Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League Tuesday as Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice in four minutes in the second-half to send Sevilla into the quarter-finals.

It was the first time in 60 years that Sevilla reached this stage of the competition, with a stunning 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

The Spaniards progressed by the same score on aggregate after a goalless first-leg draw.

The visitors were deserving winners as they controlled the game throughout but had to wait for Ben Yedders introduction as a substitute to add a clinical finish.

Ben Yedder put Sevilla in front 16 minutes from time when he blasted into the bottom corner before heading in a second shortly after.

Romelu Lukaku reduced Uniteds arrears, but it was too little, too late with United boss Jose Mourinhos decision to once again drop Paul Pogba certain to be scrutinised.

Mourinho sprang a surprise before kick-off by recalling Marouane Fellaini at the expense of Pogba, who had also been dropped for the first game.

Jesse Lingard also returned in place of Juan Mata in Mourinhos only other change from the side that beat Liverpool 2-1 at the weekend.

And Lingard nearly had an instant impact as he teed up Lukaku on the edge of the box, but the Belgians effort drifted high and wide.

Sevilla dominated the vast majority of the first leg only to be denied by some stunning saves from David de Gea.

However, it was wayward finishing rather than the Spanish number one that prevented the visitors making the most of their ascendency for most of the match.

Joaquin Correa headed just over from a corner before Luis Muriel and Franco Vazquez fired off target when well-positioned on the edge of the area.

Indeed, of Sevillas 10 efforts on goal in the first period only one weak Muriel effort forced De Gea into making a save.

Substitute Wissam Ben Yedders second goal looped over the line to finish off United
Mourinhos gamble on Fellaini appeared to have largely backfired as he failed to impose his physical presence on Sevillas ball players in midfield.

Yet, the Belgian nearly made the breakthrough with Uniteds best move of the opening period when he latched onto Alexis Sanchezs layoff and his powerful effort was turned behind by Sergio Rico.

The second period began in the same vein as the first with Sevilla on the front foot, and only a brilliant last-ditch tackle by Eric Bailly denied Correa a clear sight of goal.

Chances kept coming for Sevilla as Muriel then turned a dangerous Pablo Sarabia cross inches wide.

Pogba, who cost United a then-world record 89 million ($116 million) in 2016, was eventually introduced just after the hour mark with Fellaini sacrificed.

However, even the Frenchman couldnt kickstart the hosts and they were eventually made to pay.

Source: NAN

Jose Mourinho insisted European disappointment is nothing new for Manchester United after losing 2-1 to Sevilla at Old Trafford to crash out of the Champions League.

Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice in four second-half minutes on Tuesday to send Sevilla into the quarter-finals for the first time in 60 years as United suffered a first European home defeat since Alex Fergusons Champions League farewell in 2013.

Mourinho was on the winning side that night as Real Madrid manager and also sent United out of the last 16 when Porto boss in 2004.

Ive sat in this chair twice before with Porto, Manchester United out, and Real Madrid, Manchester United out, so I dont think its anything new for the club, said Mourinho, who bristled at questions over his tactical approach.

I dont want to make a drama of it. We have no time to be sad for more than 24 hours, thats football. Its not the end of the world.

The visitors were deserving winners as they controlled the game throughout, but had to wait for Ben Yedders introduction as a substitute 18 minutes from time to add a clinical finish by taking his Champions League tally for the season to eight goals in seven appearances.

Ben Yedder put Sevilla in front two minutes later when he blasted into the bottom corner before heading in a second shortly after.

Romelu Lukaku reduced Uniteds arrears, but it was too little, too late with Mourinhos decision to once again drop Paul Pogba certain to be scrutinised.

In the first half we played a good game apart from the last 30 minutes, said Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella.

In the second half we were more clinical with Ben Yedder, he made the difference today.

Mourinho sprang a surprise before kick-off by recalling Marouane Fellaini at the expense of Pogba, who had also been dropped for the first game.

Sevilla dominated the vast majority of the first leg only to be denied by some stunning saves from David de Gea.

However, it was wayward finishing rather than the Spanish number one that prevented the visitors making the most of their ascendency for most of the match.

Indeed, of Sevillas 10 efforts on goal in the first period only one weak Muriel effort forced De Gea into making a save.

Source: NAN

Edin Dzeko was the hero as Roma reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 10 years edging past Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday.

Dzekos goal allowed the Italians to win the tie on away goals.

The Bosnian strikers 52nd-minute goal proved enough after a 2-1 first-leg loss in Ukraine, with 10-man Shakhtar failing to find the late strike they needed after Ivan Ordets was sent off late on.

Cengiz Unders goal in the first leg last month ultimately proved crucial for Roma, but Dzeko was the hero on the night and also proved instrumental in Shakhtar defender Ordets being shown a straight red card with 12 minutes left.

That sending-off led to tensions spilling over, with Shakhtars Facundo Ferreyra picking up a booking for shoving a ballboy over an advertising board.

Eusebio Di Francescos side are the second Italian team to advance to the quarter-finals after Juventus, with the draw for the last eight taking place on Friday.

The standing ovation is not for me but for everyone, we are deservedly in the quarter-finals, said Dzeko of the applause which accompanied him off the pitch.

We managed to do something Roma hadnt in 10 years, so going forward to play against the best makes us all very proud.

We are among the eight best sides in Europe.

Roma did not concede a goal at home in the group stage and hammered Chelsea 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, so the home fans in the crowd of 47,693 would have been confident their side could get the job done.

The Ukrainians dominated early possession though, and there was a scare for the hosts when Alessandro Florenzi nearly nodded a free-kick into his own net.

Source: NAN

Tiger Woods and Ernie Els shifted their decades-long friendly rivalry onto the international stage as they were officially named captains for the 2019 Presidents Cup on Tuesday.

Woods, holds the match-play competitions record with 24 match wins for the U.S., and Els, has won an International side best 20 matches.

They will lead their teams to Australia.

Australia will host the 2019 edition of the Cup from Dec. 12 to Dec. 15 at Royal Melbourne.

The announcement was made in the Latrobe Room at Bay Hill, site of this weeks Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour.

Els and Woods have frequently shared golfs main stage.

Four-times major winner Els of South Africa has been runner-up to Woods seven times in his professional playing career, including twice in majors the U.S. and British Open in 2000.

Woods and Els served as captains assistants in the 2017 Presidents Cup.

Then, the 12-man U.S. team won 19-11 at Liberty National in New Jersey for their 10th Cup victory against one loss and one draw in the biennial event.

Els and Woods also shared an iconic moment at the 2003 Presidents Cup when they faced off in a sudden-death playoff to decide the competition.

They battled evenly through three tension-packed playoff holes before failing light forced officials to declare the event in South Africa a draw.

Tiger and I have had some great duels in the past, and I look forward to the challenge of going against my longtime friend yet again in 2019, said Els.

Els might even have to stomach Woods once again wielding a golf club in the matchplay competition.

Woods, who has launched a comeback after his spinal fusion surgery a year ago, finished joint runner-up by one shot last week at the Valspar Championship.

He said on Tuesday with a smile that he had thought about a possible playing captaincy.

The 42-year-old American acknowledged there was a lot of time and a lot of golf to go before the teams are set.

Thats a bridge thats a long way away from now to be crossing but, if it does come to that point, it wont just be my decision, it will be a collaborative effort, what is best for the team, said Woods.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said having contemporary giants such as Woods and Els captain the Presidents Cup teams could have a huge impact on the event and the game of golf.

I think its huge for two reasons. One, theyre going to bring the world at large to the Presidents Cup as they have done every time that theyre competing on a global stage, he said.

And in doing so theyre likely going to be bringing forward future stars.

We dont know who is going to come forward between now and then, but its likely that stars from new countries are going to come with Ernie Els and Tiger Woods leading their respective teams.

So, I think its just going to take the game deeper and wider than its ever been.

In addition to the naming of the captains, two format changes were announced.

Each player will only be required to play one match prior to the final-round singles instead of two as in past competitions.

Also, the top eight players for the International and U.S. team standings will automatically qualify following completion of the 2019 Tour Championship.

Captains will later select four wild-card picks instead of the two they had previously.

This will be the third Presidents Cup to be held at venerable Royal Melbourne, designed by Alister MacKenzie, who also designed Augusta National.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

World number three Marin Cilic crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells tournament on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to Germanys Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4.

Caroline Wozniacki, the womens World number two is also out, dumped by Russian Daria Kasatkina, ranked 19. Danish Wozniacki lost 4-6 7-5.

Venus Williams,38 in June, on the other hand continues to defy her age by beating Latvias Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets to move into the quarter finals, winning 7-6 6-4.

Venus is ranked eighth in the world, while her opponent, who is 28 years old, is ranked 20th.

The 29-year-old Cilic, who reached the finals of two of the last three Grand Slams, dropped to a record of 10-4 on the season.

Kohlschreiber advances to the fourth round where he will play unseeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert who won his third round match when fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils retired in the second set with a lower back injury.

Cilic blasted five aces but couldnt overcome Kohlschreibers strong serving game. The German won 76 percent of his first serve points and broke Cilics serve twice, once in each set.

Kohlschreiber is now 7-4 overall against Cilic. He has won three out of their last four meetings, including a straight set victory in the final in Munich on clay in 2012. He won their first meeting on hardcourt in Moscow in 2007.

Cilic, who is considered to be one of the most consistent players on the Tour, claimed his 17th career title in Istanbul last year. He also reached the final at Wimbledon.

In January, he lost in five sets in the final of the Australian Open to Roger Federer, the third Grand Slam final of his career.

In the first set Kohlschreiber got the key break he needed in the third game to go up 2-1. He managed to hold serve for the rest of the set and take the final game on four straight points.

He got another break of serve in the seventh game of the second set to pull ahead 4-3 then held serve in the next game to go up 5-3.

Kohlschreiber closed out the contest on match point when Cilics final backhand shot hit the net cord and fell back into his side of the court.

Source: NAN

By Isaac Aregbesola

The Federal Government says it is working with Libyan Authority to negotiate the release of all Nigerians in Libya slave camps and ensure their repatriation safely to the country.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that negotiations were ongoing with some of the militia groups controlling some camps who were demanding money to allow access to their camps.

The minister said he had a meeting with the outgoing Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Attai Alkhoder, who promised his countrys cooperation to ensure the release of Nigerians in the slave camps.

He said the federal government was working relentlessly to ensure that all Nigerians in Libya slave camps were repatriated safely to the country.

I met with the Libyan ambassador who promised to cooperate on the issue of migrants; I let him know that we appreciate what the Libya is doing.

We agreed on way forward, that the Libya government will continue to help us to access those camps where there are still Nigerians outside the control of the Libyan government, he said.

Onyeama stressed that the efforts required negotiations with the militia groups who were in control of the camps.

We have been given some amount that we have to pay to those rebels before we can get our people out, but it has not been easy.

There is an instance that it has to be negotiated down to 2,500 dollars per camp to get Nigerians out. There is another camp that we have to negotiate around that figure also, he said.

The Minister, however, said that not all Nigerians in Libya were irregular migrants, adding that there were some who were living legally in Libya.

There are Nigerians who are actually in Libya legally and are doing their legitimate jobs and we have some of them who are actually useful in helping us to look for Nigerians in the country, he said.

The minister said that Nigeria would want to work towards ensuring that peace returned to Libya by ensuring that that country has a central government and police central authority.

When a central authority is in control that is when it will be easier to relate with the country and address some of the problems they are having with regards to irregular migrants, he said.

Onyeama said the outgoing ambassador assured that he would support Nigeria in ensuring that irregular migrants were safely repatriated.

He said the envoy also stressed on the need for improved bilateral relations between both countries.

Source: NAN

By Wandoo Sombo

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ruled that the issue of elevation would not stop a judge from carrying out his or her duty.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave the ruling in the N9 billion alleged fraud trial against former Benue governor, Gabriel Suswam.

The judge made the clarification as a result of concern raised by counsel to Suswam, Mrs Chinelo Ogbozor, as a result of Justice Kolawoles elevation.

The issue was objected to by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Aminu Alilu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government is prosecuting Suswam and two others over diversion of N9.79 billion.

Part of the diverted funds was said to be for police reform and Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme.

Those charged alongside Suswam in the 32- count charge are Omadachi Oklobia, his former Commissioner for Finance, and Janet Aluga, former Accountant , Benue Government House.

In the charge, the trio allegedly cornered the said funds between 2012 and 2015 while Suswam was governor of the state.

They are also accused of conspiracy, conversion of property derived directly from corruption; collaboration to conceal property derived from corruption; obtaining by false pretence and accepting cash payments, exceeding the amount authorised by law.

Counsel to Suswam, Mrs Chinelo Ogbozor told the court that her client had certain concerns with regards to proceeding with the trial.

According to her, in view of the recent development, which is in public domain even though not yet made official, which is with regards to the elevation of my lord, we will be asking for the courts direction.

She said that as a result of their concerns, they were not prepared to proceed with the matter.

Mr A.O. Ochogwu, counsel to the second defendant in the matter said that his client shared the same views with that of the first defendant.

Ochogwu, however, added that since the court had also fixed March 15 to hear the matter, he prayed the court for an adjournment to enable counsel prepare to commence trial.

Alilu, however, maintained that the reason given by the defence for not being ready to proceed was not tenable as there were provisions in law to take care of instances of elevation of a judge.

If a diligent search had been done, the defence will realise that Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) has taken care of the issue of elevation.

We also have our concerns; we transported our witnesses all the way from Benue, so how do we take care of their accommodation and feeding until Thursday?

Kolawole noted that the issue of elevation would not stop a judge from carrying out his or her duty.

In a short ruling he said: When the matter came up the defence raised concerns over proceeding with the matter on account of elevation of a judge.

But the prosecution had a different view because of Section 396 of ACJA that says a judge elevated shall return and conclude the criminal matter he was handling.

Kolawole, however, said that he could not hear the matter because he had fixed a pre-election matter and that since he was assured of another date for the case, he would adjourn it until the next date.

He subsequently adjourned the matter until March 15 for the trial to commence.

The offences are said to be contrary to, and punishable under various provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, and the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.

Source: NAN

By Angela Atabo

Labour Party has decried the refusal of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to recognise Dr Mike Omotosho as its National Chairman and urged the commission to do without further delay.

Forum of States Chairmen of the Labour Party made the call at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja at the end of a two-day meeting of the body.

Chairman of the group, Mr Joseph Ndirang, said that Omotosho emerged at a special convention of the party in October, 2017, replacing Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who was removed over allegation of fraud.

He said INEC witnessed the convention but had refused to recognise and work with Omotosho as the chairman of the party.

Ndirang said that the situation had remained so in spite of the partys representations, which culminated in a protest to INECs headquarters in Abuja in February.

According to him, INECs silence on the issue is undermining the partys decision at the 2017 convention which brought in Omotosho.

He said that the party was surprised that till date, the commission was yet to recognise Omotosho.

The meeting observed with dismay the inability of INEC, as the regulator of the activities of political parties, to fully comply and impartially implement the overflowing decision of the highest organ.

The Labour Partys convention unanimously removed the former chairman, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, and elected Omotosho as the new Chairman of the party.

The meeting noted that the convention that removed Abdulsalam from office was convened in line with the provisions of the partys Constitution, Article 13c and in conformity with the requirements and guidelines of INEC.

To that extent, there should not have been any reason why Abdulsalams name is still hoisted on INECs website after INEC supervised and monitored the constitutional process that duly removed him, he said.

Ndirang added that for avoidance of doubts, copies of the Nigeria Police report and the forensic audit report carried out on the partys financial accounts that indicted Abdulsalam was made available.

He expressed the forums displeasure over the continuous illegal self-parade of Abdulsalam as national chairman of the party after the National Working Committee and the convention had removed him from office.

He said that this perpetuation of illegality had misled people into assuming that the party was in a kind of crisis, which was not true.

The Chairmens forum re-affirms the outcome of the 2017 special convention and also demands that all relevant stakeholders respect and uphold the decisions of the party.

The meeting demands that INEC recognizes and only deal, henceforth, with Omotosho as the duly elected National Chairman of the party, the forum chairman said.

Ndirang said that the forum also rejected the clandestine move of a former governor to hijack the party through the back door, adding that the governor abandoned the party that made him.

He said that the chairmen also rejected every plan by detractors to drag the party into any unholy coalition for selfish interest.

He said that the party would continue to remain a solid political party with its socialist ideology for the betterment of the Nigerians.

When contacted, Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said that he had no in-depth knowledge of the crisis in the party.

He promised to check and ascertain what the position of the commission was on the chairmanship issue.

When the leadership of the party protested to INEC in February, Assistant Director on Security, Mr Musa Sekpa, had assured that the issue would be looked into.

Source: NAN

Kenyan has taken far reaching steps to stop people with some health conditions, including high blood pressure, from driving.

Those with high blood pressure are among those who may not be allowed to have a drivers licence.

The countrys National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) released the new driving curriculum with recommendation of mandatory medical tests for epilepsy, high blood pressure, sight and hearing problems for all drivers.

According to the new curriculum, drivers are supposed to renew their licences every 10 years, and only after submitting a medical report.

However, motorists above 60 years must submit a medical report every year.

The medical tests will also include a range of brain-related conditions and diseases that disable mobility and muscle movement such as stroke.

In the curriculum, eye conditions lead a long list of mandatory medical tests for new drivers as well as old ones seeking licence renewals.

According to NTSA Deputy Director in charge of safety, Dr, Duncan Kibogong, some conditions will lead to automatic disqualification.

For epilepsy, it is a no. The fact is, no one, including the driver, has any idea when the seizures can occur, said Dr Kibogong.

The medical tests will also include the drivers heart condition as well as sleep, alcohol and drug-related disorders.

The tests will also look out for a drivers susceptibility to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and stroke.

Kibogong said NTSA would work closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that only those who were fit were allowed on the road.

In some cases, it does not make sense to even allow you to train as a driver when we know you are not fit, said Kibogong.

He however insisted that the mandatory health clearance should not be viewed as discrimination against certain conditions.

In most of these cases, it is just about correcting them. For example, for poor eyesight, you can be given glasses and you will be fine. There are only a few conditions that we may not allow, he said.

Drivers to be affected by the new rules are those applying for new licences and those seeking renewals this year.

The practice of pegging the issuance of drivers licences to medical tests may be new in the country but has been in force for years in other parts of the world.

In New York, for instance, if one loses the use of a leg, arm, eye or ear, such information must be included on the driving licence.

Such drivers are then only allowed to operate customised vehicles.

Similarly, if the drivers hearing is not acceptable, a restriction of hearing aid or full-view mirror is added to the driver licence.

Those who wear hearing aids and cannot pass the hearing test must use full-view rear mirrors.

Source:

Source: NAN

South Sudans President Salva Kiir has dismissed army commander Marial Chanuong Yol and Finance minister Stephen Dhieu Dau.

Kiir fired them without giving reasons.

Yol, nicknamed Tiger, was the commander of the presidential guard, before he was appointed the army chief of operations, training and intelligence last year.

He was blacklisted by the UN Security Council in 2015 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the onset of war in December 2013 against members of the the Nuer ethnic group.

Mr Dau was appointed Finance minister in 2016, with the hope of improving South Sudans straining economy.

However, the economy of the young nation has never been stable, especially since the 2015 devaluation of the South Sudanese Pound (SSP).

Former technical advisor at the Ministry of Trade Salvatore Garang Mabiordit, was named the new Finance minister.

South Sudan attained independence in 2011 following a referendum whose outcome favoured the separation from Sudan with a 98 per cent approval.

However, it soon descended into another round of conflict pitting President Kiirs loyalists and those allied to his former deputy Riek Machar.

The current phase of the South Sudan war has claimed more than 100,000 lives, according to the International Crisis Group.

Over 2 million South Sudanese have become refugees in neighbouring countries and another 1.9 million others remain internally displaced, according to the UN.
The war has also caused one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises after the Rwanda 1994 genocide, the UN added.

Multiple human rights abuses have also been documented by various group

Source: The

Source: NAN