Author: Opalim Lifted

West Ham followed up their impressive victory over Arsenal with a win against Leicester to increase the pressure on Ruud van Nistelrooy and his relegation-threatened side. Tomas Soucek celebrated his 30th birthday with the opening goal in the first half, firing in a loose ball after Mohammed Kudus’ shot was denied. The hosts then put the game beyond the struggling Foxes just before the break when Jarrod Bowen’s shot from a tight angle deflected in off Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard, after Jamie Vardy’s header from a corner had hit the woodwork for the visitors. The Foxes, who were looking to…

Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for four games and fined a total of £35,194 for comments made after Monday’s game with local rivals Galatasaray. Mourinho was accused by Galatasaray of making racist statements after the Istanbul derby and, on Tuesday, Fenerbahce released a statement saying his comments had been taken “completely taken out of context”. The 0-0 draw was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested a foreign official take charge of the fixture. But the fourth official was Turkish and Mourinho repeated his criticism of Turkish referees during his post-match news conference. The Portuguese coach,…

Ahead of the 2027 election, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Atiku Abubakar held a closed-door meeting with party stakeholders in review of the party’s way forward. Atiku revealed that he was impressed with the party progress report. In a terse post on X, the former vice president of Nigeria disclosed that he just received PDP stakeholders from Zone C Niger State, led by Hon. Nazir Abdullahi, on a courtesy visit to my residence in Abuja on Thursday evening. “I’m very appreciative of their gesture and impressed with reports of the progress being made in promoting our party, the PDP, in…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alerted the public to beware of fraudulent activities by viral TikTok accounts bearing its insignia. The anti-graft agency denied ownership of any TikTok account in a statement on Thursday. “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been drawn to the activities of some fraudsters who, on Thursday, 27 February, 2025, organised a live session on a TikTok platform using the Commission’s logo to generate traffic and defraud unsuspecting members of the public,” the statement partly reads. It revealed that the fraudsters used six fake accounts bearing ‘EFCC of…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Jude Okoye, the elder brother and former manager of the defunct music group Psquare, on charges of laundering N1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59. Okoye was arraigned alongside his company Northside Music Ltd on Wednesday before Alexander Owoeye of the federal high court in Lagos on a seven-count charge. “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd sometime in 2022, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos worth ₦850,000,000.00 (Eight hundred…

Empoli beat Juventus 4-2 on penalties to advance to their first ever Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday after a resilient performance helped them to hold the defending champions to a 1-1 draw in regular time. Dusan Vlahovic missed Juventus first attempt from the spot, sending his effort way over the bar before Empoli keeper Devis Vasquez denied Kenan Yildiz and Empoli defender Luca Marianucci sealed the win for the visitors. Youssef Maleh gave Empoli a shock lead after 24 minutes, scoring with a powerful strike from outside the box, before Khephren Thuram levelled for the struggling hosts after the hour…

Erling Haaland scored on his return to action as Man City held on for victory against Tottenham Hotspur to improve their hopes of a top-four finish. Man City started strongly and went ahead in the 12th minute when Haaland met Jeremy Doku’s low cross with a first-time side-footed finish into the bottom corner, having been left unmarked. Savinho should have doubled Man City’s lead when the lively Doku found him unmarked at the back post, but the Brazilian’s shot into the ground bounced over Guglielmo Vicario’s goal. It took the hosts 45 minutes to test City goalkeeper Ederson, who tipped…

The book launch of former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, was less a literary event and more of a congregation of Nigeria’s seasoned architects of corruption; an assembly of Nigeria’s political and economic demons of destruction. Past and present power brokers gathered under one roof, a parade of those who have gorged on the flesh of the Nigerian state and those still feasting on its dwindling resources. It was a living tableau of Nigeria’s persistent problems, yesterday’s oppressors, today’s gatekeepers, and tomorrow’s obstacles, all in celebratory unison. Babangida’s “A Journey in Service” is his ruthless attempt to distort history, disguising his…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death of Abubakar Lawal, a Nigerian professional footballer in Uganda. Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the sudden passing of Lawal on Tuesday in a statement in Abuja. Tuggar, in the statement issued by Kimiebi Ebienfa, Acting Spokesperson for the Ministry, described Lawal’s death as a great loss to Nigeria. “In this moment of grief, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and the entire Nigerian football community during this difficult time,” Tuggar said. Lawal, a former Nigerian Under-20 international footballer, was playing…

Didier Drogba, a former Chelsea striker, has defended Jose Mourinho, his former boss, amid allegations of racism in Turkey. On Monday, Galatasaray alleged that Mourinho made “racist statements” following the team’s goalless draw with Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig. In the press conference after the match,  Fenerbahce’s manager, had said the staff and players on Galatasaray’s bench were “jumping like monkeys” in reaction to a penalty call that was not given. Galatasaray accused the Portuguese of “persistently” using “derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” since he took over at Fenerbahce. The club described the manager’s statement as “unequivocally…