NIGERIA
Former Super Eagles defender, Ifeanyi Udeze has warned the Nigeria Football Federation against renewing the contract of the men’s national team head coach, Jose Peseiro.
The Portuguese coach’s one-year contract with the federation expired last Monday.
The stats and figures since Peseiro took over the Eagles’ job have not been impressive, raising doubts about his continuation as head coach of the three-time Africa champions.
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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have settled down in Mendoza, Argentina ahead of their opening fixture against Dominican Republic at the 2023 FIFA Under-twenty World Cup.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the team’s arrival on their official Twitter handle.
After a ten day training camp in Buenos Aires, the Flying Eagles arrived Mendoza, venue of their first two group stage matches of the 2023 #FIFAU20WC.
Ladan Bosso’s side will take on the debutants in their opening Group D game on Sunday.
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Nigeria’s women Under-twenty football national team, Falconets, are in Ghana, ahead of the maiden edition of the WAFU B Girls Cup of Nations, which begins on Saturday in Kumasi.
The competition will bring together seven countries within the sub-region to compete for honours.
The countries are Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Ghana and Benin.
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Nigerian international, Kelechi Iheanacho has returned to full training ahead of Leicester City’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United.
Iheanacho sustained a groin injury in the Foxes one-all draw against Leeds United at Elland Road last month.
The Super Eagles star, missed the former Premier League champions last three games.
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Holders Rivers United has extended their lead in Group B of the Nigeria Premier Football League courtesy of a two-nil victory against Doma United at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Nwagua Nyima put the Pride of Rivers in front on nineteen minutes after he was set up by Onoja Joseph.
The hosts doubled their lead two minutes before the break with Liberia forward, Albert Korvah firing home from outside the box.
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The stage is set for what promises to be a thrilling final between Senegal and Morocco at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers, Algeria in the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023.
The two have been amongst the most consistent performers in the competition.
The final will kick-off at ten in the night local time and will be watched in several parts of Africa.
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ENGLAND
Newcastle United moved another step closer to Champions League qualification with a deserved Premier League win against fellow European hopefuls Brighton and Hove Albion.
The hosts took the lead when Brighton forward Deniz Undav flicked Kieran Trippier’s corner into his own net, before the Magpies skipper picked out Dan Burn from a free-kick to head in the second.
Miguel Almiron was denied a third for Newcastle at the start of the second half by Brighton keeper Jason Steele’s smart stop and, just 45 seconds later, Undav slotted in at the right end to give the visitors hope.
Meanwhile, Newcastle boss, Eddie Howe has told his players their resounding Premier League victory over Brighton will count for nothing if they do not beat Leicester to clinch a place in the Champions League.
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West Ham reached their first European final for 47 years after Thursday’s 1-0 victory at AZ Alkmaar clinched a 3-1 aggregate success in the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
Pablo Fornals scored West Ham’s winner in the final moments of the tense second leg to set up a clash with Fiorentina in the final in Prague seventh June.
The Hammers last reached a major European final in 1976 when they were beaten by Anderlecht in the Cup Winners Cup.
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West Ham players confronted AZ Alkmaar fans after they appeared to attack an area in which friends and family were watching the teams’ Europa Conference League semi-final second leg.
Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma were among those to intervene in the clashes just moments after the Premier League team had reached the final.
Sport commentator Alistair Bruce-Ball, who was inside the stadium, said he saw punches being thrown by the AZ fans.
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The Premier League has released a list of eight young players who have emerged as promising talents during this year’s season.
Newcastle’s Sven Botman, has made the list as a young defender who has helped his team in their quest for the top four has 10 clean sheets in 33 appearances.
Another player on the list is Moisés Caicedo, of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C, a defensive midfielder with 1 goal, 1 assist, and nine clean sheets in 33 appearances.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, has also made the list with a record-breaking debut season, scoring 36 goals and providing 7 assists in 33 appearances.
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Manchester City have launched numerous legal challenges against the Premier League’s one hundred and fifteen charges for alleged breaches of financial rules including raising an extraordinary objection to the involvement of the barrister running the process.
The head of the Premier League’s independent judicial panel, Murray Rosen KC, will appoint the chair of the independent disciplinary commission who will hear City’s case.
In a series of challenges to the Premier League’s legal process City are believed to have raised the issue of Rosen’s support for Arsenal.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has received a two-match ban for comments he made about referee Paul Tierney after his side’s 4-3 victory over Tottenham in April.
It means the German will miss Sunday’s match against Aston Villa at Anfield.
The second game is suspended until the end of the 2023-24 season, meaning Klopp will not miss the final game of this campaign against Southampton.
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Brentford striker Ivan Toney would be blocked from any attempt to get around his eight-month football ban by joining a club outside England.
Toney was suspended until January 2024 and fined £50,000 by an independent panel after admitting 232 breaches of Football Association betting rules.
The ban, which the FA will enforce, only applies in England.
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Tottenham forward Lucas Moura will leave at the end of the season, after five years at the club.
Moura, scored a memorable hat-trick away to Ajax to send Spurs into the 2019 Champions League final.
But the Brazilian has suffered with injury this season and Tottenham have decided not to extend his contract.
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Swiss midfielder, Granit Xhaka, who has been with Arsenal for over six years and has one year left on his contract, is expected to depart from the club at the end of the season.
Arsenal would rather sell Granit Xhaka during the summer transfer window than allow his contract to expire in 2024.
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen are keenly interested in the midfielder, who has scored seven goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season.
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Manchester City’s time to conquer Europe may have finally come after Real Madrid were slayed by the English champions on Wednesday to reach their second Champions League final.
City thrashed the Spanish giants 4-0 at the Etihad for a 5-1 aggregate victory that exacted revenge for a dramatic semi-final exit to Madrid 12 months ago.
Pep Guardiola’s men are not just closing in on the trophy the club’s owners have desired since an Abu-Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008 began pouring billions of pounds of investment into the club.
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Phil Jones is battling to save his playing career as he prepares to leave Manchester United after twelve years at Old Trafford.
Jones has been left off the club’s retained list, which will be released shortly, and will become a free agent when his contract runs out on thirty of June.
The defender has not played for nearly twelve months and has made only five appearances in the last three-and-a-half years due to chronic knee problems.
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England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has signed a new “long-term” contract with Arsenal, the Premier League giants announced Thursday.
Ramsdale has become a mainstay at the Emirates since he joined the north London club from Sheffield United in 2021.
His current contract was due to expire in 2025 and, while Arsenal have not disclosed the terms of his new deal, British media reports said it was set to run until 2026, with the option to extend by a further year.
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Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has named Manchester City as the best football team in the world.
The Englishman continued his huge praise for Pep Guardiola’s side after they swept aside Champions League title holders Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday.
Jordan believes Pep Guardiola’s side is the best in world football right now after they ran home four-nil over Real Madrid.
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Sheffield Wednesday pulled off the greatest play-off comeback in English Football League history to beat Peterborough United on penalties on an unforgettable night in South Yorkshire.
Substitute Jack Hunt scored the all-important fifth penalty as the Owls, who had trailed 4-0 from the first leg, secured their place at Wembley in the League One play-off final.
Wednesday made the perfect start when Michael Smith slotted home a penalty in the opening 10 minutes to give the home fans renewed hope a miracle could be on the cards, before Lee Gregory tapped in to make it 2-0 after 25 minutes.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Cricket; Virat Kohli hit a spellbinding century off just 62 balls to keep alive Royal Challengers Bangalore’s hopes of reaching the Indian Premier League’s knockout stages.
Kohli’s sixth IPL ton – a record equalled only by Chris Gayle – ensured RCB chased down 187 against already eliminated Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He put on 172 for the first wicket alongside Faf du Plessis, who made 71.
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In Tennis, Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open for the first time in 19 years after a hip injury ruled out the record 14-time men’s singles champion.
The 36-year-old Spaniard, who has won 22 major titles, also said he plans to retire after the 2024 season.
Nadal holds the joint record number of men’s major triumphs alongside Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
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Daniil Medvedev brushed Yannick Hanfmann aside in straight sets and will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Italian Open semi-final.
The Russian, had not won a match in Rome before this year but eased past Germany’s Hanfmann 6-2 6-2.
The world number three has only dropped one set during the entire tournament.
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In Cricket, England batter Lauren Winfield-Hill is expecting a “red-hot contest” in this summer’s Ashes series.
The multi-format series starts with a five-day Test match on twenty-second June.
Strong domestic performances saw Winfield-Hill, return to the England side in December 2022 after a ten-month absence.
Meanwhile, Australia currently hold both the 50-over and T20 world titles, the Commonwealth Games title and are unbeaten in four Ashes series.
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In Rugby, Two-time European champions Wasps will play “at the bottom of the playing pyramid” in England after an offer of a place in the second tier was withdrawn.
The Rugby Football Union said the club had not met a deadline to confirm commitments made when a licence was first approved in December.
That approval came on the day the club was bought by new owners – two months after it had gone into administration.
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In Boxing; Katie Taylor vowed to produce the best performance of her career against Chantelle Cameron in her first fight in Ireland as a professional.
Taylor, moves up to light-welterweight to challenge undisputed champion Cameron in Dublin on Saturday.
Speaking at a news briefing, Taylor said her main aim when she turned pro was to fight at home.
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OTHER LEAGUE
Six-time winners Sevilla are through to a seventh Europa League final after their extra-time win over Juventus in a pulsating semi-final second leg.
Dusan Vlahovic had put Juventus ahead, but Suso levelled the tie with a brilliant left-footed strike.
The decisive goal came five minutes into extra time when Bryan Gil crossed for Erik Lamela to head home.
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Jose Mourinho’s Roma reached the Europa League final by holding Bayer Leverkusen to a goalless draw in the second leg of their semi-final tie.
Edoardo Bove’s goal gave the Italian side a 1-0 win in the first leg, and that was enough to take them through.
Moussa Diaby struck the crossbar for Xabi Alonso’s side in the first half of the second leg, but they could not find the breakthrough.
Roma progress to the final in Budapest thirty-first May.
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La Liga President, Javier Tebas, has taken a swipe at Real Madrid, claiming Carlo Ancelott’s side earns just as much as Premier League clubs.
The La Liga television rights and the amount that clubs earn from it compared to the Premier League sides have regularly been questioned by Spanish clubs.
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Former Uruguay forward, Sebastian Abreu, has hit out at the way Lionel Messi has been treated by Paris Saint-Germain fans.
Abreu said that it is crazy that Messi is being treated like a criminal in France.
Messi has failed to fulfil PSG fans’ expectations since his move to Parisians from Barcelona in 2021.
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SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
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In Nigeria Professional Football League NPFL.
Abia Warriors vs Doma United
Bayelsa United vs Niger Tornadoes
El Kanemi Warriors vs Plateau United
Enugu Rangers vs Rivers United
Gombe United vs Akwa United
Lobi Stars vs Wikki Tourist
Nasarawa United vs Bendel Insurance
Remo Stars vs Kwara United
Shooting Stars vs Enyimba
Sunshine Stars vs Dakkada
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ON SATURDAY
Tottenham Hotspur VS Brentford
AFC Bournemouth VS Manchester United
Fulham VS Crystal Palace
Liverpool VS Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers VS Everton
Nottingham Forest VS Arsenal
ON SUNDAY
West Ham United vs Leeds United
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
Manchester City vs Chelsea
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Girona vs Villarreal
Athletic Bilbao vs Celta Vigo
Almería vs Mallorca
Getafe vs Elche
Barcelona vs Real Sociedad
ON SUNDAY
Rayo Vallecano vs Espanyol
Atlético Madrid vs Osasuna
Valencia vs Real Madrid
Sevilla vs Real Betis
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IN ITALIAN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Cremonese vs Bologna
Atalanta vs Hellas Verona
AC Milan vs Sampdoria
ON SUNDAY
Lecce vs Spezia
Torino vs Fiorentina
Napoli vs Inter Milan
Udinese vs Lazio
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