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New York Red Bulls said they never expected John Rooney, the brother of Manchester United star Wayne, to still be available when it came time for them to pick in the second round of the Thursday's MLS entry draft.

Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said they were surprised the younger brother of the England striker went unpicked through the first round because the Red Bulls had him rated as one of the top three midfielders in the draft.

"He's a box to box player, he has a good understanding of the game and he's an excellent passer of the ball," Backe said of Rooney who spent most of his career in the English lower leagues. "I rated him very highly."

Rooney had featured for unheralded English third division side Macclesfield Town but now the 20-year-old attacker will play in America's MLS alongside French star Thierry Henry.

Rooney described himself Thursday as a "goal-scoring midfielder".

"I?m quick, I?m crafty and I can put the ball in the back of the net," Rooney said. "Hopefully I can do that for them."

He travelled to Baltimore Thursday with family members for the draft.

Rooney said he has never been to New York but is looking forward to showcasing his skills in the Big Apple for Red Bull fans.

The 2011 MLS season starts in March.

Susan Boyle joins Lads from Lagos

Nigeria's Got Talent offers £1m booty

Founder of the Household of God Church and chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, Chris Okotie, yesterday declared his plan to contest the 2010 presidential election, his third attempt to govern Nigeria. Mr Okotie, former pop artist turned evangelist, made this known at the secretariat of the Fresh Party (FDP) in Lagos.

"I will run again in 2011," stated Mr Okotie. "It was a divine call to duty to salvage our beloved country from the inept, corrupt and purposeless leadership of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP)." Addressing journalists, the 52-year-old preacher claimed he is motivated by a patriotic zeal and love for Nigeria, to be at the vanguard of the needed change to transform the country. According to him, "the emergence of a credible, visionary and progressive government can usher in a new Nigeria of our dreams" claiming that his "fresh agenda" can "create a new nation which will take its rightful place in the comity of nations." Reacting to a question about the truthfulness of his proclamation in 2003 that "God has ascertained that I will win the election", Mr Okotie responded by making a comparison between himself and the biblical Moses, saying "When God wanted to use Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, he did not tell him when he was going to succeed but he assured him that he was going to succeed." He also added that only those who do not understand the difference between the exothermic and the endothermic level will doubt what God can do with him.

Flanked by two children (a boy and a girl) during the address, Mr Okotie explained that the kids represent "a new generation and a new nation where everything will work for the good of all." "We cannot afford to disappoint them" he said.

Disappointing PDP

The presidential aspirant was full of condemnation for the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) stating that since the government came to power, no solution has being proffered to the "multifarious problems" that confront the nation, but rather the socioeconomic and political situation in every sector of the country has collapsed, going from bad to worse.

"The PDP cannot continue to run on this record," he said, claiming that the party's reliance on rigging of elections explains why "they refuse to consider the Uwais report on electoral reform" . He joined calls for the immediate adoption of the Uwais report and also decried the zoning system, which he called a PDP aberration.

With his alleged failure of the PDP to Nigerians, Mr Okotie claims he is ready to restore the nation to a path of growth, stability and security. He, however, declined to outline the blueprint for achieving his vision.

Grammer Politics Again ! If you fail Just Try Again !

Lagos-based pastor, and chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, Chris Okotie, has indicated that he will run for president in next year's general elections.

Mr Okotie, who has contested the seat twice, said the least the federal government can do to immortalize the sacrifices of the late Moshood Abiola is to enthrone true democracy in the country. He also claimed that the PDP-led federal government is a product of rigging, and could therefore not celebrate the heroes of democracy, who fought for free and fair elections.

The pastor, in a statement signed by his media aide, Ladi Ayodeji, decried the neglect of those who died protesting the cancellation of the June 12, 1993 elections, saying all efforts to ignore their achievement in giving birth to the 4th republic have not succeeded.

The spirit of June 12

"Instead, the spirit of June 12 continues to haunt us", he said. "The democracy martyrs of June 12, led by its flag bearer, MKO Abiola, who won what is still adjusted the best election ever organized in this country, would have died in vain if we fail to put in place viable mechanisms for free and fair elections in the country. One of these is electoral reform, and also transparency and good governance. We can't have true democracy if the peoples votes do not count; where selection instead of election is what produces the leaders."

As regards his political future, Mr. Okotie announced plans to address a world press conference on June 29, 2010 at his party's headquarters, where he will declare his intention to seek his party's nomination for the 2011 presidential election.

Mr. Okotie also called on Nigerians to support the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the World Cup holding in South Africa, promising to reform the sports sector if elected president in 2011. "May I, once again, plead with fellow Nigerians to come all out to support the players," he said. "They need our total, unwavering support, not criticism, at this crucial moment."

The last time Marion Jones played competitive basketball was in 1997. Now, 13 years, five stripped Olympic medals and one prison termlater, the former track star will make a return to the sport

.

Jones signed a one-year contract with the WNBA's Tulsa Shock on Tuesday. In December she announced her intentions to play in the women's professional basketball league, but assumed she'd haveto play in Europe first as a tune-up. Shock head coach and generalmanager Nolan Richardson didn't think so. He worked out Jones over theweekend and signed her to the rookie's minimum, $35,000, today.

"Watching her go through drills, I saw a player who's perfect for our system,"Richardson said at the news conference. "The one thing I do know is shecan run, and any player on my team who wants to be successful needs tobe able to run."

Richardson used his press-heavy "40 minutes of hell" basketball to lead the Arkansas men's basketball teamto the national championship in 1994. He plans to use the same style inthe WNBA, hence the necessity to run.

The same year Richardson and the Razorbacks were cutting down the nets, Jones was the freshmanpoint guard on the North Carolina women's basketball team that went33-2 and won a national title of its own. She started all four seasonsin Chapel Hill before leaving the sport in 1997 to focus on her trackcareer.

Jones went on to win five Olympic medals in sprints and long jump but was later stripped of those after admitting to usingperformance enhancing drugs during her career. During a federalinvestigation into the scandal, Jones lied about doping and her role ina check-fraud scheme. She served six months in a Texas federal prisonfor the offenses.

Her comeback is a boon to both her career and the WNBA. Though playing in Tulsa for a mediocre team is far removedfrom being a star of the Summer Olympics, Jones can rehabilitate hertarnished image with a good showing in the league. PEDs or not, she wasone of the best athletes in the world. Even after prison, pregnanciesand inactivity, it's hard to believe the 34-year old has slipped toomuch.

The WNBA needs Jones just as much as she needs it. The league has been floundering in recent years and any publicity theformer Olympic champion can bring to women's basketball will bewell-received.

If Jones starts the season on the roster, she'd make her WNBA debut on May 15.