Football / Sports

Tottenham appoint Conte as manager after sacking Nuno

Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Antonio Conte as their new manager until the summer of 2023, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, a day after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo.

Former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Conte replaces Nuno, who was sacked after 17 matches in charge, with last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat by Manchester United in the league his final game with Spurs.

Conte had been out of work since terminating his contract at Inter in May, shortly after he led them to their first Serie A title in 11 years last season.

“I am extremely happy to return to coaching, and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist (in the title race) again,” Conte said in a statement.

“I can’t wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach.”

Tottenham had topped the Premier League standings in August under Nuno after winning their opening three games but are now ninth, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea after 10 matches.

Conte’s first game in charge will be Thursday’s Conference League match at home to Vitesse Arnhem.…

Football / Sports

Champions League: Liverpool survive Atletico Madrid comeback

Liverpool survived an Atletico Madrid fightback to win 3-2 and Lionel Messi scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat RB Leipzig by the same score on a breathless night of Champions League action on Tuesday.

In other games, Karim Benzema netted for Real Madrid as the 13-time European champions thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in Ukraine on the eve of the start of his trial in France on charges of complicity in blackmail.

Much of the night’s drama happened at the Wanda Metropolitano in the Spanish capital where Mohamed Salah scored another impressive goal, twisting away from a string of Atletico defenders before his shot deflected in off James Milner to open the scoring.

Naby Keita doubled Liverpool’s lead with a stunning volley but Atletico hit back with French international Antoine Griezmann scoring twice to fire up the home crowd.

Just as Atletico seemed to have the upper hand, Griezmann was given a straight red card for a high boot in the face of Roberto Firmino.

A pulsating game was decided from the penalty spot in the 78th minute as Salah sent Jan Oblak the wrong way after Mario Hermoso pushed Diogo Jota. The Egyptian’s 31st Champions League goal makes him the club’s top scorer in the competition, overtaking Steven Gerrard.

In a dramatic finish, Atletico were denied a penalty when the referee studied the VAR and decided Jota had not fouled Jose Maria Gimenez.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport: “We played a really solid second half in a tough game with intense football from both teams.

“We got the penalty, then there was a red card and obviously it was in our favor.”

The Reds are top of Group B with three wins out of three while Atletico are equal on four points with Porto, who beat AC Milan 1-0 in Portugal.…

Football / Sports

France beat Spain to win Nations League

France came from behind once again to win the European Nations League at the expense of Spain in Milan.

Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead on Sunday at the San Siro before Karim Benzema struck back moments later.

Kylian Mbappe completed a second comeback at these finals for Les Blues, who secured their place in this final by coming from two down against Belgium.

After a tactical, nervy and tight contest for more than an hour, the game burst into life. A frustrated Paul Pogba, looking wound up after being booked for a stamp on Sergio Busquets, drove through midfield and eventually the ball found Theo Hernandez who cracked the ball against the bar.

Spain raced up the other end and took the lead with a fine show of strength from Oyarzabal before a brilliant low finish into the far corner past Hugo Lloris.

Benzema had barely had a sniff since the opening five minutes, when he had rounded Unai Simon in goal but saw his cut-back cleared, until he struck while Spanish fans were still celebrating the opener.

The Real Madrid striker collected the ball on the left and, cutting inside at the corner of the box, bent a wonderful strike into the far corner, with Simon getting a touch but unable to prevent it finding the back of the net.

Mbappe was also having a quiet night but was alert when he needed to be, racing onto a ball from Theo Hernandez to put him one-on-one with Simon. Mbappe showed wonderful composure to delay, throw in a step-over and finish past Simon.

VAR checked Mbappe’s goal for offside but it was allowed to stand despite the striker being in an offside position due to the slightest of touches from Spanish defender Eric Garcia.

Lloris made two fine late saves to deny Spain a leveller, stopping from Oyarzabal and Yeremi Pino.…

Football / Sports

NFF backs Super Eagles to revitalise World Cup campaign

The Nigeria Football Federation believes the much-adored Nigerian Spirit will come to the fore and ginger the Super Eagles to solidify their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying campaign when they take on the Les Fauves of Central African Republic in Douala on Sunday.

The President of the NFF and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, said this on Thursday night.

Pinnick said the Eagles have the character to bounce back from the shock home defeat by the Central Africans and still fly very high above other contenders in Group C of the African race by taking the maximum points in Douala on Sunday.

He said: “This result has been a huge shock, especially after the NFF provided everything necessary to make the team comfortable and focused on the task at hand, even going the extra mile in a number of areas. The Federation wishes to appreciate the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government and our partners and sponsors for their support to enable us provide the necessary comfort and conducive environment for the team to succeed.

This is a setback, which can be quickly reversed, and the Nigerian Spirit is what we will take to Cameroon.

“The NFF is backing the team to retain a strong hold on the group and qualify to the knockout phase.

“At the halfway mark of this phase, our Super Eagles still top the group.

“I am in touch with even the players that are injured like Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo and Alex Iwobi.

“They are all very sad with the result.

“The players who featured in today’s match are all very sober and sad.

“They know what is important now is their reaction to the situation when they take to the pitch in Douala on Sunday.

“We believe they will deliver against the same team.”

Pinnick said the NFF was taking responsibility for the defeat and urged Nigerians from far and near to get behind the team at this period.

He said: “Everyone is stunned, but we do not have to be emotional …

Football / Sports

EPL Updates

West Ham 1-2 Manchester United – De Gea saves late penalty!

Manchester United return to Premier League action on Sunday (14:00 BST) as they face West Ham United at the London Stadium. The Red Devils suffered a disappointing last minute defeat to Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday, and will be hoping to bounce back against the Hammers.

Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger sink Spurs

Played out in the shadow of a legend, who illuminated not only Tottenham and Chelsea but English football in its entirety, bitter rivals were brought together on a day of grief but also in celebration of the great Jimmy Greaves, whose passing on Sunday morning shone more glory on this fixture than 90 minutes could ever dictate on the pitch below.…

Football / Sports

UEL Updates

Napoli fight back to deny Leicester City

Striker Victor Osimhen scored a second-half brace as Napoli fought back to earn a 2-2 draw at Leicester City in a pulsating Europa League draw.

West Ham sink Dinamo on Antonio, Rice goals

West Ham began their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb in Group H action.

Lyon see off Rangers in Europa League to spoil landmark for Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard’s 50th European tie as Rangers boss ended in disappointment, as Lyon earned a 2-0 victory at Ibrox in their Europa League Group A opener.

Makeshift Celtic fell to defeat against Real Betis in a Europa League thriller

The visitors – back in Seville 18 years on from Uefa Cup final defeat – roared ahead with an Albian Ajeti finish and Josip Juranovic penalty, with Jota missing a golden chance for a third.

…

Football / News / Sports

FIFA: Majority of fans back more frequent World Cup finals

FIFA says it has fan backing for the much-criticized plan to shift to a biennial World Cup after releasing a summary of the results of an opinion survey of supporters.

The proposals were outlined by FIFA’s head of Global Football Development, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

But they have been met with widespread opposition from within the game.

FIFA’s congress in May voted by a large majority to conduct a feasibility study into the potential of holding the World Cup every two years instead of every four years. FIFA said it used polling company YouGov and that the 15,000 respondents “were identified as expressing an interest in football and the FIFA World Cup, from a broader market research survey involving 23,000 people in 23 countries, across the organization’s six confederations.”

It said the majority of fans would like to see a more frequent men’s World Cup and of those respondents, a majority preferred a biennial competition.

FIFA said in a statement that “there are considerable differences between the so-called traditional markets and the developing football markets” and said that younger fans were more open to change.

The organization said it would publish full details of the survey and added that an expanded survey involving 100,000 people in more than 100 countries was currently underway.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has threatened a European boycott of the World Cup should the plans go ahead against his organization’s wishes.

South American confederation CONMEBOL has also come out against the plan along with the World Leagues Forum which represents the major national leagues.

Players union FIFPRO has said it has concerns about expanded workloads and a lack of consultation.

However, the Asian Football Confederation said it welcomes the consultation process.

CONCACAF, which organizes the game in North and Central America and the Caribbean, says it is studying the plans.

Wenger says that the status quo causes too much disruption and forces players to make too many long trips around the world for qualifiers and friendly matches.

He says his system would streamline the process …

Entertainment / Football / Music / Sports

Burna Boy attends Man United’s game at Old Trafford, brings out Paul Pogba at his set at Parklife festival

Nigerian music superstar Burna Boy had a busy day on Saturday, September 11, attending a Manchester United game and performing at a festival.

Burna Boy was at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United beat Newcastle United 4-1 in a Premier League game.

The music star got the treatment as he sat in Paul Pogba’s box and was gifted Manchester United’s home and away jerseys with his name on them.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CTsEq6UIqIe/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=829d9b10-0c62-413e-9a9a-02a01bfb78f2

He had his visit on video, which he shared on social media; “Couldn’t come to Manchester without supporting my brother @paulpogba,” he wrote.

The 30-year-old is seen in the video celebrating one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals at the stadium and meeting a host of Pogba’s family.

He also met UK rapper Stormzy at the game.

After the game, he headed straight to the Parklife festival, where he performed.

He made his set even more memorable by bringing on his friend Pogba on stage.

 

…
Covid 19 / Football / Sports

World Cup qualifier: Brazil, Argentina clash halted

Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina has been suspended after the Brazilian health authorities and police entered the field of play to detain four Argentinian players who failed to quarantine after entering the country.

In utterly surreal scenes, the game was halted on Sunday after 10 minutes following the incident.

Prior to kick off, Premier League quartet: Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Emiliano Buendia, were investigated by the Brazilian authorities for a breach of coronavirus regulations.

It was alleged that they failed to declare that they had been in England prior to arriving in Brazil.

Following an investigation it seemed that the foursome were in the clear with Lo Celso and Romero both starting the game, while Martinez and Buendia were named on the bench.

However, in the opening exchanges, Brazilian health officials stormed the pitch in an attempt to detain the players.

Following close to an hour of stalemate, CONMEBOL finally released a statement on the matter, which read: “By decision of the match referee, the match organized by FIFA between Brazil and Argentina for the World Cup Qualifiers is suspended.

“The referee and the match commissioner will submit a report to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which will determine the steps to be followed. These procedures strictly adhere to current regulations.

“The World Cup Qualifiers is a FIFA competition. All decisions concerning its organization and development are the exclusive power of that institution.”

Soon after this press release was penned, Claudio Tapia, the president of the Argentine Football Association, issued his own statement.

“You cannot talk about any lie here because there is health legislation under which all South American tournaments are played. The health authorities of each country approved a protocol that we have been fully complying with,” it read.

“What happened today is unfortunate for football, it is a very bad image. Four people entered to interrupt the game to make a notification and CONMEBOL asked the players to go to the locker room.”

Head coach Lionel Scaloni added: “It should have been a …

Football / Sports

SAUL NIGUEZ MOVES TO CHELSEA ON LOAN

On switching to London, Saul said: ‘I am very excited to start this new challenge with Chelsea. Blues fans, I am one of you now and I can’t wait to wear the shirt, start training and see all of you. See you soon!’

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: ‘We welcome Saul to the Club and believe he completes our squad as we compete for honors in five different competitions this season. He is a proven winner, a player with huge experience and we know he will be very well-suited to the challenges that face us on all fronts in the coming year.’

The 26-year-old midfielder has up until now spent his entire club career in Madrid in his native Spain, having begun his youth career at Real Madrid before switching to Atletico, with one loan spell at another capital city club Rayo Vallecano.

During his time with Atleti, where he has played 447 matches and scored 53 goals, Saul has won the Europa League twice, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups, and as recently as last season, the league title in his homeland.

He played 33 of the 38 La Liga games in 2020/21 and scored twice as Diego Simeone’s side beat Real to the title by two points.

They were less successful in the Champions League however, with Saul starting both games of the round of 16 tie against Chelsea which the Blues won 3-0 on aggregate.

The previous time the two clubs were drawn together in the competition, in the group stage in 2017/18, Saul was also involved and indeed he opened the scoring with a header in our meeting at Stamford Bridge before an own-goal ensured the match ended in a draw.

Chelsea went on to play Barcelona in the knockout stages that season while the Spaniards dropped into the Europa League although they went on to lift that trophy. Saul scored a further three European goals in the campaign, against FC Copenhagen and home and away against Lokomotiv Moscow. Arsenal were defeated …

Football / Sports

Transfer deadline day: Done deals as summer 2021 window closes

Check out all the deals agreed on transfer deadline day.

Premier League

23:45 Saul Niguez [Atletico Madrid – Chelsea] Loan

23:00 Salomon Rondon [Dalian Professional – Everton] Free

22:54 Takehiro Tomiyasu [Bologna – Arsenal] Undisclosed

21:50 Odsonne Edouard [Celtic – Crystal Palace] £14m

20:30 Alex Kral [Spartak Moscow – West Ham] Loan

18:30 Emerson Royal [Barcelona – Tottenham] £25.8m

18:10 Ademola Lookman [RB Leipzig – Leicester] Loan

17:30 Abdallah Sima [Slavia Prague – Brighton] Undisclosed (then loaned to Stoke)

16:15 Daniel James [Manchester United – Leeds United] £25m

16:00 Santiago Munoz [Santos Laguna – Newcastle] Loan

13:50 Connor Roberts [Swansea – Burnley] Undisclosed

11:58 Marc Cucurella [Getafe – Brighton] £15.4m

09:39 Cristiano Ronaldo [Juventus – Manchester United] £12.85m + possible £6.85m

09:00 Nikola Vlasic [CSKA Moscow – West Ham] Undisclosed

International

00:25 Antoine Griezmann [Barcelona – Atletico Madrid] Loan

00:05 Helder Costa [Leeds – Valencia] Loan

22:59 Philippe Sandler [Man City – Troyes] Loan

22:59Patrick Robert [Man City – Troyes] Loan

22:15 Hector Bellerin [Arsenal – Real Betis] Loan

20:45 Alex Runarsson [Arsenal – OH Leuven] Loan

19:32 Jaime Alvarado [Watford – Racing de Ferrol] Loan

19:30 Yangel Herrera [Manchester City – Espanyol] Loan

19:30 Nikola Katic [Rangers – Hajduk Split] Loan

19:06 Mungo Bridge [Aston Villa – Annecy] Loan

19:00 Tommy Doyle [Manchester City – Hamburg] Loan

19:00 Frederic Guilbert [Aston Villa – Strasbourg] Loan

18:49 Jack Hendry [Oostende – Club Bruges] Undisclosed

18:40 Ethan Ampadu [Chelsea – Venezia] Loan

18:37 Niels Nkounkou [Everton – Standard Liege] Loan

17:30 Eduardo Camavinga [Rennes – Real Madrid] Undisclosed

17:30 Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa [Fulham – Napoli] Loan

17:01 Dennis Praet [Leicester – Torino] Loan

16:35 Reiss Nelson [Arsenal – Feyenoord] Loan

15:02 Cedric Itten [Rangers – Greuther Furth] Loan

08:12 Moise Kean [Everton – Juventus] Loan…

Football / Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo re-signs for Manchester United from Juventus

Man Utd announced they had reached an agreement with Juventus to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday; Premier League club will pay €15m (£12.9m) plus a further €8m (£6.9m) in add-ons for the Portugal captain, who completed a medical in Lisbon over the weekend.

United announced they had reached an agreement with Juventus for the 36-year-old forward to return to Old Trafford on Friday.

The Premier League club will pay €15m (£12.9m) plus a further €8m (£6.9m) in add-ons for the Portugal captain, who completed a medical in Lisbon over the weekend.

Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 games for United between 2003 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two League Cups.

“Manchester United is a club that has always had a special place in my heart, and I have been overwhelmed by all the messages I have received since the announcement on Friday,” Ronaldo said.

“I cannot wait to play at Old Trafford in front of a full stadium and see all the fans again. I’m looking forward to joining up with the team after the international games, and I hope we have a very successful season ahead.”

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who played with Ronaldo during his previous spell at United, added: “You run out of words to describe Cristiano.…

Football / Sports

UCL draw: Lionel Messi, PSG to face Man City in group stage; Bayern vs. Barcelona

Manchester City have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in group stages of the 2021-22 Champions League, setting up a possible showdown between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sources have told ESPN that Man City are closing in on a deal for Ronaldo, while Messi will be embarking on his first Champions League campaign away from Barcelona after joining PSG earlier this month.

Man City beat PSG 4-1 on aggregate to reach last season’s final, which they lost 1-0 to Chelsea at the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal. RB Leipzig and Club Brugge were also drawn in Group A.

Meanwhile, Barcelona will face Bayern Munich in Group E. It will be their first meeting since Bayern smashed Barca 8-2 in the semifinals in August 2020.

Holders Chelsea will play Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg and Malmo in Group H, which will see striker Romelu Lukaku make an early return to Italy having made a summer switch to Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United were drawn against Villarreal in Group F in a rematch of last season’s Europa League final, which Unai Emery’s side won on penalties.

Liverpool will return to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium to face Atletico Madrid in Group B, the site where the English side won the Champions League in 2019. Atletico knocked Liverpool out in the round of 16 the following season.

AC Milan, the second-most successful team in the history of the competition with seven wins, will also play in Group B as they make their return to the Champions League for the first time since 2014.

This season’s final will take place at the Krestovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 28.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho won the best male player of the year award ahead of teammate N’Golo Kante and Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne. Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas beat out teammates Jennifer Hermoso and Lieke Martens to win the women’s award.…

Football / Sports

Harry Kane trains with team-mates for first time this season after exiting isolation

Harry Kane had not trained with his Tottenham team-mates until Tuesday morning; striker was forced to isolate after returning from holiday and trained individually on Monday; 28-year-old missed Spurs’ 1-0 win against Manchester City – who are interested in signing him – on Sunday.

Kane had been staying at Spurs’ training ground hotel, The Lodge, after coming back to the UK from his holiday in the Bahamas, via Florida. The England captain was required to isolate upon his return, meaning he was unable to join his Spurs team-mates as they prepared to face Manchester City in their Premier League opener on Sunday.…

Football / Sports

Super Eagles Samuel Kalu slumps in Ligue 1 clash

Super Eagles of Nigeria and Bordeaux striker Samuel Kalu is feeling fine after collapsing in the sixth minute of their Ligue 1 match at Marseille, his teammate Remy Oudin has hinted.

Oudin replaced Kalu on 14 minutes – after the 23-year-old Nigerian fell to the ground on a hot evening at the Stade Velodrome, with medics rushing to attend to him.

Having been shielded by his teammates after he collapsed, Kalu was able to get up and walk off the pitch with their help while holding an ice pack against his head.

The striker, who collapsed from severe dehydration during a Nigeria training session at the 2019 African Cup of Nations, resumed playing several moments later but appeared groggy and was eventually substituted.…

Football / Sports

Romelu Lukaku Returns to Chelsea

One of the most prolific strikers in European football, Lukaku has returned to the club he supported as a young boy and where he has unfinished business, having been on our books between 2011 and 2014. The Belgian has signed a five-year contract and will add attacking firepower to Thomas Tuchel’s squad of European champions.

‘I’m happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club,’ said Lukaku. ‘It’s been a long journey for me: I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature.

‘The relationship I have with this club means so much to me, as you know. I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.

The way the club is going fits my ambitions perfectly at 28 and just coming off winning Serie A. I think this opportunity comes at the right time and hopefully we can have a lot of success together.

‘Since I left Chelsea, it’s been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but these experiences made me strong and the challenge is to try to help the team win some more trophies. I can’t wait to get started and to help the club achieve more success.’

Aged just 18 when he arrived at Stamford Bridge from Anderlecht in his homeland in the summer of 2011, he made 15 Chelsea appearances in three seasons, two of which were largely spent on loan, before moving on to Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan. While at Inter, Lukaku was named the Europa League Player of the Season in 2019/20, before playing an integral part as the Italian side won Serie A last season. His 24 goals and 11 assists earned him the competition’s MVP award.

Now 28, he was named in UEFA’s team of the tournament for Euro 2020, during which he netted four times in Belgium’s run to the quarter-finals, where they …

Football / News / Sports

Messi signs two-year contract with PSG

Lionel Messi has finally signed his eagerly anticipated Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) contract to complete the move that confirms the end of a career-long association with Barcelona and sends PSG into a new era.

PSG said in a statement that the 34-year-old Argentina star signed a two-year deal on Tuesday night with the option for a third season.

“I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain,” Messi said.

“Everything about the club matches my football ambitions. I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes.”

No salary details were given but Messi is set to earn approximately 35 million euros ($41m) net, according to the Associated Press news agency, who spoke to a person with knowledge of the negotiations on condition of anonymity before the contract was signed.

“I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris,” PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.

“He has made no secret of his desire to continue competing at the very highest level and winning trophies, and naturally our ambition as a club is to do the same.”

Messi will wear the number 30, as revealed in a video by the club, the number he had when he began his professional career at Barcelona between 2004-2006.

Throngs of PSG fans gathered at Le Bourget Airport in Paris to welcome Messi, who was wearing a T-shirt that read: “Ici c’est Paris” (This is Paris).

The words are a long-familiar refrain from a favored fan chant at Parc des Princes stadium, where Messi will be presented to them before kickoff of Saturday night’s game against Strasbourg.

Such was the fans around his arrival that police had to push back to stop metal barriers from toppling over at the airport as fans surged forward to …

Football / Sports

NPFL: Enyimba clinch CAF Champions League place, Sunshine escape relegation

The 2020/2021 Nigeria Professional Football League season ended on Thursday with the day’s high points in Enyimba International’s upward surge and Sunshine Stars’ escape from relegation.

With the competition’s title already gone since Match Day 37 to Akwa United, only one 2021/2022 CAF Champions League slot and one 2021/2022 CAF Confederation Cup ticket were at stake.

Enyimba surprised all with a 3-1 away win in Uyo against Dakkada FC to move from fifth to second and qualify to return to the CAF Champions League.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Aba-based 2019/2020 champions moved ahead of Nasarawa United, Kano Pillars and Rivers United of Port Harcourt, who all lost their matches. Kwara United also moved from sixth to third, upstaging on goals difference Nasarawa United of Lafia, who finished fourth after losing 1-3 to hosts Abia Warriors of Umuahia.

This was after they beat visiting Katsina United 3-0 in Ilorin to claim the 2021/2022 CAF Confederation Cup ticket.

Kano Pillars dropped to fifth after losing 0-1 to Heartland FC of Owerri, while Rivers United dropped to sixth after being involved in the day’s biggest talking point.

Sunshine Stars of Akure beat Rivers United 1-0 to dramatically escape relegation by moving into 16th place above Jigawa Golden Stars who lost 0-2 to MFM FC in Lagos.

Rangers International and Lobi Stars maintained seventh and eighth places respectively after home wins, with the Enugu side beating Plateau United 2-0 and the Makurdi side beating new champions Akwa United.

The losses meant nothing to both the Jos and Uyo sides, just as it is in the case of Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, who handed a 2-0 defeat to visiting Adamawa United of Yola.

The points gained did virtually nothing to boost or damage their final positions in the competition, just as the already-relegated FC IfeanyiUbah had no relief in beating Warri Wolves 1-0.

NAN reports that Adamawa United, FC IfeanyiUbah, Warri Wolves and Jigawa Golden Stars have all now been relegated into the 2021/2022 Nigeria National League.

Both Akwa United and …

Football / Sports

Manchester City Jack Grealish for £100m

The 25-year-old midfielder joins on a six-year deal after the Premier League champions activated the release clause in his Villa contract; the move eclipses Paul Pogba’s 2016 transfer to Manchester United and becomes the biggest in British football history.

Pep Guardiola has been a long-time admirer of Grealish with the player leaving Villa having made 213 appearances over the course of eight seasons, scoring 32 goals.

Man City also confirmed Grealish will wear the number 10 shirt, which was recently vacated by the departure of long-serving striker Sergio Aguero.

On the announcement, Jack Grealish said: “I am incredibly happy to have joined Manchester City. “City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world – it’s a dream come true to be part of this club.…

Football / Sports

Leo Messi not staying at FC Barcelona

Despite club and player reaching an agreement and their clear intention to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles, Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of Spanish LaLiga regulations on player registration.

As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.

FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandizement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.

youtube.com/watch?v=jqlxti9oYzw…