RIHANNA MIGHT BUY A SOCCER TEAM, BECAUSE THAT'S JUST WHAT REALLY RICH PEOPLE DO

There are a few things that rich people seem to just end up doing at least once in their lives: They either fly on (or perhaps buy!) a private jet, hang out with other cool, rich people, and buy a sports team. Rihanna has already done the first two, so it’s time for her to complete the trifecta, apparently: According to the Daily Mail (which of course is a total beacon for all true and reliable gossip stories…not), Rihanna is interested in buying a soccer team in the UK. Football team, if you will — and are anything like me and hate it when the term “soccer” is used in lieu of “football” because the US thinks Football is like, the Raiders. What can I say? I’m a football snob.

Besides the point, though: Back to Rihanna! This is from the Daily Mail about Rihanna’s apparent plans:

According to reports, the Diamonds singer has her eyes firmly fixed on buying a UK football club, after she’s set up a soccer academy in her native Barbados.
A source said: ‘At first we thought Rihanna’s desire to be involved with soccer on a business level would soon blow over. We figured she was still on a high from the World Cup.’ […] ‘But now it’s becoming clear she really is serious. She’s talking about setting up a football academy in her native Barbados. Then her big dream is to be involved with a UK

I should probably mention at this point for responsible and ethical reasons, once again, that this news is not confirmed and comes from the Daily Mail. But other publications have picked it up, and Rihanna’s love of football has been documented in the past — it’s not totally farfetched. One thing’s for sure, at least: If Rihanna bought a football team in the UK, she’d definitely be the hottest sports team owner in the world. Work it, girl.club.

Credit: Bubbles

MARIO BALOTELLI & ENOCH BALOTELLI, LIKE BROTHER, LIKE BROTHER

 Man City striker, Mario Balotelli (left) and his younger brother Enoch (right), seen out and about in Manchester yesterday in matching platinum blonde mohicans and matching outfits.

WHO WINS THE EPL PLAYER OF THE YEAR?

The best player in the English Premier League will be announced on Sunday April 22, 2012, where the PFA and Young Player of the year will also be honored.

Player of the year nominees include: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Robin Van Persie (Arsenal), David Silva (Manchester City) and Joe Hart (Manchester City)

Young player of the Year nominees are: Sergio Aguero (Man City), Gareth Bale (Tottenham), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Daniel Sturridge(Chelsea), Kyle Walker (Tottenham), and Danny Welbeck (Man Utd).

Manchester City, which has the highest number of players with nominations, is also likely to dominate the winning list, especially considering Sergio Aguero’s impact on the team.

Robin Van Persie is also a player to watch out for, due to his outstanding performance at Arsenal this season.

Regardless of who wears the crown, all the nominees have in their own way contributed to the beauty of the game this season.

'PLEASE PRAY FOR FABRICE', MUAMBA'S FIANCEE URGES FANS

Bolton Wanderers F.C midfielder Fabrice Muamba has shown early signs of improvment after suffering a cardiac arrest during Bolton’s FA cup match at Tottenham Hotspurs on Saturday, March 17, 2012.

Medical staff took two hours to get Muamba breathing again and he is now being closely monitored in the heart attack centre at the London chest hospital.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle and Chairman Phil Garside visited the hospital on Monday morning. Coyle, who accompanied Muamba to the hospital, has expressed appreciation from fans all over the world for their support and love shown so far.

Muamba’s fiancée Shauna Muamba has gone on Twitter, urging football fans and other colleagues to please keep praying for the young sensational player.

Muamba proposed to Shauna on February 14, Valentine’s Day. The couple have a kid Joshua.

ARSENE WENGER CONFIRMS HIS DESIRE ABOUT THIERY HENRY LOAN DEAL IN WINTER TRANSFER

Arsene Wenger wants to wait and allow time before considering the return of the legend of Arsenal, Thierry Henry.

The idea can appear attractive, but Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, prefers to think before returning to the fold the holder of the greatest number of goals scored in the jersey of Arsenal (226 goals in 369 games).

Because of the truce of the American championship, Thierry Henry, who plays the New York Red Bull, came to London to maintain the shape. But the departure of Chamakh and Gervinho to the African Cup of Nations could allow the French to pull back the jersey of a team he left in 2007. "I'll think about it during the few days off that Christmas gives us" said, careful, Arsene Wenger on the club's official website. "A short-term contract can be an ideal solution for us, but I have not spoken with Thierry."

A conversation that might be imminent because Arsenal wants to decide quickly. "We need to focus on 1 January. We have seven days to decide and I will take the opportunity to establish an inventory of the core"

RACIST BRITISH COPS SEIZE MANCHESTER CITY's MARIO BALOTELLI's N25 MILLION MASERATI CAR

If you think that USA is the only place wealthy black people are harassed daily by racist cops for driving  expensive cars, then think again, because according to report reaching Nollywoodgossip, it’s something common in most western countries  – and it’s becoming even more pronounced in the UK now.

Manchester City’s striker Mario Balotelli just dropped £100,000 on a Maserati car and just a day after he bought it, it was seized by cops.

Their excuse…well, they pulled the Italian who is black over on suspicion of speeding.

Suspicion of over speeding! So now police don’t have to be certain you’re over speeding before pulling you over? They are now pulling people over on suspicion of over speeding? Hmmmmm!

It didn’t stop there. When it was clear Balotelli wasn’t over speeding, the policemen went ahead to confiscate the motor, saying it might not be legally registered.

Again…might not be legally registered! So they’re not even sure if it was legally registered or not?

DAVID BECKAM VISITS THE PHILIPPINES FOR AN EXHIBITION FOOTBALL MATCH AGAINST PHILIPPINES AZKAL

The British football star David Beckham  arrives at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on December 1,2011 for a friendly football match against the Philippines Azkal.

Beckham will lead the Los Angeles Galaxy team in an exhibition match against the Azkals on December 3. This is part of their international tour for the team playing for exhibition games.

Last November 30,2011 Beckham and Galaxy team are playing with the Indonesia football team in Bung Karno Staduim in Jakarta. Their next destination after the Philippines will be in Australia.

MIKEL OBI SHOULD NOT BE A DISTRACTION TO KESHI

Football enthusiasts have urged that Mikel Obi's lack of commitment to the national team should not distract Coach Steven Keshi from his commitment towards re-building of the Super Eagles.

Abiodun Obafemi, a member of the `96 Olympic gold medal winning team, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday that Obi could be left of the team.

Obafemi said that the player's recent failure to impress during an English Premier League between Liverpool/Chelsea was enough to prove he could be replaced.

``If they make him too important, this thing will enter his head. We have stars; give them equal chance too, or sometimes even leave him, for the next ten matches, don't call him.

``It just an advice because we need committed players; people that will fight, you understand, but we respect that gesture. ''

Wale Akinyelu, ex-international, told NAN that Keshi needed talk to Obi and give him a-father-son advice, and let him know that the money he was currently making should not distract him.

``The money he is making, he never expected it; maybe it is the money that is pushing him, but he needs a good adviser, for him not regret.

``If you can see now, Kaita is struggling to be back, because if you don't work hard, you will be forgotten. ''

They warned Keshi not to accord preferential treatment to any player but rather give other potential talents equal opportunity to prove themselves.

Sir Alex's European drive undimmed

Boasting 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two UEFA Champions League successes, Sir Alex Ferguson's time at Manchester UnitedManchester United FC is unparalleled in English football. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of his Old Trafford tenure, which he celebrates on Sunday, the Scottish manager spoke to UEFA.com about the desire for European success that first stirred in him as long ago as 1960 and which still drives him 51 years on.

Sir Alex's initital interest of continental competition was stirred when he attended the 1960 European Champion Clubs' Cup final – hosted at Hampden Park in his native Glasgow – and won by Real Madrid CF. "That was probably the first instance of recognising what real European football was," said the Manchester United manager.

"I followed Rangers at the time and when they reached the semi-finals, they played Eintracht Frankfurt and lost 12-4 on aggregate, so every Rangers fan was saying, 'This Eintracht team will wipe Real Madrid away in the final,' – of course, it was the other way about and that gave me a measure of how good Real Madrid really were – they were unbelievable. They were the first really international club side and they were fantastic."

He also followed Manchester United's first UEFA club competition trophy win in 1968, when, Sir Matt Busby's side claimed their first European Champion Clubs' Cup a decade after the devastating Munich air disaster. "Everyone in Scotland was pleased for Sir Matt considering what he'd endured in 1958 and rebuilt that team mainly from his own players. The actual final team had only three players he'd brought in from other clubs and it was an incredible achievement. For Sir Matt, that was the pinnacle, being able to recreate from the loss of Munich and rebuilding a team to win the European Cup."

Guiding Aberdeen FC to a 2-1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup victory against Real Madrid in 1983 only enhanced Sir Alex's desire for more European silverware – a mentality he would instil at Manchester United over his quarter-of-a-century reign, which took in a dramatic 2-1 victory against FC Bayern München in 1999, and, more recently, three further UEFA Champions League final appearances in the last four seasons.

"I think we've gathered an experience over the last few years that has acquitted us well for European football now," said the 69-year-old, whose side completed a second UEFA Champions League triumph in 2008. "I think we're far more patient away from home and we never used to be, so possession of the ball and concentration is much better. Sometimes in a European game, you can be doing actually quite well and then the roof falls in, suddenly. Many of our players are used to that now. They don't get caught out by sudden attacks the way they used to years ago."

A defeat by FC Barcelona in the 2011 UEFA Champions League final prompted Sir Alex to add to his squad in the summer with thoughts of a third European Cup foremost in his mind. "It's a great challenge. It's fantastic to equal anyone's top record and [former Liverpool FC manager] Bob Paisley was one of the great old wise birds of the game. He didn't say a lot but he knew a lot and his imparting of knowledge always had a great impact on the players of that time.

"It was a great period for them, but it's our time now. It's an opportunity for us to get to another level as Real Madrid have won it nine times, AC Milan seven times; Liverpool five; Bayern four; Ajax four; we really should be in that bracket so this is our opportunity to get into that bracket of more Champions League wins."

Manchester United

Manchester United are the most successful Premier League club having won the title 12 times. It all began in 1993 when manager Sir Alex Ferguson ended a 26-year wait to lift the Premier League crown.The signing of Eric CantonaEric Cantona for £1.2m from Leeds United proved a masterstroke as the Frenchman was instrumental in the title victory, along with the likes of Gary Pallister, Denis IrwinDenis Irwin, Ryan GiggsRyan Giggs and Paul Ince.

United retained the trophy in the following campaign and romped to further titles in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003. More silverware was added to the Red Devils' burgeoning trophy cabinet with FA Cup success in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004, plus League Cup victories in 1992 and 2006. Perhaps the most memorable time in the club's history was the treble-winning season of 1999 when they added the European Champions League trophy to the league title and FA Cup.

Chelsea briefly broke their league dominance with title wins in 2005 and 2006. But in the 2006/07 season, the Red Devils roared back to regain the Barclays Premiership. They went one better in 2007/08, enjoying their most successful campaign since winning the treble. They saw off the challenge of Chelsea and Arsenal to win an exciting Barclays Premier League title race and defeated the Blues on penalties in the Champions League final after a 1-1 draw between the two sides in Moscow.

In 2008/09, United made it a hat-trick of titles, also winning the Carling Cup but narrowly missing out to Barcelona in the Champions League final. They retained the Carling Cup in 2010 but finished a point behind Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League after a tense race which went to the final day of the campaign. However they recovered to reclaim the Barclays Premier League title in 2011, finishing nine points clear of Chelsea and Manchester City. They also reached the Champions League final, taking on Barcelona at Wembley but losing 3-1.