Spicy Joe Vibes Blog

The footballers looked unhappy as they arrived England following their defeat in Germany last night. The club needed at least a point against Wolfsburg to qualify from the champions League group stage to the knockout stage but unfortunately came up short losing 3-2. See more pics after the cut  

The former Blues defender finds Mourinho's antics 'normal' and regards his spell in the Premier League as a success, despite returning to Atletico Madrid after just one season Filipe Luis believes Jose Mourinho 's comments to the media can be "damaging" to certain members of his Chelsea squad. Mourinho has come under pressure after a dismal start to the season that has seen the Blues win just seven of their 12 Premier League fixtures, although Goa l understands the Portuguese will not be sacked during the international break. Luis, who spent one season under Mourinho before returning to Atletico Madrid during the summer, believes the tactics of the former Real Madrid head-coach may be harming some of the Blues players.                                      "He has his way of talking to the press, especially when the team loses, which can sometimes be damaging to certai...

Jurgen Klopp will assess some of his first-team squad as well as a few of Liverpool 's young on-loan talents during a friendly game with Wolves on Friday afternoon. The manager has not been afforded the training time he would appreciate between matches, but the international break offers him an extended period to correct issues in sessions rather than through video analysis. While he does not have a full roster at his disposal due to national team commitments, Klopp will still tackle key areas of concern. Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Lucas Leiva, Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno and Joao Teixeira will all start in the behind-closed-doors encounter at Melwood. Brazilian starlet Allan, who won the Finnish league during a temporary spell with SJK Seinäjoki, will also be part of the first XI.                                          ...

A return to Real Madrid is a possibility for Jose Mourinho , according to former Los Blancos president Ramon Calderon, who suggests the under-fire Chelsea boss could replace Rafael Benitez . Mourinho's job has become the subject of immense speculation after a disastrous start to the season, with his side suffering seven defeats in their opening 12 Premier League matches. However, the club's owner, Roman Abramovich, is prepared to be patient with the coach  despite reports of unrest in the dressing room. Although his three-year spell at Madrid was plagued by his disputes with Iker Casillas and a number of other players, he guided the team to a league title and three Champions League semi-finals, and Calderon believes he would be welcome back to the Santiago Bernabeu.                                                 ...

Chelsea  midfielder  Cesc Fabregas  says he will defend manager  Jose Mourinho  "tooth and nail" and will always be grateful to the Portuguese coach. Mourinho has come under fire after the Blues' shocking start to the Premier League season, which has seen them lose seven of their 12 games. Fabregas, meanwhile, has been accused of leading a player revolt against his manager, but says nothing could be further from the truth. Speaking to  Goal  at Spain's training base in Madrid, he said: "That came from a website without too many readers, but it started growing on social media and some important newspapers ended up reporting what was a very small thing that may even have been invented by a guy on his sofa at home. "I am the first to defend our manager tooth and nail from the first minute when some began to doubt and I will continue to do so. The manager has helped me a lot in the year and a half I have been at Chelsea and I will always be gratefu...

   Thechampions have made a horror start to the season, with Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool leaving them 15th on the table with 11 points from as many games but Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel insists the team remains behind under-fire manager Jose Mourinho. However, Mikel Obi, who started both the Capital One Cup loss to Stoke and the Reds reverse, is adamant Mourinho still has control of the Blues dressing room. "We are right behind the manager," Mikel said in The Guardian. "There's no doubt about it. In training we work very hard. If anyone can turn this around, we definitely think he's the one. "Last year we were champions. We won two trophies. Jose knows this club more than any other manager. He's the most successful manager in the club's history. "I definitely think that, if anything is wrong, if anything can be fixed, he is the one. There's no one out there that is going to come in and fix what...

The footballer turned a year older yesterday and spent the special day with his wife and children. see More photos

Nigerian students studying in theUnited Kingdom, and their counterparts from other countries, will be forced to leave the country after graduation. A fresh policy ordered by Home Secretary, Theresa May, seeks to ban foreign students, with the exception of those from EU countries, from working in Britain after completing their studies. The policy requires that they return to their countries and reapply for a visa to return and work in the country. It is argued that many students are using colleges as a “back door to a British work visa”. According to official figures, out of the 121,000 non-EU students that entered the UK in the 12 months to June 2014, only 51,000 left. This indicated a net influx of 70,000 students. Already, May has banned 870 UK colleges from taking foreign students as a means to stop student visas being used as an easy way to enter the UK before getting a job and claiming benefits. The new rules will deny non-EU students the right to work while in the UK...

Congolese coach Claude Le Roy says he is confident his Under-23 team have what it takes to upset their Nigeria counterparts, when both teams clash in an Olympics 2016 qualifiers this weekend in Porthacourt. Le Roy who lead Congo senior national team last year to inflict a first ever home loss on Nigeria, in an Africa nations cup qualifer which went a long way in denying Nigeria a chance to defend her 2013 crown, at the tournament proper is confident his Under-23 team are capable of doing same. “We are in an identical position to last year with no one beyond Congo giving us a chance,” Le Roy said during a training camp in Atlantic City Pointe-Noire. “But my team have a huge chance of not only eliminating Nigeria, but qualifying for the Rio Olympics, there is no reason why we should fear Nigeria. “Congolese football has made tremendous progress recently and we must maintain that improvement.” The 67 year old can call on four of his senior squad for the third-round, first-leg...

CSKA Moscow and Guangzhou R&F continue to haggle over a transfer fee for Nigeria international Aaron Samuel. The Russian Premier League side have failed to meet the attacker's five million euros buy-out clause after several months of negotiations but they have agreed to insert a 10 percent sell - on fee on top of the €3.5 million that has been offered. Unlike some European teams, Guangzhou R&F are backed by real estate developers and don't have cash flow problems, and are reluctant to do business with the Muscovites except they cough up €5 million. But CSKA Moscow power brokers are confident a deal is imminent, with the club instructing Aaron Samuel to start processing his visa to Russia. A five - year contract has been offered to the Guangzhou R&F frontman but the player and his intermediary have insisted that the duration of the agreement should be four seasons. The 21 year old has maintained his professionalism while talks are ongoing, and netted a b...

Robin van Persie's new team Fenerbahce have a tough date with Shakhtar Donetsk while last season's quarter-finalists Monaco must overcome Swiss outfit Young Boys to reach the Champions League play-offs. For Shakhtar, their pairing with Fenerbahce in the third qualifying round means a return to Istanbul's Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, the scene of their finest hour, the 2009 UEFA Cup triumph over Werder Bremen. In other ties produced by Friday's draw, Dutch giants Ajax, four-time winners of Europe's premier club competition, face Rapid Vienna, Panathinaikos are up against FC Bruges, and CSKA Moscow play Sparta Prague. Scottish champions Celtic can look forward to a trip to either Azerbaijan or Montenegro if they come through the second qualifying round. Ronny Deila's team are 2-0 up after Wednesday's first leg against Icelandic side Stjarnan. Should the Hoops seal the tie in next week's second leg they will face either Qarabag in Baku, venue for th...

Brazil defender Dante is set to miss Bayern Munich's opening pre-season warm-up tournament at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday after picking up an injury while playing beach football on holiday. Bayern face hosts Moenchengladbach, Hamburg and Augsburg in a mini-tournament as the German champions begin their preparations for the new Bundesliga season on August 14 when they host Hamburg in Munich. Centre-back Dante, 31, picked up a leg injury while playing footvolley a popular mix of football and beach volleyball at home in Salvador, Brazil. "Dante trained a lot on holiday and also played a bit of football, where he suffered a small tear in a muscle," explained Bayern Munich's director of sport Matthias Sammer. It means Spain international Javi Martinez is the only fit centre-back Bayern coach Pep Guardiola currently has at his disposal as Dante recovers from the minor set back. Bayern are set to present their team on Saturday in Munich before travelling ...

Istanbul giants Fenerbahce on Thursday confirmed they were in talks to sign Dutch international striker Robin van Persie from Manchester United. "Talks have started with the club and the player himself over the transfer of Robin van Persie," Fenerbahce said in a statement, giving no further details. The statement came amid heightening speculation that the singing of Van Persie could come in the next days, after Fenerbahce sporting director Giuliano Terraneo flew to England to hold personal talks with the player. Portuguese star Nani on Monday joined Fenerbahce from United for six million euros (4.26m, $6.7m) as last season's Super Lig runners up seek to add a glittering array of foreign talent to their ranks for the new season.

The Nigeria Football Federation has offered former captain Sunday Oliseh the job of the Super Eagles, understood to be a five year deal. Oliseh, who have NFF Technical and Development Committee’s required credentials to replace sacked Stephen Keshi, will come with a Foreign Technical Assistant, whose job description will centre around development programmes, and who will work with Clubs’ Youth Teams and certified Academies towards developing the game from the grassroots. “An offer has been made, and there is understanding, but we have to work out the final details of the agreement in a few days. Of course, the Executive Board has to give approval for his appointment based on the final terms to be agreed,” said Felix Anyansi-Agwu, chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee. Current stand-in Coach Salisu Yusuf will also be in the new team, but with greater devotion to the home-based team, otherwise known as Super Eagles B, and will be the interface between the technical c...

John Heitinga is heading home to add some experience to Ajax's young defense.The Amsterdam club announced Thursday it has signed the veteran defender for one season with an option for a second year. Heitinga was out of contract after playing last season in the Bundesliga for Hertha Berlin. Heitinga is a product of Ajax's storied youth development program and played 215 matches for the first team before heading overseas where he has played for Atletico Madrid, Everton and Fulham. He has made 87 international appearances for the Netherlands, including the ill-tempered 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg, in which he was sent off as the Dutch lost 1-0 to Spain.

Cholera has killed at least 18 people in Juba, capital of South Sudan, in the last three weeks and the government will step up measures to counter the spread of the disease, the health minister Riek Gai Kok said on Tuesday. Juba has seen more than 171 suspected cholera cases so far in this outbreak, the health ministry said. Last year, 167 people died in South Sudan in a cholera outbreak, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have said. The WHO representative in South Sudan, Tarande Manzila, said cholera treatment centres had been set up at Juba's teaching hospital and at a clinic at the UN site housing civilians. The WHO and other organisations are conducting oral cholera vaccinations in vulnerable areas of Juba and the oil hub of Bentiu in Unity state, targeting nearly 107 000 people, to prevent a large-scale outbreak, Manzila said. South Sudan's civil war pits forces loyal to President Salva Kiir against rebels allied with former vice president Ri...

Guinea will put four villages under a 21-day quarantine as part of a robust strategy to stamp out a lingering Ebola epidemic after new cases of the disease were discovered there. The worst Ebola epidemic on record has killed more than 11 000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea over the last year and a half. Liberia became Ebola-free in May, but neighbouring Sierra Leone and Guinea are still struggling to get to zero cases despite hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. According to a health ministry document seen by Reuters on Wednesday, the quarantine will apply to Sikhourou Koloteya in the Forecariah prefecture southeast of the capital Conakry along with Tanéné and Bamba in Dubreka prefecture.The village of Tamarasy in the Boké mining region will also be subject to the new measures. "In practice, a hooping system will be organised resulting in a ban on movement by inhabitants in the affected locations," the document stated. Twenty-one days is the standard observat...

Covenant University, Ota, Ogun, will during its 10th Convocation Ceremony graduate a total number of 1,315 students. It was learnt that 104 of these students will be bagging first class. This was made known by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Charles Ayo during a press briefing ahead of the convocation ceremony. According to him, 610 others would be graduating in the Second Class Upper Division, 510 will be graduating in the Second Class Lower Division while a total of 91 others would be graduating in the Third Class Division. He further stated that the institution will also be graduating about 135 postgraduate students.

The senate on Wednesday summoned the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to explain the state of the nation’s refineries as well as all structures under its supervision. In a prayer, Olusola Adeyeye (Osun-central) argued that the senate should go beyond urging the government to act, and instead hold its ministries, agencies and departments to account. He prayed that the senate “‎summon the NNPC as soon as possible to give account of the state of the refineries and other structures under its control”. He also urged the senate to advise the government to revamp the existing refineries and encourage the establishment of private ones. Bukola Saraki, senate president, put the prayer to a voice vote, after which the senate agre‎ed to summon the NNPC “as soon as the relevant committee was set up”. The senate also called on the federal government to revamp the rail system‎ to ease the pressure on the roads. Earlier, Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) moved a motion askin...

Five students from various secondary schools in Anambra will represent Nigeria in the 27th World Schools Debating Championship scheduled for Singapore between June 27 and July 3. The students are: Adachukwu Onyekwena (Girls Secondary School, Amaenyi, Awka), Nnamdi Udoji (Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha) and Chinemerem Oguaba (Awada Secondary School, Obosi). Other s are: Chukwuebuka Obichi (Army Day Secondary School, Onitsha) and Nneka Chigozie(Mater Ammabillis, Secondary School, Umuoji). The state’s Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kate Omenugha, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Awka on Wednesday that the students had qualified for the world competition. She said that after coming tops in the various national debate competitions at the secondary schools level, the five students were now set to slug it out with their mates at the international level. The commissioner congratulated them for being outstanding among their peers and urged them to be good ...