Rio Ferdinand hits back to defend 'tired' Raheem Sterling

                                                                   Rio Ferdinand

                                                                   Raheem Sterling's

Former England captain Rio Ferdinand has defended Raheem Sterling's request to "sit out" England's 1-0 win over Estonia on Sunday because of fatigue. 

Sterling was used as a substitute in the Euro 2016 Group E qualifier after telling boss Roy Hodgson he was tired.

Ferdinand said more English players should follow the 19-year-old's lead as it would benefit the national team.

He said on Twitter:  "Fair play to him. English players are normally too proud to do that unlike our foreign friends."

Sterling came on as a 64th-minute substitute in Tallinn and was fouled for the free-kick that captain Wayne Rooney scored from.

The teenager, who has played 1,079 minutes of football this season, responded to criticisms from fans by tweeting:   "Excuse me for being human. On my way home."

Last month Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had promised to protect the teenager  in a bid to avoid the experiences of Michael Owen, whose career stuttered from his mid-twenties onwards because of injury.

Like Owen, who made the England 1998 World Cup squad aged 18, Sterling has become a key player for both his club and country at a young age.

Ferdinand said he and other England players, like Rooney and Steven Gerrard, would have benefited from more rest and pointed to his former Manchester United team-mate Carolos Tevez, who would not take part in training when tired.

The former defender added on Twitter: "Tevez would come in some days and sit on the massage bed while the team trained. "I'm tired"... match day - firing and energised.

"With more rest at the right times throughout seasons, Rooney would have gone into tournaments for England fresher 100%. Too proud again.

"Same could be said of Gerrard, (Frank) Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole myself etc - all too proud to sit out of training or a match with the bigger picture in mind.

"Going by many of the responses on here - because players earn a fortune they cannot get tired. Leave off!"

Former England rugby union captain Will Carling also sympathised with Sterling.

"Always amazed how simplistic some people are," Carling tweeted.   "Professional sportspeople can never get tired/ lose form. They get paid! They're still human!!

"I am not just talking footy. Sometimes the adrenaline is just not there. The extra edge. Down to opposition, or fatigue."

Nigeria are being sabotaged - Stephen Keshi

                                                                 Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has claimed his side's struggles in qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations are the result of "sabotage". 

The Super Eagles suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Sudan on Saturday, and are bottom of Group A with only one point.

Nigeria have many off-field issues, with the football federation in crisis and Keshi working without a contract.

"There is sabotage by some people. I won't mention their names but they know themselves," said Keshi.

"They want to run this team down. Some people are ready to sell this country for a dime. They want to sabotage the Super Eagles. 

"It's a shame. They don't want this team to get to the Nations Cup, they want this team to lose outright."

Nigeria host Sudan, who are now third in the standings with three points, in a return fixture on Wednesday in Abuja.

Next month, they travel to second-placed Congo, who defeated them 3-2 in September, before the arrival of group leaders South Africa.
The Super Eagles have to win all three matches and hope other results go their way if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the finals in Morocco in January.

Newly-elected Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has criticised the team's qualifying performances but says there is no rush to make a decision over Keshi's future.

"It is embarrassing that, as reigning champions, we are struggling in the qualifying series, with only one point out of a possible nine. It is an awful output," he said.

"However, we want our people to be patient and not stampede the federation to take knee-jerk decisions that will backfire in the end."

Neil Lennon: Bolton appoint ex-Celtic boss as manager

 

                                                                        Neil Lennon

Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has been named as the manager of Championship bottom side Bolton Wanderers. 

Lennon, 43, out of work since leaving Celtic in May after four years in charge, succeeds Dougie Freedman, who left the Trotters earlier this month.

Bolton have won only one league game in 11 so far this season.

The Northern Irishman officially takes over at Bolton on Monday, with his first match in charge being Saturday's trip to Birmingham City.

"I've got a big job on my hands, but that's the challenge," Lennon told BBC Radio 5 live. "I'm very excited about that.

"My objective is to put right the results that have gone against us recently and get them playing a style of football that will please the Bolton fans."

Lennon led Celtic to three league titles and two Scottish Cups and took them to the Champions League last 16.

Victory over Barcelona in the group stage of Europe's elite club competition in November 2012 was Lennon's highest-profile achievement at the Glasgow club.

"I've left one great club with a great history and I'm going to another club with a great history," added Lennon.

Recent Bolton managers
Sam Allardyce	October 1999 - April 2007
Sammy Lee	April 2007 - October 2007
Gary Megson	October 2007 - December 2009
Owen Coyle	January 2010 - October 2012
Dougie Freedman	October 2012 - October 2014

"They are great football people, but they are hurting with the situation the club finds itself in at the minute. They have entrusted me to change that and I am very lucky."

Johan Mjallby, Lennon's number two in Glasgow, also joins the Trotters as assistant manager with Garry Parker, another who served at Celtic Park, arriving as first-team coach.

Lennon had last month expressed interest in vacant posts at Bolton's Championship rivals Cardiff City and Fulham.

A statement on Bolton's website said:  "The club are delighted and excited to appoint Neil Lennon. He brings with him experience at the highest level and an infectious enthusiasm to take the club forward."

Bolton were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2011-12 season and have since failed to challenge for promotion from England's second tier, twice finishing outside the play-off places under Freedman.

Sterling asked to rest - Hodgson

 

                                                                      Raheem Sterling

 

                                           England coach Roy Hodgson and Raheem Sterling

England coach Roy Hodgson believes he should not be solely responsible for resting Raheem Sterling after the Liverpool midfielder asked to "sit out" the Euro 2016 qualifier in Estonia.

Hodgson said Sterling, 19, complained about fatigue on the eve of the game.

"He said, 'I'm feeling tired, I'd rather sit this one out'," Hodgson told BBC Radio 5 live after the 1-0 win.

The 67-year-old added: "It's unfair if all the expectations to give the player a little bit of a break fall on me."

Sterling came on in the 64th minute for club-mate Jordan Henderson, and was fouled for the free-kick that England captain Wayne Rooney curled into the bottom right-hand corner to maintain England's 100% record after three games in Group E.

The teenager has already been rested by club manager Brendan Rodgers this campaign for the league match against Aston Villa in September. 

"He broke into the Liverpool team, had a fantastic season and then went to the World Cup. He is only a 19-year-old," added Hodgson.

"It is not as simple as the training you are having may be taking a bit of juice from your legs.

"There is an awful lot going on in your head as well, so perhaps it is quite simply that the season has not started as well for Liverpool, and he is in the spotlight for England and Liverpool. Maybe that has had some effect. I don't know. It's a theory."

Another Anfield team-mate, Adam Lallana, was picked instead of Sterling in the starting XI in Tallinn.

"To be fair to the lad [Sterling], I had a decision to make because Lallana was so good in the second half against San Marino.

"It was simple one. When he suggested he wasn't 100% in terms of fitness and recovery, it would have been foolish to leave a player like Lallana, who is raring to go, out of the team.

"Having Sterling up your sleeve can be a very, very important factor. There's nothing wrong with him. I'm sure when he goes back to Liverpool he'll be fine."

Meanwhile, Hodgson clarified that he had not been intending to replace Rooney just before he broke the deadlock with a 73rd-minute free-kick.

"Wayne would have been frustrated and disappointed if this ended 0-0 - he's self-critical player and self-critical captain," he said.

"He would have looked at the performance of himself and other front players and would have said 'we are playing good football, but it's up to us to put the chances away'.

"If he hadn't put that away he would been the first one to criticise himself for not doing so."

Elmohamady pulls out of Egypt squad for Nations Cup qualifiers

Hull utility player Ahmed Elmohamady has withdrawn from Egypt's squad to face Botswana in two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month.

The 27-year-old was injured during the English Premier League side's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Hull said the right winger/full-back is suffering from "a back spasm".

Egypt face Botswana away on Friday and then at home five days later with pressure mounting on coach Shawky Gharib after two defeats in Group G.

The Pharaohs are pointless - as are Botswana - and are facing a tough task to qualify for next year's tournament in Morocco.

On Tuesday, Egyptian Football Association president Gamal Allam said: "The national team's failures are the responsibility of its technical staff. We will hire a foreign manager if Gharib fails to take the team to the Nations Cup."

It seems that the message had already been communicated to Gharib, who was in defensive mood at a news conference just before he left for Botswana.

"I always welcome you and your questions and comments, but I hope your criticism for us will be a constructive criticism," he told the assembled media.

"Criticise as you wish. You're welcome to tell me your ideas and comments about players. Criticism sometimes can go over the top and beyond the limit. It is sometimes useless when it is not made to help the team and the way it plays football."

The former Egypt international has put his faith in local players, with only five foreign-based stars in his squad.

Gharib has recalled Al Ahly defenders Saad Samir and Mohamed Naguib to bolster a defence that faltered in the defeats by Senegal and Tunisia in their opening qualifiers.

But goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who plays for Ismaily, and his club-mate Hosni Abd-Rabou are both out.

Egypt squad:

Goalkeepers: Ahmed El-Shenawy (Zamalek), Sherif Ekramy (Ahly), Amir Abdel-Hamid (Wadi Degla)

Defenders: Mohamed Naguib, Saad Samir, Sabri Rahil (Ahly), Ali Gabr, Hazem Emam (Zamalek), Shawky El-Saied, (Ismaily)

Midfielders: Ayman Hefny, Ibrahim Salah (Zamalek), Hossam Ghaly, Walid Soliman (Ahly), Mohamed Abdel-Shafi (Ahly Jeddah - Saudi Arabia), Ibrahim Abdel-Khaleq (Smouha), Amr Solaya (Ismaily), Ahmed Hamoudy, Mohamed Elneny (Basel - Switzerland), Ahmed Fathi (Umm Salal - Qatar), Saleh Gomaa (Nacional de Madeira - Portugal)

Strikers: Khaled Qamar (Zamalek), Amr Gamal (Ahly), Hani El-Egeizy (Smouha), Mohamed Salah (Chelsea - England)

Zambia appoint Nico Labohm as new assistant coach

Zambia have appointed Nico Labohm as assistant coach to Honour Janza.

The Dutchman has been given a contract to be part of the technical team until the end of Zambia's qualifying campaign for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya revealed Labohm had previously worked in Zambia.

"It was important for us to find someone who knows the terrain and someone who can help the coach Honour Janza," said Bwalya.

"Labohm will bring a lot of knowledge and this is what we need. He has been around for many years, he has worked in Netherlands, Hong Kong, Surinam, Ukraine, Tunisia and Zambia.

"We have four more qualifiers to play and Labohm will stay with the team until the end of the qualifiers.

"We expect he will receive a lot of support from all Zambians, and from the players especially, so he can bring his expertise on the pitch and off it, so we can get the desired results."

Janza was appointed only in August and under him Zambia have made a poor start to their qualifying campaign in Group F, drawing 0-0 with Mozambique and losing 2-1 to Cape Verde.

They next face a double-header against Niger and the 2012 champions know they must secure maximum points from those two matches to boost their hopes of reaching next year's finals in Morocco.

While Bwalya admits "we have not had the start that we wanted" he has backed the team to "rise to the occasion" for the rest of the qualifiers.

The former Chipolopolo captain also hinted that Labohm could play a role for Zambia beyond November.

"Because of the name Zambia has, Labohm felt duty-bound to come, at short-notice, to help the team," said Bwalya.

"Maybe he will stay. We hope he will like it and enjoy working here. We have the talent and I'm sure it is an opportunity for him to work hard to develop the kind of talent that we have."

Mauritania appoint Corentin Martins as coach

Frenchman Corentin Martins has been appointed coach of Mauritania.

The 45-year-old succeeds his compatriot Patrice Neveu, who was sacked in August after the team exited qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Martins beat off competition for the job from fellow Frenchmen Pierre Lechantre and Sebastien Desabre and Serbian Milovan Rajevac.

He will attend the 12 October friendly against Morocco in Casablanca before being presented in Nouakchott.

A former midfielder, Martins won 14 caps for France and was part of the Euro 96 squad before he retired and took his first coaching job at French lower league side Quimperois.

He went on to take become sporting director of Brest, where he later became coach but struggled in the 2013-14 season and the club were relegated to Ligue 2.