IN NIGERIA
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Edo Queens team has been handed a tough draw for the 2026 WAFU B Women’s Champions League.
The Nigeria Women Football League, NWFL, champions were drawn in Group B alongside ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa and AS Garde Nationale of Niger Republic.
Moses Aduku’s side will be making their second appearance in the regional competition.
Hosts USFA of Burkina Faso will compete in Group A alongside Benin Republic’s Dynamique FC and ASKO of Togo.
The competition will take place in Burkina Faso from Sunday, 23rd August to Saturday, 5th September, 2026.
The tournament will serve as the qualifying competition for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.
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Swiss club Neuchâtel Xamax have announced the signing of Nigerian striker Peter Ambrose on a permanent deal from Aberdeen.
Ambrose joined the Swiss side after spending two years with Aberdeen, having arrived at the Scottish club from Hungarian outfit Újpest in 2024.
The 24-year-old struggled for regular playing time during his spell with the Dons, scoring once in 15 league appearances.
Ambrose will now look to revive his career at Neuchâtel Xamax as he begins a new chapter in Switzerland.
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Former Super Eagles midfielder, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha says his famous nickname ‘Jay-Jay’ originally belonged to his older brother.
He stated that the nickname stuck because multiple people in his family and street environment went by Austin.
Okocha later adopted it officially on his passport because Europeans struggled to pronounce his birth name, Augustine.
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Several Bundesliga clubs have reportedly joined the growing race to sign one-time Super Eagles invitee Anthony Dennis.
According to transfer expert Ekrem Konur, Hoffenheim, Mainz, Augsburg and Stuttgart have all shown strong interest in the Nigerian defensive midfielder.
Dennis attracted considerable attention in recent months, with clubs in England, Spain and Turkey also linked with a move for the Göztepe star.
The Turkish Super Lig side reportedly rejected a three point three million euros offer from Belgian Pro League giants Anderlecht last summer.
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The National Sports Commission has pledged its full support to fencing after the country’s remarkable performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships held in Lagos.
The six-day event, the first senior fencing competition in Africa, brought together athletes from more than 20 countries.
India dominated the medal table, but Nigeria finished a proud fourth overall, the highest-ranked African nation in the tournament.
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Nigeria’s Junior Yellow Greens have secured promotion back to Division 1 of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier after finishing runners-up in Rwanda with four wins from five matches.
The Junior YellowGreens recovered impressively from an opening five-wicket defeat to Uganda to win their next four matches, finishing the tournament with an 80 percent win rate.
Nigeria began their campaign with a competitive 176 all out against Uganda, but the East Africans chased down the target at 178/5 in 38.2 overs.
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Nigeria’s men’s beach volleyball team lost 2-0 to Algeria in the opening day of the 2026 CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in Alexandria, Egypt, on Tuesday.
The Nigerian pair were defeated in both sets by their Algerian counterparts, losing 21-14 and 21-14.
The Algerians exerted control in the first set as the Nigerian pair struggled for consistency, Algeria eventually won 21-14.
The second set provided similar scoreline as the Algerians maintained control to hand Nigeria an opening day humbling defeat.
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IN ENGLAND
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Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters has criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan.
He says the organisation has pressed the self-destruct button by delivering a self-inflicted wound.
Masters backed the English Football Association’s withdrawal of support for Infantino, and called for a new candidate for the presidency who could unify football.
Masters was speaking in a wide-ranging interview before the start of the new Premier League season, which gets under way on Friday when champions Arsenal host promoted Coventry.
He also said the Premier League was entering a new, unpredictable era while defending the quality of the competition.
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The full judgements made by the Key Match Incidents Panel on referee and video assistant referee decisions will be shared with fans for the first time this season.
It is one of three measures brought in by the Premier League, external to improve transparency, alongside the publishing of direct explanations of officials, and broadcasting RefCam with audio of a referee talking to players.
The Premier League believes releasing the document will give full transparency about the evaluation of decisions.
Selected direct quotes of the referee and/or the video assistant referee will be published on the Premier League’s Match Centre account on X, on the Premier League website and the Premier League app to provide the rationale behind a decision.
This will include a referee’s description of why they have given a decision, or the VAR’s direct reasoning for why they have not intervened.
The expansion of the use of RefCam will for the first time allow the broadcast of audio between the referee and the players.
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Chelsea captain, Reece James says he is still shaking off rust and lacks full match fitness after returning from an extended break following England’s World Cup run.
He played an hour in a three-one preseason friendly win over Real Sociedad ahead of the Chelsea opener against Fulham.
James said it was still early in the season and he had some rust to shake off, but he felt good after playing an initial hour in the hot conditions.
James is Chelsea’s club captain, valued for his elite technical ability, defensive strength, and versatility across defense and central midfield.
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Liverpool have reportedly tabled a one hundred and fifteen million euros offer to Paris Saint-Germain for winger Bradley Barcola as they aim to strengthen their squad before the end of the summer transfer window.
Liverpool want Barcola to be their new first-choice left winger, and they are also looking to bring in his teammate Ibrahim Mbaye to help bolster their right-wing options with the Reds believed to have an agreement on personal terms with both players.
Liverpool is willing to go as high as one hundred twenty million pounds to sign Barcola.
The two clubs are moving closer in their negotiations, but there is still work to be done before the deal is sealed.
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Former Manchester United footballer, Paul Scholes has been handed a six-month road ban after he racked up two driving convictions in the space of two days.
The 51-year-old was caught speeding in a Range Rover on the evening of 3rd March while on a late-night drive through Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire.
In the second case, Scholes’s Mercedes broke the speed limit on Mossley Road near Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, on the morning of 14th November last year.
On 12 August at Bradford Magistrates’ Court, he was handed a six-month driving ban for the first offence, along with fines.
A court official said Scholes, who was prosecuted in private hearings under the Single Justice Procedure, did not enter pleas to either of the charges he faced and was convicted in his absence.
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Aston Villa has agreed a deal sign West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The Democratic Republic of Congo right-back will join on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
Wan-Bissaka has been given permission to travel for a medical in the Midlands but the exact terms are not known, with the Hammers having previously asked interested clubs to pay a twenty-five million pounds fee.
The 28-year-old missed Championship club West Ham’s first two matches of the season during negotiations.
West Ham sold Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham for £85m and Crysencio Summerville for £60m this summer, but captain Jarrod Bowen has signed a new contract.
Villa begin their Premier League campaign at Brighton on Sunday and will also compete in the Champions League after finishing fourth and winning the Europa League under Unai Emery last season.
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Newcastle United has signed defender Amar Dedic from Benfica for about thirty million pounds.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina international has joined the club on a five-year deal after having a medical on Tyneside.
He reunited with manager Matthias Jaissle, with whom he previously won the Austrian title at Red Bull Salzburg in 2023.
Jaissle said he was really looking forward to working with the defender again.
Dedic could quickly be called upon to feature in Newcastle’s season opener at home to Liverpool on Sunday as Tino Livramento is still recovering from a calf injury he sustained on international duty with England in June.
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A consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought close to forty percent of Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group.
It was initially reported that 1892 Holdings had bought about a third of the club, but it is actually about thirty-eight percent.
There is also an option for the consortium to buy a controlling stake in Liverpool in the next twelve months, though that does not involve a formal commitment.
Bhatia will become Liverpool’s vice-chairman and join an expanded board pending regulatory approval.
The deal is understood to value Liverpool between five billion pounds and six billion pounds.
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Former Arsenal and France captain, Patrick Vieira has been appointed as the new head coach of the Senegal men’s national team.
The 50 year old replaces Pape Thiaw, who was sacked in the wake of the country’s last-32 exit at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Born in Senegal’s capital Dakar, Vieira will now manage the country of his birth, having moved to France aged eight before later winning over one hundred caps for Les Bleus and lifting the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.
Senegal’s football federation said the appointment reflects its desire to strengthen its high-level technical staff” and is perfectly aligned” with the nation’s sporting ambitions.
Details of Vieria’s contract and his starting date in the role are still being discussed.
His first matches in charge of the Teranga Lions are expected to come next month in qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Uefa vice-president, Laura McAllister says Fifa’s decision to dismiss senior executive Kevin Lamour following his criticism of president Gianni Infantino sends a “deeply troubling message to all those seeking change.
Lamour had held the position of chief operating officer at Fifa and his departure was confirmed on Monday.
His dismissal came just over two weeks after he released a statement saying the world governing body’s administration had been “deceived” by Infantino over a plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.
Uefa executive committee member McAllister, a former Wales captain who worked with Lamour at European football’s governing body when he was its deputy general secretary, released a statement criticising his sacking.
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Spain World Cup winner, Rodri says he is ready to feel that excitement again after completing his move to Barcelona from Manchester City.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has signed a four-year contract at the Nou Camp after Barcelona agreed to pay a fee in the region of £65m, returning to Spanish football for the first time since he left Atletico Madrid in 2019.
Rodri leaves City after seven seasons at the club, having made two hundred and ninety-eight appearances and won twelve major honours, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in 2023.
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Spanish World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder, Gavi has snubbed a move to Manchester United.
United boss Michael Carrick had targeted the 22-year-old in a bid to bolster his midfield options ahead of the new season. It’s understood United were willing to meet Barcelona’s thirty-five million pounds asking price.
Gavi made it clear he wants to remain with the Spanish champions and has no interest in joining United.
The news will come as a blow to United fans, who have become frustrated with United’s lack of serious transfer business this summer.
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Bayern Munich striker, Harry Kane says he is ready to begin discussions with Bayern Munich over extending his contract with the Bundesliga champions.
The 33-year-old striker has entered the final twelve months of the four-year deal he signed after his eighty-six point four million pounds move from Tottenham Hotspur in August 2023.
Kane scored 61 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions for Bayern last season as Vincent Kompany’s side completed a league and cup double.
The England captain has scored ninety-eight goals in ninety-four games across three Bundesliga campaigns, and has won three successive Bundesliga Golden Boot awards.
Kane scored six goals for England at the 2026 World Cup, becoming England’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with fourteen goals in eighteen appearances.
He is among the favourites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, but insisted he is focused on the upcoming season.
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Serie A forward Yael Trepy remains in hospital under pharmacological sedation and on a ventilator after he lost consciousness in a swimming pool in Sardinia.
Trepy, was airlifted to hospital after being pulled from a swimming pool at a villa.
His club Cagliari shared a statement on Tuesday from the Santissima Annunziata Civil Hospital in Sassari, where Trepy is being treated.
The statement said Trepy was fever free and his respiratory function has improved compared to his severe condition when he was admitted.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Basketball; The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers Second Round is now starting, with 24 teams battling for the 12 tickets to Qatar.
The Second Round starts in August, followed by another couple of windows in November 2026 and February/March 2027.
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In Boxing; Negotiations for the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight have entered a ‘critical week’ with talks ongoing about staging the heavyweight clash in New York.
The British stars are set to finally share the ring this year, although an official announcement has been delayed over discussion about the location of the fight, with Madison Square Garden now emerging as the likely venue.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed how the original fight contract stipulated that the bout would be staged in the UK, but fresh negotiations are taking place amid growing optimism that the blockbuster battle will be confirmed for later this year.
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In Tennis, Venus Williams has been given a wildcard for the U.S Open singles and sister Serena could potentially still join her with one spot remaining.
Venus first played in New York 29 years ago and reached the final on her singles debut in 1997.
The American won two of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001.
Venus and 2017 champion Sloane Stephens have been given direct entry into the main draw which begins on Sunday, 30th August.
The sisters were due to play doubles together at SW19 but withdrew after Serena, injured her knee in her first-round loss to Maya Joint.
They made their return together at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, losing a thriller at the Cincinnati Open in three sets.
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In Formula one, the Ukrainian government has written to motorsport’s governing body asking it to reverse its decision to lift the ban on Russian competitors.
The FIA last week lifted a ban on individuals from Russia and Belarus competing in international motorsport events, which had been in place since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A statement from the head of the Ukrainian automobile federation, said that the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports had written to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The statement said the move had come as a complete surprise to the Ukrainian federation.
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In Formula one, Alex Albon will stay at Williams for the 2027 season after signing a one-year contract extension.
The Britain-born Thai has been at Williams since 2022 and is the longest-serving driver in their history.
Albon had been considering his future after a slump in Williams’ fortunes this season, which followed a surprise fifth-place finish in the championship in 2025.
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In Cricket, Joe Root called on his England players to be really good role models and human beings at the start of his second reign as Test captain.
After a summer of turmoil that has left the Test team at a low ebb, England’s new era begins with the first Test against Pakistan on Wednesday at Headingley, while Root has returned for a second stint as captain in succeeding Ben Stokes.
Stokes announced his shock international retirement earlier this summer and Brendon McCullum was sacked as Test coach after just two wins in 10 Tests – a run dogged by off-field issues.
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In Rugby, Wales wing Lisa Neumann says she is considering her options after leaving Harlequins this summer.
Neumann was limited to just one appearance for the Premiership Women’s Rugby side last season and instead found game time with Brython Thunder in the Celtic Challenge.
The 32-year-old had looked to prove a point in the 2026 Six Nations, but was forced off in the opening round against Scotland after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.
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In Golf, Jack Whaley has been included in the Great Britain and Ireland team for the Walker Cup, two days after winning the US Amateur Championship.
Whaley became just the third Englishman to lift the trophy since 1911 as he beat beat American Jay Leng Junior 4&3 in the final at Merion, Pennsylvania on Sunday.
The 22‑year‑old is one of four players included in the GB&I squad for the first time, alongside Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook and Josh Hill.
Luke Poulter, son of Ryder Cup player Ian Poulter, is also in the 10-man squad for a second successive time after an impressive season with the University of Florida.
The tournament, traditionally held in odd‑numbered years, has now moved to an even‑year cycle, starting with this edition.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work…words from Thomas Edison.
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