GLOBAL ASSOCIATION NEWS

The Women’s Champions League final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg has sold out – the first to do so since 2010.

UEFA said more than thirty-four thousand tickets have been sold for the match at Eindhoven’s PSV Stadium on third June.

It will be the biggest crowd for a women’s game in the Netherlands.

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Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested eleven footballers from the same team over allegations of match-fixing in a domestic league.

After a yearlong investigation, the Independent Commission Against Corruption detained twenty-three people in total, including a coach, over the alleged fixing of results in the First Division, Hong Kong football’s second tier.

Its principal investigator Kate Cheuk said at a news briefing that the alleged offences include bribery manipulating match results and illegal gambling.

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NIGERIA

The Leone Stars of Sierra Leone will host Super Eagles in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matchday five encounter at a neutral venue.

This is as a result of the Confederation of African Football CAF failure to approve a stadium in the country for the qualifier.

The Leone Stars have played all their home games in the qualifiers in Morocco, as John Keister’s men will host the Super Eagles eighteenth June eighteen.

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Super Eagles duo, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have been nominated for the EA SPORTS FIFA Team of the Season as Lega Serie A unveiled the highly anticipated list on Tuesday.

Both players have been outstanding for their respective clubs as the 2022/23 season draws to a close.

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Scotland legend, Alistair McCoist says Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen who plays for Napoli is a replica of Didier Drogba.

McCoist posited that Osimhen is the only player who comes to his mind when he thinks of Drogba.

Osimhen has been compared with the Chelsea legend following a remarkable campaign with Napoli.

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Nigerian international Taiwo Awoniyi who plays for Nottingham Forest has been named in the Premier League Team of the Week for matchday 36.

Awoniyi scored twice in Nottingham Forest’s two-all draw against Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge.

He also bagged a brace in Nottingham Forest’s previous game against Southampton, as the Tricky Trees moved out of the relegation zone following the win.

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Nigerian goalkeeper, Adebayo Adeleye, has been nomintated for the best goalkeeper award in Israel.

Adeleye is vying for the award along side five other goalkeepers Omri Glazer of Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Daniel Peretz of Maccabi Tel Aviv, FC Ashdod’s Yoav Gerafi, John Cohen of Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Netanya’s Itamar Nitzan

The Hapoel Jerusalem shot-stopper has kept ten clean sheets, conceding thirty-three goals in the twenty-nine games he featured for Hapoel Jerusalem this season.

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Union Saint Gilloise has ruled out selling Nigerian Forward, Victor Boniface for fifteen million euros this summer.

Boniface attracted the interest of clubs around Europe, following his impressive displays for Union Saint Gilloise this season.

The striker is currently joint top scorer in the UEFA Europa League with six goals this season.

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Rivers United head coach, Stanley Eguma has reacted to his team’s hard earned victory against Sunshine Stars.

Eguma said their opponents made things difficult for them even as he claimed they could have scored more goals.

The title holders booked a spot in the Nigeria Premier Football League Super Six playoff after a slim one-nil win against the Owena Waves in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

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The race to determine the top schools in season four of the Dolphin Swimming League enters the grand finale twentieth May at the Children International School, Lekki, Lagos.

The four leg, being the finale of the first private schools swimming tournament, will have more schools joining to compete for the top spot as Grange School will be up against the rest of the teams.

According to the coordinator of the tournament, Oluseyi Oyebode, the enthusiasm shown by the schools confirmed that the finale promises to be exciting.

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ENGLAND

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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola says his “legacy is exceptional” as he prepares for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid at the Etihad.

Guardiola who admitted to making some tactical changes, insisted that he is not ‘overthinking it’.

Treble-chasing City, who have never been European champions, drew one-all at the Bernabeu in last Tuesday’s first leg.

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Manchester City defender Kyle Walker says he was hurt by manager Pep Guardiola’s recent criticism.

The England international was a regular starter for the team this season until he lost his place against Bournemouth at the end of February.

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Referees’ chief Howard Webb says the behaviour of managers and players towards match officials this season has not been good enough.

A number of Premier League managers including Jurgen Klopp, Marco Silva and Roberto di Zerbi have served touchline bans after being sent off.

Webb said a stronger approach is needed to try and address the issue, urged fans, players and managers to support a movement towards a more respectful environment.

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Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has made an improved offer to buy Manchester United.

The Qatari banker and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group are the two main parties looking to buy the Old Trafford club.

Both groups submitted third bids at the end of April

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West Ham will not discuss midfielder Declan Rice’s future with other clubs until the season has finished.

Hammers boss, David Moyes said there was “a good chance” Rice would leave the club this summer.

Rice rejected all efforts to get him to sign an extension amid interest from virtually all of England’s top clubs.

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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta will sell up to ten players to fund his summer spending.

Arteta has been given the green light to spend in excess of two hundred million pounds ahead of next season in an attempt to bolster a squad that failed to sustain a title charge.

The Gunners will back their manager in the summer and have already given the go-ahead for key targets like Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.

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Arsenal forward, Folarin Balogun’s decision to switch international allegiance from England to the United States has been approved by Fifa.

Balogun, who is currently on loan with French side Reims, was born in the US to Nigerian parents but raised in England.

He has previously played for England Under-twenty-one but withdrew from the squad in March because of injury.

He will not play in the upcoming European Under-twenty-one Championship.

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British broadcaster, Piers Morgan, has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo would have helped Arsenal win the Premier League title this season if the Gunners had signed him in the January transfer window.

Ronaldo had a dramatic exit from Old Trafford a few months ago after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag and being outcast from the Manchester United squad.

He eventually joined Saudi Arabian giants Al-Nassr, where he has managed to score twelve goals from thirteen matches since joining the club.

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Everton face being sued for three hundred million pounds by their Premier League rivals if they avoid relegation.

Southampton, Leicester, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Burnley have informed the Premier League that they believe they are entitled to compensation from Everton if the club are found guilty of breaching spending rules.

The clubs are also understood to have applied for Everton’s disciplinary hearing to be fast-tracked so any sanctions, including a possible points deduction, could be actioned this season.

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Incoming Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, does not want the West London club to sell midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer.

Pochettino wants Chelsea to rethink their plans to sell Gallagher and feels the England international can be one of four ‘instrumental’ players for him.

Gallagher has been something of a bit-part player at Chelsea this season, only starting fifteen times in the Premier League.

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Carney Chukwuemeka has put club ahead of country after deciding to see out the remainder of Chelsea’s season ahead of England Under-twenty duty.

Chukwuemeka decided to delay joining his Young Lions team-mates in order to finish the Blues’ Premier League campaign.

The decision reportedly been agreed between the player and the west London outfit, in a blow to England Under-twenty coach, Ian Foster.

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Brighton lead the race for James Milner, but an emotional return to Leeds could be on the cards should the Yorkshire club avoid relegation.

The veteran Liverpool midfielder is leaving Anfield at the end of this season and there are a number of offers on the table.

The high-flying Seagulls are viewed as the likeliest winners of the battle for the ex-England man.

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OTHER SPORTS

In Tennis, Serbian professional tennis player, Novak Djokovic has criticised Cameron Norrie’s behaviour after the Briton hit him with a smash while his back was turned in their Italian Open match.

Djokovic reached his seventeenth successive Rome quarter-final with a 6-3 6-4 win in a tetchy encounter on Tuesday.

He had already been irritated by the British number one’s shouts of “Come on”, before being hit in the ankle when he had already given up the point.

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In Golf, Rory McIlroy says missing the cut at the Masters provided him with a little “wake-up call” as he prepares for this week’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

The Northern Irishman won this title for a second time in 2014, but is yet to add to that fourth major victory.

The world number three added that it was a great lesson to him to not put too much into feelings or vibes.

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In Cricket, England seamer James Anderson says he expects to be fully fit “in a couple of weeks” after sustaining a mild groin strain.

Anderson, left the field on day one of Lancashire’s match against Somerset eleventh May and took no further part in the four-day game.

He has been named in England’s squad for the Test against Ireland starting on first June.

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English rugby has been told it’s ‘shooting itself in the foot’ with its clubs at war over proposals to raise the Premiership’s salary cap at a time when London Irish are the latest team in severe financial difficulty.

After a season in which both Worcester and Wasps have fallen out of existence, Irish must prove their proposed US takeover has been completed or their current owners can fund the club for next season by thirtieth May.

There are serious concerns in the English game Irish will not be able to meet the deadline imposed by the RFU and will become the third team to exit the top tier due to monetary problems.

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In Rugby, Sergio Parisse says it is a “joy and a privilege” to have one more shot at a major trophy as his legendary career draws to a close at the age of thirty-nine.

The former Italy captain, who will retire at the end of the season, will line up for Toulon against Glasgow in Friday’s Challenge Cup final in Dublin.

Parisse said his “love for the game” had been behind his remarkable longevity.

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OTHER LEAGUE

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Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final for the first time in thirteen years as Lautaro Martinez’s goal sealed victory over fierce rivals AC Milan at San Siro.

Three-time winners Inter, who led two-nil after the first leg, will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in Istanbul tenth June after a disciplined second-leg display ensured their progress.

Heavily backed at a feverish San Siro as the designated home team, Inter were made to absorb early pressure as a determined start by Milan ensured the match began at a frenetic pace.

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Romelu Lukaku has expressed his gratitude to Thierry Henry after Inter Milan advanced to the Champions League final after beating its bitter rival AC Milan on Tuesday.

Lukaku is on loan with Milan after a terrible season under Thomas Tuchel following his transfer to Chelsea.

He and Henry formed a strong bond while the Arsenal legend was an assistant coach with the Belgium national team.

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Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second-half penalty as Al Nassr beat Al Ta’ee to narrow the gap on leaders Al-ittihad to three points with three games to go.

The spot kick was awarded after the VAR sent the referee to consult the pitchside monitor following a challenge on Asulaihem in the box.

Ronaldo slotted home his fifth penalty this season in the forty-eight minute, as Talisca netted Al Nassr’s second goal.

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Real Madrid’s stars were left stranded outside Manchester Airport for over half-an-hour on Tuesday as their mission to reach another Champions League final encountered an unexpected hitch.

Having touched down in England’s north-west ahead of Wednesday’s crunch semi-final, as Real Madrid’s travelling party were left bemused when their bus failed to arrive on time.

Second leg against Manchester City with the tie on a knife-edge at one-all.

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Former France coach, Raymond Domenech, has given reasons Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi is responsible for boos from the club’s fans.

Domenech said Messi is responsible for the reaction from PSG fans as he has not done well at the Parisians.

PSG fans have been furious with the Argentina World Cup winner over the past few months.

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The dou of Sadio Mane and Joao Cancelo are both expected to leave Bayern Munich this summer.

Mane and Cancelo have no future at the Bundesliga champions.

The Senegalese international will be put on Bayern Munich’s transfer list this summer.

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TODAY’S FIXTURE

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IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – SEMI-FINALS

Manchester City vs Real Madrid