NIGERIA
New Sports Development Minister, John Owan-Enoh, should work with technocrats who would share in his vision to succeed in his assignment.
This is according to Stakeholders who said all the Minister needs is to be focused and surround himself with technocrats who will work with him to take the ministry to the next level.
They said the Minister performed well as an administrator, while serving at various ad hoc committee levels at the National Assembly.
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The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Board and the 20 Nigeria Premier Football League clubs have scheduled their Annual General Meeting (AGM) for next Tuesday.
The NPL board’s Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, in a notice to all the clubs said the date would allow for a very effective organisation of season 2023/2024 activities.
The notice to the clubs also stated that the Draw Event for the 2023/2024 season would still hold on the same date as the AGM in Abuja.
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Plateau United FC of Jos beat hosts Wikki Tourists FC of Bauchi 1-0 on Tuesday at the 2023 Gusau/Ahlan preseason cup quarter finals played at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi.
The first half of the match did not yield any goal for either side though they both struggled to outshine each other and take the lead.
Olawale Doyin, however, pulled a fast one on the opponents at the resumption of play as he hit the back of the net to berth Plateau United at the semi-final stage of the tourney.
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Over 500 aspiring footballers are battling for honours at the maiden Paul Onuora and St. Eve football competition holding in four centres in Lagos.
Tagged ‘Paul Onuora Football League,’ the competition, which kicked off with teams drawn from 20 local councils of the state, is holding at the National Stadium training pitch, Eagles Club field, and the Nigeria Ports Authority field, all in Surulere.
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Nigeria’s quest for a medal at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, continues on Wednesday with duo Favour Ofili and Alaba Akintola competing in the women and men’s 200m.
The country is yet to win a medal at the five-day-old championships and the sprint event offers a little hope, especially for Ofili, who has been hitting her strides gradually this season.
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Eleven athletes and five officials of Para Power Lifting on Tuesday departed to Dubia for the World Para Power Lifting Championship.
The championship would serve as qualifiers for 2024 Paralympic in France.
The championship will hold from Wednesday in Dubia, United Arab Emirates.
Nine female athletes and two male will represent Nigeria in Dubai for the championship.
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Thirty professional teams are set to participate in Katsina Polo Club tournament, commencing Saturday
Fifteen of the professional teams and players are Katsina-based while the others are from across the country.
The professional players from the state, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Abuja and Lagos states are expected to play during the tournament.
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Nigeria’s World record holder in the 100 metres hurdles, Tobi’ Amusan, has given a significant boost to the country’s medal hopes at the ongoing World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
This is as she smoothly navigated the qualification rounds on Tuesday, demonstrating her prowess on the track.
Competing for the first time after receiving clearance from a panel established by World Athletics to review her suspension by the Athletes Integrity Unit, Amusan captured the attention of spectators at Budapest.
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IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Former Super Falcons’ coaches, Godwin Izilien and Edwin Okon, have advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) board to invest in women soccer to get the country at par with such super powers as Spain, England, United States and Norway, among others.
Speaking in the wake of the 2023 Women World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, Izilien said the top quality coaching and a well-organised league systems in England and Spain contributed to the great tactical performance by both teams in the finals.
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Spain’s prime minister says Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips was an “unacceptable gesture” and that his apology is “not enough”.
Spanish football federation president Rubiales kissed forward Hermoso following Spain’s 1-0 win over England in Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final.
Rubiales apologised and said he was “completely wrong”.
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ENGLAND
Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount is set to miss the club’s next two Premier league matches with injury.
The Red Devils said Mount is expected to be out until after the international break because of a “small complaint” sustained in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat by Tottenham.
Mount joined United from Chelsea in June in a deal worth an initial £55m.
Erik ten Hag’s side will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday before travelling to Arsenal on 3 September.
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Rachel Riley has accused Manchester United of “gaslighting” and “green lighting” abuse for their handling of the decision to part company with Mason Greenwood.
Greenwood’s exit was confirmed on Monday after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.
It came after charges against the player, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February.
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is set to miss his team’s next two Premier League matches after undergoing back surgery.
Guardiola, 52, had been suffering with what City said was “severe” back pain and travelled to Barcelona for an “emergency” but “minor” operation.
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Manchester City have agreed to sign Belgium winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes in a deal worth £55.4m.
The 21-year-old has scored 12 goals in 92 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.
Doku is poised to become City’s third major signing of the summer, after Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for £25m and Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig for £77m.
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Mason Greenwood potentially moving to a club in Saudi Arabia would be “very surprising”.
Forward Greenwood, 21, will leave Manchester United by mutual agreement after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.
Saudi teams have spent lavishly on big-name signings this summer and Greenwood has been discussed internally.
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Burnley have signed Belgium defender Hannes Delcroix from Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old centre-back, who has agreed a three-year deal, is manager Vincent Kompany’s 12th summer signing.
Delcroix rose through the youth ranks at Anderlecht and made his first-term debut in 2018.
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Burnley have signed midfielder Aaron Ramsey from Aston Villa for a fee in excess of £12m.
Ramsey, 20, has agreed a five-year contract at Turf Moor and becomes manager Vincent Kompany’s 13th summer signing.
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Newcastle United have signed 18-year-old Chelsea defender Lewis Hall on loan and will make the deal permanent next summer.
The England Under-21 international made his Premier League debut for Chelsea in a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle in November.
A fee of £28m plus £7m in add-ons will be activated at the end of the season.
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West Ham signed Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart in a deal worth a reported $21 million on Tuesday.
Mavropanos returns to the Premier League after making seven top-flight appearances during a three-year spell at Arsenal.
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Arsenal legend, Thierry Daniel Henry has been appointed head coach of France’s under-21 team until 2025.
The French Football Federation who announced this, noted that former Angers manager Gerald Baticle will join Henry as an assistant coach.
Henry will make his Under-21 coaching debut against Denmark 7th September, before France takes on Slovenia in Euro qualifying four days later.
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Chelsea midfielder, Carney Chukwuemeka has undergone surgery after sustaining a knee injury during Sunday’s Premier League clash against West Ham United.
The West London club announced this in a statement on their website on Tuesday.
It reads, “Carney underwent surgery and will now begin his recovery. The 19-year-old will work with the club’s medical department on his rehabilitation at Cobham (Chelsea’s training ground).”
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OTHER SPORTS
In Athletics; Laura Muir finished sixth in the women’s 1500m final as Faith Kipyegon claimed her third World Championships gold in dominant fashion in Budapest.
An emotional Muir, winner of world bronze last year, faded to finish in three minutes 58.58 seconds after the most challenging year of her career.
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In Tennis; Britain’s Harriet Dart remains in the hunt for a place in the US Open main draw after a gutsy comeback win in the first round of qualifying.
Dart, 27, trailed by a set and an early break against France’s Chloe Paquet but fought back to win 3-6 6-4 6-1.
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In Boxing; Undisputed super-middleweight boxing champion Savannah Marshall has signed with the Professional Fighters League to compete in MMA.
The 32-year-old Briton, who has agreed a “multi-year deal” with the American promotion, has 13 wins from 14 boxing bouts but no MMA experience.
American boxers Amanda Serrano and Claressa Shields have also signed deals with the PFL.
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In Basketball; James Harden has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for saying he would not play for the Philadelphia 76ers while president Daryl Morey was in charge.
The guard called Morey a “liar” in an interview after reports the 76ers had ended talks about trading him.
Harden, 33, was reportedly keen to join the LA Clippers before talks faltered.
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Rugby; Ireland attack coach Mike Catt says the team still do not know the extent of Dan Sheehan’s injury, but admits not having the hooker for the World Cup would be a “big loss”.
Sheehan did not travel to France to face Samoa after injuring his foot in Saturday’s win over England.
Catt said he was seeing a specialist in Dublin and that an update would be provided later this week.
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In Cricket; England spinner Alex Hartley has announced she will retire from cricket at the end of The Hundred.
The 29-year-old was part of England’s 2017 World Cup-winning squad.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Lega Serie A President Lorenzo Casini says FIFA and UEFA ‘must take action’ against the dominance of Saudi clubs in the market to safeguard competitiveness.
According to him, surely it’s a new phenomenon, other countries made these sorts of deals in the past.
He made this known while talking about the countless big-money transfers completed by Saudi clubs in the summer transfer window.
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Manager Michael Beale says Rangers face “the sternest test” against PSV Eindhoven in the final round of Champions League qualifying.
Rangers host the Dutch club in Tuesday’s first leg, having beaten the same side at this stage last season.
The loser of the play-off tie will enter the Europa League group stage.
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TODAY’S THOUGHT
“Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.””..Words from Ted Williams.
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