SPORTS
After England’s dramatic ousting of Nigeria’s Super Falcons today in their Round of 16 matches, six countries have qualified for the quarter-final of the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup being played in New Zealand and Australia.
Naija News reported earlier that England defeated the Super Falcons of Nigeria 4-2 by penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw in 90 minutes and extra time played.
Australia, meanwhile, defeated Denmark 2-0, thanks to goals from Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso. The Round of 16 fixtures will continue on Tuesday as Colombia will clash with Jamaica, while France will tackle Morocco.
The six countries that have already qualified for the 2023 WWC are; England, Australia, Netherlands, Spain, Japan and Sweden.
England and Australia were the latest countries to book their places in the quarter-final stage after beating Nigeria and Denmark, respectively, today.
With England through to the Round of 16 after a spectacular 6-1 defeat against China, the meerkats have now spoken on Monday’s match against Nigeria, and they are going for an England win.
Using two buckets of treats - each with a team's flag on - the meerkats are left to choose which bucket they would prefer to eat from, and the bucket surrounded by the most meerkats is declared the predicted winner.
The now dubbed ‘Mystic Meerkats’ have been predicting scores since 2021, and have now become quite practiced in their psychic abilities. Last year they were invited onto Heart FM with Jamie Theakston and Zoe Hardman during the Women’s Euros and correctly predicted the results all the way to the finals. Keepers today asked the mob to employ their psychic powers to predict who will win Monday’s game – and the meerkats were in no doubt about their choice.
Head Keeper Gemma Romanis said: “We’ve got lots of football fans in the team and always like to get behind the squad and show our support. We’ve been doing this for a while now and the meerkats get so excited when they see us setting it up – even our new baby, Reggie who is only a couple of months old was in on the action. We are so proud of our Lionesses so it would be amazing for England to win as the meerkats have predicted!"
Gemma continued: “They sometimes take a while to settle on a decision with interest in each of the buckets, but today they are full of optimism and went straight for England and Nigeria barely got a look in. We also gave them some footballs to play with, and being naturally curious and playful they had a great time rolling them around - although their ball skills aren’t exactly note-worthy and they should probably stick to predicting rather than playing.”
[sussexexpress]
BBC's coverage of England's crucial Round of 16 clash with Nigeria at the Women's World Cup has come under heavy fire as the match commentary seems to be out of sync with the on-screen visuals.
Nigeria's Ashleigh Plumptre crashed a wicked shot off the underside of the crossbar just after the quarter-hour mark in England's encounter as the Super Falcons piled early pressure on the European champions.
But if you were watching the BBC coverage live on terrestrial TV, you heard about Plumptre's dangerous strike from commentators Robyn Cowen and Rachel Brown-Finnis before you saw it.
The bizarre and discombobulating moment was not in isolation, and the broadcast experience was only exacerbated as Nigeria's early salvos continued to be reported audibly seconds before their on-screen occurrence.
And viewers of England's knockout round match have been less than impressed with the perceived lag, with one viewer slamming the broadcast as a "mess of an experience to watch" and another branding it as "annoying".
Other unamused viewers have called out the heavy price paid for their TV licence and the subpar live coverage from the BBC.
Some fans, however, have found the humorous side of the strange delay, commending Cowen and Brown-Finnis for their apparent verbal prescience.
Nevertheless, plenty of others have not found similar mirth at having such a critical game spoiled for them in real time.
The BBC share the rights to this summer's Women's World Cup with ITV, with the broadcasters sharing coverage of England's matches throughout the tournament.
The Lionesses welcomed back midfielder Keira Walsh into Monday's starting line-up in what arrived as a delightful surprise for England fans after the Barcelona star had seemed to sustain a serious knee injury during England's second group stage match against Denmark that threatened to put a premature end to her World Cup journey.
[mirror.co.uk]
The Nigeria national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have emerged champions of Africa again following their thrilling 84-74 win over Senegal in the final of the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket tournament.
Saturday’s victory by D’Tigress is historic as the Nigerian Ladies have become only the second team ever after Senegal to win four consecutive titles.
After waiting for 12 solid years with no title to show for their efforts, D’Tigress ended the drought as they were crowned champions in 2017.
The team then followed up with victories in 2019, 2021 and now 2023 in amazing fashion.
Truly, not many gave this set of D’Tigress a chance going into this tournament as the team is largely made of ‘rookies’ except for one or two experienced players.
However, right from their first game against Congo DR, the coach Rena Wakama tutored side have continually shut down critics
After blowing away hosts Rwanda in the semi-final, D’Tigress had sent a message they are going for the top prize and that was what they did in Saturday’s final at the BK Arena in Kigali.
Bright start
Amy Okonkwo set the tone for D’Tigress in Saturday’s final getting the team the first two points in the first quarter.
D’Tigress controlled the first quarter winning it 19-10 and still had the upper hand in the second quarter though the margin was narrower; winning it 24-21.
With a 43-31 point lead at half time, D’Tigress were halfway through to achieving their target.
But as one would expect, the Senegalese Ladies came fighting back after half time and they indeed won the third quarter; 26-19 to reduce Nigeria’s lead going into the final quarter to just five points.
Happy ending
With all to play for in the last quarter, D’Tigress stepped up their game when it mattered most and they were able to fend off the stiff challenge from the Senegalese ladies.
D’Tigress won the nervy last quarter 22-17 and effectively won the game 84-74.
Interestingly, the coach of D’Tigress, Wakama is the first female coach to win the Afrobasket title and with her in charge, many believe there is room to dream of bigger things in the days ahead; especially with the Olympic qualifiers around the corner.
[Premium Times]
Nigeria will host eight other African Basketball teams in the pre-qualifiers on the journey to the Olympic Games in Paris after they were selected by The Federation International Basketball Association as the hosts.
The FIBA Pre-Olympics African Qualifier will be held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos from August 12 to August 20. The participating teams that will slug out for a coveted spot to represent the continent at the next Olympic Games are Senegal, Mali, Uganda, Congo Democratic Republic, Cameroun, Guinea, Tunisia, and host, Nigeria.
The teams are divided into two groups of four each with the top two teams in each group proceeding to the semi-finals. An African representative will emerge between the winners of both semi-final matches.
Currently ranked the first team in Africa, the Nigerian men’s Basketball team, D’Tigers has a high chance to be Africa’s representative at Paris 2024.
The team will be represented by 23 team members with some currently playing in the NBA, the world’s most rated Basketball league.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, the President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, Ahmadu Kida reaffirmed its commitment to a successful and hitch-free tournament with high expectations of great performance from Team Nigeria.
“The opportunity to host the African Olympics Qualifier is a testament to our past hosting endeavors and the confidence of FIBA Africa in the NBBF. We are proud to showcase our country Nigeria, the beauty of Lagos, and the incredible talents of the D tigers to the world. We will continue to use our basketball to make Nigeria proud,” he said
The 9-day tourney will be broadcast live to an estimated 70 million viewers in more than 60 countries and is expected to attract more than 8,000 spectators. The tournament will also recognise icons who have contributed to the development of Basketball in Nigeria through the years including former players, and administrators.
mong the 40 teams in the pre-qualifying tournament stage, five teams – one each from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and two from Europe will qualify for the final Olympic qualifying tournament in 2024. The Olympic Games will be held in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11.
Britain’s Dillian Whyte said he was devastated after an “adverse finding” from his random dope test led to the cancellation of next week’s heavyweight fight with former world champion Anthony Joshua.
The two had been due to meet at London’s O2 Arena on Aug. 12 in a rematch of their 2015 bout, won by Joshua, at the same venue.
Promoters Matchroom said in a statement on Saturday that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) had informed them that Whyte “returned adverse analytical findings as part of a random anti-doping protocol.”
“In light of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a full investigation will be conducted.”
Whyte, who lost a title challenge to WBC world champion Tyson Fury in April 2022, reacted to the news on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I can confirm without a shadow of doubt that I have not taken the reported substance, in this camp or at any point in my life,” he said.
“This is not the first time that I have been reported as having an adverse finding for a substance which I have not taken, and as I did last time I will again prove that I am completely innocent.”
Whyte served a two-year ban from 2012 to 2014 after testing positive for a banned stimulant contained in a nutritional supplement.
In 2019 he tested for traces of a banned steroid but was cleared of any wrongdoing by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD), which withdrew a charge of a doping violation.
Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021.
The outcome of the Joshua v Whyte fight could have put either fighter in the frame for a lucrative clash with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Matchroom were caught up in another anti-doping controversy recently involving British welterweight Conor Benn , who failed two voluntary drugs tests last year.
UKAD said in July that Benn, who had been due to fight Chris Eubank Jr in London last October, was no longer under suspension.
[OpinionNigeria]
Alhaji Oshoala, the father of Super Falcons of Nigeria and FC Barcelona forward, Asisat Oshoala, has revealed that he tried to stop her from being a footballer because he wanted her to get a formal education.
Mr Oshoala said he didn’t see a bright future in the sport for his daughter, who has gone on to become the most successful Nigerian footballer in terms of club and individual honours.
“We didn’t see a bright future for her in football, and I planned to make sure all my children attained a high level of education and do better than us parents,” he told the BBC.
Despite her father’s resistance to her desire to become a footballer, Asisat Oshoala pushed on until she landed her first professional contract at a Nigerian local Women’s club, Robo, in 2009.
From there, Asisat joined Rivers United in 2013, where she won the 2014 Nigerian Women’s Championship. From there, she ventured into mainstream Europe when she joined Liverpool in 2015.
About a year after, she joined Arsenal in 2016 but couldn’t establish herself as she had to fly to China, where she joined Dalian Quanjian in 2017.
It was in China that the 28-year-old Nigerian forward fully unleashed her football potential to the extent that FC Barcelona noticed how good she is and signed her first on loan in 2019 and then permanently a few months after.
Since 2019, Asisat Oshoala has won three Primera División, two UEFA Women’s Champions League, three Supercopa de España Femenina, and three Copa de la Reina.
Asisat, who made her international debut in 2013, has helped the Super Falcons of Nigeria to win three African Women’s Championships, and she has won five African Women’s Footballer of the Year awards for herself, amongst other individual honours.
Asisat Oshoala is currently leading the Super Falcons of Nigeria in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, where she has scored a goal in three games to become the first African woman to score in three different World Cup editions.
Also, Asisat is the first and only African woman player to be nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or.
When she scored against the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosts Australia to help Nigeria win 3-2 in a group stage game, Asisat Oshoala celebrated so wildly that she had to remove her jersey, a celebration that sparked mixed reactions across Nigeria.
She even came on social media to tell the world that her father was not happy with her for such a celebration and some concerned Nigerians used social media to apologize to her father on her behalf.
While reacting to the incident via the BBC, Asisat Oshoala’s Father said, “It was an outpouring of emotions and it was not intentional. I am proud of my daughter”.
Asisat Oshoala is expected to step up for the Super Falcons of Nigeria at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 7, when the Nigerian team faces the Lionesses of England in the round of 16 stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup at Suncorp Stadium in Milton, Australia.
Nigeria have won the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Championship, making it a record fourth title in a row.
Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress defeated the 11-time African champions 84-74 to claim their sixth championship at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on Saturday
Nigeria are now the second African side, after Senegal, to have won the championship four consecutive times.
The victory means that D’Tigress will now compete for a spot at the women’s basketball event of the 2024 Olympics.
D’Tigress quickly established their dominance with a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Senegalese kept it close in the second quarter with a 24-21 margin for D’Tigress extending their lead to 12 going to the halftime break.
Coming out for the second half, Senegal played with more urgency and were able to take the third quarter 26-19 reducing the deficit to five.
The fourth quarter was back and forth between the two best teams of the tournament as Senegal continued to close the gap but D’Tigress took it to win the game by 10 points.
The Lionesses have now lost to the D’Tigress in four Afrosbasket finals (2005, 2017, 2019, and 2023).
For newly appointed D’Tigress Head Coach, Wakama became the first woman to lead a team to the Afrobasket title.
Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo who finished the final with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists, was named the Most Valuable Player of the final.
See photos from the championship below.
There was an endearing folksiness about Bettina Stark-Watzinger's tweet following the Germany team's exit.
“I really would have liked to see you win,” wrote the country's education minister. “Cheer up, we are nevertheless proud of you!”
Wie schade! Das war wirklich ein knappes Ding. Den Sieg hätte ich unseren @DFB_Frauen wirklich gegönnt. Kopf hoch, wir sind trotzdem stolz auf Euch! ??⚽️ #FIFAWWC #GERKOR https://t.co/7vhKXKOCOC
— Bettina Stark-Watzinger (@starkwatzinger) August 3, 2023
Such chirpiness amid the angst – probably part and parcel of the minister's portfolio.
“Some things are just not meant to be," said foreign minister Annalena Baerbock. "Chin up, dear DFB women.”
This exit will resound in the corridors of the football federation. In the previous eight World Cups, Germany reached at least the quarter-finals.
And that's exactly where they appeared to be heading after they began the tournament with a 6-0 thrashing of Morocco.
But that was so last month. Ten days on from that annihilation, Germany were on their way home and Morocco – who edged past Colombia 1-0 – were into the last-16.
That unexpected passage combined with South Africa and Nigeria's progress prompted a paean from Patrice Motsepe who heads the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which runs the game on the continent.
Praise
"The Super Falcons, the Atlas Lionesses and Banyana Banyana have made the people of Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa, as well as the people of the rest of the African continent, very proud with their outstanding performances and hard-earned victories," Motsepe enthused.
"The future of women’s football on the African continent is bright."
But to a certain extent the teams should be reaching the knockout stages. They all featured in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations last year and though none of the trio won their pool, they deserve credit for their belief especially Morocco.
On Monday, before hosts Australia face Denmark in Sydney, Nigeria's Super Falcons will take on the European champions England at Brisbane Stadium while on 6 August South Africa's Banyana Banyana will play the Netherlands at the Sydney Football Stadium.
That match will be followed by an intriguing clash between the defending champions the United States and Sweden.
"We could be going home," said Megan Rapinoe after the side scraped into the last-16 with a 0-0 draw with Portugal on 1 August.
"We have to keep perspective. I've never been at a tournament where you think you're doing amazing all the time," added the 38-year-old who won the title with the US in 2015 and 2019.
"There's always someone saying: 'You're not good enough. You're not playing well enough.' We're through to the next game and that's the most important thing. You know that's what it's really all about."
Truly sagacious especially when three of the world's top 10 teams – Germany, Canada and Brazil – have been dispatched.
Departure
Brazil's departure meant the end of the veteran striker Marta.
"Twenty years ago, nobody knew who Marta was at my first World Cup," she said – speaking in the third person. "Twenty years later, we have become a reference for many women all over the world, not only in football.
"The only old one in the team is me, most of the others are young girls with enormous talent, it's just the beginning for them.
"Marta ends here, there is no more World Cup for Marta."
At 37, she leaves as the tournament's most prolific scorer with 17 goals during her six World Cups.
Jamaica did for Marta with a 0-0 draw that took them from Group F into the knockout stages for the first time. Their clash with Colombia on 8 August at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium should be intriguing.
"I said if after the first game that we're here to shock the world," said Jamaica midfielder Drew Spence.
"And I think we've done that. The country is so small but look at what we've done. We've got out of one of the toughest groups. Everyone wrote us off but we're really proud of one another."
Morocco's clash with France at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide will end the last-16 action on Tuesday afternoon. France will go into the game as favourites .
France boss Hervé Renard vented his spleen after the 6-3 victory over Panama which secured their status as Group F winners.
"We were 5-1 up, with the game in the bag," said Renard. "You see this often in football. It was poor attitude from the girls for a few minutes that let them come back and score two goals.
"The devil is in the detail in games like this, and this shows the younger girls not to take anything for granted."
Dedication
Renard's counterpart at the helm of Morocco, Reynald Pedros, assured himself of everlasting royal patronage by dedicating qualification to the last-16 to King Mohammed VI.
"He supported us after the defeat to Germany," said the 51-year-old Frenchman. "We knew that he was behind us and gave us a lot of strength for the other games."
The king has also obtained a good boast. Morocco became the first Arab country to reach the last-16.
"It's absolutely brilliant," added Pedros who has been in charge of the national team since November 2022.
But outfoxing Renard on Tuesday would appear – on paper – to be beyond the Moroccans. France lie fifth in the Fifa world rankings – 67 places above Pedros's players who will go into the game as underdogs.
"I know the France team well," said Pedros. "It's a squad with lots of good players with lots of experience but if we show the same resolve and desire we can do something. It's the knockout stages from here," Pedros added. "Anything can happen."
Just the sort of stakes and spectacle the tournament needs.
[RFi]
KEY POINTS
- Several upcoming Women's World Cup matches feature former colonial powers playing against countries they colonised.
- In these games, France will face Morocco, South Africa will play the Netherlands and England will play Nigeria.
- The games have been labelled "coloniser derbies", "colonial derbies" or "decolonisation derbies".
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 draw has been finalised, after several shock Group Stage results including wins by lower-ranked teams Morocco and South Africa.
World Cup debutants Morocco pulled off a stunning Group Stage win against Colombia on Thursday to set up a next-round match against France. South Africa will play the Netherlands.
Some internet users have pointed out that in these two matches, as well as the upcoming England v Nigeria game, former colonial powers will be pitted against countries they once colonised.
"Get in babe it's time to decolonise," one user wrote in a tweet with screenshots of the match start times.
Others were calling the matches "coloniser derbies", "colonial derbies" or "decolonisation derbies", while one user referred to the tournament as the "FIFA Reparations Cup."
Similar points were raised when Morocco's men's team faced off against France in the 2022 men's World Cup Semifinal, which France won.
Here's an overview of the history between these countries, which explains why the upcoming "colonial derbies" have got some so enthused.
A snapshot of France and Morocco's history
Groups from the areas we now call France and Morocco had been trading partners from as early as the 10th century, according to some historians, and Islamic troops connected to Morocco had also established bases in France.
As European powers were stepping up efforts to colonise other parts of the world, France made its first, failed, attempt to conquer Morocco in the 1760s.
A Flourish data visualizationThe Franco-Moroccan War broke out in 1844 following Morocco's support for Algerian resistance against France's invasion of its neighbour.
In the early 1900s debate raged between France, Germany and the UK about who should take control of Morocco, which came to be known as the first and second Morocco crises in 1905 and 1911.
Eventually, France occupied the Moroccan city of Fes in 1911, and the next year the sultan of the North African country signed the Treaty of Fes, officially ceding Moroccan sovereignty to France.
Nouhaila is set to make football history wearing a hijab. But bans remain for some athletes
The country’s sultan continued as head of state, but France took over aspects of policing and taxation, as well as agriculture.
Groups of Moroccans opposed the invasion from the outset and violent fights for independence continued.
Support for independence gathered steam and after several violent uprisings, which led to hundreds of Moroccans being killed by French troops. Morocco was eventually declared independent in 1955.
Uncomfortable LGBTIQ+ question at FIFA Women's World Cup pushes BBC to backtrack
France and Morocco have maintained strong business ties and migration between the countries is popular - an estimated 1.5 million Moroccans were believed to live in France in 2015.
Relations between the Netherlands and South Africa
The Dutch established a settlement at what's now called Cape Town, South Africa, in 1652. At that time, the Netherlands was sending sailors around the world to 'explore' regions far from Europe, including the continent that later became known as Australia.
Slavery was practised in the small colony ran by the Dutch East India Company from early on, with Dutch traders enslaving locals and trafficking people from Indonesia over to use as slaves.
White settlers eventually grew in power and stole more land from tribes, with violent and bloody wars breaking out.
Football is the 'world's game'. Why aren't all Women's World Cup matches on free-to-air TV?
In 1795, the UK took over administration of the colony, a move made permanent in 1806.
Over time the Dutch language spoken there was mixed with other local dialects and Afrikaans became a distinct language. It remains an official language of South Africa.
In 1931 South Africa became fully independent from British rule and in 1961 it became a republic.
England's colonisation of Nigeria
The British decision to colonise Nigeria was formalised during the 1884 Berlin Conference, at which European countries divided up parts of Africa into colonies that they would rule over.
Linda thought cancer ended her football dreams. Now she's a star of the Women's World Cup
In 1900, the country officially became a British protectorate and was divided into northern and southern protectorates, which were united in 1914.
The British wanted to exploit the land for resources such as palm oil, cocoa, tin, cotton and much more.
They enforced their rule with a violent military presence and crushed local resistance, while spreading Christianity through the country with missionaries and churches.
FIFA won't recognise them. So this team can only watch on during the Women's World Cup
Following World War II, independence struggles were gaining more momentum across Africa and the British Empire was losing influence.
Nigeria gained a degree of self-rule in 1954, and full independence from the UK in 1960.
In recent years, the UK government has discussed building stronger ties with Nigeria and in 2017 the UK's bilateral trade relationship with Nigeria was around £3.8bn per annum ($7.4 billion).
[sbs]
More...
The Federation of International Football Association confirmed on Friday that it is investigating an allegation of misconduct in relation to the Zambian women’s national team in the ongoing Australia and New Zealand 2023 World Cup.
Coach Bruce Mwape was accused of rubbing his hands over the chest of one of his players, The Guardian reported Thursday.
The allegation came two days before the team’s final group game against Costa Rica.
A FIFA spokesperson said, “FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident.”
He stated further details can’t be given as investigation is going on, but he confirmed that the football body has received the complaint.
“We can confirm that a complaint has been received in relation to the Zambian women’s national team and this is currently being investigated. We cannot provide further details regarding an ongoing investigation for obvious confidentiality reasons,” he stated.
The spokesperson further said, “Anyone who wishes to report allegations or information related to abuse in football can do so via FIFA’s confidential reporting platform, with all information that is submitted to FIFA handled in the strictest of confidence.”
He also said FIFA takes “the strongest possible sanctions” when guilt is established.
The spokesperson also mentioned that the world football governing body provides support to witnesses.
“In addition, FIFA offers support and assistance to ensure the safety of those who report a safeguarding issue, including witnesses who come forward and give testimony in FIFA Ethics cases. Where guilt is established, FIFA takes the strongest possible sanctions, including removing people from the game for life. Our track record demonstrates this,” he assured.
The Football Association of Zambia announced last September that it had referred a report regarding allegations of sexual abuse within the women’s football team to FIFA.
According to a report by The Guardian, Mwape was among those being investigated.
Upon the publication of The Guardian’s article, which featured an anonymous player saying “if he [Mwape] wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes,” the FAZ referred to the statement it made last September.
This year’s FIFA World Cup tournament is the first in which the Zambian women team ever participated.
The team beat Costa Rica to record the country’s first-ever victory at the finals, although they exited the tournament at the group stage after defeats to Japan and Spain.
Zambia’s win in their World Cup debut has been overshadowed by the allegations against Mwape, who has been in charge since 2018. The news conference prior to their game against Spain ended early due to persistent questions about a prior investigation relating to misconduct within women’s football in Zambia.
Captain Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji were both on target as they recorded a first-ever victory in what was the first World Cup appearance for any Zambian team, men or women.
UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has expressed an interest in venturing into professional wrestling (WWE) but has said he won’t want to be involved in it for a long period.
While discussing his prospect of venturing into professional wrestling with “The Halfcast Podcast”, Israel Adesanya made it clear that, rather than committing to a full-time WWE career, he said he would prefer making one, two, or possibly three appearances.
He said, “I always thought maybe I would, but I think I’ll do like stints like one, two, or maybe three but not like a weekly thing”.
The 34-year-old Nigerian-born Australian mixed martial artist opened up about his concerns about taking a full-time job with WWE by stressing that he liked to write his own stories and not let others choose the characters or the overall course of the story.
Hence, Israel Adesanya believes that committing to a lengthy spell in wrestling will be a betrayal of his identity and what he represents.
“I like to write my own story, I don’t want a writer writing my story and making me a heel this month and then the good guy this month. I’d rather just write my own story and yeah, I just feel like it’ll take away from me and it’ll be a disservice to myself. If I let someone else write my story and dictate how I’m perceived”, he said.
On who inspires him to consider a spell in wrestling, Adesanya said, “Watching him (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) on the mic, just roast five people five minutes straight and that’s just like a stand-up show. You know, playing with the mic and that kind of stuff, it seeps in and then you take bits and pieces, you’re inspired by those things.”
FOLLOWING the round-up of the group stage matches, three out of four of the African women’s football teams have scaled the hurdles from their respective groups to qualify for the knock-out stage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Out of the four African representatives that qualified for the world cup, they are Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia. Only Zambia failed to progress to the next round of 16.
The ICIR had reported that none of the four African teams won their opening matches, casting doubt on their strengths on the global stage.
But, The ICIR observed that out of the total 12 matches played by the African quartet at the ongoing FIFA women’s world cup in Australia and New Zealand, each one of them won at least one match apart from Morocco winning two in a row.
Results from the group stage revealed that African sides won 5, lost 4 and drew 3 matches.
Nigeria and Cameroon are the only two African countries that have reached the knockout stage in the past. Nigeria became the first African side to progress to the knockout rounds in the USA in 1999, while Cameroon matched them in 2015 later in Canada.
It is believed this is the first time Africa had more than two teams advance from the group stage at the Women’s World Cup. However, this feat falls in the context of the tournament’s recent expansion to include more teams.
Round of 16 encounters
All three African sides qualified as the second from their groups. Due to this, they will fight tough teams to get to the top.
As the group stage commences tomorrow, 5, August, African representatives have another barrier to break. South Africa will face the Netherlands on Sunday, August 6, while, the next day, Monday, Nigeria will slug it out against England.
On Tuesday, August 8, Morroco will square against France.
[ICIR]
England midfielder Keira Walsh this morning stepped up her recovery by beginning an individual training programme.
Walsh missed the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China on Tuesday after injuring her knee against Denmark this time last week.
Scans have since shown the 26-year-old has not injured the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee and England clearly hold some hope she can play again at this World Cup.
The Lionesses trained this morning at the Central Coast Stadium and Walsh was the only member of the squad missing.
She is a doubt for Monday’s last-16 game against Nigeria in Brisbane, but her recovery is progressing.
Walsh was at the Central Coast Stadium, where England are training here in Australia, for the first time since injuring her knee.
England played in Adelaide on Tuesday and Walsh did not travel to the game. The squad then had a recovery session on Wednesday before travelling back to their base in Terrigal.
The players had a rest day yesterday and trained this morning as they gear up for Monday’s game against Nigeria.
Walsh was training away from the group and has been given an individual programme to follow. England have built a temporary gym at the Central Coast Stadium, which is located behind one of the venue’s stands.
Without Walsh in the team, England played a 3-4-1-2 formation against China on Tuesday and it worked well.
Manchester United captain Katie Zelem came into the midfield for Walsh and she will hope to keep her place alongside Georgia Stanway.
Stanway is one of three England players who will be suspended for the quarter-finals if they are booked.
Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze are in the same position, with yellow cards not wiped at the tournament until after the quarter-finals.
[standard]