Nwankwo Kanu excites fans in new biography movie

Nwankwo Kanu, the man at the centre of the movie titled ‘Lion Heart: The Kanu Story’, has expressed his desire to include a reward system in the movie project for ball fans. Kanu, who expressed this desire at the unveiling of the first promotional poster for the movie during the week, explained his motive for such gestures.
My life story will be incomplete if I do not involve the fans who truly love me.

“Imagine those fans who approach me each time at the airport just to take a photograph with me; imagine how many homes have framed my pictures either while playing football or just walking down the street. To me, this is love, and I must show them I love them too. This movie project will not be complete without rewarding some of such people,” observed the Super Eagles and Portsmouth of England forward.

Lion Heart, which is currently being filmed in Nigeria, London, Amsterdam, the USA, South Africa and India, is slated for global premiere in September this year.

It is a documentary feature that chronicles Kanu’s inspiring rags to riches story from a unique perspective that delves into his journey into the world of soccer from his humble beginnings in Owerri, his struggle with a near-fatal heart condition at the peak of his football career and the heart surgery in Cleveland, Ohio. His tribulations and triumph at Arsenal, Ajax, Portsmouth and other big clubs in Europe are all well captured in this classic movie.

Neil Oyenekan, the producer of the movie, has assured that these fans would be part of the movie, pointing out “a great story is told from several perspectives and including the fans in the story of an African icon is a great idea”.

He added that besides getting the views of the regulars who may have had a personal or professional relationship with Kanu, it is quintessential to also document the pictorial experiences of those individuals who recognize and idolize Kanu without knowing what kind of person he is at close quarters; “we’d like to unravel the motive behind this adulation and know what the fans are thinking because you really have to admire someone before you walk up to him to request for a photo opportunity”, he noted.

Oyenekan hinted that there are fans who have taken more than a dozen photographs with Kanu over the years “and we would just like to see these pictures and also get more perspectives from the fans that had these pictures taken”.

James Amuta, the movie’s promoter, in a statement in Lagos, gave insights into the modalities for participating in the first of a series of fun-filled activities designed to reward the Kanu fans.

Source: http://www.thisdayonline.com/

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Kanu: Triumph of a Soccer King

by Isioma Madike


The protracted off-form problem appeared as a stumbling block to Nigeria’s international captain, Nwankwo Kanu, who has been consigned to warming the bench of Portsmouth football club of England for the better part of this season. But, the two time African footballer of the year seems to have seized the tide, and his late season form is exciting all that loves the round leather game.

However, the leggy player, it seems, has invigorated his knack for scoring goals. This fact was evident on Saturday, March 20, when his 89th minute dramatic winning goal sank hard-fighting Hull city. Kanu’s scintillating strike was all that the Pompey fans needed to smile again, especially at a time of adversity that has seen the club sitting pretty unchallenged at the bottom of the English premier league table.

Before the Fratton Park display, Kanu, who, some football enthusiasts had laid aside for the archives, had played himself into the hearts of other soccer devotees with his deft touches on the ball that caused nuisance to goal keepers in England. A football commentator had, for instance, described him as the heart of the Pompey’s new vigour, to describe his astounding display that had seen him scoring three beautiful goals in three matches.

Yet, Kanu, who is aiming at firing his club to another FA Cup final, appears not to be selfish in taking the credit as he shares same with club colleagues. “You can see the fans have come to support the club they love. So, you have to give them something back,” he stated.

His club manager, Avram Grant, who hailed Kanu as an Ambassador for the premier league, insists his club Jewel is as good as any other Eagles aiming to perch at the world cup finals in South Africa. “Kanu is not running as fast as before and his is not in the physical condition of before. He’s not young any more.

“But, he is clever. His movements for his goals were unbelievable; he was always at the right place at the right time. I think he can still play active soccer for two more years,” Grant remarked.

In spite of all these, however, Super Eagles technical adviser and former national team coach of Sweden, Lars Lagerback, seemed to have made up his mind on Kanu and his likes. He was quoted recently as shopping for a new captain and younger players to replace “some tired legs of Eagles” so as to fly unhindered in South Africa.

To former Super Eagles assistant coach and Nigeria’s goalkeeper in the 1970s, Joe Erico, “world cup is not a place to build a new team. It is the ultimate where countries showcase what they have over the years and you need the experience of the Kanus of this world to make appreciable impact in such global fiesta.

“Kanu has been particularly wonderful of late; to me, he is still relevant because of the psychological strength his inclusion would add to the team. Unfortunately, we don’t appreciate experience in Nigeria. But, it’s all discretional. The coach has the final say in selecting players he believes would deliver for him,” Erico said.

A decade ago, Kanu’s career was punctured before it began, when he was diagnosed with a faulty valve. Surgery gave him a second chance and inspired him to use his fame to save lives by setting up the Kanu Heart Foundation. His charity exists specifically to help children as more than 1000 African kids have benefited from his milk heart.

He has played for great European clubs like Ajax of Amsterdam, Inter Milan of Italy, Arsenal and West Brom, all in the glamorous English premier league. Kanu has all the laurels except the world cup medal to show for his soccer artistry. He is in his early 30s and hails from Arochukwu in Abia State.

Lars Largerback's Profile

Lars Edvin "Lasse" Lagerback was born 16 July 1948 in Katrineholm, Sweden. Lars Lagerback is a Swedish football manager and former player. He managed the Swedish National Team from 1998 until 2009 leading Sweden in five consecutive championships, the first time in Swedish history. He resigned as manager in 2009 after Sweden's failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

As youth, Lagerback played for Alby FF. When he was 13 years-old, he began playing for their P16 team. In 1970, he left and moved to Gimonäs CK under the guidance of Calle Lindelöf. He continued to play there until 1974.  In 1974, he attended Gynastik and Idrottshögskolan (GIH), where he was a classmate of current assistant coach Roland Andersson.

Lars Lagerback was called up to the senior team in 1977,. It was former teammate Kjell Pettersson that recommended him to Kilafors. He coached the Division IV team until 1982. In 1983, he moved to Arbrå IK until 1985. He took over Hudiksvall ABK in 1987, but he left by 1989.

In 1990, Lagerback takes a job with the Swedish Football Association. He began to coach the junior levels which included Fredrik Ljungberg. He helped Tommy Svensson and Tord Grip with Swedish National Team.

In 1996, Lagerback takes over Sweden B national team, until 1997. In 1998, Tommy Söderberg takes him on as assistant coach for the Swedish National Team. In 2000, he is promoted to dual-coach, a responsibility he would share with Söderberg until 2004. Under his guidance, the Swedish National Team qualified for the Euro 2000 but lost in the group stages.

Lagerback  led Sweden to the World Cup where Sweden was in 'group death' in 2002 Sweden lost against Senegal. In 2004, Sweden qualified for their third straight championship. In the Euro 2004, Sweden made it to the quarter-finals where they lost against Holland. Tommy Söderberg left the Swedish National Team to coach the U21 Team in that same year.

After the departure of Söderberg, Lagerback appointed Roland Andersson as assistant coach. In 2006, Lagerback took Sweden to their fourth consecutive championship, the first time in Swedish history. He led Sweden to the 2006 World Cup, losing against Germany 2–0 in the knockout stage.

 Under Lagerback, Sweden also qualified for UEFA Euro 2008, however they were eliminated in the group stage after losing 2-0 against Russia. The team's early dismissal from the tournament led sport columnists to ask Lagerback to be sacked.

Source: Wikipedia

Despite this, he signed an extension, which would keep him until the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign. After Sweden's unsuccessful qualification campaign for this summer's World Cup in South Africa, Lagerback resigned.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announces Lars Largerback as the new coach of Nigeria's national football team, Super Eagles

Former Sweden World Cup coach, Lars Largerback, the new coach of Nigeria's national football team Super Eagles is pictured on February 28, 2010 in Abuja. Lars Largerback has been named new Nigeria coach on a five-month contract, according to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on February 27, 2010. 


The 61-year-old Swede, who is on a five-month contract with the African country, was interviewed on Friday and named after a meeting of the NFF board early Saturday.

Lagerbäck takes over from Shuaibu Amodu, who was sacked after Nigeria lost 1-0 to Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals last month.

He resigned from the Swedish team after failing to qualify Sweden for the 2010World Cup in South Africa where Nigeria have been grouped with Argentina, Greece and South Korea.

Lagerbäck began work with the Sweden Football Association in 1990, concentrating on the the country's junior teams.

In 1996, he took over the Sweden B team and stayed there until 1998 when Tommy Söderberg took him on as assistant coach for Sweden.

In 2000, he was promoted to the position of joint-coach, a responsibility he would share with Söderberg until 2004.

Under his guidance, Sweden qualified for Euro 2000, but lost in the group stages. In 2002, he led Sweden to the World Cup, where they lost to Senegal.

Sweden then qualified for Euro 2004 reaching the quarterfinals where they lost to the Netherlands and two years later Lagerbäck took Sweden to their fourth consecutive championship, the first time in their history.

Under Lagerbäck, Sweden also qualified for Euro 2008 where they were eliminated in the group stage after losing 2-0 to Russia.


Lars Largerback's Profile

Major World Sport Events in South Africa.

1995  Rugby World Cup

1996 African Nations Cup 

1996 World Cup of Golf

1998 World Cup of Athletics

2003 Cricket World Cup

2003 President's Cup

2005-2008 Women's World Cup of Golf

2006 Paralympic Swimming World Championships

2007 World Twenty20 Championships

2009 Fifa Confederations Cup

2009 ICC Champions Trophy

2010 World Cup 

1995 Rugby World Cup

Since 1995, when Nelson Mandela handed the William Webb Ellis Trophy to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar after a pulsating Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg, South Africa has shown itself capable not only of hosting the really big sporting events, but of making really big successes of them.

1996 African Cup of Nations

A year later, Mandela was on hand once more to present the African Cup of Nations trophy to South Africa's soccer team, Bafana Bafana. As with the Rugby World Cup, the continent's premier footballing event went off smoothly in South Africa, with full houses and impressively well-behaved supporters – something not always associated with international soccer matches!

1996 World Cup of Golf

In the same year, Cape Town's Erinvale Golf Club played host to the World Cup of Golf. Ernie Els and Wayne Westner took full advantage of the familiar conditions and home crowd support to decimate the opposition, winning the event by a record 18 shots.

1998 World Cup of Athletics

Two years later, the world's top athletes were in Johannesburg for the World Cup of Athletics. Despite unusually poor weather for South Africa's business capital, the event went off without a hitch, with local athletes playing a vital role in helping Africa to victory in the team competition.

2003 Cricket World Cup

For once, in 2003, home advantage didn't help the South African team, as an under-performing Proteas side failed to progress to the knockout stage of cricket's showcase tournament. The event was well supported and impeccably run, with day-night matches becoming a staple of the event for the first time. In a high-scoring final in Johannesburg, Australia defended the title they had won four years previously in England.

2003 President's Cup

The 2003 President's Cup, held at Fancourt near George in the Western Cape, was rated one of the best-organised – and most exciting – golfing events ever. The four-day shootout between the United States and International team culminated in a sudden-death playoff between Tiger Woods and Ernie Els that went through three holes before fading light finally halted play. In a first for the competition, team captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player agreed to share the trophy – even though, as defending champions, the USA should have kept it. Afterwards, Nicklaus said it was "the most unbelievable event the game of golf has ever seen."

2005-2008 Women's World Cup of Golf

Fancourt was also home to the inaugural Women's World Cup of Golf in 2005, which was won by Japan. In 2006 the event moved to the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City, home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, one of golf's richest tournaments. Sweden, led by Annika Sorenstam, took the title.

In 2007, at the same venue, first-timers Paraguay stunned the 21 other competing countries to win by seven strokes. Paraguay's Julieta Granada commented afterwards: "The crowds were awesome ... They were cheering us on and they liked our outfits. It was a lot of fun. And the baboons … I liked the baboons. They are all my friends."

In 2008, the Philippines held off South Korea to win the title by two strokes.

2006 Paralympic Swimming World Championships

In 2006, Durban hosted the fourth International Paralympic Committee Swimming World Championships. South Africa's Natalie du Toit excelled, winning six gold medals, including a third place overall – against both male and female opposition – in the five-kilometre open water swim.

2007 World Twenty20 Championships

South Africa hosted cricket's inaugural Twenty20 World Championships with style to match its efficiency, creating a vibe and energy that many felt was lacking at the 2007 World Cup (for the longer, 50-overs-a-side version of the game) in the West Indies earlier in the year. South Africa has one of the more colourful national flags, and the abiding memory of the event will be one of colour, with fans from far and wide becoming part of the spectacle as sports and entertainment collided in a wildly successful first edition of the shortest form of international cricket.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

South Africa hosted the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup – a dress rehearsal for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ – with great success. The event was enthusiastically supported by colourful, pulsating crowds, and the football itself was hugely entertaining.

Bafana Bafana made it to the semi-finals, where they were beaten 1-0 by Brazil, who scored an 87th minute winner. The USA shocked European champions Spain 2-0 to reach the final.

In the playoff for third and fourth, Spain edged South Africa 3-2 after extra time in a humdinger, while Brazil went on to claim the title with a 3-2 win over the USA, having fought back from 2-0 down at the break.

2009 ICC Champions Trophy

Like the IPL, the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy was not originally scheduled for South Africa. The country was chosen to host the event following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan national team in Pakistan in March. Sri Lanka was originally selected as the new venue, but when doubts were expressed about the weather conditions in the island nation in September-October, it was decided to move it to South Africa.

In the final, played at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 5 October, Australia ended the run of tournament giant-killers New Zealand to claim the title. The elite, eight-nation, 50-overs-a-side competition went off without a glitch, in the process providing an excellent yardstick for the International Cricket Council to measure the "longer" limited-overs version of the game against its upstart rival, Twenty20 cricket.

Women 'line up to claim affairs with Tiger Woods'

Women 'line up to claim affairs with Tiger Woods'

Tiger Woods was braced for new trouble last night amid reports that at least two women are set to go public with claims that they had affairs with the world’s highest-earning sportsman.
RadarOnline.com a celebrity news website, reported that several women had come forward claiming to have had sex with the billion-dollar golfer, including one who purports to have “explosive” answerphone recordings.

Jaimee Grubbs, 24, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, tells this week’s edition of Us Weekly magazine that she had a 31-month affair with Woods, starting in April 2007, and that she has more than 300 text messages — some of them described as “racy” — to prove it.
The magazine invites readers to log on to its website today to listen to a voicemail that Woods allegedly left Ms Grubbs on Tuesday of last week, “in which he suggests his wife might suspect he is having an affair”.

Meanwhile a nightclub hostess said to be at the centre of a violent showdown between Woods and his wife insisted yesterday that allegations that she had had an affair with him this year were “just dumb stuff”.
Surfacing for her first full-length interview since Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade while reportedly fleeing from his furious wife, Rachel Uchitel lamented: “I look like a homewrecker and an a**hole”.
“I do not have sex with celebrities and I have not had an affair with Tiger Woods,” she told the New York Post.

“It’s horrible to Tiger’s family. His wife must feel horrible,” she said, adding of her accusers: “It’s just their word against mine and Tiger’s.”

“I have not had an affair with Tiger Woods. I’m a recluse, I don’t go out, I stay home with my dogs and friends,” she said, despite numerous photographs of her out partying, including cavorting on the Caribbean island of St Bartholomew this year with Ryan Seacrest, the host of American Idol.
Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating last Friday’s incident, in which Woods, 33, was found lying unconscious outside his mansion in Orlando at 2.25am after smashing his vehicle into a fire hydrant and a tree.
Officers are examining whether any crime was committed, and looking into suggestions that Woods may have been driving without shoes, which is illegal in Florida, and that he may have been assaulted by his golf club-wielding wife, Elin Nordegren, before the crash.
The couple’s neighbours, Jerome and Linda Adams, today sent lawyers to stage a press conference to tell how they took blankets and pillows to make Woods comfortable after their son, Jarius, spotted him prostrate in the road and rang for an ambulance.
“He was lying in the road. Mrs Woods was beside him trying to help him and he couldn’t get up,” said Bill Sharpe, an attorney for the Adams family.

“They did not witness any domestic violence and Mr Woods’s minor injuries were not consistent with somebody being beat up with a nine-iron.” Mr Sharpe added: “Mrs Woods was with him, had him down on the ground . . . she was sitting there. She was really, a lot, upset, and he’s unconscious . . . she was trying to help him. She weren’t trying to do any further damage.”
Woods remained bunkered in his Florida home last night. He has denied an affair with Ms Uchitel, condemned “the many false, unfounded and malicious rumours” surrounding last week’s crash, and described the episode as a private matter. He has refused to yield to questioning by state troopers.