IN ENGLAND

European champions Paris Saint-Germain has produced a superb late recovery before winning a penalty shootout to clinch the Uefa Super Cup and deny Thomas Frank a first trophy as Tottenham boss.

Spurs led two-nil after eighty-four minutes and were then seconds away from clinching an impressive victory before PSG substitute Goncalo Ramos headed in a 94th-minute equaliser.

That took the tie straight to penalties and PSG missed their opening effort as Vitinha fired wide, but Micky van de Ven, who had scored Tottenham’s first goal earlier on, had his spot kick saved by Lucas Chevalier.

Mathys Tel shot wide for Frank’s side before Nuno Mendes held his nerve to convert the winning penalty for PSG.

It meant Tottenham missed out on winning a second European trophy in three months.

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Six-time winners Manchester United will visit League Two Grimsby Town in round two of the 2025-26 Carabao Cup.

United, who have no European competition for the first time in eleven seasons, were the final club drawn and delivered a plum tie for David Artell’s side.

League Two team Bromley has been handed a home tie against League One Wycombe while Bournemouth hosting Brentford and Wolves at home to West Ham.

Fulham will welcome Bristol City to Craven Cottage, while Brighton travel to Oxford United and Burnley host Derby County.

Everton will play League One side Mansfield Town at the Merseyside club’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The remaining nine top-flight teams are involved in European competition – Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, holders Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest would enter in the third round.

The twenty-three second-round ties will take place during the week beginning 25th August.

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Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says there are no plans to play a top-flight match abroad and that the idea is not anywhere near his in-tray.

In the past month, Italy and Spain’s football federations have revealed plans to stage league fixtures in Australia and the United States, and are seeking permission from Fifa and Uefa.

Despite former Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore saying ten years ago that clubs were keen on the idea, Masters has downplayed such a scenario.

Bournemouth’s American owner Bill Foley has said he does not support staging league matches abroad.

Premier League champions Liverpool get the 2025-26 campaign started with their home fixture against Bournemouth on Friday with Masters predicting a great season.

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Referees’ chief Howard Webb, says the scope of the video assistant referee in the Premier League might be expanded in the future to include decisions on yellow cards and the awarding of corners.

Webb said the game’s law-makers, the International Football Association Board, is reviewing how VAR operates and he is open to discussions about other uses.

He said there would be discussions around possible extensions.

VAR, which has operated in the Premier League since the 2019-20 season, can currently only intervene in what are perceived as match-changing decisions – goals, straight red cards, penalties and mistaken identity.

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Bournemouth has completed the signing of French centre-back Bafode Diakite from Lille for thirty-four point six million pounds.

The 24-year-old will cost the Cherries an initial fee of thirty point three million pounds plus up to four point three million pounds in add-ons, which makes him Bournemouth’s second most expensive signing.

He made thirty-one Ligue 1 appearances last season as Lille finished fifth in the French top flight, and also played ten times in the Champions League.

His arrival follows Illia Zabarnyi becoming the third key defender to leave Bournemouth during this transfer window when he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

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Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has advised Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze to desist from joining Arsenal this summer.

The 27-year-old’s future with the FA Cup and Community Shield champions remains up in the air despite their trophy-laden 18-months under Oliver Glasner.

Eze has been linked with move to Tottenham and Arsenal and is understood to be in talks over a move to Thomas Frank’s Spurs.

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Former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set for a medical at Leeds United after reaching an agreement to join the newly promoted Premier League side on a free transfer.

The 28-year-old ended his nine-year stay at Everton in June, saying it was an incredibly difficult decision to leave the club.

Leeds’ other striking options are Joel Piroe and Lukas Nmecha, while Patrick Bamford has been told he was not part of manager Daniel Farke’s plans this season and Mateo Joseph has joined Mallorca on loan.

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Newcastle is in advanced negotiations with Aston Villa over a move for midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

The two clubs are in negotiations over a deal for Ramsey to move to St James’ Park before the transfer deadline, with an agreement described as close.

The 24-year-old will hold talks with Villa before making a decision on his future, with Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe keen to secure his signature.

Ramsey has also courted serious interest from West Ham this summer, but if he does leave Villa Park then Newcastle is believed to be his preferred destination.

Newcastle has made two permanent signings this summer with winger Anthony Elanga arriving from Nottingham Forest and defender Malick Thiaw joining from AC Milan, while goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has also linked up with the Magpies on loan from Southampton.

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Newcastle star Alexander Isak’s future is causing quite a stir at his club.

The Swedish striker’s black and white fourteen shirt being set ablaze by some Magpies supporters.

The act of anger was a direct response to the swirling transfer rumors linking him to Liverpool.

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Liverpool is closing in on the signing of 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma for a fee of about twenty-six million pounds.

The centre-half has emerged as a key target for Arne Slot’s side and is now set for a move to Anfield.

The Italy Under-19 international began his career at Padova and had a short spell at Sampdoria before joining Parma last summer.

Liverpool could further bolster their defensive ranks and remain in talks with Crystal Palace for England centre-back Marc Guehi.

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IN NIGERIA

Former Super Eagles star Brown Ideye has reacted to the Super Eagles elimination from the 2024 African Nations Championship.

Ideye believed the players are not good enough, and cannot perform on the bigger stage.

The former West Bromwich Albion star expressed his view in a post on X.

The team is yet to score in the competition, while they have conceded five times.

Eric Chelle, who is the head coach of the team has been widely criticised following the Eagles poor showing at the competition.

Angry Nigerian football fans have intensified calls for the immediate dismissal of Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle following the team’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Sudan that ended their African Nations Championship campaign with a game to spare.

The comprehensive loss in Zanzibar on Tuesday night has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with supporters questioning Chelle’s tactical approach and team selection decisions that saw Nigeria crash out of the tournament without scoring a single goal in two matches.

The defeat marked a new low for Nigerian football, with the Super Eagles managing just two shots on target across both group matches whilst conceding five goals.

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Nigeria Super Eagles B coach Eric Chelle insisted that his squad selected for the African Nations Championship in Zanzibar featured the best players from the Nigeria Premier Football League, even as the team suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Sudan.

Chelle stood by his decisions, stressing that the team selection was made in good faith and based on merit.

The Franco-Malian coach explained that the current squad differed significantly from what he initially envisioned for the tournament.

Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah has attributed Nigeria’s 4-0 defeat in the African Nations Championship to inadequate coaching, insisting the Super Eagles B possess quality players but lack tactical refinement.

The former Ghana international highlighted Nigeria’s moments of control in the tournament but stressed that better preparation could have altered the outcome.

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Former Nigerian international Emmanuel Emenike has tipped Super Eagles duo of Victor Osimhen and Paul Onuachu to paint the Turkish League with goals this season.

Emenike stated that Osimhen and Onuachu are physically strong and possess good sights for goals.

While Onuachu has netted his first goal for Trabzonspor against newly-promoted Kocaelispor, and his Nigerian compatriot is yet to commence his campaign with Galatasaray.

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Nigeria’s D’Tigers has begun their 2025 FIBA men’s AfroBasket Group B campaign off to a perfect start after overcoming Madagascar 77 – 59.

D’Tigers took the first quarter 18 points to 14 but Madagascar came out tops in the second quarter with a 23 – 20 points advantage.

The Nigerian men’s team took the third and fourth quarters with a score of 17 – 9 and 22 – 13 respectively.

Up next for D’Tigers is a clash with defending champions Tunisia which comes up on Friday, 15th August.

Nigerian sprinter and former men’s 100m national champion, Konyinsola Ajayi, has described his fourth-place finish at this year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships as the biggest disappointment of his budding athletics career.

Ajayi finished fourth in Oregon with a time of 10.13s, after producing the fastest time in the semis.

The 20-year-old had since recovered from the miss.

Head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s cricket team, Leke Oyede, is confident that the Female Yellow Greens have a big chance of advancing to the global qualifiers of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

The Female Yellow Greens are intensifying their preparations at a closed camp in Lagos, ahead of the Africa Qualifiers, which will take place in Namibia from August 28 to September 7.

Leke Oyede’s team began training last month in Benin City, Edo State, with 22 players before the coach dropped four players ahead of the final lap in Lagos.

The final list is expected to be released next week, and the coach is optimistic that the players are in great shape to deliver.

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OTHER LEAGUES

Villarreal’s president Fernando Roig has responded to the heavy criticism his club has faced since signing former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey amid his ongoing rape charges.

Partey was booed and whistled during the Yellow Submarines’ preseason friendly against Aston Villa which marked his first appearance in a Villarreal jersey.

Roig has issued a defiant response in answer to the criticism, insisting that the club ‘upholds the presumption of innocence’.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes says the team is targeting silverware this season and insisted that there was nothing wrong in saying so.

The Tynecastle side go to St Mirren on Saturday for the second round of the Scottish League Cup, having started the McInnes era with six straight wins across that competition and the league.

They are top of the fledgling Scottish Premiership table and new investor Tony Bloom boldly claimed they can finish at least second this season.

Optimism is rife in Gorgie and McInnes said sights should be set high at a club of Hearts’ stature.

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OTHER SPORTS

In Tennis, Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams is set to become the oldest player at a major in 44 years after being given a US Open wildcard.

Williams returned to the sport in July, winning her first-round match at the Washington Open on her first appearance in sixteen months, before going out in round two.

Victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns meant Williams become the oldest player to win a WTA Tour singles match in more than 21 years.

Williams will also play in the revamped mixed doubles alongside fellow American Reilly Opelka.

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Also, Nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles has revealed she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular autoimmune disease – three years ago.

The 51-year-old has chosen to go public with the rare long-term condition, which causes muscle weakness, to raise awareness before this month’s US Open.

Seles first noticed symptoms of the condition, which can affect most parts of the body, including the muscles that control the eyes, around five years ago.

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In Cricket, Graham Clark hit the final ball for six to snatch a dramatic three-wicket victory for Northern Superchargers against Southern Brave in The Hundred.

Needing five for victory or four for a tie, Durham batter Clark heaved England international Tymal Mills over the boundary at mid-wicket.

In a see-sawing finale, Superchargers needed only eleven from the last ten with five wickets left before Jofra Archer struck twice and conceded only one run from his final five balls.

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Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney will step away from her role after being diagnosed with cancer.

Tierney will take time away from her duties from 22nd August to undergo treatment, with no return date given.

Chair Richard Collier-Keywood will take temporary overall charge of the governing body.

Tierney took over the position in January 2024 and has overseen a turbulent time in Welsh rugby.

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In Golf, Rory McIlroy said he rejected the idea of being a playing captain at a future Ryder Cup straight away as he believes it would be very difficult to do.

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland will again spearhead the European challenge at this year’s event which will be staged at Bethpage Black in New York on 26th to 28th September.

World number 12 Keegan Bradley was picked to captain the United States in July 2024 after 15-time major champion Tiger Woods turned down the role.

The 2027 Ryder Cup will be held at Adare Manor in the Republic of Ireland.

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In Athletics, Keely Hodgkinson is set to contest her first race since being crowned Olympic eight hundred metres champion twelve months ago, while fellow Briton Georgia Hunter Bell targets her third Diamond League win of the season in Silesia, Poland.

England’s Hodgkinson, who suffered setbacks during her recovery from a hamstring injury sustained in February, will make her long-awaited return to competitive action just four weeks before the start of the World Championships in Tokyo.

Training partner Hunter Bell contests the women’s one thousand and five hundred metres as the Olympic bronze medallist weighs up whether to target that event in Tokyo, or join Hodgkinson in the eight hundred metres.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

Obstacles do not have to stop you. If you run into a wall, do not turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it….words from Michael Jordan.