GLOBAL ASSOCIATION
Ukraine has once again threatened to boycott the 2024 Paris Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete.
According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, States covered with the blood of Ukrainians cannot participate in the Olympics.
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NIGERIA
The Nigerian Football Federation President, Ibrahim Gusau, has revealed that issues relating to the contract of Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro will be sorted soon.
When asked whether Nigerians should be expecting the new coach of the Super Eagles if the contract of Peseiro expires, Gusau said very soon, by the grace of God, Nigerians will hear the voice of the Federation, as far as the coach is concerned.
Gusau, said the Federation is ready to pay the Super Falcons their 2023 Women’s World Cup prize money.
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Katsina United have been assured of government support ahead of the upcoming season.
Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Yusuf Jirdede, gave the assurance when he visited the club’s management.
Jirdede urged the club hierarchy to work tirelessly in ensuring success in the new NPFL season.
The 2023-24 NPFL season will kick-start 8th September.
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Sporting Lagos have completed the signing of South Sudan midfielder, Joseph Loro.
Loro who arrived Lagos to complete the move, signed a one-year with Paul Offor’s tutored side.
The South Sudan U-20 captain turned down a move to Belgian Pro League outfit, Standard Liege to join Sporting Lagos.
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Kano Pillars defeated Olu Kits Academy 5-0 in a warm up friendly match ahead of the new Nigeria Professional Football League season.
The match took place at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano.
Abba Adam opened scoring for the Sai Masu-gida side in the first half.
Mubarak Sani doubled the lead, with veteran Rabiu Ali assisting the goal.
New signing Mustapha Ibrahim increased the tally as Abdullahi Yusuf netted the fourth and fifth goals during the encounter.
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AS Cotonou have completed the signing of former Enyimba star Chigozie Obasi.
Obasi, who won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013, joined the Benin Republic club for an undisclosed fee.
The hard tackling midfielder signed a one-year deal with the club.
Obasi, alongside ten others, left the nine-time NPFL champions after the expiration of their contracts.
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Former Super Eagles forward, Odion Ighalo has linked up with Saudi Arabia Professional League side, Al Wehda.
He put pen to paper on a two-year contract.
The Mecca -based outfit announced Ighalo’s arrival on Tuesday.
The player left former Saudi Arabia Professional League champions, Al Hilal in June following the expiration of his contract.
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Enyimba coach, George Finidi, has advised Super Eagles players to invest more in property when they retire from active football in a bid to avoid struggling financially after their careers.
Finidi who led the Elephants to their ninth Nigerian Professional Football League title in May, warned against players investing in businesses they have little knowledge about.
The former Ajax winger’s advice came as notable Nigerian footballers have gone into penury after failing to invest.
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Former Rivers United captain and new team coordinator, Festus Austin, says he had to make the tough call of quitting active football after battling with an injury over the past four years.
After playing for 16 years in the Nigeria Professional Football League, Austin called it quits, having won two league titles with Dolphins and Rivers United.
Following his retirement, Rivers appointed him as their team coordinator and also named striker Nyima Nwagua as the new captain of the club.
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Slavia Prague head coach, Jindrich Trpišovský has praised the work rate of Nigeria’s Muhammed Tijani whose hard work led to the own goal scored by Mladá Boleslav’s goalkeeper, Florent Gregoire Poulolo.
Trpisovsky admitted that they played against a tough Boleslav at the Lokotrans arena but he stressed that his players fought very hard to keep their winning start to the season.
The coach said Tijani was fast integrating into the style of the club and he predicts that the striker would be nightmare to opposing defenders throughout the season if he maintains his fitness.
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Athletics enthusiasts in Nigeria believe reigning world champion and women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, will be a big miss for the country if she’s not cleared to compete by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Amusan, who won the world title last year in Oregon, US, is among the entries for the event but her participation is pending a decision from the AIU, following her anti-doping suspension for missing three whereabouts tests.
The Athletics enthusiasts comment comes ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which begins on Saturday in Budapest, Hungary.
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Nigeria are no longer in the race for qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics after the D’Tigers exited the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Lagos winless.
The Nigerian senior male basketball team lost 68-77 on the second day of the tournament for Mali and Senegal to celebrate making it to the last four.
They led 17-15 and 26-23 in the first two quarters, then lost 16-18 and 7-24 in the last two quarters to put an end to their quest to qualify.
Mali will play their second group A game against Senegal at 6pm tomorrow to determine who tops the group as both teams have now qualified for the semi finals.
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IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Spain secured their place in a first FIFA Women’s World Cup final after battling to a 2-1 win over Sweden.
Their qualification followed a thrilling finish in the semi-final in Auckland.
Olga Carmona scored the decisive goal in the 89th minute following a pulsating conclusion to the game which saw Sweden substitute Rebecka Blomqvist cancel out teenager, Salma Paralluelo’s goal.
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England and Australia are both hoping to make history by reaching the Women’s World Cup final for the first time when they meet in Sydney on Wednesday.
Australia boss Tony Gustavsson, whose side progressed to the last four with an epic penalty shootout win over France, said the co-hosts “are on a mission, they are not done yet”.
The Matildas had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals before this tournament, while European champions England are playing in their third successive World Cup semi-final.
The winner will face Spain in Sunday’s final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
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ENGLAND
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, says Kevin de Bruyne could miss the next four months of the season as Manchester City decide whether he needs surgery on a hamstring injury.
The player limped off after 23 minutes in City’s opening win against Burnley at Turf Moor on Friday.
De Bruyne also went off injured during the Champions League final win over Inter Milan in June.
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Manchester city star, Rodri says the team has a hunger to win every trophy as the team prepare to face Spanish side Sevilla in the Uefa Super Cup in Athens.
Treble winners City were beaten by Arsenal in the Community Shield but have another chance to lift their first trophy of the season on Wednesday.
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Meanwhile, Versatile defender Rico Lewis has signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City.
The Bury-born 18-year-old made his first-team debut last season and went on to make 16 starts, scoring once, as City won the Treble.
The academy graduate had a year left on his existing deal and has committed himself to the club until 2028.
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Arsenal have signed Spanish goalkeeper David Raya on a season-long loan from Brentford with the option to make the move permanent.
Raya, will provide competition for England keeper Aaron Ramsdale and has taken the number 22 shirt.
He also signed a new two-year contract with Brentford to ensure the deal could be completed quickly.
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Chelsea are set to sign winger Michael Olise from Crystal Palace after activating a release clause in his contract in the region of £35m.
The France Under-21 international is poised to become the club’s ninth major signing of the summer.
London-born Olise registered 11 assists in the Premier League for Palace last season and signed for the Eagles from Reading on a five-year-deal in 2021.
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Brighton chief executive Paul Barber says Moises Caicedo’s decision to turn down Liverpool and join Chelsea left his club in a “difficult position”.
Liverpool agreed a £111m deal for the Ecuador midfielder, on Friday, but on Monday he joined Chelsea for a £100m fee that could rise to a British club record of £115m.
Barber said Liverpool “could not have done any more” but Caicedo’s “preferred destination” was Chelsea.
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Chelsea have agreed a fee of £53m plus £5m in add-ons for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
The 19-year-old, who has one senior cap for Belgium, is yet to have a medical before the move to Stamford Bridge.
Lavia made 34 appearances in all competitions last season but could not stop Saints being relegated from the Premier League.
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Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga hopes his loan move to Real Madrid will be made permanent in the future.
The Spain international’s season-long loan to Real was completed on Monday.
Kepa will cover for Real Madrid’s regular number one Thibaut Courtois, who is set to miss most of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
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Burnley have “strongly condemned” supporters who threw objects and attempted to invade the pitch during their match with Manchester City.
Manchester City defender Rico Lewis was struck by a lighter thrown from the crowd while a fan was restrained when they tried to get on to the playing area.
The incidents occurred at Friday’s Premier League opener at Turf Moor.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored twice as the defending Premier League champions cruised a 3-0 victory over the Clarets.
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OTHER SPORTS
The World Athletics Council has confirmed the host cities for three future World Athletics Series events at its meeting in Budapest, ahead of the World Athletics Championships starting on Saturdayin the Hungarian capital.
At the 231st Council meeting, the World Athletics Road Running Championships has been awarded to San Diego, USA, for 2025 and to Copenhagen, Denmark, for 2026.
The 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon.
The Council has also reinstated Lima, Peru, as the host of the World U20 Championships in 2024.
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Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir will captain Team GB and Northern Ireland at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The Scot, who came second in the 1500m at the Games in Tokyo two years ago, clinched bronze over the same distance at last year’s Worlds.
The 30-year-old also claimed her fifth European Indoor title this year.
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In Tennis; British number two Dan Evans has been knocked out in the first round of the Cincinnati Open by Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
The match was delayed on Monday because of heavy rain before Evans fell to a 6-4 6-3 defeat on Tuesday.
Evans won his first ATP 500 title at the Citi Open this month.
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In Rugby; England captain Owen Farrell is clear to play in the Rugby World Cup after his red card in Saturday’s warm-up with Wales at Twickenham was overturned.
Farrell’s yellow card was upgraded to red by the new ‘Bunker’ review system after a high tackle on Taine Basham.
However, a disciplinary panel reviewing the incident cited a change in dynamic in the contact area as a mitigation.
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In Cricket; Ben Stokes’ return to the England one-day side for the defence of the World Cup will be confirmed on Wednesday.
Stokes, 32, will come out of retirement to be named in a 15-man squad for a four-match series against New Zealand in September.
The bulk of that party will form the squad for the World Cup in India in October and November.
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In Swimming; Former Great Britain Olympic swimmer Helen Smart has died at the age of 43.
Smart, nee Don-Duncan, represented Britain at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 in the 200m backstroke.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Atletico Madrid striker, Memphis Depay, scored with a stunning long-range strike in the second half to help secure a 3-1 home win over promoted Granada in their LaLiga opener.
Alvaro Morata gave Atletico a first-half lead and Marcos Llorente put the icing on the cake with a late third against last season’s LaLiga2 champions.
The hosts dominated but missed several chances with Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco causing all kinds of trouble against a Granada side who parked the bus.
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Brazil forward Neymar has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal from French champions Paris St-Germain.
The deal for the former Barcelona player, 31, is understood to be worth about £77.6m) plus add-ons.
Neymar was not part of PSG coach Luis Enrique’s plans for the new season.
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Roberto Mancini insists that a potential move to the Saudi Arabia national team is not the reason for his sudden decision to quit Italy which has sparked a contract row over his tipped successor Luciano Spalletti.
Mancini resigned with less than a month until European champions Italy recommence their bid to qualify for Euro 2024 and has reportedly been offered 25 million euros to coach the Gulf nation.
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TODAY’S THOUGHT
“Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing,” – Abraham Lincoln.
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