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The Super Falcons have rejected attempts by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pay President Bola Tinubu’s $100,000 gift to the team in Naira, insisting instead on receiving the funds in dollars.

Sports analyst Aron Akerejola, speaking on Arise TV, revealed that the controversy over the delayed bonuses was not due to negligence by the NFF but arose after the players refused payment in local currency.

“The part of the story they are not telling is that these girls were given the money,” Aron explained. “The NFF proposed paying their allowances in Naira at the rate of ₦1,530 to a dollar. The players refused, saying, ‘We don’t live in Nigeria. What will we do with Naira?’”

He added that the NFF subsequently sent the funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for conversion into dollars, a process that caused further delay. “It’s not the fault of the NFF. The government released the money, but the players rejected Naira. That’s why it dragged on,” he said.

Team captain Rasheedat Ajibade had earlier confirmed that the squad had not received Tinubu’s $100,000 reward. “We have not received our money, but hopefully, it will be paid,” she said in an interview.

President Tinubu announced the reward, along with national honours and houses for the team, after their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations victory in Morocco.

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Sports Reports: Nottm Forest vs Crystal Palace

In an intense match at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest secured a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, courtesy of a late strike by Chris Wood. The match, held on October 21, 2024, was a pivotal moment for both teams as they continue their Premier League campaigns. With this win, Nottingham Forest climbed into the top half of the standings, while Crystal Palace remains winless after eight matches.

Match Recap

The match featured plenty of action, with both sides creating multiple scoring opportunities. Nottingham Forest, playing at home, was eager to end a seven-match winless run, while Crystal Palace was desperately seeking their first victory of the season.

Key Moments

First Half: The opening half ended without a goal, but both teams came close. Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze almost scored early, sending a shot just wide of the top-left corner. Chris Wood was a constant threat for Nottingham Forest, testing Palace’s defense throughout the half.

Second Half Breakthrough: The deadlock was broken in the 64th minute when Chris Wood unleashed a low shot from 25 yards, beating Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson at his near post. This goal, Wood’s fifth of the season, was a crucial moment for Forest and highlighted his importance to the team.

Defensive Displays

Both teams showcased solid defensive efforts, but Nottingham Forest’s backline held firm. Goalkeeper Matz Sels was instrumental in Forest’s win, making key saves, including a fingertip save from a long-range shot by Eze that hit the crossbar.

Missed Chances for Palace

Crystal Palace had several opportunities to equalize. Eddie Nketiah struck the woodwork with a long-range shot, and Jeffrey Schlupp forced a late save from Sels. However, Palace’s ongoing struggle to convert chances into goals persisted.

Match Impact

Nottingham Forest’s Progress: The win was a significant milestone for Forest, marking their first home victory in eight games across all competitions since April. With this result, they moved up to eighth place in the Premier League, accumulating 13 points from eight matches. Chris Wood emphasized the importance of the win, stating, “We needed this home win, and thankfully we got it. Tonight, we showed we can compete as a team.”

Crystal Palace’s Challenges: In contrast, Crystal Palace’s season continued to unravel as they remained in the relegation zone, sitting in 18th place with only three points from eight matches. This is their longest winless start since the 1992-93 season. Manager Oliver Glasner acknowledged the team’s difficulties, noting, “We’re creating chances, but we’re getting punished for any small mistake.” He called on his players to stay resilient.

Player Highlights

Chris Wood: Wood was the standout player of the match, with his crucial goal securing the victory for Nottingham Forest. His ability to create and exploit spaces has been key for Forest this season, and his performance in this game further underlined his value to the squad.

Dean Henderson: Although Henderson’s error led to the goal, he remains a key player for Crystal Palace. His shot-stopping abilities kept his team in contention, and despite the mistake, Glasner defended his goalkeeper, urging the team to stay united during tough times.

Looking Ahead

Nottingham Forest will aim to build on this win as they prepare for their next match against Leicester City, hoping to continue their upward trajectory in the league. Crystal Palace, however, faces increasing pressure to secure a victory and pull themselves out of the relegation zone.

This match not only showcased the competitive nature of the Premier League but also set the tone for the challenges that lie ahead for both teams.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted he is the right man to manage Manchester United despite a historic hammering by Liverpool on Sunday as Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 rout at Old Trafford.

For the first time in Premier League history, United trailed 4-0 at half-time and lost by five goals without scoring at home for the first time since 1955.

The Red Devils have now taken one point from a possible 12 in the league to fall to seventh, eight points off leaders Chelsea.

“I do believe in myself, that I am getting close to what I want with the club,” said Solskjaer.

“The results lately haven’t been good enough, that brings doubt in anyone’s mind, but I’ve got to keep strong and believe in what we’ve been doing.”

Naby Keita started the rout before Diogo Jota doubled Liverpool’s lead inside 15 minutes.

Salah then took centre stage to take his tally for the season to 15 goals in 12 appearances and become the top-scoring African player in Premier League history in the process.

To round off a miserable day for United, Paul Pogba lasted less than 15 minutes as a second-half substitute as he was shown a straight red card for a reckless lunge that forced Keita to leave the pitch on a stretcher.

Liverpool’s first victory in front of a crowd at Old Trafford under Jurgen Klopp moves them back above Manchester City into second, just a point behind Chelsea.

“What we did in the last third was insane. Pressing high, winning balls, scored wonderful goals,” said Klopp after Liverpool’s record away win against United.

“The result is insane. I asked if there was one like this in history and if there isn’t then it will take a while (to beat).”

By contrast, United’s hopes of a first league title since 2013 already look over.

That gap is likely to grow in the coming weeks with Tottenham and City to come in the next fortnight before an international break.

Whether Solskjaer will still be in charge come November is now in serious doubt as he has completely failed to form a balanced team from a talented collection of star players.

“In the last few weeks we’ve hit a brick wall,” added Solskjaer. “The performances haven’t come, the results haven’t come. We’ve conceded too many easy goals and that’s a concern.”

Salah teed up Keita to open the floodgates after just five minutes with a composed low finish past David de Gea.

United came from 2-0 down at the break to beat Atalanta 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

But former midfielder Paul Scholes’ warning after that match that Liverpool would be 4-0 up in 45 minutes if handed the same space to attack into came to fruition.

Jota justified his selection ahead of Sadio Mane as he stretched to turn in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross to double Liverpool’s advantage.

Salah has now scored in 10 consecutive games and overtook Didier Drogba with his 105th Premier League goal when the Egyptian turned home Keita’s cut-back with the United defence all at sea.

Liverpool inflicted further punishment before the break when Salah smashed home at De Gea’s near post.

Salah then completed his hat-trick with another cool finish five minutes into the second-half after Jordan Henderson’s pass dissected the United defence once more.

Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had pulled a goal back only for a VAR review to catch him in an offside position.

Another VAR check saw the end of Pogba’s brief cameo for a horrendous studs-up challenge on Keita that forced the Guinean off.

Solskjaer sacrificed Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to try and stop the bleeding as Old Trafford emptied during the final half-hour.

De Gea ensured Liverpool failed to match their record margin of victory against United with an incredible save from Alexander-Arnold’s drive.

However, that did not subdue the mood among the travelling fans as they mockingly chanted for Solskjaer to remain in his job.

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MESUT OZIL FINALLY COMPLETES MOVE TO TURKISH CLUB FENERBAHCE
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Turkish giants, Fenerbahce have officially announced the signing of Mesut Ozil as a free agent after the midfielder terminated his £350,000 a week contract with Arsenal last weekend.

The confirmation finally brings an end to Ozil’s seven-and-a-half-year at Arsenal after he failed to make an appearance for the club since March 2020. The 32-year-old former Germany midfielder has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Turkish side.

Ozil, who joined the Gunners from Real Madrid for £42.4m in 2013, won three FA Cups with Arsenal and scored 44 goals in 254 appearances in all competitions for them.

The former Real Madrid star visited Arsenal’s London Colney training ground last Sunday to say final farewells to his teammates before flying to Istanbul that evening to begin his medicals.

“I’d like to thank the club for this amazing journey over the past seven-and-a-half years,” Ozil said. “The support I have felt from the team and fans during my time here has been truly incredible and something I will always be grateful for. Together we won trophies for the first time in years and created memories that will last a lifetime. The Arsenal fans will forever remain in my heart.”

In a separate message on Twitter, Özil wrote: “As I said, the past few months haven’t been the easiest. Like every player, I want to play every minute of football for my team. In life, however, things don’t always play out how we want or expect them to. But it is important to look for the positives in life and not negatives, which is why I try to live life with no regrets and holding no grudges.”

This comes after the Turkish club’s president Ali Koc asked fans for donation to help fund Mesut Ozil’s £13m salary after his move from Arsenal. He is expected to earn £67,300-a-week or £3.5m-a-year until 2024, which is far lesser than the £350,000-a-week he earned at Arsenal.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will face-off in the group stage of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League. The draws, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, saw the groupings of the ‘big boys’ in European football and some mouth-watering encounters.

The reigning champions of the competition, Bayern Munich, would be out to defend their title as they square out in Group A against Atlético Madrid, Salzburg, and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Spanish champions, Real Madrid will slug it out in Group B against Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, and Borussia Monchengladbach. Group C will see FC Porto, Manchester City, Olympiakos, and Marseille do battle.

In Group D, English Champions, Liverpool will contend against Ajax, Atalanta, and Midtjylland. Group D has Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, and Rennes, while Zenit Saint-Petersburg, Dortmund, Lazio, and Club Brugge will do battle in Group E.

Cristiano Ronaldo will have his face-off against Messi when Juventus file-out against Barcelona in Group G, which also has Dynamo Kyiv, and Ferencvaros as group contenders.

The last group, Group H has PSG, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul, and Basaksehir to do battle against each other.

The expectations are high and it’ll be another season of exciting European football.

9News Nigeria

9News Nigeria

By Emmanuel Ebimoh

Arsenal were a little too hot for Leicester City in their third round Carabao Cup clash at the King Power Stadium last night as the Gunners came out 2-0 winners. Leicester City’s Christian Fuchs gave the Gunners the lead with a second-half own goal in the 57^th minute and Eddie Nketiah forced a stoppage time winner to confirm the victory for Arsenal on the night. Despite the changes made by both sides for the game, Mikel Arteta’s side were able to maintain their 100% winning start to the season and secured a possible trip to Anfield to face Liverpool if the Premier League champions can beat Lincoln City in their game today.

In another game of the night, Everton also continued their strong start to the season as they walloped League One side, Fleetwood Town, 5-2. Alex Iwobi was on hand to secure his first goal of the season and also made an assist for a goal as his Everton side cruised on to set up a fourth round clash against West Ham in the competition.

Chelsea trashed Barnsley 6-0 at Stamford Bridge as new signing Kai Havertz scored his first hat-trick for the club, while another English Premier League club, Newcastle United, were also on fire last night as they walloped League Two side, Morecambe, 7-0.

In today’s Carabao Cup games, Liverpool will travel to play Lincoln City, while Manchester City will host Championship side, Bournemouth.

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9News Nigeria

West Ham manager, David Moyes, has tested positive for Coronavirus along with two players in his team, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen.

The team received the results shortly before the start of their Carabao Cup third-round match against Hull on Tuesday evening, for which Diop and Cullen had both initially been named in the starting line-up.

A club statement said: “West Ham United can confirm that David Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have returned positive tests for COVID-19.

“The club’s medical team were informed of the test results as the team were at London Stadium preparing for this evening’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Hull City. The manager and both players immediately left the stadium and have returned home.

“All three, who are asymptomatic, will now follow Public Health England and Premier League guidelines and protocols.

“Everyone at West Ham United send their best wishes to David, Issa and Josh.

Moyes’ assistant Alan Irvine took charge of the match, which West Ham went on to win 5-1 as Sebastien Haller and Andriy Yarmolenko both scored twice, with Robert Snodgrass also on target.

Source: Sky Sports

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9News Nigeria

By Emmanuel Ebimoh

The last time Tottenham Hotspurs won a match against their north London rivals, Arsenal at the Emirates was in 2010, eight years ago. The fierce rivalry between these two north London teams has resulted in producing some of the best entertaining football in English history whenever they play against each other.

Seventeen days after losing 4-2 in an intriguing Premier League clash, in-form Tottenham returned to the Emirates yesterday to face Arsenal in a quarter final EFL Cup match. It was an opportunity for a revenge and Mauricio Pochettino’s side were able to do just that as they gained their first away victory over Arsenal in eight years.

Heung-min Son and Dele Alli registered their names on the scoresheet in each half to seal a memorable 2-0 victory. Son opened the scoring against the run of play with a stylish 24th-minute effort after a cool pass from Dele Alli. The Arsenal defense was caught unawares as Son ran through to finish home.

In the 57^th minute, substitute, Harry Kane had too much space just within his own half and he found Alli with a mesmerizing pass. With composure and tactfulness, Alli superbly lofted the ball above Petr Cech to double the advantage for Tottenham. The victory saw them progress to the last four of the competition where they’ll face Chelsea in another crunch north London derby.

Arsenal, however, were left to regret several wasted opportunities with Henrikh Mkhitaryan guilty in the first half, while Tottenham’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, made a few important saves to keep a clean sheet for the away team. One could say that luck wasn’t on the side of the hosts as they struck the woodwork of Tottenham’s goal post on a couple of occasions.

In the other game of the night, Eden Hazard came off the bench to give Chelsea a desperate 1-0 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. In the semi-final parings, Tottenham face Chelsea, while League one side, Burton Albion will have a tough task on their hands as they face defending champions, Manchester City.

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