Koffi Olomide charged with assaulting female dancer

Renowned Congolese musician Koffi Olomide (left) on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Friday 22, 2016. Police arrested the rhumba star in his home town of Kinshasa on July 26, 2016

Congolese music star Koffi Olomide will spend the next three months in jail as he awaits a ruling on prosecutors' request to imprison him for a longer period for assaulting one of his female dancers in Nairobi.
The singer's free fall started when he kicked a woman in his band at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last Friday.
Olomide was deported on July 23 alongside three of his female dancers.
Police arrived at his residence in a continuation of perhaps the worst run in Olomide’s fortunes, a painful price to pay for his moment of madness in Nairobi.
According to reports from Kinshasa, a campaign to have him arrested was started by Congressman Zakarie Bababaswe, who had filed a petition on behalf of the Congolese public to get the musician punished for assault.
Mr Bababaswe had in a televised press conference wondered why Olomide was “still walking scot-free and yet there was video evidence that he assaulted his dancer in Kenya?”
Incidentally, the congressman and Olomide used to be good friends until they fell out after the musician and Cindy Le Coeur, his lead singer, were accused of belittling him in their songs.
His arrest, which was ordered by the attorney-general, was received with jubilation by locals and foreigners, who feel justice must be done for all, and especially in enforcing women’s rights.
Since video footage of the incident, in which one of Africa’s leading musicians lashed out with a “Kung Fu kick” at one of his dancers, came to light, Olomide has suffered a huge setback in a career the mercurial singer, composer and band leader has diligently nurtured for several decades. 

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Roger Federer to miss Rio 2016 Olympics

Swiss tennis great Roger Federer will miss the Olympics and the rest of the season with a knee injury.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion said he needs "more extensive rehabilitation" if he wants to prolong his career.

Federer, 34, had knee surgery in February before missing May's French Open with a back problem.

Federer said on his Facebook page he was "extremely disappointed" to not be representing Switzerland in Rio and it was "tough" to miss the rest of 2016.

"I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017," he added.

Federer won doubles gold at Beijing in 2008, but has never won an Olympic singles title and lost to Britain's Andy Murray in the final at London 2012.

Federer twice required treatment during a five-set semi-final defeat by Canada's Milos Raonic at Wimbledon this month, but found a "silver lining" in his injury-troubled year.

"This experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries," he said.

"The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover."

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Russian drug cheats will still be at Olympics

Russian drug cheats will be competing at next month's Olympic Games despite efforts to target them, according to the whistleblowers who highlighted the country's state-sponsored doping.

The International Olympic Committee has asked governing bodies to ban Russians either implicated in a recent report into doping, or previously sanctioned.

But former Russian Anti-Doping Agency official Vitaly Stepanov and his 800m runner wife Yuliya told BBC Sport: "There will be athletes who have used doping from Russia in Rio."

The IOC decided against enforcing a blanket ban on Russian sportspeople for Rio, despite calls for tough action in the wake of last week's McLaren report, which detailed widespread, state-sponsored doping in the country.

Instead, the IOC said it would be up to individual sports federations to decide which athletes were eligible for Rio. So far, 37 athletes across six sports have been banned since the IOC made its decision.

That is in addition to athletics' governing body, the IAAF, already opting to ban Russian track and field athletes from the competition unless they can satisfy strict doping criteria. So far, only one athlete has been able to do that.

"The IOC showed that first of all there is no punishment for running a systematic doping programme in the largest country in the world," Vitaly said.

"And second, they protected not the majority of clean athletes globally, but they protected clean athletes in Russia."

The pair gave evidence to a German documentary maker in 2014 that led to an independent report being commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency which found evidence of widespread doping.

That in turn led to last week's McLaren report, which detailed extensive attempts to cover up doping in Russia and implicated the Russian ministry of sport, secret service and anti-doping agency.

Since their testimony, the Stepanovs have been unable to live in Russia, although Vitaly said they "feel safe" in their new home.

"Unfortunately the reaction to our actions in our home country is not positive," he said.

"A lot of people in general and athletes as well hate us for what we did and we would not go back to Russia right now. There, we would feel unsafe."

The Stepanovs were speaking just a day after criticising the IOC for banning Yuliya, 30, from Rio.

Despite being cleared to compete under a neutral flag by the IAAF, the IOC ruled she should not be allowed to take part because she was sanctioned for doping in 2013.

The Stepanovs said this sent out the wrong signal to potential whistleblowers, with Vitaly saying: "You didn't really have a choice if you wanted to be a member of the national team.

"She has served her ban, fully served her ban, she thinks that she should not be punished a second time for something that she did in the past."

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Manchester United are interested in signing Paul Pogba

Manchester United are interested in signing Paul Pogba but there is no deal imminent for the France midfielder.

Speculation has been rife about a world record £100m transfer from Juventus, but BBC Sport has been told no moves have yet been made.

United have not had any discussions with Juventus.

Furthermore Pogba, 23, is on Euro 2016 duty with France and does not want anything to distract his preparations for Sunday's final against Portugal.

• Gossip: Real to battle Man Utd for Pogba

Juventus have refused to comment on the speculation around the player, whose contract runs to 2019.

The Italian champions have not given up hope of persuading Pogba, who has won four Serie A titles with the Turin club, to sign an extension.

It has been claimed that Champions League winners Real Madrid are his preferred destination.

Pogba spent three years at Manchester United, but made just seven appearances before moving to Italy in 2012.

At the time, manager Sir Alex Ferguson's relationship with the player's agent - Mino Raiola - had broken down.

But the Italian has already helped broker the moves of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan to United this summer.

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Portugal beat France to win Euro 2016 final with Éder’s extra-time goal

Portugal beat France to win Euro 2016 final with Éder’s extra-time goal 

Portugal 1 France 0

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates celebrate with the European Championship trophy after their 1-0 win against France

he substitute Éder won the European Championship for Portugal with a brilliant goal after Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured in the first half

In the end, Cristiano Ronaldo had his hands on the trophy even if it was not the way the ultimate showman had intended. Portugal, the team that finished third in their group, had found a way even on a night when their greatest footballer was taken off on a stretcher. The players of France were on their knees and suddenly it was a sunrise of a smile on Ronaldo’s face, in stark contrast to the devastation that had been seen earlier in the night.

Has any player been through as many contrasting emotions in the space of a major final? Ronaldo was in tears when he left the pitch with his damaged knee in the first half. He had tried desperately to carry on and when he finally accepted it was futile it felt like a grievous setback to Portugal’s hopes of denying France the outcome that would have meant so much in this city. Ronaldo looked broken. The final was deprived of its main attraction and at that stage it was tempting to wonder whether his team-mates truly believed they could cope.

Portugal subsequently played like a team affronted by the suggestion they might be overly reliant on one man. They gave everything to keep out France during the long passages when the host nation put them under pressure.

Their sense of adventure grew as the game wore on and, ultimately, Éder’s decisive goal in the second period of extra time won a test of endurance. Their run of 10 successive defeats to France, stretching back to 1978, was over and Ronaldo, his leg heavily strapped, climbed the steps to collect the silverware – an excruciating low, an exhilarating high and a night like few others.

Portugal can duly reflect on their greatest ever victory, made all the more remarkable by the fact they could not beat Iceland, Hungary or Austria in the group stages. Their safety-first tactics will not appeal to everyone but nobody could dispute their competitive courage and mental toughness after the jarring challenge that meant their three-times Ballon d’Or winner was unable to influence the game in the way he would have imagined.

Fernando Santos, their wily old manager, has put together a tough, obdurate side. Their goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, had a fine night and France seldom threatened after that moment, at the end of normal time, when the substitute André-Pierre Gignac turned inside Pepe in the penalty area to leave himself with the opportunity to be a hero. Gignac scuffed his shot against a post, almost in slow motion, with the clock ticking into stoppage time. The game went into an additional 30 minutes and France gradually ran out of ideas.

Portugal might also reflect they were fortunate earlier that Antoine Griezmann misdirected his header with another of the game’s few clear opportunities. At times, sans Ronaldo, it seemed like they did not entirely believe in their own ability to get behind the French defence and that conservatism certainly suffocated parts of the games as a spectacle.

There were signs, however, from the 70th minute onwards that they were willing to play with more adventure. Raphaël Guerreiro, Portugal’s left-back, struck the crossbar with a free-kick in extra time –even if it should have been a foul the other way – and a couple of minutes later, the ball was at the feet of Éder, 25 yards from goal. Éder finished last season on loan at Lille and his brief time at Swansea City, having signed for £5m from Braga last summer, can probably be encapsulated by the South Wales Echo describing him as “one of the most disappointing transfer flops” in the club’s history. His shot was struck with power and precision, arrowing its way into the bottom right-hand corner of Hugo Lloris’s net. Portugal had their breakthrough and it seemed like every single member of their entourage was on the pitch to celebrate.

For France, it was a galling way to end the tournament, but the truth for Didier Deschamps and his players is that they did not show enough wit and creativity around the penalty area. Olivier Giroud had one of his frustrating nights, Griezmann faded after an encouraging start and it was strange that Deschamps decided to take off Dimitri Payet in the 57th minute when the West Ham player had been troubling his opponents. Maybe the enormity of the occasion was weighing on French minds, or perhaps it worked against them that they had a day fewer than Portugal to prepare. Whatever the truth, they will be left to contemplate why they were unable to take advantage of Ronaldo’s misfortune.

The injury occurred after eight minutes when Payet’s knee followed through, at speed, into the side of Ronaldo’s left leg and there was not a single moment from that point onwards when the Real Madrid player looked pain-free.

Nine minutes later he was down again, signalling for help, before being taken off for a second round of treatment. This being Ronaldo, there was a desperate attempt to see how far his powers could stretch, but it always seemed unrealistic when he made one last attempt to run it off. Ronaldo finally conceded defeat in the 25th minute and collapsed to the ground for the third occasion.

The ovation as he was carried off suggested the crowd recognised genuine greatness. His team-mates, however, seemed intent on making sure his absence was not the decisive factor.

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 Pepe 'fully fit' and eager to help Portugal

Pepe is fully fit and ready for the biggest match of his career, with the divisive defender desperate to help Portugal emerge from the Euro 2016 final with their first-ever major trophy.

Their seventh major tournament semi-final brought with it progress for just the second time, 12 years on from the ignominy of falling to Greece at the end of a European Championship they hosted.

Portugal have the chance to reverse those roles at the Stade de France, with hosts and bookmakers' favourites France looking to avoid defeat to the Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Portuguese.

It is a match Fernando Santos' side approach boosted by Pepe's return in defence, having overcome a thigh complaint that ruled him out of the semifinal victory against Wales.

"I feel great," he said on the eve of the final." I am fully fit and can be chosen to play tomorrow.

"Yes [this is the most important match of my career] because I am representing my people, my country.

"We want to write our names down in history and we believe that we can play well.

"We want to follow the gaffer's orders and we want to bring great joy to all the Portuguese people.

"Tomorrow we will have 11 million people, 11 players, plus three who will come on later on, and everyone will want to write their name in the history books and the history of Portuguese football."

Pepe is hoping to replicate Greece's Euro 2004 triumph in terms of upsetting the hosts, although he believes comparing the situations is akin to doing so with "apples and oranges."

This, the defender says, is a "totally different kettle of fish" and Portugal coach Santos believes France have the wherewithal to cope with the pressure.

"There is some pressure, we have that experience from 2004," said the coach, who formed part of a commentary team for that match 12 years ago.

"The French players are playing at home, but they are very experienced, they play in the best leagues and in the best teams in the world.

"They are used to very intense games and some of them were just recently in the Champions League final.

"They are very experienced and Didier Deschamps is also a very experienced manager.

"I am sure Didier is taking care of that so all I think is of how my players will play. I want them to play their best in order to win."

Santos was very expressive in the prematch news conference, from laughing at the suggestion that this is not the final neutrals wanted to downplaying suggestions officiating could be a problem.

Mark Clattenburg is taking charge at the Stade de France, having in May officiated the final of the FA Cup and Champions League.

Pepe was part of the Real Madrid side that won the latter -- a match in which the referee awarded a penalty against the defender, as well as being caught on camera looking entirely unimpressed by his theatrics.

"Tomorrow there will be three teams on the pitch -- three teams who are privileged to be there," Pepe said. "Two will be playing for a prize and the third team, the referees, will try to do their best.

"I think this referee is maybe among two or three [of the] best referees in the world and it was no accident that he was present at the final of the Champions League.

"The game tomorrow is recognition of his work and his quality as a professional referee.

"And I think -- I hope -- Pepe is fully fit and ready to help Portugal emerge from the Euro 2016 final with their first-ever major trophy. the linesmen, referees and everyone has an easy night and that they can work peacefully."

  

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Security for Euro 2016 final in Paris

High standard' Security for Euro 2016 final in Paris 
 
PARIS -- French law enforcement authorities on Saturday pledged "extremely high" security in Paris for Sunday's European Championship final, with thousands of police patrolling as hundreds of thousands of fans mass in the French capital for the match.
Security forces have three key venues to protect when France plays Portugal: the Stade de France stadium hosting the final -- outside of which three suicide bombers blew themselves up last year, the 92,000-capacity fan zone in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and the Champs-Elysees boulevard, which will likely be swamped with fans after the match.
Mathias Vicherat, the Paris Mayor's chief of staff, said some 1,900 police and other security officers would patrol the fan zone, while the city's police chief, Michel Cadot, said 3,400 officers would patrol the Champs-Elysees, some of them redeployed from the stadium and fan zone after the final kicks off.
"We have the extremely favorable ratio of one officer for fewer than 50 spectators" in the fenced-off fan area where supporters can watch the match on a giant screen, Vicherat said. "So it is an extremely high standard."
Security forces have already successfully protected a total of 11 matches at the Stade de France and Paris stadium the Parc des Princes, including the tournament's opening match, but the final is expected to draw the biggest crowds as France aim to win their third European title by beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
Troops have been patrolling the streets of Paris for months in the aftermath of two deadly attacks by Islamic extremists last year. As Portugal and France fans wandered along the Champs-Elysees on Saturday they passed army trucks and submachine gun-toting troops.
Cadot said that the extreme security levels are in place because Paris is still under "a general terrorist threat."
He also ruled out using the Champs-Elysees as a venue for honouring the French team on Monday if they win the tournament, saying that the wide, tree-lined street has to be prepared for an annual military parade to mark the French national holiday of Bastille Day on July 14.
Meticulous security preparations began long before the tournament and included an exercise in March in which officials simulated an attack involving a chemical bomb at an open-air screening of a match, with thousands of spectators.
France officials have mobilised some 90,000 security agents around stadiums, fan zones and streets to keep fans safe. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has also kept his ministry's crisis room open throughout the tournament to help monitor events and coordinate responses should action be necessary.
The work has paid off so far.
On the eve of the final, tournament organiser UEFA paid tribute to the work of the French security forces in the 50 matches played in 10 host cities leading up to the final.
"We owe a great debt of thanks to the French people, to the French president, François Hollande, to the French government, the host cities, and the French police and armed forces, who have done such a marvelous job of ensuring the safety of the millions of fans who have come from all over Europe to attend this tournament," UEFA senior vice president Angel Maria Villar said Saturday.
Matches early in the June 10-July 10 tournament, most notably the 1-1 draw between England and Russia in Marseille, were marred by hooligan violence, but there have been no other major security problems at the a tournament.
"France has achieved something quite remarkable, delivering one of the world's biggest sporting events in very challenging circumstances," Villar said. "France has shown that adversity can be overcome. It has shown the world how to stand tall."

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France face Portugal in European Championship fina

 

It's Sunday, July 10, and hosts France take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the European Championship final.

Match of the day

- Portugal vs. France -- Saint-Denis (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET on ESPN): After two years of qualifying, the European Championship enters its final stage as hosts France take on Portugal at the Stade de France. ESPN FC bloggers Tom Kundert and Jonathan Johnson say that the showdown will be an epic finale.

Three key points

1. It's tempting to conclude this final will be a typically tight, grind-it-out game. France have all the pressure of the world on them and given the way they're set up, they can afford to wait for a set piece or a Antoine Griezmann run on the break. Portugal have looked best when they've outworked the opposition and defended as a unit. It's the formula that got them past Croatia and Poland and, on paper, there's little reason for them to deviate from the script.The book has been written, bar the ending. Odds are we won't see many of these guys -- from Patrice Evra to Bacary Sagna, from Pepe to Cristiano Ronaldo -- in another major international tournament final. What you can be sure of is that every last one of those involved will want to make this count and leave nothing on the pitch. Just as they've done throughout this tournament.

2. In a tactical sense, the final is rarely the most fascinating game of a major international tournament. It's usually a tight and tense, but not particularly tactical, contest between two sides playing cautiously, waiting for the opposition to make a mistake rather than prompting it through clever strategy. Nevertheless, Sunday's final promises to be an intriguing clash between two sides, France and Portugal, who are individually interesting for very different reasons. Michael Cox takes a look at both sides.

3. While most of the football world's focus has been on the Euro 2016 final, the wheeling and dealings of transfer season are certainly going on the background. The Chinese Super League once again looks likely to be a major player in the window, with Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse joining Shandong Luneng on Saturday and Italy international Graziano Pelle also linked with a move.

Player of the day

There can only be one -- the stage is set for Ronaldo. Gab Marcotti says the 31-year-old can secure a special place in football history with a win on Sunday.

Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, summed it up perfectly, saying: "Everyone in the country will be against him, but he will thrive off that hostility, and off their fear."

Cristiano Ronaldo won't retire after Euro 2016 final 

Cristiano Ronaldo will not retire after the Euro 2016 final, regardless of the result, according to Portugal manager Fernando Santos.

It has been reported that Ronaldo may follow in the footsteps of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who retired following his nation's Copa America defeat against Chile in June. However, Santos believes that the Real Madrid forward will continue to play for his country long enough to attend at least one more European Championship.

"He'll play for another six, seven, 10 years," Santos said. "I don't know. But tomorrow won't be his final match."

Ronaldo scored one goal and assisted the other in Portugal's 2-0 semifinal win over Wales on Wednesday, but Santos has revealed that the forward's leadership skills have been just as important to the team.

"Over the past two years, he wants to be better and better," Santos said. "He's angry at himself when things don't go his way.

"But his ability to captain our team is standing out now. Everyone acknowledges it now and that's the end result of his will to improve."

Santos coached a young Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon prior to the player's transfer to Manchester United in 2003 and has followed the player's subsequent pursuit of perfection with great interest.

"I coached him 13 or 14 years ago at Sporting, but not for very long because he played the day that the stadium [Estadio Jose Alvalade] was inaugurated, and then a bit later he went to Manchester and never came back," Santos said.

"He was amazing, very talented, and wanted to win. He's very mentally strong and he's a born winner. He wants to be the best, to be more and more perfect."

Sunday's final between Portugal and tournament hosts France kicks off at 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) in Paris.

Wales charged by UEFA over players celebrating with children on pitch

Wales have been charged by UEFA for allowing their players to bring their children onto the pitch to celebrate at Euro 2016, according to the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

Wales, who made it to the last four in France, celebrated their round-of-16 and quarterfinal victories over Northern Ireland and Belgium by bringing their kids onto the field after the full-time whistle.

UEFA said afterwards that there should be no more on-field family scenes as a stadium is "not the most safe place," and FAW Trust chief executive Neil Ward has since revealed that Wales are set to be punished by European football's governing body.

"We were disappointed," Ward is quoted as saying by Wales Online. "I think we understand security issues around all games. In fact the FAW has been charged by UEFA on that, but we put in a lot of mitigation around this because obviously it is about that future generation and that inclusivity.

"I think it was hugely popular among the people in the ground to see those young kids on the pitch. Some of those goals that were scored in front of the fans [by the kids] got as big a cheer as some of the other goals scored in the game. It was just magical to see and it again shows you the openness and togetherness of this squad.

"I think the players have blown away those myths of the modern professional player. They have shown huge courage, huge passion, leadership, friendliness and embraced the family ethic as well."

Wales advanced to the semifinals of Euro 2016 in their first major tournament since 1958, eventually being eliminated by Portugal

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