Manchester City Make Yaya Toure The Highest-Paid Premier League Player In History

Manchester City have made Yaya Toure the highest earning Premier League player in history, according to theNews of the World.

The newspaper claims the 27-year-old, who joined City in a £24 million deal from Barcelona last week, signed a five-year-deal worth a staggering £55.6m.

Toure will be picking up a basic wage of £185,000 a week before tax but that figure will increase to £221,000 when the Government's 50% tax bracket comes into force.

On top of his unbelievable basic wage, the Ivory Coast international will also be getting an image rights payment of £1.65m a year plus an additional £823,000 bonus each time City qualify for the Champions League.

Toure will also collect a £412,000 bonus should he win the Champions League with City whilst there are also additional bonuses for winning the Premier League and FA Cup - all tax-free.

The midfielder, who will be playing alongside brother Kolo at Eastlands, made just 13 starts in all competitions for Barcelona last season.

Toure is City's third summer signing so far after David Silva signed from Valencia for £24m and the £11m capture of Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng.

The club are also reportedly still aiming to complete a £25m deal to buy England midfielder James Milner from Aston Villa.

The Post Wanted The Ball To Enter - Spain's David Villa

With his goal having secured Spain's passage to the World Cup semi-final to face Germany, David Villa was smiling ear to ear after La Roja beat Paraguay. 

The Spain striker was in a high mood after his solitary goal led La Roja into the World Cup semi-final...

In comments reported by Marca, El Guaje spoke about the goal that took 83 minutes to come. "The post wanted the ball to enter," said the World Cup's leading scorer, recalling the ball thudding off the far post before nestling into the net. 

"The match was the most difficult we [Spain] have had to play. Our rivals pressured us a lot and did not allow us to circulate the ball among our players who like touches".

As for the semi-finals against Germany on Wednesday, Villa was clear: "Every match is different. I don't think Germany will be pleased that we have progressed".

'Hand of God-2' Suarez banned for one match

FIFA has suspended Uruguay forward Luis Suarez for one match for his deliberate handball to deny Ghana the winning goal in the teams' World Cup quarter-final match.

FIFA's disciplinary committee ruled Saturday that Suarez was guilty of “denying the opposite team a clear goal-scoring opportunity” as it imposed the one-match suspension.

The penalty means Suarez will be out when Uruguay meets the Netherlands in the semifinals on Tuesday, but would be available for the final if his team advances.

After Suarez's goal-line handball in the last minute of extra time at Soccer City on Friday, Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty kick and time ran out with the score tied at 1-1. Uruguay won the penalty shootout that followed, 4-2, to advance.

Forward will serve the ban when Uruguay meets the Netherlands in the semi-finals

Suarez's actions spurred debate about sportsmanship, and whether he should be given a more stern penalty.

Uruguay Coach Oscar Tabarez said earlier Saturday that Suarez should be allowed to play in the tournament final if Uruguay gets there.

“It's not my business. The disciplinary committee will look at it,” Tabarez said Saturday. “But I think it (a two-match ban) would be extremely exaggerated.”

“I think (calling him a cheat) would be too far-fetched and too twisted,” he added.

Suarez, who has three goals in the tournament, said it was “complicated” to be ejected from a World Cup game.

“But the way in which I was sent off — truth is, it was worth it.”

Two Kenyans Die In Ghana Game Fight

Two Kenyans lost their lives in a row over last Friday night’s World Cup match involving Ghana and Uruguay. 

According to the Saturday Nation, one of the men was stabbed by his colleague before a crowd intervened and stoned the culprit to death in the densely populated Githurai Kimbo Estate in the capital Nairobi.

The report said trouble started when a group of youths differed on predictions of results after Ghana's opener.

The Black Stars missed a last minute chance to become the first African side to make it to the semi-finals as Asamoah Gyan’s penalty kick hit the crossbar to force the game into a penalty shootout.

Super Eagles dissolved for 2 years

The president of west African nation Nigeria Dr Goodluck Jonathan has withdrawn the Super Eagles from international competition until 2012 following their disappointing performance at World Cup 2010 in South Africa. According to a government adviser the withdrawal is to help restructure the team.

Speaking to reporters, Ima Niboro - a special adviser to the president - confirmed the two-year withdrawal which would allow a restructuring of the national set-up.

He said: "Mr President has directed that Nigeria will withdraw from all international football competition for the next two years to enable Nigeria to reorganize its football.

"This directive became necessary following Nigeria's poor performance in the ongoing FIFA World Cup."

The ban will prevent Nigeria from partaking in qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Rotimi Amaechi, governor of a key oil-producing state, Rivers, who heads a special presidential task force on the World Cup campaign, said Nigeria would write to football's world governing body FIFA to explain its decision.

"We went to the World Cup and found all sorts of problems and we felt we should sit back and look inward," said Amaechi.

Jonathan also ordered an audit into how the funds allocated for the team at the World Cup were used.

Nelson Mandela hosts Black Stars

The Former South African President Nelson Mandela, has extended a special invitation to the Black Stars of Ghana at his home for an interaction. Mandela is said to be impressed with the team's performance so far at the tournament, and has therefore invited the team to call on him on Saturday July 3 in Cape Town.

Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Akua Sena Dansua, has confirmed the news saying the Black Stars would be transported to Cape Town in a chartered flight organized by authorities of Port Elizabeth.

She said: “I am informed that the municipality of Port Elizabeth has offered to bring the Black Stars to Cape Town on Saturday where they would have an interaction with the former President of South Africa, Mr Nelson Mandela”.

The sports minister again revealed that the ruling ANC in South Africa has also invited the Black Stars on Thursday July 1 for a presentation.

“We understand also that the ANC has also invited the Stars for a presentation on Thursday but we don’t know whether it is in the form of a citation or cash”

The Black Stars of Ghana are the sole survivors participating at the ongoing FIFA World cup in South Africa following the exit of the other five nations Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa the host nation, Algeria and Ivory Coast.

The Black Stars qualification to the 1/8 stage after beating the U.S.A 2:1 makes them the third African Nation finals in the history of the World Cup after Cameroon and Senegal.

Meanwhile South African fans and several South African provinces have announced that their citizens from today wear the national colours of Ghana and expressed eagerness to turn out in their thousands on Friday night to support the Black Stars quarter final match against Uruguay.

“It is fantastic to have the Black Stars in the Quarter Final, especially in the World Cup hosted here in South Africa. All we need is one African team in the quarters, not all six, to fly the flag for Africa.”

“I have a ticket to the game,” said Tebogo Mutlanyune. “Ghana is representing Africa for all of us and I want to support that. Black Stars all the way.”

Ghana players bag $45, 000 each

Ghana players are taking $ 45,000 each for advancing to the second round of the 2010 World Cup.

“We are maintaining what pertained at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola where we paid the players only after they moved on from one stage to another instead of paying bonus per match,” Ghana FA Vice President Fred Pappoe told the Graphic Sports.

“The players prefer this incremental bonus module and I think it has the added advantage of linking incentives with progress of teams. We could have paid winning bonus against Serbia and that would have been it. But since the players knew they could get their money only if Ghana progressed they had to work hard for it,” he added.

The players have already been paid US$ 70,000 as an appearance fee at the World Cup.

Ghana meet Uruguay on Friday and a win would create a new record among the African teams, the 1st to play in a World cup semi final.