IN NIGERIA

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, who plays for Chippa United, has arrived Uyo to increase the number of players in Super Eagles’ camp to eleven.

The Super Eagles camp for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Benin Republic and Rwanda officially open in Uyo on Monday.

Captain William Troost-Ekong led by example as he was one of the early arrivals in camp.

The centre-back was also joined by Ademola Lookman, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Olisa Ndah and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

Caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen and one of his assistants Fidelis Ilechukwu have also hit camp.

The Super Eagles will have their first official training at the practice pitch of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Tuesday.

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Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has agreed to join Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal.

Galatasaray have however presented the Nigeria international the chance to remain active.

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ENGLAND

Chelsea defender, Wesley Fofana has advised the team to learn to kill games.

He made this known on the backdrop of the Blues’ one-all draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League game.

Speaking with the club’s website, Fofana stated that the team must learn to kill games.

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Manchester United’s three-nil home loss to Liverpool is particularly painful for Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who was substituted at half-time and then criticised by pundits.

There were even claims he left Old Trafford at the break, but United boss Erik ten Hag refuted it.

Now Casemiro’s wife Anna Mariana, has come to her husband’s defence, reminding people of the many trophies he has won throughout his illustrious career.

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OTHER LEAGUES

Uefa has announced that the amount clubs can charge for away tickets in Europe’s three men’s club competitions will be reduced this season.

Champions League games will be capped at fifty point five-five pounds, with thirty-three point seventy pounds the maximum for the Europa League and just sixteen point eighty-five pounds for the Conference League.

Next season the Champions League figure will drop to forty-two point one-two pounds with twenty-nine point four-eight pounds for the Europa League.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said the plan marks another key step in reaffirming Uefa’s commitment to enhancing the matchday experience for all fans.

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Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo says he has no plans to retire from international football yet – but it would not be a difficult decision to make when the time comes.

The 39-year-old has more caps and more goals than anybody else in men’s international football history, with one hundred and thirty strikes in two hundred and twelve games.

The Al-Nassr forward, is in Portugal’s squad for Nations League games with Croatia and Scotland.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he never considered leaving the national team despite the post-Euro 2024 criticism.

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Wales have added Leeds United’s teenage midfielder Charlie Crew to their squad for the Nations League matches against Turkey and Montenegro.

Cardiff-born Crew yet to make a senior appearance for his club, but made his international debut against Gibraltar in June.

Wales face Turkey in Craig Bellamy’s first game in charge on Friday, before taking on Montenegro three days later.

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The duo of Northern Ireland players, Jordan Thompson and Brodie Spencer have been ruled out of the team’s Nations League double-header against Luxembourg and Bulgaria.

Stoke midfielder Thompson has a calf problem which has caused him to miss the Potters’ last two games, while Spencer injured his shoulder against Shrewsbury.

Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has not called up replacements for Thompson and Spencer.

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Three Ghana coaches, including former Premier League defender John Paintsil, are in a stable condition after a car crash.

Head coach Otto Addo, assistant Paintsil and goalkeeping coach Fatawu Dauda were on their way back from a scouting trip at a club game in Ghana when their vehicle was damaged as it avoided a head-on collision with a pick-up truck that veered into their lane.

The Ghanaian Football Association is hopeful they will be fine to take charge of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger on Thursday and Monday.

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OTHER SPORTS

In Tennis, Jack Draper has produced a brilliant display to reach the US Open quarter-finals with a straight-set win over Tomas Machac.

The Briton stormed to a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory in just an hour and forty-four minutes as he booked his place in the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time.

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Still on Tennis, Unseeded Karolina Muchova has moved into the US Open quarter-finals as she upset fifth seed Jasmine Paolini.

Muchova, who made the semi-finals in New York in 2023, recovered from being 3-1 down in the opening set to secure a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the Italian.

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Also, Briton Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram have suffered their first loss at the US Open since 2020 as the three-time defending champions’ winning run at Flushing Meadows ended.

The men’s doubles winners in 2021, 2022 and 2023 were beaten 7-6, 6-3 in the third round by American 13th seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

Salisbury and Ram’s winning record in New York stretched back twenty matches, with their most recent defeat before Monday coming in the 2020 semi-finals.

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In Rugby, South Africa Rugby Union has apologised to New Zealand over highly regrettable disruption to the closing stages of their haka before the hosts’ Rugby Championship victory on Saturday in Johannesburg.

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In Athletics, Great Britain’s Jonnie Peacock said 2017 Jonnie is the guy he needs to find” to compete with the world’s best after finishing fifth in the men’s T64 one hundred metres final in Paris.

The two-time Paralympic champion made a fine start out of the blocks, but was overtaken in the latter stages of the race and eventually crossed the line in 10.91 seconds.

Costa Rica’s Sherman Guity took gold with a Paralympic record time of 10.65.

Italian Maxcel Amo Manu finished second, with Germany’s Felix Streng taking the bronze medal.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Great players want to be driven, to be pushed to the edge. They do not want to be cheated. Ordinary players want it to be easy….words from Pat Riley.