Author: Opalim Lifted

Manchester United have been dealt injury blows in the last week, with Mount and Luke Shaw both being sidelined ahead of Erik Ten Hag’s side’s Premier League game against Nottingham Forest. United, who have three points from two games, put in unconvincing displays in their 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Pundit and former United skipper Gary Neville said Ten Hag’s decision to play Mount and Fernandes in advanced roles had left too much defensive work for Casemiro, who has also received criticism for a perceived lack of fitness. Asked if their midfield setup was…

Spain’s government has started legal proceedings seeking to suspend football federation chief Luis Rubiales for kissing World Cup star Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain’s World Cup victory, an official said on Friday. Rubiales refused to quit on Friday, fuelling anger among players and government ministers who decried his actions as unacceptable macho behaviour. The Spanish secretary of sport says he “wants this to be Spanish football’s MeToo moment”. The Me Too movement seeks to end violence against women and shot into mainstream consciousness in 2017 after film producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of numerous sexual offences; he was…

Pep Guardiola is totally focused on Manchester City’s Premier League match against Sheffield United on Sunday, according to assistant manager Juanma Lillo, despite the fact that the Spanish coach is recovering from back surgery. Guardiola, who is recuperating from surgery in Barcelona, will miss City’s league games against Sheffield United and Fulham. “The contact is ongoing; Pep is currently watching Sheffield. What matters is his health. It doesn’t stop him from being himself. ” He’s completely focused on the game,” Lillo said before Sunday’s meeting at Bramall Lane. “He is telling us that the surgery was successful but that his…

Mohamed Salah will remain at Liverpool despite new reports tying him to a move to the Saudi Pro League, Jurgen Klopp said. Al-Ittihad are said to be interested in the 31-year-old Egyptian attacker, who joined the Reds from Roma in 2017. Klopp stated before Liverpool’s Premier League match against Newcastle on Sunday that Salah is “100% committed” to the club. “There is nothing to talk about; he is a Liverpool player,” Klopp stated. “He is and will continue to be vital. There is nothing to be found. ” My life philosophy is that when I have a problem, I think…

Luis Rubiales has refused to resign as president of the Spanish Football Federation following his behaviour at the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday. After Spain’s 1-0 victory over England, Rubiales, 46, kissed striker Jenni Hermoso on the lips. He had already grasped his crotch in celebration of the final whistle. “I will not resign; I will not resign,” he told the federation’s extraordinary general assembly. “An act of social assassination is taking place.” Rubiales apologized for the kiss on Monday before FIFA, the world’s governing body of football, launched disciplinary procedures against him on Thursday. He apologized on Friday…

West Ham are in negotiations with Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus about a lucrative transfer to London Stadium. The 23-year-old scored a hat-trick on Thursday in Ajax’s Europa League play-off triumph over Ludogorets in Bulgaria. The Hammers were represented at the game, with the Ghana international claiming afterwards that it may have been his final game for the Dutch team. This summer, Premier League teams have shown a lot of interest in Kudus. Brighton were said to have struck a deal with Ajax for the Ghanaian international earlier this month, but personal conditions could not be finalized. Barcelona keen on Mohammed…

The Labour Party’s (LP) candidate, Seyi Sowunmi, was nullified as the House of Representatives member for Ojo Federal Constituency in Lagos State by the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Lagos. Instead, the three-member panel led by Justice Abdullahi Ozegya declared Lanre Ogunyemi, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the legitimately elected candidate in the election held on February 25, 2023. The panel also includes Justice Ashu Ewah and Justice Muhammad Sambo. Lagos Election Petition: Hamzat denies renouncing Nigerian citizenship Ogunyemi, a two-term state lawmaker and former APC secretary in Lagos, had challenged the Independent National…

Udinese has confirmed the signing of Super Eagles of Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye from Watford FC on a contract that will last until June 30, 2027. On Thursday, the club announced the signing of Okoye, praising him as a goalkeeper with tremendous physical presence and outstanding technique. Okoye was born on August 28, 1999, in Dusseldorf, Germany, to a Nigerian family. He joined the Bayer Leverkusen youth division before moving to Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2017. In his first season with the club, he appeared 13 times for the under-19s and five times for the second tier of the German football…

Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales plans to resign on Friday after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him for his unsolicited kiss on the mouth of player Jenni Hermoso during celebrations following Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory, Cadena Ser radio said. Rubiales has come under criticism for kissing Hermoso on the lips when awarding the players their medals following their 1-0 victory against England in the final in Sydney on Sunday. The episode provoked uproar both inside and outside of Spain, with many calling for his resignation, including government ministers. Pressure mounted last week after FIFA initiated disciplinary procedures…

The late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant will be honoured with a bronze monument outside the team’s arena in February, the NBA franchise said on Thursday, along with his wife Vanessa. The monument to the five-time NBA champion, who died at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in January 2020 that also killed his daughter Gianna and seven others, will be revealed on Feb. 8 before the Lakers’ home game against the Denver Nuggets. “As you know, Kobe played his entire 20-year NBA career as a Los Angeles Laker,” Vanessa explained in a video posted to the…