IN FIFA WORLD CUP
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England captain, Harry Kane says it is too early to judge whether he could play on for his country until the next World Cup in 2030 following the painful semi-final defeat by Argentina.
It was a second World Cup semi-final defeat in eight years for England and Bayern Munich striker Kane following a two-one defeat by Croatia in 2018.
While Kane praised Argentina’s 39-year-old inspirational captain Lionel Messi, the 32-year-old former Tottenham striker is unsure if he will be representing England in four years’ time.
Kane scored six goals at this World Cup and with a third-place match to come he could still win the Golden Boot, although both Messi, who had assists for both Argentina goals against England, and France’s Kylian Mbappe are on eight.
England will now prepare for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France.
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Argentina defender, Cristian Romero says Gary Neville was wrong to criticise his centre-back partnership with Lisandro Martinez.
In the build-up to Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 World Cup semi-final win over England, former Manchester United full-back Neville described Romero and Martinez as the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world.
Romero and Martinez, who are both 28, have started all but one of Argentina’s World Cup games this summer, helping Lionel Scaloni’s side reach their second successive World Cup final.
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Former England international Peter Reid has strongly advocated that the Football Association must keep Thomas Tuchel as manager.
Reid emphasised that the team reached the final four and that the FA cannot keep continually changing managers.
Reid, who played for England in the 1986 World Cup, made his remarks on BBC Breakfast following the team’s World Cup semi-final defeat.
While some critics questioned his tactical decisions in the semi-final, figures like Reid argue that continuity is essential for the squad.
England will now take on France in the World Cup third-place playoff on 18th July before Tuchel’s squad head away on their summer breaks.
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Former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has expressed unwavering belief in the England national team’s potential, stating that their time will come to win a major international trophy following their heartbreaking elimination.
Despite falling short of the ultimate prize, Sturridge offered words of encouragement, praising the squad for making the country believe again.
Acknowledging the frustration of falling just short in a major tournament, Sturridge emphasised that this young and talented group has a bright future ahead, insisting that their “time will come”.
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Former Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh has criticised Thomas Tuchel’s tactical decisions following England’s dramatic two-one defeat to Argentina.
Oliseh was among those unimpressed by England’s approach, arguing that Tuchel’s tactical decisions allowed Argentina to seize the initiative when the match was there to be won.
The former Nigeria captain also suggested England became overly passive after taking the lead, conceding possession and territory to an Argentina side renowned for punishing opponents in decisive moments.
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Fifa is assessing match reports before deciding whether to punish Argentina after players celebrated their World Cup semi-final win against England with a banner in support of their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands.
After the final whistle, Argentina players held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine.
Fifa’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the Fifa disciplinary code.
World football’s governing body said the gesture had breached rules on political action and team misconduct.
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FIFA has appointed Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
The world football governing body announced the match officials on its official X handle on Friday.
The final battle will take place on Sunday.
Vinčić will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič as first and second assistant referees.
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Officials in New York and New Jersey have issued an air quality health alert because of wildfire smoke just days before the World Cup final.
Haze caused by Canadian wildfires has blanketed the New York region, prompting officials to urge residents to reduce outdoor exertion and stay indoors if possible.
New York New Jersey Stadium which is in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, 19th July.
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Former Everton striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni has expressed mixed feelings, stating Liam Delap is not a bad player to bring in to Everton.
He acknowledged the massive leap Delap took moving from Ipswich to Chelsea and noted his subsequent struggles.
While Delap has been heavily linked with a move to Goodison Park, the Nigerian legend remains unconvinced, emphasising that the club needs a proven striker who can get the job done every weekend.
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Coventry City have signed Eintracht Frankfurt defender Aurele Amenda in a deal worth more than seventeen million pounds.
The Switzerland centre-back has cost an initial fifteen point four million pounds, with a further one point seven million pounds in add-ons, and signed a four-year contract with the newly-promoted Premier League club.
Amenda is understood to have been persuaded by a strong pitch from manager Frank Lampard and Coventry’s recruitment staff.
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Bournemouth’s’ Spanish defender, Alex Jimenez has joined Serie A side Fiorentina on a season-long loan.
The deal includes a seventeen million pounds option to make the move permanent, and means he can continue to play after being suspended by his club pending the outcome of an investigation into social media allegations.
The 21-year-old was dropped from Bournemouth’s first team in May following what the club said was a serious matter relating to posts circulating on social media.
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Nottingham Forest is set to make an offer of forty-five million pounds for Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Spurs rejected Forest’s first bid of thirty-eight million pounds for the 20-year-old last week.
The Sweden international wants the move to the City Ground, having played limited minutes at the end of last season under Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi, often not in his preferred number six position.
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IN NIGERIA
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Super Falcons forward, Chiwendu Ihezuo has reaffirmed the team’s determination to successfully defend their title at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Justine Madugu’s side will be chasing a record-extending 11th continental crown when the tournament gets underway later this month, with Morocco hosting the competition for the third successive edition.
Beyond lifting the trophy, the Super Falcons are also aiming to secure a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Brazil.
Ihezuo stressed that the team’s mission is clear: retain the WAFCON title and book their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Addressing the injury that kept her sidelined for an extended period, Ihezuo, who plays for Mexican club Pachuca, confirmed that she has fully recovered and is ready to contribute to the Super Falcons’ campaign at the tournament.
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Super Falcons star, Oluwatosin Demehin says the team is fully motivated to defend their crown at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria will be aiming to secure a record-extending 11th continental title when the tournament gets underway in Morocco next weekend.
Despite the increased level of competition, Demehin insisted the Super Falcons remain determined to uphold their long-standing dominance in African women’s football and will give everything to successfully defend their title.
Demehin also reflected with pride on winning the WAFCON title with the Super Falcons during the 2024 tournament, describing the achievement as a defining moment in her career.
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Super Falcons star, Esther Okoronkwo is focused on helping Nigeria succeed at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations rather than chasing individual accolades.
Okoronkwo starred for the Super Falcons at the last edition of the WAFCON, scoring three goals, and providing six assists in six appearances.
Despite her impressive performances, the 29-year-old did not receive any individual award at the tournament.
Okoronkwo said the Super Falcons winning a 10th title was more important than any individual honour.
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Nigeria’s Falconets, has commenced camping in Abuja ahead of the 2026 FIFA Under-twenty Women’s World Cup.
A total of twenty-eight players have been invited, with sixteen of them already in camp as preparations gather momentum for the global showpiece.
The technical crew, headed by coach Moses Aduku, has immediately swung into action with intensive training sessions aimed at fine-tuning the squad for what promises to be another memorable campaign on the world stage.
The Falconets have been drawn in Group F alongside Spain, China PR and Paraguay.
Poland will host the competition from 5th to 27th September, 2026.
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Bayelsa United club has appointed Abdu Maikaba as the team’s new head coach.
The move signals Bayelsa United’s determination to return to the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, at the first attempt after an underwhelming campaign culminated in relegation last season.
Maikaba will combine the role with his duties as head coach of the Flying Eagles.
The experienced tactician brings a wealth of top-flight coaching experience, having managed several NPFL clubs, including Akwa United, Rangers International, Kano Pillars, and Wikki Tourists.
Bayelsa United will look to Maikaba to spearhead their push for an immediate return to the NPFL.
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Super Falcons defender, Shukurat Oladipo has signed a new three-year contract with Italian champions AS Roma.
The Giallorossi confirmed Oladipo’s contract extension in a statement published on the club’s official website.
The 21-year-old joined AS Roma from Nigeria Women Football League, outfit FC Robo Queens in 2025.
The versatile defender has also been included in Nigeria’s squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which gets underway in Morocco this month.
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Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray have announced the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu.
Galatasaray announced Ugochukwu’s arrival on their official website.
The Nigerian-born midfielder arrived the RAMS Park on loan from Sky Bet Championship club Burnley with an option to make it permanent.
The 22-year-old only joined Burnley from Premier League giants Chelsea last summer.
Ugochukwu made fifteen appearances across all competitions during his stint at Chelsea.
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Swedish club IFK Göteborg have completed the signing of Nigerian youngster Ifeoluwa Olowoporoku from Tripple 44 Football Academy.
Olowoporoku penned a three-year contract with the 18-time Allsvenskan champions.
IFK Göteborg football director Jesper Jansson expressed delight with the midfielder’s arrival at the club.
The club’s scouting manager, David Vukovic, is confident Olowoporoku will continue his development in Sweden.
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Ligue 2 club Stade de Reims have announced the signing of Nigerian youngster John Otomewo.
Otomewo, who linked up with Reims from Israeli outfit Hapoel Jerusalem penned a contract until 2031.
The defensive midfielder will be able to rely on the presence of fellow Nigerian Hafiz Ibrahim, whose support is expected to ease his integration into the squad and help him settle quickly.
The 19-year-old expressed his delight after signing his contract.
Otomewo started his career with Nigerian Second Division club Abia Comets FC.
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World record holder Tobi Amusan has arrived at Team Nigeria’s training camp in Aberdeen, Scotland, as preparations intensify for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The reigning Commonwealth Games women’s 100m hurdles champion joins the Nigerian contingent after a consistent campaign on the Diamond League circuit, where she has already secured her place in the season-ending final in Brussels, Belgium, with four meetings still remaining.
Amusan is expected to be one of Team Nigeria’s brightest medal prospects in Glasgow as she targets a third consecutive Commonwealth Games title in the women’s 100m hurdles, having won gold at the 2018 and 2022 editions.
OTHER LEAGUE
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Motherwell midfielder, Elliot Watt has received an immediate four-match suspension after admitting to charges related to post-match comments in the wake of May’s defeat by Celtic.
On X, Watt described the award of a late penalty as the worst VAR decision in history.
Watt, who opened the scoring against Celtic, was charged with breaching the Scottish FA’s disciplinary rule 72, which says players should not criticise decisions made by officials or make comments that impinge on the character of a referee.
Motherwell were charged with the same breach and have been fined five thousand pounds for a post they made after the game.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz has entered next month’s Cincinnati Open as the world number three moves closer to returning from a wrist injury.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion last played on tour in April when he suffered an injury at the Barcelona Open.
He has since withdrawn from the French Open and Wimbledon, missing the chance to defend his Roland Garros title.
Alcaraz will miss the Canadian Open, the next Masters tournament on the calendar, which is held in Montreal from 2nd to13th August.
But he intends to feature in the Cincinnati Open, also a Masters event, which runs from 13th to 23rd August.
The 23-year-old will be looking to prove his readiness for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year where he is reigning champion.
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In Formula one, McLaren’s Lando Norris will have a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday as a result of exceeding the permitted number of engine parts.
The world champion’s car will be fitted with a new battery, Norris’ fourth of the season, one more than is permitted.
McLaren decided to fit the new unit, along with taking the latest specification of Mercedes engine, because the one Norris was using does not have the reliability fixes introduced after a series of failures this year.
The team chose this weekend to take the penalty because overtaking is relatively easy at Spa, and it is the last race before they introduce the first of two significant upgrade packages.
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In Cricket, England needed a Joe Root rescue act once again as his 99 not out led a gritty chase of 234 against India in Cardiff to level the one-day international series against India.
With wickets falling around him regularly, Root provided a masterclass in adapting to tricky conditions and led England to their target with 5.5 overs to spare, but was denied a century as Gus Atkinson hit the winning boundary with three runs needed to win.
Root was immediately tasked with rebuilding a chaotic start to the chase after Ben Duckett was dismissed from the first ball of the innings.
Duckett nicked behind off Jasprit Bumrah, Jacob Bethell fell in the same way to Prasidh Krishna for four and after a third-wicket stand of 45, the frenetic captain Harry Brook was out in calamitous fashion trying to ramp over the keeper for 16.
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England’s rugby players have switched hotels in Buenos Aires to avoid their return home being wrecked by World Cup celebrations should Argentina’s football team beat Spain in Sunday’s final.
Steve Borthwick’s team play Argentina in their final match of the summer on Saturday in Santiago del Estero, 600 miles north-west of the capital.
But they will return to Buenos Aires on Sunday, before their flight home to London on Monday.
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In Golf, English hopes for a first Open winner for 34 years were boosted with eight players under par after the first round – but Masters champion Rory McIlroy ended the day seven shots off the lead.
McIlroy endured a rollercoaster first round at Royal Birkdale which included six bogeys and four birdies in his two-over round of 72.
American Jackson Suber leads the way on five under par, one shot ahead of England’s Dan Brown and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae.
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In Cycling, Belgium’s Tim Merlier came out on top in a chaotic sprint finish to clinch stage 12 and claim his third win at this year’s Tour de France.
Merlier came from behind to beat countryman Jasper Philipsen and was able to avoid being caught up a late crash after Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria hit the deck, which brought down several other riders including stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold.
Philipsen, who finished third, had looked in a good position going into the final couple of kilometres on a day where many teams had attempted attacks without being able to make any stick.
The stage victory comes after Merlier won stages seven and eight earlier in this year’s race taking his overall tally to six.
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In Athletics, British stars Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr will attempt to break world records at the Diamond League meeting at London Stadium on Saturday.
With hopes of a capacity 60,000 crowd roaring her on, Olympic champion Hodgkinson will bid to break athletics’ longest-standing individual track world record when she lines up in the women’s eight hundred metres.
Kerr, the 2023 world one thousand and five hundred metres champion, is aiming to add his name to the stellar list of British men to have held the world record for the mile.
Among other British stars in action are Zharnel Hughes in the men’s one hundred metres, Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith and Success Eduan in the women’s two hundred two hundred metres, Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men’s four hundred metres and Max Burgin and Ben Pattison in the men’s eight hundred metres.
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SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
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IN FIFA WORLD CUP- THIRD PLACE FINAL
ON SATURDAY
France vs England
IN FIFA WORLD CUP- FINAL
ON SUNDAY
Spain vs Argentina
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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
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securityandsafetymatters 