GLOBAL ASSOCIATION NEWS
Former FIFA Council Member, Moya Dodd has criticised Gianni Infantino’s threat of a broadcast blackout in Europe for the
Women’s World Cup.
Infantino said the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain and Germany will not be able to show the tournament unless TV
companies improve their rights offers.
Dodd claims world football’s governing body has historically undervalued the women’s game.
The World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, starts on twentieth July.
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Meanwhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed one hundred and fifty-two million dollars as the prize money for
this year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Infantino made the confirmation while speaking alongside the World Trade Organisation Director-General Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala during Making Trade Score for Women!, a series of panel discussions at the Organisation’s headquarters in
Geneva, Switzerland.
The FIFA President’s call was supported by Okonjo-Iweala.
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NIGERIA
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets lost one-nil to Morocco in their second Group B game at the 2023 Under-seventeen AFCON on
Wednesday
An early goal from Abdel Maali secured a one-nil win against Golden Eaglets of Nigeria in their second Group B game at
the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria on Wednesday.
Both the Eaglets and Morocco went into the game on the back of victories against Zambia and South Africa.
With just two minutes into the game, Maali broke the deadlock which the Moroccans held till the end of the game.
The Eaglets had a couple of chances to get back into the game but failed to convert them.
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Shooting Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote has charged the club’s feeders team to aim for promotion as they begin
their campaign in the 2023 Nationwide League One NLO season.
The Shooting Stars’ feeders team will begin their 2023 NLO campaign against Pacesetter at the Lekan Salami Stadium,
Adamasingba, Ibadan.
Ogunbote urged the players to be positive as they commence their quest for promotion to the Nigeria National League
NNL.
Other teams in Group C2A are Ilaji FC, Ogbomoso United, Cornerstone FC and Positive FC.
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Abia Warriors head coach, Erasmus Onu says his side will give their all to secure a place in the Nigeria Premier Football
League Super Six competition.
Onu, admitted that his players are ready for the fight.
The Ochendo Boys moved to third position on the Group B table after thrashing Dakkada three-nil last weekend.
The Umuahia club now need to win their remaining two games in the regular season to guarantee a spot in the Super Six.
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ENGLAND
Liverpool kept alive their outside hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League after Mohamed Salah
continued his remarkable Anfield scoring form to help sink Fulham.
Salah scored for the eighth home game in a row as the Reds won for the fifth successive Premier League game to
maintain their flourishing late-season form.
The Egypt forward beat Bernd Leno from the penalty spot in the 39th-minute after Darwin Nunez was fouled by Issa Diop.
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Erling Haaland scored a record-breaking 35th Premier League goal of the season as Manchester City beat West Ham to
return to the top of the table.
The Norwegian striker raced on to Jack Grealish’s through ball and chipped past West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski
to go past the previous record of 34 goals, held jointly by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.
Nathan Ake had headed City in front early in the second half after he was left unmarked at the back post from Riyad
Mahrez’s free-kick and Haaland’s dink doubled the lead, with Phil Foden’s deflected volley adding a third.
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Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has broken the record for goals in a Premier League season.
The Norwegian scored his 35th league goal of the campaign against West Ham to move past Alan Shearer and Andrew
Cole’s previous best of 34.
Haaland had already set a new high in a 38-game season, surpassing Mohamed Salah’s 32 goals for Liverpool in 2017-
18.
He now holds the overall record and has another five games to add to his tally.
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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has demanded a guard of honour from his players and staff to mark Erling
Haaland’s Premier League goal record, to show the striker just how special an achievement it is.
Haaland’s finish in a three-nil win over West Ham means he now has thirty-five league goals for the season.
He has passed the record previously shared by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.
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Meanwhile, Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has claimed Arsenal fans should be happy despite losing control of
the title race.
Guardiola insisting the Gunners have achieved the ‘most important title’ by qualifying for the Champions League.
The Spaniard suggested that, while Arsenal fans will have been disappointed by the result, they should be happy with the
club’s season regardless of the eventual outcome of the Premier League title race.
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Leeds United have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed former England boss Sam Allardyce in a bid to avoid
relegation from the Premier League.
Spaniard Gracia, appointed in February, has been dismissed after just ten weeks and twelve games in charge at Elland
Road.
Allardyce, is tasked with guiding seventeen-placed Leeds, who are out of the bottom three only on goal difference, to
safety with four games remaining.
His first game in charge is against leaders Manchester City on Saturday.
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Manchester United defender, Raphael Varane is on course to play for the team again this season and return in time for the
FA Cup final against Manchester City.
The Frenchman missed the last five games after he went off in the Europa League tie against Sevilla last month amid
fears he could be out for the season.
Manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that Varane will miss the next two matches away to Brighton on Thursday and West Ham
on Sunday, but is ahead of Scott McTominay in his recovery.
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Chelsea are interested in a summer swoop for Crystal Palace forward, Wilfried Zaha.
The Ivory Coast international’s future is uncertain with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.
The Eagles have offered Zaha a new contract worth in the region of two hundred thousand pounds-per-week – a deal, if
agreed, that would be the most lucrative in the club’s history.
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Cheslea forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s below par performance against Arsenal has drawn the irate eye of former
Chelsea star Craig Burley.
The Blues were handed a further blow in what has been a nightmare season by their bitter rivals, who inflicted a three-one
defeat over them at the Emirates.
Frank Lampard’s side suffered a fourteenth loss of the campaign.
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Former West Ham, Leeds United and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has been inducted into the Premier
League Hall of Fame.
Ferdinand, joined Manchester United from Leeds for a then British-record transfer in 2002 and subsequently won six
Premier League titles in twelve years.
He also won the Champions League and Club World Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
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The former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper, Petr Cech has joined Rio Ferdinand in being inducted into the Premier
League Hall of Fame for 2023.
Cech who represented Chelsea and Arsenal in his career was selected after a vote by fans across the world from a fifteen
person shortlist.
He becomes the eighteenth player to join the Hall of Fame after eight legendary stars were inducted in both 2021 and
2022.
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Arsenal have condemned the “dangerous and totally unacceptable behaviour” of a man who has been arrested for shining
a laser in the face of Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Met Police confirmed the man is in police custody after being arrested during the Gunners’ three-one win at Emirates
Stadium.
A green light was visible on Ukraine international Mudryk’s face after he came on as a seventy-one-minute substitute.
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Former Chelsea player, Emmanuel Petit has claimed he saw players arguing on the bench during the Chelsea’s three-one
defeat against Arsenal as the former Blues star criticised the ‘attitude’ and ‘lack of unity’ among the struggling squad.
Chelsea were three-nil down before half-time, with Noni Madueke scoring a consolation goal in the second half at the
Emirates.
The Blues remain twelveth in the Premier League following the latest defeat despite their over six hundred million pounds
spend on new players this season.
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Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, has named captain Martin Odegaard as the club’s player of the season.
Wright said Odegaard has been unbelievable for Arsenal, adding that his consistency for the Gunners this season has
been tremendous.
Odegaard was on fire for Mikel Arteta’s side, scoring a brace as they defeated Chelsea 3-1 in a Premier League derby at
Emirates Stadium.
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Arsenal midfielder, Granit Xhaka wants Arsenal to head to Newcastle and play with a swagger that proves why they are in a
title race.
The Swiss midfielder is still reeling from last season’s trip to St James’ Park, where Mikel Arteta’s side were blown away in
a two-nil loss, extinguising the Gunners’ hopes of a top four finish.
Xhaka, who bagged three assists in Tuesday’s three-one rout of Chelsea, he has warned team-mates there can be no
repeat collapse in the North East.
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Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag admits he is in the dark over his transfer budget for the summer as the team’s
takeover battle drags on.
Chief executive Richard Arnold told Ten Hag in November that he would have more money to spend under new owners,
but the issue is unresolved six months later as the Glazer family consider bids from Qatar, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and several US
hedge funds.
Ten Hag has been left in limbo as he plans the next phase of his rebuild.
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Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag has challenged Alejandro Garnacho to take his career to the next level at the
team after signing a new five-year contract at the club.
Garnacho was rewarded with new terms for a breakthrough season at Old Trafford after inspiring last year’s FA Youth Cup
success.
Ten Hag urged the young Argentina international to improve again, warning the 18-year-old that he faces even more
expectation now.
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Liverpool legend, Xabi Alonso has emerged as a leading contender for the Tottenham Hotspur job after an impressive
season at Bayer Leverkusen.
Spurs are searching for a new permanent manager after sacking Antonio Conte, axing his interim successor Cristian
Stellini and then appointing Ryan Mason.
Mason, oversaw the two-all draw with Manchester United last week and the heartbreaking last-gasp defeat to Liverpool on
Sunday.
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Chelsea’s Women’s Super League title hopes remain in their own hands after Sam Kerr’s late winner gave them victory
over Liverpool.
Kerr pounced on a rebound to give Chelsea the lead in the 86th minute.
Niamh Charles had levelled for the hosts with a glancing header after Emma Koivisto had given Liverpool a shock early
lead.
Victory means the Blues are four points behind leaders Manchester United, but have played two matches fewer.
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OTHER SPORTS
British Cycling could be the next governing body to ban transgender women from competing in female events when they
publish their new policy later this month.
The sport’s world governing body, the UCI, currently allows male-born riders to race in the women’s category if they have
reduced their testosterone levels over a two-year period.
Those rules have come in for criticism this week after American trans woman Austin Killips won the Tour of the Gila in the
USA at the weekend.
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Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will all be ineligible to play in this year’s event after
resigning from the DP World Tour.
The trio, along with Richard Bland, had been sanctioned for breaking tour rules after joining breakaway tour LIV Golf.
The players say they have “no option” given punishments being imposed after they joined the Saudi Arabia-funded tour.
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American sprinter Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medallist and former 100m world champion, has died aged 32.
Bowie won 4x100m relay gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics, plus 100m silver and 200m bronze.
The following year, she won the World Championships 100m in London, as well as relay gold.
USA Track and Field said Bowie’s “impact on the sport is immeasurable”, adding she will be “greatly missed”.
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Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz dug deep to beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov in testing conditions and reach the Madrid
Open semi-finals.
Alcaraz, who turns 20 on Friday, won 6-4 7-5 against 10th seed Khachanov after trailing 5-2 in the second set.
In the women’s singles, top seed Iga Swiatek continued her dominance on clay with a 6-0 6-3 win over Petra Martic.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Andy Murray earned a much-needed clay-court win over Gael Monfils at an ATP Challenger event.
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OTHER LEAGUE
Real Madrid are closing on an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for England star Jude Bellingham.
Talks are at an advanced stage for the player who had been the most coveted of transfer targets this summer.
Liverpool ruled themselves out of the running last month with the cost of the fee plus wages, reputedly of around four
hundred thousand pounds a week, too much for them to consider.
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Barcelona transfer chief Mateu Alemany is in advanced talks to take on a senior position at Aston Villa.
Alemany, will leave the club at the end of the season.
He had been offered a large salary increase to move to Villa Park and work alongside boss Unai Emery.
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Spanish sports journalist, Maria Moran has confirmed she has reported rape threats to the police, after receiving vile abuse
on social media for a question she asked to Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Moran had asked Ancelotti a question at a press conference about Vinicius Junior, after the winger was booked for
protesting to the referee in their match against Almeria.
The Brazilian star received his tenth yellow card of the season, which resulted in the winger receiving a second
suspension.
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Paris Saint Germain have condemned the actions of supporters who are understood to have gathered outside the home of
Neymar and chanted for him to leave the club.
It has been a tumultuous week for the Ligue 1 outfit, who suspended Lionel Messi for two weeks following an unauthorised
trip to Saudi Arabia and saw their title hopes hit after a home defeat to Lorient.
Fans were filmed on Wednesday chanting for the board to resign outside club headquarters before further clips showed a
group of supporters visit the home of Neymar and called for him to move on.
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Lionel Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer at the end of his current contract.
The Argentine World Cup winner had reached an ‘agreement in principle’ to extend his stay for another year but neither
club nor player now want to sign the deal.
Messi is unconvinced the club can compete at the top of the European game, due to financial issues, while the French
champions want to focus on developing young talent.
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Meanwhile, New photos have been released of Lionel Messi and his family from their holiday in Saudi Arabia, with the
unauthorised trip having resulted in the star being suspended for two weeks by Paris Saint-Germain.
The World Cup winner had pre-arranged the visit for one of his commercial commitments as ambassador for tourism
there.
PSG players were supposed to be off on Monday, however, following their three-one defeat to Lorient, manager
Christophe Galtier called the squad in for training instead.
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The Saudi Arabian government is preparing a mega bid to lure Lionel Messi to the Saudi Pro League this summer.
The forward is set to leave PSG at the end of the season, with his father, Jorge, reportedly informing French club of the
decision a month ago.
It is unclear what his next destination will be, but the seven-time Ballon d’Or won’t be short of suitors as he decides his next
move and Al-Hilal are ready to make him the highest paid athlete in history
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TODAY’S FIXTURE
IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Girona vs Mallorca
Sevilla vs Espanyol
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Valladolid
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IN ITALIAN SERIE A
Empoli vs Bologna
Udinese vs Napoli
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