NIGERIA
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Super Falcons held Canada to a goalles draw in their Group B opener at the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The result means after three meetings, the Super Falcons are still unbeaten against Canada at the women’s World Cup.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, who was the busiest of the two goalkeepers, saved a penalty early in the second half.
The Super Falcons had to play the dying minutes of the game with ten players after Deborah Abiodun was sent off for a dangerous foul.
The team will hope to put up a much better performance when they face co-hosts Australia on twenty-seventh July.
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Former Nigeria international and Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation NFF Austin Eguavoen, has praised the Super Falcons after their hard fought goalless draw against Canada on Friday.
The Super Falcons opened their 2023 women’s World Cup Group B with a point against Olympic champions Canada.
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The Super Eagles remained in the 39th position in the latest FIFA monthly ranking released on Thursday.
Jose Peseiro’s side also retained their position as the sixth-best team in Africa.
The Super Eagles are behind Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt on the continent.
Meanwhile, there are no changes at all in the top ten, which is made up solely of European and South American teams.
World champions Argentina retain the top position in the ranking.
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Sporting Lagos have dominated the best eleven of the just-concluded Naija Super 8 pre-season tournament.
Christian Nwoke, Aliu Salawudeen, Chiemaka Nwokeji, Emmanuel Odafi, and Jonathan Alukwu all made the list.
Remo Stars duo Sodiq Ismail and Isaac James were also included.
Lobi Stars’ Joseph Atule and Stephen Eneji’s impressive displays also earned them a place on the list.
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Partners of the Nigeria Professional Football League, GTI Asset Management & Trust, has announced an upward review of the prize money for the winners of the 2023/2024 season.
The head of media and publicity of the group, Andrew Ekejiuba, who stated this, said the emergence of GTI into the country’s football ecosystem has paved way for elite club football to thrive.
Ekejiuba said the winners of next year’s title will receive one hundred and fifty million naira and a giant trophy, while second and third place finishers will be handsomely rewarded financially to appreciate their efforts.
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Paris Saint-Germain have signed Super Falcons star Nicole Payne.
According to the club, the Nigerian international defender joins the Rouge et Bleu until June 2026
The player was part of the Nigerian side that finished fourth at the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco.
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The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, says it is seriously disturbed by charges of doping violation filed by World Athletics Integrity Unit against Nigerian sensation, Tobi Amusan.
Amusan, the 2021 world champion and world record holder in the women’s one hundred metre hurdles, is in trouble for allegedly missing three out of competition dope tests.
She will appear before a three-man arbitration panel to clear her name before the Budapest 2023 World Championships in August.
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Former Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Sunday Adeleye, says African athletes are the targets of Athletics Integrity Unit’s “sledgehammer”, after world champion Tobi Amusan was suspended by the body on Wednesday for missing three out of competition tests in twelve months.
Following her suspension, Adeleye called on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria to come to her aid in her trying time.
Former Nigerian one hundred metre record holder and two-time African champion, Seun Ogunkoya, also tasked the federation to leap in defence of Amusan and ensure she features at the forthcoming World Championships.
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ON WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
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Canada captain, Christine Sinclair has missed out on becoming the first player to score at six Fifa World Cups as Canada were held by Super Falcons of Nigeria.
Nigeria keeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie kept out Sinclair’s spot-kick early in the second half as the Olympic champions were frustrated in Melbourne.
Canada and Nigeria have one point in Group B, behind co-hosts Australia.
The Canadians face Republic of Ireland in their next game on 26th July, after the Irish were beaten by Australia on Thursday.
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Steph Catley’s second-half penalty gave World Cup co-hosts Australia a one-nil victory over debutants the Republic of Ireland in Sydney.
Catley, standing in as captain after Australia’s star forward Sam Kerr suffered a calf injury on the eve of the game, converted the winner in the 52nd minute.
The Republic of Ireland frustrated the Matildas in the first half but their good work was undone when Marissa Sheva pushed Hayley Raso and Brazilian referee Edina Alves point to the spot.
Meanwhile, Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw said her side have shown “they are ready for this level” after a narrow one-nil defeat by co-hosts Australia on their World Cup debut in Sydney.
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Co-hosts New Zealand has opened the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in stunning style against Norway as they won on the global stage for the first time.
On a memorable day in Auckland, the Football Ferns produced a huge upset after Hannah Wilkinson swept home Jacqui Hand’s cross in front of an ecstatic crowd of forty-two thpusand, one hundred and thirty-seven at Eden Park – a record for a football match in New Zealand.
Even Ria Percival’s 89th-minute missed penalty, after a handball by Tuva Hansen, failed to dampen the celebrations.
Fans turned up in their tens of thousands to cheer their side who had failed to win any of their previous fifteen World Cup games.
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England captain, Millie Bright will wear armbands supporting inclusion, indigenous people and gender equality in the Women’s World Cup group stage.
Players can choose from eight Fifa-sanctioned armbands, but not the OneLove design that led to Fifa threatening sanctions at the 2022 men’s World Cup.
Bright will also support new causes in any knockout games.
The players made a group decision to wear the armbands to highlight a range of social issues.
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ENGLAND
New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has promised to give youth a chance as his side recorded a five-nil win against Wrexham in North Carolina.
More than fifty thousand fans packed out Kenan Stadium in sweltering conditions and were rewarded with a standout performance by Ian Maatsen who scored the opening two goals playing in an attacking left-wing role.
Maatsen stepped up having been named in the Championship team of the year last season following a successful loan spell with title winners Burnley.
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Manchester United have completed the signing of goalkeeper, Andre Onana in a forty-seven point one million pounds deal from Inter Milan.
Onana is a now a United player subject to international clearance after signing a five-year contract at Old Trafford with the option of a further year.
The team had already agreed terms with Inter of forty-three point seven million pounds plus potentially another three point four million pounds in add-ons, while Onana had agreed personal terms and passed a medical at Carrington
Meanwhile, Manchester United supporters are delighted after the club announced the capture of goalkeeper Andre Onana on Thursday.
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Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has named midfielder Bruno Fernandes as the club’s new permanent captain.
This comes after Ten Hag’s decision to strip Harry Maguire of the armband amid the defender’s uncertain future.
Fernandes has already worn the Red Devils’ armband on numerous occasions in the past.
The Portugal international has scored 64 goals and registered 54 assists in just 185 games for Man United since joining in 2020.
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Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle worth twelve million pounds plus add-ons to sell captain Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson travelled to Germany with Liverpool for their training camp but was not involved in their four-two friendly win over Karlsruher.
The England midfielder, has two years left on his contract at Anfield.
The agreement for Henderson follows Liverpool receiving a forty million pounds offer from Al-Ittihad for fellow midfielder Fabinho last Friday.
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Tottenham are searching for new strikers as uncertainty deepens around Harry Kane’s future at the club.
Kane has made it clear to Daniel Levy that he has no intention of signing a new deal this summer and, although open to all options, is prepared to accept a move to Bayern Munich rather than leave next year for free if that was considered best for his club.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s chairman is stepping up routine contingency plans by pricing up alternatives, including interest in Arthur Cabral of Fiorentina.
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Everton fan, Tommy Fleetwood has hailed the ‘special’ support of the Royal Liverpool crowd as he posted his lowest opening round in a major to sit joint-top of the Open leaderboard.
The world number twenty-one made six birdies, including three in a row at 14, 15 and 16, to post a five-under sixty-six and share the lead with amateur Christo Lamprecht and Emiliano Grillo as he bids to become the first Englishman to win the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992.
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English Premier League teams may be struggling to come to terms with Saudi Arabian clubs moving for some of their biggest names but fans in Riyadh, Jeddah and many other big cities of the Middle East and Asia are also having to adjust to football’s new reality.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr one of the ‘Big Four’ clubs along with bitter Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal and Jeddah giants Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli in December, the country has been in the international football spotlight and the club’s yellow shirt is an increasingly familiar sight in Europe and beyond.
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Luton Town have signed midfielder Marvelous Nakamba from Aston Villa on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Nakamba spent the second half of last season on loan with the Hatters and made twenty appearances.
The Zimbabwe international scored the third penalty in the shootout victory over Coventry in the Championship play-off final.
Luton are preparing for their first campaign in the top flight in thirty-one years.
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Newly promoted Burnley have signed goalkeeper, James Trafford from Manchester City in a four-year deal worth up to nineteen million pounds with add-ons.
City have a twenty percent sell-on clause and a buy-back option within the deal, which is fifteen million pounds up front and four million pounds add-ons.
Trafford, is yet to appear in the Premier League and has spent the previous two seasons on loan in League One with Accrington and Bolton.
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Major League Soccer has denied Wayne Rooney’s claim that Apple employees moved his coaching staff out of their seats during his side’s defeat by Arsenal.
Rooney’s MLS All-Stars lost five-nil to the Gunners in Washington DC.
The former England forward said his staff were “kicked out of their seats” by members of the tech company.
DC United have declined to comment on Rooney’s remarks.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Athletics; Three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce powered to victory in her first one hundred metre sprint of the 2023 season in Luzern, Switzerland.
The Jamaican has been recovering from a knee injury but clocked 10.82 seconds at the Spitzen Leichtathletik event.
New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs came second and American Kennedy Blackmon third.
Fraser-Pryce will defend her title at the World Championships in Budapest next month.
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In Golf; Tommy Fleetwood raised hopes of a first English winner of The Open in 31 years with a superb five-under-par 66 on the opening day at Royal Liverpool.
He ended round one as joint leader with South African amateur Christo Lamprecht and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.
They are one clear of France’s Antoine Rozner, Adrian Otaegui of Spain and American Brian Harman.
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In Rugby; Ireland’s Jimmy O’Brien does not believe captain Johnny Sexton’s three-game ban will have much bearing on the team’s World Cup preparations.
Sexton’s suspension means the fly-half will miss Ireland’s three World Cup warm-up matches.
However, the 38-year-old will return for the tournament opener against Romania on nine September in Bordeaux.
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OTHER LEAGUES
France’s sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, has offered her opinion on former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy restarting his career at FC Lorient after he was cleared of rape allegations.
FC Lorient recently announced the signing of Mendy on a two-year deal, following the expiration of his contract with Man City earlier this summer.
Mendy was acquitted of all charges related to two counts of rape and one of attempted rape, last week after previously being cleared of six charges of rape and one of sexual assault in January.
Oudea-Castera said justice has been served after Mendy was cleared of all rape allegations against him.
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Jordi Alba has joined former Barcelona team-mates, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami.
The Spain full-back, has signed a contract to the end of the 2024 Major League Soccer season, with a club option for 2025.
Alba left Barcelona this summer after eleven years with the Spanish giants.
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Bayern Munich forward, Sadio Mane, is in talks to join Al-Nassr.
The Senegal international looks set to move to Saudi Arabia only one year after he left Liverpool.
He joined Bayern for thirty-five million pounds and signed a three-year deal until 2025.
But Mane has been unable to impress in Germany, scoring just seven times in twenty-five league appearances.
If Mane moves to Al-Nassr, he will get to play with Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.
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Portuguese football player, Cristiano Ronaldo has played second-fiddle to Angel di Maria in Portugal on Thursday as his Al-Nassr side were embarrassed by European opponents in a second consecutive pre-season friendly that saw Benfica run out four-one victors.
The Portuguese superstar was involved from the off in Faro as Di Maria marked his return to Benfica with a first appearance back in Portugal.
Despite the goals that Benfica swept in with ease, a flashpoint in the match on the stroke of half-time saw the Argentinian embarrass Ronaldo as he chipped a ball over the Al-Nassr superstar before being hauled to the ground.
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TODAY’S THOUGHT
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