SPORTS
Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa has insisted that some Nigeria supporters are interested in betting not the team.
According to Musa, most Nigeria fans don’t support the Super Eagles because they are bettors.
The former Leicester City star spoke in Lagos on Friday during a ceremony to unveil the team’s ‘Let’s Do It Again’ mantra in their bid to win a fourth AFCON title in Ivory Coast next year.
“I love this country and I know whenever we lose, I have a family back home, I know the pressure they face when we lose. When we are on the pitch, they say ‘na him mother be this, go insult me (this is his mother, insult her). So, I know I must put in everything I have so that people don’t insult my family,” Musa said.
“Nowadays, with the players we have in the team, none of them stay in Nigeria. They don’t know the anger that most of us, who have families in Nigeria, face when the team loses.
“He [Amaju Pinnick] did his best so that we qualified for the World Cup. We lost a lot of money and that is why most of our players right now are facing challenges because we failed to qualify for the [2022] World Cup. So, we as players lost so much money.”
The 31-year-old added, “No matter where you are playing you always go down into your corner to think when you lose money. Nowadays I understand what football is and the anger of the fans. Most of us don’t support Super Eagles because we like them, they will say, ‘hey dem don cut my ticket, give me my money’ (hey they’ve spoiled my ticket, refund my money). You will see on most of our DMs ‘you cut my ticket, you no sabi play’ (you spoiled my ticket, you don’t know how to play), its because they are bettors. Before, you will see the love and passion for the team but nowadays, betting has spoiled everything.”
Scotland will not face the firepower of Erling Haaland in Sunday’s Euro 2024 qualifier after the Manchester City striker was ruled out with a foot injury.
Haaland was hurt in Norway’s 2-0 win over the Faroe Islands on Thursday.
The match at Hampden is a dead rubber with Scotland already assured of their place in Germany next year, while Norway face an anxious wait to see if they will drop into the playoffs via their Nations League ranking.
Haaland said he is focused on being back fit as soon as possible with City facing Liverpool in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, I am missing tomorrow’s game against Scotland. Wishing the boys all the best. Now treatment and trying to get back asap,” Haaland, who has 17 goals in 18 games for City this season, posted on social media.
The Norwegian Football Federation said the injury is “not serious” but that the game in Glasgow comes too early for the 23-year-old.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke said he had mixed feelings about not coming up against one of the world’s most feared strikers.
The outcome of the game will help determine whether Scotland are second or third seeds for the Euro 2024 draw on December 2.
But Clarke said it was a shame for the Hampden crowd to miss out on seeing Haaland live.
“For the crowd, it would have been great to see a player of Haaland’s standard,” he said.
“If it was a game that really meant something I’d probably be sitting here saying, ‘yeah, delighted he’s not playing’. But for the game tomorrow, it would be better I think if he played.”
Jannik Sinner reached the final of the ATP Finals on Saturday, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 in front of passionate home support in Turin.
World number four Sinner is the first Italian to make the final of the season-ending tournament. He will face either Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
The 22-year-old now the chance to win the biggest title of his career at the end of his best season, in which he has won four tour-level titles.
Two of those wins, in Vienna and Beijing were earned by beating Medvedev in the final. The Russian is ranked third in the world.
“It’s very difficult to play against him, but I found a way to win. I’m really happy with my performance, let’s see how things go tomorrow,” said Sinner.
“It’s an incredible feeling… It’s a privilege to play under this kind of pressure… The crowd has given me so much energy and for me it’s a pleasure to play in front of home fans.”
Sinner took early control in game four of the first set when he broke Medvedev’s serve and then fought back from 0-30 down in the next game to take a 4-1 lead.
Huge applause rang around the arena when Sinner served out the set, but Medvedev did not immediately wilt in front of the vociferous support for the home favourite.
The pair went at it toe-to-toe in the second set, holding their respective serves and slugging it out in long baseline rallies.
Medvedev eventually struck back in the tie-break, his powerful service game too much for Sinner who started to show signs of being ground down, even if it was the Russian who called for treatment straight after drawing level.
But an inexplicably bad second game in the third set from Medvedev, ending with a double fault, handed a break of serve to Sinner.
Medvedev became increasingly irritated with his own errors and the partisan crowd, following up one lost point by gesturing towards a spectator after smashing his racket into the floor.
The game was up for Medvedev once he was broken again in game six.
Sinner needed nearly the best part of 10 minutes and three break points to get the double break and close in on victory, which he sealed with a perfect service game to love.
Saturday’s other semi-final promises to be a blockbuster clash as Djokovic continues his bid for a record-breaking seventh finals title.
The world number one has a burgeoning rivalry with Alcaraz. as the Spaniard is already a two-time Grand Slam champion at the age of 20 and beat the Serbian in an epic five-set Wimbledon final.
Title holders Kano Pillars earned their first win of the second phase of the Ardova Handball Premier League 2023 in Lagos.
Kano Pillars dispatched Benue Buffaloes 33-24 to stay fifth in the men’s standing.
Lagos Tojemarine Academy continued in their good form as they defeated Correction Boys 29-22.
Lagos Seasider Boys struggled to defeat Confluence Stars 24-22 while Safety Shooters eased past Police Machine 29-19.
League leaders, Niger United outscored bottom-placed Bendel Dynamos 36-17 as De Defenders secured a vital 25-22 victory over Sokoto Rima Strikers.
In the women’s category, defending champions, Safety Babes maintained their winning streak this season with a 36-24 victory over Lagos Seasider Babes.
Plateau Peacocks edged past Defender Babes 21-20 to move to fourth on the table.
Bendel Dynamos defeated Bayelsa Queens 30-24 while Sokoto Rima Queens recorded their highest win after they defeated Benue Queens 42-28.
Delta Queens stunned Imo Grasshoppers 29-26.
Men’s Results
Correction Boys 22-29 Tojemarine Academy
Lagos Seasiders 24-22 Confluence Stars
Police Machine 19-29 Safety Shooters
Benue Buffaloes 24-33 Kano Pillars
Bendel Dynamos 17-36 Niger United
De Defenders 25-22 Rima Strikers
Women’s Results
Delta Queens 29-26 Imo Grasshoppers
Seasider Babes 24-36 Safety Babes
Defender Babes 20-21Plateau Peacocks
Bayelsa Queens 24-30 Bendel Dynamos
Rima Queens 42-28 Benue Queens
Victor Wembanyama put on a show,z but his San Antonio Spurs slumped to a seventh straight defeat on Friday as group play continued in the NBA’s new in-season tournament.
De’Aaron Fox matched his career high with 43 points, adding eight rebounds and seven assists for the Sacramento Kings, who beat the Spurs 129-120.
After scoring just eight points in a 36-point loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Wembanyama scored 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds.
The 19-year-old French phenomenon, who was taken number one in the NBA draft, impressed with an array of shots — including a gravity-defying alley-oop dunk.
Zach Collins scored 28 for the Spurs, who roared to an 18-point lead in the first quarter but couldn’t keep pace in a fourth quarter that saw Fox deliver 14 points as Wembanyama was held to six.
“All of us, we know we’re on a good path,” Wembanyama said as he reflected on yet another defeat.
“Of course it’s hard to be patient sometimes, but it’s an everyday fight. I know that the end of the season will not look like the beginning of the season.”
Now 3-9 for the season, the Spurs fell to 0-3 in group play in the league’s new cup-style tournament — out of the running for the knockout rounds.
The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, were closing in on a quarter-final berth after a 107-95 victory over the Trail Blazers in Portland.
LeBron James, who turns 39 next month, matched his season-high with 35 points and the Lakers led by as many as 17 in the final quarter.
Anthony Davis added 16 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers improved to 3-0 in the tournament.
They can clinch their group with a win on Tuesday over Utah, who fell 131-128 to the Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant scored 38 points — including a dagger three-pointer with 18.8 seconds left — to propel the Suns to victory in Salt Lake City.
James Harden was the hero for the Los Angeles Clippers, who snapped a six-game losing streak with a 106-100 victory over the Houston Rockets — their first win in the five games since Harden arrived in a trade from Philadelphia.
With six seconds remaining and the score tied at 100-100, Harden dribbled against Jae’Sean Tate, making his trademark step back to drain a three-pointer, drawing a foul and converting the free throw.
“It’s a sigh of relief,” admitted Harden.
“It’s been some tough times these last few games. But we’ve got a bigger picture, got to be the last team standing so it’s going to be a process.”
Elsewhere, Zion Williamson scored 26 points and the New Orleans Pelicans withstood a Nikola Jokic triple-double of 26 points, 16 rebounds and 18 assists in a 115-110 victory over the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
New Orleans never trailed, leading by as many as 20 in the third quarter and holding off a Denver charge that saw the Nuggets pull within one in the final period.
In Toronto, Boston guard Derrick White drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 27.5 seconds left as the Celtics held off the hard-charging Raptors 108-105.
Jaylen Brown scored 23 points, Jayson Tatum added 17 and Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who are 2-0 in tournament play and maintained their one-game lead atop the Eastern Conference over Philadelphia — who beat the Atlanta Hawks 126-116.
– Bridges returns –
In Charlotte, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard scored 27 points to lead seven Bucks players in double figures in a 130-99 victory over the Hornets.
Malik Beasley added 20 points and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a one-game injury absence to score 16 points with eight rebounds and nine assists in Milwaukee’s third straight victory.
The Bucks connected on 22 of 45 three-pointers to withstand a 37-point night from Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball.
Miles Bridges came off the bench for Charlotte and scored 17 points in his first NBA game since April 2022.
Bridges missed all of last season and was suspended 10 games to start this season after pleading no contest in a felony domestic violence incident last year.
John Mikel Obi, the former Super Eagles captain, has revealed that he left Chelsea based on advice from former team-mate Didier Drogba.
Mikel Obi fell out with the newly-appointed manager at the time, Antonio Conte, after he chose to represent Nigeria at the Olympics.
After he returned to Stamford Bridge, the Nigerian was frozen out by Conte.
However, when Chelsea went into a bad patch, the Italian coach tried to make up with Mikel Obi and restore him to the team.
“Conte called me to his office and asked me to play again. I said, ‘No, thank you very much. I have already made up my mind I wanted to go anyway’,” Mikel Obi said on the Vibe with Five podcast.
“I spoke to Didier Drogba. He said, ‘Once it starts happening like this, find your way. Just go. Try something new'”.
Mikel Obi left Chelsea for Chinese club Tianjin TEDA.
According to reports on Sky News, British Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to complete the acquisition of a 25% stake in Manchester United(Man United) and begin immediately restructuring the management of Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe, the chairman of petrochemicals firm INEOS, is expected to be confirmed as a minority shareholder of the 20-time Premier League champions before the league resumes. Once that is done, he will take responsibility for football operations, with expected massive shakeups.
Richard Arnold has already left his position as chief executive of Manchester United, with Ratcliffe expected to bring in his replacement. Football director John Murtough is also likely to be moved on amid a dreadful start to the season for Erik ten Hag’s side.
The takeover will see Man United owner, the Glazer family, finalise a $33 per share deal with Ratcliffe that will see the British billionaire acquire a 25% stake at Old Trafford.
The Glazer family has faced intense criticism from fans over handling this key part of the club’s operations.
The Glazer family announced in November 2022 that they were exploring “strategic alternatives” for the club, including a possible sale and were open to fresh investment.
According to Reuters, Ratcliffe’s offer represents a premium of 79.1% to the stock’s Thursday closing price of $18.43, valuing the Old Trafford club at about $5.4 billion, excluding debt.
United’s U.S.-listed shares rose 9.5% to $20.10 in early trading on Friday.
The deal values United higher than Premier League rivals Chelsea, sold by Russian Businessman Roman Abramovich in May for $5.2 billion to an investment group led by U.S. billionaire Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital.
United also generate more revenue and has a larger fan base than its London rival.
A 71-year-old Ratcliffe will also control the club’s player recruitment if the deal is finalised.
The deal structure that Ratcliffe has proposed would allow members of the Glazer family, as well as other shareholders, to cash out partially, one source told Reuters.
It is unclear if Ratcliffe is planning a full takeover or if the Glazers would be open to an outright sale.
Ratcliffe founded INEOS in 1998 and is the chemical group’s chairman and chief executive, with a two-thirds stake. Forbes pegs Ratcliffe’s net worth at $18.7 billion.
The British billionaire is no stranger to the business of sports. INEOS owns French Ligue 1 club Nice, Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport.
[Businessday]
After the drab 1-1 draw with Lesotho, the Super Eagles will tomorrow, in Rwanda, file out against troubled Warriors of Zimbabwe in continuation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The result ramps up pressure on Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro just months out from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Injured striker Victor Osimhen was sorely missed as Nigeria lacked cutting edge against the minnows. Peseiro’s men need a quick response when they meet Zimbabwe on Sunday.
With their backs to the wall, the Super Eagles will want to bounce back to reckoning with a huge win from the encounter. Their hosts, the Warriors of Zimbabwe who drew 0-0 with Rwanda in their opening group match will also be out for a first win in the series.
For the Super Eagles, the draw with the Crocodiles of Lesotho was indicative of what awaits them in the series: nobody should expect Super Eagles to have it easy with any of the teams in the group.
Apart from Coach Peseiro’s technical frailties, it appears the players are not fighting enough. Their display in Uyo was shoddy, indifferent and fell far short of a true representation of Nigeria’s best. Some analysts have questioned their sense of patriotism, leading to calls for a reconfiguration of the entire architecture of the Nigeria national team. Rightly, some analysts have questioned the inclusion of some foreign-based players in the team and called on national team selectors to look inwards in order to give players in the domestic league a fair chance to compete for shirts in the national team.
Some of the invited players are bench warmers in their European clubs and that reflects in their outing in the national colours. It is crystal clear that the majority of Super Eagles players are average and overrated, yet Nigerians place so much expectations on them. In time past, countries like Lesotho were used as cannon fodders by the Super Eagles to advance their cause.
As the team prepare for the Warriors of Zimbabwe tomorrow, one expects that coach Jose Peseiro will do the right things; like his team selection, putting players in their rightful positions and have the ability to read the match and know when to effect changes that can also change the course of the match.
The Super Eagles can save Nigerians the usual permutations on their chances of qualifying for the World Cup with a commanding performance against the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
[Vanguard]
Victor Osimhen has made the final list for the 2023 CAF Best Player award, a statement from the football body has shown.
“CAF has announced the shortlists for the men’s categories for the CAF Awards 2023,” the African football governing body said on Friday.
The Napoli forward, who is the overwhelming favourite, is the only Nigerian to make the cut and will be aiming to cap off an impressive year in which he won the Italian Scuddeto and top scorer gong in the league.
A few weeks ago, Osimhen finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards held in the French city of Paris.
Apart from the Nigerian, other top players who made the final 10 nominees for the CAF award include holder and Senegalese forward Sadio Mane; Riyad Mahrez of Algeria; and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco among others.
The ultimate winner of each category will be decided after votes from a voting panel consisting of the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, Head coaches, and captains of member associations and clubs involved in the group stages of the Interclub competitions, CAF added.
The Awards Gala is billed for Monday, 11 December 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Final Shortlist For 2023 CAF Best Player Prize
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Al Ahli)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon, SSC Napoli)
Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon, Besiktas)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain)
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco, Manchester United)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal)
Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco, Sevilla)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, SSC Napoli)
Sadio Mane (Senegal, Al Nassr)
Kylian Mbappe has reportedly agreed a deal with PSG to forego significant bonuses he is owed.
The French superstar had wanted to leave the Parisians and join Real Madrid upon the expiry of his contract in the summer of 2022. However, he made a late U-turn and penned a new deal with the French giants until 2024, with the option of an extra year to 2025 that only he could activate.
In the summer, Mbappe was exiled from PSG's squad after he informed the club he would not be utilising that extension, and leave on a free transfer next summer. He was subsequently left out of the club's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea and forced to train with a group.
Later, Mbappe was then reintegrated after missing the first game of the season against Lorient.
According to French outlet RMC Sport, Mbappe was only allowed to return to the squad if he agreed to forego bonuses that he was owed.
The report claims PSG had originally insisted the only way he could rejoin Luis Enrique's first team was if he signed a new deal, something the forward refused to do and a prospect he continues to dismiss.
As a result, they changed tact and Mbappe has now given up approximately €80m (£70m) worth of bonuses after reaching an agreement with the club following his reintegration.
PSG remain desperate to extend the contract of their talisman, who continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid.
But, despite the constant speculation over his future, Mbappe shows no signs of letting it distract him after scoring 13 goals in 11 Ligue 1 outings this season.
More...
Everton have been docked 10 points after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, plunging the club into the relegation zone.
The punishment, the biggest sporting sanction in the Premier League’s history, leaves the Goodison Park club 19th in the table on a total of just four points after 12 matches.
Everton said they were “shocked and disappointed by the ruling”, announcing their intention to appeal.
The Premier League referred the club, who have posted losses for five consecutive years, to an independent commission in March for an alleged breach of its profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs).
Clubs are allowed to lose a maximum £105 million ($130 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions.
The Premier League said in a statement: “The club admitted it was in breach of the PSRs for the period ending season 2021/22 but the extent of the breach remained in dispute.
“Following a five-day hearing last month, the commission determined that Everton FC’s PSR calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5 million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105 million permitted under the PSRs.
“The commission concluded that a sporting sanction in the form of a 10-point deduction should be imposed. That sanction has immediate effect.”
‘Harsh’ Punishment’
But Everton said the punishment was too harsh.
“The club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction,” the club said in a statement.
“The club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League.”
The statement added: “Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process.
“The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings.
“Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.”
Everton said they would monitor “with great interest” the decisions made in other cases concerning financial rules.
Premier League champions Manchester City were charged earlier this year with 115 alleged breaches of financial fair play regulations. That case is ongoing.
Only two other clubs have received points deductions in Premier League history.
Middlesbrough were deducted three points for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn during the 1996/97 season, while in 2010 Portsmouth were deducted nine points after going into administration.
Both clubs were relegated.
Nine-time English champions Everton have been a continuous presence in the top flight since 1954 and have never been relegated from the Premier League but they only avoided the drop by two points last season and have spent years in the shadow of city rivals Liverpool.
Sean Dyche’s side are now level on points with bottom club Burnley on four points after 12 matches — and five points adrift of safety.
The Premier League has deducted 10 points from Everton, following an investigation into a breach of profit and sustainability rules.
The Goodison Park club insist they are “shocked and disappointed” by the punishment and will appeal.
An official club statement read: “Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the Commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted”.
The deduction is the largest in the history of the Premier League.
It takes immediate effect, plunging Sean Dyche’s team into the relegation zone.
[DailyPost]
Former Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel John Obi, has observed that entitled families are more prevalent in Africa.
He pointed out that if one family member achieves financial stability, there is often a tendency for others in the family to relent in their daily efforts, placing the responsibility of financial provisions on the successful family member.
During an interview with fellow footballer, Rio Ferdinand, the former Super Eagles captain lamented how families are often entitled to a person’s money in Africa.
According to Obi, when an African person acquires money, many relatives and cousins begin to make demands, and sisters even married men believe they are destined to be a part of the family.
The football player mentioned that these people have so many children and expect him to care for them and that he sometimes has to be strong and put his own needs aside.
Mikel Obi stated that the extended family members believe he owes them money and threaten to go to the press if he refuses.
This, according to the footballer, is prevalent in Africa.
He said: “When you come from Africa when you make money, it’s not your money. You have all these relatives, cousins, and your sisters go off and get married to some guy who just wants to get married into Mikel John Obi’s family because his life is sorted, and then you start looking after this guy, and before you know it, they keep having so many kids and you look at it like,
“Okay, you’re having this many kids, who are going to look after them?’ It’s you! It’s the culture because, for them, you owe them that, so sometimes you have to be strong and say, ‘You know what, guys, enough is enough; I don’t care’. They give you this thing whereby ‘if you don’t do it, we’re going to go to the press’. After all, what have I done for you guys? But this happens a lot in Africa. Not everybody comes out and speaks about it.”
[TheNation]
THE head coach of Lesotho Leslie Notsi has declared that there was not a great deal difference in quality between the Super Eagles of Nigeria’s Europe-based stars and his players who are mostly based in Africa.
Notsi’s side, ranked 153rd in the world by FIFA, shocked the Super Eagles in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign opener in Uyo last night by securing a 1-1 draw.
Indeed it was the unfancied Crocodiles, ranked 113 spots below the Super Eagles, who drew first blood through Motlomelo Mkwanazi in the 56th minute before Semi Ajayi rescued a point for the misfiring team of Jose Peseiro.
“There wasn’t much difference (between Europe-based and home-based players),” Notsi said during his post-match press conference.
“Yes, of course there were situations where you could see quickness of thinking and speed, but at the same time we did not give them respect. We felt they are the same human beings as us.”
Notsi insisted that his players were not intimidated by the Nigerian stars as he and his technical crew knew there were weaknesses in the Super Eagles side they could exploit.
“We said ‘let’s go there and enjoy ourselves’. Enjoyment not in terms of just going there to waste time, but to have self-belief and for the players to express themselves in the areas that they’re good at,” he explained.
“We studied the Nigerian team and we knew areas we could capitalise on, where we thought we had chances of coming up with something for ourselves.
“There is a lesson we’ve learnt from this match and we have to cherish what we got then improve more going forward.”
With the draw, Nigeria and Lesotho are level on one point each in African qualifying Group C with Rwanda and Zimbabwe, who played a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.
South Africa wil host Benin Republic in Durban on Saturday to round off the group’s first matchday.
The Super Eagles face Zimbabwe in Butare, Rwanda on Sunday in their second fixture, while Lesotho welcome Benin Republic to Durban, South Africa on Tuesday.
Only the group winners will qualify for the 2026 World Cup from Africa’s nine groups, with the best runners-up going into a play-off tournament with other confederations.
[NaijaTimes]