GLOBAL ASSOCIATION NEWS
The sports ministers of five European countries have urged broadcasters and FIFA to “quickly reach an agreement” on unsold Women’s World Cup TV rights, with only fifty days until it begins.
In a joint statement, the five countries “acknowledged with concern” that an agreement was not in place, but said they are “confident” FIFA and broadcasters’ will “find a common path”.
The UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy said it was their responsibility to “fully mobilise all stakeholders”.
Meawnhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino threatened a European TV blackout if rights offers were not improved.
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NIGERIA
The Nigeria Football Federation NFF, says delays in paying several of its national team coaches are “nothing to be proud of”.
Some of the missing salary payments date back over a year and those affected include Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, and Ladan Bosso who is currently leading the male Under-twenty team at the World Cup in Argentina.
Meanwhile, with the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand less than two months away, Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum is owed more than one hundred thousand dollars, including bonuses from last year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
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The Flying Eagles have beaten Argentina two-nil to qualify for the Under-twenty World Cup quarter-finals.
Second-half goals from Ibrahim Muhammad and Rilwanu Sarki secured a shock win for Ladan Bosso’s team.
The team will face either Ecuador or South Korea in the quarter-final of the competition in Santiago del Estero on Sunday.
Nigeria’s win ended a run of ten straight Under-twenty World Cup victories for Argentina.
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Nigeria’s women’s U20 football team, the Falconets, beat Benin Republic three-nil to reach the final of the maiden Under-twenty WAFU B Girls Cup tournament, at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, Ghana.
In the second semi-final, Amina Bello opened the scoring for the Nigerians, before a double from Esther Onyenezide saw the Falconets record their fourth straight victory in the tournament.
The Falconets will now face host nation Ghana in the final to determine the winner of the inaugural tournament.
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Nigerian International, Victor Boniface who plays for Union Saint Gilloise, is in the running for the Belgian Pro League Player of the Season Award.
Boniface’s teammate Teddy Teuma is also nominated, along with KRC Genk’s Mike Tresor.
He scored nine goals and registered eight assists in thirty-six appearances for Union Saint Gilloise this season.
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The 2022–23 Nigeria Premier Football League Super Six playoff draw will hold on Friday.
The draw event would mark the official commencement of the season-ending event, as six clubs will compete in the competition that will determine the winner of the 2022–23 NPFL season.
Holders Rivers United, eight-time champions, Enyimba, Remo Stars, Bendel Insurance, and Lobi Stars and Sunshine Stars are the teams that will compete.
The playoffs will take place from third to eleventh June at the Mobolaji Arena, Onikan, Lagos.
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The Interim Management Committee, has announced eight centre referees for the Nigeria Premier Football League Super Six playoff.
Ogabor Joseph, Kassimm Abdulsalam, Bashir Salihu, Abubakar Abdullahi, AbdulMalik Madaki, Ridwan Ayeni, Babayanju Saheed and Ndidi Patience Madu will oversee the matches during the playoff.
Samuel Pwadwatukam, Hope Igho, Usman Abdulmajid, Ahmad Mustapha, Muhammed Mahmud, Digbori Tejiri, Abibat Yusuf and Moses Alayemola will assist the centre referees.
Four match assessors, one match Commissioner and a referee trainer have been enlisted for the NPFL playoff.
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Remo Stars Team B goalkeeper, Daniel Aiyenugba has revealed that it took his dad time to believe in his ability.
Daniel, son of the former Super Eagles goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba, helped Remo Stars feeders team, popularly called Beyond Limit, to secure promotion to the Nigeria National League from the Nationwide League.
Beyond Limit, Osun United, Tradesafe, Coal City, Dynamite Force, Rahbam FC, Jedo FC, and Maikunkele FC have all secured promotion to the NNL.
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Nigeria’s senior men’s Rugby team, the Black Stallions, are in England ahead of the next month’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers in Mauritius.
The Black Stallions will face Ghana, Burundi, and DR Congo with Nigeria targeting a top three finish to earn a move to the next phase of the series, which is the Africa Cup Sevens tournament slated for Zimbabwe in September 2023.
This is according to Nigeria Rugby Football Federation General Manager, Azeez Ladipo.
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ENGLAND
The Premier League season is now done and dusted following a dramatic finale last Sunday.
Manchester City are champions for the third season in a row, having been pushed pretty close by Arsenal, while Manchester United and Newcastle returned to the Champions League.
Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa will all be playing European football next season but it has been a calamitous nine months for Chelsea, who could only finish twelveth on the table.
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Manchester United are the most valuable Premier League club.
According to a list released by business website Forbes, the team valued at six billion dollars, are second on the list behind Spain’s Real Madrid six point zero-seven billion dollars the first time two clubs have topped the $6bn mark.
Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal also make the top ten.
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A leading investigator has admitted that fans using TV sticks to illegally stream Premier League matches are unlikely to face prosecution despite the top flight’s crackdown on piracy.
On Tuesday, five men were sentenced to a total of over thirty years in prison after the Premier League brought about a historic private prosecution to clamp down on the illegal streaming of matches.
Between them, Mark Gould, Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, Christopher Felvus, William Brown, and Zak Smith, generated in excess of seven million pounds between 2016 and 2021.
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Brighton and Aston Villa have been named ahead of Manchester United in FiveThirtyEight’s global power rankings with the Seagulls among five Premier League teams to make the top ten.
There is no surprise to see Manchester City top the six hundred and forty-one team list with Pep Guardiola’s side on the verge of a famous treble after winning the Premier League, and due to play in the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League.
They are followed by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and LaLiga winners Barcelona, with Real Madrid and perhaps surprisingly, Liverpool.
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Tottenham are adamant that they will not sell Harry Kane to a domestic rival in summer despite Manchester United’s strong interest.
The Red Devils have had the England captain as one of their leading transfer targets for months now and, as the transfer window approaches, are considering a bid.
Kane has one year remaining on his current deal in north London, which would typically force a club into selling the player, and has been linked with a move away.
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Manchester United legend, Gary Neville has ripped into the Glazer family for handling Manchester United’s takeover process ‘unprofessionally’.
The Red Devils have been searching for a new owner for months now and seemed as though they were closing in on a potential announcement earlier this month.
Reports suggested that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had been identified as the preferred bidder to buy the club from the Glazer family, but has not received the green light to commence the takeover.
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Sam Allardyce will meet with Leeds on Thursday to discuss his future at the club.
Allardyce could not keep the Yorkshire outfit up in the Premier League after being given a four-game deal at the end of the season.
He is not expected to stay at Elland Road but will meet chief executive Angus Kinnear for a debrief about his brief spell in charge.
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Diogo Dalot has signed a new five-year deal with Manchester United.
The Portugal full-back’s contract has been extended to June 2028, with an option for a further year.
Dalot moved to Old Trafford from Porto in 2018 and made one hundred and seven appearances for the club.
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Brentford have signed Netherlands goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Freiburg for a reported eleven million pounds.
Flekken, who won four international caps, joins on a four-year contract subject to international clearance and a work permit.
He kept thirteen clean sheets in thirty-four matches for Freiburg this season, the most in the Bundesliga.
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Chelsea defender, Thiago Silva, has sent a clear message to new manager Mauricio Pochettino that he wants to stay at the club amid fears he could be sold.
Silva informed Pochettino that he fully intends to stay with the West London club and help with the rebuild process.
The Brazilian was recently voted both Chelsea’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.
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Defender Ashley Young will leave Aston Villa following the end of his contract this summer after a two-year spell.
The former England right-back played thirty-two times this season as Aston Villa came seventh in the Premier League to qualify for the Europa Conference League.
He re-joined Aston Villa in 2021 from Inter Milan on an initial one-year deal before his contract was extended.
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Euro 2022 top scorer Beth Mead is not included in England’s Women’s World Cup squad, having not fully recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Arsenal forward, has not played since November and was a major doubt.
Tottenham striker Beth England, who has not been involved since last summer, is included having scored twelve goals in her past twelve Women’s Super League games.
England play Haiti in their opening match on twenty-second July in Australia.
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Meanwhile, Chelsea duo Ann-Katrin Berger and Melanie Leupolz have been named in Germany’s provisional twenty-eight player for this summer’s Women’s World Cup.
Goalkeeper Berger was in the Germany squad which finished runners-up at Euro 2022, but midfielder Leupolz missed the tournament as she was pregnant.
Head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg includes twenty of the twenty-three players involved in last summer’s European Championship.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis; Cameron Norrie agreed with Lucas Pouille that video replays should be used to help officials after the Briton benefitted from a double bounce in their French Open second-round match.
Norrie, 27, matched his best Roland Garros run by beating France’s Pouille 6-1 6-3 6-3 to reach the third round.
Umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore did not see the double bounce that helped Norrie break for a 3-1 lead in the third set.
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Home favourite Caroline Garcia became the highest-ranked women’s player to exit the French Open so far with a second-round loss to Anna Blinkova.
Fifth seed Garcia saved eight match points before succumbing to a 4-6 6-3 7-5 defeat by the Russian.
It came after former champion Jelena Ostapenko suffered a shock defeat by tournament debutant Peyton Stearns.
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World number one Carlos Alcaraz came through a tricky test against Japan’s Taro Daniel to reach the French Open third round.
The Spaniard dropped the second set to the world number 97 but ultimately prevailed 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-2.
Alcaraz will face Canada’s Denis Shapovalov next as he continues his bid for a second Grand Slam title.
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In Golf, Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland will be barred from hosting The Open until the former President sells his resort.
The forty-five President bought the golf course in 2014, five years after the last time it staged the storied competition, and is keen to see the tournament return to the Ayrshire venue.
Trump claimed that ‘everybody wants to see the Open championship here,’ adding that only a few ‘minor adjustments’ would have to made to ready the course.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Sevilla claimed a record-extending seventh Europa League title as they beat Roma on penalties at a raucous Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Gonzalo Montiel, who also scored the winning penalty for Argentina in the World Cup final against France, repeated the trick for the Spanish side following a 1-1 draw, with a retaken spot kick after Roger Ibanez and Gianluca Mancini had missed for Roma.
The Spanish side, have now won all seven of the finals they have played in the competition with captain Jesus Navas involved in their first triumph against Middlesbrough in 2006.
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Villarreal forward, Arnaut Danjuma has regretted his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
The forward is set to leave the club this summer, as the north London side will not trigger the twenty-seven million pounds option to buy the Netherlands international, who joined on loan from Villarreal in January.
Danjuma was heading to Everton in January before Tottenham hijacked the move, and he endeared himself to the fans straight away with a debut goal against Preston in the FA Cup.
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Egyptian giants Al Ahly will take on Moroccan rivals and holders Wydad Athletic Club in the final of the CAF Champions League on fourth June, with the Egyptians seeking a record extending eleventh African crown.
This is the fourth time in a row that Ahly are playing the final of the Champions League, and the eighth in 12 years, underlying their status as one of the strongest teams in the continent.
Al Ahly started their journey to the final in the second preliminary round, where they faced off with Tunisia’s US Monastir, edging them out 4-0 on aggregate to make the group stages.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
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IN FIFA UNDER-TWENTY WORLD CUP – ROUND OF 16
Gambia vs Uruguay
Ecuador vs Korea Republic
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