Atouba in bubba!

Here's Cameroun's Tim Atouba being embarassing...

Ade blames Arsenal fans (expected) and Sammy's leaving for Inter (also expected)

Two things HAD TO happen sometime.

1. Emmanuel Adebayor blaming Arsenal fans

Emmanuel said it was the fans that made him leave Arsenal. According to him, the fans at Emirates Stadium had turned on him in recent times and he couldn’t work out why his situation was different to that of somebody like Cesc Fabregas.

"The way the fans behaved towards me was not nice at all. I can't understand why they were after me.

"I did my best for them and I was very happy there.

"I scored 30 goals in a season - it's not my fault that Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid wanted to sign me.

"In any summer, Barcelona try to sign Cesc Fabregas.

"But the fans never turned on him."

Well, it wasn't as if I wasn't expecting but well, there you are.

2. Samuel Eto'o leaving Barca

He has agreed terms on his transfer from Barcelona to Inter Milan. His agent, Jose Maria Mesalles, emerged from two hours of talks with Inter representatives to tell the waiting press that a deal had been agreed.



The Cameroon international is due to arrive in Milan on either Monday or Tuesday to put pen to paper.



The agent spent three days negotiating with Inter before a deal was reached which will see Eto'o switch from Barcelona while Inter's Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic joins the Spanish champions.

 That's not strange, 'cos I think Sammy was worth every penny.

As well as Eto'o, the Catalans would pay the Italians 50 million euros and allow Belarusian winger Alexander Hleb to go on a season-loan to the San Siro.



According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Eto'o will sign a five-year deal worth between 10-10.5 million euros a year.

 The 28-year-old Eto'o, who joined the Catalan side in 2004, has a year left in his contract with Barcelona. 



He was the club's top scorer in the Spanish league last season, with 30 goals.

 Why Barca let him go is beyond me...

The other stories of the week

Cameroon employs Le Guen

Frenchman Paul Le Guen will be installed as the new coach of Cameroon this week, according to the state run Cameroon Radio Television.

The 45-year-old will replace the German Otto Pfister, who resigned suddenly in May.

Le Guen was most recently in charge of French Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain, but the club decided not to renew his contract at the end of last season. He'll be coaching big names like Eto'o.

He will now sign a six-month deal with the Indomitable Lions, hoping to help the side qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Cameroon currently sit bottom of qualifying Group A, but can move to within two points of leaders Gabon if they win their game in hand over Alain Giresse’s side on September 5.

Jones is okey dokey

Cecil Jones Attuquayefio is hopeful of returning to the game after undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

The former Ghana and Benin national team coach has been absent for some time now, a situation which has contributed to Liberty Professionals’ poor form and struggle to beat the drop in the Glo Premier League.

But the veteran coach says he is making good progress and expects to be back in business when the new season begins.

“I have almost recovered,” said the coach who guided Hearts of Oak to all of their only continental successes.

“The season will be over this weekend and I’m sure I would bounce back by next season.”

Concerns have been raised about the rate of progression by the coach leading to calls for a review of his health status outside Ghana.

Muntari on Mourinho’s greatness

Inter won the Scudetto last season, but their ultimate goal is to win the Champions League and midfielder Sulley Muntari touched on coach Jose Mourinho's plans for the new campaign.

"Since he is a great champion he does not want to settle for what we achieved last year," he told Sky Sports following a training session.

"Mourinho is very clever. He is our coach, but especially our leader. If he starts sending the right signals, we will react and work well, very seriously as usual."

Despite the fact that the Nerazzurri have begun their preseason training in the United States, Muntari continues to be linked with a move back to the English Premier League. However, he has reiterated his desire to stay with his current club.

Zokora is in Spain now

Sevilla have completed the signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Didier Zokora.

The Ivorian holding midfielder has signed a four-year contract with Sevilla after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €9 million.

Zokora, who joined Tottenham from Saint-Etienne in 2006, made 134 appearances for Spurs, and was part of the side that won the League Cup trophy in 2008. The 28-year-old will have a €30m release clause attached to his contract and will be officially presented next Wednesday.

Hockey matters

The AfHf Ghana 2008 Hockey Nations Cup comes to an end today. Ghana's Black Sticks (men) flopped misearbly after two defeats - one an 8-0 thrashing from South Africa.

The women have made Ghana more proud with a place in the final against RSA's women. Ghana's ladies beat Nigeria 4-1 in the last game.

"We are going all out and we have nothing to loose as this is the final," said Ghana captain Pamela Condobrey.

The tournament has been a good show despite concerns about hype and readiness before it started.

South Africa's men play Egypt in the final and they xpect to repeat the 3-0 beating they gave the North Africans in the group phase.

Gyan, two other Africans in Everton's crosshairs

English Premiership side Everton have been linked with two more African stars, while a third appears to be heading elsewhere.

Ghana international striker Asamoah Gyan (pictured right) is said to be a target for David Moyes’ men, with reports that he is in England this week to hold discussions with the club.

The 22-year-old Rennes player has failed to make an impact in Ligue 1 and was linked with a move to The Toffees this time last year as well.

Meanwhile, Nigerian international defender Dele Adeleye (below, left) has claimed Everton are interested in signing him.

Should the 20-year-old move to the Merseyside club from Sparta Rotterdam he will join compatriots Joseph Yobo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Victor Anichebe.

"There has been a lot of interest from the Premier League and I think Everton have made a serious bid in the past," Adeleye told The Nigerian Sun News.

"I cannot confirm now if there is negotiations between them and my club. What I know is that I am still a Rotterdam player.

"I will really love to play in the Premiership because it has been my desire to play in the top league in Europe."

But it appears less likely that Cameroon international Stephane M’Bia will sign. Everton are reported to have had a bid accepted for the Rennes midfielder, but the player chose to stay in France with Marseille instead.

However, his wage issues with OM appear stalled and he's now linked with a move to Stoke City instead.

Eto'o the Great

By Piers Edwards, BBC Sport. I met him during the nations' Cup in Ghana last year. A great chap, we had a professional collaboration tracking the medic who was pushed by Samuel Ashia in Ghana's semi final game. Here's a piece Piers has done.

Samuel Eto'o can lay claim to being the most decorated African footballer in history following Barcelona's Champions League triumph [last] Wednesday night.

Barca's 2-0 victory over Manchester United in Rome handed the 28-year-old Cameroonian the second Champions League medal of his career.

No other African has a pair of winners' medals gained from actually playing in the final of Europe's premier competition.

Eto'o's compatriot Geremi has two Champions Leagues from his time with Real Madrid.

He was an unused substitute in the 2000 final and failed to make the match-day squad for the triumph two years later.

However, it is up to the discretion of the winning club, rather than Europe's governing football body Uefa, who medals are awarded to.

Many Nigerians often claim that Kanu is Africa's most decorated footballer yet the twice-crowned African Footballer of the Year has never won the Nations Cup and has only picked up one Champions League medal with Ajax Amsterdam

Eto'o, of course, does play in finals, starts them in fact and his 10th-minute goal made him the first African to score in two Champions League finals.

In the 2006 final against Arsenal, which Barcelona won 2-1 in Paris, the Cameroonian slotted home a 76th-minute equaliser from close range.

In addition to his Champions League medals, Eto'o has also won Olympic gold (2000), two African Nations Cups (2000 and 2002), two Spanish Cups and three Spanish leagues.

He is the only man to have won three African Footballer of the Year titles (2003-2005) and is also the record goal scorer in the 52-year history of the African Nations Cup - having claimed his 16th goal last year.

In 2006, Eto'o also became the first African to top the scoring charts in one of the big three European leagues of Spain, Italy and England. He lifted the the 'pichichi' for netting 26 goals in Spain.

And while the likes of Zimbabwe's Bruce Grobbelaar (Liverpool), Ghana's Abedi Pele (Marseille) and compatriot Sammy Kuffuor (Bayern Munich) all contested two European Cup finals, they only ever managed to win one title apiece.

Prior to Eto'o, only Rabah Madjer had ever scored in a European Cup final. The Algerian netted a famous back-heel in 1987 which contributed to FC Porto's narrow 2-1 triumph against Bayern Munich.

And while the likes of Zimbabwe's Bruce Grobbelaar (Liverpool), Ghana's Abedi Pele (Marseille) and compatriot Sammy Kuffuor (Bayern Munich) all contested two European Cup finals, they only ever managed to win one title apiece.

Many Nigerians often claim that Kanu is Africa's most decorated footballer, with his trophy cabinet displaying medals for the Champions League, Uefa Cup, Olympic Games, six domestic championships (including two Premier League titles) as well as three FA Cups.

Yet the twice-crowned African Footballer of the Year has never won the Nations Cup and has only picked up the one Champions League medal, earned with Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam in 1995 (alongside compatriot Finidi George).

Considering the Champions League is seen as the pinnacle of club football throughout the world, Eto'o's achievements must be treated with respect.

Prior to Eto'o, only Rabah Madjer had ever scored in a European Cup final. The Algerian netted a famous back-heel in 1987 which contributed to FC Porto's narrow 2-1 triumph against Bayern Munich.

Such a feat looked a long way off last June when coach Pep Guardiola announced that the Cameroonian did not feature in his long-term plans shortly after taking charge of the Catalan club.

Yet Eto'o's hard work in pre-season won over the legendary Barca midfielder, who has been rewarded by the striker's incredible tally of 29 league goals in only 35 matches this season.

* This article does not take into account Champions League medals won by players who were not part of the match-day squad. For example, Geremi, who won a medal with Real Madrid in 2000 as an unused substitute in the final, was also awarded one in 2002 even though he did not make the final squad.

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Quinton Fortune and Eric Djemba-Djemba make an infamous list.

Soccerlens, that most astute of football sites, has the list of what it considers as Sir Alex Ferguson's Worst Manchester United XI.

And it includes two Africans: Quinton Fortune (South Africa) in left back and Eric Djemba-Djemba (Cameroun) in central midfield.


Djemba-Djemba


Among other damning descriptions, the site says Djemba-Djemba was the first of many pretenders (as Roy Keane's successor) as Sir Alex bought him from Nantes for £3.5 million in 2003. As ever, there was an accompanying video evidence.



Fortune
The writer was a bit merciful with the former Bafana man saying that 'for the record, I actually liked Quinton Fortune. Unlike some of his contemporaries, especially Kieran Richardson, Fortune had a good attitude and worked hard. He just wasn’t very good.'

No video evidence. So, I ask you, what do you think?

PS: Others who made the list were Massimo Taibi, David May, Laurent Blanc (Iask you!), William Prunier, Jordi Cruyff, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ralph Milne, Diego Forlan and David Bellion.

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African show in Europe's spotlight

Manchester were totally outclassed by a Barca side that was awesome.

And that awesomeness included three (west) Africans: Samuel Eto'o, Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita.

1. Samuel Eto'o Fils - Cameroun

Samuel Eto'o delivered what was arguably the most definite blow for Barca. He scored in the tenth minute when United were on a frenetic high. In short, he broke 'em before Messi burned 'em. And guess what? He is proud to be African. Go Africa!

Ratings: Telegraph, Eurosport, Goal

2. Yaya Toure - La Cote d'Ivoire

To the left of your picture, the man simply kept the United attack on edge. Together with Puyol, Sergio Busquets and Pique, Yaya showed what class he is. Curiously, this role is not one he is used to yet he played there as if he's been doing that his whole life!

Ratings: Telegraph, Eurosport, Goal

3. Seydou Keita - Mali

A man the Black Stars would face soon in the qualifiers, he came on to replace Henry. Made sure the midfield was tight and taut. His contribution would not be overlooked, lest why was he put there?

Ratings: Telegraph, Eurosport, Goal