- Germany 2-1 Sweden
- Kroos scores injury time winner (90+5)
- Reus draws Germany level (48)
- Toivonen gives Sweden lead (32)
- Group F encounter
- Ozil, Khedira left out by Low
- Lindelof returns for Sweden
- Germany lost opener to Mexico
Tag: Sweden
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Germany 2-1 Sweden – dramatic Kroos goal keeps Germany alive
Kroos’ late strike has given Germany all three points. The Sweden players drop to their knees, they thought they’d done enough to get a deserved point. However, it’s Germany celebrating as they get their campaign back on track in Sochi!
GERMANY TEAM NEWSHEAD-TO-HEADEARLY TEAM NEWS – SWEDENEARLY TEAM NEWS – GERMANYGERMANY v SWEDEN LIVE! -
Halmstad… cosy West Coast city of Sweden
OLALEKAN OKUSAN who was recently in Halmstad, Sweden for the annual World Team Table Tennis Championship, writes on the beauty and attractions of the West Coast Scandinavia city.
BEING my first trip to a Scandinavian country, I was eagerly looking forward to the trip to Sweden for the annual World Team Table Tennis Championships holding in Halmstad. For the trip, I was scheduled to travel aboard Turkish airlines from Lagos.
To my surprise, sanity seemed to prevail at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, as against the seemingly habitual extortion that the airport security officials were known. In fact, it took me less than five minutes to pass through the immigration to the departure section of the airport.
The flight to Istanbul was right on time, as the plane taxied off the runway at precisely 7:45 pm and I was asleep before even take-off. By the time I opened my eyes, the captain was informing the passengers on the need to fasten their seat belt as the plane was about to land in Istanbul at 5 am.
I had a two-hour transit in Istanbul before boarding my second flight to Copenhagen at exactly 7:30 am. This second leg was a two-hour flight. On safe arrival in Copenhagen, I embarked on a train to my final destination, Halmstad. Earlier, at the Copenhagen airport, I had bought some Danish currency to be able to purchase the train ticket which cost 35 Euros to the West Coast Swedish city.
It took three hours for my train to arrive in Halmstad, and the journey turned out to have a changeover after an hour on the rails, because of the repair work on the direct track leading to Halmstad. Despite the long time, I enjoyed the journey because it gave me the opportunity to see some of the names I was familiar with – like Malmo, Helsingborg among others.
At 2:30 pm, the train arrived at Halmstad Train Station, where we alighted to the warm embrace of our host, who were represented by some elderly volunteers.
My nine-day experience in Halmstad began on May 29, and until my departure on May 7, I enjoyed every moment of this beautiful and serene city. Halmstad is located on the west coast of Sweden, between Gothenburg and Malmo. It has a port, university, and is an industrial and recreational city that covers an area of 34.13km2. Furthermore, the city has an estimated population of 100,000. Its weather can be said to be oceanic climate, with warm summers and cold winters, as is characteristic of south Scandinavian weather.
For many visitors and tourists like myself, Halmstad offers a unique experience, with specific reference to the beautiful city centre, which is full of activities, shopping, bars and restaurants, and it is located 2km from Halmstad Arena, venue of the 2018 ITTF World Team Championships.
According to Wikipedia, Halmstad is Sweden’s 20th-largest city by population and located about midway between Gothenburg (the second most populous) and Malmo (the third). It is Europe’s northernmost city with a lot of timber framing architecture. Throughout the year, Halmstad is a lively municipality. It is a favourable location on the west coast, which allows business to develop, tourism to thrive and inhabitants to enjoy life and multiply in numbers; and it is known as one of Sweden’s most prominent tourist destinations.
Walking around Halmstad can be very interesting due to its quiet waterways, and the city hosts thousands of tourists annually, who are fond of visiting every summer to enjoy beaches, countryside and the full range of culture and restaurants. The most famous beach is Tylösand, which can have as many as 40,000 guests on a sunny summer day.
Many galleries and museums that portray the culture of Sweden dotted the city and the city library, which has received many awards for its unique architecture, is one of Halmstad’s most visited locations for quenching the thirst for culture and knowledge.
Just like sport is vital to Sweden, sports are taken seriously in Halmstad, and the city provides many opportunities to watch and engage in sports. Football, handball and table tennis are just a few of the sports that Halmstad’s sportsmen and women excel at. Halmstad Arena opened at the beginning of 2010 and is a multi-purpose arena with significant potential and areas for a wide range of sports and elite sports. Additionally, the city is regarded as Sweden’s golfing capital with 174 holes divided between eleven courses.
Table tennis; ping pong; wiff-waff – as the Swedes say, “A beloved child has many names”. But the name on the lips of Swedish when it comes to table tennis is Jorgen Persson, synonymous with his distinctive lightning-fast backhand.
Jorgen Persson is a native of Halmstad, who was one of the dominant names in Swedish men’s table tennis for over 20 years, travelling across the globe and has now returned to his home city.
The Halmstad Arena is one of the cherished sports edifices in the city. The 4000-capacity hall is mainly used for sports activities, but is sometimes used for concerts and fairs.
As I experienced first-hand all these tourist attractions, there was no doubt that my experience in Halmstad would remain with me for a very long time, as the city once again reminded me that nature has its way of bringing out the best in people.
For holiday goers, Halmstad is indeed a delightful place to visit in summer.
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APC convention: Diaspora chairmen commend party
The Forum of Chairmen of All Progressives Congress ( APC ) in the Diaspora has commended the party`s leadership for including its members in the planning committee for the forthcoming national convention.
Mr Lawal Ayoola, the spokesman of the Forum, gave the commendation in a telephone interview with the newsmen from Gothenburg, Sweden, on Thursday.
The newsmen reports that the APC will hold its national convention on May 14, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Ayoola said that the forum was happy to be part of the 63-man planning committee for the convention.
“It is a welcome development and a great indication that the party`s leadership is ready to further strengthen its wide-spread base and tap into the wealth of experience of its members in the Diaspora.
“The party`s inclusion of two chapters to represent the 12 accredited Diaspora chapters in organising the forth coming national convention is a timely and appropriate decision.
“The Diaspora members of the party are eager to contribute to the success of the convention,” he said.
Read Also: ‘Ekiti APC should unite’
Ayoola said that Diaspora members would play an active role in reinforcing the party`s greatness, having been truly committed to its cause since inception.
He said that such decision would inspire and encourage existing and potential members of the party across the globe as well as fortify the party’s growth and development in and outside the country.
“This, we hope, will put to rest the illegal activities of imposters that are parading themselves as recognised chapters in different Diaspora countries.
`We wish the leadership and entire organising committee a successful event,” Ayoola said.
NAN
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Dogara woos Swedish investors in power, ICT sectors
The Speaker of House of Representatives, Rep. Yakubu Dogara, has urged Swedish businessmen to invest in Nigeria to create job opportunities for its teeming population.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Turaki Hassan, in Abuja on Thursday said Dogara made the call when he received the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Inger Ulvedt, in his office.
The speaker said that Nigeria was the second largest trade partner to Sweden in Sub-Sahara Africa and had an existing cordial relationship between both countries and their citizens.
“Swedish companies or corporate citizens are not strangers to business in Nigeria; whether it is in the area of telecommunications, we remember Ericson handsets.
“I commend the ingenuity and creativity of the Swedish people in the area of automobile and in the area of power generation; they are doing a wonderful work.
Read Also: Dogara urges completion of Ajaokuta Steel complex
“We cannot help but call for more engagement in this direction and more flow of foreign direct investment in Nigeria.”
He said that the desired direct investments were in agriculture “to provide employment for the people, in the area of infrastructure, power, renewable energy, ICT, industries, especially the automobiles’’.
Dogara pledged legislative support for agreements needed to be domiciled in Nigeria, saying that the legislature would give the power of law to treaties and agreements between both countries.
He commended the Government and people of Sweden for their humanitarian aid to victims of Boko Haram terrorism in the North-East.
He said that terrorism was a global phenomenon which may be locally grown “but its devastating consequences would be felt in another country’’.
Dogara said that a global problem required global response and that there was need for the international community to organise a donor-conference for the North-East as it was done for countries under terror attack.
Earlier, Swedish ambassador had said that her country was interested in collaborating with the Nigerian government in various sectors to broaden existing bilateral agreements between both countries.
Ulvedt said that Sweden was supporting Nigerian students in innovation at University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.
She said that her country had been the biggest donor to the Nigerian humanitarian trust fund for the victims of violence in the North-East.
The ambassador said that small houses, schools, hospitals, among other social infrastructure had been built as part of the support.
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EU proposes 40% quota of female board members
To push for gender equality, the European Union ( EU ) proposed 40 per cent quota of female board members, The Guardian newspaper reported.
Male members account for more than 60 per cent on company boards, a proposal brought up by the European commission.
Under the proposal, the EU is required to give priority to female candidates over the same qualifications for a post when women constitute less than 40 per cent of the boards.
Several European countries such as Germany, Hungary and Sweden have opposed previous attempts to reach the goal in consideration of preserving domestic affairs and ideology.
Women empowerment at high ranks of companies is in slow progress in Europe.
Women made up 29 per cent of British boards in 2016, down from 32.1 per cent in 2014 and 31.6 per cent in 2012, according to research by global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder.
Statistics also show that the proportion of women on boards across the EU has more than doubled from 2005 to 2015.
However, in terms of board chairs and chief executives, women take up less than 10 per cent in the largest listed companies.
Read Also: EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping
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50 Nigerians deported from European countries arrive Lagos
Some 50 Nigerians were on Thursday deported from eight European countries for committing immigration-related offences.
The Nigerians were deported from Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Hungary.
Their deportation is coming barely 48 hours after another set of 40 Nigerians were deported by the Italian Government, for similar reasons.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fresh batch of deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA), Lagos at about 7.36 a.m.
The deportees, comprising of 48 males and two females, were brought back in a chartered Privileged Time aircraft, with registration number EC-L20.
DSP Joseph Alabi, spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development to NAN.
Alabi said: “this morning, we received 50 Nigerians who were brought back from Europe.
“We had three males from Switzerland; from Germany, we had seven males; from Sweden, we had four males, from Luxembourg, we had six males; from Austria, we had 18, comprising of 17 males and one female.
“From Belgium, we had only one female; from Spain, we had five males and finally from Hungary, we had six males, which makes it a total of 50,’’ he said.
Alabi said all the deportees were alleged to have committed immigration-related offences in their host countries.
Alabi said the deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.
Also on ground to receive them were officials the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and were allowed to depart to their various destinations.
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Nigeria’s striker, Egbuchulam, joins Swedes BK Hacken on loan
Nigeria’s forward, Chisom Egbuchulam, on Tuesday joined club BK Hacken in Sweden, on a season-long loan from Enugu Rangers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Egbuchulam scored 16 goals and made 11 assists last season to help Rangers win the Nigerian league and claim a Champions League spot.
He has the option of a three-year permanent move to the 2016 Swedish Cup champions.
“Moving to Europe is a big dream-come-true for me. I thank God for the opportunity and BK Hacken for the platform to play in European football,” Egbuchulam said.
Egbuchulam’s impressive form in the domestic league led to an international call-up from Nigeria’s manager, Gernot Rohr, for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Zambia in October. (NAN)
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Nigerian in Sweden builds eye centre, provides water
A Sweden-based businessman, Chief Daniel Ogbonnaya has built an eye treatment centre and donated five water boreholes for his people of Lodu and Lohum Imenyi communities in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
The medical facility named GOK Eye Centre was completed and equipped with modern facilities and qualified eye experts drawn from different hospitals in Nigeria, including the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia.
Chief Ogbonnaya built and donated five water boreholes for his people of Lodu Imenyi to end their search for clean water.
Conducting newsmen round the projects, the younger brother of the philanthropist Mr Tony Ogbonnaya revealed that his brother was determined to transform the condition of his people, which made him to attract those facilities to them.
The younger Ogbonnaya stated that the eye clinic where he is a staff, now attracts patients from different towns Ohafia, Igbere, Item, Isukwuato, Ozu Abam, Alayi, Nkporo, Nkpa, Akara and even Umuahia, the state capital, pointing out that the efficient and affordable treatment offered to patients was responsible for the large turnout of patrons to the clinic.
Tony went ahead to disclose that even the elderly people that suffered from arthritis were equally treated at the centre and given some drugs, stressing that many of the patients either had their bills subsidized or written off completely by the centre.
Apart from the Eye clinic and water boreholes projects, Chief Ogbonnaya has also been sponsoring some brilliant students from his area to educational institutes of repute to realise their academic potentials.
He is also, presently building a sprawling housing estate at Lohum Junction along the busy Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara Road, off Colony Road, to provide affordable housing units for his people and in helping to boost commercial activities in his area, including re-roof St Paul’s Catholic Church where he worships when he is in the country.
In appreciation of Chief Ogbonnaya’s numerous contributions to the development of his community, the traditional ruler of Lodu Imenyi autonomous community, Eze Jeremiah Nworisara honored him with a title of Aku Ruo Ulor 1 [meaning: someone who attracts wealth and other good things to his people] and this has further spurred him to do more for them.
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Travails of Boko Haram victim in Europe
Members of Boko Haram stormed their house in Maiduguri, Borno State. He was stabbed in the head and face. His younger brother was killed, all in a bid to forcefully recruit him.
Soon after, he fled Nigeria and made a long and dangerous boat journey to Europe, where in 2011 he sought asylum in Sweden. He told his story and showed his still fresh and infected wounds, including the gash over his eye, which he feared would cost him his eyesight. He was denied asylum, so he continued to Iceland, Eze Okafor, 32 recounted to Al Jazeera reporters, Marie-Helene Carleton and Micah Garen in Sweden.
Eze fled Nigeria after being targeted by Boko Haram. In 2010, he and his younger brother, Okwy, were attacked in retaliation for not joining the armed group. “They tried to recruit me, but I refused,” he narrated.
He applied for asylum in Iceland in 2012 but was denied and has been working with a lawyer, Katrin Theodorsdottir, who then applied for permission for Eze to stay in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, as his case has slowly made its way through the system. Eze said in October he was given temporary residency and could work.
His case in Iceland has hinged on what time limit is relevant to his asylum request, as defined by Article 19 of the Dublin Regulation, which determines which EU member state is responsible for asylum seekers.
Article 19 lays out a timeframe of six months within which an asylum seeker must be sent back to the country where they were originally asking for asylum; otherwise the current country is responsible for processing their asylum case.
After many rejections, appeals and back and forth between various immigration authorities, Theodorsdottir said there was a “twist”. A special immigration committee reviewing Eze’s case said the time limit to send Eze back to Sweden might have expired, and advised him to go to the immigration office and have his application for asylum processed.
Eze went to the immigration office as instructed to pick up the paperwork, and was told to wait for 45 minutes, which he did. According to Theodorsdottir, unbeknownst to him, the police officer was calling the immigration office; and then another twist.
“The police said I should come to sign and all of a sudden they took me into custody. They arrested me. I spent the night in jail,” Eze recalled.
“They next morning they said they were deporting me. I said I should go and get my stuff from my house. They said no. They took me to the airport and manhandled me.
“In Iceland, I have been integrated into society, with so many friends. A lot of people know me. So when the police was beating me, when I was arrested, there was a lot of reaction.
“What I am facing in Nigeria is that this Islamic group is after my life. My life is in danger,” he said.
Early on May 26, Eze was put handcuffed onto a plane for deportation. Two members of the rights group ‘No Borders Iceland’ boarded the plane and stood up in protest, requesting that other passengers stand up as well protest Eze’s deportation. After about 10 minutes, they were arrested by Iceland’s police.
Eze was then taken to Stockholm. At the airport, he thought the Icelandic authorities would give him back the only ID he had – his Nigerian driver’s license. They took it back to Iceland. He was handed papers by the Swedish immigration authorities, which gave him until June 1 to leave Sweden or be deported back to Nigeria.
He was also given a piece of paper saying he had no right to financial assistance. Without money or any identification, he was turned out onto the street where he spent the first night.
According to the article on Al Jazeera, Eze believes that when he lands at the airport in Nigeria he fears he will be apprehended by the police. “Boko Haram has a network. They have been looking for me since then.”
Today, Eze is uncertain about his future. He does know one thing for sure. If he were to return to Nigeria, he believes it would mean death for him.
With his friends, he is working hard to find a lawyer who could take his case in Sweden. His dream is to return to his home in Iceland.
Theodorsdottir said there is something the immigration office could do. She has requested that he be granted permission to live in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, a request that is still pending.
Eze said his mother, Celina, taught him how to cook at an early age and it is his passion. He loved working in the restaurant in Iceland and had a good relationship with his boss. He loves to cook Nigerian food. Maybe, he said, once he is back in Iceland, and his life has found balance again, he could pursue a dream. There is no Nigerian restaurant in Iceland.
“Maybe one day, when I am back in Iceland, I could open a restaurant”, Eze said, smiling.
“When I was in handcuffs on my way to Sweden, I was pleading with them,” Eze said. “I am not a criminal. I did not commit any crime. I am asking for refuge. They should treat me like a human.”
Culled from Al Jazeera
SWEDEN 1-0 SWITZERLAND
FT: There we have it, a fairly dull game until the second half added time, and it’s Emil Forsberg’s deflected goal that seals Sweden’s spot in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994.
Switzerland had their chance to press but their finishing was poor, and they have been punished. Home time for Shaqiri and co.
GOAL! SWEDEN 1-0 SWITZERLAND (Forsberg, 66)
FINALLY! There’s a breakthrough and hopefully it inspires a bit of quality in this now!
Toivonen slips the ball to Forsberg across the top of the area who takes a few strides before striking – but the ball takes a big deflection off the foot of Akanji on the way through and beats Sommer in the net.
A cruel blow for Switzerland but they have plenty of time to get back into this yet.
HT: Chances for both sides in that first half, but there has been some terrible finishing plus a good save from Yann Sommer to keep Marcus Berg from netting the opening goal.
As expected before the game, it has been tight between the two and this game is there for the taking. We have to have a winner this afternoon!
WITZERLAND TEAM NEWS
Team to play Sweden: Sommer, Lang, Djourou, Akanji, Rodriguez, Behrami, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber, Drmic.
Subs: Mvogo, Burki, Moubandje, Elvedi, Freuler, Fernandes, Zakaria, Embolo, Seferovic, Gavranovic.
SWEDEN TEAM NEWS
Team to play Switzerland: Olsen, Lustig, Lindelof, Granqvist, Augustinsson, Claesson, Svensson, Ekdal, Forsberg, Berg, Toivonen.
Subs: Johnsson, Nordfeldt, Olsson, Helander, Krafth, Jansson, Hiljemark, Rohden, Durmaz, Guidetti, Thelin.
FOUR SWISS SWITCHES
Switzerland have made four changes from their late 2-2 draw with Costa Rica last time out.
Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schar are suspended, so Michael Lang and Johan Djourou come into the XI. There are also changes up front with Bree Embolo and Mario Gavranovic making way for Steven Zuber and Josip Drmic.
Sweden have made one change from the side that beat Mexico 3-0 in their final group game, with Seb Larsson suspended. He is replaced by Gustav Svensson.
Captain Andreas Granqvist is in the XI with his wife due to give birth today.