Murry shoot past Spaniard

Andy Murry cantered into the last 16 of Wimbledon with an easy win over Tommy Robredo. The British No1 made mincemeat of the No32 seed winning 6-2 6-4 7-5 under the Centre Court roof in 121 minutes.World Number  two Murray said: "I thought it was a high-level match, I struck the ball very well throughout.

"He served very well in the third set, I had very few chances but I got the break right at the end."I went for it. I hit a lot of winners that was the most pleasing part. I hit the ball better from the back of the court."I hope I can keep playing better. I've been pushed in my matches; I've been tested and have come through it well."From what I have heard, people are putting even more pressure on me because of the way the draw has worked out. It's hard. It would be a lot easier if we just focused on one match at a time."Murray raced to a set lead inside 35 minutes playing some outstanding tennis, before an instant break of Robredo’s serve was enough to take the second.Dunking & Tom Barclay discuss wins for Andy Murray and Laura Robson - and path to SW19 glory.The Spaniard put up a better fight in third, but a vital loss of serve in the 11th game opened the door for Murray to close it out which he gleefully did.The result means Muzza is yet to drop a set at SW19 this year, having already seen off Benjamin Becker and Yen-Hsun Lu.Murray  take on the winner of Serbian Viktor Troicki and Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round. The path looks clear for the Scot to make this year’s final with 20th seed Youzhny the highest-ranked player in the lower half of the draw after Murray,following the shock early exits of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.

Some pictures from the World Chess Olympiad

                                 Figure 2: Kids talk and play with adults without barriers

Chess Grandmaster KASPAROV in Rwanda on 9th July 2013

In line with the Rwanda Chess Federation (FERWADE) initiative to introduce the Chess game in schools, the former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is visiting Rwanda on 9^th July 2013. The primary objective of this one-day visit is “raising awareness on the role Chess can play as an educational tool.”

Through his foundation, the Kasparov Chess Foundation, Grandmaster Garry helps in raising funds to support the development of Chess across European and very recently African countries. They launched the African operations in March 2012. The Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa has a primary goal of promoting Chess as a tool for education and social development across the African Continent.

Rwanda was chosen to be one of the 8 pilot African countries to initiate the Chess in School program called MiniChess. It is a program FERWADE trust will benefit Rwanda’s education and will also help in detecting young talents in Chess. Indeed, this program focuses on basic concepts that provide learners with the foundation for the development of more advanced math, science and life skills concepts in future years. It has a role to play in achieving the Vision 2020, particularly in the area of Science and Technology, a cross-cutting issue of the Rwanda Vision 2020.

Who is Kasparov?

Grandmaster Garry Kasparov became the youngest world chess champion in history in 1985 and remained the top-ranked player in the world for more than twenty years. His five matches against Anatoly Karpov (former World Chess Champion) brought the game of chess to new heights as a modern professional sport. He is considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time and has remained the top-ranked player in the world for more than twenty years. He is also known for his matches against the IBM Supercomputer Deep Blue.

Why Chess in Schools?

Well, by playing Chess more skills are to be acquired. Paul Dauvergne of the University of Sydney, in his book “The case for Chess as a Tool to develop our Children’s minds”, said that “Chess is one of the most powerful educational tools available to strengthen a child’s mind. Whatever a child’s age, chess can enhance concentration, patience, and perseverance, as well as develop creativity, intuition, memory, and most importantly, the ability to analyze and deduce from a set of general principles, learning to make tough decisions and solve problems flexibly.”

Among other benefits of Chess to pupils / students, there are:

-          Develop analytical, synthetic and decision-making skills, which they can transfer to real life;

-          Learn to engage in deep and thorough chess research which will help them build their confidence in their ability to do academic research;

-          Gain insights into the nature of competition which will help them in any competitive endeavor;

-          Foster good sportsmanship, team work and can bring together students who might otherwise feel “left out”;

Moreover, the game can also be played online over the internet which would enable Kids, not only to get more familiar with Computer applications, but also to make international connections with other Chess players.

In addition, the game can be played by people of different age and gender without inequalities deriving from these identities. Indeed, Chess allows girls to compete with boys on a non-threatening, socially acceptable plane and even people with physical disabilities are able to compete with everyone else.

You have to cheat to win Tour-Armstrong

Drug cheater Lance Armstrong claims it is “impossible to win the Tour de France without doping”.And the disgraced American has accused Spain’s biggest football clubs of getting in the way of anti-doping.Armstrong is not going away quietly after 12 months in which he has been shamed by drug revelations made by United States Anti-Doping Agency.Just 24 hours before the start of the Tour de France, the seven-time winner, who had his victories erased, has come out with the allegations.Dave Brailsford’s Team Sky — home to 2012 winner Bradley Wiggins and this year’s favorite Chris Froome — pride themselves on winning in cycling the clean way. But

Armstrong, 41, said: “It is impossible to win the Tour de France without doping.“Because the Tour is an  endurance test, where oxygen is decisive.”Armstrong also called last summer’s USADA report which led to his downfall “bulls, compared to the Spanish drug scandal.Anti-doping campaigners were outraged as a Spanish judge in May ordered 200 blood bags belonging to Madrid-based doctor Eufemiano Fuentes to be destroyed.Campaigners have alleged the blood bags would implicate cheating cyclists as well as athletes from other sports.

Armstrong added: “I’m sure some great football clubs have had an influence on this decision.“Anyway, it is still cycling, which was held to be solely responsible.“We saw that the Puerto affair was a hundred times more sophisticated. Our system was very simple, very conservative, and not evil.“The ‘reasoned decision’ of the USADA has perfectly succeeded in destroying the life of a man, but has not taken in all of cycling.”

Muamba becomes a dad again

Football star Fabrice Muamba became a dad again after a year “died” during a match. Fabrice, 25, was celebrating another little miracle after wife Shauna gave birth to a boy they have named Matthew Josiah.The dad was effectively dead for 78 minutes after suffering a cardiac arrest ,15 months ago while playing for Bolton Wanderers against Tottenham in the FA Cup.

Doctors miraculously brought him back to life and he recovered after spending weeks in intensive care. “Fabrice and Shauna are both absolutely shattered but delighted.“To think what they both went through last year and now they have a new baby... It’s just fantastic.Mum and son we re “doing well”.

Serena says yes to match with Murray

Wimbledon women’s champ Serena Williams accepted a “battle of the sexes” challenge from Andy Murray in their match.The British ace had said he would be up for a match after a fan taunted him that the US star could beat him on grass.Murray, 26, volleyed back: “Maybe we can set it up one day and see how close I get.” And he admitted fans would love to see a men-versus-women showdown.Warming to his offer, Serena, 31, agreed it would be “fun” and even suggested the pair meet on clay —notorious for being a slower surface.

Williams will ... Wilbendon champ Serena Williams accepted the challenge

Murray — who takes on Spanish seed Tommy Robredo today — admitted: “I’d be up for it, why not?Five-times Wimbledon champion Serena at first seemed stunned she asked: “He’s challenged me? Really? He wants to play me? I’d doubt I’d win a point, but that would be fun.” She said she would want to be allowed to use the doubles tramlines.

Murray ... British tennis ace Andy Murray says he'll play Serena Williams

Murray — who takes on Spanish seed Tommy Robredo today — admitted: “I’d be up for it, why not?”Five-times Wimbledon champion Serena at first seemed stunned she asked: “He’s challenged me? Really? He wants to play me? I’d doubt I’d win a point, but that would be fun.”She said she would want to be allowed to use the doubles tramlines.

Wimbledon favorite Novak Djokovic, 26, offered to play Russian court queen Maria Sharapova, 26. He joked: “I’ll play Sharapova anywhere she likes.”The last clash between male and female stars came in 1992 when Jimmy Connors defeated Martina Navratilova in Vegas. And in 1973 Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in Texas.

Frenchman signs new deal

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has signed a new four-year contract.

The Frenchman, 30, has been with the German champions since joining from Marseille in 2007.

He said: “I’m very happy. I’ve always said I feel at home at Bayern.

"I have a good feeling for me and my family and I hope it goes on like last year.”

Ribery will be looking forward to working with new Bayern boss Pep Guardiola.

His new deal will see him stay with the European champions until 2017.

URA crashed out of CECAFA

Vital’O 6 Vs Ports 0

Rayon Sport 3 Vs URA 2

Semifinals

APR Vs El-Merreikh

: Penalties 3-1

URA became the second Ugandan club on Thursday evening to crash out of this year’s Cecafa-Kagame club championship here in El-Fasher City, North Darfur State.Express FC were the first exits when they lost their quarter final match 2-0 to another Rwandese club APR. The Red Eagles were already on flight out of El-Fasher to Khartoum by the time their fellow countrymen got exited from the same competition. URA looked the favorites before kickoff but started off with a poor show in the first half that saw them concedes an early goal in 6th minute through Gentile Kambale.  Rayon sport played to a very fast speed that URA seemed unused to and on many occasions they were beaten on pace.It was another moment of disaster when first goal keeper Yasin Mugabi was injured and got replaced by Brian Bwette in the first half. Mugabi had been hit by a hard shot in the face that caused him a bleeding through the nose. His replacement however looked shaky and unsurprisingly conceded two goals in the second half.The tax boys played a side they were not familiar with and woke up late in the last quarter of the game when scored their first goal in the 75th minute through Frank Kalanda and a second one in the 77th minute by Feni Ali. The Sudanese referee Hashim Adam blew the last whistle when URA was trailing 3-2.The URA players looked too heavy on the pitch a problem that could be blamed on their long stay in Khartoum after their last group stage match a week ago. Their opponents had played more group stage matches and were used to the ground of their quarter final clash as well.Earlier on Rayon Sport had filed a petition challenging the eligibility of seven URA players; Kasirye Davis, Mugabi Jonathan, Sekitto Samuel, Kasibante Joseph, Sempala Hashim, Opolot Martin and Kalanda Frank.They alleged that these players had not featured for URA in the last season but the Cecafa committee disregarded their petition. Second semi final -Vital’O and Rayon Sport. 

Roger amazed by Federer at Wimbo

With muscle in my right hand

Roger Federer suffered one of the greatest shocks in Wimbledon history as he was blown off Centre Court by Ukrainian unknown Sergiy Stakhovsky. The defending champion and 16-time Grand Slam winner lost 6-7 7-6 7-5 7-6 to an opponent ranked 116th in the world and who had never previously beaten a top-10 player in his life. Federer, 31, had reached the quarter-finals or better in his last 36 Grand Slams. But that remarkable run was brought to a stunning end as 27-year-old Stakhovsky — an 80-1 shot to win the match — brought a crazy day at SW19 to an unbelievable end. Federer said: “I have had many great moments here but I have also had some tough ones and you can’t have it all.“This is not the end of an era. I still have plans to play for many more years to come and I’m looking forward to coming back here next year.“It’s a tough loss and big disappointment and I certainly appreciated the standing ovation I got leaving the court.

It was only a month ago that the extrovert Stakhovsky was fined £1,250 for getting his phone out during the middle of his French Open defeat by Richard Gasquet to tweet a picture of a disputed line call.But that is small change compared to the £63,000 he is guaranteed to pocket after toppling the greatest player in the history of the men’s game.The journeyman from Kiev admitted: “When you play Roger Federer at Wimbledon it’s like playing two people.“You’re playing the guy and you’re playing the legend. My only plan before the game was to hope that he didn’t get too far away from me.“It’s a fantastic day and I couldn't have played any better. It’s just magic.

“Now I can tell my grand kids that I kicked the butt of Roger Federer!”Swiss Federer, with more grass court titles than any other player, simply could not come to terms with Stakhovsky’s bold serve-and-volley tactics.Even after edging a first-set tie-break, the No 3 seed was never able to take control of an opponent who came to the net at every opportunity. And Stakhovsky was rewarded for his bravery when he finally secured the first service break of the match deep into the third set to take a lead he never surrendered. Federer refused to blame Wimbledon’s decision to ban him from wearing his orange-soled shoes for this amazing defeat and insisted he only lost because he failed to take advantage of his opportunities. But nothing was going to ruin Stakhovsky’s big day as he said: “Roger is the greatest player and a person and one who has shown that you can be a decent man and still achieve things.”It was a dramatic tournament for all who participated that night.

Hidden talent Top 10 Wimbledon babes you’ve never heard of

Model Pros ... some of the girls serving up a treat for fans at Wimbledon

Male tennis fans are used to gawking at the supremely talented Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic as they light up our screens when Wimbledon comes around.

But while the high-profile beauties are out grabbing all the attention, a host of other stunners are also taking to the courts.

Eugenie Bouchard — World Ranking 66

 Canadian’s 19-year-old talent won the Junior Wimbledon title in 2012 and has stepped up to make her debut in the main draw this year.

She beat Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan to set up a tie with fellow-stunner Ivanovic and came out on top to make the Third Round. .

Michelle Larcher de Brito — World Ranking 131

 The Portuguese stunner, 20, won her first-round tie and went on to beat Sharapova, who was struggling after a fall.

Both players are renowned for their loud grunting meaning it may go down as the loudest match in Wimbledon history.

 Camila Giorgi — World Ranking 93

Giorgi, 21, beat British No7 Samantha Murray in her first match.

But she faces a much tougher prospect against Romanian 22nd seed Sorana Cirstea next time out.

 Mandy Minella — World Ranking 92

Serena Williams WILLIAMS made short work of the gorgeous 27-year-old Luxembourgian yesterday — winning 6-1 6-3 on her way to the next round.

               Arantxa Rus — World Ranking 156

 Like  Minella, 22-year-old Rus fell at the first hurdle in this year's tournament after going down in straight sets to Olga Puchkova.

                    Lauren Davis — World Ranking 85

 The American has steadily climbed the rankings since turning professional but she went out to 27th seed Lucie Safarova at Wimbledon.

At 19, the pocket rocket — that is just over 5ft tall — has plenty of time to get on our screens in the future.

                  Tsvetana Pironkova — World Ranking 72

 Pironkova  pulled of a surprise demolition of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round.

The 25-year-old Bulgarian beauty made the semi-finals in 2010 and has a winnable match against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova up next as she bids to repeat the feat.

                  Klara Zakopalova — World Ranking 43

 Zakopalova  managed to enter Wimbledon as the 32nd seed.

The 31-year-old Czech beat Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets to reach the second round.

                Elena Vesina — World Ranking 22

 The Ukraine-born stunner, 26, was unseeded for the draw despite her high ranking.

She overcame her first-round opponent Andrea Hlavackova and will now face German talent Sabine Lisicki.

                    Anna Kournikova — Highest Ranking 8

OK, so you have probably heard of Kournikova. And she did retire in 2007, aged 25.

But the 32-year-old looked so good on court it was impossible not to give her a mention to the legendary tennis babe.

Real Madrid appoint Ancelotti as new coach

Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed as the new coach of Real Madrid on a three-year deal, the club confirmed."Carlos Michelangelo Ancelotti will be the coach of Real Madrid next season," said a statement on the club's website."Experience, success and reliability in all the countries in which the Italian has worked, he arrives in the Spanish capital after being chosen as coach of the year in France."Ancelotti will be formally presented to the media on Wednesday afternoon, it added.The 54-year-old Italian's protracted move from Paris Saint-Germain was finally confirmed after the French champions also appointed Laurent Blanc to be their coach for next season. 

That cleared the path for Madrid to end a five-week wait to announce their new boss after it was announced Jose Mourinho would not be continuing at the club on May 20.However, the former Juventus, AC Milan and Chelsea boss has always been Real president Florentino Perez first choice to replace Mourinho and arrives with a impressive CV, having won league titles in Italy, England and France."He has won practically everything in the ambit of international football (two Champions Leagues, two European Supercups, One World Club Cup and One Intertoto Cup) and has won the league in three distinct championships in which he has managed (Italy, England and France)," the club statement said."Familiar with the pressure of managing big teams on the continent, the Italian is a guarantee to manage and exciting project."It is that experience that Madrid have bet on after a tumultuous final year under Mourinho in which Real failed to win a major trophy and the Portuguese clashed with many of his senior players.Moreover, Ancelotti's proven track record in the Champions League was key attraction for Perez as winning a 10th European Cup remains Madrid's primary objective.After falling short at the semi-final stage under Mourinho for the past three seasons, Perez has now entrusted Ancelotti to take what is currently the most expensive squad ever assembled in the history of the game the extra two stages required to land Madrid's first Champions League trophy since 2002.The arrival of Ancelotti is also likely to signal the beginning of major moves in the transfer market from the Spanish giants who have so far just exercised their right to buy-back Spanish under-21 international Dani Carvajal from Bayer Leverkusen and converted 21-year-old Brazilian Casemiro's loan deal from Sao Paulo into a permanent move in recent weeks.The purchase of Malaga midfielder Isco for a price in the region of 30 million euros ($39 million, £25.5 million) is also expected to be completed this week as Real look set to beat off strong competition from Manchester City for the highly rated Spanish international.Real have also been strongly linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale and Liverpool's Luis Suarez, however one of Ancelotti's first jobs may be to sanction a few transfers out of the club to create the funds for future moves.Striker Gonzalo Higuain has spoken of his desire to leave the club and his father admitted on Sunday that the player was close to reaching an agreement with both Arsenal and Juventus.

Simbwa targets semi

With confidence.Samu Sibwa said, that also showed on his players. But the question Ugandans including the club’s followers are asking is can they do it confidently on the pitch too!

Express will faced Rwandan side APR in the CECAFA Kagame Cup group stage match in Quarter final.Express’ interim coach Sam Ssimbwa said they will eliminate their rivals from the annual soccer tournament.“Even though we are playing a tough opponent, I know we are going to eliminate them,” Ssimbwa remarked.“My players have the confidence to do so and we should also remember that we are still unbeaten.”Express, seeking a maiden crown in the region’s premier clubs competition, have drawn their first two games. They finished goalless against Ports United from Djibouti and 1-1 against Electric, a guest team from Chad.

Festival 2013

High Light of Skol  Event in the Year 2013

                                                                      Skol  Medal 

                                   All of us Skol 

Vuvuzella style 

                                        Uganda Bebe at Skol galla 

Heee Bwana my favorite dring is Skooooool

Skol -Skol  Beer.......

Busy on ............

I'm Chose,that's why here.

 

Together with Skol -Beer is........

Laurent Blanc fact file

1965: Born in Ales on November 19.

1983: Begins his career with Montpellier, aged 18.

1987: Helps the club to the Ligue 2 title.

1988: Earns a call-up to the successful France team at the European Under-21 Championship.

1990: Wins his first Coupe de France with Montpellier after a 2-1 victory in the final against Racing Club de Paris.

1991: Signs for Italian side Napoli.

1992: Returns to France with Nimes, subsequently signing for St Etienne a year later.

1996: After joining Auxerre at the start of the season, helps the club to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double. Signs for Barcelona.

1998: Having won a Spanish Super Cup, signs for Marseille. Wins the World Cup with France, although his campaign is marred by a controversial sending-off in the semi-final, Croatia's Slaven Bilic feigning injury as Blanc is dismissed for use of the elbow.

1999: Features in the UEFA Cup final but his poor back-pass allows Hernan Crespo to score one of Parma's goals in a 3-0 win.

2000: Helps his country follow up their World Cup success by winning the European Championship as David Trezeguet's extra-time golden goal settles the final against Italy. Blanc's goal against Denmark in the group stage takes his international record to 16 goals in 97 caps before he retires at the end of the tournament. His Inter Milan team is defeated in the Italian Cup final by Lazio.

2001: Joins Manchester United, with whom he wins the 2003 Premier League title.

2003: Retires from playing at the end of the 2002/03 campaign.

2007: Appointed coach of Bordeaux - his first coaching job.

2009: Guides Les Girondins to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue double.

2010: May 16 - Leaves Bordeaux after a disappointing season, prompting France Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes to confirm Blanc is his preferred choice to replace Raymond Domenech as national team coach after World Cup.

May 20 - The FFF reaches an agreement with Bordeaux for Blanc to become France coach.
2011: May 10 - Cleared to continue in his job following investigation into the racial quotas row. It had been claimed that Blanc and other coaches were seeking to introduce limits on the presence of ethnic minority players entering the national set-up.

October 11 - Guides France to 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final Euro 2012 qualifier, meaning Les Bleus top group by one point and qualify for finals in Poland and Ukraine.

2012: June 19 - France finish second in Group D, behind England, after losing 2-0 to Sweden, ending their 23-game unbeaten run.

June 23 - France beat 2-0 by Spain in Euro 2012 quarter-finals.

June 30 - Informs the FFF he is leaving his post as France coach.

2013: June 25 - Confirmed as Paris St Germain coach, succeeding Carlo Ancelotti, on a two-year contract.

Carlo Ancelotti fact file

1959: Born June 10 in Reggiolo, Italy.

1976: Begins professional playing career with Parma.

1983: Part of the Roma side that wins the Serie A title.

1988: Wins domestic title in first season at AC Milan.

1989: Part of the Milan side which wins the European Cup, beating Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in the final.

1990: Milan retains European title with a 1-0 win over Benfica. Ancelotti is part of the Italy squad for the 1990 World Cup on home soil, where they lose in the semi-finals to Argentina.

1992: The Rossoneri win the Italian league title. Ancelotti retires from playing.

1995-96: Takes up his first coaching post with Serie B side Reggiana. Leads the side to promotion to the top flight, before leaving to join Parma.

1998: Appointed manager of Juventus.

2001: Steers Juve to consecutive second-place finishes in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

November - Appointed manager of AC Milan.

2003: Manages Milan to Champions League glory as they beat Juventus on penalties in the final at Old Trafford.

2004: Leads Milan to Serie A title.

2005: Milan lose the Champions League final to Liverpool on penalties, having led 3-0 in Istanbul.

2007: Gains revenge on Rafael Benitez as Milan beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Champions League final in Athens.

2009: May 31 - After guiding Milan back into the Champions League, Ancelotti confirms his contract with the club has been mutually terminated.

June 1 - Confirmed as new Chelsea manager on three-year contract.

May 9 - Wins Premier League title at the first attempt, the Blues sealing the crown with an 8-0 demolition of Wigan on the final day of the season.

May 15 - Chelsea complete the double with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup final.

2011: Chelsea is beaten 2-1 in Champions League quarter-final second leg by Manchester United. A 2-1 defeat to Manchester United all but ends the title race, United subsequently clinching the prize with a draw at Blackburn.

May 22 - Parts company with Chelsea shortly after the season-ending 1-0 defeat at Everton.

December 30 - Appointed manager of Paris St Germain.

2012: March 31 - Suffers his first league defeat in his 30th game - a 3-1 reverse at Nancy.

May 20 - Despite winning their last four games, PSG miss out on the Ligue 1 title to Montpellier.

2013: February 20 - French newspaper Le Parisien report that Ancelotti has verbally agreed to join Real Madrid for next season.

May 12 - A 1-0 win away at Lyon secures the Ligue 1 title for PSG. It is their third triumph and first since 1994.

May 19 - Asks to be released from his contract in order to fill the imminent vacancy at Real Madrid. PSG refuse to release him.

June 25 - Confirmed as Real Madrid coach.

Barcelona are to fight Madrid and Chelsea for Wayne Rooney

Barcelona are ready to fight Real Madrid and Chelsea to take £25million Wayne Rooney to the Nou Camp.The Manchester United star, 27, is set for showdown talks with new Old Trafford boss David Moyes this week.Alex Ferguson had said Rooney was not for sale after claiming the striker had asked for a transfer.Top Barcelona sources, reveal they are monitoring the situation and if United want to flog him they are ready to pounce.An insider said: “Rooney is precisely the type of attacker that would fit perfectly into the system.“Defense starts from the front at Barcelona and Rooney works harder than anyone."His first touch, movement, control and vision are phenomenal and if he comes on the market then the club is certain to try to sign him.”

Barcelona will most likely let go of David Villa with Tottenham in hot pursuit after Arsenal’s interest waned when they seemed favorites to land him in January.

They see £250,000-a- week Rooney as the ideal successor to Villa, 31.

2013 Confederations Cup rioting: Brazil can gain knowledge of from South Africa

Brazil, hosts of next year’s Fifa World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, continue to be engulfed by wave after wave of riots at the on-going Confederations Cup, the precursor to next year’s global showpiece.

                           Brazil, President say the game must go on

                               Police dispatch off the riot 

Protestors were repelled with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets in the latest round of violence to sweep the country, and a teenager died at the weekend in Sao Paolo after apparently being hit by a car driven by a man attempting to break up a group of around 20,000 protesters.

None of such developments reflects well after the billions the Brazilian government has invested to make the Confederations Cup and World Cup a successful event. The battle to win the bid to host the World Cup was probably not as challenging as the crisis being faced by the Local Organizing Committees of both the Confederations and World Cup.Usually at such tournaments, the country is trying to create a positive impression to the watching world. The tournament is screened virtually all over the globe for an audience of billions. And of of course there is the small matter of hundreds of thousands of visitors seeking to tour the country while enjoying their football.Brazil would do well to look back to South Africa to understand how to handle the most extreme situations ahead of the hosting of a major tournament. Prior to South Africa 2010, there was western-propagated pessimism about Fifa’s choice of staging the biggest sporting event in the world.

The world was told how the South Africa capital Johannesburg had one of the highest crime rates anywhere and would be a risk to visitors. The world was told how the country’s infrastructure would not be finished in time for the World Cup because of the strikes of the workers and corruption. The size of some of the cities’ airports was questioned as well as several other trivial issues. The negative media was unprecedented.

Yet by the time the tournament concluded, the same people who had dismissed South Africa’s potential made the mother of U-turns and praised a truly unique World Cup. The South African World Cup had enriched the legacy of the competition, ending without a glaring glitch.Brazil need not look far. South African organizers were spurred by the doubting Thomases to deliver a first class event. In fact there is a school of thought that suggests South Africa would not have pulled it off the way it did without a sea of cynics. Brazil today is where South Africa was in 2009. Infrastructural work is behind schedule and there is nothing to suggest the rioting will end with the Confederations Cup.

The rioting in Brazil today is not Fifa’s problem. It is a Brazilian problem and only Brazil will solve it. It is an issue that can’t be addressed by external deliberation. Corruption in Brazil did not start when the country won the bid to host the World Cup in 2007. There is nothing to suggest it will end when the final whistle is blown to conclude the 2014 World Cup.The protestors are smart; they picked the ideal moment to have their voices heard. You can be sure their cause would have died a silent death had they demonstrated at any other time. Now, with Brazil hosting a tournament that is attracting global attention, their concerns can be heard by the government. Still, that is an issue to be handled internally.Those doubting the readiness of the country must know that Fifa events rarely fail. In fact Fifa-sanctioned events never fail. 

The World Cup is Fifa’s cash cow. It will succeed without a glitch.There are crooks in Fifa; of that we know. But they never mess with the World Cup. They always get it right. By the time they endorsed the decision to have the tournament staged in Brazil, they had mapped a way of making the tournament a success.The damage to Brazil today is obviously not welcome. But such occurrences make a host nation prepare for a tournament of that magnitude with no room for error. That is the silver ling.

Broner victory trees Paulie fuming

Anrien Broner became a three-weight world champion this month, leaving a fuming Paulie Malignaggi claiming he had been robbed of his WBA crown.Fighting in front of his hometown crowd at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Malignaggi was determined to silence the unbeaten Broner after a bitter pre-fight war of words.The 32-year-old took the challenger the distance and was convinced he had done enough to retain the welterweight crown on points.But Malignaggi was stunned when a split decision went in favor of Broner, who had stepped up two weight divisions for the contest. “The fight could have gone either way but I don’t think he did enough to take the belt from the champion.“In my hometown, as the defending champion, I felt like I should have got it.”

Wanyama eyes Cardiff as Saints contract collapses

Victor Wanyama’s planned move to Southampton collapsed after the Celtic midfielder failed to agree personal terms. The Premiership club was given permission to open talks with the 21-year-old on after Celtic accepted a fee close to £12million (about Sh1.6 billion).Wanyama has a positive feeling about interest from Cardiff and hopes the Welsh club also have a bid accepted. Cardiff manager Malky Mackay is desperate to sign the Celtic star but his club may see a fee of around £11m as their limit. Wanyama said: 'My manager Neil Lennon told me of Southampton's offer but while the bid was okay for Celtic, the terms were not right for me and my agent. I am open to what offers are made but I am relaxed and its important Celtic are happy too. My dream, like any young footballer, is to play in the Premier League and maybe that is the next step for me.

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Born: June 25, 1991 (age 21), Nairobi, Kenya

Weight: 76 kg

Height: 1.88 m

Siblings: McDonald Mariga, Thomas Wanyama, Mercy Wanyama,Sylvester Wanyama

Teams: Celtic F.C. (#67 / Midfielder), Kenya national football team (#12 / Midfielder)

Parents: Noah Wanyama, Mildred Wanyama

Victor-wanyama celebrate celtic-2-0-dundee-september-2012

Wanyama is in no rush to leave Parkhead and won’t be forced to go unless the deal suits him.Wanyama shot to fame in Celtic’s run to the last 16 of the Champions League, scoring in the 2-1 win over Barcelona. His displays at the heart of Celtic midfield has also not gone unnoticed with analysts likening his style to Ghana international and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien.He has been a hot property in the transfer market with several clubs including Arsenal, Cardiff, Stoke, Galatasaray and Inter Milan, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool all being linked with him. Wanyama who is on holiday learnt about his transfer talks through media. The deal (with Southampton) is still far,” Wanyama said. Should a move to any of the EPL sides mature, Wanyama will make history by becoming the first Kenyan to play in the coveted league. Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola will hold his first press conference on Monday as Bayern Munich head coach with club captain Philipp Lahm insisting the European champions wants to embark on a new era.  Celtic bought Wanyama for £900,000 from Belgian side Germinal Beers hot two years ago and the Kenya international has two years left on contract.