FORTALEZA, June 29- The Netherlands scored twice in the dying minutes through Wesley Sneijder and a Klaas Jan Huntelaar penalty to move into the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a 2-1 win over Mexico on Sunday.

In a match conditioned by the baking heat and humidity in Fortaleza, Giovani dos Santos looked to have Mexico on the way to their first quarter-final appearance on foreign soil when he opened the scoring three minutes into the second-half.

However, Sneijder levelled with a thumping volley from the edge of the area two minutes from time before Huntelaar converted from the spot in stoppage time after Rafael Marquez had upended Arjen Robben.

Louis van Gaal’s men will now face Costa Rica or Greece in the last eight in Salvador on Saturday.

The Netherlands had been disrupted by an early injury to Nigel de Jong as he hobbled off to be replaced by Bruno Martins Indi.

Mexico’s Hector Herrera then had the clearest opening of the first 45 minutes as he collected Oribe Peralta’s pass on the edge of the area and cut inside before dragging a right-foot shot inches wide.

Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen was then forced into his first save of the afternoon by a long-range effort from Carlos Salcido.

The Netherlands didn’t register an effort on target until the 26th minute when Robin van Persie skewed wide form a narrow angle after collecting Stefan de Vrij’s pass inside the area.

Both sides were then handed the chance to cool off for three minutes at the half-hour mark for the first time at a World Cup due to the searing temperatures.

Cillessen then made a fine stop to prevent dos Santos opening the scoring with a low effort.

However, the Netherlands were left aggrieved just a minute before the break when Robben appeared to have been clipped by Hector Moreno inside the area.

Mexico got off to a flying start in the second-half as Dos Santos held off a challenge from Daley Blind to thump home his first international goal in a competitive match for two years from 25 yards.

Oribe Peralta nearly made it 2-0 eight minutes later with a curling effort that Cillessen did well to claim at the first attempt.

Moments later it was Guillermo Ochoa who made an incredible stop to prevent Stefan de Vrij levelling as he turned the defender’s volley onto the post from point-blank range.

Sneijder then saw a deflected effort fly inches past as the Netherlands went in search of an equaliser.

Ochoa had to come to his side’s rescue again 17 minutes from time when Robben escaped the clutches of Marquez but saw his low effort turned behind by the Mexican stopper.

Dutch boss Louis van Gaal then surprisingly replaced captain Van Persie with Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

However, his decision was to prove inspired as firstly Huntelaar turned Robben’s corner in the direction of the lurking Sneijder to power home from the edge of the box on.

And after Robben was adjudged by Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca to have been clipped by Marquez in the fourth minute of stoppage time, the Schalke striker coolly stroked home the resulting penalty to eliminate Mexico at the last 16 stage for a sixth consecutive World Cup.

BRASÍLIA, June 30- A Paul Pogba header and a Joseph Yobo own goal saw France edge a hard-fought contest with Nigeria 2-0 in Brasilia on Monday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Pogba broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, nodding into an empty net after Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who plays for French club Lille, failed to collect a corner.

It was a cruel moment for Enyeama, but rewarded a barrage of French pressure sparked by the introduction of Antoine Griezmann, who forced Yobo to put through his own goal in injury time.

Didier Deschamps’s France will now await the winners of Monday’s other last-16 tie between Germany and Algeria, who they will meet at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on July 4.

African champions Nigeria, meanwhile, must wait to sample the last eight at a World Cup, following defeat in their first knockout-phase match at the tournament since the 1998 competition in France.

Stephen Keshi’s side nonetheless departed to the sound of warm applause from the fans crammed into the cavernous Mane Garrincha National Stadium, who allied themselves with Nigeria’s cause from the off.

While France, who showed six changes, started purposefully, their final ball frequently let them down, which handed Nigeria opportunities to use their pace on the counter-attack.

Emmanuel Emenike thought he had put Nigeria ahead in the 19th minute when he deftly prodded in an in-swinging cross from Ahmed Musa, but the offside flag allowed French heart rates to return to normal.

France looked more threatening when they were able to bring the recalled Mathieu Valbuena into the game.

When the Marseille midfielder teed up Pogba for a vicious volley mid-way through the first half, it took a stunning reflex save from Enyeama to keep the game scoreless.

- Onazi stretchered off -

Another intelligent pass from Valbuena then gave Mathieu Debuchy a sight of goal, but the Newcastle United right-back drilled wide.

Late in the first half Emenike took aim from range, but Hugo Lloris was able to parry.

Nigeria suffered a blow early in the second period when Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi had to be stretchered off after an ugly, ankle-high challenge by Blaise Matuidi, who escaped with only a caution.

Faced with growing Nigeria pressure, Deschamps introduced Griezmann in place of Olivier Giroud with half an hour to play and the move quickly paid immediate dividends.

After Lloris had saved from Peter Odemwingie, a one-two between Karim Benzema and Griezmann set the Real Madrid man clear, but although he squeezed the ball past Enyeama, Victor Moses was on hand to hook clear.

It was to prove a temporary reprieve.

Yohan Cabaye, back from suspension, saw a 20-yard half-volley crash back off the bar before Enyeama had to produce a finger-tip save to touch a Benzema header over the bar.

It was the second fine stop of the match from the 31-year-old, but seconds later his failure to claim Valbuena’s left-wing corner allowed Juventus midfielder Pogba to head in at the back post.

Enyeama then palmed a shot from Griezmann over the bar, but France made it 2-0 at the death when Yobo, under pressure from Griezmann, inadvertently steered Valbuena’s drilled cross into his own net.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 1 – Athletes in the Kenyan squad for the Commonwealth Games will not be barred from competing at the IAAF Diamond League meetings whilst in training camp that was officially opened on Tuesday.

World bronze medallist Hellen Obiri among others will compete at this weekend’s Meeting Areva in Paris, France while World and Olympic champion David Rudisha has confirmed participation in the Sainsbury’s Glasgow Grand Prix to run next weekend.

Rudisha and his female counterpart Eunice Sum are also expected to lead other elite runners at the Herculis Meeting in Monaco a week later, only two days after the team of 59 track and field athletes depart for the Club Games in Glasgow.

“We are not forbidding anyone from competing in the Diamond League or any other major race so long as they attend the biometric visa accreditation clinic.

“The races they are going to run abroad is a good preparation for the games and at the same time benefiting them,” Track and Field Team Manager, Paul Mutwii declared on Tuesday when the training camp was officially launched by Principal Secretary for Sports Arts and Culture, Patrick Omutia.

The Athletics Kenya vice president express concern about the short duration the athletes will be in training ahead of their departure on July 20 in the camp set up by the National Olympics Committee- Kenya (Nock)

“The period is short we needed more time to co-ordinate the team because they were training in different places like for 10, 000m we need to put the six athletes both men and women together so that they can bond.

“If we could have come two weeks earlier, the team could have ample time to prepare but I’m certain we will perform well since we selected experienced athletes who have been competing in major races,” he added.

“We don’t expect to face stiff competition especially in the long distance since Ethiopia is not there. It’s only Uganda and Britain’s Mo Farah who are good but for the middle distance and short races we have a challenge,” Mutwii added.

Kenya will be represented by 195 athletes in 15 disciplines and Chef de Mission for the team Stephen Arap Soi was confident the nation will even do better than last edition’s performance where they bagged 12 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze from athletics, swimming and boxing.

“This year we have good and tested athletes who have won various events including last year’s World championship in Moscow, so we hope to come with more medals than in 2010.

“We are one team and no discipline is superior to the other and that’s why we have taken every sport seriously. I want to appreciate the various federations for selecting the best that will do our county proud.

“I urge all the coaches and athletes to make good use of the time to keep shape and apart from the marathon team who are training in Iten, cycling in Murang’a and swimming in Mombasa, all other teams will be based in Kasarani,” Soi, the NOC-K) deputy treasurer stated.

Rugby the only team sport representing the country, will be the first batch alongside Shooting and Judo to depart for the Games in a fortnight, but national 7s rugby team manager Steven Sewe is troubled by the team’s injuries.

“It’s quite a challenge because we have some of our key players who are also part of the 15s team in the World Cup qualifiers in Madagascar so that gives us little time to prepare also the team has been struck with injuries since Joshua Chisanga and Willy Ambaka are out but we can’t give that as an excuse we will prepare well since we have depth,” Sewe told Capital sport.

“We will camp in Glasgow where we are familiar with stadium before the games kick-off on 23rd.We don’t expect easy competition because other teams have brought their best players but our strategy is to play to win,” he concluded.

Paul Treu charges are drawn in Group B with South Africa, Cook Islands Trinidad and Tobago and according to Sewe, this competition will help them prepare for the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series that will serve as the 2016 Olympics qualifiers in Rio de Janeiro.

“This tournament will give us opportunity to test our new players like Martin Owila who is with the 15s team as we seek to strengthen our squad ahead of the World Series where we hope to finish top four and qualify for Olympics so we have to put our all,” the Team Manager concluded.

The Government has injected Sh231m (USD 2.6m) while NOCK added Sh100m (USD 1.1m) to facilitate for the team.

Olympics and Worlds 3000m steeple chase champion Ezekiel Kemboi and Javelin thrower Julius Yego are among the athletes who reported to camp on Sunday.

Yego was named the captain of the track and field squad.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 2 – Lock Ronnie Mwenesi scored a hat-trick of tries as Kenya took another step towards qualification for the 2015 Rugby World Cup with a 34-0 whitewash of hosts Madagascar in their second Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Division 1 A championship match in Antananarivo on Wednesday.

Avoiding defeat against four-time World Cup veterans, Zimbabwe on Saturday will take Jerome Paarwater’s charges to dreamland by earning their maiden ticket to the quadrennial global showpiece.

Western Bulls back Joshua Chisanga notched a brace while former 7s skipper Humphrey Kayange won an interception to breakthrough for his second try of the tournament keep their hopes of retaining the continental title on course.

In the earlier kick-off, Namibia bounced back from a 29-22 loss to beat Zimbabwe 24-20 to see Kenya remain the only unbeaten side so far after breaking her winless jinx against Madagascar.

“We just needed to keep Madagascar out of our try line and we did well with our forwards upfront since our aim was to pick maximum points. We have done it although it wasn’t a good rugby but we stuck to our game plan and that really helped us.

“I made the changes because I knew up front was going to be tough and it worked on our favour so we hope to carry on the spirit to our last game against Zimbabwe that is going to be tough but I think the boys are up for it,” elated South African boss Paarwater gushed after the outcome.

“We worked on our backs two days ago just to boost our defensive structures because we knew our strength and conditioning was stronger to keep them up and force them to turnovers which worked today.

“We are not yet through, our focus is on the last game which we need point to qualify but so far we are on track,” the South African concluded.

Paarwater made 11 changes from the team that won against Namibia with Andrew Amonde wearing the arm band as Wilson K’Opondo started on the bench.

Kenya showed early intents, starting the game on a higher pace that saw the host fail to sustain the pressure with Nondescript’s Mwenesi mauling a try in the third minute to open the scoring but fly half Kenny Andola failed to convert for a 5-0 lead.

Paarwater charges opted to take advantage of their physical strength rather than Madagascar’s tackles to pin down them for the better part of the first-half.

In the 10th, Chisanga powered through to touch down and double the scores as Andola this time round converted to open a 12-0 lead.

It only took five minutes for Mwenesi to score his second try but Andola’s kick was unsuccessful before Kayange made good use of the Makis defence lapse to intercept the ball and break through to touch the white wash and give
Kenya a 22-0 lead after Andola missed his conversion.

The match looked as a one way with Tusker Simba enjoying possession in the hosts try line, showing confidence and running well executed set pieces.

Kayange could have scored his brace in the 35th after once again intercepting a second ball but lost it from Madagascar’s tackle.

Three minutes later, Mwenesi completed his hat-trick with a maul try but Scrum half Lyle Asiligwa’s kick went wide as the visitors enjoyed a 27-0 lead at the break.

Madagascar resumed attacking while Kenya played more defensive that was too solid for Madagascar to break.
Tempers flared as Chisanga took on five Makis but was brought down before winger Dennis Muhanji was tacked in the neck by Claudio Ravelomananjara, only to retaliate that forced referee Luke Pearce to send both of them to the sin bin.

Kenya finally settled in the game when Andola knocked on to give the hosts a scrum that was not a threat.
The Makis managed to stop Simba from attacking but Chisanga wrapped up the scoring from a team maul as Asiligwa converted the second kick of the match to send his team-mates to their famous dance at the far corner.

That was the last try for Kenya and the match as Paarwater kept a clean sheet waiting for the Sables to know their World Cup fate on Sunday.

The result sees Kenya go top of the round robin tournament with 10 points courtesy of two bonus point wins.

FORTALEZA, July 5 – A sensational David Luiz free kick took Brazil into the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Colombia but the tournament hosts saw star striker Neymar carried off in agony.

Brazil’s captain Thiago Silva will also be suspended for Tuesday’s semi-final against Germany after he followed up his first World Cup goal with his second yellow card of the tournament.

Brazil are in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 12 years and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is one step nearer his vow to win the cup for a sixth time.

But Scolari buried his head in his hands when he saw Silva booked and faces an anxious wait for news of Neymar who was reportedly taken to hospital for tests.

Neymar was stretchered off with a back injury after being clattered by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga. Globo television said the Brazilian star was taken away in an ambulance.

Colombia’s James Rodriguez extended his lead as the tournament’s top scorer with his sixth goal in five games from the penalty spot after Julio Cesar brought down Carlos Bacca.

But Colombia now leave and Brazil move on to only their second World Cup meeting with Germany in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. The Germans beat France 1-0 earlier in the day.

Roared off on by a fervent home crowd, the hosts made a fast start and were ahead inside seven minutes.

Just as in their last 16 clash with Chile a finish at the back post from a Neymar corner opened the scoring as Silva escaped the clutches of Carlos Sanchez to bundle home.

Silva then had defensive duties to do as he got the slightest of touches to Juan Cuadrado’s drive to turn it behind as Colombia tried to react.

Jose Pekerman’s men could have been further behind moments later, as David Ospina got down well to parry Hulk’s effort before making a more comfortable save from Oscar.

Silva had to intervene once more to break up flowing Colombia counter-attack led by Rodriguez, but Cuadrado’s poor pass allowed the Brazilian captain to intercept when he had two free teammates waiting for a cross.

Ospina denied Hulk once more with another save low to his left before Neymar bent a free-kick inches over the crossbar as Brazil ended the half looking to kill the game off.

Chances at both ends dried up early on in the second-half, despite the game continuing to be played at a frenetic pace.

Brazil were dealt a huge blow midway through the second-half when Silva was booked for barging into Ospina as he sought to clear the ball.

Brazilian nerves were settled in the 69th minute when Luiz sent a wonderful dipping free-kick high past Ospina from fully 30 metres.

Yet, Colombia were back in the game 10 minutes from time when substitute Carlos Bacca was upended by Julio Cesar inside the area.

The Brazil goalkeeper was lucky just to see a yellow card from Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo. But he could do nothing to stop Rodriguez rolling home his sixth goal of the tournament from the resulting penalty.

Scolari’s men saw out the final few minutes, but there could be more bad news ahead as they wait for news of Neymar’s fate.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 5 – Kenya 15s are on the verge of history when they take on Zimbabwe in their final game of Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Division 1A Sunday with a place at a maiden Rugby World Cup at stake in Madagascar.

The promised land of the World Cup awaits the team if they avoid defeat at the Stade Municipal de Mahamasina in Antananaravivo with the 15s squad keen on emulating their 7s counterparts in playing at the global showpiece of their game.

Jerome Paarwater charges top the round robin Pool on 10 points after winning their two games thus far with their opponents, the Sables in second on six with a single win ahead of Namibia and hosts Madagascar who prop the standings after two loses.

The Kenya Simbas have the upper hand after defeating Namibia 29-22 and Madagascar 34-0 to earn a bonus point, but if Zimbabwe win with a bonus point and score over four tries, Kenya will be knocked out with Namibia also on contention if they beat Madagascar and earn a bonus point.

The champions will open the day’s fixture against the Sables at 1.00pm local time (GMT +3), in what is expected to be a closely contested clash since they have met 15 times over the last 33 years with Zimbabwe having a better head to head record after winning 10 against Simba’s five.

All the focus will be on this clash and back in the country fans will converge at different social joints to cross their fingers as they hope their very own Simbas emerges victor to retain the title and have a taste of the World Cup.

Both sides have good backs and forwards with Paarwater expected not to make major changes from the squad that did duty against Madagascar when they face a wounded side that will be looking to bounce back after a 20-24 defeat to Namibia.

Paarwater is expected to take advantage of their strength to score tries from the scrums and keep their opponent out of their try line.

Loose forward Andrew Amonde is expected to continue captaining the team with KCB trio of loose-head Curtis Lilako, hooker Maxwell Adaka and tight-head Moses Amusala at the front row while Oliver Mang’eni, and Ronnie Mwenesi who mauled down three tries against Madagascar partnering at second row.

Joshua Chisanga who notched a brace will continue to stand tall at the back row alongside Western Bulls Davis Chenge and Amonde.

Scrum half Lyle Asiligwa and fly half Kenny Andola who converted a piece in their second match will hold on as half backs with Nick Baraza and veteran Humphrey Kayange who has so far touched down two times in the tournament combining in the center.

Winger Dennis Muhanji and 7s vice captain Collins Injera will continue making runs from the wings.

If Kenya sails through to the World Cup, a tricky Pool C that consists of power house New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Georgia awaits them.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 6- Kenya 15s dream of qualifying for a maiden Rugby World Cup was buried by a heartbreaking loss to Zimbabwe as Namibia inherited their continental crown to qualify for their fifth showing at the global showpiece on Sunday in Madagascar.

Having been on pole ahead of the final matches of the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Division 1A Championships, Jerome Paarwater’s charges imploded to a crushing 27-10 loss to Zimbabwe as Namibia ran roughshod over the hosts in a monster 89-10 shellacking over Madagascar to steal the Rugby World Cup berth with the bonus win they needed if Kenya fell.

Zimbabwe were forced down to second and will face Russia on the weekend of August 2 and 3 in the next phase of the qualifiers.

The winner will meet the victor of the second qualifier between Uruguay and Hong Kong in a two-leg knockout on September 27 and 28 with the return leg set for a fortnight later.

The Sables grounded three tries and two penalties while Kenya touched down once through veteran Humphrey Kayange with fly half Lavin Asego’s penalty earning their other points in a match the defending champions imploded.

Head coach Jerome Paarwater made 10 changes from the squad that beat Madagascar 34-0, with the Kang’ethe brothers, Joseph and James, captain Wilson Kopondo, Patrice Agunda and Brian Nyikuli starting as back rows Andrew Amonde and
Joshua Chisanga who scored two tries were rested as well as Ronnie Mwenesi who scored a hat-trick of tries.

Zimbabwe proved once again to be too strong to Kenya after outclassing them in the line outs, scrums and break down to dominate the clash that saw the Sables record their 11th win after 16 encounters since 1981.

The Sables who have been to the World Cup twice in 1987 and 91 drew the first blood after pilling pressure to the Kenyan try line that saw Paarwater charges concede a penalty that fly half Guy Cronje converted for a 3-0 lead.

Kayange then had an awesome run from the center but an unfortunately his younger brother Collins Injera was cited for a knock on.

Few minutes later, the Simbas won a penalty that Asego did well to convert to put the matters level, but it did not take long before Cronje extended the lead through a penalty for a 6-3 lead.

In the 31st minute, former skipper Kayange touched down his third try of the tournament after making a brilliant run from Asego’s pass to beat Riaan O’neill hands down for Asego to convert for a 10-6 lead.

O’neil put the Sables back at the top after powering through the push over to ground the ball down as Guy made no mistake to convert to turn the score board to 13-10.

Kenya conceded a second try from the scrum as Hilton Mudaraki touched the white wash but Guy missed the conversion for a 18-10 lead.

Guy hammered the final nail on the coffin scoring a third try for Zimbabwe from the scrum down and went ahead to converts his own kick for 27-10.

LONDON, England, July 7- Liverpool will continue to spend the £70 million they are expected to receive for Luis Suarez this week as they close in on deals for Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic.

Liverpool agreed a fee – thought to be close to £10m – with Lille for the 19-year-old striker before the tournament, during which Origi has put in some eye-catching displays. It is expected he will remain at the French club on loan next season.

The club are also stepping up their bid to convince Alexis Sanchez to swap the Nou Camp for Anfield as part of the move that would take Suarez to Barcelona.

According to The Times, a fee of £25m has been agreed for Benfica and Serbia winger Markovic, 20, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea in the past 18 months, while talks with Origi can now begin following Belgium’s elimination from the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the newspaper claims that Liverpool have not given on Sanchez, despite the Chile forward’s apparent desire to join Arsenal or Juventus, and are in talks with the player’s representatives.

But Liverpool will accept a straight cash deal for Suarez after Barcelona made it clear they are willing to meet Suarez’s buy-out clause – which is said to be between £63m and £80m.

-ESPN

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 7 – A disappointed Kenya 15s side are not going to bury their heads in the sand after falling in the final hurdle of the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Division 1A Championships as the dream of a first ever Rugby World Cup showing went belly up.

Despite the heartbreak at the hands of Zimbabwe who spoiled the Kenyan party with a 27-10 win in the final round robin match on Sunday, the team was warmly received when they touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday and ushered into stretch limousines.

The team was escorted with a chase car in a caravan along the busy Mombasa Road to a Nairobi hotel where the technical bench alighted first and walked into a red carpet before the players in the Limousines followed.

Many rugby enthusiasts in the country were upbeat the Simbas will qualify for their first global showpiece with motivation trending in the social media where everyone wanted to be part of it especially after Kenya won their two matches 29-22 against Namibia and walloping hosts Madagascar 34-0, but for some including the players and Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman, Mwangi Muthee, found it hard to accept it slipped away.

“The tournament was very tough from the beginning, the game against Namibia was very tough but our game against Zimbabwe that was the greatest in our lives was frustrating and unfortunately we were unable to accomplish our mission.

“The players and Kenyans are disappointed but every cloud has a silver lining so we need to reflect back and see what we have achieved in terms of performance.

“We are going back to the drawing board since we are on the right track and I want to assure everybody that I will not walk out of the team until they achieve their goal,” disappointed Muthee told Capital Sport when hosting the team to a sumptuous dinner.

Head coach Jerome Paarwater who could not hide his displeasure said they will take the loss positively and build on lessons leant to prepare adequately as he confirmed they will play two test matches against Portugal and Hong Kong in October as they look forward to make it to the 2019 World Cup.

“We went in Madagascar with one purpose and that was to go to the World Cup and the boys put their effort to win the two games from there we only needed a point in the last game against Zimbabwe which we knew it won’t be easy so we prepared as we did in the rest of the games but unfortunately thing did not go our way.

“We are all disappointed because we have put more effort on this team in the last two years but we are on the right track and it’s not time to give up now, it was a good exposure and we will rectify on our mistakes and prepare for the next one,” the South African stated.

Paarwater did not regret on the 10 changes he made in the final match from the winning squad against Madagascar, saying it was part of his game plan.

“We had a plan and since we left here we knew we could make changes and that’s why I took more forwards to perform every time. The team that played against Zimbabwe is the same squad that beat Namibia in the opening match and we also had to give other players a chance to play.

“We beat Zimbabwe last year in the CAR Cup finals and it wasn’t meant to be easy and there was nothing wrong with the planning, we can’t blame anyone since everything was there for us but unfortunately we lost it,” he explained.
On losing the final match to the sables, the coach said the referee played part in their defeat.

“There was a few things that we couldn’t control in the breakdown were they slowed our game down and the referee did not penalize them in certain stages, their last try was an obstruction and we had the same referee last year and it seems he has something against Kenya where he also denied us the 50/50 calls but our opponent played very well and at the end they deserved it,” he concluded.

For captain Wilson K’Opondo, despite failing to defend their continental title and head to World Cup, the tournament exposed them to scouts and was optimistic some of the players will be going professional soon.

“We gave it our best shot but our efforts hit a snag, it’s really a dejected feeling but that’s life things happen for a reason so we just need to start preparing earlier for the next World Cup.

“One good thing that came out strongly in this tournament is that we proved to the world that we can play the longer version of the game too, and going to the final match we knew it’s going to be difficult since everybody wanted to qualify but that’s the beauty of sport you either win, draw and lose.

“We had it in our hand and at some point we were 80 minutes away from changing Kenyan rugby forever but that’s a wakeup call that we need to invest a lot of structures at the grassroots level, we should start preparing for the world Cup now,” the Lunch Bar Quins lock told Capital Sport.

Muthee added the Union has secured a partnership with their South African counterpart that will see the Simbas participate in next year’s Vodacom Cup once again as he vowed to retain the team.

“May be we did not win because we were not ready to play in the global showpiece but we need to look at the big picture and turn around that painful loss into a gain.

“We must have youth structures that will be feeding to this team but as we develop we must remember that high performance is what competes in the world stage and we must make sure we maintain a performance team,” Muthee concluded.

BELO HORIZONTE, July 9- Germany have advanced to the FIFA World Cup Final with a sensational 7-1 drubbing of Brazil at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte.

The brilliance of Joachim Low’s side was matched only by the ineptitude of the hosts, who suffered their heaviest-ever defeat and became the first team to concede seven in a knockout match at the world finals.

Most of the pre-match coverage had focused on the impact of Neymar’s absence but, once the game got underway, it was clear that Thiago Silva – Brazil’s captain and defensive rock – was the man they would miss most.

Without him, A Seleção’s defending was shambolic, with Germany able to slice their way through at will.

The tone was set by the opening goal after just 11 minutes, when Thomas Muller was allowed to steal in completely unmarked to casually volley home from Toni Kroos’s out swinging corner.

But there was no lesson learned. The hosts’ defence continued to afford Germany’s forwards the freedom of the penalty area, and it was no surprise when they were ruthlessly punished again 12 minutes later.

Salt was rubbed in Brazilian wounds by the identity of the goalscorer, with Miroslav Klose not only doubling the Germans’ lead, but taking his World Cup tally to 16 to surpass Seleção legend Ronaldo as the tournament’s record scorer.

Again, the marking was non-existent, with the Lazio striker allowed two shots from close range, the first of which was blocked by Julio Cesar, with the second slotted routinely inside the right-hand post.

It was the spark for an incredible six-minute period, during which the Brazilian net bulged four times.

Next up, with the pick of Germany’s goals, was Kroos, who crashed in a first-time left-foot shot from the edge of the area after Muller had mis-kicked from Philipp Lahm’s low cross.

The Bayern Munich midfielder was impressive throughout and, a minute later, he made it 3-0 with another goal that owed much to Brazil’s hesitant defending.

The guilty man on this occasion was Fernandinho, who allowed himself to be robbed by Kroos midway inside his own half and could only watch as the Germany No18 exchanged passes with Sami Khedira before passing into the net with Julio Cesar stranded.

Even at this early stage, it was clear that the game was over as a contest, but though the Mineirao crowd was stunned, there was much, much worse to follow.

Germany’s fifth goal was a near carbon copy of their fourth, though with Khedira the finisher rather then the supplier, side-footing confidently home from Mesut Ozil’s pass.

Brazil had not conceded five goals in a World Cup match since 1938, and while they won on that occasion – beating Poland 6-5 – there was never any chance of a comeback here.

Indeed, it took until the second half for Scolari’s side to provide any kind of response, and even then they found Manuel Neuer in imposing form.

The German keeper has been one of the players of the tournament and he again shone, first in blocking Oscar’s outside-of-the-foot shot and then in pulling off a fantastic double save from substitute Paulinho when a goal seemed certain.

As it was, when the net next bulged, it was a German replacement who was celebrating.

Again, the ease with which the Europeans scored was staggering, with Lahm given time and space to pick out Andre Schurrle for the most straightforward of close-range finishes.

And Germany weren’t finished yet, with Schurrle again finding acres of space to control and volley left-footed off the underside of the bar, completing the hosts’ suffering. Oscar did score a fine last-minute goal, evading Jerome Boateng before shooting high beyond Neuer, but to describe it as a consolation would be stretching the truth.

It was merely the final act of a match that will be forever remembered by all who witnessed it, and which leaves Brazil to wallow in misery and Germany to plan a Maracana meeting with Argentina or the Netherlands.

-Fifa.com

SAO PAOLO, July 10- Sergio Romero inspired Argentina to a 4-2 victory over the Netherlands on penalties and FIFA World Cup final place for the first time in 24 years.

After 120 goalless minutes in Sao Paulo, the 27-year-old repelled Ron Vlaar’s spot-kick before making a stunning save from Wesley Sneijder to send La Albiceleste into a showdown with Germany at the Maracana.

The first half was a tense, chance-shy affair. Lionel Messi had Argentina’s best opportunity, with a centrally-positioned free-kick from the edge of the box, but he curled it straight into the arms of Jasper Cillissen.

Ezequiel Gonzalez bravely ducked his head between flying boots from a corner, but the 27-year-old centre-back was unable to keep his effort down, while the sliding Ron Vlaar did well to intercept a low Ezequiel Lavezzi cross before Gonzalo Higuain could pounce.

The Netherlands, for their part, struggled to get the ball to danger man Arjen Robben and failed to force Sergio Romero into a save before the half-time whistle sounded.

If the first half was tame, the second was even tamer. Argentina finally sprung to life on 75 minutes, however, when Messi spun his man ner the right touchline but was felled.

The referee played the advantage, allowing Enzo Perez to surge forward and cross for Higuain, whose first-time stab hit the side-netting.

After the contest crawled into added time, the Netherlands conjured up what was, indubitably, its best chance.

Sneijder’s crafty flick sent Robben racing into the Argentinian area. The 30-year-old nevertheless took too many touches, which enabled Javier Mascherano to make a superb sliding block from his strike from point-blank range.

Shortly into extra-time, Klaas-Jan Huntelaaar replaced Van Persie. It was Louis van Gaal’s third substitution, eliminating the possibility of quarter-final saviour Tim Krul coming on should the game go to penalties and signalling the Oranje coach’s desire to go for it.

That his charges did. Robben sped in behind the Albiceleeste defence, only for Mascherano to divert his cut-back behind, before the Bayern Munich player tested Romero’s hands with a fizzing 25-yard piledriver.

After 115 minutes, Argentina had their finest opening of the match. A long ball over the top bounced into the path of substitute Rodrigo Palacio, but he failed to generate sufficient power on his header to trouble Cillessen.

Both goalkeepers had had little to do in normal and extra time, but Romero did plenty thereafter to send the masses of Argentinians in Sao Paulo delirious.

-Fifa.com

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 10 – After the national 15s side failed to qualify for next year’s Rugby World Cup, 7s head coach Paul Treu, believes it’s their turn to give Kenyans something to smile about when they play at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in the shorter version of the game.

As the team targets to improve on their 2010 performance where they were bundled out in the Main Cup quarter-finals by silver medallists Australia, Treu has made two changes from the seasoned HSBC Sevens World Series squad.

The South African has handed Nakuru RFC’s eighth man Martin Owila, fresh from the CAR Division 1A championship in Madagascar his debut while club mate loose forward Oscar Ouma, has been recalled to replace injured French based winger Willy Ambaka.

However, Treu said their preparation for the second appearance in the Club Games has been affected since five of his key charges former captain Humphrey Kayange, Collins Injera, Michael Agevi, skipper Andrew Amonde and hooker Patrice Agunda were away on duty with the15s team.

“Our preparation is definitely going to be challenging since some of our players were with the 15s team and obviously it’s a massive disappointed for the country because we didn’t qualify for the World Cup but the Commonwealth games is another opportunity to make our nation pride.

“We will give our players time to recover and join us on Friday before we depart on Sunday because we want to camp in Glasgow for one and half week before the tournament begins so that we can gel and acclimatize since we haven’t trained together as a team,” Treu told Capital Sport.

In Delhi, Kenya eased past Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Samoa in the Group stages before falling 27-5 to Australia in the Main Cup quarter-finals.

Looking at Glasgow Shujaa are in a relatively easy Pool B consisting bronze medalist South Africa, Cook Islands, Trinidad and Tobago with Treu underlining his former employer as the biggest threat in the Group as he banks on bothers Kayange and Injera, Amonde, fly half Biko Adema as well as winger Horace Otieno who were part of the 2010 squad.

“We are not looking who we are going to face for now but we want to settle as quickly as possible. Obviously South Africa is going be our toughest opponents in the pool stages and like all other tournaments we just want to take a match at a time and hopefully to qualify for the finals.

“We are looking forward for the challenge since we know its going to be tough because we have not had the ideal preparation like we are used to in the circuit but the dynamic of being part of team Kenya is going to be interesting since it will be the first time for some of us to be part of the wide squad of the multi sport event,” the South African added.

True will be using the Club Games as part of preparation for the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series starting October that will see the top four qualify for 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sixteen teams including four-time winners and defending champions New Zealand will battle it out for gold in Glasgow on 26 and 27 this month.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 11 – Two-time Olympics and World 3000m steeple chase champion Ezekiel Kemboi will be eyeing his fourth global title on the bounce as he prepares for his Commonwealth Games swansong in Glasgow.

Arguably the best steeplechaser of all time, the Club Games title left his grip in Delhi four years ago as compatriot Richard Mateelong prevailed.

The 32-year-old who has competed in two IAAF Diamond Leagues this season in Doha where he won and Rome where he dropped out, announced this will be his last Commonwealth Games.

Kemboi who will captain 191 athletes in Glasgow will be seeking to reclaim the title he last won in 2006 Melbourne with titleholder, Mateelong out of the competition.

“This will be my fourth Commonwealth Games and third as the overall captain, each time I’m in the team we have always emerged winners so we should keep the fire burning.

“This will be my last participation in the event so I’m urging upcoming athletes who are running in the steeple to continue with the winning trend once I hand over to them since we picked well from our mentors like Ben Jipchoo,” Kemboi declared.

The three-time World Champion is confident the team is capable on improving the 12 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze the class of 2010 collected in Delhi, India.

“The team is well prepared and this is the first time we have assembled a strong team not only in athletics but in all disciplines, Kenyans should expect good results and for me I’m going for gold as always and nothing less since I want to finish on a high,” he added.

The former DJ turned champion runner is out to perform a final jig after proving to be the ultimate gold minting machine.

GLASGOW, July 12- Kenya’s David Rudisha fired a warning to his Commonwealth Games rivals as he won the 800m in blistering time at the Glasgow Grand Prix on Saturday.

Rudisha recorded the fastest 800m run anywhere in the world this year to claim the $10,000 (EUR7,350) first prize at the Diamond League meeting at Hampden Park.

Beset by knee problems last year, Rudisha showed he is back to his best as he made his first appearance in Britain since breaking the world record on his way to winning Olympic gold at London 2012.

And with less than a fortnight to go before Glasgow 2014, he declared he is ready to go even faster than the 1min 43.34sec he recorded at the Games warm-up event.

“It was really good today. I am happy to have run a world-leading time here. That was what I was expecting to do,” Rudisha said.

“I pushed on the back straight in the second lap but I didn’t have a lot of power. But if I have good couple of weeks of training I think I will get there.

“I’m very happy ahead of the Commonwealth Games. To come here and run that time is a good experience. I hope to run 1:42 come the Games – that is the target.”

Rudisha’s performance was a rare highlight for the 15,000 fans at Hampden following a disappointing meet marred by the withdrawal of a number of top names.

- Little to cheer -

Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford had been one of the big stars willing to travel north, but saw his hopes of a morale-boosting win ended before the action had even got underway as he injured his knee in the warm-up.

Rutherford’s absence cleared the way for Jeff Henderson of the United States to claim victory with a leap of 8.21 metres.

There was little to cheer for the home fans from the performance of Eilish McColgan, despite the Scot putting in her fastest 3,000m steeplechase of the year.

Her time of 9:44.69 was only good enough for 12th place as she finished almost 35 seconds behind Ethiopian winner Hiwot Ayalew.

“I’m really disappointed,” McColgan said. “If two months ago someone said to me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get down to running 9:44 and feel good doing it’, I’d have taken it. But to be just outside that qualifying mark? I couldn’t be any more gutted.”

Much was hoped for in the women’s 800m as Scottish hopefuls Lynsey Sharp and Laura Muir went head to head.

But it was England’s Jessica Judd who finished third behind American Ajee Wilson, as Sharp and Muir had to settle for sixth and ninth place respectively.

Britain’s world and Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock lost by just one hundredth of a second in the men’s T44 100m as world record-holder Richard Browne of the United States triumphed with a season’s best time of 10.96sec.

And Trinidad’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, the fastest woman in the world this year, gave another impressive demonstration of her capabilities as she held off double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica to win the women’s 100m A race in 11.01sec.

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 13- Mario Goetze scored a superb extra-time winner as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 to become the first European team to win a World Cup held in South America on Sunday.

Bayern Munich star Goetze struck in the 113th minute to finally break Argentina’s resistance as Lionel Messi’s dream of emulating Diego Maradona ended in defeat.

The decisive moment of a World Cup brimming with wonderful goals came with penalties looming in front of 74,738 fans at Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracana Stadium.

Andre Schuerrle burst clear down the left flank and crossed for Goetze.

The 22-year-old took the ball on his chest and then volleyed past Sergio Romero to spark delirium amongst the largely pro-German crowd.

Argentina and Messi were left squandering a handful of gilt-edged chances, including one that fell to Messi in the second half.

Messi was largely anonymous for most of the evening and his miserable evening was summed up when a late free-kick to equalise sailed over the bar.

The victory was celebrated raucously by Brazilians in the crowd, who had dreaded the prospect of sworn South American rivals Argentina lifting the title in their backyard.

An absorbing first half saw Germany forced into a reshuffle moments before kick-off with inexperienced Christoph Kramer replacing Sami Khedira after the Real Madrid star injured a calf in the warm up.

With Bastian Schweinsteiger running midfield the Germans laid siege to Argentinian territory, passing smoothly and denying Messi a route into the game.

Yet for all Germany’s early dominance they created little in the way of clear chances.

And it was Argentina who were presented with a glorious chance to open the scoring.

Toni Kroos misdirected a header back to Manuel Neuer to send Gonzalo Higuain racing through on goal.

But with only Neuer to beat the Napoli striker dragged his shot wide to disbelief from fans and team-mates.

Germany continued to probe for openings, and a Philipp Lahm pass almost put Thomas Mueller clear.

The pace of Argentina on the counter-attack continued to unsettle Germany however.

Schweinsteiger picked up a yellow card for bringing down Ezequiel Lavezzi just after the half hour mark.

Moments later, Argentina had the ball in the net only to see the goal disallowed for offside.

Messi released Lavezzi down the right who swept in a low cross for Higuain who drilled his finish past Neuer before wheeling away in delight.

Higuain’s roar of celebration was cut short however after Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli whistled, correctly, for offside.

Germany’s personnel problems deepened when Khedira’s replacement Kramer himself limped off, prompting the introduction of Andre Schuerrle.

The Germans remained unfazed by the setback however, and quickly set about reimposing their control of the game.

Schuerrle drew a fine near-post save from Romero on 37 minutes with a rasping shot after Mueller’s cutback.

But the latent threat of Messi meant Germany could never entirely relax.

Messi burst away down the right and raced into the box, toe-poked past Neuer only for Jerome Boateng to clear.

On the stroke of half-time Benedikt Hoewedes came within inches of scoring, crashing a header from a Kroos corner against the post.

The second half followed a similar pattern, Germany controlling possession but Argentina often threatening on the break.

Messi squandered another golden Argentinian chance two minutes after the restart, latching onto a pass from Lucas Biglia but scuffing his shot wide of Neuer.

The hard-fought nature of the contest led to a flurry of cards from referee Rizzoli, who cautioned Javier Mascherano and Sergio Aguero in quick succession for fouls on Miroslav Klose and Schweinsteiger.

The remainder of the half saw neither stride able to get on top.

Germany controlled possession without really testing Romero, while Argentina were unable to pass a German defence superbly marshalled by Mats Hummels and Boateng.

Schuerrle came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first period of extra-time, forcing Romero into a desperate block.

Penalties looked to be the likeliest outcome, but Goetze had other ideas.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14 – Javelin king Julius Yego, will be targeting to lower his 85.40m Personal Best and finish in the medal bracket at a global event for the first time in his career when he lines up for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The 25-year-old who will captain the track and field team has speared his way to the top in the sport over the last three years, finishing just outside the medals during last year’s IAAF World Championships in Moscow where he recorded his best throw for fourth.

Yego, the first African Olympics finalist and two-time African champion believes the forthcoming Club Games is perfect opportunity for him to win a medal in the major competition after conquering the continent twice.

“The 2010 edition in India was my first time to compete outside Kenya although I reached the finals it was not my best performance since I threw 69.60m which is way below the standards of winning a gold medal.

“But this year I’m at the right age and the timing is good, comparing my previous performance in the championships I have been throwing good distances and hopefully, I will do above 82.00m in Commonwealth to be sure of winning gold,” The Kenya Police athlete who finished seventh in 2010 edition told Capital Sport.

Yego, who made history at the 2012 Olympics when he competed in the final with a then continental record of 81.81m in the qualifying rounds, says his outing at the World Championships in Moscow exposed him and is now ready to scale another landmark.

“Moscow was a big milestone for me, entering the medal bracket and coming out of it in a short time was an experience but at the end of it all the results that I achieved was brilliant.

“After setting my Personal Best of 85.40m, I have never looked back I still keep on working hard to make sure I win gold for my country in the global event since I have won two in Africa titles and I’m looking forward to breaking my PB either in Glasgow or in next year’s World Championship,” he added.

However, Yego cites Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago as the man to beat, but declared he is up to the challenge.

“In championships surprises do happen like in 2012 nobody expected Walcott to be crowned champion, I know he will be in the Commonwealth and I can never rule anybody out since they are all competitors.

“I want to make sure I beat them all,” Yego declared.

Speaking on behalf of the track and field team, the captain was up beat the squad will improve on the 11 gold medals athletics won in Delhi, since hammer thrower Linda Oseso and himself are up to the task outside the traditional distance running medal breadbasket.

“Morale in the camp is high and we are well prepared, as we go for the competition our aim is to conquer and win more medals that in 2010.

“The gold medal tally will improve because unlike in India, we have a strong squad and I’m confident we are going to do well since we have diversified in other events like triple, high and long jump,” he concluded.

With team sport Rugby, Judo and shooting already departed for Glasgow, the track and field squad will be the last to leave on Thursday.

JOHANNESBURG, July 15- South Africa’s Paralympian star Oscar Pistorius was thrown out of a nightclub over the weekend after being involved in a drunken brawl, the Star newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing witnesses.

The athlete, who is currently on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend, was in the VIP section of a plush Johannesburg nightclub when the altercation occurred with another patron, Jared Mortimer, it said.

Mortimer told the newspaper that a friend introduced him to Pistorius, who then launched into a tirade, telling him how he had been “screwed over” by Mortimer’s friends.

“We were drinking tequila and I still remember putting down my drink and thinking I couldn’t drink it while my friends were being spoken of like that,” he said.

He said at some point the sprinter known as the “Blade Runner” got aggressive and started poking him in the chest.

“He was close to my face and at that point I pushed him to get him away from me,” he said. “A chair was behind his legs and he fell to the ground.”

The curtains of the VIP area of the club in Sandton, a wealthy suburb north of Johannesburg, were drawn so that nobody could see Pistorius was there.

“A little bit later he had a confrontation with another man and the bouncers were asked to please remove him because he was causing trouble,” Mortimer said.

Another patron who saw Pistorius at the club told the daily that the athlete was “flat-out drunk”.

“He came up to us and pulled zap signs in our faces. That’s when I realised it was Pistorius.” said the unnamed witness.

Pistorius’s spokeswoman told the Star that Mortimer “started to aggressively engage him (Pistorius) on matters relating to the trial.

“An argument ensued during which (Pistorius) asked to be left alone. Oscar left soon thereafter,” she said, adding that Pistorius “regrets the decision to go into a public space and thereby inviting unwelcome attention.”

The day after the altercation, Pistorius broke five months of silence on social websites with a series of tweets on love and pain, including a quote from the Bible.

Pistorius, 27, is standing trial accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.

He has told the court in Pretoria that he shot Steenkamp four times through a locked bathroom door in his apartment after mistaking her for an intruder. Prosecutors say he deliberately killed her after an argument.

As part of his bail conditions, he was initially ordered to abstain from alcohol consumption, but later successfully got the ban lifted.

His trial is set to resume on August 7 for closing arguments.

BUENOS AIRES, July 15- A crestfallen Lionel Messi kept a low profile as thousands welcomed the Argentina squad home Monday after a World Cup final defeat to Germany.

Television networks carried live coverage of the Aerolineas Argentinas plane — painted in the blue-and-white colors of the flag with the words “Thank you Argentina” — as it touched down in Buenos Aires, where about 500 fans braved the cold to meet the flight from Rio de Janeiro.

Thousands more fans lined the team’s route from the airport, waving flags and swarming the convoy of three buses, which moved at a snail’s pace through the crowds.

Nationwide, the atmosphere was one of pride as much as disappointment after the team forced Germany into extra time in a hard-fought 1-0 match in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium.

“I just want to thank everyone for the welcome,” Messi, who spent much of the day with a pained look on his face, told a reception with President Cristina Kirchner at the offices of the Argentine Football Association.

“I would have liked to have brought home the Cup and enjoyed it with you (the country). We gave everything we had but we just didn’t manage it.”

Kirchner met the team with hugs and tried to get a smile out of them, teasing striker Gonzalo Higuain, forward Ezequiel “Pocho” Lavezzi and winger Angel Di Maria, among others.

She drew laughs when she told Higuain he should go to the doctor for an MRI scan after German keeper Manuel Neuer crashed into him in the second half, an incident the referee controversially waved away.

Kirchner tried hard to provoke a blush from Lavezzi and Di Maria, often described as the team’s best-looking members.

“Pocho, come here, they say you’re the sex symbol of the team,” she told Lavezzi, trying to persuade him to say a few words.

“Di Maria, come here, the girls are asking for you.”

But the players were reluctant to take the microphone, and the smiles were fleeting.

“It’s very nice when people recognize what you do. We would have loved to bring home the Cup but we weren’t able to,” said Lavezzi.

- Euphoria over -

As the curtain fell on two-time champion Argentina’s campaign to win its first World Cup title since 1986, the bleaker side of national life returned to the foreground.

The economy is in a slump and the government risks defaulting on its debt.

“The issues worrying Argentine society didn’t disappear during the World Cup, they just had less relative importance,” said sociologist Ricardo Rouvier. “Now interest in the World Cup will wane a little each day. People will slowly get off the bandwagon.”

Signs that the party was over did not take long to appear.

Immediately after Sunday’s match, tens of thousands of revelers descended on Buenos Aires’s iconic Obelisk monument, determined to celebrate despite the bittersweet end of the nation’s World Cup campaign.

But after several hours of partying, dozens of hardcore fans known as “barras bravas” clashed with police and went on a destructive looting binge.

Police arrested around 120 people over the violence, which left 70 wounded, including 15 officers. One rioter in serious condition with a punctured lung, officials said.

Violence also broke out in the cities of La Plata and Mar del Plata, the government said.

On Monday afternoon, unrest erupted again in the area around the Obelisk after a planned appearance by the team was canceled and some of the thousands of people who had gathered started throwing bottles and stones.

Still, overall, Argentines were proud of their team for making their first World Cup final since 1990.

“They gave everything for us and they deserve our support,” said Matias Ruiz, 17, one of those who welcomed the squad at the airport.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 15 – Harambee Stars will miss the services of Norway based first choice keeper Arnold Origi, when they travel to Maseru for their 2015 African Cup of Nations second round opener against Lesotho on Sunday.

According to a reliable source from Football Kenya Federation (FKF), his club Lillestrome declined to release him saying the second round AFCON qualifiers are outside the FIFA calendar.

“We sent all the invitations and necessary requirements to our foreign based players including Origi who will not be available after his club declined to release him since their league is still on.

“Apart from him all the foreign based players are expected to link up with the squad today,” the source told Capital Sport on Tuesday.

In May, Stars were forced to play without the experienced custodian in the first leg of the preliminary round qualifiers against Comoros in Nairobi for similar reason.

This is a major blow to the team that will be without suspended head coach Adel Amrouche over the two legs, as they seek to avoid the embarrassment of crashing out of the continental showpiece before the final group qualifiers.

In Origi’s absence, Bandari shot-stopper Wilson Obungu is likely to take charge with Gor Mahia’s Jerim Onyango deputising and AFC Leopards’ Wycliffe Kasaya slotting in as third choice.

Bandari defender Abdulatif Omar is the latest call up in the team that will face Burundi Swallows in Tuesday’s international friendly at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium as part of their preparation for the qualifiers.

A win against Lesotho over the two legs will send Stars to Group C that include 2013 finalists Burkina Faso, Angola and Gabon for the final qualifiers of Morocco showdown.

LONDON, July 15- Arsenal are set to beat Chelsea to the signing of Germany midfielder Sami Khedira from Real Madrid with Spanish newspapers reporting that a £23million deal has already been agreed.

According to Sport, Khedira will sign a four-year deal at the Emirates Stadium despite the emergence of Chelsea’s interest.

Contract talks between the 27-year-old’s representatives and Real Madrid broke down and they are now set to sell rather than let him go for free next summer.

Arsenal have already splashed £30m to bring Chile forward Alexis Sanchez to north London from Barcelona, and are on the verge of signing France’s World Cup right back Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who worked with Khedira during his time as Real manager, is keen on the defensive midfielder but looks set to miss out.

Khedira missed the World Cup final on Sunday night after he injured himself in the warm-up.

However, he was part of the celebrations afterwards as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 at the Maracana.

-Daily Mail/Independent