Nigeria Agog For Champion Chelsea

SEVERAL Nigerian cities threw street parties as Chelsea and their Nigeria star Mikel Obi won their first-ever Champions League Saturday. In Jos, the birth place of Mikel and where his family still lives, thousands of fans poured out on to the streets in wild jubilation, singing and dancing. Many of them wore Mikel's Chelsea number 12 jersey shirt and other regalia to display their support for the midfielder and his English club.

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Photo-Up: World Cup Update

Didier Drogba (Chelsea/Ivory Coast) and Christiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal) covers the June issue of Vanity Fair Magazine.


Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan/Ghana) and Samuel Eto'O (Inter Milan/Cameroon) pose for Annie Leibovitz of Vanity Fair Magazine in June 2010 issue.


I'm not sure why as a die harder and one who has in-depth passion for the sport from childhood not to have made any commentary on the world's most watched sport, all along. But like the saying goes, "nothing spoil," and I will be definitely popping up with some detailed analysis. So stay tuned!

2010 Time's 100 Most Influential People

It's no surprise that the leader of the free world, my man, President Barack Obama was the opening shot of Time's 2010 100 most influential people in what dramatically is changing the world and how close, as the world becomes smaller and smaller with a fast-paced technology. Clearly, David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker and author of The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama points it out simply about the man who made history and have influenced us that "we can" under any circumstances. Remnick writes;

"When Barack Obama was still in his 20s and ran for the presidency of the Harvard Law Review, he won not least because he was able to attract conservatives as well as liberals. His capacity to project a receptive political personality attracted students who, although they saw themselves as ideological opponents, thought they could get a fair hearing from him. That habit of mind, which Obama made so conspicuous in the 2008 campaign, came up hard against the realities of U.S. politics as they are lived in the furious here and the partisan now."

Time's 100 list in "the people who most affect our world" has people from all walks of life which is quite fascinating. The list includes "Bad Boy" Bill Clinton, J.T. Wang, Don Bloom, Didier Drogba, my girl Liya Kebede, Prince, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Lea Michele, Elton John, David Chang, James Cameron, Zaha Hadid, Atul Gamande, Victor Pinchuk, Lee Kuan Yew, Deborah Gist, Lisa Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor; among others. Interestingly, social networking made the list which brings to the fore the powerful effect of Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and all the numerous networking families.



David Remnick on President Barack Obama


Humanitarian and Rock icon Bono on Bad Boy Bill


Tom Ford on My girl, Liya Kebede


Phil Donahue on Oprah Winfrey


Ebel Harrell on soccer maestro Didier Drogba


Jeff Koons on Steve Jobs


Nate Silver on "Social Networking Influence Index"


Billie Jean King on Serena Williams


Robert De Niro on Ben Stiller's amazing charity work in Haiti


Tom Dascchle on Atul Gawande

Gist Around Da Hood

The magnificent Ivorian Didier Drogba celebrates in style after scoring that amazing first goal beating Everton 2-1 in the season finale of Road to Wembley. He will be negotiating a new paycheck to effect his contract extension with Chelsea. A three year contract and bonuses draws him closer to Europe's highest earning players and sits on the elite role of African football players.

Staples Center, 1111 Figuroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90015
Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will be the first Latino, according to some sources, to be on the Supreme Court. Her parents moved from Puerto Rico to New York. A feminine radical in the 70s and had always defended the underdog but her critics say that's not enough to be confirmed though the overwhelming Democratic majority in Congress is in her favor.

In this world there's much confusion.

And I've tasted the city life and it's not for me

Now I do dream of distant places

Where I do not know but is destiny

If it's the rich life I don't want it

Happiness ain't always material things

I want destiny ...

Neverland Ranch was a rich life. Oh, by the way, the king of pop is about to rise like a phoenix. I have followed this legendary performer all my life and I do think I have every of his recorded album throughout the many phases of his career -- Jackson Five, The Jacksons and the solo acts -- and my favorite tune of all time, Destiny, besides the jams, Shake Your Body Down To The Ground, Thriller, Off The Wall, Enjoy Yourself, ABC, The Girl Is Mine and many other stimulating tracks.

The gist now is billionaire Tom Barrack and AEG Live owner Philip Anshutz are coming to the king of pop's rescue. They want a rebirth of the Thriller years and from media sources, Michael will be heading to the studios soon because his backers -- Barrack and Anshutz have confidence in him and had envisioned a thoroughly remade Michael when the entire deal is struck which would include a three year world tour, series of singles coupled with packages of a museum, casino and movies. Barrack who said Michael could make $500 million a year once he puts his mind into it acknowledged Michael 'is' one of very few artists who could reach that mark in showbizness and at any given time.

But Michael is not done. His 50 concert series at the O2 Arena in London kicks off July 13 and tickets are already sold out. One other thing, though is can Michael do fifty gigs without getting exhausted? We'll see how it plays out starting July 13. Michael in his own words regarding the 50 shows in London: "Thank you for your love and support, I want you guys to know I love you very much," ... "I don't know how I'm going to do 50 shows. I'm not a big eater - I need to put some weight on"


Also, around the block, came some political talks about President Barrack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, whom I haven't followed until she was nominated by Obama, last week. And now following her like a tweeter, I know she was one of 70s feminine radicals on campus at Princeton University. She did not like the way Princeton was run and had always defended the underdog. From Princeton to Yale, and as a prosecutor in New York to corporate lawyer and serving on the federal bench for seventeen years, methink the new Democratic controlled congress should let her walk in without much ado so she could start punching the badass Clarence Thomas in his face, and his "high-tech lynching of an uppity black man."

And if confirmed which I expect she would be, overwhelmingly, making her the second Latino on the Supreme Court, although the political blogosphere on Sotomayor's side claims she'd be the first Latina on the Supreme Court, if confirmed, which would nullify the claim from other circles of Justice Benjamin Cardozo whose parents were of Portuguese descent, in the 30s, as first Latino on the Supreme Court. Enough.

Down the street in da hood, talks are popping up on soccer. Obviously, the soccer moms have taken it to a whole new heights which is quite engaging with kids. We called it football until the Yankee's crazy sports began to blow up our minds. I mean, too many in the mix and soccer got to be. The world's most watched sport and we won't erase soccer and permanently keep its original logo? Come on, now, there's tennis not lawn tennis; there's basketball not netball; there's ping pong not table tennis; there's baseball, not cricket and there's football not rugby, whatever that is.

So as it happened, the English FA Cup gathered storm. Ivorian and Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba and his colleagues lifted the FA Cup amid 85,400 and something soccer freaks in Wembley Stadium beating Everton 2-1 which ended the season's crazy-dubby Road to Wembley. Drogba's contract has been extended to another three years and expect the field dynamo's pocket to surpass the 80,000 British Pounds Sterling a week paycheck.

The World Cup is fast approaching and all that Brazillian influence is still hanging on. The quality of play, pattern of play, dribbling style, the celebration, jubilation and the samba has entirely nothing to do with what is going on at USC. Am I perturbed by all the scandals that is now hitting the sports program walls of Pete Carroll saying he knew nothing about Houses and gifts given to the parents of Reggie Bush, the running back for the New Orleans Saints? Nope! There's always something and that's just the way it is. As Bush' investigation continues, popped up another accusation. This time on Tim Floyd, the school's basketball coach, on payments made to O.J. Mayo's associates. And now that NCAA has cut in, we probably would get to know about all the scandals of gifts and cash exchanging hands by the time it's through with its own independent investigation.

In my little political alley, the behind closed doors pundits at Yahooligans, the talk now is why would Obama make Ghana his second point of call and not the sleeping giant, Nigeria. Citing Obama as a second generation immigrant who had adopted Abraham Lincoln's style of approach and politics, and bringing about a "New Dawn" of the internet age in "change has come to America" platform, the economy is still biting and the "Stimulus Package" hasn't been able to subdue the Bush-Cheney made meanspirited economy yet, in my own assessment because the people, I mean, the American people are still talking and complaining.

Well, it's showtime on Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles where Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers sits comfortably with Hotel Figueroa, Nokia Center and the Convention Center as neigbors. Tonight, the Lakers will be tested by the hungry Orlando Magic in Game 1 of 2-3-2 series. "All road leads to downtown and it's Lakers all the way," says one Lakers accessories hawker. "We gonna get them, baby!"

I know I have gunned for Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus when they whooped Lebron James and his Cavaliers. I have already neutralized the firepower of the magic, and hey, this is my hood and my Lakers ain't taking that for granted. It is Lakers all the way and with all the pubs full to the brim, hell will surely get loose if...

We want destiny!

Adios and enjoy the finals.

Nations Cup Finals, Third Place and all that 'Soccer' Madness

As I write, Ghana has just defeated Ivory Coast 4-2 in a robust match-up. Tough match, indeed, watching Didier Drogba celebrate the first goal of the Third Place match in a tense and physical display I had expected both teams to be playing in the tournament's final. I was wrong. But as game progresses, the Ivorian Elephants would lose steam when a Michael Essien assist would pave way in the 43rd minute of the Second Half which gave Ghana the lead with a magnificent Junior Agogo third goal in the tournament.

Just last night where I was hanging out, the discourse was Nations Cup and how a 'Nigeria' arrogance denied 'our' team a third trophy. But the fact of the matter is that, even though 'Naija' did not come out to play but to show off its 'elite football' class that never delivered from my earlier predictions, this year's tournament was the best I have seen, so far, besides the 1980 tournament which I watched every single match. It was electric. It had class and was well organized. A standard has been set for African football, and you bet, South Africa is going to explode with more soccer madness, come 2010.

I still remember the best squad ever assembled in 'Nigerian' football. Up until today, there is no comparison to the squad that Coach Father Tico had engineered matching up a nation of varied culture and ethnicity. Tico had prepared these 'lads' way back from the World Cup preliminaries but for that back heading into the post by Godwin Odiye, 'Nigeria' missed the World Cup. I still like that squad, though. It remains my favorite. Emmanuel Okala, (Best Ogedemgbe,) Patrick Ekeji, Godwin Odiye, Sam Ojebode, Christian Chukwu, Mudashiru Lawal, Segun Odegbami, Alloysius Atuegbu, Thompson Usiyen, Godwin Iwelumo, Adokiye Amesiamaka and the rest were the best back in the day and still the best ever assembled by a coach and its football organizing committee.

But what had happened today at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, Ghana, shows Africa has arrived and can be proud of staging a spectacular event in the ongoing continent's troubled history. Watching these games, to me, was like watching "The Road to Wembley," "Serie 1" of the robust Italian League, the Latin American Leagues, the Spanish Leagues and the hyped Major League Soccer of which former 'Nigeria' and Newcastle defender Celestine Babayaro has just joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in a star cast of 25-year-old Landon Donovan and a flamboyant, Hollywood-hyped-injury-prone David Beckham whose overrating bothers me.

It has been a breathtaking dribbling, attacks and goals from day 1 of the 2008 Nations Cup. The Third Place match got me and I had lost my breath because Ghana was my pick neverminding they lost out to an aggressive and lucky Cameroon. Ghana won pounding Ivory Coast to a humiliating 4-2 victory and lifting the Third Place Trophy.

Ghana: Richard Kinson, John Painstil, John Mensah, Hani Sarpei, Anthony Annan, Michael Essien, Eric Addo, Sulley Muntari, Haminu Draman, Junior Agogo, Baffour Gyan

Ivory Coast: Trasse Kone, Emmerse Fae, Marc Zoro, Christian Ndri, Arthur Boka, Didier Zokora, Abdelkader Keita, Salomomn Kalou, Siaka Tiere, Didier Drogba, Boubacar Sanogo.

Tomorrow in the finals, it's either one side will be making history if Egypt stretches its win to six or Cameroon will be equaling Egypt's win with a tie of 5 a piece. The aggressiveness of Egypt since the beginning of the tournament gives The Pharoahs an advantage and with Cameroon losing its key player, Reading defender Andre Bikey to a Red Card, Pharaohs shouldn't have any problem at Accra Sports Stadium where Ghanaian fans will be beating the moko moko le kind of congas and the Djangbesi dance. And if Egypt wins, a back-to-back repeat will be made going back almost 50 years when The Pharoahs did it in 1957 and 1959. Only three countries have made it back-to-back in the tournament's history. Egypt, 1957 and 1959; Ghana, 1963 and 1965; and Cameroon, 2000 and 2002.

Though Cameroon should be popping up with European-based players, Egypt's Skipper Ahmed Hassan and veteran Goalkeeper Essam Al Haderi will not be moved by Sam Eto'o' and Mexican-based Alain Nkong's attacking force. My multi-ethnic neigbors are worried I might bring down the house in tomorrow's final. If olakooooooo and gooooooooooooooooal does not bring in the authorities for disturbing the peace, why should my chants of moko moko leeeeeeeee be a big deal. All in all, the tournament "is" great!

The Line: Egypt by 2

Photo: BBC Sport