Ancelotti: Platini should keep quiet over Ballon d'Or The Madrid coach is the latest to atta

The Madrid coach is the latest to attack the Uefa president, while the Champions League holders have hit out at the Frenchman with an official statement as well
By Stefan Coerts
Nov 28, 2014 14:36:39
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has hit out at Uefa president Michel Platini in the wake of the Frenchman's comments that a German player should win the Fifa Ballon d'Or rather than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Platini stated earlier this week that a Germany international should scoop up the individual award following their successful World Cup campaign, thus causing unrest in the Madrid camp, with Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao both attacking the Uefa chief for his "campaign against Ronaldo".

Ancelotti has now also come to the defence of his star player and has stressed Platini should have kept his opinion to himself.

"I share Arbeloa's opinion. I don't think Uefa's president should opine about the Ballon d'Or," Ancelotti said at a press conference.

The Madrid coach then went on to praise Lionel Messi, but refused to discuss the Argentine's chances of winning the prestigious award.

"Messi is fantastic, but I will not speak about what Barcelona are doing for the Ballon d'Or."

Meanwhile, Madrid have backed Arbeloa, Coentrao and Ancelotti and have released a statement condemning Platini's comments.

"In response to the comments made by the president of Uefa, Michel Platini, concerning the winner of the Ballon d'Or," the statement reads. "Real Madrid C. F. would like to outline:

"Firstly, its surprise at the repeated comments regarding his personal preferences over the choice of the winner of the Ballon d'Or, particularly given that he is the head of European football's principal body, where our understanding is that the strictest impartiality should prevail.

"Secondly, the Ballon d'Or is an individual rather than collective prize which is awarded annually to the best player in the world, and we believe that, in order to maintain its prestige, those who participate in the vote should take into account exclusively the individual professional achievements of the players.

"Finally, we believe that Cristiano Ronaldo has without doubt had his best ever professional year individually, and has claimed the Champions League, the Golden Shoe and the record for the highest goalscorer in an edition of the Champions League, as well as the Copa del Rey and the top-scorer award in La Liga. In the current season, he has won the European Super Cup, scoring both goals in the match, and is achieving spectacular figures such as his 20 goals in the first 12 matchdays of La Liga, which confirm his great moment of form and ensure that, more than ever, he is deserving of the Ballon d'Or."

Follow On Twitter @lilswizt

Messi 'obviously' not joining Chelsea, says Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claims rumours linking Barcelona's Lionel Messi with a move to Stamford Bridge are "obviously" false.

Messi sparked the rumour mill into overdrive recently when he appeared to suggest that he might not finish his career at Camp Nou.

Premier League leaders Chelsea were subsequently identified as a possible destination for the Argentine superstar, while Manchester City are also monitoring his situation.

But Mourinho, who went up against Messi several times during his time as Real Madrid coach, is adamant that such stories are falsified.

Mourinho told reporters on Friday: "My reaction is that the media world changed so much that the football world also changed so much.

"And I think, in this moment, it's so easy, so easy to have non-truths circulating.

"It's so easy that some people put news without confirming or speak about rumours. Obviously [Messi going to Chelsea] is not true. Obviously it's not true."

Messi this week became the all-time top scorer in the Champions League, overtaking Raul's record, having only just leapfrogged Telmo Zarra in La Liga's highest goal tally.
Follow On Twitter @lilswizt

REAL WORLD' STAR RYAN KNIGHT AUTOPSY COMPLETE No Cause of Death Found

"Real World" star Ryan Knight's autopsy was completed Friday morning ... and no immediate cause of death was found -- but police say he had been complaining about stomach issues.

Police in Kenosha, WI say they attempted to revive Knight when they arrived at his friends home yesterday morning ... but they were unsuccessful. They say there were no obvious signs of injuries to Knight -- but according to Knight's father he had complained about stomach issues in the past 2 days.

Cops also say no drugs were found on scene ... even though they were told he had been "partying hard" the night before.

As we previously reported ... Knight was out Wednesday night with a bunch of people and ended up at a friend's house where he was discovered dead and covered in vomit. Friends tell us he had taken "some pills" but they were not specific.

Police say Knight's cause of death will have to wait until they get toxicology results ... because no "anatomical cause of death” was found.

SNOOP DOGG I'D KILL THOSE POT-SMOKING GRANNIES

Snoop Dogg is scared he'd kill the grandmas who famously smoked weed for the first time.

Our photog spotted The Doggfather outside the Forum in Inglewood. Snoop's certain AARP members would go full flatline if they blaze with him.

But at least one of the old ladies takes issue. Paula (the dark haired one in the video) tells TMZ she'd love the chance to "twist one up with Snoop."

She prefers vaporizers and Snoop likes blunts, but Paula has a middle ground: "He is welcome in my kitchen any day. We can cook pot brownies. He’s too thin, I'll fatten him up if he comes over."

Just like a grandma ... always trying to feed you pot brownies.

Nigerians in diaspora : Adebayo Ogunlesi

Adebayo Ogunlesi
Born 1953 (age 60–61)
Nationality - Nigeria
Alma mater- Harvard University
University of Oxford
Occupation - Investment banker
Employer - Credit Suisse First Boston

Adebayo Ogunlesi (born 1953) is a Nigerian businessman. A 1979 graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, he also studied at Oxford.
    Ogunlesi was in charge of Global Investment Banking at Credit Suisse First Boston before being promoted to chief client officer and executive vice chairman.

Biography
Mr. Ogunlesi was born to the family of Prof. & Mrs. T.O Ogunlesi of Makun, Sagamu Ogun State Nigeria. His father is the first Nigerian professor of medicine.Mr. Ogunlesi attended Kings College Lagos, Nigeria after which he received his B.A. with first class honors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, from Oxford University, his J.D. magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Adebayo Ogunlesi is currently Chairman and Managing Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners, a $15 billion joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs. He was named lead director on 24 July 2014.Prior to his current role, he was Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of Credit Suisse, based in New York. He previously served as a member of Credit Suisse’s Executive Board and Management Council and chaired the Chairman’s Board. Previously, he was the Global Head of Investment Banking at Credit Suisse. Since joining Credit Suisse in 1983, Mr. Ogunlesi has advised clients on strategic transactions and financings in a broad range of industries and has worked on transactions in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 2009, Global Infrastructure Partners acquired the majority in London Gatwick Airport in a deal worth £1.455 billion.[citation needed]

Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Mr. Ogunlesi was an attorney in the corporate practice group of the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. From 1980-81 he served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall of the United States Supreme Court.

Ogunlesi is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. He was a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the Yale School of Organization and Management, where he taught a course on transnational investment projects in emerging countries.

He is married to an optometrist Dr. Amelia Quist-Ogunlesi.

Awards and honors
Recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.

Photos: Barcelona football stars get brand new cars from Audi

Barcelona football stars including Messi (above) Neymar, Suarez and other players collected brand new cars from German car manufacturer, Audi, at an event sponsored by Audi today. See more pics after the cut...

So wait, is this where the symbol on the new N100 came from?

The pic on the right is supposedly the colonial flag of Nigeria. That symbol looks very similar to the controversial one on the new N100 note. You think...?