IN UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
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Nottingham Forest has defeated Malmo three-nil in the Europa League to strengthen their grip on a play-off place.
Skipper Ryan Yates, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Nikola Milenkovic scored to ensure a comfortable win, in a repeat of the 1979 European Cup final when Forest beat the 24-time Swedish champions.
Forest recorded three successive wins for the first time since the turn of the year the drop-off in their form during the second half of last season the reason why they are in the Europa League and not the Champions League.
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Aston Villa star Donyell Malen scored twice as the team moved closer to progressing automatically for the Europa League knockouts with a comfortable two-one win against Young Boys.
The Dutch forward’s goals both came in a first half that was marred by crowd trouble in the away end, with Malen getting hit by a plastic cup as he celebrated his 27th-minute opener.
Young Boys’ only goal was scored by Joel Monteiro.
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Resurgent Celtic came from behind to claim a three-one landmark victory over Feyenoord in the Europa League at a stunned De Kuip.
It was their first away win in Europe since November 2021, when they beat Ferencvaros in Hungary.
Feyenoord have now lost four of their five matches in the competition, while Celtic climb into a play-off position after their second win.
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Crystal Palace has tasted defeat for the first time since the end of October as they were beaten two-one by French side Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League.
Tyrick Mitchell gave Palace the lead in the 35th minute with a drilled finish across goal after being slipped through by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Strasbourg levelled eight minutes after the restart when captain Emanuel Emegha, who will join Chelsea next summer, turned in Diego Moreira’s low cross.
Strasbourg’s second goal was scored by Samir el Mourabet.
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Under-pressure Liverpool manager Arne Slot says talks with the club’s owners after the defeat by PSV Eindhoven were the same conversations he has had with them since arriving at Anfield and they will fight on.
The Dutch manager is under increasing pressure at Anfield after the Reds suffered a four-one defeat to PSV in the Champions League, their ninth loss in twelve games this season making it their worst run in seventy-one years.
Slot helped Liverpool secure their 20th league title in May and spent almost four hundred and fifty million pounds on new signings in the summer, including a British record of one hundred and twenty-five million pounds for Alexander Isak.
The reigning champions are 12th in the Premier League with six wins and six defeats after twelve matches while they sit 13th in the 36-team league phase of the Champions League.
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Arne Slot has a week to save his job, in a brutal takedown questioning the Dutchman’s behaviour, which he claims allowed the side to operate like a small club.
Carragher argued Slot’s situation has reached breaking point, with an upcoming run of three fixtures likely to decide whether he remains in charge at Anfield.
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Newcastle United is to launch a complaint after supporters were indiscriminately assaulted by the police following their side’s defeat by Marseille at Stade Velodrome.
The club will formally raise their concerns with Uefa, Marseille and French police after officers used unnecessary and disproportionate force following Tuesday’s Champions League game.
Newcastle said a combination of pepper spray, batons and shields were used by officers.
The club described the actions of the police as unacceptable and said they strongly condemn the treatment of its supporters.
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Arsenal winger Noni Madueke says he is not really worried about the criticism he faced from Arsenal fans over his transfer this summer.
Madueke said the criticism was in the distant past after scoring his first goal for the Gunners in Wednesday’s three-one Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.
Madueke has missed six of Arsenal’s twelve Premier League matches this season after suffering a knee injury in the one-all draw with Manchester City in September.
Leaders Arsenal face second-placed Chelsea, who are six points behind, at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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Chelsea legend Ashley Cole has disclosed that his marriage prevented him from joining Real Madrid.
The former England international moved to Stamford Bridge in September 2006 in a five million pounds swap deal with William Gallas, who went north to join Arsenal.
Cole stated that his transfer situation changed entirely after he got married.
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Sheffield Wednesday has signed former Norwich and Southampton winger Nathan Redmond on a short-term deal until January.
The 31-year-old had been without a club since leaving Burnley in May.
He has been training with the Owls, who are bottom of the Championship, during his time as a free agent.
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IN NIGERIA
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The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has released the list of match officials for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
A total of seventy-three highly experienced officials comprising twenty-eight referees, thirty-one assistant referees and fourteen VAR officials have been appointed for this edition of Africa’s biggest football competition.
The carefully selected officials represent all regions of the continent and include some of Africa’s most experienced referees who have officiated in a number of major CAF’s competitions in recent years.
All the appointed match officials are expected to arrive in Morocco on 15th December 2025 for an intensive preparatory course ahead of the competition.
The programme, which will be led by CAF’s Referees Department, will include physical, technical and theoretical assessments designed to ensure optimum performance throughout the tournament.
Morocco will host the competition from 21st December, 2025 to 18th January, 2026.
Libya head coach Aliou Cisse has listed the Super Eagles among his favourites for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Cisse, who is no stranger to the AFCON , having guided Senegal to their first-ever title in 2021, while he also picked up a runners-up medal in 2019, named the Super Eagles among the five favourites for the title.
The Super Eagles are among the twenty-four teams that will compete for the title in Morocco next month.
Eric Chelle’s side will be desperate to have their hands around the trophy this time around.
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Rivers United head coach Finidi George is optimistic his side can beat Moroccan side RS Berkane.
The Port Harcourt club will entertain Moin Chaabani’s side in a CAF Champions League matchday two encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Friday.
The former Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, champions will be desparate to record their first win in the group stage after losing three-nil to holders Pyramids FC of Egypt on matchday one.
Finidi said it was important for his team to give their fans something to celebrate after the defeat to Pyramids FC.
The gaffer further said he has the players to get the job done.
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Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman has explained getting back to work at Atalanta after his summer transfer saga with the club.
Lookman scored once and also registered an assist in La Dea’s three-nil victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 28-year-old has recreated bond with his Atalanta teammates and fans after a summer where he fought so hard to join Inter and failed to force through the transfer.
The Nigeria international said his concentration was now on how the team can keep getting positive results.
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Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic believes Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi is expected to get more playing time before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco.
The Nigerian international was in action as the Tigers lost two-nil to Ipswich Town in the Championship game.
Jakirovic stated that Ajayi would play more for Hull City before he joins the Super Eagles in Morocco.
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Nigeria’s D’Tigers began their chase for a 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup ticket on the wrong footing on Thursday, losing 88–78 in overtime to hosts Tunisia in the first game of the first phase of the qualifiers.
Following a difficult trip to Tunisia arriving just a few hours before their only training session head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman started Jordan Ogundiran, captain Ike Nwamu, Stan Okoye, Talib Zanna and Chris Obekpa from his 12-man roster of overseas and domestic players.
D’Tigers started on the front foot, going 5–0 up in the opening stages.
Zanna led the charge with a three-pointer, followed by two points from captain Nwamu.
The Tunisians, however, levelled and led 8–5 inside five minutes, but Nigeria managed to win the first quarter 15–12.
Ogundiran made it 17–12 at the start of the second quarter, but Tunisia crawled back into the game, sealing the quarter 23–17 to take a 35–32 lead into the break.
Nigeria will host the inaugural African Boxing Congress and Boxing Gala Night on Sunday, December 28, 2025, which will bring together representatives from over 20 affiliated national federations from across Africa to Lagos.
The Nigeria Boxing Federation, under the leadership of Hon Wale Edun, secured the hosting rights for the landmark event from African Boxing, the governing body for the continent’s boxing confederation and an arm of World Boxing, the international body for Olympic-style boxing.
In a letter to the NBF, African Boxing described Nigeria as a strategic nation with the capacity to lead a holistic advancement of the squared ropes sports in the continent.
OTHER LEAGUES
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Portugal has lifted their first FIFA Under-seventeen World Cup with a one-nil victory against Austria in the final of the 2025 edition at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.
Anisio Cabral netted the only goal of the game in the 32nd minute, handing the Portuguese the win in a match that saw both sides competing in the final at this level for the first time.
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Real Madrid striker Mbappe says scoring goals is always a pleasure for him.
He made this known after scoring four goals in Los Blancos’ four-three win over Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League.
The France international stated that the team’s ambition was to finish within the top eight of the competition.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Formula one, Lando Norris says he is relaxed heading into the Qatar Grand Prix, the race in which he could become world champion for the first time.
The McLaren driver heads team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by twenty-four points.
The Briton will become champion on Sunday if he can score two more points than both his rivals over the course of this weekend in Doha.
Norris has turned the tables on Piastri with a strong run of form since the Australian won the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, switching what had been a 34-point deficit on the Australian into his current lead.
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In Cricket, England have planned extra training sessions in Brisbane following their hammering in the first Ashes Test.
The tourists were beaten by Australia inside two days in Perth and have responded by outlining five days of build-up to the day-night Test at the Gabba, beginning next Thursday.
England’s decision to pass up the opportunity to send any of the team from the first Test to play in an England Lions match in Canberra this weekend has come under heavy scrutiny.
Ben Stokes’ side have plans for one of their longest preparation periods since the captain and coach Brendon McCullum took charge more than three years ago.
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In Rugby, Wales captain Jac Morgan will miss the start of the 2026 Six Nations after dislocating his shoulder in the autumn series opener against Argentina at the start of November.
The 25-year-old flanker has undergone surgery, with Ospreys head coach Mark Jones saying the British and Irish Lion now faces four to five months on the sidelines.
Wales kick-off their campaign away to England on 7 February before home matches against France on 15 February and Scotland a week later.
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In Golf, Rory McIlroy believes irrational spending from the LIV series has helped create a fracture in golf that will be difficult to repair.
LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, was founded in October 2021 and began play in June 2022.
The series lured many top players away from the PGA Tour with lucrative contracts, driving a wedge between the two organisations.
In June 2023, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV agreed to merge and the road to a unified sport appeared on the horizon.
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In Athletics, China’s world champion long jumper Wang Jianan has been cleared of doping after a review of hospital CCTV footage.
Wang became the first Asian man to win world long jump gold with his eight point thirty-six metres leap in Oregon in 2022.
He failed an out-of-competition doping test in November 2024, which showed traces of terbutaline, a drug primarily used to treat and prevent breathing problems in patients with asthma.
The China Anti-Doping Agency said the presence of the drug had been caused by passive inhalation while Wang was accompanying a relative to hospital for nebuliser treatment.
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In Cycling, Former Tour de France and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas has been named Ineos Grenadiers director of racing.
The 39-year-old Welshman retired from racing in summer 2025 after a glittering career.
Sir David Brailsford, who remains an influential figure at Ineos, said Geraint typifies what it means to be a Grenadier.
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SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
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IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
Brentford vs Burnley
Manchester City vs Leeds United
Sunderland vs AFC Bournemouth
Everton vs Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham
ON SUNDAY
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United
Aston Villa vs Wolves
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton
West Ham United vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Arsenal
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Mallorca vs Osasuna
Barcelona vs Alavés
Levante vs Athletic Club
Atletico Madrid vs Real Oviedo
ON SUNDAY
Real Sociedad vs Villarreal
Sevilla vs Real Betis
Celta Vigo vs Espanyol
Girona vs Real Madrid
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IN ITALAIN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Genoa vs Hellas Verona
Parma vs Udinese
Juventus vs Cagliari
AC Milan vs Lazio
ON SUNDAY
Lecce vs Torino
Pisa vs Inter Milan
Atalanta vs Fiorentina
Roma vs Napoli
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
A champion is someone who gets up when he cannot….words from Jack Dempsey.
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