Defending world champions Spain and African champions Nigeria feature in an eight-team 2014 World Cup warm-up tournament to be staged in the United States between May 27 and June 10, supersport.com reports.
The ‘Road To Brazil’ event, organised by Major League Soccer, also features Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Ivory Coast, Honduras, as well as two teams not going to Brazil – Bolivia and El Salvador.
The World Cup kicks off on June 12.
DIOCESES across Italy, as well as in countries such as Spain, are increasing the number of priests schooled in administering the rite of exorcism, fabled to rid people of possession by the Devil.
The rise in demonic cases is a result of more people dabbling in practices such as black magic, paganism, Satanic rites and Ouija boards, often exploring the dark arts with the help of information readily found on the internet, the Church said.
The increase in the number of priests being trained to tackle the phenomenon is also an effort by the Church to sideline unauthorised, self-proclaimed exorcists, and its tacit recognition that belief in Satan, once regarded by Catholic progressives as an embarrassment, is still very much alive.
The trend comes four decades after the 1973 release of The Exorcist, the American horror film based on the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and attempts to exorcise her by two priests.
The diocese of Milan recently nominated seven new exorcists, the bishop of Naples appointed three new ones a couple of years ago and the Catholic Church in Sardinia sent three priests for exorcism training in Rome, amid concern that the Mediterranean island, particularly its mountainous, tradition-bound interior, is a hotbed of occultism.
In Spain, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid, chose eight priests to undergo special training in May to confront what he described as “an unprecedented rise” in cases of “demonic possession”. The Church in Spain was coming across many cases that “go beyond the competence of psychologists” and they were occurring with “a striking frequency”, the archbishop said.
“Diabolical possessions are on the increase as a result of people subscribing to occultism,” said Fr Francesco Bamonte, the president of the Italy-based International Association for Exorcists. “The few exorcists that we have in the dioceses are often not able to handle the enormous number of requests for help,” he told La Repubblica last month.
The association was founded in 1993 by Fr Gabriele Amorth, who served as the Vatican’s chief exorcist and claims to have conducted thousands of exorcisms. He has written several books on the subject, including The Last Exorcist My Fight Against Satan.
A controversial figure, he has claimed that yoga is “evil” because it leads to a worship of Hinduism and other Eastern religions.
During the papacy of Benedict XVI he said that the sex abuse scandals which engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Australia and other countries were proof that the Antichrist was waging a war against the Holy See.
The Church insists that the majority of people who claim to be possessed by the Devil are suffering from a variety of mental health issues, from paranoia to depression. Priests generally advise them to seek medical help.
But in a few cases, it is judged that the person really has been taken over by evil, and an exorcism is required.
The need for exorcisms is “rare, very rare”, said Fr Vincenzio Taraborelli, a priest in a church which lies just a few hundred yards from the Vatican. “In the cases where a mental illness is apparent, we try to send them to a doctor.”
Don Gianni Sini is a priest in Sardinia, an island with a reputation for spiritualism its interior is dotted with mysterious stone-built structures called nuraghi, which predate Carthaginian and Roman occupation.
“People come to me thinking that with an exorcism they can resolve all the problems they have in their lives. A child is doing badly at school? With an exorcism we can make him study. They see exorcists as a last resort. Out of 100 people that I receive, there will be one who has need of me as an exorcist.”
“Demonic” possession manifests itself in people babbling in languages foreign to them, shaking uncontrollably and vomiting nails, pieces of metal and shards of glass, according to those who believe in the phenomenon.
They must undergo the official Catholic rite of exorcism, which involves a consecrated priest invoking the name of God, as well as various saints and the Archangel Michael, to cast out their demons. The growth in the number of priests being trained is “a response to public demand, but it’s also about quality control”, said John Allen, an expert on the Vatican from the National Catholic Reporter.
“There are all these guys, some of them priests, who have set themselves up as exorcists. A lot of it is fairly dodgy theologically they are self-appointed exorcists running around purporting to be acting on behalf of the Church.
“Now there is an attempt to ensure that all this is done in accordance with the Church’s official teaching. The hierarchy don’t want it going on outside the official channels.” Monsignor Bruno Forte, a theologian and the archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, said the Church teaches that evil exists and that in extreme cases it can take possession of a person.
“God has the power to beat his adversary, but Satan never ceases to work. There are people who experiment with subjection to the Devil, even a state of diabolical possession, for which the help of an exorcist can be necessary,” he told La Repubblica.
“When Christians recite the Our Father prayer, they ask for delivery from evil. In every diocese the bishop chooses one or two priests to act as exorcists they have to be well balanced and discreet.
“The great majority do not have need of an exorcism, but medical treatment. But with those who are possessed we begin a course of conversion, help them to return to prayer, to the sacraments, to enable them to throw off the possession.”
Belief in black magic and Satanism may have been spread by the internet, but there has been a streak of popular superstition in the Catholic Church for centuries. “I’m not sure it ever really went away,” said Mr Allen. “After the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, there was a great deal of embarrassment among ‘enlightened’ Catholics about exorcisms and other aspects of the supernatural. It was seen as a medieval anachronism.
“But at the grassroots level there has always been a very strong streak of popular religion, a fascination with the occult and the powers of the Devil.
“We know that Pope Francis is a strong believer in popular religion such as Marian devotion, but that also includes belief in the Devil.”
In May it was claimed that Pope Francis had performed an exorcism during a Mass in St Peter’s Square.
Television images show him laying his hands on a wheelchair-bound man, who appears to go into convulsions with his mouth open before slumping down into his chair. The encounter was shown by TV2000, a channel owned by the Italian bishops’ conference, which quoted experts as saying that there was no doubt the Pope had performed an exorcism.
Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, later dismissed the claims, saying Pope Francis “did not intend” to perform an exorcism an ambivalently-worded denial that left many convinced that he had indeed done so.
Pope Francis has not publicly commented on exorcisms, but many of his sermons and homilies feature references to the Devil.
During a Mass in November in the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lives, he said that although “God created man to be incorruptible”, the Devil entered the world and there are those “who belong to him”.
At a Mass days before, he talked of the dangers of worldliness, warning that: “When we think of our enemies, we really think of the Devil first, because it’s the Devil that harms us. The Devil enjoys the atmosphere, the lifestyle of worldliness.”
Arik Air yesterday gave account of the circumstances that forced its pilot to divert a London bound aircraft carrying an expectant mother to Palma Mallorca Airport, Spain.
Arik Air flight W3 101, departed Lagos for London, Heathrow on September 15, but had to divert the aircraft due to the urgent medical attention required for a 12-week expectant woman on board.
According to the spokesman for the airline, Mr. Ola Banji, the passenger developed severe pains during the flight.
He said: “Arik Air flight W3 101, which departed Lagos for London Heathrow on September 15, diverted to Palma Mallorca Airport, Spain at 5:44pm due to urgent medical attention for a 12-week expectant woman on board.
“The passenger reportedly developed severe pains during the flight. The pains were later accompanied by bleeding with a suspected miscarriage.
“The passenger, who was initially attended to by a medical doctor on board, was 12 weeks pregnant.
“She was later transferred to a hospital in Mallorca for further medical attention.
“The Arik flight thereafter departed Mallorca at 8pm for London Heathrow.
This singular act further demonstrates that Arik Air is passionate about meeting the individual needs of its passengers and is ready to go the extra mile to ensure that safety is not compromised, no matter the cost.
“Excellent customer care is the core philosophy of Arik Air’s business. In the air and on the ground, online and on the telephone, guests can expect respect, courtesy, fairness and care from the airline at all times.
This particular guest did not indicate her pregnancy status to the airline’s Passenger Service Agents (PSA) at check-in and because her pregnancy was 12 weeks, the team didn’t notice her status.
Arik Air exceeds its guests’ expectations through the continuous pursuit of excellence and is considerate and respectful of, and responsive to, the needs of guests. The airline remains committed to offering a superior level of customer service and aims to deliver on all promises made to guests.”
The driver of the Spanish train that derailed last week killing 79 people says he was “careless” when he drove at speed around a bend, reports say.
Francisco Jose Garzon Amo was released from custody on Sunday. He faces multiple counts of reckless homicide.
BBC says a large funeral Mass is due to take place in city of Santiago de Compostela, where the train crashed.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who comes from the city, and members of the royal family are expected to attend.
BBC says the tragedy has shocked residents of Santiago de Compostela, a Catholic pilgrimage site in the north-western province of Galicia.
Santiago officials had been preparing for the religious feast of St James of Compostela – Spain’s patron saint – but cancelled it after the crash on Wednesday.
The city’s sports arena was temporarily turned into a morgue.
At the cathedral gates, pilgrims have left flowers and candles to commemorate victims of the crash.
Officials say 70 people remain in hospital, 22 of them in a critical condition.
Mr. Garzon, 52, arrived at court in handcuffs on Sunday, his head scarred by an injury he suffered in the crash.
He was questioned behind closed doors for almost two hours by Judge Luis Alaez.
Later, a court statement said he had been released pending further investigations but must appear before a court once a week and is not allowed to leave Spain without permission.
Reveals massive abuse over blunder
Nigeria striker Gambo Mohammed does not understand the amount of criticism he has had to deal with following his missed chance against Spain at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.
The Kano Pillars attacker, on as a substitute for Werder Bremen’s Joseph Akpala, came face to face with Victor Valdez in the 74th minute of the encounter on June 23 and shot wide when it seemed easier to score.
The 25-year-old has now revealed the enormous amounts of abuse he has had to deal with following that incident against the La Furia Roja.
“People have called me up on the phone and stopped me in the streets to criticise me for missing that chance against Spain. I am not happy and I think they should leave me alone,” Gambo told supersport.com.
He added that more stellar names have failed to put away better goal scoring opportunities but reckons they have not had to deal with the backlash he’s faced following Nigeria’s ouster from the competition.
“It happens in football. Any player can miss chances. (Players like Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo have missed even better chances than mine and nothing happened, so these things happen.
“The coach (Stephen Keshi) did not criticise me. My teammates too, so that gave me confidence.
“I have put that incident behind me and have resolved to do my best for my country in subsequent matches,” he said.
Gambo is currently in Abuja with the rest of the Nigeria team preparing for Saturday’s 2014 CHAN qualifier against the Ivory Coast in Kaduna but the forward is in the dark over their West African neighbours.
“I don’t know anything about them (Ivory Coast) but I am sure we will beat them on Saturday,” he said.
Gambo has scored over 90 goals in more than 150 appearances for Kano Pillars since joining the club in 2006.
His outing against Spain at the Confederations Cup remains his only senior international cap.
A Spanish Navy Ship, MV RAYO, is scheduled to visit the Western Naval Command of the Nigeria Navy from June 30 to July 3.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Command’s Information Officer, Lt.-Cdr. Jerry Omodara, and made available to journalists on Friday in Lagos.
According to the statement, the ship will be received on arrival at midstream by Nigeria Navy Ship NNS ANDONI, and she will escort her to berth at the Naval Base Apapa– NNS Beecroft.
The statement said that while in Nigeria, the ship company would conduct training onboard with personnel of the Nigerian Navy, on damage control.
“Other activities include courtesy calls by the Commanding Officer of the Ship to the Oba of Lagos, the Flag Officers Commanding Western Naval Command and Naval Training Command,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the Navy spokesman as saying in the statement.
The statement said the Spanish and Nigerian Navies would also have a joint press briefing and sporting activities.
We arrived in Brazil as the Champions of Africa, the continent’s pride.
We travelled to Belo Horizonte and they draped us in flowers, celebrated our failings and cheered the every touch of our lowly opponents.
In Salvador—the capital of happiness—our hopes were curtailed by a veteran’s thunderbolt.
Then, the foray to Fortaleza, and a contest with the champions of Europe, the champions of the World, a team one day to be revered among the finest the universe has ever produced.
The narrative has been reversed; the crushing victory against Pacific minnows was greeted with indifference and inevitability, the narrow defeat to the Celeste of Uruguay met with shrugs of respect and respectability, and the 3-0 loss to Spain cradled by gushing glory and a renewed sense of belonging.
Only in the darkest of defeats, the confirmation of elimination has the world begun to believe in Stephen Keshi’s mission and the Super Eagles’ place at the international high table.
Against La Roja in Ceara State we met many familiar but forgotten figures of the African game; they were all there.
Ahmed Musa was the bright young thing, the prodigal talent, blessed with pace and promise, but lacking the noblest of all the virtues, a mind to capitalise on his twinkling toes.
John Obi Mikel was the talismanic hero. The midfield general, an absence lamented since the departure of Sunday Oliseh; spraying passes, prompting attacks and driving his side forward. They tell me that during the group stage no player completed as many passes in the final third of the pitch as the Chelsea man.
There was Vincent Enyeama, the final stand, the last line of defence, consistently strong, consistently resolute, but ultimately unable to cull the calculated offense that came his way.
In these men we recognised figures we have come to know and adore over the last 12 months, men who carried the Eagles to South Africa, who claimed a continent’s crown, and who were so defiant in defeat here at the Confederations Cup.
Dreams of the semifinal depart unrealised, but optimism is rife following such a bold defeat. Nigerians are now looking forwards, not towards a knock-out clash with Brazil, but towards a summer of promise back in this land of carnival and protest.
This competition may have ended in disappointment and elimination, but Keshi and his collective have made the most of their opportunity to demonstrate their burgeoning talents before a global audience.
Certainly, the attack may have been at times shambolic, the forward line lacking almost any semblance of cohesion, and areas of the squad proving to be wafer thin, but against Uruguay, and particularly Spain, the side showed that they have the requisite ability to trouble the elite teams; they don’t get much more accomplished than the Champions of South America, of Europe, and of the World!
The attack is an evident area of weakness, although Nigerians can take solace in the fact that the likes of Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike and Kalu Uche will return from injury in due course.
Beyond them, there is a whole swathe of attacking talents plying their trade across the world who could be primed to step into the squad ahead of next summer. Keshi need never feel forced to rely on the limited abilities of Ideye Brown, Anthony Ujah and Joseph Akpala again.
It is easy to forget just how young and relatively inexperienced this side are—it was a point Keshi was keen to convey in the wake of their defeat. While Spain have played together for over half a decade, and almost all have a career’s worth of top-end experience, Nigeria still have the capacity to grow together.
The assured centre back pairing of Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona are just 19 and 22 respectively; the aforementioned Musa and the absent defensive midfielder Ogenyi Onazi are only 20, while talented forwards Victor Moses and Nnamdi Oduamadi are each 22 and with great scope for development.
They may have received criticism from some quarters following their stuttering victory over Tahiti, but in defeat, perhaps paradoxically, the Super Eagles have shown that they know how to stand strong, they are capable of controlling a midfield and carving out chances, and—with a key inclusion or two up front—could well be capable of beating some of the world’s finest teams.
It will doubtless be another year of learning and development for Keshi and his young side, if they continue in their trajectory, expect them to stick around a little longer in Brazil next summer.
Culled from www.kickoff.com
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque would revert to his first-choice side for Sunday’s Confederations Cup clash with Nigeria, Supersport.com reports.
“It would be basically that side, yes,” said Del Bosque when asked if he would name the same side that beat Uruguay 2-1 last Sunday in Recife.
Del Bosque fielded a nominal ‘B’ team in the 10-0 thrashing of Tahiti on Thursday though that included some of the best players in Europe in Fernando Torres and David Villa, who scored seven goals between them against the Oceania champions.
“I have no problems,” Villa said when asked about the possibility of reverting to the bench. “There are 23 strong players in the squad, and we are a team and the coach decides who he wants to play. He would choose, it is part of the game.”
Spain, who is unbeaten in 24 matches, has qualified for the semifinals and would likely meet Italy in Fortaleza next Thursday.
Even if the Spaniards lose to the African champions, Nigeria would have to win by at least four goals as Uruguay would almost certainly beat Tahiti in Recife.
NIGERIA’S Super Eagles are underdogs going into the last leg of their group game at the FIFA Confederations Cup against World and European champions, Spain, tonight.
Group B of the Confederations Cup in Brazil was wide open following Uruguay’s 2-1 win over the Super Eagles at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Bahia on Thursday.
Stephen Keshi and his team know that they have a mountain to climb against the tiki-taka-playing Spaniards at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza. Spain has been in cruise control of Group B after two wins out of two including the 10-0 mauling of minnows, Tahiti.
Vincent del Bosque’s men have not lost a competitive game since their 0-1 loss to Switzerland at the 2010 FIFA World Cup while the African champions just had their 18-match unbeaten run truncated by Uruguay bringing to an end a 13-month streak.
Keshi will lead his men into this tie with two of his key players, Nnamdi Oduamadi and Ahmed Musa, doubtful.
Both players suffered knocks in the loss to Uruguay, though Musa could still feature in the tie while Oduamadi has a 50-50 chance of making the squad for the match.
But Spain could recall the core of their first-team players that includes the like of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Roberto Soldado and Iker Casillas.
Nigeria has a mathematical chance of reaching the last four but will have to beat Spain to give them that chance.
However, the odds are heavily stacked against the African champions, though they will draw inspiration from their predecessors in 1998 which stunned Spain 3-2 at the FIFA World Cup in France – the only head-to-head meeting between both nations at the senior level in competitive football.
In January this year, the Super Eagles played against Catalonia in a friendly that ended 1-1, but Spain will offer a different opposition when the game gets underway from 8p.m. Nigeria time on Sunday.
… Oduamadi almost
AHMED Musa and Kenneth Omeruo, were back fully in training on Saturday afternoon, after initial fears about their possible readiness for the game against Spain Sunday afternoon. The third player who was on the injury list, Nnamdi Oduamadi, was already 60 per cent ready as at press time.
He is expected to have a late fitness test on Sunday morning ahead of the game and indications are that he would be ready for the match.
Head Coach Stephen Keshi who happy with the cheery news thanked the medical crew for a job well done. He told the world media that he expects all his 22 players will be fit, while regretting the absence of Lazio midfield man, Ogenyi Onazi, who was out to injury prior to the tournament.
The Eagles last training session at the venue of the game was mild and easy as the coaching crew decided to take it easy with the players to avoid any knocks from any quarters.
Speaking after training, Keshi said the game is like a World Cup final to the Eagles, as he expects his boys to take the fight to the World and European champions. “We respect Spain but we don’t fear them and I think as African champions we deserve some respect ourselves, but we will give the game our all and hope it would be enough to take us to the next stage of the tournament.