IN NIGERIA
Rivers United have maintained their unbeaten streak in the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, following a two-nil win against Shooting Stars at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Aniekeme Okon opened the scoring for Rivers United on fifty-one minutes, while Ndifreke Effiong doubled the advantage fourteen minutes later.
Rivers United also returned to the summit having amassed seventeen points from seven games.
Remo Stars were handed a three-one defeat by Plateau United.
Ebuka Anthony scored a brace, and Abubakar Adamu scored a goal for Plateau United, while Remo Stars only goal was scored by Jabar Malik.
Ikorodu City picked their first point in Owerri, after they were held to a one-all draw against Heartland.
President of the International Table Tennis Federation, ITTF, Petra Sorling, has pledged unwavering support to the newly elected Executive Council of the African Table Tennis Federation, ATTF, as they strive to grow the sport across the continent.
Sorling made this commitment during the Elective Annual General Meeting of the ATTF, held at the Economic Commission for Africa Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Sorling, who praised Africa’s abundant talent and emphasised the importance of nurturing the talents to achieve greatness.
She also highlighted the dedication of the new leadership, particularly Wahid Oshodi and Dr. Alaa Meshref, both esteemed members of the ITTF Executive Committee.
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan says Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi is in perfect condition to face Oxford City in Saturday’s Championship clash.
Ajayi was part of the Super Eagles squad that was ‘held hostage’ in Al Abraq Airport prior to a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, which was subsequently postponed.
Speaking ahead of Albion’s trip to Kassam Stadium this weekend, Corberan said the situation was completely out of the club’s control, although they had been in contact with the player.
Spanish club Real Betis have confirmed the signing of Nigeria International Chinyere Kalu.
Kalu penned a two-year contract with the Verdiblanca club.
The defensive midfielder played for Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA Under-twenty Women’s World Cup.
The 19-year-old also represented Nigeria at the Under-seventeen level.
IN ENGLAND
Referees’ chief, Howard Webb says there has been an eighty percent reduction in the number of video assistant referee, VAR, errors this season.
Webb – chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited, PGMOL claimed that mistakes are down eighty percent this season.
Webb added that greater emphasis has been placed on reducing the time taken to reach decisions.
Meanwhile, Premier League clubs voted nineteen to one in favour of keeping VAR after Wolverhampton Wanderers triggered a vote to scrap it.
Premier League managers have been reacting to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England head coach.
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper said he believes in Britain’s culture and coaching pathway, while Southampton boss Russell Martin insisted loads of English coaches are capable of doing the job.
German Tuchel was confirmed as the next Three Lions boss on Wednesday and will become only the third non-British manager of the England men’s team when he starts in the role on 1st January.
The Football Association said English candidates were among approximately ten people interviewed for the job, but former England defender Gary Neville called the decision damaging for homegrown coaches.
Former England captain, Wayne Rooney says he is surprised that Thomas Tuchel has been appointed England head coach instead of a homegrown coach.
Tuchel will succeed Gareth Southgate in January and the German, 51, is the first non-British coach to take charge of England’s men’s side since Fabio Capello left in 2012.
Rooney played under both Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson, saying he felt an English coach would be appointed.
West Ham midfielder, Lucas Paqueta says he wants the Football Association to investigate misleading leaks about his betting case.
The Federation charged Paqueta in May for allegedly getting booked deliberately for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market.
Paqueta denied all four charges brought against him and believes misleading and inaccurate reporting is putting his chances of a fair disciplinary hearing at risk.
He remained eligible to play for West Ham since learning of the charges but could be facing a lengthy ban if a breach is proven.
Premier League legend, David Beckham has described Arsenal star Buyako Saka as an exceptional player that he loves so much.
Beckham stated that Saka’s personality on and off the field is something every player should emulate.
Arsenal Under-18s manager, Jack Wilshere is poised to join Norwich as first-team coach.
The 32-year-old is expected to complete a move to Carrow Road in the next few days.
It will not be rubber stamped before the Canaries go to Stoke in the Championship on Saturday, with Wilshere due to be in charge of the Gunners’ Under-18s game against Aston Villa.
Wilshere will replace Narcis Pelach who left Norwich last month to join Stoke City as head coach.
Sheffield United manager, Chris Wilder says his players have found this week difficult following the shock death of former Blades defender George Baldock.
The Greece international was found dead in his swimming pool in Athens last week.
The full-back spent seven years at Bramall Lane, playing 219 games and helping the South Yorkshire club to two promotions to the Premier League, before joining Panathinaikos in the Greek Super League in the summer.
Wilder signed Baldock in 2017 after working with him at Oxford United, and said the club was still trying to cope with the news as they prepare for Friday’s Championship fixture at Leeds United.
Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) chief executive Nikki Doucet, says allowing fans to drink alcohol will be trialled at two Women’s Championship clubs this season,
The newly launched WPLL, which governs the Women’s Super League and second-tier Championship, is discussing measures with their key stakeholders as part of a pilot that could lead to wider adoption across the women’s game.
Discussions by the WPLL are at an early stage and the trial clubs have yet to be chosen but it is part of wider measures to capitalise on the growth of the sport.
West Ham women manager, Rehanne Skinner says the lack of coaching opportunities for English women in the Women’s Super League needs to be looked at across the board.
Skinner is one of two English female managers of the WSL’s twelve clubs.
Crystal Palace’s Laura Kaminski, who joined this year following the club’s promotion from the Women’s Championship, is the other.
Former Tottenham women boss Skinner, is one of the most experienced coaches in the league having also acted as assistant coach with the Lionesses.
She said part of the problem with few English women being able to make the step into a head coach role is the lack of coaching opportunities for them to gain experience.
OTHER LEAGUES
Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo will make an attempt to bring Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen to the Middle Eastern nation.
Both Salah and Osimhen were heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Emenalo stated that they are still interested in bringing them to the SPL.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta says he turned down an offer of two hundred and fifty million euors for Lamine Yamal six months ago.
It was claimed over the summer that Ligue 1 giants PSG were willing to splash out heavily on Yamal.
Laporta said he turned down the huge offer for the Euro 2024 winner.
Former Zambia coach Roald Poulsen, who helped rebuild the side after a plane crash which killed most of the squad, has died at the age of seventy-three.
Eighteen Chipolopolo players lost their lives on 28th April 1993 when the plane taking them to a Fifa World Cup qualifier in Senegal crashed off the coast of Gabon.
Poulsen initially spent six weeks coaching the squad and was on the bench when Zambia beat Morocco 2-1 just 67 days after the disaster.
OTHER SPORTS
In Tennis, British number one Katie Boulter was knocked out of the Ningbo Open in straight sets by Beatriz Haddad Maia.
World number 10 Haddad Maia completed a 7-6, 7-5 victory to reach the quarter-finals, where she will play Spain’s Paula Badosa.
The sixth seed dominated a first set tie-break following an even start and then broke Boulter in the 11th game of set two before holding serve to win the match.
Also, fellow Briton Dan Evans was denied a superb win as US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe fought back from behind at the Almaty Open.
Evans, who has dropped to 180th in the world, lost 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 to 15th-ranked Tiafoe in Kazakhstan.
In Formula one, Red Bull have confirmed that they have made changes to their car as a result of discussions with governing body the FIA.
Rivals had alerted the FIA to a device in the Red Bull cockpit that they believed could be used to adjust the height of the front of the car’s floor.
Also, Formula 1 is to drop the award of a bonus point for fastest lap from the 2025 season.
In Cricket, Australia suffered a shock semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup as South Africa raced to an emphatic eight-wicket win in Dubai.
The defending champions missed out on an eighth final appearance as the Proteas reached their target of 135 with 16 balls to spare.
Anneke Bosch struck a sensational unbeaten 74 from 48 balls while captain Laura Wolvaardt added a classy 42 in a second-wicket partnership of 96 that left Australia reeling.
The brilliantly executed run chase came after South Africa’s bowlers had smartly restricted Australia to 134-5 in a curiously underwhelming innings.
In Rugby, England’s path to a possible home Rugby World Cup triumph has been mapped out with the hosts placed in a pool alongside Australia, USA, and Samoa for next summer’s tournament.
The Red Roses, runaway leaders at the top of the world rankings and on a twenty match winning streak, are clear favourites to go one better than they did in New Zealand in 2022.
If the top-seeded team wins each pool, England could only meet world number twos Canada or defending champions New Zealand in the final.
In Athletics, Olympic one thousand and five hundred metres bronze medallist Georgia Bell is among five athletes to be added to the highest level of UK Athletics funding going into next year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
Bell achieved a fairytale podium on her Olympic debut at Paris 2024 three years after she returned to the sport, and has since left her job in cyber security to focus on athletics full time.
Emile Cairess, the second-fastest British marathon runner of all-time behind Mo Farah, double Olympic relay bronze medallist Amber Anning, eight hundred metres runner Max Burgin and long jumper Jacob Fincham-Dukes join Bell in being promoted to the top tier of funding.
In total, sixty-five athletes will receive financial support from UKA – down from sixty-seven in the previous year.
OTHER LEAGUE MATCHES PLAYED IN NIGERIA PREMIER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Katsina United 1 – 0 Akwa United
Rivers United 2 – 0 Shooting stars
Bendel Insurance 3 – 0 Bayelsa United
TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Deportivo Alavés vs Real Valladolid
IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
Tottenham vs West Ham United
Fulham vs Aston Villa
Ipswich Town vs Everton
Manchester United vs Brentford
Newcastle United vs Brighton
Southampton vs Leicester City
Bournemouth vs Arsenal
ON SUNDAY
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City
Liverpool vs Chelsea
IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Athletic Club vs Espanyol
Osasuna vs Real Betis
Girona vs Real Sociedad
Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid
ON SUNDAY
Mallorca vs Rayo Vallecano
Atlético Madrid vs Leganés
Villarreal vs Getafe
Barcelona vs Sevilla
IN ITALIAN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Como vs Parma
Genoa vs Bologna
AC Milan vs Udinese
Juventus vs Lazio
ON SUNDAY
Empoli vs Napoli
Lecce vs Fiorentina
Venezia vs Atalanta
Cagliari vs Torino
Roma vs Inter Milan
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss…..Words from Doug Williams.
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