Author: David Great

Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney has been given a one-match ban for misconduct in their 2-1 home victory over Blackburn Rovers in a Championship (second-tier) match earlier this month, the Football Association said on Friday. Rooney was charged for his behaviour in an eventful win over Blackburn where he was sent off for allegedly insulting the fourth official and returning to the pitch after his dismissal. Plymouth were leading 1-0 when Blackburn scored an equaliser in the 86th minute which Rooney and his players felt should not have stood, with the former Manchester United and England forward seen fuming at…

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White have been suspended while Brighton & Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler has been fined for misconduct in a 2-2 draw between the sides last month, the FA said on Friday. Both managers were shown red cards in a feisty Premier League clash, during which Forest’s Gibbs-White was sent off for a robust tackle which earned him a second booking. The midfielder appeared incensed by the decision as was Nuno who was sent off along with Hurzeler for “unacceptable technical area behaviour” following the incident. “Nuno Espirito Santo, Morgan Gibbs-White and…

The Libyan Football Federation is panicking after being asked by CAF to submit documents relating to the cancellation of the AFCON qualifying Group D match against Nigeria after the latter refused to play the match after their plane was diverted to Labraq Airport and held hostage for 18 hours without food and water. According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the Secretary-General and person in charge of running the body, Nasser Al-Suwaie, confirmed in a special statement to Libya Al-Ahrar that CAF has given the Libyan and Nigerian associations until the 20th of this month to submit the documents related to…

Human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has written to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to oppose the view expressed by the ex-president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), regarding the legal status of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a letter dated 17 October 2024, Falana disagreed with Agbakoba’s assertion that the EFCC is an “unlawful organisation.” The letter read: “Our attention has been drawn to separate letters addressed to the Senate and House of Representatives, dated 14 October 2024,…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested permission from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, to allow two witnesses based in the United States to testify virtually in the ongoing trial of Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). During the court session presided over by Justice Maryanne Anenih, prosecution counsel Abass Mohammed sought the court’s approval for the witnesses, I.E Obiora and Aisha Ahmed, to provide their testimonies via video links, citing logistical challenges in bringing them to Nigeria. “We filed a motion seeking my lord’s indulgence to…

Israel announced on Thursday that its forces killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in a Gaza operation, delivering a significant blow to the group it has been battling since the October 7, 2023 attack. “The mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was eliminated… by IDF (Israeli military) soldiers,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. The military later confirmed that “after a year-long pursuit”, soldiers “eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organisation, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip” on Wednesday. Hamas has not confirmed his death. Israel had…

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that a sizable number of illicit arms being used to commit crimes in the country originally belonged to the government. Mr Ribadu said this on Thursday during the Arms Destruction Exercise organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms And Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), at Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment Giri, Abuja. He explained that the weapons ended up in the hands of non-state actors due to corrupt elements within the security agencies. Ribadu condemned and rained curses on the security personnel who facilitate…

Niger’s military authorities have banned rice, cereal and other food exports to all countries except fellow junta-led Burkina Faso and Mali to protect local supply, the government has said. With the Sahel nation experiencing high inflation on certain foods, the products banned for export besides rice include legumes such as cowpea as well as cereals like millet, sorghum and corn. Junta chief Abdourahamane Tiani took the measure “to protect the supply of the internal market” and “make the goods of mass consumption accessible”, the government said in a statement late on Wednesday. “These prohibitions do not apply to exports” to…

David Beckham is hopeful that minority owner Jim Ratcliffe will turn Manchester United’s fortunes around but says it will take time to return to the “good old days”. British billionaire Ratcliffe’s INEOS took charge of the club’s football operations earlier this year but United have had an underwhelming start to the new campaign as they look to build on last year’s FA Cup success. Pressure has mounted on manager Erik ten Hag, with United sitting 14th in the Premier League after seven games and winless in two Europa League fixtures. Beckham, who won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups…

The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, has ordered the final forfeiture of N2,739,836,331.31 to the federal government, funds identified as proceeds of illegal mining activities in Endo Community, Nasarawa State. The judgment was delivered following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, on September 27, 2024. The EFCC’s application requested the final forfeiture of the sum, citing Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006, on the grounds that the funds were reasonably suspected to…