IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
================================
Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has insisted he has nothing to panic about after a poor start to the season.
A number of senior sources at United said it was business as usual as Ten Hag prepared for key games against Porto and Aston Villa.
Despite Sunday’s demoralising three-nil loss against Tottenham leaving them in 13th, Ten Hag is confident the season can be a success.
United face a trip to Porto in the Europa League on Thursday and travel to Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, before the October international break.
================================
Chelsea return to Europe in the Conference League on Thursday with a match against Belgian club Gent at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are strong favourites to win Uefa’s third-tier competition having not played in Europe last season.
Defender Reece James remains the only player out injured as Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is expected to make a large number of changes, having changed ten players against Brighton and eleven the week before against Barrow.
Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Ben Chilwell were left out of the west Londoners’ Conference League squad, with Maresca keen to rotate in the various competitions after being left with twenty-nine senior players after another busy summer transfer window.
================================
Rangers manager, Philippe Clement suggests a draw at home to Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday would still be a very good result given the gulf in spending power between the clubs.
The Belgian was speaking in the wake of city rivals Celtic’s seven-one Champions League thrashing away to Borussia Dortmund.
Clement believes Rangers can follow up their fine two-nil win away to Malmo in their Europa League opener a score matched by Lyon at home to Olympiacos with another victory.
================================
Former Arsenal goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny has joined Barcelona until the end of the season, just over a month since he retired.
Former Poland international Szczesny, announced his retirement on 27th August after his contract with Juventus was terminated.
Barcelona lost first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a serious knee injury in their five-one win against Villarreal
================================
Everton women forward, Inma Gabarro, has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Sunday’s Women’s Super League defeat by Manchester United.
The Spain international was carried off on a stretcher in the 11th minute of the one-nil loss after landing awkwardly following an innocuous challenge with United’s Leah Galton.
Gabarro had a scan this week which confirmed the injury.
================================
IN NIGERIA
================================
Super Eagles caretaker coach, Augustine Eguavoen has asserted that the team needs the right mentality to secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Eguavoen believes the Super Eagles can qualify for the World Cup but must fight for every point.
The three-time African champions are yet to win a game in the qualifying series and currently sit fifth in Group C having collected three points from four matches.
Rwanda, South Africa and Benin Republic are joint leaders in the group, with seven points from the same number of matches.
===============================
Meanwhile, Super Eagles Augustine Eguavoen has admitted managing the Super Eagles is a big pressure.
Eguavoen took charge of the Super Eagles in interim capacity in last month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
He will also guide the team in this month’s double-header against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya.
Eguavoen also raised concerns about whether the NFF would provide the same level of patience and support if another local coach took the helm.
================================
Former Stationery Stores of Lagos midfielder, Adebayo Gbadebo, says Augustine Eguavoen’s tenure extension as Super Eagles interim head coach was a welcome development and in the best interest of the national team.
Gbadebo, the manager of Samut Sakhon City FC in Thailand, emphasised that Eguavoen’s vast experience, having held similar roles in the past, and noted that the coach was familiar with a wide pool of Nigerian players who would work diligently with him.
Gbadebo reiterated the importance of strengthening the coaching staff to ensure Nigeria’s World Cup qualification.
================================
Super Eagles star, Victor Osimhen has failed to travel with his Galatasaray teammates for the UEFA Europa League clash against Latvian side, Rigas FS.
Thursday’s matchday encounter will hold at the Daugavas Stadiona.
Osimhen was omitted from the squad due to injury.
The Nigeria international picked up a muscle injury in Galatasaray’s thrilling three-all draw against Kasimpasa.
==============
It was a night of accolades for Nigerian international, Ademola Lookman, as he helped his Atalanta side cruise to victory in the Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Lookman was instrumental in the 3-0 victory of the Italian side as he provided an assist and registered a goal at the Veltins-Arena in Germany Wednesday night.
The ‘King of Bergamo’ crossed the ball after a short free kick was taken, which met Berat Djimsiti who smashed it past the goalkeeper into the net in the 21st minute.
Former Arsenal player, Sead Kolasinac, cut the ball back into the Shakhtar box. Lookman then slotted it into the net to double their lead in the 44th-minute mark.
================
The traditional ruler of Ikate-Elegushi in Eti-Osa, Lagos State, Oba Saheed Elegushi has donated three tennis courts to the Lagos State University, Ojo.
The donation of International Tennis Federation-standard tennis courts, which were used for the just concluded Federal of African University Sports (FASU) games hosted by LASU and the University of Lagos, reflects the traditional ruler’s commitment to supporting sports and education.
A statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Temitope Oyefeso, said Elegushi emphasised that the initiative is aimed to promote sports at the university level.
He promised to institute an annual tennis competition in the university, replicating a similar competition in his honour at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.
In expressing gratitude to the traditional ruler for his gesture, the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, noted that Oba Elegushi consistently shows his dedication to his alma mater and highlighted the university’s pride in having him as an alumnus.
===============
Isaiah Okonofua has emerged champion of the 2024 IBB Independence Golf Tournament at the IBB International Golf and Country, Abuja.
No fewer than 400 players from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon, jostled for honours at the prestigious event.
The tournament, which commenced with the tennis competition on 15th September, rounded off Nigeria’s Independence Day anniversary with the announcement of the winners of different categories.
================
World record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, has given tips for her forthcoming documentary titled ‘Homecoming,’ which will tell her athletic story.
The notice for the documentary was announced by the athlete through content studio ATHLST.
The 2:15s trailer featured Amusan’s world record race at Oregon in 2022, her dark times, particularly in 2023 when she was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
================
OTHER LEAGUES
================================
Coach Aliou Cisse has been relieved of his position as Senegal coach after nine and a half years in charge of the Teranga Lions.
The 48-year-old guided the West Africans to their first continental title, winning the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in February 2022.
The country’s football federation wanted Cisse’s deal to be renewed but the sports ministry, under Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s new government, has made the decision to end his long tenure just nine days before the next round of qualifiers.
Cisse had already called a news briefing for Friday to announce his squad for this month’s double-header against Malawi.
================================
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has approved the Accra Sports Stadium for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Matchday 3 qualifier between Black Stars of Ghana and Sudan.
This was announced in a statement by the Ghana Football Association.
================================
Al-Gharafa goalkeeper, Sergio Rico has been hailed for his bravery after playing his first match since a riding accident which almost ended his life.
The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper spent nineteen days in a coma and thirty-six days in intensive care after he suffered a serious mishap due to a mule cart and a horse that hit him, in May 2023.
Rico joined Qatari side Al-Gharafa last month after his PSG contract expired and on Tuesday he made his debut.
Rico could make his domestic bow against Umm Salal on 5th October in the Qatari Stars Cup.
===============================
Swansea City player, Joe Allen has been named in Wales’ squad for this month’s Nations League matches against Iceland and Montenegro after coming out of international retirement.
Allen called time on his Wales career in February 2023, having represented his country at two European Championships and a World Cup.
But with fellow midfielders Ethan Ampadu and Aaron Ramsey missing through injury, Allen has been recalled by new head coach Craig Bellamy.
Wales resume their Nations League campaign in Iceland on 11th October, before hosting Montenegro three days later.
===============
================
OTHER SPORTS
===============
In Basketball; LeBron James said he has achieved a career legacy and has nothing left to prove on the basketball court.
He expressed excitement about the upcoming NBA season, which is his 22nd overall and first playing alongside his teenage son Bronny.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward, a four-time NBA champion as well as the league’s all-time leading scorer, powered Team USA to the gold medal at the Paris Games this summer for his third Olympic title.
================
In Tennis, Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz came from a set down to edge out world number one Jannik Sinner in a dramatic China Open final.
Alcaraz continued his fine run of form against the Italian and has now won each of their last three encounters after coming through 6-7, 6-4, 7-6.
It is the Spaniard’s fourth ATP Tour title this year and 16th of his career.
Also, Great Britain’s Dan Evans was knocked out in the first round at the Shanghai Masters, having come through qualifying.
Evans forced a deciding set, which he led 4-2, but eventually lost out in a tie-break against Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild, who won 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 to set up a meeting with Russian world number five Daniil Medvedev.
===============
Aryna Sabalenka extended her winning streak to 15 matches to reach the China Open quarter-finals with a straight-sets victory against Madison Keys.
World number two Sabalenka, 26, needed just 65 minutes to come through the tie 6-4 6-3.
The top seed will face either Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic or Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Beijing.
================
In Rugby, Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika has been suspended by the Rugby Football Union for disrespecting a match-day doctor in his first game in charge of the Premiership side.
The 57-year-old Australian was charged with a breach of rule 5.12, which covers actions prejudicial to the interests of the game, for his conduct towards the doctor after Leicester’s narrow opening-day win at Exeter Chiefs.
The former Australia and Argentina head coach was hit with a two-week ban, with one suspended until the end of the season, after an independent disciplinary panel heard the case on Tuesday night.
Cheika will miss Saturday’s Premiership match away to Newcastle Falcons as a result.
===============================
In Golf, Rory McIlroy hopes the presence at the Dunhill Links Championship of the two men centrally involved in talks aimed at ending the split in men’s professional golf is a good sign progress is being made.
McIlroy, competing with father Gerry in this week’s pro-am event in Scotland, will play on Friday at Kingsbarns alongside PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who is paired with Billy Horschel this week.
World number three McIlroy will then tee up with the boss of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund Yasir Al-Rumayyan and South African LIV golf player Dean Burmester at St Andrews on Saturday.
================================
In Cycling, Sir Mark Cavendish says he is still committed to completing his 2024 race schedule after receiving his knighthood at Windsor Castle.
Cavendish has not competed since he broke the Tour de France stage wins record with his 35th victory in July.
The ‘Manx Missile’ said following the final stage of his 15th Tour this summer that it was likely the final race of his career.
================================
TODAY’S FIXTURES
================================
IN UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
Ferencvaros vs Tottenham Hotspur
Lazio vs Nice
Real Sociedad vs Anderlecht
Rigas FS vs Galatasaray
Slavia Prague vs Ajax
Elfsborg vs Roma
Porto vs Manchester United
Rangers vs Olympique Lyonnais
Twente vs Fenerbahce
================================
IN UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
Legia Warszawa vs Real Betis
Chelsea vs Gent
Fiorentina vs The New Saints
================================
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head…. Words from Emil Zatopek.
securityandsafetymatters 