Author: Oladimeji Adeoye

The massive operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to deter vote trading and other financial malfeasance ahead of tomorrow’s presidential and national assembly elections may have begun paying dividends with the interception in Lagos of the sum of N32, 400,000 (Thirty-two Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira) allegedly suspected to be used for vote buying in Lagos. The recovery was made by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of the Commission. The suspect involved has been taken into custody for further questioning. The Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa has implored all personnel of the Commission deployed for…

Southampton has confirmed Ruben Selles as the team’s head coach. Ruben was promoted as the caretaker of the club after it parted ways with the head coach Nathan Jones. The Spaniard’s first game as a caretaker was away against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where they stunned Chelsea with a 0-1 away win. A feat that may have convinced the club to retain the caretaker until the end of the season. Southampton club statement: “Southampton FC can today confirm that Rubén Sellés has been appointed as Men’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2022/23 season.” Selles, who holds a…

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during his after-match press conference said the victory over Barcelona last night was the club’s biggest win this season. Manchester United resurrected to victory after going down early at Old Trafford. The boss felt the first half was a little flat, from both sides, as we trailed to Robert Lewandowski’s penalty. It was a different story after the restart as the Reds hit top gear, swiftly leveled through Fred, and then struck the decisive blow, through substitute Antony, as the home side clinched a superb 4-3 aggregate success over the runaway leaders in La…

Sergio Ramos has confirmed his retirement from the Spanish national team today via his official social media page.His decision was stirred by the conversation Ramos had with the new Spanish national team coach, Tola Roja, who informed him that he will not be considered for a call up regardless of how he performs. The 36-year-old PSG defender made his debut with the national team of Spain in 2005 and has been capped 180 times, scoring 23 goals. He was part of the team that won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. “The time has come. Time for me to…

Maiduguri-based club El-Kanemi Warriors have announced that the club has disbanded its technical team. According to the club, the dismissal was as a result of the poor run the club is witnessing under their guidance. Despite taking an early lead in the 20th minute, El Kanemi lost at home to relegation-threatened counterpart Kwara United yesterday by 1-2. A statement as released by the club on their Facebook page: “The management of Elkanemi warriors FC has disengaged the entire members of the technical crew following continuous dismal outings of the team, with yesterday’s 2-1 home defeat which was handled by the…

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah’s goal against Real Madrid on Tuesday night in the first leg of round 16 of the Champions League made him join former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba as Africans with the most goals in the Champions League. Salah scored Liverpool’s second goal to reach the feat of 44 UCL goals, which was Didier Drogba’s highest (44). Despite his goal drought and roller-coaster season, Mohamed Salah is currently UEFA Champions League’s top scorer with 8 goals, and 2 assists in his 7 appearances. In the English Premier League, Mohamed Salah has only registered 8 goals and 5 assists…

The Flying Eagles tonight defeated host nation Egypt by 1-0 in the ongoing U-23 AFCON to book their first win of the tournament. The Flying Eagles got a reprisal of 1-0 after losing their opening game to Senegal days ago. MFM defender Solomon Agbalaka’s only goal in the 71st minute guided Ladan Bosso’s boys to the emphatic victory. To qualify for the next round, they will have to beat Mozambique in their next game.

Super Eagles and Napoli forward Victor Osimhen scored the opening goal during their away win at Frankfurt last night in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The Azzurri took their resplendent fine form away to Germany, earning all three points and a clean sheet after their 2-0 victory over the host. Osihmen scored the first goal of the encounter in the 40th minute to give his club a first-half lead despite Kvaratskhelia missing from the spot kick in the 36th minute. In the second half of the game, Di Lorenzo scored the winning…

Real Madrid last night destroyed Liverpool at Anfield by 2-5 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Liverpool has been unable to triumph over the La Liga giant in the last seven competitive meetings between both clubs. Liverpool last beat Madrid in 2009 in their 4-0 raid on Los Blancos at Anfield. With away goals abolished, Madrid still stands a better chance to qualify ahead of Liverpool. Darwin Nunez opened the scoring chat for Liverpool scoring just 4 minutes into the encounter. Salah struck another in the game after 10 minutes to give Liverpool a…

Arsenal and Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny has signed a one-year contract that will keep him at the club until June 2024. El-Neny becomes Arsenal’s longest serving player after the contract extension since joining the club from Basel in 2016. The Egyptian international has made 155 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring six goals and assisting 10 times during his seven years with the club. While on an interview with Arsenal TV, he said: “I’m so happy, I love this club and our supporters so much, and I’ll give everything to help us be the best we can be, every…

Shooting Stars AKA Oluyole Warriors have been slammed with a fine of N500,000 after one of its camp commandants was seen urinating at the centre of the stadium before their encounter with Akwa United during the match day9. Auwal Mohammed was pictured urinating at the centre of the pitch before the 2-2 draw against the Promise Keeper. 3SC have been hit with a fine by IMC for their inability to control its official who perpetrated such a horrendous act of urinating at the Lekan Salami Stadium. Auwal Mohammed has been banned from all NPFL-related activities for one year. Shooting Stars…

The five-time U-20 African Champions opened their campaign for this year’s tournament with a defeat to Senegal. The Ladan Bosso boys despite putting up a hard fight still could not salvage a point for themselves. Ladan Bosso had been forced to make changes starting from the 43rd minute, Daniel Daga of Dakadda FC was replaced by Nicholas Jonathan. In the 52nd minute, two changes were made: Emma Uchegbu of Plateau United replaced Rilwanu Sarki, and Sunday Jude replaced Muhammad Ibrahim. KAA Gent forward Ahmed Abdullahi who came in to replace Adams in the 74th minute received a second yellow and…

The Pride of Rivers defeated ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast by 3-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Akwa Ibom. They bounced back in their second game of Group B after losing to Diables of DR Congo by 3-0. It took Malachi Ohamuwa just the first minute to take Rivers ahead of their visitors, In the 42nd minute Williams Ukeme netted the second goal while Cameroonian Ndasi Dennis scored River’s last goal. The Pride of Rivers moves to second place behind Diables Noirs in group B.

Bayern Munich’s title hope is in jeopardy after the loss to Mönchengladbach in a 3-2 defeat. Union Berlin will go ahead of the defending champions should they secure a win in their game. As well, Borussia Dortmund with a win will level on points with Bayern. Dayot Upamecano’s early red card reduced Bayern to 10 men just 8 minutes into the encounter. Gladbach took advantage of Bayern’s red card to score just 5 minutes after the red card. Choupo-Moting in the 35th minute grabbed Bayern’s equalizer. In the second half, the host took a lead after scoring in the 55th…

Napoli’s most in-form striker, Victor Osimhen, reached a landmark of 100 career goals last night following his 33rd-minute strike against Sassuolo. Napoli won the game stretching their unbeaten run to 7 games and Victor Osimhen has scored in every one of those games. Napoli’s two goals in the first half were enough to secure them a win away at Sassuolo. Victor Osimhen reached a landmark of 100 career goals last night. The 24-year-old has scored 85 goals with clubs in 12,219 minutes and 15 with the Super Eagles of Nigeria. In his 175 club appearances, he made 16 Caps with…

Ghanian and Hatayspor player Christian Atsu has been found dead following the horrific earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria a fortnight ago. His agent said he was found 12 days after the ongoing rescue mission, but lifeless. Atsu’s agent, Murat Uzunmehmet, confirmed his body had been found in a statement. “Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. Currently, more items are still being taken out. His phone was also found,” he told reporters in Hatay, southern Turkey, where Atsu had been playing for Hatayspor. Atsu, 31, had been missing since the building he lived in collapsed when the earthquake…

Former Super Eagles midfielder and captain Jay Jay Okocha has tipped the Napoli Talisman for the African player of the year award. In Okocha’s interview with Punch in Lagos, he believes the Nigerian forward’s prowess can guide him towards winning the most prestigious individual award in Africa. The 24-year-old was voted Serie A player of the month following his resplendent streak of goal scoring and fine form. He scored 5 goals in January and has scored the most goals this year, more than any player in Europe’s top5 league. Osimhen has scored 17 Serie A goals and leads the top…

Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has donated some parts of his salary to people who are suffering from Neglected Tropical diseases and are currently receiving treatment. The defender who recently had his contract terminated by Watford, will specifically be a channel to Nigerians in Ondo who suffers from the ailment.‎ WHO statistics shows that over 600 million Africans are risking this ailment and almost 5.2 million people living in Ondo state are receiving treatment against NTDs. “It’s a step in the right direction, but still a long way to go with over 600 million people in Africa affected, and 1.7…

Borussia Dortmund forward, Karim Adeyemi, has declared that his speed can be attributed to African delicacy, Fufu, during a post-game interview with CBSSportGolazo “I eat a lot of African foods,” “I also have good genetics from my dad so I think it will be quite difficult…… if you don’t” Pressed as to the exact food he eats, Adeyemi responded, “It is called fufu, and it’s a Nigerian food which is very good.” he revealed. Asked specifically if he was the fastest player in Germany, he laughed and said: “I don’t know.” “But it’s one thing I can do good but…

Borussia Dortmund are 1-0 to the good over Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie thanks to Karim Adeyemi’s spectacular second-half solo strike. Borussia Dortmund beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie courtesy of a spectacular second-half counterattacking goal from Karim Adeyemi. Though Dortmund had more than 60% of first-half possession, Sébastien Haller’s effort into the side-net was as close as they came. Chelsea found the host’s lock somewhat easier to unpick, but João Félix twice failed to apply the finishing touch. First, he bent the ball over…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has apologized to former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard for his incisive comments while defending City’s financial misconduct allegation. Guardiola during an interview two days ago asked if Manchester City was also responsible for Steven Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea in Liverpool’s title chase in 2014. Many Football fans have said that if Manchester City is found guilty of the charges they should be stripped of their previous title and handed to their runner-up in those previous years which will benefit Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool lost the league to City that season after Gerrard’s slip, Demba…

The governor via his Twitter handle has warned all commercial banks to continue to render services to the people of the state with the old Naira note. Going by the CBN deadline, the old naira should have stopped circulating and be replaced with the new redesigned note. But unavailability and scarcity of the new notes plunge Nigerians into chaos. Some businesses still operate with the old notes, some don’t accept them and some do their business through transfer and mobile banking “We will shut down any Commercial bank operating in Ogun state that refuses to accept old naira notes.”

Bayern Munich and Milan’s narrow victories against their opponents guaranteed them a 50% chance to make it into the next round. Bayern triumphed over PSG in France in a blockbuster encounter that seems to be a repeat of the 2020 UCL final. In Italy, Milan also earned a massive three points and a clean sheet against English side Tottenham. Kingsley Coman’s goal came in the 53rd minute, just 7 minutes after Davies, who assisted the goal was a sub for Joao Cencelo. Benjamin Pavard was booked twice and eventually was sent off in the added minute. AC Milan produced the…

The Directors of Sport of Mountain of Fire Miracle Ministries, Mr Godwin Enakhena has rebuffed claims about the club being disbanded after being relegated to the second tier of the Nigerian National League last season. He said the club has not been disbanded but rather it returned a gesture that they received from Henserd FC, a Bayelsa-based club. MFM was relegated from the Nigeria Professional Football League last season as a result of a poor run, which saw them finish bottom of the table with just 36 points in 38 games. Despite taking part in the induction ahead of the…

Czech Republic international and Getafe player, Jakub Jankto, who is on loan at Sparta Prague has become the third player after Josh Cavallo and Jake Daniels of Adelaide United and Blackpool to reveal their sexuality as gay. Jakub is the highest profiled player to have come out as a gay, having played previously with sampdoria and Udinese in Italy. The 27 year has also made 45 caps for his country after debuting in 2017. In a video he released on Twitter, Jakub said: “Hi, I’m Jakub Jankto. Like everybody else, I have my strengths, I have my weaknesses. I have…

The Ghana Football Association has confirmed Chris Hughton as the new head coach of the Black Stars. Chris replaces Atto Ado, who left his position following Ghana’s exit in the recent World Cup held in Qatar. The former Irish player before joining Black Stars as a Technical adviser had coached elite clubs in tbe Premier League such as Tottenham, Newcastle, Birmingham, Norwich, Brighton, and Nottingham Forest as the last club he worked for before joining the Black Stars. A statement from the Black Stars: “The Ghana Football Association has the pleasure to appoint Chris Hughton as Head Coach of the…

Nigeria and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen continues to display his resplendent form following Napoli’s 3-0 win against Cremonese. Victor scored the second goal for the Gli Azzurri, making him the player with the most goals (18) in Europe’s top five leagues. Napoli stretched their home win record to 9 wins on the streak and their most since the 1989-90 season, when they last won the league. The Azzurri are heading for the Scudetto with a 16 points lead ahead of Inter who has a game at hand. Osimhen leads on the top scorer chat with 17 goals, ahead of Super…

The NPFL round seven featured this week with two games played on Saturday and seven today. Defending champion Rivers United’s game against Bayelsa United was postponed as a result of Pride of Rivers involvement in CAF Confederation game against the Congolese outfit Diables Noirs. Nine games went down on Saturday and Sunday in the round, producing 4 home wins, 1 away wins, 4 draws and 21 goals scored across all nine games in group A and B. Nassarawa 2 – 0 Kwara United  The Solid Miners picked their first win of the season having lost 5 and drawn 1 since…

Kelechi Iheancho scored in Leicester City’s 4-1 giant triumph over Tottenham at the King Power Stadium. Kelechi Iheancho, who recently rediscovered his form, scored Leicester City’s third goal in the 45+3 minutes after assisting Madison’s goal in the 25th minute. He has had 5 goal contributions in the last three games for Leicester City. He scored a goal against Walsall, a goal and assists against Aston Villa, and the same against Tottenham tonight. With the victory, Leicester has moved away from the danger area, up to the 13th spot and 6 points ahead of the relegation zone.

Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro has been awarded a membership certificate as part of the Nigeria football coaching association. The Nigeria U-20 head coach Ladan Bosso who is the chairman of the association presented the certificate to the Portuguese who have immensely contributed to supporting Nigeria football to the grassroots. “Honoured to have received the Diploma given by the Nigeria Football Coaches Association and to have become officially a member.” Peseiro since taking the job of the Super Eagles has been seen in a few NPFL managers, friendly games, and other grassroots games.