TEAM
Crystal Palace boss impressed by Carlo Ancelotti’s work at Everton
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson expects a tough test against Everton on Monday night. Palace’s squad are preparing to travel to Goodison Park. “Any time you go to Everton, you’re going to face a very very difficult game,” Hodgson said. “They are a good team, well-coached and the players they’ve brought in have made them much stronger. We have to prepare as well as we can and have faith that if we play as well as we know we can do, we can get a good result. “I think it will be a very different team [to the last meeting at Goodison Park]. Carlo [Ancelotti] is working with them and improving them all the time. Almost a year has gone by so that’s another year of working with Carlo. “He’s brought in players that have strengthened the players even more. We know it will be a tough game, but unfor...
Troop arrests 23 ‘bandits’ in Plateau
The Operation Safe Haven also known as the Special Task Force (STF) has arrested 17 suspected kidnappers and five Armed robbers for attempted kidnapping and robbery in at Lishin village, in Pengana Chiefdom in Bassa and Lamingo in Jos North Local Government Areas of Plateau State. Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Dominic Onyemulu stated this while parading the suspects at the Command headquarters in Jos and vowed to make his area of operation uncomfortable for kidnappers and other criminal elements. “On the 16 of March, troops of Operation Safe Haven responded to a distress call on an attempted kidnap of one Alh. Gambo Yawurp from his residence at Lishin village in Pengana Chiefdom Bassa LGA. “Troops in collection with vigilante members and locals foiled the attempt kidnappin...
Napoli trio test negative for coronavirus
Napoli can breathe a sigh of relief as Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo Insigne’s swab tests came back negative. Serie A clubs are concerned as four staff members of Italy national team tested positive for COVID, the FIGC announced on Wednesday after the Azzurri’s 2-0 win over Lithuania. However, according to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli’s Italy international Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo have not contracted the virus as their swab tests came back negative. The trio returned to Naples in the morning and can now join their teammates in Castelvolturno for today’s training session. The Azzurri will face Crotone on Saturday and travel to Turin on Wednesday to play the rescheduled fixture from matchday 3 against Juventus. The Old Lady’s defender Leonardo Bonucci tested po...
Enugu completes 1,355 school projects in 17 LGAs
Enugu State Government under the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi said it has carried out 1,355 verifiable projects in various primary and secondary schools across the 17 Local Government Areas of the state, under the State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) and Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB), in line with its vision to improve the learning condition of the students. The state government disclosed that besides recruiting over 7,030 primary and secondary school teachers, it also procured and distributed over 50,000 classroom furniture and other learning tools for school children and their teachers across the state. It revealed that it supplied and installed computers to 490 primary and secondary schools; science equipment to 151 secondary schools, and constr...
Gunmen attack home of ex-sport minister
Plateau state police command has confirmed the attack on the Riyom residence of former Minister of Sport, Chief Damishi Sango where three persons, including security men were allegedly shot. Spokesman of the command, Mr. Gabriel Ubah Ogaba said, “The Command is aware of the incident at Riyom and the victims have been rushed to the hospital where they are receiving treatment.” He however said he was not aware yet whether the security personnel were dispossessed of their rifles. Ogaba said, “A team of detectives and intelligence officers have already commenced investigation and manhunt for the criminals.” He assured that the former Minister and his family were safe and unhurt. The gunmen, newsmen gathered, carried out the attack on Wednesday night at about 9pm, when two security personnel an...
AFCONQ: CAF confirms new date for Sierra Leone vs Benin clash
The Confederation of African Football has announced the postponed Africa Cup of Nations qualification encounter between Sierra Leone and Benin Republic will now take place during the June international window. The Group L fixture initially billed for Tuesday, March 30, at the National Stadium, Freetown did not take place owing to a Covid-19 controversy. However, both teams will now square up against one another in three months’ time – a game that will determine the last team to secure a place for Cameroon 2022. “The Africa Cup of Nations organizing committee has decided to postpone the above-mentioned match to the next Fifa international window scheduled for June 2021. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding,” a post from Benin Football Federation Facebook page read....
AFCONQ: Super Eagles beat Crocodiles to end campaign unbeaten
Nigeria ended the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a 3-0 victory over Lesotho at Teslim Balogun Stadium. Victor Osimhen, Oghenekaro Etebo and Paul Onuachu strikes helped the Super Eagles to end the Afcon campaign unbeaten and finished at the top of the Group L table with 14 points. Nigeria headed into the encounter, having already secured their place at the biennial tournament, scheduled for Cameroon. Coach Gernot Rohr made a few changes to the team that started their 1-0 victory over the Republic of Benin at Stade Charles de Gaulle on Friday. The German tactician started Francis Uzoho Etebo and Tyronne Ebuehi who did not feature against the Squirrels in Porto Novo. Iwobi also returned to the starting XI after missing his side’s last outing as he tested positive for Covid-19 befo...
Mo Salah dreams of future La Liga action
Mohamed Salah has hinted his future could lie in Spanish football amid continued speculation the forward could leave Liverpool. The Premier League’s joint-top scorer this season is under contract at Anfield until 2023 but has been linked with a move elsewhere, with Barcelona and Real Madrid often touted as potential destinations for Salah if he were to depart Merseyside. Last year, the forward described the Spanish sides as two “great” clubs, but Jurgen Klopp later played down any transfer talk surrounding the Egypt international. Liverpool play Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in April as the two sides meet for the first time since 2018’s final in Kiev which finished 3-1 to the Spanish side and ahead of the games, Salah refused to rule out a future move to La Liga...
Arsenal star’s mum dies after coronavirus battle
Arsenal star Lucas Torreira’s mum has died after a battle with Covid-19, as reported by Uruguayan daily Ovacion. Viviana Di Pascua, 53, was recently admitted to intensive care after contracting the coronavirus in Uruguay. Torreira, who is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, was given special permission by the La Liga club to fly home to Frey Bentos to be by her side. But Viviana’s situation worsened and on Tuesday her death was announced. Gunners midfielder Torreira contracted Covid-19 himself back in November 2020 following international duty. Torreira was the national team’s twelfth individual among players and staff to receive a positive result at the time. The 25-year-old was forced to miss two weeks of football, including a La Liga clash with Barcelona. A statement read at the time:...
Traffic in Suez Canal resumes after stranded ship refloated
Shipping traffic through Egypt’s Suez Canal resumed on Monday after a giant container ship which had been blocking the busy waterway for almost a week was refloated, the canal authority said. The 400-metre (430-yard) long Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal in high winds early last Tuesday, halting traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. Live footage on a local television station showed the ship surrounded by tug boats moving slowly in the centre of the canal on Monday afternoon. The station, ExtraNews, said the ship was moving at a speed of 1.5 knots. “Admiral Osama Rabie, the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), announces the resumption of maritime traffic in the Suez Canal after the Authority successfully rescues and ...
Former Roma boss, online fan clash over Mo Salah sale
Four years after Mohammed Salah was sold to Liverpool for £35m a die-hard Roma fan has hauled pebbles at the decision describing it as undue emphasis on money over quality. Former Roma president James Pallotta locked horn with a fan who from all indication was ready to throw blows should the need arise. Salah has starred for Liverpool ever since leaving Roma in 2017 for £35m. The unamed fan took Pallotta online , suggesting it was all about money, claiming Roma only cared about Financial Fair Play regulations. He posted to social media: “Replacing Salah with [Patrik] Schick is confirmation of the inability of a company that constantly sells the best players. “You’re not good enough at turning omelettes, trust me.” Pallotta replied: “You still show ignorance by ignoring fact that Salah want...
2023: Northwest speakers declare support for Asiwaju Tinubu
Serving Speakers and their predecessors from the Northwest zone of Nigeria have declared their support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Their declarations and promises are coming some weeks after a similar endorsement of Tinubu was carried out by their colleagues in the southwestern zone of Nigeria. At a meeting held in Kano for the states in the northwestern zone on Friday, the senior lawmakers declared that Tinubu remains the right person for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at this time. Some of them argued that with the challenges currently being faced by the country, Nigeria deserves a leader who is detribalised and has shown over time that he has the capacity to lead the country. Praising Asiwaju Tinub...
