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Super Eagles Team B will be up against Senegal, Sudan and the Republic of Congo in Group D of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), which has now been postponed to August 2025.
The tournament will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
At the draw for the championship held inside the famous Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday evening, joint-hosts Kenya head group A that also includes Morocco, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
Kenya and 2018 winners Morocco will clash in the opening match of the tournament.
Tanzania, another joint-hosts, head group B, and will confront Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Central African Republic – conquerors of Cameroon. All five will fight for two slots in the knockout rounds.
Uganda, the third joint-hosts, will battle Niger Republic, Guinea and two wild card holders to be determined by the Confederation of African Football, in group C.
GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia
GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic
GROUP C: Uganda, Niger Republic, Guinea, Wild Card 2, Wild Card 1
GROUP D: Senegal, Congo Brazzaville, Sudan, Nigeria
Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed an extension to his contract with the club, which will see him remain the “highest-paid player in history”, according to Goal.Com
It is believed that Ronaldo is close to agreeing terms on a deal worth £173 million per season.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s current contract is set to expire in the summer.
But it appears Ronaldo is willing to continue playing with Al Nassr.
The 39-year-old has been linked with a few clubs, including Al-Hilal – where Neymar Jr is currently playing.
It is, however, being claimed that Ronaldo wants to compete with them, rather than represent them.
Ronaldo is now seeking assurances that Al Nassr will spend big in the summer transfer window.
Ronaldo has scored 81 goals in 90 appearances for Al-Nassr.
He has already become a centurion in the goal department at previous clubs Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, and his wife, Cristina Serra, have decided to part ways after 30 years together.
The separation, as reported by El Periodico, a Spanish newspaper on Monday, was described as amicable, cordial, and stable.
The couple first met in 1994 and tied the knot in 2014 near Barcelona. Over the years, their relationship reportedly grew distant, especially due to Guardiola’s demanding managerial roles across different countries in the last five years.
Guardiola and Serra share three children: Maria, 24, Marius, 22 and Valentina, 17. While Guardiola resides in Manchester, Serra, a Brazilian journalist, has been living in Barcelona with their youngest daughter, Valentina.
Despite their separation, the couple spent Christmas together with their children. The decision to divorce was reportedly made in December, with close friends and family being informed and asked to maintain privacy regarding the situation.
Serra left Manchester in 2019 to pursue a career in fashion with her family’s business, Serra Claret.
The news of the divorce came just weeks after Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City, committing to the club until 2027. Despite speculation about his potential departure, Guardiola has shown no signs of stepping back from his footballing duties.
New Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has expressed his desire to lead Nigeria to the ‘pinnacle of world football’ starting with the ticket to the 2026 World Cup as he takes the reign of the three-time African champions, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Chelle was unveiled on Monday at a brief ceremony at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja by the Nigeria Football Federation, one week after his announcement as the 37th coach of the Super Eagles.
He was handed a two-year deal with an option to extend if he gets the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket.
Since his appointment last week, the NFF has constantly hammered the coach’s task of leading Nigeria to the tournament which will be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico despite the precarious situation of the Eagles in the qualifying series.
After four rounds of matches in the series, Nigeria are fifth in Group C with just three points having only drawn three and lost one.
To avert the danger of missing out on a consecutive FIFA World Cup, the Eagles must win all their six remaining matches in the group or even hope for favourable results in other ties – a task Chelle fronted at his unveiling.
Asked if he would take responsibility at the end of the qualifying campaign, the ex-Mali coach said, “If you want to be a great coach, you need to take some risks, you need to make some sacrifices.
“I want to be in the history. The first thing, I need to talk to the players. I will be a big brother. It is my prayer that we are going to the World Cup.
“I want to thank my agent, the NFF, the NSC and indeed all Nigerians for this big opportunity. Coaching the Super Eagles of Nigeria is an amazing job; I do not take this appointment for granted. I am elated and will do my utmost best.”
For most of the reactions that have trailed his appointment, the rallying point was his enterprising and attacking style with the Mali national team at the AFCON, which he emphasised he would be bringing to Nigeria.
“Football is about scoring goals, so I favour an attacking style. I know the expectations of Nigerians and I will settle down and work diligently with assistants towards the goal of qualifying the Super Eagles for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
The 47-year-old also relished his long-time dream of getting the Super Eagles job, having been a fan of the Nigerian national team in his boyhood.
“Nigeria’s team is more than a team. When I was young, this was my favourite team. I owned a shirt; I watched all the games at the World Cup in France. I was in Marseille and it was my team.
“From this very moment, I am already hard at work. My goal is clear: to restore the Super Eagles to the pinnacle of world football, where they truly belong. This will require hard work, discipline, and a strategy that is both ambitious and realistic. I will rely on the exceptional talent of our players, whether they play at home or abroad, and build a team that reflects the unity, strength, and excellence of Nigeria,” the coach added in a social media post.
Chelle, who took Mali’s Aiglons within breathing distance of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, left his job at top Algerian side MC Oran – 1989 African Champions’ Cup finalists – to team up with the Super Eagles.
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle has vowed to do his best to ensure the team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Chelle was unveiled at an elaborate ceremony at the media conference room of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, on Monday.
The 47-year-old signed a two-year contract with the option of another year.
“I want to thank my agent, the NFF, the NSC and indeed all Nigerians for this big opportunity.
“Coaching the Super Eagles of Nigeria is an amazing job; I do not take this appointment for granted. I am elated and will do my utmost best.
“Football is about scoring goals, so I favour an attacking style. I know the expectations of Nigerians and I will settle down and work diligently with my assistants towards the goal of qualifying the Super Eagles to the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” the former Mali international was quoted by thenff.com.
DAILY POST reports that the Super Eagles have endured a poor start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The West Africans are winless in Group C with three draws and one defeat.
Nigeria will be up against Rwanda and Zimbabwe when the qualifiers resume in March.
[DailyPost]
Boxing legend Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from the sport, bringing an iconic career to an end following consecutive losses to undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Speculation had been rife about Fury’s next move, with fans eagerly anticipating either a trilogy bout against Usyk or a long-awaited showdown with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua.
Instead, the ‘Gypsy King’ has chosen to bow out of the ring, leaving an indelible mark on the world of boxing.
“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” Fury said in an Instagram video on Monday afternoon, addressing his millions of fans.
“I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it. I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side.”
His video caption read, “Thanks, it’s been a blast thanks to everyone who helped out along the way! Happy new year . Jesus is king now & forever.”
Fury’s first encounter with Usyk in May last year ended in heartbreak, as the Ukrainian powerhouse handed him his first professional loss via split decision, claiming undisputed heavyweight status.
In a December rematch, Fury fought valiantly but fell short again, this time losing by unanimous decision.
The defeats sparked widespread debate about Fury’s future, with many touting a blockbuster clash with Anthony Joshua as the natural next step.
Joshua himself expressed eagerness for the matchup, declaring on Sunday at The Ring Magazine Awards last week: “It has to happen this year.”
Despite the mounting anticipation, Fury has opted to step away from the sport he dominated for over a decade.
His decision caps a storied career marked by grit, charisma, and unforgettable moments inside and outside the ring, Eurosport reported on Monday.
[Punch]
An inquest into the 2018 helicopter crash that killed the owner of Leicester City Football Club opened on Monday.
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others were killed when the Thai billionaire’s personal helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the Premier League club’s King Power Stadium following a match in October 2018.
Catherine Mason, the coroner presiding over the hearing, told the jury that under English law the role of an inquest is simply to determine the facts over how someone died rather than make rulings on individual guilt or innocence.
“An inquest hears evidence so the jury can make findings of fact and come to a conclusion about the deaths,” said Mason, sitting at Leicester City Hall. “Nobody is on trial here.
“An inquest does not decide matters of criminal or civil liability,” added Mason, who also said the hearing was expected to last for between two and three weeks.
In a tribute read to the court by the lawyer for the family of Srivaddhanaprabha, he was described as “a good man with a good heart”.
The family statement also paid tribute to his role in reviving Leicester’s fortunes and bankrolling their shock Premier League title triumph in 2016 after the Midlands club were 5,000/1 rank outsiders to be crowned champions of England at the start of that season.
“Khun Vichai had a vision to the put the club in the Premier League. He wanted to build the club up, not just run it.
“With his support and commitment the team won the Premier League in 2016 — in only their second year in the division.
“We miss him every day. The pain his death caused and continues to cause our family is immeasurable.”
In a separate development, the family announced last week they had launched a £2.15 billion ($2.63 billion) legal action against the manufacturers of the helicopter, in what is reported to be the largest fatal accident claim in English history.
AFP
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday unveiled Eric Chelle as the new head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The unveiling ceremony took place at media conference room of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
Chelle’s appointment was confirmed by the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF), last week Tuesday.
The former Mali international is the 42nd substantive head coach of the Super Eagles.
Chelle will lead the home-based Super Eagles at the upcoming 2024 African Nations Championship, CHAN.
Also, he is expected to secure Nigeria‘s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Boavista have rejected Trabzonspor’s €2.5m bid for Super Eagles defender, Bruno Onyemaechi, DAILY POST reports.
According to Turkish news outlet, Fotomac, Trabzonspor’s offer is below Boavista’s valuation of the left-back.
Boavista will only consider offers in the region of €3m for Onyemaechi.
The 25-year-old has been one of the Portuguese side’s top performers this season.
DAILY POST recalls that Onyemaechi was recently voted Boavista’s December Player of the Month.
He arrived Boavista on loan from Feirense in the 2022/23 season.
The move was made permanent the following campaign.
[DailyPost]
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has described their FA Cup third-round defeat to Manchester United as a “one in a thousand” occurrence.
The Gunners lost out in a dramatic penalty shoot-out at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes gave United the lead in the 52nd minute before Diogo Dalot saw red nine minutes later.
Gabriel Magalhães equalised almost immediately. But despite playing nearly an hour against 10 men, Arsenal were unable to score again.
Captain Martin Ødegaard missed a penalty 18 minutes from the end of normal time.
The hosts registered 26 shots in total, with Havertz guilty of two bad misses. He was also the only player to fail in the shootout, as Altay Bayindir saved his spot-kick to give Joshua Zirkzee the chance to win the game and set up a fourth-round tie for United at home to Leicester City.
“It’s unbelievable,” Arteta told the BBC.
“Obviously, you measure the performance and what we did in relation to the opposition; you know, you deserve to win the game by a mile.
“But the reality is we are out, and the only thing that’s going to be judged is that, but internally I can’t.
“I love my players. I love our team, and I love how good they are and what they do because, in 1,000 games, you should lose one, and probably it was this one. You have to understand this as well; it’s part of our industry, our game, and we move on because you don’t have time to dwell on it. On Wednesday, we have a massive one.”
More...
Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of coach Hansi Flick’s reign.
Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.
Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.
The electric Kylian Mbappe sent Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.
Madrid were hoping to avenge their 4-0 defeat by Barcelona in October’s La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their arch-rivals in Jeddah.
After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target.
Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick but they could not capitalise further on their numerical advantage in a humiliating defeat for the European champions.
Both Flick and his opposite number Carlo Ancelotti opted to maintain the same line-ups they started with in the semi-finals.
Yamal issued Madrid an early warning with a curling effort from the right which forced Thibaut Courtois into a fine save.
The Belgian goalkeeper also produced a strong stop to keep a Raphinha header at bay after the Brazilian evaded Lucas Vazquez with ease.
Despite Barcelona’s opening salvo it was Real Madrid who took the lead in the fifth minute with Mbappe’s brilliant goal on the counter-attack.
The French forward, frustrated numerous times by the offside flag in the league defeat by the Catalans, broke loose on the halfway line after Vinicius won the ball back and, after bursting into the area, clipped past Szczesny.
It took a stunning individual goal from 17-year-old Yamal to level the scoreline, with the Spanish winger cutting in from the right before stroking home a low finish inside the near post in a similar style to former Barca great Lionel Messi, whom he is often compared to.
Inigo Martinez hobbled off injured and Flick sent on Ronald Araujo in his place, amidst heavy transfer speculation the Uruguayan defender wants to leave the club.
Brilliant Barca
Barcelona kept pushing and moved ahead through Lewandowski’s penalty after Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and carelessly clattered Gavi.
Raphinha soon added Barcelona’s third with a header from Jules Kounde’s cross from deep and they grabbed their fourth before half-time on the break.
Yamal and Raphinha combined and the latter slipped in Balde, who slotted past Courtois.
Barcelona continued in the same vein after the break and Raphinha netted the fifth with a neat dribble and finish after Marc Casado played him in.
The Catalans were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe sped in at the other end, rounding goalkeeper Szczesny, who brought him down outside the area and after a VAR review was dismissed.
Rodrygo, who earlier hit the post, rifled home the free-kick past Szczesny’s replacement Inaki Pena.
Mbappe brilliantly teed up Jude Bellingham but the England international was denied by a superb Kounde challenge in stoppage time.
The French forward also came close to scoring again himself on a fine individual display but Pena tipped away his effort.
Barcelona brought on midfielder Dani Olmo for his first appearance since he was registered to play for the club on a temporary basis, a controversial issue which overshadowed the semi-finals earlier in the week.
However their five-star display offered a host of other talking points as Barca won a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup.
Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning penalty for 10-man Manchester United against Arsenal after their hectic FA Cup third round tie finished 1-1 after extra time at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The visitors took the lead in the 52nd minute through Bruno Fernandes’ curling effort from just inside the box, before Gabriel Magalhãesl equalised 11 minutes later — just after United’s Diogo Dalot was sent off for a second booking.
United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir produced a superb save to deny Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard from the penalty spot, before the Gunners spurned several chances to score a winner.
Ruben Amorim’s team will find out their opponent in the fourth round when the draw is made later on Sunday evening.
Nigerian sprinter, Divine Oduduru, has finally opened up on his six-year ban from athletics, noting that he still has his own side of the story to share even while he has attempted suicide four times.
Oduduru was banned in October 2023 over doping violations after the Athletics Integrity Unit said there was “overwhelming evidence” against the former world junior silver medallist.
The violations were possession of prohibited substances and attempted use of a prohibited substance or method.
Although he didn’t test positive, Oduduru’s case was linked to that of team-mate Blessing Okagbare, who was banned for 11 years for doping in 2022.
Over a year after the pronouncement, the Nigerian athlete broke his silence and promised to shed more light on the incident.
“Thanks to everyone, to my lovely fans who have been supporting me right from the beginning of my career. I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear from me about the issue that happened,” he wrote via Instagram on Friday.
“I have been quiet all this time due to my mental health. I attempted suicide four times just wanted to end everything because all these things that happened are still a shock to me.
“After all these years of sacrifice, I will be granting interviews and I am working on coming live on Instagram to tell my side of what happened,” he said.
He holds personal bests of 9.86 seconds for the 100m and 19.73 seconds for the 200m.
The 28-year-old is a two-time Nigerian national champion and also a four-time NCAA champion while running for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
[Leadership]
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunning strike lit up Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley to cruise into the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday as Chelsea thrashed Morecambe 5-0.
Brentford were the only Premier League side to fall to lower league opposition as Plymouth, who sit bottom of the Championship, stunned the Bees 1-0 thanks to Morgan Whittaker’s late winner.
There was never any hint of an upset at Anfield despite Arne Slot making eight changes for Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold was named captain in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and led by example after being criticised for his display in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United last weekend.
Slot had warned the Premier League leaders that a trip to Anfield would be Accrington’s “Champions League final.”
A mammoth 86 league positions behind Liverpool in the 92-team English league system, Stanley held out for nearly half an hour.
Diogo Jota was left with a simple task to tap in from Darwin Nunez’s low cross to open the floodgates.
Alexander-Arnold stepped forward to double the lead with a sumptuous hit into the top corner from outside the box.
Jayden Danns made the most of just his second appearance of the season to fire in the third 14 minutes from time.
Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool career has so far failed to get going due to injury problems.
But the Italian took advantage of some rare game time to net his first goal for the club with a long-range strike off the far post.
“It is definitely a good first step, but as much as I liked the way Accrington Stanley played, we have to take into consideration that we’re talking about League Two level,” said Slot on Chiesa’s second-half cameo off the bench.
“It is good to have him back on the pitch. He was a threat, but let’s not get carried away.”
Joao Felix was the star of the show for Chelsea as he got a rare chance to deputise for Cole Palmer.
The Portuguese international and Tosin Adarabioyo both scored twice, while Christopher Nkunku made up for missing an early penalty by netting his 13th goal of the season.
Only Liverpool have taken more points at home than Brentford in the Premier League this season, while Plymouth had not won away from home all campaign.
Yet against the odds, Argyle, who sacked former England captain Wayne Rooney 12 days ago, held out and hit Thomas Frank’s men with a sucker punch when Whittaker blasted in from outside the area nine minutes from time.
High-flying Nottingham Forest continued their excellent season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Luton.
Brighton were 4-0 winners at Norwich as Georginio Rutter struck twice.
Bournemouth shrugged off the loss of strikers Evanilson and Enes Unal to long-term injuries this week to roar back from 1-0 down to hammer West Brom 5-1.
Leicester went one better by hitting QPR for six in a 6-2 thriller at the King Power.
– Man City face former Utd greats –
Manchester City face fourth-tier opposition later against Salford City, who are owned by a group of former Manchester United greats.
Investments from David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt have helped Salford rise through the non-league ranks since their involvement began in 2014.
Another celebrity co-owner in the lower leagues of English football is already into round four as NFL legend Tom Brady’s Birmingham beat Lincoln 2-1.
Wolves’ bright start under new boss Vitor Pereira continued as early goals from Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rodrigo Gomes secured a 2-1 win at Bristol City.
AFP