NIGERIA
Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi says the team is ready for battle ahead of their Round of 16 clash against England.
The West Africans will face another difficult test at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after surviving a difficult group of the co-hosts Australia and Olympic champions Canada.
Randy Waldrum’s side are unbeaten so far in the competition, with one win and two draws.
European champions England are overwhelming favourites to win the game slated for Lang Park, Brisbane, at 8.30am Nigeria time.
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Rangers have completed the signing of Kalu Nweke and Malachi Ohawume.
Nweke and Ohawume teamed up with the Flying Antelopes from Abia Warriors and Rivers United.
Both players put pen to paper on a two-year deal, each with the option of another year.
Rangers Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu described the arrival of the players as a great development.
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Ebube Duru is on the verge of leaving Nigeria Professional Football League side Rivers United.
Duru is yet to rejoin his teammates in camp after the end of the season break.
The left-back’s representatives are negotiating with an unnamed foreign club.
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The Benue State Football Association has started moves to revamp the defunct BCC Lions Football Club of Gboko.
The Chairman of the association, Paul Edeh has constituted a team to champion the rebirth of the club.
Edeh said the move is to complement the role of Lobi Stars as well as reduce the pressure on the only elite club in the state.
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President Bola Tinubu has congratulated D’Tigress for winning the FIBA Afrobasket tournament in Rwanda.
Tinubu, in a twitter congratulated D’Tigress for a well deserved fourth consecutive AfroBasket Women Championship.
According to him, Nigerians and government are proud of the D’Tigress.
Nigeria defeated arch-rivals Senegal 84-74 points in Kigali, Rwanda to win a fourth FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title on the bounce.
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Also, the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, saluted the D’Tigress for their well deserved victory at the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afro Basket Tournament just concluded in Rwanda.
Tinubu said the success of the team is a clear evidence of dedication, commitment and team spirit.
She noted that the victory of the D’Tigress is evidence of success in the horizon for Nigeria in every aspect especially as the Super Falcons will be taking on England on Monday in the group of 16 stage of the ongoing FIFA Women World Cup.
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The Federal Government has applauded the D’Tigress for emerging African Champions for the fourth consecutive time at the 2023 AfroBasket championship in Kigali, Rwanda.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Ismaila Abubakar, said the victory was historic, especially as the team had waited for 12 solid years with no title before their 2017 triumph.
The D’Tigress becomes only the second team ever, after Senegal to win four consecutive titles at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Competition.
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Nigeria will host eight other African Basketball teams in the pre-qualifiers in the journey to the Olympic Games in Paris.
The FIBA men’s Basketball pre-Olympics African qualifier will be held in Lagos from twelveth to twentieth August.
The participating teams that will slug it out for a coveted spot to represent the continent at the next Olympic Games are Senegal, Mali, Uganda, Congo Democratic Republic, Cameroun, Guinea, Tunisia, and host, Nigeria.
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Nigeria’s Under-18 girls’ handball team are currently in training camp at Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos preparing for the International Handball Federation Trophy Africa Continental Phase Championship.
The team will play in the Under-18 category alongside Guinea, Madagascar and Rwanda at the Centre ivoiro-coréen sports hall in Abidjan, which begins in Cote d’Ivoire eighth to nineteenth August.
The team, coached by Shittu Agboola, will participate in the competition as Africa Zone Three champions following their victory in the Trophy Africa Zone Three tournament held earlier in the year in Ghana.
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Nigerian long jumper, Mercy Abire, may face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in the United States.
The 28-year-old athlete, alongside Nigeria’s former men’s 100m champion, Raymond Ekevwo and Aniekeme Etim, utilised various fraudulent schemes between 2018 and 2022 to defraud unsuspecting victims.
From the court documents presented during the trial, the trio masterminded online romance scams, online charity scams and other deceptive tactics, which generated substantial sums of money.
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The second edition of the Cycling Lagos event has been scheduled to hold from twenty-first to twenty-eighth October.
The event which is supported by the Lagos State government, would help in discovering new talents in the state.
Director General of Lagos State Sports Commission, Oluwatoyin Gafaar reaffirmed the commitment of government in promoting grassroots sports development in the state.
He spoke through Kolawole Moses.
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Dillian Whyte insisted he was innocent after “adverse analytical findings” from a random anti-doping test prompted the cancellation of his heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua.
The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association said a “random anti-doping protocol” undertaken by Whyte had returned the adverse findings, leading to the all-British grudge match being called off.
Joshua’s rematch with Whyte had been due to take place at London’s O2 Arena twelveth August.
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IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Japan have flown in under the radar to become the team to beat, along with England, at the Women’s World Cup and boasting the tournament’s leading scorer in Hinata Miyazawa.
The United States, the holders, and a European contingent led by continental champions England were touted as title contenders going into the World Cup.
Nobody was talking about Futoshi Ikeda’s Japan, who are ranked 11th in the world by FIFA.
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Reigning champions the USA are out of the Women’s World Cup after being stunned by Sweden on penalties on a night of incredible drama in Melbourne.
USA dominated the 120 minutes but were denied by an inspired goalkeeping performance from Zecira Musovic as the match finished goalless.
The drama only ratcheted up in the shootout, as three USA players missed, including their footballing icon Megan Rapinoe on her last appearance on the world stage, before Sweden won in remarkable circumstances.
Sweden go through to face Japan in the quarter-finals.
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Netherlands manager Andries Jonker says his team have come to the Women’s World Cup “with the conviction that the team can beat everybody” after securing a quarter-final spot against Spain.
The Netherlands were forced to endure several anxious moments before defeating South Africa two-nil and booking a place in the last eight.
The Netherlands will return to New Zealand to face Spain in Wellington on Friday for a place in the semi-finals.
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Australia’s all-time leading scorer Sam Kerr is set to make her first appearance of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Monday’s last-16 tie against Denmark in Sydney.
The Matildas captain and Chelsea forward did not play in the three group games because of a calf injury.
Kerr, who has scored 63 goals for Australia, was an unused substitute in the 4-0 win over Canada which secured top spot in Group B.
The winners will face France or Morocco, who play on Tuesday, in the quarter-finals.
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England women manager, Sarina Wiegman says the team’s midfielder Keira Walsh could make their Women’s World Cup last-16 tie with Nigeria on Monday if she “recovers well” from Sunday’s training session.
Walsh, was taken off on a stretcher during the 1-0 win over Denmark on 28th July with a knee injury, which Wiegman confirmed was “not ligament damage”.
England have won all three matches at the Women’s World Cup and face Nigeria for a place in the quarter-finals in Brisbane on Monday, 8:30am Nigeria time.
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ENGLAND
Arsenal defeated champions Manchester City 4-1 on penalties on Sunday to win the 2023 Community Shield at the Wembley Stadium.
The Gunners have now won all three encounters against City for the Community Shield title.
The match ended 1-1 on duration time which necessitated shootouts to decide which team claim the Community Shield.
Arsenal scored all four kicks while City managed to score one.
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Former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane believes Arsenal paid ‘way too much’ for Declan Rice after the Gunners splashed out £105million to West Ham for the midfielder.
Rice completed his record-breaking deal that made him the most expensive English signing in Premier League history when he agreed to join Mikel Arteta’s side midway through July.
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Facundo Pellistri scored with the final kick of the game to rescue a one-all draw for Manchester United against ten-man Athletic Bilbao in their final pre-season match in Dublin.
The lively Pellistri fired into the bottom left corner in stoppage time, after racing onto Harry Maguire’s nod down in the penalty area.
Pellistri’s strike ensured Erik ten Hag’s side avoided defeat against the LaLiga side, who saw Aitor Paredes sent off midway through the second half.
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Manchester United supporters are planning to ramp up their protests against the Glazer family and are planning an hour-long sit-in at their match against Nottingham Forest.
With the long-running takeover saga rumbling on as the season rapidly approaches, The 1958, a group who accuse the American owners of ’18 years of ignorance and silence’, will protest at the Holy Trinity statue outside Old Trafford before United’s opener against Wolves next Monday.
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Tottenham strike, Harry Kane has scored four goals as Tottenham Hotspur beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 in their final pre-season friendly before the start of the Premier League.
Kane’s future at the team remains the subject of intense scrutiny with a year left on his contract and Bayern Munich stepping up their interest in him.
Tottenham open their Premier League campaign at Brentford on 13th August.
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Manchester United defender Alvaro Fernandez has emerged as a transfer target for Burnley.
Burnley manager, Vincent Kompany is keen to sign a left-back for his club, with Fernandez said to be under consideration.
Kompany guided Burnley to a Premier League promotion last season and they will face champions Manchester City on Friday in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
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Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck two late goals as the relegated Foxes began life back in the Championship by beating luckless Coventry City.
Last season’s beaten Championship play-off finalists looked on course for a deserved three points when they led through Kyle McFadzean’s 47th-minute opener from a near-post corner.
The Gus Hamer-inspired Sky Blues also wasted good chances either side of the City skipper’s strike.
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Leeds United has made a dramatic return to the Championship as new manager Daniel Farke saw Crysencio Summerville’s added-time equaliser cap a fightback from two-nil down to draw with Cardiff City.
The Bluebirds, also under the guidance of a new boss in Erol Bulut, had to withstand heavy Leeds pressure but clinical counter-attacking goals by debutants Josh Bowler and Ike Ugbo had given the visitors a convincing half-time lead.
A towering header by Leeds captain Liam Cooper early in the second half fuelled a resurgence from the dominant hosts, who missed several chances.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis; Dan Evans is through to his first ATP 500 final after a straight-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Washington DC.
The British number two beat the Bulgarian 6-3 7-6 and will play Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands in the final.
He becomes the the first British player to reach the final in Washington since Andy Murray in 2006.
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In Netball; England’s wait for a first Netball World Cup title continues after Australia defeated the Roses to win the event for a 12th time.
After a tight first quarter that ended 13-13, Australia pulled ahead and never looked back, winning 61-45.
It was the first time England had reached a World Cup final, but they could not repeat Thursday’s group-stage victory against the Diamonds.
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In Golf; Bryson DeChambeau produced one of the most remarkable rounds in the history of golf on Sunday, shooting 58 to win the LIV Golf Greenbrier title.
The 2020 US Open champion had 13 birdies and one bogey in his 12-under-par round to finish 23 under for the 54-hole event in West Virginia.
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In Cricket; Pakistan will send a team to India for October and November’s 50-over World Cup, ending months of uncertainty about their participation.
The two sides have only played in World Cups and neutral venues since 2013 because of political tensions.
They will meet in the Asia Cup on 2 September in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
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In Rugby; South Africa came from behind to beat Argentina 24-13 in a World Cup warm-up match in Buenos Aires.
Trailing 10-3 at half-time after a Gonzalo Bertranou try and Emiliano Boffelli penalty, the world champions scored 21 points in the second half.
Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie touched down and Manie Libbok kicked 14 points for South Africa.
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OTHER LEAGUES.
Kylian Mbappe will be training with Paris Saint-Germain’s ‘B’ squad as his feud with the club continues.
The striker is in a stand-off with the French champions over his failure to sign a contract extension.
Mbappe’s deal expires at the end of the forthcoming campaign and officials, who believe he has agreed a deal with Real Madrid starting in 2024, are keen to pick up a transfer fee for their £250million asset before he can walk out for nothing.
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TODAY’S THOUGHT
The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent….Words from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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