Author: David Great

Lazio have appointed former Hellas Verona coach Marco Baroni as their new manager to replace Igor Tudor, the Serie A club said on Tuesday. He will take charge from July 1, and the club say he has signed a multi-year contract without any further details. Baroni parted ways by mutual agreement with Verona on Monday, and will take charge at the club following Tudor’s resignation last week after less than three months in the role, having replaced Maurizio Sarri when he left in March. Lazio finished seventh in Serie A last season, qualifying for the Europa League. Baroni guided Verona…

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski will miss their European Championship opener against the Netherlands on Sunday after suffering a torn hamstring, the Polish FA said. The Barcelona forward picked up the problem during Poland’s 2-1 friendly win over Turkey on Monday. The national team said they will do everything to ensure that Lewandowski can play in their second match of the campaign against Austria in Germany. “We examined three players who suffered injuries in the match against Turkey … (defender) Pawel Dawidowicz suffered a pulled quadriceps thigh muscle,” the Polish FA said in a statement on Tuesday. Euro 2024: Grealish, Maguire…

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, has approved the suspension of Ngozi Okoronkwo, the state Commissioner for Health. In a  statement on Tuesday by the State’s Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, the suspension is to allow for the investigation of allegations of gross misconduct levelled against the Commissioner. He added that Governor Alex Otti’s action is in line with his zero-tolerance policy for misconduct of any kind, and strong adherence to the twin principles of transparency and accountability in governance to ensure that actions of appointees must at all times advance the good and well-being of Abians.…

Fans of the Senior National football team, the Super Eagles have criticised coach Finidi George for his poor tactics as Nigeria records its first ever loss against neighbour Benin Republic. The Super Eagles threw away a 0-1 lead in the first half of the game which was seen as a must win if they must qualify for the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika put Nigeria in the lead in the 27th minute before the host got back in the game through a goal by Sochaux forward Jodel Dossou in…

Benin Republic beat the Super Eagles for the first time on Monday, defeating them 2-1. That scoreline leaves Nigeria’s World Cup qualification on the line. Nigeria have only a miserable three points from four World Cup qualification games and are at the risk of missing the next football tournament. The Super Eagles came into the game needing a win after drawing South Africa some days back. While the game started on a good note for the Nigerians, they had to wait 25 minutes before taking the lead. Raphael Onyedika of Club Brugge gave the Super Eagles the advantage when he…

Benin Republic beat Nigeria 2-1 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan on Monday. Nigeria took a first half lead through Raphael Onyedika in the 27th minute but Benin equalized 10 minutes after through Jodel Dossou. Benin took the lead in added on time of the first half. Nigeria head coach and former international, Finidi George, has failed to win a game in the World Cup qualifier since succeeding Jose Peseiro who led the Super Eagles to the final of AFCON against Ivory Coast. More to follow…

A military aircraft carrying Malawi’s vice president Saulos Chilima has been reported missing after it failed to make a landing Monday morning, the government said. “All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” the government said in a statement. The plane, which took off just after 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT), was carrying 51-year-old Chilima and nine others. President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered regional and national forces to conduct an “immediate search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the aircraft”, the statement said. Democracy…

Pastor Charles Kpandei, who replaced a former Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s City of David parish in Lagos State, Idowu Iluyomade, resumed at the parish on Sunday. According to Church Times, on resumption, Kpandei first introduced himself to the church and then preached on the subject of heaven. Kpandei urged members to welcome one another to church during the second service of the City of David. He said, “Are you really happy to be in church today? For those of you who are just coming for the second service, it is important to tell you that I…

Fitch Ratings has revised the outlook on Fidelity Bank PLC’s LongTerm Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to Positive from Stable, while affirming the rating at ‘B-‘. The credit rating agency has also affirmed Fidelity Bank’s National Long-Term Rating at ‘A(nga)’ with a Stable Outlook. In a statement released on Friday, Fitch said that the outlook revision reflects its, “expectations that the bank’s capitalisation will strengthen in the near term as a result of core capital issuances, including to meet the new paid-in capital requirement of N500 billion for banks with an international licence effective by end-1Q26.” According to the statement: “Fidelity’s…

Senegal kept up their unbeaten start to 2026 World Cup qualification with a 1-0 win away at Mauritania on Sunday, while Tunisia also stayed top of their group despite a goalless draw away against Namibia. Both Senegal and Tunisia were among five African representatives at the last World Cup finals in Qatar and are fancied to qualify again for the tournament being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Habib Diallo netted in the 27th minute – heading home a long cross from Pape Matar Sarr – to put Senegal at the top of Group B with victory in…