IN ENGLAND
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Crystal Palace has scored three goals in 12 first-half minutes to come back from behind and stun ten-man
Tottenham in north London.
The home side took the lead in the 34th minute when England international Dominic Solanke put his side on course
for a first win in eleven Premier League games after finishing from close range.
After Micky van de Ven was sent off four minutes later, Ismaila Sarr netted twice – once either side of Jorgen Strand
Larsen’s strike to earn Palace consecutive league wins at Tottenham for the first time.
The defeat leaves Tottenham 16th in the table, one point above the relegation zone and without a win in 2026, while
Palace climb to 13th.
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===
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has insisted that the Premier League title race is not over, after the team’s
shock two-all draw against Nottingham Forest.
Guardiola is adamant City could still overhaul Arsenal in their last nine games.
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Nottingham Forest’s global head of football Edu has been asked to stay away from the club’s training ground amid
mounting uncertainty over his future.
The executive’s role at the City Ground is under significant internal scrutiny owing to the club’s poor season so far.
Forest are 17th in the Premier League and level on points with West Ham, outside the relegation zone only on goal
difference.
It is understood Edu, has not been present at a Forest’s three most recent games, against Fenerbahce, Brighton and
Manchester City.
======================
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has surprised fans during a recent episode of the club’s new series, The Link-Up, by
admitting that he does not know who music icon Celine Dion is.
The moment occurred during a light-hearted studio session at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios, where Saka
teamed up with Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Tems and Ghanaian producer GuiltyBeatz for a cross-cultural
collaboration.
While discussing musical influences, Saka asked Tems about her childhood musical idol.
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EFL clubs have voted in favour of expanding the Championship play-offs from four to six teams.
The new system is similar to the format used in the National League and will be introduced for the 2026-27 season.
It means teams finishing from third to eighth will compete for promotion to the Premier League.
Clubs finishing third and fourth will progress directly to the semi-final, while a one-legged quarter final will be played
with fifth at home to eighth and sixth hosting seventh.
Semi-finals will remain as two legs and the final will still take place at Wembley at the end of May.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said the play-offs have become a highlight of the domestic football calendar,
capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special.
====================
IN NIGERIA
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The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has been postponed just twelve days before the finals were set to kick off
in Morocco.
The Confederation of African Football in a statement released on Thursday said it was rescheduling the tournament
due to unforseen circumstances.
The tournament, which this year doubles up as a qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, was scheduled
to be held from 17th March to 3rd April.
Caf said the decision to postpone the tournament was taken to ensure the success of this important women’s
competition.
It did not indicate a new host, or dates, stating that preparations for the tournament are underway.
=====================
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim says his boyhood club, Rangers F.C., has the potential to overhaul
Rivers United F.C. at the summit of the Nigeria Professional Football League standings and win their ninth domestic
top-flight title.
Rivers United currently sit top of the 2025/2026 NPFL table with forty-nine points and two games in hand, while
Rangers occupy second position with forty-seven points.
Agbim stated that the indices point to a potential photo-finish title race this season, citing Rangers’ resurgence since
the second stanza of the campaign began.
He also spoke about Rangers’ resurgence since the second stanza of the league, noting that it could be further
strengthened with the return of Head Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu from national team duty.
=================
Galatasaray President Dursun Ozbek has confirmed that Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen’s contract does not
include a release clause.
Osimhen has recently been linked with European giants Juventus and Bayern Munich.
Ozbek insisted Osimhen’s agreement with Galatasaray does not include a release clause which would allow any club
to sign the striker for a pre-arranged fee.
The 27-year-old joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in September 2024.
The move was made permanent for seventy-five million euros the following year.
His contract with Galatasaray will
expire in June 2029.
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Czech Republic First Division club SK Sigma Olomouc has signed Nigerian youngster Samuel Sokoato.
Sokoato joined Tomáš Janotka’s side from Mahanaim FC.
The 18-year-old was scouted by Mahanaim FC at a local tournament in Kaduna few years ago.
Sokoato thanked his family for their constant support , and also hailed Mahanaim FC for their dedication to making
him a better player.
=======================
Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have unveiled their final 12-player squad for the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026, with the list confirmed by FIBA on Thursday.
The squad, also announced on the team’s official social media platforms, includes experienced campaigners such as Ezinne Kalu, Sarah Ogoke, Amy Okonkwo and Promise Amukamara, alongside other key players like Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro and Blessing Ejiofor.
The seven-time African champions will compete in the qualifying tournament scheduled for March 11 to 17 in Lyon, France, where they are set to face Colombia on 11th March, followed by games against South Korea on 12th March, the Philippines on 14th March, France on 15th March, and Germany on 17th MarchMarch .
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OTHER LEAGUES
======================
Former Real Madrid midfielder Ivan Helguera has faulted Los Blancos’ decision to sack Xabi Alonso as manager.
Recall that the Spanish tactician was replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa early this year after a poor run of results in the
league.
Helguera stated that Real Madrid was too hasty in sacking Alonso.
======================
Former Real Madrid star, Gareth Bale has revealed he carried a secret injury throughout his career, with the problem
eventually leading to his early retirement.
Bale won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid to become one of Britain’s most successful players.
He called time on his playing days at the age of 33 shortly after playing for Wales at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He has now disclosed details of a back injury suffered while a teenager at Spurs that he says contributed to his
decision to step away from the game.
======================
England captain Harry Kane will miss his first Bundesliga match of the season on Friday, having been ruled out of
Bayern Munich’s home game against Borussia Monchengladbach because of a minor calf injury.
Kane has appeared in all twenty-four of the German club’s league fixtures during the 2025-26 season and is the
division’s leading scorer with thirty goals.
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany stressed that Kane’s injury was nothing serious and the former Tottenham striker
should be fit for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Italian side Atalanta on 10th March.
======================
Wales will host African opposition for the first time when taking on Ghana in the summer.
Craig Bellamy’s men will welcome the Black Stars to Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 2nd June, with the kick-off time
to be confirmed.
Ghana has already qualified for this summer’s World Cup when they will go up against England, Croatia and Panama
in the group stages.
Wales will hope to join them in north America and face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, 26th
March, with the winners going on to host either Italy or Northern Ireland five days later.
======================
Iran’s players have saluted while singing the country’s national anthem before their Asian Cup match against hosts
Australia, in contrast to the silence at their opening match on Monday.
Before that defeat by South Korea, the Iranian players had stood still, amid the wider context of escalating conflict
following air strikes from the United States and Israel on their homeland.
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OTHER SPORTS
=================
In Tennis, British number one Emma Raducanu says she is going to be tapping into a few people as she tries to
rediscover her natural way of playing.
The 2021 US Open champion says she remains open to the idea of having another full-time coach, as long as they
do not dictate the way she should play, but is wary of the scrutiny they will attract.
Raducanu’s partnership with Francisco Roig ended after January’s Australian Open because of a disagreement over
her playing style.
The Spaniard was the seventh full-time coach Raducanu had worked with.
==================
In Cricket, Jacob Bethell’s thrilling century was not enough as India pipped England by just seven runs to seal a
spot in the T20 World Cup final in a high-scoring thriller in Mumbai.
Needing 254 for victory, a record in this competition after being flogged around Wankhede Stadium, Bethell hit a
scarcely believable 105 from 48 balls to threaten one of England’s all-time white-ball victories.
The 22-year-old, the rising star of English cricket, kept England afloat from 63-3 and 95-4 and took boundaries from
the final two balls of the 17th over to leave 45 to get from the final three.
It means co-hosts India will play New Zealand in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
==================
In Formula one, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix are under threat as a consequence of the US-Israel war
with Iran.
The two countries are among the Gulf states targeted by retaliatory missiles launched by Iran in response to US-
Israeli air strikes.
Bahrain is set to host the fourth race of the season from 10th to 12th April, with Saudi Arabia’s event in Jeddah a
week later.
==================
In Rugby, Scotland are only interested in keeping their Six Nations hopes alive, with head coach Gregor Townsend
insisting he has given little consideration to the prospect of France securing the title at Murrayfield on Saturday.
France clinched last year’s championship at home to Scotland and a bonus-point victory in Edinburgh would
complete their defence with a game to spare.
Scotland, who finish off in Ireland next week, are second in the table after two wins from three outings, four points
behind the unbeaten visitors.
================
In Athletics, Keely Hodgkinson will lead Great Britain’s gold medal hopes at the World Athletics Indoor
Championships when a strong squad travels to Poland later this month.
Four weeks after breaking the long-standing women’s indoor 800m world record, Olympic champion Hodgkinson is
aiming to win the world indoor title on her first appearance at the event.
The 24-year-old, a three-time world medallist outdoors, could also be considered for the four by four hundred metres
relay team after running a personal best 51.49 seconds over the shorter distance at the start of March.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships take place from 20th to 22nd March in Torun, Poland.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
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IN FA CUP 5TH ROUND
Wolves vs Liverpool
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid
=================
IN ITALIAN SERIE A
Napoli vs Torino
====================
SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
=====================
ON SATURDAY
Mansfield Town vs Arsenal
Wrexham vs Chelsea
Newcastle United vs Manchester City
ON SUNDAY
Fulham vs Southampton
Port Vale vs Sunderland
Leeds United vs Norwich City
====================
IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Osasuna vs Mallorca
Levante vs Girona
Atletico
Madrid vs Real Sociedad
Athletic Club vs Barcelona
ON SUNDAY
Villarreal vs Elche
Getafe vs Real Betis
Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano
Valencia vs Alavés
===================
IN ITALIAN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Cagliari vs Como
Atalanta vs Udinese
Juventus vs Pisa
ON SUNDAY
Lecce vs Cremonese
Bologna vs Hellas Verona
Fiorentina vs Parma
Genoa vs Roma
AC Milan vs Inter Milan
======================
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
One of the differences between some successful and unsuccessful people is that one group is full of doers, while
the other is full of wishers….words from Edmond Mbiaka.
securityandsafetymatters 