UEFA have appointed Felix Zwayer, a referee who has been convicted of match-fixing in the past, to take charge of the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands....Read Full Article

Zwayer was handed a six-month ban in 2005 after taking a €300 bribe from another official, Robert Hoyzer.

An investigation had found him guilty of accepting a bribe before a game between SV Wuppertal and Werder Bremen Amateure in May 2004.

The bribe was to ensure he favours Wuppertaler in his decision-making.

England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, mentioned the incident in 2021 in a post-match interview after Borussia Dortmund lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in a huge Bundesliga game.

Bellingham asked: “You give a referee, that has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?”

He was subsequently fined €40,000 for his comments.

Manchester United forward, Mason Greenwood, was at the club’s Carrington base on Monday but did not join training with the team....Read Full Article

Greenwood’s future with the Premier League club remains uncertain since he was suspended by the club in January 2022.

This followed allegations of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his partner.

Although the charges against Greenwood were dropped in February 2023, the player was loaned to Getafe in LaLiga last summer.

He is expected to move on permanently now the transfer window is open again.
Following the expiry of his loan, Greenwood reported to Carrington on Monday.

According to The Athletic, Greenwood was there for negotiations regarding his departure from Old Trafford.

The 22-year-old left without joining the rest of the squad on the grass.

Chukwudi Nwodu has parted ways with Nigeria Premier Football League champions, Rangers....Read Full Article

Nwodu left the Flying Antelopes following the expiration of his contract.

The midfielder captained Rangers to win the NPFL title last season.

The player is reported to be on the verge of securing a move to nine-time NPFL champions Enyimba.

The talented midfielder is currently locked in negotiation with the People’s Elephant.

Enyimba are currently bolstering their squad with fresh legs for the new season.

Former Flying forward, Emmanuel Umeh has signed for Swiss club, FC Zurich, DAILY POST reports....Read Full Article

Umeh, who joined FC Zurich from Bulgarian club, Boev Plovdiv put pen to paper on a five-year contract.

The 19-year-old spent two years at Botev Plovdiv having arrived at the club from Russian outfit, FDC Vista.

The striker won the Bulgarian Cup with Botev Plovdiv last season.

Umeh scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 47 appearances for Botev Plovdiv.

The Right2Win graduate featured for the Flying Eagles at last year’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina.

Former England international, Paul Merson has said the 2024 Ballon d’Or is going to be an interesting one....Read Full Article

He said with Euro 2024 and Copa America going on at the time that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are now playing outside Europe, which brings so many other players into the equation.

Paul Merson, who played for Arsenal during his active days, said he judges players based on their performance for their country and not clubs, naming Diego Maradona as the greatest player.

“I judge players a lot based on how they fare at international tournaments and this is why I think Diego Maradona is the greatest-ever footballer,” he said, as quoted by Sportskeeda.com.

“If England win the Euros, Jude Bellingham will become the frontrunner for the award,” he added.

“I’m not saying this is a horrible way, but I don’t think Bellingham is the best footballer in the world and hasn’t been among the top 20 players at Euro 2024 so far, so it’ll be an interesting one.

“If Messi wins the Copa America, it could well go to him as the Ballon d’Or committee don’t know how to spell anyone else’s name barring Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “

New Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has said he wants to implement a more aggressive style in the team....Read Full Article

Maresca was officially unveiled as the new Blues boss on Monday.

He replaces Mauricio Pochettino, who led the team to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season.

Maresca, 44, guided Leicester City to promotion from the Championship in his first season in charge.

“In this moment, when you join a club you try to analyse what the club and team needs to improve and do the right things.

“For me, it is clear we need to create as soon as possible the right mentality and culture, a culture the fans can be proud of.

“We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club, especially at home,” Maresca said.

Remo Stars head coach, Daniel Ogunmodede has lamented the poor pay for coaches in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL)....Read Full Article

Ogunmodede is one of the most popular coaches in the NPFL.

The 44-year-old has been in charge of the Ikenne club since 2022.

He has guided Remo Stars to a second place finish in the NPFL in the last two seasons.

The former Crown FC coach posited that a poor welfare package for the coaches is hindering the development of the domestic game.

“The money is not encouraging. The money is extremely not encouraging. If a team in Rwanda can pay coaches $10,000 to $15,000, and we are here paying less than a million naira for a coach, which is less than $1,000, what do you expect? Ogunmodede stated in an interview with Brila FM.

“This is a coach that goes to a match venue, everybody wants money from him.”

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Olatunji Baruwa, is set to join Kwara United’s technical crew....Read Full Article

According to reports, Baruwa will take charge as the Harmony Boys goalkeepers’ trainer.

Baruwa, who was spotted in Ilorin has reportedly held talks with Kwara United’s management.

He is set to quit his role at Nasarawa United to team up with Kwara United.

Baruwa combined his role with Nasarawa United with the Super Eagles.

His wealth of experience will be crucial for a Kwara United side that managed to escape relegation last season.

Former England player, Paul Merson, has predicted the outcome of the semifinal matches coming up this weekend....Read Full Article

England will play the Netherlands while Spain tackles France in the semifinals of the Euro 2024 championship in Germany.

The Netherlands defeated Turkey 2-1 while England beat Switzerland 5-3 on penalties.

The game between France and Portugal ended in a penalty shootout in which Didier Deschamps’ men ran away with victory while Spain beat the host nation 2-1 in extra time to progress to the last four.

Merson believes England did not play anywhere close to their best football against Switzerland.

“Spain has been playing very well on occasions, but I’m still going with France. I don’t see Lamine Yamal getting a kick against Theo Hernandez, while Jules Kounde is more than capable of keeping Nico Williams out of the game.

“Alvaro Morata hasn’t had a good tournament and isn’t going to get a kick against William Saliba in a month full of Sundays!

France was solid at the back but they haven’t been able to score as freely as they’d have liked.

“If it becomes an open game, Spain will dictate proceedings in midfield and come out on top. Deschamps won’t let that happen, so I back France to come out on top…Prediction: Spain 0-1 France.”

For England’s game against Switzerland, he added, “I can’t see anything but an England win, I honestly can’t.”

Wrestling Champion, John Cena has announced that he will retire from professional wrestling in 2025 after two decades in the ring....Read Full Article

The wrestler-turned-actor delivered a heartfelt speech to a stadium of World Wrestling Entertainment fans in Toronto, Canada who booed in disappointment as Cena disclosed that the 2025 season would be his last.

Cena promised a farewell tour with dozens of dates and an epic final fight, assuring fans that he would remain involved with the wrestling franchise that launched his career.

“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” Cena told the crowd.

Appearing at WWE Money in the Bank in Toronto, the 16-time world champion announced that he will retire from the sport in 2025.

Cena disclosed that the 2025 Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas would be his last.

The WWE legend said, “I’ve been in the WWE for over two decades, and in that time, I’ve seen incredible waves of prosperity like we got right now.

“WWE is the hottest ticket in town, no doubt, but I have also seen true hardship, that’s when no one knows your name, nobody wants to be your friend and only the most dedicated and hardcore fans stand by your side.”

The “You can’t see me” crooner added that he wants to be involved when Raw moves to Netflix in January.

In a news conference after the event, Cena told reporters that he feels physically “at my end,” but that doesn’t mean he needs to distance himself from the sport he loves.

The 16-time WWE champion made his debut in 2002.

However, since 2018, he has adopted a more part-time role in the company to focus on his movie career.

Cena played starring roles in the films “Blockers” and “The Suicide Squad.”
He has made multiple appearances in the “Fast & Furious” franchise and appeared most recently in the comedy thriller “Argylle” and the box office hit “Barbie.”