IN ENGLAND
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta says it will be a positive thing if winger Bukayo Saka sought to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo’s career numbers.
England international Saka already has a combined eighteen goals and assists in as many appearances for the Gunners this season.
The 23-year-old scored in each of his past three games before facing Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, and is behind only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah for Premier League goal involvements this season.
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Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca says the club can dominate the Premier League in the next five to ten years.
The 44-year-old Italian repeatedly played down his team’s title chances this season, despite Chelsea being third in the table and level on points and goal difference with Mikel Arteta’s challengers Arsenal.
Maresca played down Chelsea’s readiness to compete for titles despite the vast sums paid out in multiple transfer windows under their Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership group.
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Liverpool boss, Arne Slot says the team is battle ready to face Newcastle in Wednesday’s Premier League clash.
The Reds sit top of the Premier League table, nine points clear from second-place Arsenal.
The Dutch tactician stated that he was confident the Reds will pick a positive result against Newcastle.
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Everton manager, Sean Dyche says he is working harder than he ever has as a manager to turn around Everton’s gloomy season.
The Toffees won just twice in this Premier League campaign and sat two points above the relegation zone in 15th heading into the midweek programme.
The Merseysiders face fellow strugglers Wolves on Wednesday and will be looking for its first win in six games, having failed to score in its last four.
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Wolves boss, Gary O’Neil says the team need to cut out crazy errors if the club is to move away from the bottom of the Premier League.
The Black Country side were unbeaten in four going into Saturday’s game with Bournemouth, but conceded three penalties in a four-two defeat that saw the team drop back into the relegation zone.
Wolves travel to 15th-placed Everton on Wednesday knowing victory would move them above the Toffees.
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Trials of a low-cost alternative to football’s video assistant referee are to be extended, with the pilot system allowing managers two challenges per game.
Rule maker Ifab has been encouraged by results of early tests of the ‘football video support’ set-up at the Women’s Under-seventeen World Cup in October.
Ifab, the International Football Association Board has yet to decide where the trials, set to be launched next season, will be extended.
Managers would be allowed to request a challenge, with the on-pitch referee then reviewing the incident in question on a pitchside monitor, with the material supplied by a video technician.
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IN NIGERIA
Flamingo’s head coach, Bankole Olowookere has called 25 players to the camp ahead of the WAFU B Under-seventeen Girls’ Cup competition taking place in Ghana, 12th – 26th December 2024.
Top of the list is midfielder Shakirat Moshood, First-choice goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma, defenders Taiwo Adegoke, Jumai Adebayo and Prisca Nwachukwu, midfielder Farida Abdulwahab, and forwards Harmony Chidi, Peace Effiong and Janet Akekoromowei are also invited.
The Flamingos have been drawn in group B of the two-week, six-team competition, alongside the U17 girls of Cote d’Ivoire and Niger Republic.
Hosts Ghana are in group A alongside the Under-seventeen girls of Burkina Faso and Benin Republic.
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Enyimba International Football Club of Aba on Tuesday drew goalless with visiting Rangers International FC in a rescheduled match day 15 fixture in the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
Goalkeeper Lucky Abdullahi was outstanding to ensure the visiting side picked up a point in the match played at the Enyimba Stadium.
A goal scored by the hosts during a goalmouth scramble in the 89th minute was disallowed by the centre referee for a handball infringement.
During a post-match interview, the coach of Enyimba, Membis Vitus, expressed disappointment with the referee disallowing the goal, describing it as unfortunate.
Rangers’ coach, Ekeh Ekenedilichukwu, described the result as fantastic for their team coming all the way from Enugu to Aba to pick a point.
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Team Lagos on Tuesday in Ibadan defeated their Oyo State counterparts 49-24 to win the maiden edition of the Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
Team Delta came third in the four-team competition played at the Lekan Salami Stadium after defeating Team Kwara 37-26.
After the final match, Obrien Adokai, the coach of Team Lagos, said however that he did not see the victory as anything.
Speaking also, Tunde Popoola, a member of the Oyo State Basketball Association board, said the competition was organised to honour those living with disability.
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The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 13 in Anambra, Godwin Aghaulor has ordered an exhaustive investigation into the invasion of ex-Super Falcon’s football academy in Ukpo in Anambra.
Aghaulor gave the order when the ex-Super Falcon striker, Maureen Madu, her players and parents of the humiliated players in the academy protested at the police zonal headquarters on Tuesday in Ukpo
The AIG directed the investigating police officer to ensure that allegations of unprofessional conduct and brutality against persons in the academy were thoroughly investigated and justice delivered.
Madu, who had earlier protested at the police command headquarters, Awka, said herself and her players were attacked, humiliated and bundled in handcuffs by personnel attached to police Anti Cultism Unit, Ukpo without investigation.
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The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills” holding from 17th to 18th December, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative.
ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative.
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The Nigeria Customs Service has donated N15 million for grabs at the 2024 Comptroller General of Customs Volleyball Premier League.
The final phase of the competition will take place in Abuja from 3rd to 14th December, during which teams in both the men’s and women’s categories will compete for honours.
The first-place winners in both categories will walk away with N3.5 million naira each, while the runners-up will secure N2.5 million.
Third-place finishers will not be left empty-handed, with each team earning N1.5 million.
OTHER LEAGUES
Barcelona star, Raphinha has inspired the team to a thumping five-one victory at Mallorca as the team ended a three-game winless run.
The Brazil international found the net twice in the second half as Hansi Flick’s men moved four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Ferran Torres, Frenkie De Jong and Pau Victor scored a goal each for Barcelona, while Mallorca’s only goal was scored by Vedat Muriqi.
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Rangers manager, Philippe Clement says the progress of Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn should act as a warning against judging players too soon.
The Ibrox side trail Scottish Premiership champions and leaders Celtic by eleven points and are also seven points off Aberdeen, though have a game in hand over the Dons.
With Aberdeen hosting Celtic on Wednesday Rangers can gain on both or either if the team beat Kilmarnock at Ibrox.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Boxing, Briton Daniel Dubois will defend his world heavyweight title against former champion Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia on 22nd February.
Dubois made a spectacular first defence of his IBF belt by beating Anthony Joshua in September.
Also on the card in Riyadh, Artur Beterbiev will defend his undisputed light-heavyweight crown in a rematch with fellow Russian Dmitry Bivol.
Undefeated Londoner Hamzah Sheeraz will challenge for his maiden world title against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames, while British light-heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith will meet for Buatsi’s WBO interim title.
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In Formula one, Motorsport’s governing body wants to change its rules to limit the ways its leadership can be held to account for bad governance.
A set of revisions to the statutes governing the audit and ethics committees has been circulated to member clubs to be approved at a vote of the FIA general assembly on 13th December.
These would ensure that any ethics complaints were overseen by the FIA president and president of its senate, rather than the senate itself.
The proposals come after a year in which the ethics and audit committees investigated a number of allegations about the conduct of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
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In Golf, Tiger Woods says the fire still burns to compete” but he remains sidelined by injury heading into 2025.
Woods, a 15-time major-winner, has not played since The Open in July where he failed to make the cut for the third consecutive major.
While the last few years have seen the American blighted by injuries, the 48-year-old remains focused on a competitive return.
Woods’ most recent setback has been because of back issues that have spread, causing pain in his legs.
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In Cricket, Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel is taken to hospital after sustaining rib, shoulder blade and hand fractures in a bike crash during a training ride.
According to a reports, the 24-year-old crashed into an open door of a postal vehicle while he was on a ride in Oetingen, Belgium.
Evenepoel, who claimed gold in the men’s road race and time trial at this year’s Olympics in Paris, was conscious after the incident.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
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IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Everton vs Wolves
Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United vs Liverpool
Southampton vs Chelsea
Arsenal vs Manchester United
Aston Villa vs Brentford
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Athletic Club vs Real Madrid
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IN SPANISH COPA DEL REY, SECOND ROUND
Sant Andreu vs Real Betis
Unionistas de Salamanca vs Rayo Vallecano
Cádiz vs Eldense
Cultural Leonesa vs Almería
Ejea vs Valencia
Pontevedra vs Villarreal
UD Logroñés vs Girona
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IN COPPA ITALIA, ROUND, LAST SIXTEEN
Fiorentina vs Empoli
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Sports creates a bond between contemporaries that lasts a lifetime. It also gives your life structure, discipline and a genuine, sincere, pure fulfillment that few other areas of endeavor provide….Words from Bob Cousy.
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