IN NIGERIA

==================

Super Eagles have arrived in Portugal ahead of next Wednesday’s international friendly match.

The players and officials arrival was announced by the media officer Promise Efoghe.

According to Efoghe, nineteen players travelled from Poland to Portugal for the friendly.

He disclosed that Alex Iwobi and Genk defender Christian Akpan have joined others in Lisbon and Samuel Chukwueze is expected on Friday.

Efoghe added that Pisa striker Rafiu Durosinmi was excused to attend to private matters.

The tie with Portugal is the second of two international friendly matches lined up for the Super Eagles.

===================

=======================

Super Eagles head coach, Éric Chelle has expressed satisfaction with his team’s display in the two-all draw against Poland in the international friendly.

Chelle reckoned the outcome reflected the competitive nature of the entertaining encounter.

He openly acknowledged that several of his players were struggling with match fitness.

The Malian is already planning to adopt the same approach for his side’s next friendly against Portugal

.

======================

Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi has disclosed that he expects a difficult game against Portugal in next week’s international friendly.

Moffi, who netted a goal in Nigeria’s three-nil win over Jamaica in the final of the Unity Cup, was also on target as the Super Eagles were held to a two-all draw against Poland in Wednesday’s international friendly.

The Nigerian international stated that he was impressed with the team’s display against Poland but warned that Portugal will be very difficult.

Nigeria will shift their attention to another friendly game against World Cup-bound Portugal on 10th June.

===================

=====================

Super Eagles defender Abdullahi Bewene has expressed his delight after making his senior international debut for the Super Eagles in Nigeria’s entertaining two-all draw against Poland in Warsaw.

The 21-year-old Banik Ostrava defender was handed a surprise start by Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle after regular right-backs Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel were unavailable.

He looked comfortable in possession, won important tackles, made several interceptions and showed maturity beyond his years.

The former youth international admitted that representing Nigeria was a proud moment in his career.

========================================

Former Nigerian international Eric Ejiofor has appealed to the Nigeria Football Federation to retain Eric Chelle as Super Eagles head coach.

He made this known on the backdrop of the senior national team’s progress under the Franco-Malian tactician, most especially against Poland.

Ejiofor praised Chelle’s strategy to integrate younger players and Nigeria Professional Football League prospects into the squad for friendlies.

Head Coach Eric Chelle’s unbeaten streak with the Nigeria Super Eagles in regulation time has reached twelve matches, including a two-all draw with Poland in June 2026.

Since taking charge, Chelle’s overall record stands at an impressive sixteen wins, nine draws, and just one loss across twenty-six games.

=======================================

Poland head coach, Jan Urban has expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance against the Super Eagles.

Also, Poland defender Przemyslaw Wisniewski believes his side deserved a draw from the international friendly against Nigeria.

Wisniewski said Poland showed significant improvement defensively compared to their performance against Ukraine and felt his team merited a share of the spoils.

================

======================

Rivers United’s team bus was involved in a road accident on Thursday.

The players and club officials were travelling to Awka for their President Federation Cup Round of 16 clash against Nasarawa United when the incident occurred.

The encounter was slated for the Awka City Stadium, Anambra State on Sunday.

Rivers United later confirmed that while some players and officials sustained minor injuries in the accident, there were no fatalities or life-threatening injuries.

The club’s medical team is closely monitoring those involved, while management continues to assess the situation and make necessary arrangements.

===================================

The Nigeria Cricket Federation has announced the fourteen-player squad for the 2026 Kwibuka Women’s T20i tournament in Rwanda.

The federation unveiled the squad on their official X handle.

The fourteen players are Christabel Chukwuonye, Deborah Bassey, Esther Sandy, Favour Effiong, Favour Eseigbe, Henrietta Mbam and Jessica Bieni.

Others are Lilian Ude, Omosigho Eguakun, Oseyende Omonkhobhio, Rachael Samson, Salome Sunday, Sarah Etim and Shola Adekunle.

Meanwhile, the 2026 Kwibuka Women’s T20i tournament in Rwanda will also feature Zimbabwe, Malawi and Brazil.

The tournament will run from 10th to 20th June.

Nigeria will play eight fixtures at the tournament and will open their campaign against Malawi on 10th June.

==================================

The Badminton Federation of Nigeria, has announced vacancies for key national coaching positions as part of efforts to strengthen the sport and improve Nigeria’s international competitiveness.

Its President, Francis Orbih, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, inviting qualified and experienced coaches to apply for various national team appointments.

Orbih said the federation was seeking dynamic, result-oriented professionals capable of driving player development and advancing badminton at all levels across the country.

The Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) has appointed coaches for its senior, age-grade and beach volleyball national teams following a comprehensive selection and screening process.

The appointments were announced in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the Chairman of the NVBF Media and Publicity Committee, Godspower Odedede.

Odedede said the appointments reflected the federation’s commitment to strengthening the technical development of volleyball in the country.

He said the appointments, approved by the federation, covered the Senior Men and Women teams, Under-19 Boys and Girls teams, Under-17 Boys and Girls teams, as well as the Beach Volleyball teams.

Light Spikers Volleyball Club on Thursday finished top of the standings in the 2026 National Division One Volleyball League after defeating Rhino Spikers 3-1 in Abuja.

The victory was Light Spikers’ 10th consecutive win of the first phase of the league.

Light Spikers lost the opening set 15-25 but recovered strongly to claim the next three sets 25-17, 25-18 and 25-23.

In other matches, Sword Volleyball Club defeated Adamawa Spikers 3-0 and also recorded a 3-0 victory over Katsina United.

Kada Kings beat Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Volleyball Club 3-1, while NAF Rockets overcame Katsina United 3-0.

IN ENGLAND

==================================

Liverpool have appointed Andoni Iraola as their head coach on a two-year contract following the sacking of Arne Slot.

The Reds announced Slot’s exit, a year after the Dutchman guided them to the Premier League title, and have moved swiftly to bring in a successor.

Former Bournemouth manager Iraola, joins after delivering the Cherries’ finest top-flight season to date, finishing in sixth place.

Now he moves to Merseyside, with Liverpool having qualified for next season’s Champions League despite finishing the Premier League season with sixty points.

Iraola is understood to be keen to bring Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, his assistants at Bournemouth, to Anfield as part of his coaching staff.

======================

============

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak says manager Pep Guardiola has threatened to quit the team one hundred times during his decade-long reign as manager.

Khaldoon said this time he knew the Spaniard actually meant it.

Guardiola, stepped down at the end of this season after leading the club to 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League victory.

He had one more year remaining on his contract but said in his last news conference that the club needed a new manager and new energy.

Speaking in his annual interview with in-house media, Khaldoon said he realised the exit was to become a reality.

=================================

Manchester United chief executive, Omar Berrada says the club must stick to its plan and not overpay in the transfer market this summer.

United are just emerging from the issues created by spending vast sums on transfer fees and wages for the likes of Casemiro, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek.

The club feel they got their approach to transfers, with the increased use of data, spot on twelve months ago when they moved quickly to bring in Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford early in the summer, before signing striker Benjamin Sesko and goalkeeper Senne Lammens at the end of the window.

================================

English Football League clubs have voted to reduce the length of ‘fee restriction’ transfer windows for clubs failing to meet financial obligations.

Those who do not keep up with payments for more than 30 days have previously been banned for three transfer windows from any incoming transfers or loans which involve a fee.

Sheffield Wednesday were one of the clubs hit by a three-window restriction when they twice failed to pay player wages on time, in March and May 2025, for a total exceeding the 30-day ruling.

Under the new regulations, clubs could still be subject to a fee restriction but only for one transfer window, with the EFL keen to assess any future breaches of their rules on a case-by-case basis.

The new ruling was voted on during the EFL’s Annual General Meeting.

Rick Parry has been re-elected as the league’s chairman for a further three-year period, which will extend his time in the role to a decade.

===============================

Manchester City are contemplating taking legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate promised to sign their striker Erling Haaland.

Enrique Riquelme, who faces current president Florentino Perez in Sunday’s vote, claimed that Haaland had a release clause and wants to move to the Bernabeu.

He also pledged to sign City midfielder Rodri.

A swift denial was issued in a joint statement by Haaland’s father and agent, before City rubbished the suggestion.

==================

============

Brighton is expecting Tottenham to return with another bid for defender Jan Paul van Hecke after rejecting their initial offer.

Van Hecke, who is part of the Netherlands’ World Cup squad, has a year left on his contract and new Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi is keen to be reunited with the 25-year-old after working with him at Brighton.

Brighton signed Van Hecke from Eredivisie outfit NAC Breda in 2020 for a relatively modest sum.

He is reported to be valued now by Brighton at seventy million pounds.

Chief executive Paul Barber was placed in charge of outgoing transfers by Brighton in the wake of the unexpected exit of sporting director Jason Ayto.

===================

==========

FIFA has banned fans from bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup venues in a last-minute policy change that will force thirsty supporters to pay for bottled water.

FIFA said the rule change was taken on safety grounds, noting that several World Cup venues already barred the use of refillable water bottles.

The statement added that misting stations, fans, hydration stations and cooling tents would be available in the stadium footprint.

It added that bottled water inside the venue would be sold at prices which remain consistent with other events held at each stadium.

The rule change comes despite experts warning fans could face health risks from extreme heat at open-air venues during the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

=============================

Manchester United women midfielder, Ella Toone says she learned a massive lesson from her recent injury setback and now she is ready to perform again for England.

Toone missed four months of the season with a hip injury, but returned for the final three games of the Women’s Super League season.

She took part in the Women’s World Sevens tournament last week as United finished runners-up to Chelsea.

Toone missed Women’s World Cup qualifying matches in March and April, but is available for England’s game against Spain on Friday in Mallorca.

The Lionesses will qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil if they avoid defeat against reigning world champions Spain.

================

============

Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe says she had to put herself first as she opened up about her switch from Arsenal to Chelsea.

The Blues confirmed the signing of the 30-year-old on a deal until June 2029 with the option of a further year.

McCabe opted to move to west London after rejecting a late contract offer from the Gunners in April.

The left-back spent eleven years with Arsenal, where she won a Women’s Super League title in 2019 and the Women’s Champions League in 2025, but feels ready to pursue a new opportunity, despite criticism of her move.

============================

Chelsea’s former record goalscorer Bobby Tambling has died at the age of 84.

Tambling scored 202 goals from 370 games between 1959 and 1970, a record that was surpassed by Frank Lampard in May 2013.

Tambling scored on his debut as a 17-year-old and helped Chelsea win the League Cup in 1965, scoring against Leicester in the final.

He also scored as the Blues lost the 1967 FA Cup final to Tottenham and won three caps for England before joining Crystal Palace in 1970.

============================

OTHER LEAGUES

============================

Northern Ireland manager, Michael O’Neill said Tom Atcheson’s red card during his side’s one-nil win over Guinea in an international friendly killed the game.

Atcheson scored the only goal on his first Northern Ireland start when he fired home Isaac Price’s cross on nine minutes.

The Blackburn Rovers defender was then shown a straight red card in the second half when he brought down Abdoul Karim Traore as the last man, but Northern Ireland were able to hang on to win and help build momentum ahead of Monday’s match against World Cup bound France.

==================

==========

Former Scotland striker, Alan Brazil says he is very lucky to be life after undergoing a liver transplant recently.

The 66-year-old, who now works as a broadcaster, revealed that his heart stopped beating during the procedure.

Brazil had spells with Ipswich Town, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur among others during his playing career and is hopeful he can return to broadcasting in the coming weeks.

==================

===========

OTHER SPORTS

=============================

In Tennis, Qualifier Maja Chwalinska is one win away from a fairytale French Open triumph after setting up a final showdown with Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.

The Polish world number 114, who had only ever won one match at a Grand Slam before this tournament, continued her astonishing run at Roland Garros by beating 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6, 6-4.

Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final with a dominant victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the French Open with 6-1, 6-3 victory.

============================

Also, former tennis star Andy Roddick has named Novak Djokovic as the greatest male tennis player of all time.

Roddick, who spent his career playing against the iconic Big Three, has repeatedly pointed to the objective numbers to settle the debate.

While Roddick has immense respect and personal fondness for his former rival Roger Federer, he maintains that the historical data leaves no doubt about Djokovic’s place in the sport.

============================

In Formula one, George Russell says this year’s world championship is Kimi Antonelli’s to lose after the Briton’s retirement from the last race in Canada.

Russell heads into this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix with a 43-point deficit to his Mercedes team-mate after the Briton’s engine failed while leading in Montreal.

Monaco is the sixth round of what is now a 22-race season.

Italian Antonelli has won four races in a row, while Russell’s only grand prix victory this year was in the season-opening race in Australia.

============================

In Cricket, Ollie Robinson took three wickets in his first over for England in more than two years to breathe life into their post-Ashes rebuild on day one of the first Test against New Zealand.

Robinson had been ignored since 2024, including on the dismal tour of Australia, but showed England what they have been missing on an astonishing day when 16 wickets fell at Lord’s.

In an electric atmosphere, the Sussex seamer completed a triple-wicket maiden by having Rachin Ravindra lbw to the first ball he faced.

Robinson later bowled Daryl Mitchell to claim four wickets for 10 runs.

The Black Caps eventually closed on 61-6 – 79 behind.

It leaves England on top of a Test match they could have batted themselves out of when they were dismissed inside 40 overs.

==============================

In Cycling, Elisa Balsamo won her fourth sprint victory in four opportunities at the Giro d’Italia Women, finishing ahead of Maggie Coles-Lyster and Georgia Baker on stage six.

The Italian was launched by team-mate Lucinda Brand, overtaking Coles-Lyster with 50m to go after the Canadian started a bunch sprint to the finish.

Balsamo, who rides for Lidl-Trek, maintains a strong hold on the red points classification jersey in the nine-stage race.

=============================
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence…..words from Eleanor Roosevelt
.