Man United are on track to earn £17million from their pre-season tour this summer, Football Insider has learned.

The Red Devils began their pre-season schedule in Norway last Wednesday (12 July), where they beat rivals Leeds United 2-0.

Erik ten Hag’s side then travelled to Scotland and secured a 1-0 win over Lyon at Murrayfield Stadium a week later.

The Manchester club are now in the United States ahead of games against Arsenal, Wrexham, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Their tour is then rounded up with two matches in two days in August against Lens and Athletic Club at Old Trafford and Aviva Stadium.

United’s summer plans will see them travel over 16,000 miles, playing eight games in five countries.

While the air miles may negatively impact the squad, playing in multiple countries and stadiums means the Red Devils are set to reap commercial benefits from their tour having signed multiple sponsorship agreements.

The tour is sponsored by Snapdragon – a technology company that signed a global partnership deal with United last summer.

They have agreed to sponsor United’s 2023 tour and are also the match sponsors for the clash with Wrexham in San Diego on Tuesday (25 July).

On top of fees from Snapdragon’s sponsorship, United are set to earn a participation fee for competing in the Soccer Champions Tour exhibition series in the United States.

Combined with a cut of matchday revenues and ticket sales, Football Insider has learned that United are set to earn between £17-18million for their tour this summer.

Eight days after finishing their pre-season schedule in the Republic of Ireland, United are set to open their Premier League campaign with a home match against Wolves.

[footballinsider247]

Paris Saint-Germain are ready to hijack Manchester United's move for Rasmus Hojlund after indicating their willingness to pay £55million for the 20-year-old Atalanta frontman during private discussions with his agents. The Red Devils have already agreed personal terms with the Denmark international forward but the club are yet to submit a formal bid despite initial discussions with the Italian club.

United are thought to have floated the idea of including players within a swap deal proposal but Atalanta had no interest in signing Fred, Donny van de Beek or Mason Greenwood on loan.

Instead, the Serie A outfit will command a huge fee for one of the hottest commodities in European football meaning United's financial muscle will be seriously put to the test following the signings of Mason Mount and Andre Onana.

PSG are in continuous dialogue with Hojlund's representatives and sporting director Luis Campos is ready to sanction a big-money transfer this summer.

[express.co.uk]

George Kambosos Jr. vs Maxi Hughes fight breakdown

‘Ferocious’ Kambosos vs ‘Maximus’ Hughes

Exceptionally strong relations have existed between the Commonwealth realms of Australia and the United Kingdom for 250 years, but none of that will matter this weekend as Aussie George Kambosos Jr. and Briton Maxi Hughes clash in an IBF Eliminator in Oklahoma on Saturday, July 21.

The 12-round lightweight contest will be shown live on Sky Sports at 2:30am on Sunday morning for UK fight fans and the rest of the world can watch on ESPN.

Despite their enduring alliance, Australia and England have a fierce sporting rivalry existing in cricket, and now it turns to boxing this weekend in the States, but who will win this intriguing matchup between an aggressive Aussie and a skilled Englishman? Read on the find out…

‘Ferocious’

George Kambosos’ career-best split decision win over Teofimo Lopez in 2021 was voted as ESPN Upset of the Year. With that shock win, he scooped up three world titles including the Ring Magazine belt. He began 2022 as king of the lightweights, a division that includes the likes of Devin Haney, the aforementioned Lopez, Vasily Lomachencko, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Isaac Cruz.

‘Ferocious’ is aggressive and vicious. He holds his hands down low and his punches are explosive as he leaps into them when throwing. The overhand right he put Lopez down with is his favourite shot and landed it multiple times in their fight.

He utilises his quick jab a lot and doubles and triples it up. It’s an effective tool for him to set up bigger shots, he follows his jabs up with straight and overhand rights, uppercuts and even left hooks. Everything comes off that jab at high speed. He distracts you with that lead hand to land the bigger backhand, all in the same move.

He is light on his feet, because he has to be, as he doesn’t have a high guard to protect himself. He has a glimpse of that Mayweather style of holding the left arm in a sling and the right tucked in the chest in that kind of Philly Shell stance. He moves his head quickly and often employs the pull back-counter.

Against Devin Haney, who he was decisioned twice by last year, he was bettered by the skill, speed and accuracy of the undisputed lightweight champion. The first fight was competitive, GK managed to win at least four rounds, but the rematch saw Haney almost play with the Aussie, having already downloaded all the data he needed during the first fight to only give away one or two rounds.

He fought three unified world championship contests within 11 months, but now he’s back in the ring after a bit of a break, nine months on.

‘Maximus’

Hughes has fought at least twice per year for the last four years. He routinely fought every six months, with fights in March and September in 2021 and 2022. This time though, he has been out the ring for 10 months, but he has had 15 months away before and managed to come straight back with a win.

The southpaw is a tricky, schooled boxer, with a tight guard, good movement, and all-round neat and tidy boxing skills.

He doesn’t possess a great deal of power, with only one knockout from his last seven wins. Those seven victories were all very respectable, including Jono Carroll, Viktor Kotochigov, Ryan Walsh and Kid Galahad. He collected WBC International, British and IBO World titles over the course of his previous five fights.

He is ranked in the top 15 with the WBC and IBF, and holds the IBO World lightweight title, but he hasn’t been a lineal and unified WBA ‘Super’, IBF, WBO World champion like Kambosos has.

However, the 33-year-old is enjoying an Indian summer in his career after all seemed lost after his British title knockout defeat to Sam Bowen in 2018. But the determined contender didn’t give up, instead he teamed up with trainer Sean O’Hagan and got back to winning ways, which has led him right here to the biggest fight of his career.

Betting Odds

Hughes is the underdog at 11/4 and Kambosos is favourite to win with odds of 3/10. A draw at 16/1 odds is fairly low, so it appears some are left unsure as to who comes out on top in this intriguing contest.

For more odds and betting tips visit these top bettings sites in Australia.

Predictions

Kambosos has had that experience at the very top of the world stage. He has gone up against elite fighters in Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney.

Hughes cannot claim to have experienced that highest echelon and will be up against the hardest opponent of his career so far.

Well-rounded Hughes will make life difficult for Kambosos, I have no doubt, but I envisage the Australian being better in nearly every department, maybe not in defence though.

Kambosos will be on the front foot while Hughes will be moving his upper trunk, holding his guard high and pot shotting back, pivoting to his right constantly.

I just feel that the speed and aggression of Kambosos will be the key factor in getting the win. He should be able to land those shots, not all the time, but enough to be able to wear Hughes down and catch him cleanly at times.

Hughes has been stopped twice before, a long time ago now, but I think the speed of the Aussie will create the same result.

Verdict

Kambosos to win via stoppage in rounds 5-8

[britishboxingnews]

The Police Service Commission, PSC, said it has approved the dismissal of three senior Police Officers over cases of misconduct.

Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations who disclosed this, in a statement on Friday, said the commission also approved the reduction in ranks of five others found wanting in the conduct of their official duties.

He said the dismissed Police Officers were two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

He said one Chief Superintendent of Police, (CSP), one Superintendent (SP), one Deputy Superintendent (DSP) and two Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASP) were reduced in ranks for misconduct, adding that fourteen officers received severe reprimands, six others, reprimanded and seven others were given warning letters.

He said the commission also reinstated six dismissed officers who got favourable court judgements or a review of their cases.

Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi have discredited the written address filed by President Bola Tinubu following the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections describing the latter’s outburst as “desperation taken too far”.

In the written address sighted by TRIBUNE ONLINE and dated July 14, the 2nd and 3rd respondents led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), faulted the claims of Obi’s witnesses including the seventh witness, Clarita Ogah who had claimed to be a cloud engineer and a member of staff at Amazon.

The respondents also warned the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), that misinterpreting the law as provided for in the constitution on the 25% of lawful votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, could “lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature.”

However, the petitioners in their final written address filed by Obi’s lead counsel, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), to the 2nd and 3rd respondents, said there will only be anarchy if the rule of law is truncated.

“This is a cheap, misguided, and destructive blackmail clearly intended to target the country’s judicialism and constitutionalism. It also aims at cannibalising our democracy.

“When has it become offensive for Petitioners to canvass a ground prescribed for the challenge of an election in section 134(1)(b) of the Electoral Act? Desperation taken too far can be extremely dangerous. Let the 2nd and 3rd Respondents (Tinubu and Shettima) know that where the rule of law is trampled upon or truncated, anarchy reigns supreme,” the written address partly read.

The court had given the petitioners and the respondents ten and seven days to file their written addresses and five days for the respondents to reply on points of law

A viral video of President Bola Tinubu campaigning to reduce the price of fuel upon his assumption as president has surfaced online.

Tinubu at his campaign rally in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on January 25, 2023, could be heard in the video promising the crowd an easier life under his leadership. The President spoke in the Yoruba language.

On Tuesday, The PUNCH reported another hike in fuel price to N617 from N197, two months since the removal of fuel subsidy by the President upon being sworn into office on May 29, 2023.

Tinubu in his inaugural speech, announced the removal of fuel subsidy, a move that resulted in fuel being sold at N537 per litre barely two days after he ended the subsidy.

Speaking in Yoruba, Tinubu during the rally in Abeokuta, could be heard assuring the crowd that although people believed the petrol price would hit N200, it would actually be reviewed and the price reduced as leader of the nation.

“The great Nigerian youths, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youths. This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. They are plotting, but they will fail. They said fuel prices will increase and reach N200/N500 per litre. Go and relax, we will crash the prices.”

“They don’t want this election to be held. They want to sabotage it (elections). Will you allow them?”, Tinubu asked his supporters who responded with a resounding “No.”

“Even if they said there is no fuel, we will trek to vote. They have a lot of mischief; they could say there is no fuel. They have been scheming to create a fuel crisis but forget about it.

“Relax, I, Asiwaju, have told you that the issue of fuel supply will be permanently addressed. Whoever wants to eat the honey embedded in a mountain won’t worry about the axe. Is that not so? And if you want to eat palm kernel, you would bring stone and use it to break it, then the kernel will come out. It’s not easy to…

“Let them increase the price of fuel, only them know where they have hoarded fuel, they hoarded money, they hoarded naira; we will go and vote and we will win. Even if they changed the ink on naira notes. Whatever their plans, they will come to naught. We are going to win. Those in the PDP will lose (won ma lule).

“I am a homeboy, I have come here, you will not be put to shame, we will take over the government from them, the traitors who wanted to contest with us. They had no experience.”

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education has increased the school fees of new students into Federal Government Colleges otherwise known as Federal Unity Colleges to ₦100,000.

This was contained in a directive from the Office of the Director of Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, reference number ADF/120/DSSE/I, dated 25th May, 2023, and addressed to all Principals of Federal Unity Colleges.

According to the circular entitled, “Approved fees/ charges for Federal Unity Colleges (1st Term) for new students“, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, new students are expected to part with ₦100,000 instead of the previous N45,000.

“The latest fees/charge increment will affect virtually all aspects and activities of the school, including tuition and boarding fees, uniform, text books, deposit, exercise books, prospectus, caution fee, ID card, stationery, clubs and societies, sports, extra lesson, insurance, et al.

“Please be informed that the ministry has approved only the underlisted fees and charges for all Unity Colleges,” the memo read.

Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state, has counseled colleagues from other states to be sensitive and reduce long convoys, following the removal of fuel subsidy.

In his words, “Hey gentlemen, we would need to be sensitive to the times; we need to live within the average of the people that we’re governing, and so on and so forth, and knock off the waste and the irrelevancies, so to speak,” Soludo said.

Soludo said this while addressing journalists after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting which was chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja on Thursday.

He noted that the situation in the country has called for some reviews, and it would be insensitive for governors to move around with large convoys.

According to him, the state governor that is going with “20-something vehicles in a convoy and all these have to be fuelled” is not living “within the average of the people”.

Soludo also confirmed there were discussions among the governors and members of the council to also make sacrifices for the people.

Soludo cited examples of what he has done in his state to cut costs.

He said, “When I assumed office, for example, it was costing about N137 million every month to clean up public offices, and so on. Today, in Anambra, we’re doing N11 million a month from N137 million on a monthly basis; this is just an illustration.”

Vice President Kashim Shettima chaired the NEC meeting. The council is also made up of the 36 state governors, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other government officials.

A Nigerian man, Godswill Okon, took to his Facebook page, Thursday, to celebrate becoming a father 13 years after getting married.

Okon shared a photo of his newborn daughter, penning a heartfelt message alongside, as he celebrated his new role as a parent while gushing over his daughter.

“She just open her eye since after her birth and we looked eyeball to eyeball. e sweet ooo to be a father.

“We had a father and daughter conversation and at length she smiled at me. And I promised to always teach her the ways of the Lord.

“I didn’t forget to tell her how priceless she meant to me. That I waited for 13 good years with shame, pain and mockery from people for not having a child, but today God decided to silence my accusers and feeds them with shame…Jesus, you are so good to me.”