Clash
Minister asks NFF to call Super Eagles boss to order
The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Football Federation to call Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, to order and ensure he performs his duties optimally. Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, who was surprised that Rohr was not present with the home-based Super Eagles team when he visited on Tuesday evening wondered why Rohr will discriminate the class of Nigerians to coach in the team. The minister said, “Gernot Rohr was employed by Nigerians, therefore, he should not discriminate against those he wants to coach. Both home-based and foreign-based players exhibit great talents and they all must be respected and treated well. “NFF must call him to order and ensure he abides by the contract he signed.” Prior to the commencement of Super team B camp ahea...
Belgium coach: Kevin De Bruyne’s Euro 2020 participation still unclear
The possibility of Kevin De Bruyne competing for Belgium in the European Championship remains unclear as he recovers from facial fractures, coach Roberto Martinez said on Wednesday. The midfield talisman broke his nose and eye socket in a clash in the Champions League final last weekend but it would be days before Belgium were clear about his chances of competing, Martinez told reporters. “I would say that until next week we won’t know exactly where we are with Kevin. Now, allow him now to relax. “He could be available for the Euros but when, we don’t know at the moment. It’s too early to give you an answer now, we must first get the green light from the medical side.” De Bruyne had been scheduled to join up with Belgium’s squad just days before their opening Group B match against Russia i...
Moses Simon: Super Eagles ready for Cameroon
Despite some notable absentees, Moses Simon, has assured the Super Eagles are ready to do battle with rivals Cameroon in a friendly Friday in Vienna, Austria. Nigeria will be without Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as well as several defenders like Leon Balogun, Zaidu Sanusi, Ola Aina, Kenneth Omeruo and Kevin Akpoguma. However, Moses Simon maintained the Eagles will be up to the task Friday night in Vienna. “Cameroon will not be easy, but we are ready for them,” the FC Nantes winger assured ahead of the clash against the Indomitable Lions. The two teams will also have a rematch on June 8 at the same venue. The winger, who scored in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Cameroon, missed the AFCON qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho in March. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make...
WBO gives Anthony Joshua 48-hour deadline to secure Tyson Fury mega-fight
Anthony Joshua has been told by the WBO that he has 48 hours to prove that his fight against Tyson Fury can go ahead before he is obliged to face Oleksandr Usyk. An imminent announcement over a much-anticipated clash between the two British heavyweights had been expected this week, with a date of August 14 in Saudi Arabia believed to be in the diary. But those plans were thrown into chaos on Monday after an arbitrary judge ruled that Fury must take on Deontay Wilder in a trilogy bout before September 15 due to a clause in their contract. And despite initial hopes that Wilder would accept a lucrative walk-away pay-off the Bronze Bomber appears determined to beat Fury at the third time of asking, much to the huge disappointment of British boxing fans. This means that Joshua’s likely next opp...
NFF’s FIFA match agent celebrates Nigeria proposed friendly with Mexico
NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport, is excited that Nigeria will be playing Mexico in a friendly international on July 3 in the United States. “We are happy to be able to announce this match, which is a clash between two very big teams from two different continents. Mexico against Nigeria is a big match any day and the venue is class,” he said. The two teams will announce their squads for the match sometimes in June. Mexico will play three other games before the clash with Nigeria, as part of their MexTour series. Three-time African champions Nigeria will clash with CONCACAF Gold Cup holders Mexico in a friendly at the famous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the State of California, United States of America. The match, which kicks off at 7.30pm LA time will be the sixth...
Thomas Tuchel reacts as ‘unlucky’ Chelsea suffer back-to-back FA Cup final defeats
Chelsea suffered late VAR heartache as they slipped to back-to-back FA Cup final defeats after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans’ second-half strike proving decisive. In front of a reduced, yet undoubtedly noisy, Wembley crowd, it was Chelsea who made the brighter start, Timo Werner showcasing his electric speed to test the Foxes backline early on. Despite controlling the opening exchanges, the first real chance of the match fell to their opponents, Timothy Castagne getting in down the right and teeing up Jamie Vardy inside the area, the veteran striker’s effort well blocked by Reece James. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s men almost fashioned a chance of their own, Thiago Silva’s dinked cross agonisingly evading the head of Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post, aft...
Italian Open: Rafael Nadal beats Denis Shapovalov to reach quarter-finals
Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal saved two match points to defeat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in a three-set battle and advance to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday. Second seed Nadal won through 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) after nearly 3hr 30min on court against the 13th-seeded Shapovalov. “It was a really difficult match, the score was against me almost all the time, but I was there, I was fighting all the time, I didn’t give away anything,” said the 34-year-old. The Spaniard will be making his 16th last-eight appearance in Rome. It will also be his 97th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. Nadal trailed by 0-4 in the opening set, and 0-3 in the second. Shapovalov also broke for 3-1 in the third set but Nadal broke back immediately and held on despite two match points against him in the...
UEFA ‘seriously considering’ switching Champions League final to Wembley
Europe’s governing body, UEFA, are reported to be ‘seriously considering’ switching the upcoming Champions League final to Wembley, the clash set to be an all-English affair. At present, the final is set to be played in Turkey’s capital Istanbul, at Ataturk Olympic Stadium, the arena having already missed out on hosting the showpiece last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last phase of the knockout stage having been moved to Portugal. However, despite missing out on hosting last year’s final, they could well be set to suffer the same fate this term, amid calls to move the final to England, after both Manchester City and Chelsea progressed from their semi-final encounters with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, respectively. With an all-English final on the way, it seemingly makes ...
Samuel Chukwueze: Why I enjoy playing under Unai Emery
Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze has revealed why he enjoys playing under Villarreal manager Unai Emery. Speaking at an event for LiveScore, Chukwueze described Emery as a tactical coach with an amazing football brain. “I enjoy playing under Unai Emery. He’s amazing, and so tactical in everything he does. He can push you to the limit, but he’s a fantastic coach. “He has an amazing football brain. He’s amazed me, how I’ve seen him change things from game to game. Sometimes when I watch him from the bench, I’ve looked at him and noticed changes he makes which work for him that are great to see. He’s so good at his job and he’s a fantastic coach.” On how his game has changed since he moved to Europe, Chukwueze said:”I think it’s changed so much, coming from Nigeria to come and play in Eur...
Robert Whittaker’s Saturday victory brightens rematch with Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya
In the main event of Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Vegas 24, Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker, the New Zealand-born Australian professional mixed martial artist, scored a convincing 50-45 win on all three judges’ scorecards against Kelvin Gastelum, American professional mixed martial artist in the Middleweight division at the Apex facility in Las Vegas. In the early exchanges, Gastelum was aggressive and took control of the center of the Octagon. It was not what Whittaker wanted, so he quickly countered Gastelum, sending a message with a strong head kick that landed squarely. From then on, Whittaker established some of his dominance in the clash. Not long after, he showed he actually held the wrestling advantage as he took down the former collegiate wrestler and held him dow...
One dead, others injured in Bayelsa cult clash
Tebogo Letsie/Associated Press The Bayelsa Police Command on Tuesday, confirmed the death of a suspected cultist during a clash by two rival cult groups in the state capital, Yenagoa. A spokesman for the Police in Bayelsa, Asinim Butswat, a Superintendent of Police, told newsmen that one person was killed during the clash which left many injured in the Obele area of the state capital. Narrating the incident, Butswat said, “The clash took place in Down Yenagoa. It was a rival cult clash that claimed the life of one person. “We cannot establish the cult groups that were involved until after arrests might have been made, as an investigation is ongoing,” he said. Butswat added that the corpse of the person had been recovered and deposited at a morgue. A resident of Obele, who preferred anonymi...
Thugs disrupt PDP North West zonal executive committee congress
File Photo The Northwest zonal executive committee congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna, headquarters of the North West was disrupted Saturday following a clash between major contenders. The major contenders for the position of National Vice Chairman for north west zone include Senator Bello Hayatudeen Gwarzo, Aminu Wali and former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Details of those behind the disruption and sponsors were not clear as the venue became chaotic, ballot boxes were snatched away forcing the organisers to postpone the Congress Nobody was available to speak on the matter as everybody scampered for safety for fear of being attacked by the thugs who brandished various weapons damaging some items including the ballot boxes. Get more stories like this ...
