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Everton secured their first win in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park since 2010 to leave Liverpool’s Premier League title aspirations in ruins after a 2-0 defeat on Wednesday.
The defeat leaves Jurgen Klopp’s men still three points adrift of leaders Arsenal and only one point in front of defending champions Manchester City, who have two games in hand.
“We need a crisis at City and Arsenal and we need to win football games,” said Klopp of his side’s shot at the title with four games to go of his reign.
Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin took Everton eight points clear of the relegation zone.
The Toffees now look certain to extend their 70-year stay in the English top flight despite being deducted eight points on two charges of breaching financial rules.
Klopp had never lost on his previous eight visits to Goodison but his final taste of the Merseyside derby was a bitter one.
Hopes of a glorious goodbye for the German after a nearly nine-year tenure that has transformed the club’s fortunes are fading fast.
According to reports, Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is being lined up as Klopp’s successor and the past few weeks have exposed weaknesses that need addressing in a huge summer for the Liverpool hierarchy.
‘Energy, commitment’
The Reds have won just one of their last four league games and have also bowed out of the FA Cup and Europa League in recent weeks.
Klopp made six changes after resting a number of key players for Sunday’s 3-1 win at Fulham but did not get the response he desired.
Buoyed by their weekend win over Nottingham Forest to pull clear of the relegation zone, Everton are a side transformed from the one that went 13 Premier League games without a win between December and April.
“Delighted with the performance of our players and delighted for the Evertonians,” said Everton boss Sean Dyche.
“They’re a good side, we know that. The commitment and energy from us had to be there.”
Slow starts have been a recurring factor as Liverpool’s quest for four trophies has unravelled.
Everton thought they had a penalty in the opening minutes when Calvert-Lewin was tripped by Alisson Becker but VAR intervened to save the visitors as the striker was offside.
Alisson then clawed away a Calvert-Lewin header and Ben Godfrey nodded wide as Liverpool struggled to cope with Everton’s threat from set-pieces.
More comical defending from the Reds led to the opener on 27 minutes.
Alexis Mac Allister’s mishit fell perfectly for Branthwaite and the defender’s effort went in off the post despite Alisson’s best efforts.
Going behind woke Liverpool from their slumber and only a combination of wasteful finishing and Jordan Pickford preserved Everton’s lead until half-time.
Darwin Nunez blasted straight at the England number one when clean through before the Uruguayan teed up Luis Diaz to fire too close to Pickford.
Mohamed Salah’s loss of form has come at the worst possible time for Liverpool’s title challenge and the Egyptian sliced another good opening well over the bar.
Liverpool were camped in the Everton half after the break, yet the hosts pulled further clear just before the hour mark from another dead ball.
Calvert-Lewin was afforded a free header at the back post to power home Dwight McNeil’s corner.
Liverpool’s night was summed up when Diaz’s powerful effort came back off the post with Pickford finally beaten.
But it was Klopp who was crestfallen come the final whistle as he looks set to depart Anfield with just one Premier League title to his name.
[DailyTrust]
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has said he did not apply to be the team’s next head coach because of two reasons.
Since Jose Peseiro’s contract elapsed, several former Nigerian players have been linked with the job.
Enyeama has admitted he would have also applied if he had secured his coaching certificate and wasn’t focused on his hotel business.
He told Afrik-Foot: “For you to be able to coach the Super Eagles, you must be certified. That’s the minimum standard.
“That’s the number one reason, and then for the fact that I have been very busy developing and managing my hotel has taken a lot of my attention, and that business is the most important thing for me now.”
[DailyPost]
UEFA are set to increase squad size for this summer’s European Champions to 26 players.
This follows a vote on Monday, which gave the green light for expanded squads.
The idea was first brought up during a meeting of all the nations’ coaches in Dusseldorf a fortnight ago.
But at a meeting of the UEFA national competitions committee on Monday, delegates voted in favour of increasing the squads from a 23-player limit to 26.
Enlarged squads were used at Euro 2021, to help teams cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the decision is not yet set in stone, as the UEFA executive committee (EXCO) needs to sanction the rule change – but it is expected that will simply be a rubber-stamping exercise.
[DailyPost]
Former Super Eagles of Nigeria head coach, Samson Siasia has revealed how Nigerian coaches are being ill-treated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Samson Siasia who was the captain of the national team during his playing days has coached all national team levels except the under-17 side.
Before he was banned from football activities due to alleged match-fixing issues, Siasia led Nigeria to win the African Youth Championship in 2005 and also led the same team to finish second at the 2005 under-20 World Cup in The Netherlands.
The 56-year-old Nigerian tactician went on to win Olympic silver and bronze medals while in charge of the Under-23 team in 2008 and 2016 respectively.
Samson Siasia who is seen as one of the most successful local coaches in Nigeria was expected to apply for the vacant Super Eagles coaching job but he couldn’t due to his ban which will expire later this month.
While the NFF is busy hunting for a new coach, Siasia made an appearance on a podcast alongside ex-international Emmanuel Babayaro and journalist Matthew Edafe on Saturday. During the podcast, Siasia lamented how the NFF hardly gives local coaches time to prepare for tournaments and how the coaches are often paid very low compared to how the football federation pay foreign coaches.
He said, “They didn’t give me Super Eagles from the beginning and give me four years.
“They didn’t give Nigeria people four years, you lose one match, they fire you. That’s the truth. The white people will come, you give them more time, you pay them more money.”
Samson Siasia continued, “And we (local coaches), they won’t send us anywhere and they want us to be better.
“They will pay the white man $50,000 monthly, and pay local hires one million naira. From the on million naira, the coaching staff will also take you inside, and you also have to feed your family.”
Siasia who has coached almost all the levels of football in Nigeria said the only side which is relatively easier to coach is the senior national team.
The Bayelsa state-born tactician noted that coaches in the under-age levels mostly have to use their star power to get some things sorted on behalf of the NFF.
“Trust me the easiest team to coach (in Nigeria) is the Super Eagles because they will give you everything that you need,” Siasia said.
“But U-20, U-23 and the U-16 are even worse because you won’t see food to eat. The U-20 is a big problem because if you don’t know people who can help you, you are in trouble. After all, the truth is if you don’t start on time there is no way you can qualify for a tournament.
“All those times that I qualified for tournaments are not a joke, I know people that own hotels. I will go to them and beg them to allow us to lodge and that we will pay later. They will give you a job one month to play a game and you want to screen players and select the best. How do you do that?”
He continued, “We have to go and look for accommodation because they will put us in Goal Project where there is nothing. Do you know how these people (NFF) deal with the national team coaches? That is why most of them cannot qualify because if you don’t have a name you cannot go to the hotel owners to keep rooms for you for free.
“I qualified the country for the Olympics twice, how many other coaches have been able to do that?”
Manchester City midfielder, Bernardo Silva, has admitted he “didn’t sleep” after his penalty miss against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final.
Silva was one of the City players that missed their kick as Madrid won 4-3 at the Etihad in midweek.
He, however, bounced back by scoring the winner in the 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.
“It was a frustrating night for me [on Wednesday],” Silva said.
“[And a] frustrating week for me personally, for the whole team, because we wanted to go after another historic season and we can still go for it, but it was a big disappointment to get knocked out of the Champions League.
“First night, I didn’t sleep much, second night, you sleep a bit better, the third night you sleep almost the whole night, but it is what it is.”
[DailyPost]
Former Barcelona winger Emmanuel Amunike have won the race for the head coach position of the Super Eagles.
According to reports, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has decided to go with Amunike as the substantive head coach of the national team.
The Super Eagles head coach role will be the biggest challenge Amunike has had to handle.
The former Zamalek and Sporting Lisbon winger excelled as coach of the Golden Eaglets, leading the Nigeria U17 national team to win the FIFA U17 World Cup.
Amunike also impressed as head coach of the Tanzanian national team, guiding the Taifa Stars to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – their first in nearly forty years.
However, Amunike’s record with Egypt’s Misr Lel Makkasa and Zambia’s Zanaco left much to be desired.
The 53-year-old coach also fumbled when placed in charge of the Flying Eagles, failing to help the Nigeria U20 team qualify for the AFCON in 2017.
Aside from Amunike, USA U20 national team coach Michael Nsien, former Manchester City assistant manager Domenec Torrent, and Fortuna Sittard coach Danny Bruijs were all running to become the Super Eagles head coach.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has expressed his delight at his side bouncing back from recent bad results against Wolves.
Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard scored for the Gunners as they won 2-0 at the Molineux.
The victory came in the week they lost 2-0 in the league to Aston Villa and 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Arsenal are now one point clear of Manchester City at the top and could make it four points when they host Chelsea on Tuesday.
“This is where we want to be [at the top of the table]. We lost it last week at home to Aston Villa.
“We didn’t deserve to lose it, but we’re top now at least for a day so let’s see what happens.
“We’re going to have to earn the win on Tuesday against Chelsea. We’ll give it a real go,” Arteta said.
[DailyPost]
At the end of AFCON 2023 in February, Jose Paseiro, the Portuguese Manager that took the Super Eagles to Cote D’Ivoire became history. His contract was not renewed by the Nigeria Football Federation despite getting to the final of the championship and putting up a credible performance through most of the championship. The majority of Nigerian football fans insist that he is not good enough for Nigeria’s ambitions into the future.
Since then, some 6 weeks later, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, have been unable to announce a new gaffer for the senior national team. There appears to be a ‘go slow’ at the bottleneck of selecting the right manager for what would be a new national team.
Two friendly matches were played under a temporary arrangement with the Nigerian assistant coach to Paseiro, Finidi George, in charge. The team won the first friendly against Ghana, but lost the second. The loss to Mali may have sealed Finidi’s fate as the new coach. Despite the team’s unpreparedness for the insignificant friendly match, Finidi working alone on the bench without any other member of the technical crew, and several players not available or reluctant to play, those that don’t like the face of a Nigerian as head, have been unrelenting in condemning Finidi’s seemingly poor technical performance in that match.
Since then, with 6/7 weeks to the next very important World Cup qualifying match to play, the debates and controversy have dominated the media space over who should lead the team. Should it be another foreigner, or a Nigerian for a change? There have been 200 million opinions. Every Nigerian has become an expert. In the midst of these discordant voices, the NFF must make an announcement soon.
One thing is clear, except amongst some academic hard-line critics of Nigerian coaches, there appears to be little appetite for another half-baked foreign coach in Nigeria. The rackets attached to the hiring of foreign coaches may not find accommodation in a beleaguered government trying to reduce corruption in the system. The NFF does not have the funds, and the federal government will not accommodate the humongous fees of foreign coaches in the present dispensation.
So, it will be a Nigerian as next manager of the Super Eagles.
Why has the NFF not identified the most suitable amongst those that have indicated an interest, or that the body has identified and appointed a new national coach?
There is a lot of politicking ongoing. Nigerian coaches appear not to tick all the boxes of requirements, not eliciting the confidence of several officials of the NFF with vested interest in particular aspirants.
As things stand, however, a decision has to be taken now.
Most fingers point in the direction of a former international player.
He appears to be the preferred choice of most Nigerians in the media, particularly the social media.
I will not be surprised if Emmanuel Amuneke gets the final nod to lead the team. It will become a huge task to dispel the serious reservations about his choice by those familiar with his antecedents when he was in one of the junior teams.
PARIS 2024 Olympics – My Olympics story!
I have just made up my mind to attend the Paris Olympic Games this summer.
It will be my first time at the Olympics and not as an athlete.
In 1976, at the Montreal Olympics in Canada, I attended as an athlete but did not participate. Along with the rest of the world, I tasted the incursion of politics into sport and the first deployment of sports diplomacy in international affairs. the names of all the athletes from 30 countries that were involved in the boycott of the games were not recorded in the International Directory of Olympians at the International Olympic Committee, IOC.
In 1980, without officially qualifying for the Moscow Games, but benefitting from the crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan, leading to the boycott by several Western countries led by the USA, the Green Eagles were invited to the Moscow Olympics. I led the Nigerian national football team and doubled as co-captain (with Ahmeed Adio) of the overall contingent to become a registered member of the exclusive club of Olympians.
I would have attended the 1996 Games in Atlanta, USA, as manager of Chioma Ajunwa and Charity Opara. Unfortunately, when I applied for a visa to the Games from my base in the UK at the time, the interview date given at the American embassy was weeks after the Games would have ended. That’s how I sat at home in London, and missed the opportunity of attending the Olympics as a manager of athletes. My two wards won a Gold and a Silver medal.
At the 2010 Games in London. I was at ‘home’. I watched the Games as a tourist, attending a few events LIVE from the stands, but most from the giant screens at the Nigerian village set up for the huge Nigerian population in the UK.
During the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, I became inventive. I did the seemingly impossible. I became an invisible ‘fly on the wall’ reporting from Nigeria everything about the Nigerian contingent at the games with the deployment of technology and the collaboration of athletes and officials at the games.
Now, Paris 2024 Games are here.
I have a strong feeling Nigeria will come away with several medals. The feeling is strong. There are some obvious athletes in the winning zone already.
Having said that, the spirit of the Olympics is more in participating than in winning. That’s why as many athletes as have achieved the qualifying times and distances should be given the opportunity to experience the Olympics. I hope Nigeria will take all the athletes that attain the qualifying standards to Paris 2024.
Winning’ is not only about coming ‘first’.
From AFCON 2023, Nigeria gave a new and interesting definition to ‘winning’.
The country’s national team, the Super Eagles, for 4 weeks, provided the glue that united the country at a time when the country was going through difficult times in perennial economic, political and social challenges. As the Super Eagles, a team that was not given a chance to win by fanatical Nigerian football fans on the even of the championship, started to play well and to win matches in dramatic fashion, the spirit of nationalism took over the country. Temporarily, for a few weeks, Nigerians set aside their hardship, divisions and differences, and focused attention on the feel-good success of the Eagles on the football field. Even President Bola Tinubu became a part of the championship, following the Super Eagles on television all the way to the final match. With hopes sky-high, the entire country rallied around the team and supported their bid to win the most prestigious sports trophy in Africa, only for the hopes to be dashed at the last hurdle.
Despite the disappointment of that defeat, the country demonstrated uncommon appreciation of what the team had done for the psyche of the citizens during the period, a reminder of positive possibilities beyond AFCON, by spreading out the Red Carpet to welcome back the football heroes, compensating the team that came second with rewards unheard of in sports history. It was a beautiful confirmation of that Olympic truism that to be a ‘winner’ you do not have to come ‘first’.
God willing, I shall be at the Paris 2024 Olympics to report Nigeria’s success, first hand!
It is believed the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, have a final shortlist of three coaches, from which they will pick the next head coach of the Super Eagles.
They are: Emmanuel Amunike, Domenec Torrent and Antonio Conceicao.
“I think that, in the first place, it must have been a quite underwhelming set of applicants that these are the three best candidates,” Solace Chukwu, Site coordinator, AfrikFoot NG tells DAILY POST.
“Conceicao has the strongest merit but Amuneke has not managed anywhere in a few years and Torrent has extremely limited success and/or experience as either a head coach or in international football.”
Amunike is the only local coach on the shortlist. He excelled as coach of Nigeria’s U17 team, leading them to glory at the FIFA U17 World Cup.
He also led Tanzania to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – their first in nearly 40 years.
However, Amunike’s record with Egypt’s Misr Lel Makkasa and Zambia’s Zanaco left much to be desired.
The 53-year-old coach also failed to help the Nigeria U20 team qualify for the AFCON in 2017.
Conceicao, 62, is no stranger to African football, having previously managed Cameroon.
He led the Indomitable Lions to a third-place finish at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
Since leaving the Cameroon position in 2022, Conceicao has been without a job.
Torrent is a former assistant to Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola,
The 61-year-old has worked closely with Guardiola throughout his coaching career, including stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
Torrent has since transitioned into a head coach role himself. Apart from coaching Girona, he has managed in Major League Soccer (MLS) with New York City FC.
The Spaniard has also coached Brazilian Serie A club, Flamengo, and most recently led Turkish Super Lig side, Galatasaray.
It is believed that Torrent is a big favourite among NFF board members.
So, do those in the football house have an obsession with foreign coaches?
“That does seem to be the case. While some might attribute that to thinly veiled internalized prejudice against our own indigenous coaches, I think we also have to consider the fact that our indigenous coaches seldom do enough to test and prove themselves worthy.
“That, I feel, is the bigger issue. If a Nigerian coach went to, say, Morocco, South Africa or Egypt, and won league titles there, on what basis would anyone question their viability?
“Keshi qualified Togo for a World Cup and took charge of Mali as well. When he was appointed, even those who had a problem with his personality could not say he was unqualified for the role,” Chukwu explains.
So, why should the NFF go ahead and appoint Amunike instead of a foreigner?
“Well, it depends on who the foreign person is, really,” Chukwu notes.
“I’m personally not persuaded any foreigner is better than Amunike (or any indigenous coach for that matter).
“However, speaking objectively, there is no Nigerian candidate who applied that combines international experience, (a measure of) success, and (if ongoing/recent employment can be considered a proxy for that) currency of ideas.”
Tunde Onakoya, a chess master from Nigeria, achieved a remarkable feat on Saturday, April 20, by setting a new Guinness World Record for the longest continuous chess marathon.
On his official X account, he excitedly shared the news with his followers, expressing determination to push the record to 60 hours while emphasizing the charitable cause behind his endeavor – raising funds for the education of underprivileged African children worldwide.
Surpassing the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes set by Norwegian players, Tunde’s marathon took place at the iconic Times Square in New York City.
Partnering with US counterpart Shawn Martinez, both national masters, Tunde aimed not only to break a record but also to draw attention to the importance of providing educational opportunities to disadvantaged children across Africa.
As of Saturday morning, Onakoya has garnered nearly $100,000 in donations.
Joined by Martinez after 23 hours of play, the duo continued their quest, garnering support from notable figures including Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and musicians Davido and Adekunle Gold.
Through their determination and support, Tunde and Shawn showcased the power of unity and love in making a positive impact on the world.
More...
Last Sunday, Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface made history with his German Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen, when they defeated Werder Bremen 5 – 0 to be crowned the new champions of Germany. The win meant that Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga for the first time with 5 games to spare.
More significantly, Coach Xabi Alonso’s side became the first German club to go 43 games unbeaten. Alonso’s team also displaced perennial champions, Bayern Munich from their Olympian heights in startling fashion.
In all this, Nigeria international, Victor Boniface has been key to coach Alonso’s plans. Despite the disruptive injury spells that have sometimes put him on the sidelines, the Nigerian forward has scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists in 25 games across all competitions.
Boniface who scored the opener before registering an assist in the same game has been a revelation in his debut season in Germany and has now celebrated Leverkusen’s remarkable triumph by getting himself custom-made Diamond chains.
As part of the celebrations that have followed the historic feat in Germany, the 23-year-old Super Eagles striker recruited the services of prominent jeweller, Buchi Obasi, the man behind Osimhen’s championship ring and chains after he led Napoli to the Scudetto last season. One of the large pendants features an encrusted Diamond inscription that reads “Dreams Are For Real” with a throwback picture of his late mother and his siblings.
The other one was created solely as tribute to his late mother, also featuring an encrusted Diamond inscription that reads “Keep Resting Mama.”
The value of both pieces have been estimated to be in the region of ¦ 10,000,000,
After his mother passed away last year, Boniface previously revealed that he grew up with his grand-parents and sometime last year, flew out his grandma to watch him play in the Bundesliga.
Still in celebratory mood, Boniface took a walk down memory lane, as he shared a photo from his early days playing football. In the post which he made on X, Boniface posted a picture captured from his childhood with the phrase “If you like give up”.
Boniface’s post gives fans a glimpse of his humble beginnings and how far he has come; from playing street soccer in Akure, to becoming a Bundesliga champion in his first year in Germany.
The 23-year-old’s post serves as an inspiration to others to keep pushing and not give up on their dreams.
In a brief interview granted after the title-deciding match, Boniface acknowledged his family and fans in Akure, and also hinted at a celebration saying “we go meet, we go shut down everywhere when I come”.
The Nigerian striker was also awarded with an honorary citizenship by the city of Leverkusen alongside his Bayer Leverkusen teammates, including fellow Nigerian football star Nathan Tella.
Bodø/Glimt
Victor Okoh Boniface who started with Lagos-based football academy, Real Saphphire began his journey to prominence when in 2019 he signed for a remote Norwegian side, Bodø/Glimt.
He suffered a ligament injury only two weeks after signing for Glimt, which was said to have kept him on the sidelines for the duration of the 2019 season. He was selected to the Nigeria U-20 squad to play the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, but had to withdraw from the squad due to injury. In September 2019 he nonetheless made his league debut for the club.
Union SG
In 2022, Boniface signed a four-year contract with Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. Union reached the quarter-finals of the 2022–23 Europa League. The Nigerian youngster scored six goals in the competition, including a brace against Union Berlin in the round of 16, finishing as the competition’s joint top scorer along with Marcus Rashford.
Bayer Leverkusen
In 2023, Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen snapped him up on a 5-year contract that will last until 2028. He made his Bundesliga debut on 19 August, in a 3–2 home victory over RB Leipzig. The following week, he scored his first Bundesliga goals by netting a brace at the Borussia Park in a 3–0 away derby win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Hard work, high productivity and discipline attracted national team coach Jose Peseiro to the young Nigerian who was painting German Bundesliga red with goals. Boniface made his debut for the Nigeria senior team on 10 September 2023, coming on in the 64th minute for Taiwo Awoniyi. He provided an assist in that match to Samuel Chukwueze. He was named in the Nigerian squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. However, he was forced to withdraw from the AFCON-bound national team when he sustained a muscle injury. He was replaced by Terem Moffi.
Style of play
Boniface is known for his distinctive style of play. His playing characteristics include strengths in dribbling, finishing, and headed attempts, while his weaknesses lie in offside awareness, holding onto the ball, and defensive contribution.
He is described as a player who likes to dribble, likes to do layoffs, and likes to play long balls. These attributes contribute to his effectiveness as a forward on the field.
His background, including learning to play football in a military barracks in Nigeria, adds an interesting dimension to his journey as a footballer.
Overall, Victor Boniface’s style of play is characterized by his technical abilities, goal-scoring prowess, and unique playing preferences, making him a player to watch in the world of football.
Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya has reached a Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon when he reached the 57-hour mark, surpassing the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes.
Onakoya currently aims to reach the 58-hour target.
The previous record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, was held by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.
According to The Gift of Chess on X who posted at 12:34 am on Saturday, “56 Hours Straight. The Record Is SET TO BREAK.”
Recall Vanguard reported how Multiple award-winning Afrobeat singer, Davido and other Nigerian celebrities had turned up to cheer Onakoya while he attempted to set this record.
Details later …
Renowned chess master, Tunde Onakoya, who commenced his mission to surpass the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon for 58 hours, has played the game for 16 hours, winning all opponents.
The event, which is underway at New York City’s iconic Times Square, started on Wednesday, April 17, and is scheduled to end on April 19.
Onakoya has emerged triumphant in all encounters so far, including his match with New York’s National Chess Master, Shawn Martinez.
A post on his X handle early Thursday read, “Tunde Onakoya beats a very worthy opponent and one of New York’s finest, National Chess Master Shawn Martinez!”
Onakoya’s manager, known as Taiwo with the X handle “OgaBoxx,” has also provided insights into the nature of the challenge.
Taiwo stated that after 15 hours of continuous play with 12 opponents, Onakoya took an accumulated break of 30 minutes, as the rules stipulate a five-minute break for every hour of play.
He added that Onakoya is playing two sets of games simultaneously and must not lose either.
He wrote, “The opponent on the first set is Shawn Martinez, a US National Chess Master, and he will play with Tunde throughout the attempt.
“Opponents in the second set are random players. He can’t lose any game on either set.
“Only Tunde’s match against Shawn Martinez is considered valid for the record. He is not competing in his simultaneous play against random opponents in the second set. NYC, come out and play regardless.”
PUNCH Online reports that the event has garnered significant attention and support from Nigerians abroad who came out to support the chess master.
Onakoya has also received encouraging messages from various Nigerian dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others.
The US Mission Nigeria and UK in Nigeria have also sent their best wishes to Onakoya via their respective X handles.
[Punch]
Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain will meet in the Champions League semi-finals, almost eight months after facing off in the opening match of their European campaigns.
The two sides emerged from this season’s ‘group of death’, which also featured Italian giants AC Milan, who made last season’s final four and ambitious Newcastle.
While PSG were tipped to go far in what has become Kylian Mbappe’s farewell tour, Dortmund surprisingly topped the group.
The 1997 winners are now on the cusp of returning to Wembley – the venue of their 2013 Champions League final loss to arch-rivals Bayern Munich.
Although another London meeting with Bayern is possible with the Bavarians on the other side of the draw, Dortmund will need to first get past PSG, who needed to come from behind in their quarter-final tie with Barcelona.
Dortmund delivered their worst performance in Europe this season at the Parc des Princes earlier this season but Edin Terzic’s underdog side will back themselves to spring an upset in the competition which matters the most to PSG and their Qatari backers.
‘Nonsense to say otherwise’
“If you’re already there, it makes sense to fight to play in the final,” a beaming Terzic said after the victory.
“We will try everything.”
Compared to their stuttering domestic form, Dortmund’s impressive Champions League record this season has not only perplexed observers, it has kept Terzic in a job.
Sitting 23 points in the table behind Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten champions Bayer Leverkusen Dortmund sit fifth and face an uphill battle to qualify for next year’s Champions League.
Tuesday’s win not only means Terzic is likely to stay in the dugout beyond this season, but it will also silence some of the dissenting voices criticising his squad selection.
One such talking point is his preference for journeyman forward Niclas Fuellkrug over teenager Youssoufa Moukoko to lead the line.
Against Atletico, Fuellkrug scored Dortmund’s third with a brilliant header to level the tie on 71 minutes, breaking a nine-game scoring drought, having been benched for Saturday’s win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The 31-year-old striker, who had spent most of his career in the second division until helping Werder Bremen get promoted two seasons ago, is now headed for the Champions League semis in his first year in European football.
Describing the night as “magical”, Fuellkrug said, “Our only goal now is Wembley – it would be nonsense to say otherwise.”
‘We had some problems’
Dortmund were thoroughly outclassed in a 2-0 loss in Paris in September, but secured the top spot and arguably deserved victory in a 1-1 draw at home in December.
“There are of course some advantages and some disadvantages when you play against a team you have already faced in the competition,” Fuellkrug said afterwards.
“We were very good at home against the Parisians. I believe the knockout games are not comparable to the group games – they’re something else.
“You’ve seen what we’re capable of – that will give us lots of self-confidence through the next few weeks.”
Terzic admitted his side struggled in the French capital but said PSG would be facing a different Dortmund in the semis.
“We had some problems away from home but played a good game at home,” he said.
“You can see how we’ve developed, how solid we are now – we want to take advantage of that.”
[DailyTrust]