NIGERIA
Former President, Nigerian Football Federation Amaju Pinnick, has emphasised the need to strengthen football in secondary schools to give more opportunities to budding talents.
According to him, more attention to secondary school football would boost the sports in rural areas and shore up infrastructural growth that will, in turn, enhance the quality of education nationwide.
Pinnick, who is also the FIFA Executive Council Member, said the ongoing football construction works at Hussey College in Warri would serve as a model on how developed football programmes in secondary schools could produce soccer stars for local and international leagues.
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has congratulated Rivers United for making it to the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.
Peseiro took to his X handle to celebrate the former Nigeria Premier Football League champions.
Rivers United earned a berth in the money-spinning stage of the competition after beating Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso two-nil on Sunday.
Rangers head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu has demanded more from his players despite the team making a winning start to the new season.
Ilechwukwu stated that his side need to work on their conversion ratio in subsequent games.
The Flying Antelopes defeated Doma United two-one in their matchday one encounter at the Awka City Stadium.
Rangers midfielder, Kalu Nweke is optimistic that his team will get better as the season progresses.
Nweke was on target in the Flying Antelopes’ Nigeria Premier Football League two-one win against Doma United.
Nweke was named Man of the Match after the game.
Super Falcons star, Michelle Alozie has been named Player of the Match in Houston Dash’s two-nil win at Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Houston Dash announced Alozie as the best player on their X handle after the win against Gotham FC.
Alozie marked her return to action from suspension with a brace for Houston Dash.
Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface has been named in the Bundesliga Team of the Month for September.
The Team of the Month was compiled by the football facts and statistics website whoscored.com on their X handle.
Boniface registered four goals and one assist for Die Werkself and also netted a brace twice in September.
Supporters of Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso have commended the players for their bravery despite the team’s ouster from the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Burkinabes lost two-nil to Rivers United in the second leg of the second qualifying round at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.
The supporters expressed their feeling on the team’s performance on the club’s comment section on their X handle.
ENGLAND
Manchester United winger Antony will return to the team for their Champions League game with Galatasaray on Tuesday.
The Brazilian star has not played since early September after allegations of domestic abuse were made against him.
Antony, who has denied the allegations, has not been arrested or charged in either Brazil or the UK.
Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has backed the team’s forward, Marcus Rashford to overcome his early-season slump if he keeps the right focus.
Rashford was Manchester United’s 30-goal top scorer last season but has contributed just one goal and one assist in eight games so far this term.
He signed a new three hundred, thousand pounds-a-week contract in the summer but he has struggled to gel with new seventy-two million pounds striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Also, Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has called on the team’s forwards to show a more ruthless efficiency to turn their dismal start to the season around.
Saturday’s one-nil defeat to Crystal Palace made it five defeats from their opening nine matches, as questions swirl over the quality of Erik ten Hag’s squad following a four hundred million pounds investment.
United have managed to score just seven goals in seven league games this season with Marcus Rashford himself only scoring once.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has slammed Liverpool’s response to the huge VAR error which cost Luis Diaz a goal at Tottenham after the Reds said they were ‘exploring all options’.
The Reds fell to a two-one defeat to Tottenham in north London, but they had taken a one-nil lead after Curtis Jones’ red card after Luis Diaz had seemingly scored on the break.
But the Colombian’s opener was ruled out for offside, although VAR images clearly show that he was being played onside by Cristian Romero – something that the PGMOL later apologised for in an admission of fault.
Liverpool star, Diogo Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso has hit out at Premier League officials for ‘rigging’ Saturday’s game between Liverpool and Tottenham.
Cardoso was furious at referee Simon Hooper and the PGMOL for sending Jota off for two yellow cards within the space of two minutes against Tottenham, who won a controversial encounter two-one.
She was also irritated by the red card shown to Curtis Jones and the fact Liverpool were denied an obvious goal after Luis Diaz was adjudged to be offside.
Liverpool are set to appeal the red card Curtis Jones received in their controversial loss at Tottenham.
The Reds midfielder was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma, with still images showing Jones’ studs going into the shin of the Mali international.
But many believe the still image made the tackle look a lot worse than it was, with Jones appearing not to be reckless when making the challenge.
Liverpool have asked PGMOL for audio of discussions between the match officials in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.
The video assistant referee did not overturn an incorrect decision to disallow a Luis Diaz goal for offside.
PGMOL, the governing body for referees, said the decision to rule out the goal was “a significant human error”.
Former Manchester City and England striker Francis Lee has died, at the aged 79.
Lee scored 148 goals in 330 appearances during an eight-year spell at City, helping the club win multiple honours, including the old First Division title in 1968.
Tottenham have condemned racist abuse directed at defender Destiny Udogie on social media after Saturday’s two-one home win against Liverpool.
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Udogie.
Tottenham said they would work with the Premier League and, where possible, take action against any individual we are able to identify.
Arsenal have received a major injury boost ahead of their next Premier League clash with Manchester City on eighth October.
This comes after forward Bukayo Saka trained with Arsenal on Monday following another injury scare with midfielder Thomas Partey joining him after his recent layoff.
Despite the worrying update, Saka trained as normal ahead of the Manchester City clash and also their midweek UEFA Champions League tie against RC Lens.
Former England International, Gary Neville has revealed that Chelsea and Manchester United are suffering from the same problems this season.
According to Neville, both Manchester United and Chelsea have ‘cultural issues and chaos’ which he believes are hindering their performances on the pitch.
Former Chelsea Striker, Chris Sutton has criticised Manchester United’s summer signing Sofyan Amrabat after his recent performance in the Red Devils’ Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace over the weekend.
Amrabat struggled in an unfamiliar left-back role as Manchester United lost one-nil at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace.
The Morocco international won only six of fourteen ground duels and one of two aerial duels during the encounter as Crystal Palace wreaked havoc down his wing.
A Sheffield Wednesday fan who used a photo of Bradley Lowery to taunt opposition supporters has admitted a public order offence.
Dale Houghton, was pictured laughing as he brandished the image of the six-year-old during a match against Sunderland – the team Bradley supported before he died of cancer in 2017.
He pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Sacramento Republic forward Da’vian Kimbrough has become the youngest person to play professional football in the United States.
Kimbrough, aged thirteen years, seven months and thirteen days, came off the bench in the 87th minute against Las Vegas Lights.
The previous record was held by Axel Kei, who was thirteen years, nine months and nine days old in October 2021 when he appeared for Real Monarchs.
Former Liverpool women goalkeeper, Rylee Foster says she wants to show the best version of herself as she rebuilds her career after a horrific car crash.
Foster signed for Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand in September, having been told after her accident that she would never play again.
The Canadian fractured seven bones in her neck in the crash in October 2021.
OTHER LEAGUES
Real Madrid star, David Alaba has been ruled out of the team’s UEFA Champions League group stage clash with Napoli which takes place on Tuesday at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The aforementioned game is Real Madrid’s second game in the Champions League this season.
The Carlo Ancelotti led side defeated German outfit Union Berlin one-nil in the first match twentieth September at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Napoli captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo believes the Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen can help the Serie A champions beat Real Madrid.
Di Lorenzo stated that they would be backing Osimhen for victory against the Los Blancos.
The Partenopei will host Real Madrid in a UEFA Champions League clash at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona on Tuesday.
French professional footballer Kylian Mbappe is ‘yet to reach peak fitness’ for Paris Saint-Germain this season after missing the club’s pre-season summer tour as the Frenchman prepares to face Newcastle in the Champions League this week.
Despite scoring eight goals in seven matches across all competitions so far for PSG, the French superstar is still chasing his best form.
The PSG attacker is paying the price for ‘three weeks without rhythm’ when the first team went to Japan for their pre-season tour.
OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis; Carlos Alcaraz progressed to the semi-finals of the China Open with a straight-sets win over Casper Ruud.
The number two seed had a tough opening to the match, falling 3-0 behind, but came back to win 6-4 6-2.
In Athletics; Callum Elson won silver in the men’s one mile race for Great Britain at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.
Elson ran a lifetime best time of three minutes 56.41 seconds, finishing behind Hobbs Kessler of the USA.
In Cricket, England finalised their preparation for their 50-over World Cup defence with a four-wicket win over Bangladesh.
Moeen Ali crashed 56 off 39 balls, including six sixes, as England chased a revised target of 197 with 77 balls remaining in Guwahati.
Reece Topley took 3-23 as Bangladesh made 188-9 from their 37 overs, with rain causing a three-hour delay during the middle of their innings.
England start their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on Thursday.
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In Formula one, the US-based Andretti team’s bid to enter Formula 1 with General Motors’ Cadillac brand has been approved by motorsport’s governing body, the FIA.
Andretti Formula Racing were the only team approved by the FIA out of four candidates who made it to the second phase of the new teams process.
All others were deemed not to have met the required criteria.
In Rugby, Australian rugby bosses are “committed” to head coach Eddie Jones and want him to stay on despite a jarring World Cup.
Australia are on the verge of exiting the tournament at the opening stage for the first time in their history.
Jones has a contract until 2027, when the Wallabies host the World Cup, and Rugby Australia see him fulfilling it.
In Golf, Luke Donald “will consider” staying on to captain Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Donald won the Ryder Cup four times as a player and he captained the team to glory in Rome on Sunday.
Europe claimed a 16½-11½ victory against the United States, leading to chants of “two more years”.
TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Luton Town vs Burnley
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IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – GROUP A
FC Copenhagen vs Bayern Munich
Manchester United vs Galatasaray
Lens vs Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven vs Sevilla
FC Union Berlin vs Sporting Braga
Napoli vs Real Madrid
FC Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Sociedad
Inter Milan vs Benfica
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TODAY’S THOUGHT
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