Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea this summer
Striker Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea this summer after eight years while at that club.
The Ivory Coast striker, 34, who scored the
winning penalty in the Champions League final victory over Bayern
, is set to be a free agent when his Blues contract expires next month.
"Winning the [Champions League] final was key, that was the turning point," Drogba told BBC Radio 5 live.
"We made history together but I think now is the best time to move on."
In a statement on the club's website, Drogba said: "I wanted to put an end the speculation and confirm that I am leaving Chelsea."
"It has been a very difficult decision for me to make and I am very proud of what we have achieved, but the time is right for a new challenge for me."
Drogba feels that the Champions League win was a fitting note for his departure.
He added: "As a team we have accomplished so much and have won every single trophy possible.
le.
"Saturday was a very special moment for everyone at the club and for all the fans. I am very proud to have played my part in bringing many trophies to this club, which has been my home for the last eight years.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at the club, especially Roman Abramovich and my team-mates."
Drogba's contract stand-off dated back to last summer, with the
club refusing to bow to his demands
for a two-year extension.
Speculation has intensified in recent weeks, after Drogba scored the winner in the FA Cup final victory over Liverpool, and then equalised against Bayern on Saturday before converting the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out.
The forward, who joined from Marseille for £24m in 2004, has been linked with a move to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.
Drogba was one of Jose Mourinho's first signings as Chelsea manager and he has enjoyed a highly successful stint in London.
As well as three Premier League titles, he has won four FA Cups and two League Cups before Saturday's Champions League triumph, scoring nine goals in finals.
He is fourth on the list of Chelsea's
all-time goal-scorers with 157 and is also the club's leading scorer in
European competition with 34.
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay paid tribute to the striker.
He said: "Didier is undoubtedly a Chelsea legend and will always be part of the Chelsea family. He is certainly leaving on a high after Saturday night.
"Of course Didier has contributed so much to all of Chelsea's recent successes. He has been a consummate professional during his entire time here. As one of the natural leaders in our squad he has been an inspiration to a lot of our younger players.
"We have known for some time that this outcome was likely but Didier and the club only made a final decision on that in the last couple of days. For obvious reasons neither Didier nor the club wanted to distract focus away from the Champions League final.
"The talks were amicable all the way through and we wish him all the best for the future."
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino says Drogba's decision to leave the club doesn't come as a huge surprise.
"I think there was a number of reasons why both he and the club didn't pursue it," Cascarino told BBC Radio 5 live.
"Didier had a great two months but he didn't have a great season; he was in and out of the team and wasn't scoring like he did in the latter games of the Premier League and the cup competitions.
"I don't think Chelsea were quite so hot to give a 34-year-old a contract that they felt would be over-paying to him."
BBC Match of the Day host and former England international Gary Lineker wrote on social networking site Twitter: "Farewell Didier Drogba. You have enthralled us, occasionally enraged us, but always entertained us. A striking superstar."
Didier Drogba's Chelsea record
- Debut: v Manchester United, August 15, 2004
- First goal: v Crystal Palace, August 24, 2004
- Appearances: 342
- Goals: 157
- Honours: Premier League: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10; FA Cup: 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12; League Cup: 2004-05, 2006-07 Champions League: 2011-12
- Premier League top goalscorer: 2007, 2010
Torres is the future - Drogba
Drogba's finals goal record
2005 Carling Cup final - scores in extra-time in 3-2 win over Liverpool.2007 Carling Cup final - scores both goals in 2-1 win over Arsenal.
2007 FA Cup final - scores the only goal in 1-0 win over Man United.
2008 Carling Cup final - puts Chelsea ahead in 2-1 loss to Spurs.
2009 FA Cup final - scores equaliser in a 2-1 win over Everton.
2010 FA Cup final - scores only goal in 1-0 win against Portsmouth.
2012 FA Cup final - scores Chelsea's second in 2-1 victory against Liverpool.
2012 Champions League final - his 88th minute header took the game against Bayern into extra-time before he scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
-
18:40The African striker has been in the news recently with reports suggesting that he could be completing a move to a Ligue 1 side from his current Russian employers -
17:48The powerful striker has announced that his time at the club is coming to an end this summer after an eight-year spell at Stamford Bridge that will be forever remembered
10:37
The Ivorian forward who uses
his Chelsea salary to support his family and friends after civil war
back home wants victory against Bayern Munich to ameliorate their
suffering
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DR Congo and Blackpool star Lomana LuaLua says he will not play for his country again until major changes are made.
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Fifa says Egypt and Libya to play behind closed doors
Fans are to be excluded from 2014 World Cup qualifiers featuring Egypt and Libya next month.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that Egypt versus
Mozambique and Libya against Cameroon will both take place behind closed
doors.
The Libya-Cameroon game will be played in Sfax in Tunisia.
Football's world governing body Fifa confirmed the move to AP and said the decisions had been taken by the authorities in the countries involved.
Both Egypt and Tunisia have bans on fans attending matches in place because of the security situation following the political upheavals of the last year.
Fifa also said that security arrangements in Mali were being reviewed, after two clubs were trapped in the capital Bamako by a further outbreak of violence.
Mali are due to host Algeria in a 2014 qualifier next month.
Fifa confirmed they had already looked at security plans for Nigeria's game against Namibia - which has been moved from Kaduna because of a series of attacks in the northern city.
The match will instead be played in Calabar in the south-east of the country, and Fifa said safety measures for the game were "comprehensive and very thorough".
There will be two rounds of World Cup qualifiers in June at the start of Africa's long road to Brazil 2014 - with games taking place on the first two weekends of the month.
'Sacking' will not stop Milla pushing for Fecafoot change
Roger Milla has branded as "useless" the move by Cameroon's Football
Federation (Fecafoot) to strip him of his title of Honorary President.
The decision to oust Milla from his position was taken at a Fecafoot General Assembly meeting last week.
It follows recent criticism by the former Indomitable Lion over the running of football in Cameroon.
A star of the 1990 World Cup, Milla has often clashed with the country's football authorities.
But when he set up a group last month calling for the dismissal of Fecafoot's executive committee, Fecafoot took steps to have him removed.
The 1987 African Footballer of the Year has come out fighting, insisting: "It is only the President of the Republic, not even the Minister, that can sack me from Cameroon football."
Indeed, Milla has pledged to pursue his goal with even greater vigour.
"I held back initially because I was Honorary President," he said.
"Now that they have liberated me, I can unveil their manoeuverings."
Milla was made honorary president of Fecafoot in March 2008.
His criticism of the governing body began after Samuel Eto'o was banned for 15 matches for his role in last year's players' strike over unpaid bonuses.
Milla and the players' union said the suspension was excessive and Fecafoot later reduced Eto'o's ban to eight months - effectively four games.
Winners of the Africa Cup of Nations four times, Cameroon failed to qualify for the 2012 edition. It was the first time since 1994 that they had failed to feature.
Their absence from the Cup of Nations was reflected in their Fifa ranking. In February they were down at 66 - their lowest rating since the world governing body began its classification in 1993.
Milla shot to prominence at the 1990 World Cup when his four goals propelled Cameroon to the quarter-finals, before extending his record as the World Cup's oldest scorer in 1994, netting against Russia aged 42.
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor is in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over making his loan deal permanent.
Adebayor has enjoyed a prolific season at the north London club, scoring 18 goals in 37 appearances.
The Togo international played a key part in Tottenham's top-four finish.
Adebayor said on Twitter: "Loved my spell at Tottenham, we are working hard with the chairman to make it permanent. Will keep you informed!!"
The news that Adebayor is keen to make the move permanent is a huge boost for Harry Redknapp, especially as Tottenham will not be playing Champions League football next season.
With Chelsea winning the Champions League trophy on Saturday evening, Tottenham now face Europa League football for a second successive season.
Arsene Wenger brought Adebayor into the Premier League from Monaco in 2006, the striker scoring 46 goals in 105 appearances for Arsenal.
He then made a £25m move to Manchester City, scoring 15 goals in 34 appearances.
During his spell at City the Togolese also spent time at Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho, the La Liga side choosing not to sign him on a permanent contract at the end of the 2010-2011 season.
Tottenham signed him from City on a season-long loan last year. Adebayor has been enjoying his football at White Hart Lane, flourishing under Redknapp's managerial style.
Pirates' Benni McCarthy tipped for Bafana Bafana return
Orlando Pirates caretaker coach Augusto Palacios has urged South
Africa to recall Benni McCarthy after the striker fired his club to
their second successive league title.
The 34-year-old was overlooked for the Bafana Bafana
squad for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia and Botswana in
June.
But after striking twice in the Pirates' 4-2 win over Golden Arrows to seal their league triumph , Palacios urged South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane to reconsider.
"Benni might have had his differences with some national football association officials in the past, but he has been a reformed character playing at Pirates this season," the former Peru midfielder said.
"I have found him to be a model footballer who is disciplined and trains hard.
"It is all very well saying South Africa must find players for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but first you have to get there."
Former South Africa coach Ted Dumitru backed Palacios, telling the South African newspaper, the Mail and Guardian: "There is nobody [in South Africa] close to the playing intelligence of Benni and that counts even though he is 10 kilograms overweight."
The Cape Town-born striker has struggled with his weight in recent years.
He was fined by English Premier League club West Ham United after failing to meet weight-loss targets. He was released by the London club and signed for the Pirates in August 2011.
McCarthy went on to hit 10 South African Premiership goals this season - an average of one every three games.
His two goals on Saturday sealed a second successive domestic treble, after the Buccaneers had already won the South African League Cup and Top 8 Cup.
McCarthy is Bafana Bafana's record goalscorer, with 31 international goals in 79 appearances - a run which came to an end when he was omitted from hosts' 2010 World Cup squad .
Sierra Leone league resumes thanks to local generosity
Sierra Leone's football league resumed on Friday,
less than a week after suspending operations because of a shortage of funds.
League chairman Victor Lewis said that generosity from those close to the game has enabled the resumption.
"We are using money from friends and family members, as well as my own pocket and those of the league board as well," Lewis told BBC Sport.
"If the money runs out and there is no further support it will be a disaster."
Continue reading the main story
“I hope some companies can come to our aid and save Sierra Leonean football”League chairman Victor Lewis
"But we hope it will not get to that point."
Lewis revealed that Sierra Leone's FA is also helping
out a league which restarted as Old Edwardians took on FC Johansen on
Friday.
However, he estimates that the funds that the league board has managed to acquire will only cover a third of the season's remaining games.
"We are still looking out for sponsorship but we can't sit down and just watch the days roll by," he explained.
"The rains are coming, so we have to do something and we have to make sure we push Sierra Leonean football forward.
"The clubs want to play and the board wants the league to move on as well."
Lewis described himself as 'dumbfounded' at the lack of sponsors willing to invest in the Sierra Leonean game.
Despite repeated requests to companies from the mining, banking, gambling and mobile phone sectors, the league is still without a sponsor.
"I am dumbfounded as to why they don't want to sponsor us - but I hope some companies can come to our aid and save Sierra Leonean football," he said.
"Somewhere along the line, maybe someone can come in and we are still calling on people from the private sector to come in."
-
08:41The Latics owner believes the Nigeria international should remain at the DW Stadium to further develop as a player before potentially leaving for a "big club" in 12 months' time
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
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23:43The 34-year-old striker has no desire to line-up against the Rojiblancos for one of their Liga rivals and therefore has his heart set on a move abroad
Saturday, 5 May 2012
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17:54Former Netherlands international is apparently one of the men who could be in line to take charge of the Buccaneers in South Africa's PSL after Julio Leal's departure -
00:50The ex-striker, who is perhaps best known for his memorable goal celebration versus Bulgaria at World Cup 1994, has sadly been found dead after suffering from sickness
Friday, 4 May 2012
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20:48The Frenchman has admitted that the visit to Nigeria will compromise some of his preparations for the new Premier League season but acknowledged the benefits -
19:09There were a few surprises in store when the South African government revealed plans for the the cities that would host matches during the competition
- Milla unmoved by Fecafoot 'sacking'
- Adebayor discusses Tottenham deal
- Utaka the toast of Montpellier
- McCarthy tipped for Bafana return
- Injured Yobo to miss crunch matches
- Future of coach Renard a little clearer
- Pirates are champions once again
- Sierra Leone league resumes
- Nigeria axe Premier League stars
- Gyan and Dede absent from Ghana
- Yorke inspires Sierra Leonean youth
- Sessegnon headlines Benin squad
- Rwanda's Mafisango in fatal crash
- Goalshy Bafana turn to Nomvethe
- Egypt, Libya to play without fans
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AudioIt's time for change says LuaLua
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AudioCoach pays tribute to Mafisango
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AudioVieira hails Diambars success
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AudioBerekum react to Champs Lge Draw
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But Adel Taarabt could be on his way out of Loftus Road with Wolfsburg reviving an interest in the £8m-rated 22-year-old
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