NIGERIA
Minister of Sports Development, John Owan-Enoh, has expressed displeasure over the non-inclusion of Nigerian referees amongst match officials listed for the 2023 AFCON slated for Cote D’Ivoire.
Enoh stated this in Abuja while reacting to the list of match officials released by the Confederation of African Football ahead of the tournament scheduled for January, 2024.
He said given Nigeria’s football pedigree and population, the country should not be in such a predicament, that is now becoming a trend.
The minister promised to hold engagements with relevant stakeholders such as the Nigeria Football Federation, Nigeria Referees Association, among others, with a view to reversing the trend.
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Some football stakeholders in the country have blamed maladministration and corruption in the country’s elite league for the non-recognition of Nigerian Referees by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The continent’s football ruling body failed to include Nigerian Referees in the list of officials to officiate at the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for Cote d’Ivoire.
The tournament is scheduled to hold from 13th January to eleventh February 2024.
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The Confederation of African Football has paid tribute to former Super Falcons player, Desire Oparnozie, following her retirement from football.
Oparanozie on Wednesday brought an end to her illustrious career after she announced her retirement from both country and club football at the age of twenty-nine.
The African football governing body on Thursday joined millions of fans and friends to celebrate the striker and wished her well in her future endeavours.
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Nigerian international Victor Osimhen who plays for Napoli has been listed for the FIFA Best Player award.
Osimhen’s nomination makes him the first Nigerian player to be nominated for the FIFA Best Footballer award which was first won by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016.
His compatriot, Asisat Oshoala, who also bagged Ballon d’Or nomination in the female category, failed to make the cut in the FIFA Best Award.
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Nigerian international, Victor Boniface has been named Bundesliga Player of the Month for August.
Boniface beat Bayern Munich forward, Harry Kane, to the individual accolade.
The Super Eagles forward also won the Bundesliga Rookie Player of the Month for August.
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Former Flying Eagles forward, Christian Pyagbara has joined Nigeria Premier Football League side Shooting Stars.
Pyagbara completed his move to the Oluyole Warriors after a successful trial.
The former Akwa United forward featured in Gbenga Ogunbote’s close camping in Ijebu-Ode.
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Shooting Stars Chairman, Babatunde Olaniyan has assured that the club is prepared to achieve success in the 2023/2024 Nigerian Football League season.
Olaniyan who gave the assurance in Ibadan, said the team have had a very successful pre-season tournaments.
Also, the team’s technical adviser, Gbenga Ogunbote, assured fans that his team was ready for the new season.
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Rangers have completed the signing of Austin Opara from Plateau United.
The experienced defender heads to the Coal City club after severing ties with the Peace Boys.
Opara will reunite with former Plateau United head coach Fidelis Ilechukwu at the club.
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Heartland have announced the signing of former Barcelona winger, Ezekiel Bassey.
Bassey was part of Enyimba squad that won the Nigeria Premier Football League title in 2016.
He was part of Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles squad to the 2016 Africa Nations Championship in Rwanda.
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Three Nigerian boxers have advanced to the final of the Africa Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal, with one boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore, already securing her spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Ogunsemilore qualified for the Paris Olympics after she knocked out Zambian Nkandu Felistars in round two of the women’s sixty kilogram to progress to the final, which was enough to earn her a place in Paris.
Omole Dolapo secured his spot in the final of the men’s fifty-seven kilogram, after he recorded a unanimous decision win over Cameroonian boxer Sangue Christian.
The third Nigerian who qualified for the final is Olaore Adams, who dominate every round to secure a unanimous decision win over Moroccan Maanni Ayoub in the men’s ninety-two kilogram.
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Head Coach of Nigeria’s Under-eighteen Women Handball team, Shittu Agboola, has released the final list of players that will participate at the 19th Africa Women’s Youth Nations Championship, which will hold in Monastir, Tunisia.
The championship will hold from sixteenth to twenty-third September.
Eighteen players were invited to the camp at the Rowe Park Sports Center, Yaba, Lagos, ahead of the continental championship.
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SFFL Showtime League X, foremost co-ed American flag football league, will debut in Lagos 24th September, with ten teams competing in the season.
The teams, which will compete during the season comprising of nine weeks are, Outlaws, Lagos Mavericks, Spartan FC Lagos, Dragons, Lagos Athletics, Lagos Rebels, Lagos Raptors, Lagos Panthers, Titans and Warriors.
Speaking during the unveiling, the League Commissioner, Adejumo Adebare, said the newly introduced sport league in Nigeria stands as a pioneering force in the world of co-ed flag football in Lagos State.
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ENGLAND
Six players who helped Manchester City win the Treble in 2022-23 are among the nominees for the men’s player of the year at the 2023 Fifa Best Awards.
Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Bernardo Silva make up half of the twelve players in contention for the prize.
Two-time winner Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are also up for the prestigious award along with England’s Declan Rice.
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola is a nominee for coach of the year.
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Manchester United winger, Jadon Sancho will train away from the first team until issues with manager Erik ten Hag are resolved.
Ten Hag left Sancho out of his squad for the loss at Arsenal earlier this month, saying the winger’s training performances had been below standard.
Sancho, rejected the Dutchman’s reasoning and claimed he had been a scapegoat for a long time.
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Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has taken yet another step in his bid to exert greater control over his team’s training regimens in order to maximise performance output.
The Red Devils made a quiet start to the 2023-24 season, losing twice already and winning a further two so far.
While a three-one defeat to Arsenal last time out would have perhaps been a disheartening one, United showed great heart and battle in coming from two-nil down to beat Nottingham Forest.
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Former Liverpool defender, Jose Enrique, has claimed that Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag will be sacked before Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Ten Hag led Man United to the FA Cup final and back into the Premier League top four to qualify for this season’s UEFA Champions League.
The former Ajax coach faced some early pressure this season, after losing two of Man United’s opening four Premier League matches against Arsenal and Tottenham.
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England defender, Kyle Walker has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City.
Walker had entered the final year of his previous deal and was linked with a move to Bayern Munich in the summer.
He won thirteen major trophies in his six years at Manchester City and the new deal means the he will stay until 2026.
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West Ham forward, Michail Antonio, says fans’ abuse of Harry Maguire is now actually embarrassing.
Maguire, lost his place in Manchester United’s starting line-up and then the captaincy this summer, but continues to be selected for England.
After coming on for the second half of Tuesday’s friendly in Scotland, he scored an own goal and was mocked by the home fans as England won three-one.
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Chelsea have axed a former rising star earning one hundred, thousand pounds-a-week from their twenty-five man Premier League squad, after registering players for first half of the campaign.
The Blues undergone a significant transformation since the start of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital era at the club.
Significant changes have been made to the playing squad, with over one billion pounds spent in three transfer windows under the new regime.
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The dust has settled on the transfer window which saw Premier League clubs smash the gross spending record by forking out two point four billion pounds over the summer on new faces.
Chelsea were the biggest spenders during the window with four hundred and twenty-eight point eight million pounds going out of the club on Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson.
The Blues also recouped two hundred and twenty point one million pounds with Kai Havertz departure to Arsenal for sixty-five million pounds and Mason Mount’s sixty million pounds transfer to Manchester United among the significant outgoings.
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Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard is in advanced talks over a new contract, while key defender Ben White is set to open formal talks over an extension.
Odegaard and White have emerged as key players under Mikel Arteta, with the club looking to secure their long-term futures.
Skipper Odegaard’s current deal expires at the end of next season and the Gunners have made the midfielder’s future a top priority.
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Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger says his decision to let defender Ashley Cole leave the Gunners to join Chelsea in 2006 was the ‘regret of his life’.
Wenger spent twenty-two years in charge of Arsenal from 1996 to 2018, delivering three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup trophies.
The Frenchman now opened up about one of his biggest mistakes during his spell at the club and pointed towards his decision to let Cole exit Emirates seventeen years ago.
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Arsenal chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham is walking away from his role next summer after fourteen years at the club.
Venkatesham took on the role of head of global partnerships in 2010 before scaling the Gunners hierarchy to becoming one of the most crucial pieces in the first team puzzle.
Arsenal confirmed he will now leave in the summer of 2024 in search of a ‘new challenge’, with Arsenal already working to find his successor.
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Brentford striker, Ivan Toney is due to resume training with his Brentford teammates next week with the restrictions of his eight-month betting ban easing on Sunday.
Toney was suffering with a hamstring problem prior to being suspended in May which may require him to be eased back into training after the injury and his extended absence.
Brentford medics will assess Toney’s recovery on his return to the club to determine exactly when he would get the green light to re-join working with the rest of Thomas Frank’s squad.
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Nottingham Forest midfielder, Jonjo Shelvey has joined Turkish club Caykur Rizespor after just seven-and-a-half months at the City Ground.
The former England international, completed the move before Friday’s transfer deadline in Turkey.
Shelvey signed a two-and-a-half-year contract when he joined Forest from Newcastle in January but leaves after just eight appearances.
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Luton Town boss, Rob Edwards, says pundit Garth Crooks tipping the team to be relegated by Christmas is disrespectful.
Luton returned to the top flight for the first time since 1991-92, the season before the Premier League began.
The Hatters have lost their opening three league games, after which Crooks said he could not take them seriously”.
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Premier League clubs could thwart a proposed relaunch of the Women’s Super League next year due to disagreements over funding.
The Football Association asked the twenty male top-flight clubs to provide around twenty-five million pounds to set up an enhanced competition for the 2024-25 season, but a majority of them have yet to agree.
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England’s women stars, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood, Lauren James and Keira Walsh are among the nominees for the women’s player of the year at the 2023 Fifa Best Awards.
Sarina Wiegman, who guided the Lionesses to the Women’s World Cup final, is shortlisted for coach of the year along with Chelsea’s Emma Hayes.
Spain World Cup winners Aitana Bonmati, Jenni Hermoso and Salma Paralluelo are also nominated.
England’s Mary Earps is among the nominees for best goalkeeper.
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Manchester United women have announced the signing of Spain midfielder, Irene Guerrero from Atletico Madrid.
Guerrero was part of the Spain squad who were crowned champions at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.
She becomes United’s sixth signing of the summer and joins on transfer deadline day.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Barcelona’s ongoing battle against their financial crisis has seen another twist, with LaLiga informing the Catalan side that their new wage cap will be reduced to two hundred and thirty-two million pounds.
The LaLiga champions have been struggling against Javier Tebas’ financial restrictions for some time following a number of huge transfer deals and several years of mismanagement at the Nou Camp.
As a result, a number of the club’s heftier salaries have since been taken off the bill, with the likes of club legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba departing for MLS outfit Inter Miami where they have reunited with Lionel Messi.
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LaLiga outfit Getafe have posted a video on social media featuring new striker Mason Greenwood in training, as he looks to make his debut this weekend.
The former England international completed a deadline day switch to Getafe on loan, with Manchester United believed to be paying the majority of his wages.
Reports claim the Premier League club would help Mason Greenwood try to rebuild his career in Spain by paying for a luxury villa and a translator.
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Juventus star, Paul Pogba has called for counter analysis on the test that came back positive for doping.
Pogba is facing a ban of up to four years after a sample tested positive for testosterone after his club’s Serie A fixture against Udinese on twenty August, a game in which he did not play.
It has capped what has been an underwhelming return to Juventus after six years at Manchester United, who signed him for a then world record eighty-nine million pounds from the Old Lady.
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Italy defender, Leonardo Bonucci is taking legal action against his former club Juventus after claiming he was left feeling “humiliated”.
Bonucci joined Union Berlin for free in August after being frozen out of the Juventus squad following a reported fallout with manager Massimiliano Allegri.
He spent twelve years in Turin over two spells and won Serie A eight times with Juventus in addition to helping Italy win Euro 2020.
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Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas says institutions must show courage and leadership to stop women suffering a “lack of respect or abuse”.
Putellas made her comments in the wake of Luis Rubiales resigning as Spanish Football Federation president after kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips.
Rubiales is due in court on Friday to respond to accusations of sexual assault and coercion over the kiss.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Formula one, Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 needs to do more to fight discrimination in the wake of offensive comments by Red Bull boss Helmut Marko.
Hamilton apologised last week after blaming Sergio Perez’s inconsistent form for Red Bull this year on his ethnicity.
He described Marko’s remarks as completely unacceptable but said that he was not surprised to hear them.
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In Cricket, Chris Woakes admitted that England see Ben Stokes ‘as this superhuman that can do incredible things’ after the England Test captain smashed a record-breaking one hundred and eighty-two against New Zealand in the third ODI at The Oval.
And ahead of Friday’s final ODI at Lord’s, four years on from that World Cup final, Woakes insisted that even for a man like Stokes, such an innings would do wonders for his confidence after coming out of retirement for the World Cup.
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In Rugby, Wales boss, Warren Gatland has revealed World Rugby admitted to him and his Wales team several decisions made against them in their thrilling win over Fiji were wrong.
The officiating at the World Cup in France has been a big talking point in the tournament so far, including in Wales’ Pool C opener.
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SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND.
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In English Premier League
ON SATURDAY
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
Fulham vs Luton Town
Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur vs Sheffield United
West Ham United vs Manchester City
Newcastle United vs Brentford
ON SUNDAY
AFC Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Everton vs Arsenal
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Athletic Bilbao vs Cádiz
Valencia vs Atlético Madrid
Celta Vigo vs Mallorca
Barcelona vs Real Betis
ON SUNDAY
Getafe vs Osasuna
Villarreal vs Almería
Sevilla vs Las Palmas
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
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IN ITALIAN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Juventus vs Lazio
Inter Milan vs AC Milan
Genoa vs Napoli
ON SUNDAY
Cagliari vs Udinese
Frosinone vs Sassuolo
Monza vs Lecce
Fiorentina vs Atalanta
Roma vs Empoli
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TODAY’S THOUGHT
“PASSION FIRST, AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FALL INTO PLACE, WORDS FROM HOLLY HOLM.
“THE HARDER THE BATTLE, THE SWEETER THE VICTORY, WORDS FROM LES BROWN.
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