NIGERIA
Golden Eaglets Coach, Nduka Ugbade has dedicated his team’s win against Zambia to members of the Chipolopolo senior men’s squad that died in an air crash in 1993.
The team got their campaign at this year’s Under-seventeen AFCON off to a good start with a one-nil win in Group B.
Ugbade expressed happiness that despite the difficult nature of the game, he is happy his team emerged winners.
The Golden Eaglets will be back in action on Wednesday, when they will face Group B leaders Morocco.
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Ahead of their next game against Morocco at the ongoing U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria, Golden Eaglets head coach, Nduka Ugbade, has called for cautions as the team aims for their third Africa title.
Ugbade, said the motivation for them was to quench a sixteen-year wait for the title, and battle to be crowned champions for the third time.
He admitted Zambia gave them a good run for their money, but reiterates his side did the best they could to earn a win.
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President of Zambia Football Federation, Andrew Kamanga has backed the country’s Under-seventeen side to bounce back from the defeat to Nigeria.
The Young Shipolopolo lost one-nil to the Golden Eaglets in their opening game at the 2023 Africa Under-seventeen Cup of Nations.
Kamanga believed the defeat would spur Ian Bakala’s side to do well in their next group game.
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Algeria forward, Moslem Anatouf has revealed his admiration for Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen, who plays for Napoli.
Anatouf is currently representing his country at the ongoing 2023 Africa Under-seventeen Cup of Nations in Algeria.
He caught attention after scoring twice in hosts Algeria’s two-nil win against Somalia in the opening game of the tournament.
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Cameroon striker, Dorinel Yondjo is determined to beat Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen’s highest-scoring record at the Under-seventeen Africa Cup of Nations.
Osimhen scored four goals and won the Golden Boot at the 2015 edition hosted by Niger Republic.
No player has equalled the mark or scored more goals in the competition since then.
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Following his reported poor performance in the current Nigeria National League season, the Management of Kogi United FC Lokoja has sacked its technical adviser, Coach Shola Adewuyi.
The Club Chairman, Abdulmalik Isah who thanked Coach Adewuyi for his services to the team and wished him well in his future endeavours.
He said the team’s assistant coach, Chidi Oji will take charge until a substantive technical adviser is appointed.
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Lagos Paddysco Sports Academy says it aims to create a platform for players in Lagos state to develop their talent, hone their skills and get necessary exposure to take their career to the next level.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Peter Okereke, stated this at the just concluded 2023 Unity Football Competition for Select Team in Lagos, tagged: Unshackled Progressive Football Challenge Cup, supported by Olatokunbo Foundation.
Okereke, who noted that football was the core competence of the academy, said the essence was to help the youth in capacity building and promote peace and unity among them in Lagos.
Also, the head coach of Broad City FC, Oluwaseun Ogunmoyero, who commended the organisers of the tournament, said the purpose of the game was to elevate the state of football in Nigeria and expose the players to the global stage.
Meanwhile, Glorious FC emerged the winner of the tournament, while Box2Box FC took second position and Broad City FC, settled with third place in the matches played at the Albati Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
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As the countdown to the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games continues, the qualification for the prestigious curling competition has been finalized.
The World Curling Federation through an official statement on its website confirmed Nigeria as one of the countries that would feature in both the Mixed Team Championship and Mixed Doubles Championship at next year’s Youth Winter Olympic Games.
Hosts Korea, Brazil, and the United States are among the other countries that would also have representation simultaneously in both the Mixed Team Championship and the Mixed Doubles Championship.
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President, Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has expressed his satisfaction with the quality of play at the just-concluded Edo Cricket Super 4 in Benin City.
Akpata, who watched the final game of the tournament between No Limits and U-17 Cricket Club noted that the league had the potential to produce more players for the national team.
The third edition of the Edo State Cricket League was concluded on Sunday with No Limits Cricket Club upsetting two-time winners U-17 Cricket Club to lift the Super Four trophy.
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Team Nigeria has made a giant stride in the city of Ndola, Zambia, venue of the ongoing 2023 African U-18 and U-20 Athletics Championships, winning a total of 12 medals in Day 2 of the competition.
At the event, Nigerian athletes sweep five Gold, three Silver and four Bronze medals to take their medal haul to seven Gold, five Silver and five Bronze.
It was the highest number of medals recorded by a particular country in a one day in the history of the championship.
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Board member of Nigeria Gymnastic Federation, Dr. Omowunmi Olalere says reviving gymnastics in the country will be a dream come true after unveiling plans to take the game to the next level beginning.
The sports enthusiast, made this known after sponsoring the just ended annual South West Gymnastics competition held in Lagos, stating she derives pleasure hosting the game which unites secondary schools across the south west region.
Speaking after the final which saw groups and individual going home with cash prizes, Olalere hinted she would do everything within her power to revive the game.
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ENGLAND
Leicester City and Everton had to settle for a draw in a chaotic match which leaves both in deep trouble at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
The two clubs started the game in the bottom three but a point was enough to drag Leicester out of the drop zone on goal difference, while Everton stay 19th, one point behind 17th-placed Leeds.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring with just his second goal of the season from the penalty spot, picking himself up to convert after being bundled over by Timothy Castagne.
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Referees’ body PGMOL refutes suggestions by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp that referee Paul Tierney’s actions were “improper” during Sunday’s four-three win over Tottenham.
The Football Association is also looking into Klopp’s post-match comments after he said Tierney appears to have something “against” his team.
The German was shown a yellow card for celebrating Liverpool’s ninety-four-minute winner in front of the fourth official and later claimed what Tierney said to him was “not OK”.
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Former Aston Villa player, Chris Sutton says Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp should be handed a touchline ban for his behaviour during Sunday’s match against Tottenham.
Klopp was shown a yellow card for running towards the fourth official and celebrating Liverpool’s 94th-minute winner in the 4-3 victory at Anfield.
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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta says the Premier League title race is “not over” and his team still has the “nicest part of the season” to come.
Arteta said Arsenal, who are without a win in four games, want to “put things right” at home to Chelsea on Tuesday.
Arsenal dropped to second place on the log after Manchester City defeated Fulham two-one at Craven Cottage.
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Chelsea interim manager, Frank Lampard has urged Todd Boehly to give Chelsea’s next manager the stability that has been missing at Stamford Bridge for decades.
Mauricio Pochettino is on course to take over from Lampard, who was brought back as interim manager after Graham Potter’s brief reign was ended.
It has been a chaotic first season under the club’s new American owners.
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Chelsea defender, Kalidou Koulibaly is the latest player to face the threat of seeing injury bring his 2022/2023 season to a premature close.
The Senegal international defender, who joined the Blues for thirty-four million pounds last summer, has picked up an unfortunate hamstring problem.
It forced him out of a Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid and sees him facing the same fate as team-mates Reece James and Mason Mount.
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Meanwhile, Chelsea could offload Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Edouard Mendy this summer as they look to reduce their wage bill ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s expected appointment as manager.
Mount, who is valued at eighty million pounds, is currently being chased by Liverpool and Arsenal after following consecutive player of the season awards at Stamford Bridge with a patchy 2022/23 campaign.
The midfielder recently underwent an abdominal operation after picking up a season-ending injury, leading to fears he may have played his last game for the Blues.
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Manchester United forward, Marcus Rashford has been lauded as a ‘gent’ after ‘inviting Aston Villa star ‘Alisha Lehmann to a private area’ in a nightclub when ‘she was mobbed on arrival’.
The footballers, who had not previously met, ran into each other on a night out in Manchester’s Chinawhite, with Rashford recognising the Swiss international.
Lehmann was ‘mobbed’ by a group of men on her arrival at the nightclub, at which point the Manchester United forward offered his help.
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Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand has told Unai Emery to ‘sit back down’ after Manchester United ended Aston Villa’s ten-game unbeaten run.
Emery has received much praise for the work he has done at Villa, with his side rising from the bottom half to now being in contention to secure a place in the Europa League – or possibly even higher.
However, Aston Villa suffered a one-nil defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the only goal in the 39th minute.
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Arsenal are maintaining a watching brief on Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
The Gunners want a centre-back amid concerns over William Saliba’s long-term fitness while Rob Holding’s contract is up next year.
Saliba’s absence has been a cause for concern for Arsenal in the run-in of the Premier League season, with Holding struggling to deputise for the Frenchman.
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Chelsea have shown an interest in signing forward Sadio Mane from Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich are surprisingly planning to sell Mane just a year after signing him from Chelsea’s Premier League rival Liverpool for thirty-two million euros.
Chelsea have emerged as a surprise contender for the signing of Mane.
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Leeds United are considering sacking Javi Gracia in a desperate bid to avoid relegation with four games to go with Sam Allardyce a possible candidate to replace him.
The Spaniard was only appointed ten weeks ago but Sunday’s four-one4-1 surrender at Bournemouth was Leeds’ fourth defeat in five, and they are out of the drop zone on goal difference alone.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani is now weighing up making another managerial change in the hope that a new voice can spark the players into life before it is too late.
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Wolves are weighing up whether to hand a new one-year contract to Diego Costa with boss Julen Lopetegui impressed by his influence on and off the pitch.
Although the former Chelsea forward has scored only once in twenty league appearances since moving to Molineux last September, he has become a hugely important figure in the dressing room since Lopetegui took charge after the World Cup break.
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Arsenal were knocked out in the Women’s Champions League semi-finals with a crushing extra-time defeat by two-time winners Wolfsburg at a sold-out Emirates Stadium.
A terrible mistake by defender Lotte Wubben-Moy gifted possession to Wolfsburg with minutes to go and unmarked substitute Pauline Bremer poked in a cross from close range.
In front of a record crowd for a domestic women’s game in England, Arsenal put the 60,063 fans through an array of emotions before they were left heartbroken after 120 minutes.
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Former England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted he told Roman Abramovich to buy Chelsea instead of Tottenham because they would need less improvement.
In 2003, Russian billionaire Abramovich was keen to enter the Premier League and buy a Premier League club.
And the oligarch, who has ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, asked Eriksson for advice on whether to take over Spurs or the Blues.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis: Russian player Veronika Kudermetova, who is sponsored by one of the country’s oil and gas giants Tatneft, says she will be able to play at Wimbledon by removing the company’s logo from her kit.
The All England Club will allow Russians and Belarusians to compete this year as neutrals, if they agree not to show any public support for the invasion of Ukraine.
But the conditions also prohibit players receiving funding from either state.
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In Cricket; Ulster coach Dan McFarland says his team will have a plan in place to deal with Connacht fly-half Jack Carty in Friday night’s URC play-off.
McFarland’s team host their derby rivals at Kingspan Stadium with a spot in the semi-finals at stake.
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Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, who became the first Asian man to win a world title in 2010, announced his competitive retirement with ice dance partner Kana Muramoto.
Takahashi claimed the men’s singles world title in Turin ahead of Canada’s Patrick Chan and France’s Brian Joubert, one month after winning bronze at the Vancouver Olympics.
He retired from competition in 2014 but returned four years later, then switched to ice dance in 2020 with Muramoto as his partner.
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Mbulelo Botile, who has won the South African bantamweight title and three world titles, is one of the great fighters to come out of Duncan Village in the Eastern Cape.
He won the IBF bantamweight title with a second-round knockout over Harold Mestre and the IBF and IBO featherweight titles on a 12th-round stoppage against Paul Ingle, which resulted in a near tragedy.
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Even after starting the season on a high note, Gauteng Golden Fireballs coach Dr Elsje Jordaan believes they are not the favourites to win the league.
The Fireballs began their title defence as strongly as they finished their 2022 season.
Beating their provincial rivals and five times champions, the Gauteng Jaguars, in their opening match of the season shows that they intend to stamp their authority in the competition.
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OTHER LEAGUE
Al-Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo could be reunited with his former Manchester United team-mate Alex Telles in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Brazilian full-back was shipped out on a season long loan deal to LaLiga side Sevilla by United boss Erik ten Hag last year but will return to Manchester at the end of the current campaign.
Telles’ future looks to be away from Old Trafford and Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian based team Al-Nassr are looking at signing him on a permanent basis.
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TODAY’S FIXTURE
IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Arsenal vs Chelsea
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Almería vs Elche
Barcelona vs Osasuna
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid
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