Author: Opalim Lifted

Former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer expansion side San Diego FC. Mata, 36, moved to A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers in September. San Diego FC will enter the MLS in 2025 as the 30th team in the competition. “Joining San Diego FC as a partner is an exciting opportunity to help build something truly special in a city and league that are experiencing incredible growth,” said Mata. San Diego said Mata is the “first active international soccer player to hold an ownership stake in Major League Soccer”. Juan Mata…

The inspector-general of police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has filed a suit against Andy Uba, a former senator representing Anambra south, over allegations of fraud. Uba is facing a two-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/538/2024 alongside two others – Crystal Uba and Benjamin Etu. The charge, dated October 8, was filed before Inyang Ekwo, judge of a federal high court in Abuja. In count one, Uba, Crystal, Etu and one Hajiya Fatima (now at large), were alleged to have conspired amongst themselves to commit the offence in 2022. They were charged with deceiving George Uboh by allegedly claiming they could secure the appointment…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate swap of the pro-chancellors and chairmen of the governing councils for the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), and Federal University, Lokoja. In the reshuffling, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), who currently serves as the pro-chancellor of Federal University Lokoja, will take over at FUOYE. A statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Kayode Ojo, who previously held a similar position at FUOYE, will now assume the role at Lokoja. “This strategic change is part of President Tinubu’s initiative to foster diversity and national cohesion in the management…

Chidimma Adetshina, Miss Universe runner-up at the just concluded 73rd Miss Universe Competition held in Mexico, has announced her decision to quit pageantry. Speaking during a recent interview with Silverbird TV, Adetshina said pageantry has been a traumatic experience for her. She said she’s quitting for personal reasons and relocating to Nigeria from her estranged country, South Africa. “Finishing in the top 2 [at the Miss Universe competition] is still a shocker for me… Honestly, I am done. Pageantry was a real traumatic experience for me,” she said. “People still don’t understand how I felt. There were times when I…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korea dozens of animals, including a lion and two bears, as a sign of friendship between Moscow and Pyongyang, Russian officials said Wednesday. The two countries have deepened political, military and cultural ties amid Russia’s offensive on Ukraine, with Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un repeatedly professing their personal camaraderie. “An African lion, two brown bears, two domestic yaks, five white cockatoos, 25 pheasants of various species and 40 mandarin ducks were transferred from the Moscow Zoo to the Pyongyang Zoo,” Russia’s natural resources ministry said in a post on Telegram.…

Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino is leaving the MLS club for “personal reasons” a club source told AFP. The former Barcelona and Argentina coach led the team to the top of the regular season standings this season before a shock exit to Atlanta United in the first round of the playoffs. Martino, widely known as ‘Tata’, joined Inter Miami last June as part of the transformation of the club that took place with the arrival of his compatriot Lionel Messi. Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup, a joint tournament between MLS and Mexican Liga MX clubs, in his first season…

Lautaro Martinez moved level with Diego Maradona in the all-time Argentina scoring charts in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Peru in Buenos Aires. Martinez, 27, smashed home a left-footed volley from Lionel Messi’s cross after 55 minutes for his 32nd international goal on his 70th appearance. The Inter Milan captain, Martinez now sits joint-fifth alongside Argentina legend Maradona, though he remains some way behind top-scorer Messi’s 112 goals. Gabriel Batistuta, Sergio Aguero and Hernan Crespo complete the top five. Inter Miami forward Messi, 37, is now tied with former United States forward Landon Donovan for most international assists…

The Ogun State Police Command has invited Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in 2023 elections, to its headquarters in Abeokuta. This invitation is unconnected with the alleged disturbances during the local government elections held on November 16, 2024, in which the All Progressives Congress won all seats. Though the Command is yet to confirm the development, reports have it that he is still being held at the Police Command headquarters in the Ogun State capital. He is accused of allegedly recruiting around 40 unauthorized police officers from Lagos and coordinating PDP thugs to disrupt the local…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has agreed a one-year contract extension. Although City are refusing to comment on a story that was first reported in The Athletic, multiple sources have confirmed Guardiola has elected to sign a new deal to take his stay at the club to 10 years. The 53-year-old Spaniard joined City in 2016 and has won 18 trophies so far, including six Premier League titles. His contract had been due to expire at the end of the current season. There have been suggestions the new agreement will have the option of a second year, although this is…

Brazilian police on Tuesday arrested four soldiers guarding the G20 summit over an alleged plot to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a 2022 “coup,” a federal police source told AFP. The four “were arrested in Rio, where they were participating in the security operation for the G20 leaders’ meeting,” said the source, who added that a police officer was also taken into custody. A statement by Brazil’s federal police said the suspects were “mostly soldiers with special forces training,” but made no mention of them being part of the G20 summit security deployment. They were arrested…