Sunday, 19 June 2016

Mexico sees ugliness on and off the field in historic Copa America loss to Chile


SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Mexico suffered through an ugly display on the pitch and an even uglier one off it in the Copa America Centenario on Saturday.
The Mexicans lost their quarterfinal in stunning fashion – 7-0 to Chile – to crash out of the tournament in front of 70,547 fans at Levi's Stadium. And as the game got out of hand, the behavior of the El Tri supporters only got worse with every goal by the defending Copa America champions.
With the match still scoreless in the 13th minute, Jesus Duenas missed a chance and Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo attempted his first goal kick. On cue, Mexico fans chanted a homophobic slur at the Chilean No. 1, an act that has been heavily criticized in the aftermath of the Orlando shootings.
Seemingly, though, the chant triggered a chain of events that broke the spirits of Mexican fans.
Only three minutes later, Chile scored to take a 1-0 lead. Before the break, the scoreline jumped to 2-0 in favor of the away team. However, hope and joy still appeared in the stands, which were described as one journalist as consisting of 29 Mexican fans for every 30 people.
After the break, though, Alexis Sanchez took only four minutes to show that two changes for Mexico would have no impact on the result. After their third goal, Chilean players gathered at the corner flag to celebrate before Mexican fans acted heinously by throwing beer cups and popcorn at the players.
Ushers trying to clean up the trash  fans threw at after Alexis scored. Still some popcorn visible.
A fourth goal arrived only four minutes later, and the Chileans opted to celebrate in the middle of the pitch this time.
Eduardo Vargas' 29th career international goal extends Chile's lead over #ElTri#MEXvCHI #MyCopaColors
At that stage, popcorn was still visible on the pitch. At first, ushers moved to pick up and dust off the kernels whenever play shifted to the opposite side of the pitch. Before the 60th minute, the scoreboard read 5-0 in favor of Chile. With popcorn still visible on the pitch, Mexican fans began heading for the exits.
Brooms and dustpans appeared in the ushers’ hands, as the popcorn would finally disappear from the playing field, mirroring the El Tri supporters leaving Levi’s Stadium.
By the time the sixth goal arrived, Mexico fans had halted shouting the homophobic slur at Bravo and instead screamed it every time Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa punted up from his own box. When Edson Puch scored in the 87th minute to make the score 7-0, fans behind Ochoa’s goal hurled anything they could find in the direction of the keeper. A few pieces of plastic made it to the field but most fell short and put the security staff in danger.
You can see the debris Mexico fans tossed behind Ochoa's goal after the 7-0.
As the stadium emptied, pockets of violence popped up. It was not widespread, and this match did not feature flares like the European Championships. But following the previous outbursts, the minor violence only further accented the poor display by Mexico on the pitch and in the stands.
When the final whistle blew, more debris rained down. However, with the crowd mostly emptied and the trash already thrown, the final flurry did not cause much of a disturbance or cause for concern.
70,547 is announced attendance, biggest for a soccer game at Levi's Stadium. 
This is what the crowd looked like when they announced attendance. Mexican fans had mostly vacated. pic.twitter.com/B3QwNw3PoD
View image on Twitter
A segment of Mexican fans reminded everyone that they're not all rotten apples. As the Chilean players walked off the pitch, Sombrero-donning and green-wearing Mexico supporters close to the tunnel stood and applauded the victorious players off the pitch.
The gesture showed how beautiful a little bit of class can be, even on a monumentally ugly night.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and@perfectpass

KOCHA MKUU WA YANGA ASEMA ANAIMANI NA KIKOSI CHAKE CHA LEO DHIDI YA MO BEJAIA


KOCHA mkuu wa Yanga, Hans Van De Pluijm amesema kuwa ana imani na kikosi chake kuwa kitacheza vizuri kwani ameweza kukaa nao kwa siku kadhaa na amewapa mbinu mbalimbali hasa wanapokuwa wapo ugenini na zaidi amewataka kutokufuata mchezo wa wapinzani wao.
Pluijm amesema hayo kupitia kwenye mtandao wa Shirikisho la Mpira wa Miguu Afrika (CAF) na kusema wameenda nchini Algeria kwa ushindi ila hawatataka kupoteza mchezo huo zaidi ushindi ndio wanachokitaka au kupata sare ambayo itakuwa na manufaa kuliko kupoteza kabisa.
"Siku chache nilizokaa na wachezaji na wakafanya mazoezi ya pamoja yanatosha kabisa kuweza kuondoka na ushindi kwani Nimewaambia wacheze mchezo wetu na zaidi wasiwafuate mchezo wao,"amesema Pluijm. Ninachoamini kuwa wachezaji wangu watafuata kile nachowaambia na zaidi wapinzani wangu watatumia uwanja wao wa nyumbani kucheza kwa kujiamini na sisi tutacheza kwa tahadhari kubwa sana.
Yanga wanacheza leo na Mo Bejaia ikiwa ni mchezo wa ufunguzi wa kundi A ambao utapigwa nchini Algeria saa sita na robo usiku wa saa za Afrika Mashariki. Katika mchezo huo watakosa huduma ya Nahodha wao Nadir Haroub 'Canavaro' anayetumikia kadi nyekundu na Juma Abdul ambaye ni majeruhi.

Samia awataka wanaume kumuinua mtoto wa kike

Samia Suluhu talking to the media
Makamu wa Raisi Samia Suluhu Hassan

Dar es Salaam. Makamu wa Rais, Samia Suluhu Hassan ameyataka mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali nchini (NGO) kujenga utamaduni wa kuwashirikisha wanaume katika kampeni za kumuinua mtoto wa kike kwa lengo la kuleta mabadiliko katika jamii.
Samia ametoa kauli hiyo kwenye hafla ya uzinduzi wa Binti Club iliyofanyika sambamba na harambee ya ‘fadhili mtoto asome’ inayolenga kuchangisha fedha kwa ajili ya watoto 500 wa Wilaya ya Kinondoni iliyoandaliwa na Shirika la Binti Foundation.
Amesema wanaume kama mawakala wa mabadiliko wanapaswa kushirikishwa na wajue ajenda ili wawe mabalozi wazuri katika kuzungumzia umuhimu wa kumuinua mtoto wa kike kielimu, kiafya na kwenye masuala ya ujasiriamali.
"Penye mkusanyiko wa watu 100, ukiingiza wanaume 20 na wakajua madhumuni ya mkusanyiko wetu, wataenda kushawishi wenzao 20,000 huko nje," amesema.
Kwa taarifa zaidi nunua gazeti lako la Mwananchi au soma mtandaoni kupitia www.epaper.mcl.co.tz

Stand Up Comedy

  He will always make you laugh.

LeBron vs. Steph: What Game 7 means for NBA's two biggest stars

Game 6 winning leading Cavaliers to Game 7 of NBA Finals
Lebron James (King James) taking his shot at Game 6.


OAKLAND, Calif. – LeBron James concluded his final off-day news conference of the season, slipped on backward a baseball cap that featured a tiny image of the popular Internet meme featuring Kermit the Frog sipping a cup of tea. The subtle message on the black snapback was symbolic of the worry-free attitude that James has conveyed ever since the NBA Finals became the most desperate for him and the Cleveland Cavaliers, after the Golden State Warriors seemed so intent on not only making light work of this series but also handing out demoralizing insults in the process.
James has willed his team through two improbable wins and set up a Game 7 on Sunday that few saw coming when the Warriors returned home last week with a 3-1 series lead. So, he could easily dismiss any inquiries about how this one game will define his legacy, or the pressure to fulfill the fairytale ending for the community he promised a championship in 2014 upon his heralded homecoming.
“The whole world, the word everyone likes to use in sports is 'pressure.' I don't really get involved in it. But I guess in layman's terms, pressure, I think it's an opportunity to do something special,” James said, “and I'm fortunate to be in a position where I can be a part of something that was very special.”
On the eve of the 19th Game 7 in Finals history, James and his Cavaliers spoke as if they were oblivious to the pressure, the magnitude, of this moment. Stripped from all of the hype surrounding legacies, the tug-of-war over the title of the game's best player, the sure-fire ratings that the game will inspire, and any other ancillary storyline, this still remains a game that kids continue to dream about in their backyards.
The Warriors, however, have taken a different approach. Coach Steve Kerr has encouraged his players to embrace, or rather, accept what comes from being in this position, in a game that they earned the right to host by virtue of a 73-9 regular season that remains an astounding feat regardless of the outcome of one game.
“If you don't feel pressure in a Game 7, you're probably not human," Kerr said. "I told our guys that. Of course they're going to feel pressure. Of course there's going to be some anxiety. But how lucky are we to feel that pressure? If you just kind of remind yourself we get to play basketball for a living, we get paid a lot, we have fun, there is some heartbreak, there is some joy, and everything in between, again, pretty good deal. We're among the luckiest people on Earth, win or lose Game 7.”
James’ calm demeanor could be denial, delusion or the undeniable confidence that comes from knowing that he has endured and overcome far worse scrutiny. No matter what happens on Sunday, James won’t be nearly as low as he was during that curious disappearance against Dallas in 2011 – the springboard to a five-year run at the Finals in which he has consistently been the best player on either side. James could wind up losing three consecutive Finals but it wouldn’t be because of a lack of effort, and it remains amusing that the past two Finals MVPs claimed those honors for guarding a man who averaged more than 28 points in each series. This series, James has been sublime since the Cavaliers lost the first two games and has made a case to win MVP, win or lose Game 7.
Curry reaction at Game 6
Stephen Curry after committing the sixth foul in
Game 6
That nearly two weeks of basketball could possibly diminish anything that our eyes have witnessed of the Warriors over the course of this incredible season, or of James over the course of his legendary career arc, seems almost unfair. But the Finals are the crucible that allows casual basketball fans to enter debates about the best, leaving little room for nuance or sensible arguments. Knowledgeable basketball people don’t need to see much more from James to already determine that his status as one of the game’s most remarkable players has been established, even if he decided to call it quits after Sunday’s game. Discussions about legacy are better with time and career completion, but who has the patience when people can shoot off 140-character opinions in the matter of seconds?
The game, this stage, has a tricky way of determining who lives on to receive the glory. James has two rings, and is the only player on either side to have actually participated in the seventh game of the NBA Finals, in 2013 against the Spurs. But would he have had any chance at that ring if Ray Allen hadn’t hit one of the greatest clutch shots in Finals history to force overtime in Game 6 of that series? Perceptions of James’ career have no doubt been altered by something that literally was out of his hands.
Should James pull off the greatest accomplishment of his career – ending Cleveland’s 52-year, major professional sports championship drought, defeating the league’s winningest regular-season team in history and becoming the first to lead his team back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals – he would have the drop-the-microphone moment for the haters who either discredit what he has done, or choose to ignore it. James would pull even in championships with Larry Bird and have a Finals record (3-4) that could put him in range of catching some of the other all-time greats, since he has been soaring and dunking at age 31 in a manner that suggests he has a few more years left in his prime.
Stephen Curry has already lost out on the chance to be the best player over the full course of this series but he can become the fourth player to win a championship and a regular-season MVP in consecutive seasons – joining Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and James – if he just finds a way to be the best for one game. This has been the most taxing season of his career, both physically and mentally, and might explain the rare mouthpiece-tossing temper tantrum that led to his first career ejection in the fourth quarter of Game 6. Curry is banged up but won't use injury as an excuse, especially since the Warriors didn't care about the shortcomings of their opponents last year. And he only has to fight through for one more night, with an offseason of rest and recovery awaiting him come Monday.
“I need to play my best game of the year if not my career because of what the stakes are,” Curry said. “I just want to understand and enjoy the moment because growing up, as a basketball fan, you kind of put yourself in so many Game-7s-to-win-The-Finals kind of situations playing with your friends and stuff, and this is my first crack at it. So, I'm excited about it.”
As easily the most disrespected champion since Phil Jackson tried to place an asterisk on the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors have been hell-bent on proving that last season was no fluke. After an offseason of dismissive comments from conference rivals and even the Cavaliers – who believed the title would already be in Cleveland if they weren't shorthanded last June in the Finals – the Warriors wanted to have a leave-no-doubt campaign that made everyone recognize and admire their greatness. That meant knocking Michael Jordan's 72-win season down a rung and celebrating the mockery they made of the league with laughter and championship ring-on-the-middle-finger brashness.
The playoffs and these Finals have hardly been the expected coronation for the Warriors, but they don't want to have all the stress and strain that has been invested into being viewed as the best team ever to be inhaled by one man on a mission. They will have to find another source of motivation than anger against an outwardly unbothered James. Anger over Draymond Green's Game 5 suspension led to a flameout. Anger over calls against Curry in Game 6 led to meltdown, and Curry and Kerr tossing a combined $50,000 into the fireplace. Now, a team that lost only nine games in the regular season needs to avoid a ninth loss in the playoffs to complete a year-long quest for immortality. 
“If we come up short, we'll all be very, very disappointed. No two ways around that,” Curry said.
The Warriors haven't really confronted a team that actually had a response for their sometimes-brazen behavior. James might have finally instilled the appropriate fear for the Warriors to find themselves again. Or he might have used some over-the-line trash talk to morph into an intimidating, unstoppable force.
No one who has watched this series can truly predict what will happen next.?