Author: Chief Editor

Robert Lewandowski equalled Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old scoring record as the Bayern Munich striker netted his 40th Bundesliga goal of the season in a 2-2 draw at Freiburg on Saturday. Lewandowski equalled Mueller’s tally, scored over 34 games in 1971/72, in just 28 league fixtures this term. “It’s a huge honour for me and for the modern history of the Bundesliga,” Lewandowski told Sky. Lewandowski converted a penalty for the champions after 26 minutes to match Mueller’s milestone. Bayern Munich’s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski (L) fails to score during the German first division Bundesliga football match between SC Freiburg and FC…

Zinedine Zidane hinted on Saturday he could leave as coach of Real Madrid at the end of the season, saying he believes “there comes a time when it’s the moment to change”. Zidane’s contract expires in 2022 but he has repeatedly refused to confirm he will still be at the club next season. The Frenchman has a history of surprises after resigning as coach unexpectedly in 2018 before making a shock return a year later. As a player, he initially announced his retirement from international football in 2004 before coming back for the 2006 World Cup, after which he retired…

The World Health Organization issued a grim warning on Friday that the second year of Covid-19 was set to be “far more deadly”, as Japan extended a state of emergency amid growing calls for the Olympics to be scrapped. “We’re on track for the second year of this pandemic to be far more deadly than the first,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The mood also darkened in Japan where the coronavirus state of emergency took in another three regions just 10 weeks before the Olympics, while campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures calling for the Games…

Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been ruled out of Euro 2020 with a knee injury, the Swedish Football Association confirmed on Saturday. Ibrahimovic sprained his knee a week ago playing for club side AC Milan who revealed earlier Saturday that medical experts recommended “conservative treatment for six weeks”. The 39-year-old forward returned to his national side last March nearly five years after his international farewell. Sweden open their Euro 2020 campaign against Spain in Seville on June 14, before further Group E games against Slovakia four days later and Poland in Saint-Petersburg on the 23rd. Ibrahimovic’s treatment would last until…

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, warned his counterparts from southern Nigeria against fighting the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), or blaming him for the problems of the country. The governor, who spoke while appearing on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by Saturday PUNCH, said the President has restructured the country by granting judicial, legislative and local government autonomy, amongst others. The PUNCH had earlier reported that about 17 southern governors met on Tuesday in Asaba, Delta State, and resolved to ban open grazing and movement of cattle by foot in the region. The governors called for the restructuring of…

Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr, has handed first invitations to Feirense 21-year-old midfielder Abraham Marcus and Lorient striker Terem Moffi in his provisional list of 31 players for the high-profile international friendly against five-time African champions Cameroon in Austria on June 4. The friendly is scheduled for the Wiener Neustadt in the Austrian capital, Vienna, from 8.30pm (Austrian time). Midfielder Marcus joined Portuguese second division side Feirense from Remo Stars Academy in 2018 and was only promoted to the first team this season. He is Feirense’s top scorer in the league this season with 11 goals in 24 appearances…

The House of Representatives has said the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, did not oppose the recent resolutions of the Southern Governors’ Forum after its meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital. Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, noted that the House, under Gbajabiamila’s leadership, had always been an advocate of reviewing the 1999 Constitution. Kalu was reacting to the condemnations that followed the report by a section of the media that the Speaker reportedly attacked the governors. He said this in a statement on Friday, titled ‘The Speaker did not say he is opposed to…

Izu-Umunna Cultural Association of Nigeria (IUCA), a Pan-Igbo Think-Tank, affiliated to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has dismissed the claim that the unity of Nigeria was not negotiable, stating that the country’s unity was negotiable as strengthened and fortified by the resolutions of the Southern governors in their recent meeting. Commending the governors on their position, the group however, argued that it would depend on what the different ethnic nationalities that constitute the country were prepared to bring to the negotiating table. In a statement signed by the association’s president, Dr. Ugo Pat Ihekum and Secretary, Chief Tony Egwuonwu, the group joined other…

Real Madrid kept the pressure on Atletico Madrid by thrashing Granada 4-1 on Thursday to reduce the gap to two points at the top of La Liga, with two games left to play. A draw or defeat for Real Madrid would have given Atletico the chance to win the title on Sunday by beating Osasuna but goals from Luka Modric, Rodrygo, Alvaro Odriozola and Karim Benzema secured a comfortable victory at Los Carmenes. Atletico could still be crowned champions this weekend if they overcome Osasuna and Real Madrid fail to win away at Athletic Bilbao but the Spanish title race…

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says he is “grateful for the three years extra” he has had after suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2018, revealing he had been “terrified” of losing his memory. The 79-year-old Scot was speaking to the BBC ahead of the release of “Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In”, a documentary directed by his son Jason. Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns as United boss, said having such a narrow escape had changed his outlook on life. “Probably not taking things too seriously in terms of knowing that you’re vulnerable……