Author: David Great

Brighton will not allow manager Roberto de Zerbi, 43, to leave if Tottenham Hotspur want him to replace their current boss, 53-year-old fellow Italian Antonio Conte. (Team Talk) No talks had taken place between Tottenham and German Thomas Tuchel, 49, before the former Chelsea boss was appointed Bayern Munich manager on Friday. (Evening Standard) England midfielder James Ward-Prowse, 28, will definitely leave Southampton this summer if the Saints get relegated, with keen to sign him. (Football Insider) Arsenal are among the clubs interested in Southampton’s Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia, 19. (Fabrizio Romano) Manchester United are interested in signing Brighton’s Republic of Ireland international striker Evan Ferguson, 18. (Football Insider) United also have “concrete interest” in Danish…

Lieutenant General Oladipo Diya (retd.) has died at the age of 79, a relative disclosed on Sunday morning. Diya served as Chief of the General Staff and de facto Vice President to the infamous military ruler, General Sani Abacha until his arrest for treason in 1997. He also served as Chief of Defence Staff and was military governor of Ogun State from January 1984 to August 1985. Born Donaldson Oladipo Diya on 3 April 1944 in Odogbolu, Ogun state. He went to school at the Methodist Primary School, Lagos and Odogbolu Grammar School. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “urgently seek the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate allegations of electoral violence and other electoral offences including bribery against any state governors and their deputies during the just concluded general elections.” SERAP also urged him to “promptly and effectively investigate reports of electoral violence and other electoral offences committed during the general elections, and to identify suspected perpetrators and their sponsors, and ensure their effective prosecution, regardless of their political status or affiliations.” In the letter dated 25…

Scotland beat Cyprus 3-0 in their first Euro 2024 Group A qualifier on Saturday after second-half substitute Scott McTominay grabbed a double at Hampden Park. Backed by a vocal crowd, Scotland dominated the first half and opened the scoring in the 20th minute through an unmarked John McGinn when he fired home at the far post after skipper Andy Robertson’s cross was deflected into his path. The second half was a far less entertaining affair, however, as Scotland failed to build on their advantage. But Steve Clarke’s substitutions eventually worked as McTominay doubled the lead in the 87th minute. Lyndon…

Switzerland’s Renato Steffen scored a hat-trick inside the opening half hour to lead his team to a 5-0 win over Belarus at the start of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on Saturday. Switzerland Captain Granit Xhaka and substitute Zeki Amdouni added the other goals in the Group I game behind closed doors in Serbia. Steffen’s goals all came in similar fashion, set up down the left-hand side of the Swiss attack, as he proved an effective poacher to complete his treble in 29 minutes. The 31-year-old’s first goal came after four minutes with a tap-in at the back post, the…

A new US-Canada border deal meant to halt the flow of asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings has taken effect. Migrants caught crossing anywhere along the 3,145 mile (5,060km) border can now be sent back. Large numbers of unsanctioned crossings have been recorded via Roxham Road at the US-Canada border. The new accord closes a loophole that allowed migrants to claim asylum at such unofficial ports of entry. The announcement came as President Joe Biden visited Ottawa, Canada, to discuss a series of economic, trade and immigration issues with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. The deal is part of efforts…

The Lagos state government says it is going to appeal the N5 million judgment awarded in favour of Clement Adedotun by a federal high court. Adedotun filed a case against the Lagos State Neighborhood Agency, the Lagos State Government, the Attorney General of the State, and the Nigeria Police. He was subsequently awarded N5 million. Reacting to the court verdict in a communication on Saturday signed by Grace Alo, public relations officer for the Ministry of Justice, the state government will file an appeal along with an application to stay execution of the judgment to protect and reserve the rights…

Tottenham Hotspur have made 35-year-old German Julian Nagelsmann – sacked as Bayern Munich manager – the number one candidate to replace Italian Antonio Conte, 53, as their new boss. (Football Insider) Spurs want to hold talks with Nagelsmann, having previously been informed the former RB Leipzig boss has a ‘soft spot’ for the Premier League club. (Mail) However, Nagelsmann could be considered as the next Real Madrid manager, with 63-year-old Italian Carlo Ancelotti’s future uncertain. (Sport – in Spanish) Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in July, is open to a return to Spurs if Conte is sacked by…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dismissed reports making the rounds that it suspended accounts of fintech companies OPAY and PALMPAY. CBN’s acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isa AbdulMumin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that the viral news “is simply fake’’. The viral news credited to AbdulMumin stated that the CBN was about to suspend accounts of the Fintech companies because they were being used to perpetrate fraud. “Please if you are using OPAY, PALMPAY or any of these CHINA APPs or their POS, stop keeping much money in the account or stop…

New France captain Kylian Mbappe lived up to expectations with two goals in a 4-0 statement home win against the Netherlands as Les Bleus got their Euro 2024 Group B qualifying campaign started in ruthless fashion on Friday. Mbappe, named skipper after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris ended his international career in January, set up Antoine Griezmann for the opener before scoring the third, after Dayot Upamecano had doubled the tally in a first-half blitz, before wrapping the scoring up late in front of an ecstatic crowd. With Lloris and also influential centre back Raphael Varane now out of the international picture,…