IN NIGERIA
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Super Falcons have qualified for the quarterfinals of the Women’s African Cup of Nations, after hammering Egypt six-two, in their final Group C game.
The defending champions entered the match needing a convincing win to keep their hopes of progressing alive following an opening defeat to Malawi and a hard-fought victory over Zambia.
Nigeria produced an attacking masterclass, scoring six times against the Pharaohs, who managed two goals in reply, as the Super Falcons completed one of the standout performances of the group stage.
The result means the Super Falcons finish in second place on six points while Malawi, also on six points, top the group despite losing two-one to Zambia in the other fixture.
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Former Barcelona midfielder, Andrés Iniesta has advised his former club to sign Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen as the ideal long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski.
The Catalan giants are in the market for a new centre-forward following Lewandowski’s departure to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire earlier this summer.
Iniesta noted that while young star Lamine Yamal is exceptional, he should not be deployed as a central number nine.
He urged sporting director Deco to secure the services of the Nigerian international this summer.
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Bundesliga side Hamburger SV have emerged as the latest club interested in signing Nigerian striker Terem Moffi from Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice this summer.
Moffi returned to Nice after spending the second half of last season on loan at Portuguese champions FC Porto.
The 27-year-old is widely expected to leave the French club before the close of the transfer window.
Nice president Maurice Cohen confirmed that Moffi was among the players the club was prepared to offload as part of its squad overhaul ahead of the new season.
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Flying Eagles goalkeeper, Lawani Clinton has emerged as the hero as the team secured a place in the final of the WAFU B Under-twenty Championship after defeating hosts Côte d’Ivoire four-three on penalties.
The thrilling semi-final finished two-all after extra time, forcing the contest into a penalty shootout.
Simeon missed Nigeria’s second spot-kick, but Lawani produced two crucial saves in the shootout to seal a four-three victory and send the Flying Eagles into the final.
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IN ENGLAND
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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta says his players were fuming after their disappointing three-one pre-season defeat by Real Betis in Dublin.
The Gunners conceded three first-half goals during an uncharacteristically sloppy defensive performance.
Despite having less possession, the Spanish side were more threatening throughout and had more shots on target than Arteta’s men.
The Gunners are still without Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka, who have still not joined up with the squad following their World Cup campaign with England.
While Spain’s World Cup winners Mikel Merino, David Raya and Martin Zubimendi are also yet to return, captain Martin Odegaard resumed individual training after featuring for Norway in the tournament.
While unhappy with Arsenal’s performance, Arteta hoped the defeat would spur them to improve.
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Arsenal is set to complete their protracted move for Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes.
And a full agreement is now almost done, with Guimaraes waiting for permission to leave Newcastle’s training base in La Manga, in Spain, to finalise the formalities of his move to Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are now making preparations for the Brazil midfielder’s medical this week.
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Chelsea star, Mykhailo Mudryk has made his first appearance for Chelsea in twenty months as a substitute in the team’s one-nil defeat by Juventus in Hong Kong.
The Ukraine international came on in the 82nd minute to cheers from the crowd of forty-three thousand at Kai Tak Stadium.
In his first involvement, Mudryk almost latched on to an overhit through-ball from Estevao Willian and was seen closing down opponents while operating in his favoured position on the left wing.
Mudryk’s appearance came a day after he featured in an open training session, and a further session behind closed doors, which convinced Alonso he was fit enough to feature.
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Chelsea is closing in on an agreement with Rayo Vallecano for defender Pep Chavarria.
The Blues, who have already agreed personal terms with the 28-year-old, are finalising a move worth about sixteen point three million pounds plus further add-ons, with all parties increasingly confident about striking a deal.
Left-back Chavarria is a key target for new manager Xabi Alonso having faced him while he was in charge of Real Madrid last season.
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New Newcastle United head coach, Matthias Jaissle says he fully believes in the team’s project.
The club confirmed the 38-year-old’s immediate appointment following the departure of Eddie Howe last month.
Jaissle joins from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, where he lead the club to back-to-back AFC Champions League title, having previously been in charge at RB Salzburg for two seasons, securing the Austrian Bundesliga twice and also the Austrian Cup once.
Jaissle said it was an incredible honour to become head coach of Newcastle United.
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Everton has signed midfielder Christian Norgaard from Arsenal on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
The 32-year-old Denmark international has reportedly joined the Toffees for seven million pounds.
Norgaard, who signed for Arsenal last year in a fifteen million pound deal from Brentford, was left out of the Gunners squad for a friendly against Real Betis.
Everton also signed central midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for sixteen point five million this summer, along with 20-year-old winger Tyrique George, who was signed from Chelsea for eighteen million pounds having spent the second half of last season on loan at the Toffees.
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English footballer Jeremy Monga’s ten million pounds move from Leicester to Manchester City may have gone under the radar this summer, but the teenager’s own career is not expected to go in quite the same manner.
The 17-year-old is the third-youngest player to appear in the Premier League and now settling in at one of the world’s biggest clubs, who have former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca in charge.
Monga came off the bench in City’s three-one friendly win over a K-League XI in sweltering conditions at Seoul World Cup Stadium, with Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Divin Mubama on the scoresheet inside 23 minutes.
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Manchester United have confirmed Eva Olid as their new women’s manager on a two-year deal with an option for a further twelve months.
The former Hearts boss replaces Marc Skinner, who left the role by mutual consent on Monday – a month before the start of the Women’s Super League season.
Having led Hearts to their first Scottish Women’s Premier League club last campaign, Spaniard Olid, opted to leave Edinburgh in the summer when her contract expired.
And clinching their first silverware, Olid also took Hearts to their first domestic final, but lost to Rangers in the 2024 Scottish Cup.
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Newly promoted Hull City has signed Greece goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis from Olympiacos for a club record fee.
The 23-year-old joins the Tigers on a five-year contract.
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Crystal Palace is set to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu on a free transfer following a successful trial and are considering a move for winger Solly March.
Palace are understood to be pressing ahead with Tomiyasu’s signing ahead of the new season.
A broad agreement on terms had been in place, with Palace head coach Pierre Sage tasked with deciding whether to sign the versatile 27-year-old defender.
The Eagles are also contemplating a move for March, who left Brighton at the end of last season.
March has been recommended to Palace with the potential deal discussed internally at Selhurst Park.
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Teenager Erica Meg Parkinson has been named in England’s preparation squad for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next month.
Boss Lydia Bedford called up the North Carolina Courage midfielder, as part of a 24-player squad for a warm weather training camp in Portugal next week.
They will have a final opportunity to impress when they face their hosts in a friendly on Thursday, 13th August.
Three players will get trimmed for the World Cup squad, which is due to be announced on Thursday, 20th August.
They will begin their campaign against Canada on Saturday, 5th September.
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FIFA President, Gianni Infantino will remain as president after he received the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco, despite world football’s governing body admitting mistakes have been made.
Infantino summoned members of the management board to Fifa’s Africa office in Rabat following mounting criticism of his aborted attempt to sell off stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors, with the organisation releasing a statement of support four hours after the meeting ended.
Fifa said during Wednesday’s meeting mistakes regarding FFE were acknowledged, saying it was not the intention for the Fifa council and members association to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently.
The governing body added it acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media with the Times breaking the story of Infantino’s plan on 28th July.
Fifa said it had written to the council and members association to apologise for the errors with a commitment to ensure they do not happen again, adding it will now conduct a review.
Fifa also denied that Infantino had promised Morocco it would host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Real Madrid has made Vinicius Junior an improved contract offer as they look to keep the Brazil winger at the Bernabeu.
The 26-year-old entered the final twelve months of his contract and has attracted interested from Arsenal in recent weeks.
Talks over a new deal at Real were at an impasse but the Spanish side have now made a new offer to Vinicius, who is understood to be appreciative of the fresh terms.
Real now await Vinicius’ decision, but senior managers, including returning head coach Jose Mourinho are now hopeful he will renew.
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Real Madrid star, Vinicius Junior has reportedly rejected the offer Real Madrid have just made, with the chances of Arsenal completing the biggest signing in their history soaring.
Talks are being held this week between the Brazilian, his camp and Real Madrid.
The purpose of the discussions is to ascertain whether a new and improved contract will be signed at the Bernabeu.
As it stands, Vinicius Junior’s preference is to remain a Real Madrid player.
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Turkish club Trabzonspor is set to confirm the signing of Mohamed Salah as the Egypt captain was mobbed by fans on his arrival in Turkey.
Hundreds of fans gathered outside Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Wednesday as Salah emerged wearing Trabzonspor colours before engaging with the excited crowd.
The 34-year-old forward left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years on Merseyside, scoring two hundred and fifty-seven goals.
It is unclear what Salah will earn at Trabzonspor, but as he is a free agent, the Super Lig club will have been able to commit more of their budget towards Salah’s wages.
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Wrexham has completed the signing of Preston North End captain Ben Whiteman on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who joins for an undisclosed fee, has made 200 Championship appearances and completed a medical with the Red Dragons.
Whiteman is the club’s second capture of the summer transfer window following the arrival of full-back Danny Imray from Crystal Palace.
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Celtic has announced that the team’s manager Martin O’Neill remains in hospital after undergoing a small procedure.
O’Neill signed a one-year deal in June to become permanent manager after two interim spells last season culminated in a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double.
The Northern Irishman was in the dugout on Monday as Celtic started the new Premiership campaign with a one-nil home win over Dundee.
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Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota is hoping to make special memories after joining Rangers from Hannover.
Yokota joined on a three-year deal with the option of an additional year and becomes the Ibrox side’s ninth summer signing.
He moved to Germany as a teenager and spent time with FSV Frankfurt and Carl Zeiss Jena before stints in Latvia with Valmiera and in Poland with Gornik Zabrze.
A move to Belgian side Gent followed in 2024, but Yokota was unable to establish himself in the first team and was loaned to Kaiserslautern and Hannover.
Hannover signed him permanently earlier this summer off the back of five goals and four assists in the German second tier.
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Portugal legend, Luís Figo has called for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, slamming his controversial attempt to sell World Cup stakes to private equity as deceitful self-interest.
This follows a wave of backlash, lost support from national federations, and scrutiny surrounding FIFA leadership.
Figo stated that Infantino has lost the backing of his senior staff, close advisers, and the global football community.
He said it was too late for Infantino to salvage his dignity but insisted it was not too late to save football, calling on the FIFA president to step down immediately.
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The Chilean Football Federation has granted an exemption to allow Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha to wear his nickname on his Colo Colo shirt.
The 40-year-old signed a six-month contract with the Chilean Liga de Primera side on Monday after garnering global acclaim for his performances at the World Cup.
Under league rules, he is required to play under his legal name Josimar Jose Evora Dias, with ANFP regulations stating nicknames, appellations or sobriquets will not be permitted on playing shirts.
However, Colo Colo have successfully secured permission for him to play under his famous moniker, which means ‘little granny’ in Portuguese.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Tennis, Cameron Norrie progressed to the Canadian Open last 32 with a straight-set win over Ignacio Buse.
Ranked four places below the Peruvian number 33, Norrie beat Buse 6-3, 6-3 in a match which lasted one hour and 29 minutes.
The British number two ended a six-match losing streak with a run to the Los Cabos Open semi-finals last week and beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli in his opening match in Montreal.
In the last 32 he will face Australian world number seven Alex de Minaur, who married British number two Katie Boulter in July and is preparing to play doubles with her at the US Open.
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In Cricket, Jos Buttler thrashed Marco Jansen’s ball over square leg and on to the balcony of the hotel behind the stand at Old Trafford.
That shot helped the England white-ball great move to 14,833 runs in T20 cricket, surpassing Kieron Pollard’s mark of 14,803 to become the highest run-scorer in the format’s history.
The Manchester Super Giants number three went on to make 51 from 20 balls, another superb innings in a remarkable 522-match career in the sport’s shortest format.
The 35-year-old is in a sparkling run of form in T20s, making 50+ scores in three of his last four Hundred matches which count towards T20 stats and hammering a 64-ball 131 in his most recent international outing, a victory over India at Southampton last month.
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In Golf, LIV Golf says it has secured an unnamed lead investor to keep the competition running in 2027 after the withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financial backing.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund said in April it would end its multibillion dollar backing of the brekaway tour at the end of the season, plunging the future of the series into doubt.
Chief exeuctive Scott O’Neil said a signed agreement with a new investor is in place and has been approved by the LIV Golf board, with the transaction expected to be completed in September.
O’Neil added LIV would make its players majority equity holders in the competition, calling it a first for a major global sports league.
The LIV said the proposed deal with the lead investor is for 2027 and beyond.
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In Cycling, Demi Vollering has won stage five of the Tour de France Femmes following a sprint victory over yellow jersey holder Marlen Reusser.
FDJ United-Suez rider Vollering came across the line just ahead of Movistar’s Reusser, after the pair overcame an initial launch to the line by Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon-Sram.
The three riders fought out the latter stages of a demanding one hundred and forty kilometres race from Macon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais, close to Lyon, in which they pulled away from rivals with about ten kilometres to go on the category two Mont Brouilly climb, which included a fourteen percent gradient in places.
Switzerland’s Reusser retains the overall leader’s yellow jersey after winning Tuesday’s time trial to Dijon, twelve seconds ahead of the Netherlands’ Vollering, with Niewiadoma in third, one minute five seconds further behind.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence….words from Helen Keller.
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