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Halilhodzic quits as Algeria's coach [Sun, The (Nigeria)](Sun, The (Nigeria) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Algeria coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, has resigned following Les Fennecs (Desert Foxes) successful 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil campaign. The Bosnian saw Algeria into the knockout stages for the first time in their history in Brazil be fore an extra-time defeat to Germany in the Round of 16. He announced his departure in a statement on the official website of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), which read: "I am proud of my record after serving out my contract with the FAF. Having lived for three years in Algeria, my family obligations and the attraction of new sporting challenges weighed heavily on my decision." Algeria's World Cup exploits won them many admirers, not least in their buccaneering 4-2 win over Korea Republic in Group H. They also drew with Rus- sia and took the lead against much-fancied Belgium en route to second place in the group behind Marc Wilmots' side, before pushing Joachim Low's Ger- many all the way. That led to calls for 61-year-old Halilhodzic to stay on, including from the country's president. Halilhodzic added: "I want to thank, first of all, his Excellency President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, whose warm words profoundly touched me. "I also want to thank Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal for his encouragement and kind wishes, and the president of the FAF, Mohamed Raouraoua, with whom I have worked for three years to realise our objectives and who put at my disposal a squad with all the necessary means to achieve this difficult mission. "I wish to pay tribute to the players and the techni- cal, medical and administrative staff who gave me every assistance throughout this mission. The wonder- ful Algerian public wished me well since the day I first arrived and have remained loyal to me. I will always keep the fond memory of the extraordinary welcome they gave us on our return from the World Cup." Adepoju, Adisa commend ARS Former Nigerian internationals, Mutiu Adepoju and Amusa Adisa have both commended the management of Airtel Nigeria for their investment in grassroots football, with the Airtel Rising Star (ARS) initiative The ex-internationals, while speaking during the Ilorin zonal championship of the Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tournament, said the initiative had empowered the younger generation to kick off a rewarding career in football, adding that the tournament exemplified a veritable platform needed to enable the budding talents in the country excel. While commending the sponsors for keeping faith with the vision for the fourth consecutive season, Ade- poju who serves as the technical adviser of the Ilorin zonal teams, expressed happiness that the initiative is contributing to efforts geared towards addressing grassroots football development in the country. " I am really happy with what is going on. Airtel is setting a good example and this will go a long way. With this I know that the future of football is bright in the country," he said. The former Super Eagles midfielder also assured on the quality of his zonal sides to challenge for hon- ours when the National Finals get underway in Lagos later in July. His word,"With the calibre of players inherent in the zone, I am sure of a good outcome at the national championship later in the month in Lagos. We have the players that can make us proud." Also speaking, Adisa showered encomiums on the telecoms company for the demonstration of com- mitment to developing the youths of the country especially those gifted with football skills.He also called on coaches in charge of national youth teams to take advantage of the ARS platform to discover fresh talents. Semi-final war: Argentine fan invade Sao Paolo Lionel Messi and his team mates pressed confidence that they will beat are set to enjoy another round Holland and move into the final where of massive support tomorrow they would prefer to face Germany (Wednesday) here in Sao Paolo instead of the hosts Brazil who would when they face Holland in the second semi final of Brazil 2014. Argentine fans have been troop- ing into the city of Sao Paolo since Sunday with many driving all the way from Argentina into Brazil with their cars. "We are winning and we are taking the cup home to Argentina," one of the fans who gave her name as Rosangela said. Some of the fans checked into Hotel Castellar located in the central area of Sao Paolo, the same place where this writer is staying and as they did in Porto Alegre when they faced Nigeria ,some of them were without match tickets and they were desperately look- ing for how to get one. The lady who came with her kids for the final disclosed that they would be in Brazil for the semi final and final. The Argentine fans on arrival ex- Should Argentina win they will head to Rio, where they will be part of the final on Sunday July 13. Should they lose then they will hit the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia for the third place match which comes up on the 12th. (c) 2014 The Sun Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |