Real Madrid sign Bale for world record fee

Los Blancos have finally announced the arrival of the Wales international, who has usurped new team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as the game's most expensive player

Real Madrid have announced the signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for a record-breaking €100 million.

The Wales international succeeds new team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as the game's most expensive player after penning a six-year contract with the Liga giants.

“I would like to thank everyone at the club, the chairman, board, staff, coaches and players – and most of all the fantastic fans who I hope will understand this amazing career opportunity," Bale told Tottenham's official website.

“I am not sure there is ever a good time to leave a club where I felt settled and was playing the best football of my career to date.  I know many players talk of their desire to join the club of their boyhood dreams, but I can honestly say, this is my dream come true.

“I am well aware that I would not be at the level I am today were it not for firstly Southampton and then Spurs standing by me during some of the tougher times and affording me the environment and support they have.

“Tottenham will always be in my heart and I’m sure that this season will be a successful one for them.  I am now looking forward to the next exciting chapter in my life, playing football for Real Madrid.

Bale, who will be officially unveiled as a Madrid player at a press conference at 13:00CET on Monday, first came to prominence as a 16-year-old with Southampton before joining Tottenham in 2007.

The then full-back initially struggled at White Hart Lane but he flourished after being converted into a winger, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2010-11.

Bale collected the same prize last year, after scoring 26 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions.

His fantastic form was not enough to earn Spurs a place in the Champions League but the 24-year-old will now feature in the competition this season after finally completing his drawn-out move to Madrid.

Indeed, the deal had been expected to be completed last week but Spurs refused to sanction the transfer until replacements had been signed.

However, after signing Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen, the English outfit belatedly gave Bale's move the green light.

Arsene Wenger has stepped up his pursuit of the German playmaker, who has fallen down the Bernabeu pecking order, and hopes to complete a spectacular deal on deadline day

 

High-level discussions have been held between the clubs in recent days and Arsene Wenger is increasingly hopeful that a sensational late move for the Germany international can be completed before Monday night’s transfer deadline.

LEAVING IT LATE
OZIL'S REAL MADRID CAREER
GAMES PLAYED GOALS ASSISTS	157 27 81

Arsenal are willing to pay a club-record €47m to capture Ozil, who has privately indicated he is keen to move to the Emirates Stadium, despite his public claims he is happy to stay and fight for his place in Carlo Ancelotti's side.

The Gunners, who could face competition from Paris St-Germain, are battling to complete the deal in what promises to be a frantic final 24 hours of the window.
Wenger is targeting at least three new signings on deadline day as he tries to make amends for what has been a frustrating summer of transfer activity for the club.
Arsenal have reached an agreement with Palermo to sign goalkeeper Emiliano Vivano on a season-long loan, with the Italian heading to London on Sunday night to discuss personal terms and undertake a medical.
Wenger is also working on a third deal as he seeks to strengthen a squad that has been severely weakened both by injury and high-profile departures in the past two summers.
Despite working with a transfer budget of up to €117m, Wenger has suffered repeated frustration in the transfer market this summer and is yet to make a cash signing.
The Frenchman’s priority has been to add a proven striker to the ranks but two bids for Luis Suarez were rejected by Liverpool, while moves for Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne Rooney and Karim Benzema have all been unsuccessful.
Wenger turned his attention to Real Madrid’s battery of elite attackers after it became increasingly clear that Bale was set for a world-record €100m move to Spain.
The Gunners tabled a €30m bid for Angel Di Maria last week but the player has begun the season in impressive form and is reluctant to cut his ties with the Bernabeu.
However, Ozil was left on the bench for Real’s 3-1 win earlier on Sunday after being substituted during the 1-0 win at Granada six days previously, which he reacted to by storming down the tunnel and onto the team bus.
Asked about overlooking Ozil in favour of Di Maria on Sunday, Ancelotti said: “It’s to be expected that he’s not happy. I don’t like players who are happy to be on the bench. It was a football decision to play Di María, who is playing well and with great intensity".
Arsenal have been given encouragement that Real are willing to off-load the 24-year-old playmaker as they prepare to trim costs and free up space in the team for Gareth Bale.
Ozil has been a fixture in the Real team, usually playing in the No10 role behind the centre-forward, since moving from Werder Bream in the summer of 2010. He has also won 47 caps for the Germany national team.

Two Nigerian Policewomen Caught On Tape Extorting Money From A Driver May Get Fired

 

 

 

      

By SaharaReporters, New York

Two Nigerian policewomen  attached to the Traffic Unit of Makinde Police Station, Mafoluku, Lagos, caught on camera demanding and receiving a bribe of N100 from a commercial driver along the Apapa-Oshodi expressway in Lagos will soon know their fate as the Police Provost Unit of the Lagos Police Command has concluded their orderly room trial.
SaharaReporters learnt that the husband of one of the policewomen has appealed to the police authorities to release his wife from detention as well as forgive her for the offence she had committed.
A source in the police station identified the women as Corporals Elizabeth Itona and Jenifer Azingbe, stating that "We heard they have finished orderly room trial for them today (Monday)."
The source told SaharaReporters that Corporal Azingbe is being detained with her seven-month-old baby identified as Nathaniel.
According to him, "Corporal Jenifer is breast feeding her baby and she is in detention with him. The baby is seven months old and that is why the husband and her people came to plead for her release."
A video recording had been posted on Youtube by one Afro Finlandia, which showed a policewoman demanding and extorting N100 from a commercial bus driver on Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
A commuter in the bus had recorded the extortion negotiation showing the driver appealing to the policewoman who had stopped the bus from moving after picking commuter on the expressway.
As the driver's pleading had fallen on deaf ears, he angrily said, “Don’t abuse me because of N100. How much is N100? Me I don pass N100.”
The policewoman who was sitting in the bus was adamant as she said in pidgin English, “E no concern me. Pay me my own money."
The driver was seen telling the conductor to give the policewoman the N100 so that the bus could proceed on its journey.
“Give her N100. I will return it to you later,” the driver had said Yoruba.
The policewoman alighted from the bus after collecting the N100 and in company with another colleague walked away from the bus to their duty post of controlling traffic.
The video on the social media caused outrage which led to the arrest of the women last week.
An orderly room trial into the case was also held last week and the policewomen may be dismissed just like one Sergeant Christopher Omoleze attached to the same station also caught on video posted on Youtube negotiating a N25,000 bribe.
The Nigerian Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar had ordered the dismissal of Omoleze and the same fate may befall the policewomen.

Kwara: APC Wins 11 Council Wards, KWASIEC Returning Officer Absconds

 

 

caption: APC

By SaharaReporters, New York

Results from all 12 council wards in Offa, Kwara State, show that the newly registered All Progressive Congress (APC), swept 11 of the 12 wards in Saturday’s polls, and the Peoples Democratic Party, just one ward.
The results were signed by officers of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) in the wards, agents of all the parties, and security agents.
Tension however rose in the area after the Returning Officer strangely refused to announce the results even when they had been fully tabulated as early as 5 p.m and no record of violence existed.
Political party agents, security teams and election observers who gathered at the local government collation centre in Offa could not find the Returning Officer who is by law empowered to announce the final results. He later called in to say he would only announce the result in Ilorin, the state capital, a decision that is contrary either to convention and the electoral law.
The signed results are as follows:
Balogun Ward: APC - 1129, PDP -504;
Shawo Central: APC -1132, PDP- 435;
Shawo SW : APC- 1171, PDP – 372;
Shawo SE: APC- 1054, PDP -370;
Essa A : APC – 639, PDP -363;
Essa B: APC -644, PDP -381;
Ojomu NW : APC -1314, PDP -446;
Ojomu Central 1: APC -866, PDP -373;
Ojomu Central 2 : APC – 866, PDP- 373;
Ojomu SE : APC -1374, PDP -427;
Ogbodun : APC – 268, PDP – 381;  and
Essa C : APC - 972 , PDP – 351.
The tally shows the APC having 11,526 as against PDP’s 4,668.
The atmosphere was still tense in Offa and at KWASIEC office in Ilorin at the time of filing this report, as the youths vowed to reject any attempt to manipulate the result in favour of the PDP.