African stars in training with club side

Chelsea midfielders Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel are on course to be fit for the start of the new Premier League season.

Ghana star Essien  and Nigeria international Mikel both missed the World Cup due to a knee and ankle injuries respectively.

Essien hasn’t played for Chelsea since being injured at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, while Mikel underwent  surgery towards the end of the season.

But the pair have now recovered sufficiently to take part in pre-season training with the English champions and Blues assistant manager Ray Wilkins is confident they will be ready for Chelsea’s opening league game against West Bromwich Albion on August 14.

“John Obi is slightly in advance of Michael Essien but they are both working very well indeed,” Wilkins told Chelsea’s website.

“They have been working double sessions for the last week and we will get them really firing before the season starts.”

Although Blues captain John Terry was seen joining in training this week, Wilkins is well aware that many of Chelsea’s stars are likely to be drained following their efforts at the World Cup.

Wilkins said boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to ensure the likes of Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Ricardo Carvalho don’t suffer from burn-out later in the season.

“Normally after a World Cup you find those players who come back from it, it is about December when they seem to hit a wall,” Wilkins said.

“It is very important we manage them in the correct manner and we get them to a level where they won’t be as fit as we want them to be, but as they creep into the new year their fitness will come back.

“The players we have got here now, we have to get them into the right fitness condition so that they are prepared to play, because we might not be able to use the guys coming back from the World Cup for the first couple of games.”

Black Princesses in the lead against US

An early goal from Elizabeth Cudjoe has given Ghana a deserved first half lead against USA.

A beautifully struck long range shot from Cudjoe emerged too much for American goalie Henninger to handle as she was left completely beaten as the ball zoomed well into her twine.

The Black Princesses would however have to see through the rest of the game without inspirational captain Mercy Miles as she left the field of play full of vomiting.

If the girls are able to hold on and even increase their tally to emerge winners of the match, it’ll be Africa’s first win at this year’s tournament following Nigeria’s one all draw game against England earlier in the day.

Obasi out for 8 at least weeks

Nigeria striker Chinedu Obasi has been ruled out for at least eight weeks after fracturing his shin.

The Hoffenheim man sustained the stress-related injury to his right tibia and will now miss the start of the new Bundesliga season.

Obasi has described the injury as a ‘nightmare’ following his participation in his country’s disappointing World Cup campaign.

The forward said: “I am very disappointed with this injury. The doctors are talking about eight weeks out before I can touch a ball. But that is life.

“It has been a disappointing end to the season for me. We had a bad World Cup and now this has happened. It is a nightmare for me.”

Hoffenheim manager Ralf Rangnick told Mannheimer Morgen newspaper: “This is certainly a blow for us.

“He has got serious problems with his shin bone. He is going to get every bit of support from us now. He needs every chance to come back stronger from this.”

Gervinho not moving to Anfield

Ivory Coast star Gervinho has revealed his intention to stay at Lille – ruling out a potential move to Liverpool.

Reports suggests that the 23-year-old was subject to a 12 million euro bid from the Reds, but the winger has expressed his desire to stay in France rather than move to Merseyside.

Having started his senior career at former Arsenal feeder club Beveren, he was granted a transfer to Le Mans having spent two years in Belgium.

After an eye-catchng first season in Ligue 1 he was linked with a move elsewhere; eventually joining Lille for 8 million euros in July 2009.

His stock rose even further at the Nord club – scoring 13 goals in 32 appearances last season.

This impressive goal return has since seen him heavily linked with Arsenal and, latterly, Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson is understood to be keen to add to his wide options having offloaded want away Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun to Chelsea.

However, the new Liverpool boss will have to look elsewhere for replacements after Gervinho told a French radio station that he will stay with Les Dogues.

“I’ll play with Lille next season. This is my first year. I still have two years of my contract [to run],” he said.

“Do not panic. I had good times last season and still have good things to come.”

Competition from powerful striker Didier Drogba who also doubles up as the captain means Gervinho will have to settle for a place on the bench but was impressive  every time he came on during the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.

Muntari to stay put

Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari has quashed talk of his imminent departure from the Serie A champions.

The Ghana international has been tipped to leave Nerazzurri this European summer, with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool said to be tracking his availability.

Muntari, however, has no plans to leave his new ‘home’ and fully intends on seeing out his contract with the three-time European Cup winners.

The 25-year-old told GTV: “I’m staying. I have two years remaining on my contract.

“I love the city, the club and I’m sure about staying.”

“I had a great relationship with Jose [Mourinho] and I know it would be the same again with a new man in charge,” he added.

“Now, we have another great coach, [Rafael] Benitez, and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Muntari joined English soccer in 2006 after completing a switch from Udinise to Portsmouth after impressing at Ghana’s maiden Participation at the World in Germany.

He returned to the Serie A in 2008 to champions Inter Milan after then coach Jose Mourinho failed to land his preferred target Frank Lampard from Chelsea.

Eriksson presided over Elephants World Cup campaign

Ivory Coast are considering extending coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s contract despite being eliminated in the group stage at the World Cup, says the Swedish national.

“They were really pleased and I guess that I can stay on if I want to,” Eriksson told Swedish braodcaster SVT late Tuesday. “If  so, it will be for four years until the next World Cup finals.”

Eriksson, currently on holiday in western Sweden, said he was thinking about the offer.

“I’ll make up my mind in a week or so. I have to do it soon since there are friendlies in August and qualifications for the Africa Cup of Nations in September and October.”

Eriksson has also been linked with English Premier League side Fulham, but said he “did not know what Fulham wanted to do.”

The Swedish national who has also coached England and Mexico as well as sides in Sweden, Portugal, Italy and England said he had no plans to retire.

The Swede took charge of the Elephants in February replacing Bosnian Vahid Halihodzic following the team’s quarter final exit at the Nations Cup in Angola at the hands of Algeria in January.

Ghana's Black Stars

The only impressive side at the 2010 Fifa World Cup the Ghana Black Stars have moved up nine places to 23 on Fifa’s latest team ranking.

The Stars got as far as the quarter finals at the tournament and only lost out on a semi-final berth on penalties to become Africa’s second highest place team.

Egypt is still the top team on the continent according to the ranking and Ivory Coast are placed third.

Newly crowned World Champions Spain, are the top team in the world ranking.

Beaten finalists The Netherlands, moved up two places to number two while, former number one, Brazil dropped two places to third.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles who had a woeful outing at the World Cup dropped nine places in the global standings to 30th and are fourth on the African table.

South Africa are Africa’s biggest climbers, they moved up 17 places and are 66th worldwide and 12th in Africa.

Africa’s top ten:

1. Egypt (9 worldwide)

2. Ghana (23 worldwide)

3. Ivory Coast (26 worldwide)

4. Nigeria (30 worldwide)

5. Algeria (33 worldwide)

6. Gabon (34 worldwide)

7. Cameroon (40 worldwide)

8. Burkina Faso (45 worldwide)

9. Mali (55 worldwide)

10. Benin (61 worldwide)

Princesses to slug it out with defending cahmapions

One of Africa’s two representatives  Ghana’s Black Princesses will kick start their campaign against defending World Champions USA later today in the ongoing FIFA Under 20 Womens World cup in  Germany.

Just like their male colleagues did at the just ended World Cup in South Africa, the Princesses are very confident of causing a major upset beating the more fancied Americans in Dresden.

Even though they’ll be making their debut at this World Cup, the team can draw inspiration to continue with the upsets at the tournament following Brazil’s demise  yesterday at the hands of Korea.

The Black Princesses came through the African qualifiers without conceding any goals and decisively beat the Democratic Republic of Congo, who had been to the last two editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile and Russia, in their decisive qualifying tie.

Coach of the side, James Dadzie believes even though the team will be making its rookie appearance, he is counting on team’s cohesion following the fact that the team was drawn from the under-17 side that played at the last World Cup.

Nigeria is the other African rep at the tournament and will also play England in their opening game in Augsburg.