Author: David Great

Stefano Pioli, the 58-year-old Italian coach, has been chosen to take over from Luis Castro as coach of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday, Stefano Pioli is already on his way to Riyadh to sign a contract and be officially presented by Al Nassr. At the end of last season, Pioli left AC Milan, with whom he still had a contract this season although he no longer managed the team. Pioli has been a senior coach since 2003 and has spent his entire career in Italy, where he has coached…

Real Madrid kicked off the defence of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) title with a 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabéu, extending their unbeaten home run in this competition to 14 games in the process. Since 2009/10 and their previous UCL appearances, Stuttgart have twice seen their club relegated and have only enjoyed three Bundesliga top-half finishes. Under Sebastian Hoeneß, though, they are a different proposition, and after a second-placed finish last term, they are now back amongst the elite. To kick-off with a visit to Real, the 15-time Champions and current holders, only underlines how far…

Senators have donated a sum of N74 million to support victims of the recent devastating flood that struck Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, last week. The flood, which resulted in the loss of lives and property, was caused by an overflow at the Alau Dam, located just over 10 miles south of Maiduguri. The donation was announced by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who led a delegation on behalf of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to Maiduguri on Tuesday. Senator Barau revealed that each of the 108 senators would contribute N500,000, amounting to N54 million, while he…

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al Nassr announced the departure of Portuguese coach Luis Castro on Tuesday, a day after starting their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a disappointing draw. Monday’s 1-1 stalemate with Iraq’s Al Shorta in the Asian competition compounded a slow start to the domestic season with the current contract of Ronaldo due to expire next summer. “Al Nassr can announce that head coach Luis Castro has left the club,” said a statement posted on X. “Everyone at Al Nassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months,…

A 51-year-old Irish fan of Liverpool tragically lost his life on Monday night while attempting to cross the A4 highway near the Orio al Serio Airport in Bergamo, Italy, multiple reports from Italian media have revealed. The unnamed fan, who had reportedly just arrived in Italy from Manchester, was struck by a vehicle while trying to cross the busy highway. Local authorities discovered the man’s body close to the airport, with no sign of the two individuals who had accompanied him on the trip. Italian daily, Il Corriere della Sera, reports that the deceased was a Liverpool supporter with a…

The Lagos State Government has issued contravention notices to over 280 illegal property owners and occupiers in the Mayegun Waterfront Scheme in a bid to protect the state’s coastal areas and prevent the proliferation of slums. The Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Ekundayo Alebiosu, disclosed this in a statement posted on the Lagos X platform on Tuesday. Alebiosu was quoted in the statement as saying, that the contravention notices, served on Saturday, require the occupants to provide necessary documentation and approvals justifying their occupation of the properties within seven days. He emphasised the importance of maintaining the integrity of the…

At least seven people have lost their lives to a cholera outbreak in the Yola North Local Government Area of Adamawa State, while 71 others have been hospitalised. This was disclosed by the National Emergency Management Agency in a statement shared on its X.com page on Tuesday. According to NEMA, the cholera outbreak was caused by a recent flood that contaminated the communities’ drinking water sources. The statement added that around 100 people were also under monitoring and observation. It read, “The National Emergency Management Agency has responded to a suspected cholera outbreak in Yola North LGA of Adamawa…

Gunmen attacked a military police base early Tuesday in the Malian capital Bamako where gunfire and explosions were heard and the airport was closed, sources, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said. “This morning armed men attacked at least one military police base in Bamako. They have not been formally identified,” a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Volleys of gunfire interspersed with explosions began at around 5:00 am and black smoke could be seen rising from an area near the airport. “Bamako airport is temporarily closed due to events,” an airport official said without saying how long the…

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo has filed a N20bn defamatory suit against Senator Adams Oshiomhole over comments on the Planwell scheme. Ighodalo, through his counsel, Ayo Asala (SAN) & Associates, also sought an immediate and unqualified retraction and apology for the false, defamatory, and malicious comments which should be published in at least two (2) National Television Networks and three (3) nationally circulating newspapers. The PDP candidate noted that the allegations by Oshiomhole are baseless, false, and malicious, describing them as another of such defamatory fabrications and…

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday that midfielders Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni are back from injury as Los Blancos begin the defence of their Champions League trophy. The record 15-time winners and current holders face German side Stuttgart on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu and are boosted by the return of England international Bellingham and France’s Tchouameni. Defender Eder Militao did not train on Monday but Ancelotti said the Brazilian would also be ready for the clash. “Bellingham is good, just as Tchouameni is good, and Militao too for tomorrow, who didn’t train today because he needed…