Author: Opalim Lifted

Dutch winger Anwar El Ghazi has had his contract terminated by Mainz for a social media post about the Israel-Gaza conflict, the club confirmed on Friday. The 28-year-old was suspended on October 17 by the Bundesliga club after a now-deleted post on social media that was perceived to be pro-Palestinian. Mainz said his deal was terminated with “immediate effect” on Friday, despite lifting his suspension on Monday. “‘Stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone’,” El Ghazi said. In social media posts following the termination of his contract on Friday, El Ghazi added: “The loss of my…

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja, secured the return of $150 million in loot from France by former Head of State, General Sani Abacha. In a statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said President Bola Tinubu commended France for the decision. Also, the president acknowledged the signing of a €100 million agreement between Nigeria and France to support the i-DICE programme in addition to repatriated funds. The statement read, “President Bola Tinubu expressed his gratitude to France on Friday in Abuja for the return of $150 million that former Head of State…

Yaya Toure has been named assistant coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team and will work alongside manager Roberto Mancini, the Saudi Football Federation said on Friday. The former Ivory Coast captain played for Mancini when the Italian was manager of Premier League Manchester City. Toure, 40, began his coaching career four years ago, working at Ukraine’s Donetsk Olympic, Russia’s Grozny, Belgium’s Standard Liege, and with the Under-16 team at England’s Tottenham Hotspur. He played more than 100 internationals and for clubs including Manchester City, AS Monaco and Barcelona. Yaya also represented Ivory Coast in six Africa Cup of Nations in…

UEFA has partnered with Groupe Amaury to co-organize the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards in 2024, Europe’s soccer governing body said on Friday. Groupe Amaury, the owner of media companies France Football and L’Equipe, will remain the owner of the Ballon d’Or brand and will continue to oversee the voting system so it remains independent. The football association said it will be organizing the annual gala and marketing its global commercial rights while adding two new awards for the best men’s and women’s coach of the year. The partnership means UEFA’s awards for the best player and best coach will cease…

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the quality of the teams currently competing for the Premier League title is “unprecedented”. This season’s top four have amassed a higher total of points collectively than in any previous campaign. Tottenham lead the way, with 26 points from a possible 30, two points ahead of both Arsenal and Manchester City and three ahead of Liverpool. “What has happened in the last five years is unprecedented,” Arteta said. “It never happened with the number of points and level of the teams.” Manchester City overhauled long-time leaders Arsenal to win the title by five points last…

Nigerian legend Emmanuel Amuneke says more should be expected from Victor Osimhen after the Super Eagles striker finished eighth in the 2023 Men’s Ballon d’Or. The 24-year-old was the top African player in this year’s rankings and became the highest-placed Nigerian in the award’s selection since its inception in 1956, thanks to a remarkable 2022–23 season in which he scored 26 Serie A goals to help Napoli win their first Italian title in 33 years. Additionally, Osimhen surpassed 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George Weah, who is currently the president of Liberia, as the highest-scoring African in a Serie A season.…

Veteran Nollywood actor Amaechi Muonagor is paralyzed. The veteran Nollywood actor, in a video that surfaced on social media Friday, could be seen struggling to speak as he introduced himself with a brief explanation of his condition. Muonagor said this while crying out for help, as he is currently battling paralysis. He said half of his left leg is paralyzed. “I’m sick; this thing that is called a stroke caught up with me, and from there they rushed me to the hospital. The first hospital they rushed me to was in Nnewi, where I spent some two months, and I…

Telegram, the encrypted messaging app, has quietly restricted access to several channels affiliated with the Palestinian armed group Hamas. Hamas’s official account, the account of its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and the news account Gaza Now have not been accessible on versions of Telegram downloaded from Google Play or Apple’s App Store since last week. The accounts, which have amassed hundreds of thousands of new followers since Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, are still accessible from the online version of Telegram and the version of the app downloaded directly from Telegram’s website. While Telegram has not publicly commented…

A tragic road accident occurred in Mpape, a nearby settlement in the Maitama District of Abuja, claiming the lives of two students and, ten injured. It was gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday around 4 p.m. before the tricycles park along the road that leads to Mpape junction. An eyewitness, Mustapha Aminu, told reporters that the truck rammed into some tricycles, popularly called Keke, and vehicles, killing at least eight people, including students. Aminu said the driver, having seen the havoc he had caused, abandoned the truck and ran away with the help of a motorcycle. “When the incident…

The House of Representatives said on Thursday that declaring a state of emergency on malaria could be a step in the right direction given the spate of the protozoan disease across the country. To this extent, the House called on the Federal Government to subsidize malaria drugs if it cannot make them free at all government-owned health centres for the benefit of Nigerians. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Control on Thursday, Chairman of the Committee, Amobi Ogar, said despite the rate of malaria infection, most Nigerians cannot access drugs owing to their…