The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fenerbahce

  • UEFA: Europa League draws

    UEFA: Europa League draws

    Manchester United will face Fenerbahce, Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk in the group stage of the Europa League, following the competition’s draw made on Friday.

    Manchester United pitches tent against Fenerbahce of Turkey while Southampton, the other Premier League side still in the competition, will take on Inter Milan, Sparta Prague and Hapoel Beer Sheva.

    League of Ireland side Dundalk have been drawn with Zenit St Petersburg, AZ Alkmaar and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

    The match dates for the group stage are Sept. 15 and Sept. 29, Oct. 20, Nov. 3 and Nov. 24, and Dec. 8.

    Reacting to the draw, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said he knew little about Ukrainian opponents Zorya but welcomed being drawn with Fenerbahce and Feyenoord.

    “We all know the competition is not the same as the Champions League, but to have Manchester United playing against clubs with tradition like Fenerbahce and Feyenoord is good for us,” he said.

    “We know that it will be a difficult group, but I think that is a good thing. It is good for the fans and for the players because it will help motivation.’’

    Full draw:

    Group A: Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Zorya Luhansk

    Group B: Olympiacos, Apoel Nicosia, Young Boys, Astana

    Group C: Anderlecht, St Etienne, Mainz, Qabala

    Group D: Zenit St Petersburg, AZ Alkmaar, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dundalk

    Group E: Plzen, Roma, Austria Vienna, FC Astra Giurgiu

    Group F: Athletic Bilbao, Genk, Rapid Vienna, Sassuolo

    Group G: Ajax, Standard Liege, Celta Vigo, Panathinaikos

    Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Gent, Konyaspor

    Group I: Schalke 04, FC Red Bull Salzburg, Krasnodar, Nice

    Group J: Fiorentina, PAOK Salonika, Liberec, Qarabag

    Group K: Inter Milan, Sparta Prague, Southampton, Hapoel Beer Sheva

    Group L: Villarreal, Steaua Bucharest, FC Zurich, Osmanlispor

  • Fenerbahce hit Qatar for Ezekiel

    Fenerbahce hit Qatar for Ezekiel

    Turkish champions Fenerbahce will be in Qatar to negotiate a possible transfer of Nigeria striker Imoh Ezekiel, africanFootball.com reports.

    36 Lion chairman, Gafaar Liamed, told africanFootball.com Fenerbahce may sign the Al Arabi forward this summer as the club is ready to buy him out rightly.

    “A couple of teams have shown interest in signing Imoh Ezekiel this summer,” Gafaar said.

    “Real Sociedad, Espanyol both in Spain and a German team have enquired about Ezekiel, but Fenerbahce seem to be the team who will sign him if the officials agreed a deal because that is the only club that is ready to buy him out rightly which is what Al Arabi want. Other teams want him in loan.

    “Fenerbahce will be in Qatar in coming days to meet Al Arabi official to negotiate,” he told africanFootball.com.

    The 36 Lion of Lagos product played on loan at old club Standard Liege at the just-concluded season and scored four goals.

    He may be a direct replacement for Emmanuel Emenike, who is expected to quit Fenerbahce this summer.

    Ezekiel is valued at about €10 million.

  • Emenike to swap Fenerbahce for Fulham

    Emenike to swap Fenerbahce for Fulham

    Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, could be used as makeweight in the deal by Fenerbahce to land the signature of Kostas Mitroglou from Fulham, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

    Reports have has suggested that the Londoners would be willing to offload the Greece international in the summer transfer market after failing to make an impact at the club due to injuries.

    Greek side, Olympiakos is also interested in the forward, but Fenerbahce hopes to steal a march on its rivals by offering Emenike to the Championship club as part of a deal that would see Mitroglou move in the opposite direction.

    The Nigerian striker recently purchased a house in Essex which has fueled speculation that he could be moving to an English club sooner rather than later.

    The 27 – year – old joined Fenerbahce from Spartak Moscow in 2013 for a fee thought to be around 13 million euros.

  • Fenerbahce warns Emenike

    Fenerbahce warns Emenike

    Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal has advised Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike not to be provoked if he is insulted  by their supporters during any Super Lig clash.

    The Nigeria international overreacted by attempting to get himself subbed off the last time the Yellow Canaries played at the Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium after he was booed by the fans for missing an empty goal.

    “You have to stay calm in this situation. Some groups of supporters will protest at you consciously.

    “These people react to our president in every match but this time it may come upon you. Do not be provoked,”coach Ismail Kartal said in a statement, according to the online edition of Fanatik.

    Emenike is expected to be named in the starting line-up in his next league game.

  • Fenerbahce Coach: Emenike has seen war in Nigeria

    Fenerbahce Coach: Emenike has seen war in Nigeria

    Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal has urged supporters to show understanding with Emmanuel Emenike, in the wake of the striker attempting to get himself substituted last weekend.

    With only four goals to his name this season, the Nigeria international is lacking in confidence, and after missing a sitter against Besiktas, his own fans booed him.

    ”Emenike has seen war in Nigeria, the player has had a very difficult childhood. And that’s the reason he is full of emotions,” Kartal said at a press conference.

    ”He is a pretty good man, we have to show him more understanding. After what happened in the Besiktas match, I sat down and talked with him.”

    Coach Kartal added: ”Now his morale is better and he has began to laugh. We should note that Emenike is our contracted player.

    ”He is playing in the most important part of our game as a striker, and we cannot keep him away or out.

    ”However, we do not know what will happen in the future.”

    Emenike is not the first player to be booed by Fenerbahce supporters, with ex Spain international Daniel Güiza also suffering the same fate after having a bad game against Trabzonspor.

    However, Güiza did not get upset and attempt to walk away from the pitch.

  • Fenerbahce counselling for Emenike

    Fenerbahce counselling for Emenike

    According to reports in  Turkey, Fenerbahce coach Ismail  Kartal is bothered by Emmanuel Emenike’s poor form in front of goal plus his relationship with fans, and he is planning to have a tête-à-tête with the striker.

    Fanatik has reported that the manager will recommend psychological support to the Nigeria international as a last resort if he does not notice changes as regards his conduct on and off the pitch.

    The 27-year-old, who has netted only four times this season, is hoping to redeem his image on Sunday in the clash against Galatasaray in the Super Lig.

    But the odds are stacked against him as he has never scored in four previous appearances against their Istanbul rivals.

    Last season, Emenike smashed 15 goals in the league for both Fenerbahce and Spartak Moscow.

     

  • Yobo fights Fenerbahce over pay cut

    Self retired Nigeria international and Fenerbahce stopper Joseph Yobo faces a difficult choice ahead of the start of the Super Lig.
    Now in the final year of his contract with the Turkish champions, the club are insisting he finds a new employer for the upcoming season even if it means taking a pay cut, writes the online edition of Fanatik.

    But the central defender has rejected the proposal from the Istanbul outfit, saying he is not prepared for even a euro to be deducted from his wages, thought to be around 2 million Euros every year, and he will be paid the sum he is entitled to whether or not he is featured in matches.
    That said, the foreign quota rule being practiced in the topflight means Nigeria’s most capped player ever is surplus to requirement at Fenerbahce.
    There have been offers for the soon-to-be 34-year-old but the stumbling block being faced is that none of the interested suitors can match his current annual salary.

  • Emenike seeks more success in Turkey

    Emenike seeks more success in Turkey

    Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, has said he is looking forward to another successful season in Turkey by scoring more goals and winning trophies with Fenerbahce.

    Emenike was instrumental to Fenerbahce’s success in the Turkish league last season after scoring 13 goals and he has promised to do more in the new season.

    “Last season was great for me, but I believe this season is going to be bigger in terms of trophies for us and goals for me,” Emenike told africanFootball.com

    “We have a very strong mentality to attain success every year, we can only get stronger and everyone is ready to go all out for more success.”

    He added: “As defending champions, we should expect tough battles when the league resumes because other teams want to win too, but we are not going to be under pressure to defend our title. We are good to go for the season as Fenerbahce will dominate for a long time.

    “I am very convinced that we will retain the league title and even get other trophies.”

    Emenike also said on a personal note he aims to score more goals than he did last season.

    “I have been working hard in training since I rejoined my team so that I can start the season on top form because that is only way I can get more goals than last season,” he told africanFootball.com

    “I am as ready as ever to score more goals and to live up to the expectations. I am ready to take more responsibilities and score more goals.”

    The Turkish Super League will kick off on August 31 with Fenerbache at home to Emenike’s former club Karabukspor.

  • Yobo joins Norwich on loan

    Yobo joins Norwich on loan

    Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo, has sealed a loan move to English Premier League side Norwich City, his Turkish club Fenerbache has announced.
    MTNFootball.com quoted Fenerbahçe as saying in a statement to the stock market: “Our talent Michael Joseph Yobo temporary transfer until the end of the 2013-2014 season for Norwich City FC.”
    Several other media reports also said Yobo will return to England to feature for Norwich City till the end of the season and he will earn about 800,000 Euros.
    The ex-Everton defender is expected to travel to England to join his new team this weekend before Sunday’s transfer deadline.

  • Yobo pay blocks winter transfer

    Yobo pay blocks winter transfer

    Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo’s wage demand may well prove to be a major obstacle to his exit from Fenerbache this winter.
    Yobo is one of the big earners at Fenerbache and none of the biding clubs have been able to match this, according to fanatik.com.
    Several clubs within and outside Turkey have shown interest in signing the experienced Nigeria international, who is now surplus to requirement at Fenerbahce due to foreign quota system introduced in Turkey at the beginning of the season.
    MTNFootball.com reports that he has been linked with move to Konyaspor, Gaziantepspor, Cardiff City in the EPL and most recently with French Ligue 1 strugglers Sochaux.
    He had played only one league game this season – the 3-2 loss to Konyaspor on August 17, 2013, where he scored a goal.
    His last game for Fenerbahce was a cup game against Fethiyespor played on December 4 last year.