welsh side won 1-0, africanFootball.com reports.

    “I came down and saw the beautiful city and the great facilities here. It’s a Premier League club really, and it’s where the team is heading back,” he said.

    “Obviously the big thing for me is joining a club with ambition. Cardiff’s ambition is to get to the Premier League, and that’s what I’m here to help do, so hopefully I can help that dream.”

    He also spoke on his impressions from the match against AFC Wimbledon.

    “I really enjoyed it,” said the forward. “It was a tough game and the opponent is a very  competitive side. I think we had a bit of a slow start, but in the second half we pushed on and took control of the game, it was a good start for my season.”

    Ameobi said he wants more good results for Cardiff.

     

  • Sammy Ameobi joins Cardiff City on loan

    Sammy Ameobi joins Cardiff City on loan

    Newcastle United forward Sammy Ameobi has joined Championship side Cardiff City on a season-long loan.

    The 23-year-old scored two goals in 27 games for the Magpies during the last campaign.

    Ameobi has struggled for regular first-team action at St James’ Park in recent years, with the majority of his appearances coming as a substitute.

    “We’re delighted to have Sammy on board, having hand-picked him specifically for his creativity and skill,” Cardiff CEO Ken Choo told the club’s official website.

    “Sammy has Premier League experience to the tune of more than 50 top-flight appearances. We will continue to search for the right players who have specific skill sets and good character.”

    Ameobi won five caps as an England Under-21 international between 2011 and 2013.

  • Osaze receives Hughes’ praise

    Osaze receives Hughes’ praise

    • To start against Swansea

    Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has offered effusive words of praise for his Nigerian striker, Peter Odemwingie.

    Odemwingie moved to Stoke City from Cardiff City in a swap deal that enabled Kenwyne Jones to move in the opposite direction in January.

    The 32-year-old has played all three league games for Stoke since his arrival on January 27.

    He scored last Saturday in the 2-2 draw against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium to underline his intent in the second half of the 2013/14 season.

    Hughes has now spoken of his respect for the accomplishments of his Nigerian charge who now has 270 minutes of league action under his belt.

    “We’ve been delighted with Peter Odemwingie. He has certainly added something extra to the group with his pace and quality.

    “He is a player we are delighted to have here,” Hughes stated in his press conference on Tuesday.

    Stoke will face Swansea City on Wednesday at the Britannia Stadium on match day 26 of the Barclays English Premier League.

    Odemwingie is expected to start yet again for the Potters and he will be looking to continue his positive start to life at the Staffordshire club.

  • Odemwingie sets for swap Stoke deal

    Odemwingie sets for swap Stoke deal

    Nigeria striker Osaze Odemwingie is set to end his uncertain future at Cardiff City with a swap move to Stoke City.
    In the summer, 32-year-old Odemwingie signed a three-year contract worth about 2.5 million naira after a troubled time at West Bromwich Albion.
    It is now believed the Nigeria international could be part of a swap deal that would see Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones move in the opposite direction, according to The Mirror.
    MTNFootball.com reports that Odemwingie has featured in 15 matches and scored in two goals for the Welsh club.
    Jones has been unsettled at Stoke and was recently fined two weeks’ wages for refusing to play against Liverpool.
    Odenwingie is angling for more playing time as he hopes to make Nigeria final squad to the World Cup in Brazil in June.
    Both Stoke and Cardiff are battling for survival in the English Premier League.