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The troubled Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has said it will begin an inquest into an alleged N12 million (about $75 000) fraud.

The NPL acting executive secretary, Tunji Babalolam said that, although he cannot go into any detail at the moment, and investigation will be made into the allegations.

“I can't comment on it (the allegation of the N12 million fraud). The league board currently cannot sit because of the court case. We (at the secretariat) are investigating the matter. First we will be getting details from the banks where we have accounts to get to the root of the matter.

“It is unfortunate that this report has come up at a time like this. Nothing is confirmed yet because we cannot just take up the matter against people at the (NPL) accounts department until we have proof of stolen money. For now we are investigating and as soon as we get further information on the alleged stolen money then we will make it public.

“I must make it clear that any offender found guilty in this allegation will not be spared as the NPL has a name to protect before its sponsors and Nigerians,” said Babalola ?on Monday.

The NPL, before it was declared an illegal body by a Federal High Court in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, was investigating an allegation of a missing N30 million ($187 500) from its coffers last year.

Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt manager, Stanley Eguma, says the team is prepared to play in the CAF Champions League.

Dolphins will play their first match at away, against a club from Equatorial Guinea later this month.

Eguma told sportswriters in Port Harcourt shortly after his team defeated league leaders, Gombe United, 2-1 in Sunday’s Premier League match, that “I am optimistic of a good outing in the CAF Champions League.

“My players will continue to improve as the league progresses. We are also sure of a good outing in the CAF Champions' League.

“We are satisfied with the outcome of the match against Gombe United. It was a good match,” he said.

Dolphins’ Adamu Mohammed shot his side into the lead in the 37th minute while old timer, Alhaji Kwaranga, equalised for Gombe in the 42nd minute.

Saidu Abu of Dolphins scored the second goal for his side in the 57th minute.

Gombe manager, Bernard Ogbe, said he was disappointed at the failure of his team to take something away from the game.

“We will go back to the drawing board and correct areas of mistake. We played against a good side,’’ he said.

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The two most successful teams in the last seven years Man United and Chelsea will clash today at Stamford Bridge in this early awaited encounter. Man United and Chelsea have won the league between them in the last seven season and in previous seasons, this match always go a long way in deciding the league title. But things are different this season as Chelsea are 12 points behind Man United and are struggling to qualify for the Champions League. Man United has won their last four games against Chelsea. In the first leg at Old Trafford Man United won 3-1 but the game will be remembered more for Fernando Torress shocking miss arguably the miss of the season so far.

Chelsea led by Andre Villa Boas is suffering the worst run since Roman Abramovic took over at the club. On Tuesday, a last minute strike by Bosingwa gave Chelsea a one all draw at Chelsea, their second straight draw and their sixth draw this season. Chelsea has been poor all season, poor in front of goal, defensive frailties and lack of creativity in midfield.

No Chelsea player has scored 10 premier league goals this season.Fernando Torres has not scored in the premier league since September. But he has? a decent record against United as he has scored 4 goals in his last 7 Premier League games against the RedsThey will be missing several players for this encounter, Ashley Cole is suspended,Ramirez,Lampard and Mikel are out injured while Didier Drogba is still currently with Cote DIvoire in the ongoing African Nations Cup.Chelsea are seven points off Tottenham in third place and are just above Liverpool,a loss and Liverpool win will put a serious dent in their top four aspirations.

This game is a must win for Andre Villa Boas side.Chelsea keeper Peter Cech believes Chelsea are completely out of the title race,he said: “We don’t even have to mention the word ‘title’ because the Manchester clubs will not drop many points – that’s the reality,I still think it is realistic to target the third sport, though. For that we will need to succeed in today’s tough match at home to United.”

Man United win on Tuesday put them level on point with Manchester City but have an inferior goal difference to City.Man United have been in a good run in the premier league and have won their last three premier league games with Antonia Valencia returning back to form with nine assists in his last 11 games.Man United have the best away record in the premier league this season.But Man United have not beaten Chelsea in their last nine visits to Stamford Bridge in the league.

The last time collected three points at Stamford Bridge was in 2002.Man United striker Wayne Rooney has scored 4 goals in his last 7 Premier League appearances against Chelsea and also netted on his last two visits to Stamford bridge, one in the league and one in the Champions League last season in the semifinal.This game will prove a test for the title bid but has Ferguson has shown over the years he is the master of the game when it comes to the premier league and winning when it really matters.

It’s West Africa versus North Africa today as tournament favourites Ghana will tonight take on Tunisia for the semi final ticket in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations. With the absence of big guns, Ghana and Ivory Coast have been installed as the favourites to win this Nations Cup. While Ivory Coast qualified with maximum points, Ghana qualified with seven points. The last time these two sides met was in an international friendly in 2008 and the game ended in a goalless draw.

Ghana have been less than convincing since the inception of the tournament, with their star studded cast much is expected from the team. Ghanaian football has been on the rise in the past five years, their U-20 side won the World Cup, a first for any African country. They also made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup and Luis Suarez infamous handball cost them the semi final. Ghana who are four-time winners of the Nations Cup will have to step up their game if they are to win their fifth Nations Cup. The last time Ghana won the Nations Cup was in 1982. Ghana defeated Botswana 1-0 in their first game before despatching Mali 2-0 in the second leg and played out a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Guinea in their last game to finish top of the group. So far Ghana have not shown their championship winning material.

Ghana assistant coach Kwasi Appiah believes opponents prepare well when facing Ghana. “The name of Ghana rose so high after the World Cup and therefore teams coming to play against us come in with very high motivation”, he said. “Everybody coming to play Ghana all of a sudden prepares very differently and comes in with a different mentality because they believe they are coming up against the best in Africa.”

Tunisia on the other hand will be looking to make it to the semi final for the first time since 2004 when they hosted and won the competition on home soil. After then, they exited at the quarter finals in the next two Nations Cup and in the last Nations Cup in Anglola? in 2010 they crashed out of the first round. Tunisia opened their Nations Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory against Morocco in the North Africa Derby followed by another 2-1 win over Niger.In their last game against host Gabon, they lost by a lone goal to finish second in the group. Youssef Msakni has been in stunning form for the Carthage Eagles, he has been the star man for Tunisia so far with two goals. Veteran Adel Chadli has been sent home from the Tunisia squad due to disciplinary problems.

Meanwhile , host Gabon are making the quarter-finals of the Nations Cup for the first time since 1996. And if they beat Mali ,they will be making the semi-final for the first time in their history. They will be full of confidence with the home crowd behind them but they will be up against a Malian side led by Barcelona mid-fielder Seydou Keita. Mali finished fourth in the Nations Cup in 2002 and 2004 and since then have been on a downfall. They crashed out of the Nations Cup in the first round in their last two Nations Cup appearance.

Star player Seydou Keita believes Gabon will provide a tough test for his side,he said: We are planning to play against them, but I must confess to you that it’s going to be a tough match. Gabon will be playing at home before some 40,000 supporters. They defeated two top favourites of the tournament – Morocco and Tunisia – to lead their group. We will surely be playing like we’ve got nothing to lose. I think that should be the best option for now to ease the tension and pressure on us because the road is now rougher.

John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, sources close to the defender have told BBC Sport.
The 31-year-old Chelsea centre-back was informed of the decision by Football Association chairman David Bernstein in a phone call at 1000 GMT.
He is due to stand trial in July over racial abuse allegations after an incident with QPR's Anton Ferdinand.
Terry, who lost the captaincy once previously, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.
Bernstein spoke to FA board members and the majority view was that Terry should be stood down.
The chairman was also expected to consult England coach Fabio Capello about the issue on Friday.
Capello has until now maintained the position that Terry is innocent until proven guilty and that he should be free to select him as his captain until his trial is over.
There was some nervousness among board members as to how the Italian would react, with some fearing he will see it as undue interference in team affairs.
But there was an acceptance among the FA hierarchy that the matter should be taken out of his hands.

Terry in action at the 2010 World Cup (UK users only)
The FA has been forced to act after Terry's case was adjourned until 9 July – a week after the Euro 2012 finals end – ensuring that the affair will dominate the build-up to the championships.
For some time now Bernstein has been growing increasingly concerned at the FA's position on Terry.
Some board members have lobbied him to take decisive action to ensure the FA is not accused of being weak on racism.
Black players within the England squad have also been putting pressure on the Professional Footballers' Association to take a stronger stance on Terry.
This is believed to have also played a part in forcing the FA to act.
Terry was previously stripped of the captaincy when Capello removed him from the role in February 2010? following allegations he had an affair with an England team-mate's ex-girlfriend.
Terry was reinstated 13 months later with Capello saying “one year of punishment is enough”.
Former FA chief executive Mark Palios questioned why the FA had opted to change its stance on Terry, having kept him as captain since the allegations were first made in October.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: “What the FA has to do is a balancing act between the rights of the individual and the wider game. I don't know how that will affect the dressing room and make it better than it was by keeping him in the squad but taking the captaincy off him.”
Mark Perryman, of the England supporters' club, told 5 live it was difficult to understand why the case was taking 10 months to come to court.
“The court case should have been dealt with immediately,” he said. “As a result the FA have got themselves in an incredible tangle of him playing but not being captain.
“Mark Palios is right to question what has happened in the last 24 hours to make the FA act.”

Football enthusiasts on Thursday in Lagos expressed shock over the death of a former Super Falcons’ player, Felicia Eze, who died in Anambra, aged 38.

In separate interviews with newsmen, the fans described Eze's death as a great loss to the country.

A former Super Falcons' Coach, Rolandson Odeh, said the news of the midfielder's death was shocking, and that she died at a time female football needed her expertise.

“She died at a stage when female football needed her expertise to develop; when I heard the news, I was shocked because I spoke to her some months back,” Odeh said.

Peter Oguche, a board member of the Nigeria Women Premier League (NWPL), said the late player would be remembered for her contributions to the team.

“I cannot comprehend why she had to die at this time; she is just too young but who are we to question God?,” Oguche said.

Nnenna Etim, also a former Super Falcons’ assistant coach, described the player's death as “shocking”, and a sad way to start the New Year.

“This is a very sad way to begin the year, I pray that God will give her family the fortitude to bear the loss,” she said.

Eze was a member of the Super Falcons' team to the Greece 2004 Olympic Games where Nigeria got to the quarter-finals.

Sierra Leone’s Under-20 Women Football team has withdrawn from the African qualifiers of the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, a Nigeria Football Association (NFA) official said.

NFA's Chief Technical Officer, Siji Lagunju who made the disclosure in Abuja on Wednesday, said? that the first and second leg matches between Nigeria and Sierra Leone had? been? cancelled.

“This means that Nigeria has now advanced to the next round of the qualifiers.''

The Sierra Leonean team would have played the first leg match with Nigeria on Feb. 18 in Sierra Leone, while the second leg was scheduled for Nigeria on March 3.

The Nigerian team, also known as the Falconets, has been in camp in Abuja since Jan. 20 for the first leg match.

Lagunju quoted a letter from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stating that the Nigerian team had automatically qualified for the second round of the qualifiers.

“We regret to inform you that the team of Sierra Leone withdrew from Africa preliminaries of 2012 FIFA U-20 Women World Cup.

“Consequently, the earlier scheduled first round matches between the two countries have been cancelled and the Nigerian team is qualified for the next round of the competition,'' the letter read.

Sierra Leone qualified for the first round after Guinea withdrew in the preliminary round while Nigeria had drawn bye for the first round.

Festus Allen, coach of the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan, says the club is ready for its week 6 match against the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) champions, Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt.

The match will hold on Wednesday at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, Ogun.

The 3SC’s home matches have been relocated to Abeokuta as a result of the ongoing renovation work at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.

The NPL board has refused to allow the club to use the stadium in spite of the progress in the renovation work.

The Oluyole Warriors’ home matches cannot also hold at the state-owned Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan because of the dilapidated state of the stadium.?

Allen, who spoke on Monday with the club’s official website (www.shootingstarssc.net) shortly after the team’s training session at the University of Ibadan Sports complex, said he was not scared of any team, including Dolphins.

“We are prepared for the game and will fight very hard to win,’’ Allen said.

He said the training session the club has had so far, would further help him to work on the tactics for the match.

Reviewing the team’s last away game against Niger Tornadoes in Minna, Allen said his boys were unlucky to have left Minna without a point.

“We did very well but were undone by several offside calls,’’ the coach added.

The coach also spoke on the inability of his strikers to score goals in the last three games.

“As you can see in our training, we have been working on goal scoring and I am happy that the boys scored a lot of goals.

“I want to challenge the boys to translate what they have learnt in training into reality in their match against Dolphins on Wednesday,” he added.

He said that he would continue to work hard in other to accomplish his objective of leading the team back to greatness.

The Shooting Stars will host Dolphins on Wednesday in a match they want to win to improve their fortune on the NPL table.

The team travelled to Abeokuta on Tuesday ahead of the match.

Former Super Eagles captain, Austin 'Jay-Jay' Okocha on Monday joined Durgapur for $550,000 (about N89m) in the inaugural Indian football league.?

Okocha's former tam mate and immediate past Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia will coach Jay-Jay's Durgapur for $210,000 (about N34m) while former youth international, Robert Egbeta will be teaming up with Kolkata for $350,000 (about N56m).
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Okocha told KickOffNigeria.com he was thrilled about the prospect of the novel challenge.
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“I'm very excited about it and I am looking forward to kickoff. It's a new challenge for me, and I hope to help them as much as I can,” he said.
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A further breakdown of other players that will be on parade in the India's Premier League Soccer tournament to be held in the eastern state of West Bengal in March-April this year include former Argentina striker, Hernan Crespo who was the most expensive player in the auction on Monday. The Argentine was bought for $840,000 by Barasat.
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Italy's World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro, was the next most expensive costing Siliguri $830,000.
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Former France midfielder player Robert Pires went to Howrah for $800,000 and ex-England striker Robbie Fowler was taken by Kolkata for $530,000.
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Apart from these five ''icon'' players who had to sign for different teams, other overseas footballers who were the objects of bids included the Nigerian defender Egbeta and Ecuador midfielder Christian Lara (Barasat, $200,000).
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All teams also received a foreign coach. Apart from Siasia, others include Fernando Couto of Portugal (Howrah, $240,000), Teitur Thordorson of Iceland (Barasat, $210,000), Peter Reid of England ($200,000) and Marco Etcheverry of Bolivia (Siliguri, $200,000).
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The league is organized by a company called Celebrity Management Group and the Indian Football Association and is expected to boost the popularity of the sport by giving local players a chance to learn from top professionals and experienced coaches.
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“The response has been fabulous considering this is a new idea,” CMG executive director Bhaswar Goswami said.?
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“We'll now have another auction on Feb 2 for Indian players.”
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The tournament was originally planned to have six teams but the city franchise of Haldia failed to find any financial backers.
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Organizers also said they would announce new dates for the tournament, which was originally due to be held from February 25 to April 8 but is now expected to begin in mid-March.?

The Africa Nations Cup kicked off last weekend in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon with a lot of promise and hope. Big guns like defending champions Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Algeria did not qualify for the continental showpiece prompting a shift of power in African football. Here are five things we have learnt from the Nations Cup so far.

No more Minnows In African Football
The gap between the small? and? big countries is closing, from the results so far, there are no more minnows in African football. From the qualifiers, it was obvious the minnows are finally measuring up to the big boys. Minnows like Sudan, Niger and Burkina Faso, Libya and Botswana qualified for the Nations Cup .In the competition so far, all who expected a goal feast from the star studded Ivoriens against Sudan were disappointed as they could manage only a single goal against? Sudanese team, majority of whose players ply their trade in their local league. Against Angola, Sudan earned their first Africa Cup of Nations point in 36 years when drawing 2-2 .Ghana recorded a hard fought victory over Botswana who are qualifying for the Nations Cup for the first time in their history.

The Championship Lacks Colour
The championship so far lacks flair and it can be said that these Nations Cup has been the least entertaining since the inception of the Nations Cup. The football so far has been less than average with less than average performances from some of the teams. The absence of the big guns can be attributed to this, many football fans have argued that the presence of Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Cameroon would have added spice and some level of excitement to the games, but the big guns have no one to blame but themselves for failing to qualify and the small teams are in the tournament based on merit. So far, there have been no epic games or wonder goals for collector’s item

The State Of The Pitch/Empty Stadiums
Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to award hosting rights to the smaller countries in a bid to make them have a sense of belonging is in good spirits but from? the marketing sense it’s a disaster. The state of the stada in both Equatorial Guinea and Gabon is poor. The game between Zambia and Libya had to be shifted due to the water logged pitch, there are no drainage systems in the stadium making it water logged.The stadium have been empty so far, apart from the games where the host were playing. If the host were to be eliminated, then it will spell doom for the competition. Even during big countries like Coted Ivoire and Ghana games the stadia were practically empty.

Favourites Failing To Fly
Coming into the Nations Cup, Coted Ivoire,Ghana and Senegal were considered the favourites to win the tournament. Senegal? are already out of the tournament, suffering two defeats in the competition already. Demba Ba who has been finding the back of the net consistently for his club Newcastle this season has been a shadow of himself so far in the tournament.Cote Ivoire parading a star studded cast with the likes of Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba, African Footballer of The Year Yaya Toure,Gervinho and Solomon Kalou have failed to impose themselves so far in the competition, they laboured to a lone goal victory in their first game and were uninspiring in their second game against Burkina Faso, From their two games, they have not showned the stuff of champions and Ghana hard not been impressive so far and based on the level of completion so far CotedIvoire and Ghana will have to step up their games if they are to win the competition.

Lack Of Goals
So far in the tournament, there hard not been any thumping victory. The results have been close with some hard fought victories. No team has been overwhelmed yet by brilliant display of attacking football? still from an opponent. These can be attributed to the defensive approach of some of the teams and as most teams play to lose and not to win prompting them to take the cautious approach to the games. Lone goal victories have been the order of the day,but Angola Striker, Manucho has found the back of the net three times and if Angolan goes far in the tournament he is likely win the top scorer award.
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No wonder they call it El Clasico.

When Barcelona and Real Madrid play, anything can happen!. On Wednesday, everything almost did.

Barca and Real drew 2-2 in the second leg of Spain’s Copa Del Rey quarterfinals, a result that sends Barca to the semifinals with a 4-3 aggregate victory. After 90 minutes of goals, close calls, controversy, bad blood, bookings, misses, a two-goal comeback and one gorgeous golazo, the latest El Clasico must be considered nothing less than a classic.

Real and Mourinho lead Barca by five points in La Liga, and they might have the best squad in Europe not named Barcelona. Real and Mourinho might find a way to beat Barca, eventually, and it might even come on a stage bigger than a midweek Copa Del Rey quarterfinal.

But for one more night, a classic El Clasico left Barca a cut above.

Barca Still Own Real
It’s not only possible to debate who outplayed who? on Wednesday night, it’s appropriate.

Real dominated the first half and could have held a two-goal lead within 10 minutes. In fact, one could argue that Real outplayed Barca on the night.

But the result was a draw, and the result of the result was progress for Barcelona. Real might have outplayed Barcelona, but Barcelona advanced anyway.

Real have now gone seven matches without a win against Barcelona, and despite their stretches of superiority Wednesday night, a breakthrough feels farther away than ever.

Simply put, Barcelona own Real Madrid. Wednesday’s wild match only confirmed it.

But Real Showed Heart
If they do finally take down Barcelona this season, Real Madrid surely will cite this match as a turning point. The reason is heart.

Real showed heart and grit in coming back. That they equalised after trailing by two goals on the night—and came within one on aggregate—suggests that Jose Mourinho’s men have the mental capacity to topple Barca. That Cristiano Ronaldo started the fight back with a goal after seeing Sergio Ramos’ header ruled out can only serve as a good sign.

But if they are to overtake Barcelona, Real must show the same qualities for more than 45 minutes at a time.

The Value Of Finishing
Gonzalo Higuaín came close in the opening 10 seconds and again in the third minute.

Ronaldo fired wide from inside the box four minutes later. Mesut Ozil hit the post in the 25th, and Higuaín failed to convert again two minutes later after an error by Barca keeper, Jose Manuel Pinto.

With better finishing, Real easily could have held the two-goal lead instead of Barcelona. Instead, Barcelona showed how it’s done.

First, Lionel Messi tore through the Real midfield and laid off a killer pass for Pedro, who had no trouble beating Iker Casillas. Then Dani Alves sent the Camp Nou into rapture with a thundering shot from the far corner of the box into the top corner at the opposite post.

Real eventually found their finishing boots, but by the time that happened, they were needed for a rescue job, not the planned hit-and-fade.
It all could have been so different.

Barcelona Started Slowly, Again
Higuaín’s first-minute chance resulted from an errant back-pass and Gerard Pique’s slow reaction. Two minutes later, Barcelona nearly conceded from a free kick.

Barcelona could have trailed by two goals after three minutes. Pep Guardiola must have been ripping the last few hairs from his head inside the manager’s box.

But as the current season has, at times, shown, Barcelona are vulnerable to sluggish starts. The opening exchanges of last week’s first leg played out similarly, with Ronaldo’s goal rewarding Real’s early dominance. And back in September, Alexandre Pato gave AC Milan a first-minute lead against Barca on Matchday 1 of the Champions League.

One slow start is forgivable. Two or more are distressing—and possibly habit-forming.
Barcelona’s opponents, most of all Real, should take note.

Pinto Is a Liability
Ironically enough, Pinto wasn’t at fault for either of Real’s goals. It was the mundane that caused Barcelona’s 36-year-old backup keeper so much trouble.

Ozil hit his 25th-minute near-miss sweetly, but Pinto appeared to give up on it far too quickly. As the ball caromed off the intersection of the upright and the crossbar, Pinto was five yards away—not, as he should have been, flying through the air.

But Ozil’s missile was only the beginning. Two minutes later Pinto got himself back into trouble with an ill-advised attempt to pass the ball out of the back. Such a move fits well with Barcelona’s pass-first-pass-second ethos, but in that situation, it nearly led to the opening goal.

As Barcelona progresses in multiple competitions, Guardiola must weigh the value of resting first-choice keeper Victor Valdes against the possibility of another Pinto error.

Puyol Was Exposed in the Second Half
Carles Puyol was the biggest loser in Real’s second-half comeback. The 33-year-old Barcelona defender struggled with the speed of Real substitute Karim Benzema and appeared vulnerable to long balls over the top.

At 33, Puyol isn’t getting any faster. Rightfully considered a legend, Puyol’s days of playing at the highest level could nonetheless be running out rapidly.

Both Managers Performed Well
That the match ended in a draw was no coincidence. Both managers, to varying degrees, got their tactics right.

Real started strongly—with Xabi Alonso performing especially well in a screening role directly in front of the defense—but needed a change after falling behind by two goals.

Mourinho brought on Esteban Granero to replace the reckless Lassana Diarra and Benzema for the ineffectual Higuaín.

After an injury to Andres Iniesta, Guardiola introduced Pedro and sent Cesc Fabregas to the midfield. Fabregas helped draw defenders during the play that produced Barca’s first goal, which was scored by Pedro.

Not everything played out so perfectly. Barcelona sagged under Real’s pressure at times in the second half and never quite settled into their possession-and-passing strategy. Real didn’t always remain compact in the midfield.

But for the most part, both managers made the right decisions.
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After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that Manchester United can feel hard done by after “dominating the game” throughout the intense cup tie at Anfield.

The Red Devils succumbed to defeat after a winning goal from substitute Dirk Kuyt clinched the victory for the Merseyside club in the final moments of the fiercely contested fourth round tie.

Although his Manchester United side walked away having been knocked out of yet another cup competition, Sir Alex felt that United’s performance merited more, and that they were unlucky not to win the game.

“I don’t know how we lost it, it was a really good performance by us,” Ferguson told ITV.
“But I think when you look at it in the context of the FA Cup things like that can happen. One break away, one bad break against you, and you can lose a game.

“It’s a sudden death situation, and we’ve experienced it many times over the years, but it was a bad blow because we didn’t deserve that.

“I am pleased with my players; they performed very well, dominated the game, played really good football and didn’t deserve to be beaten at all.