Author: Chief Editor

AC Milan travels to relegation-threatened Parma desperate to cling onto second place in Serie A this weekend and stay on course for the Champions League as city rivals Inter can tighten their grip on top spot against lowly Cagliari. Seven-time European champions Milan have taken four points from their last three games to drop 11 points behind Inter who are closing in on a first Serie A title in over a decade. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Milan had been leading at the winter break as they target a first ‘Scudetto’ since 2011, but have faltered since January. Champions Juventus are just one…

•ACF expresses disappointment over unending strife The federal government yesterday stated that the general state of insecurity in the country has triggered a rising call for secession as well as politicisation of ethnic and religious differences. This is coming as the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has declared that a situation in which security agencies only reacted to cases of banditry and abductions is unacceptable and urged them to take the war to the doorsteps of the criminals. Speaking yesterday during a Town Hall Meeting on National Security, held at the Kaduna State University (KASU), Kaduna, the Minister of…

The House of Representatives Committee on Health Care Services has threatened to invoke a warrant of arrest if the Registrar of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Tajudeen Sanusi, fails for the second time to appear before the committee next Friday. Sanusi was invited to appear before the lawmakers yesterday to answer questions on the ongoing strike by resident doctors and payment of house officers. The lawmakers had to call off the meeting after a letter was delivered to them informing the committee that Sanusi was attending a tribunal of the council. The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Tanko…

• Terrorists have lost right to live, says El-Rufai • ACF warns northern youths against reprisal attacks • Army begins show of force in Imo after third attack in 72 hours The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has re-echoed his call for the establishment of state police, devolution of power to the component units and decentralisation of the judicial system to tackle the exigencies of present times, because Nigeria is at war with criminal and divisive elements bent on bringing the country to its knees. The governor made the call yesterday at the 18th Town Hall Meeting entitled:…

Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday knowing they must rediscover the magic at home or risk finishing outside the top four for the first time since 2016. At the bottom, Fulham have a chance to lift themselves out of the relegation zone while Manchester United will seek revenge at Tottenham after their 6-1 humiliation earlier this season. AFP Sport looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the weekend action in the English top-flight. Can Liverpool stop Anfield rot? When Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield in mid-December it appeared to be business as usual for…

Napoli Head Coach Gennaro Gattuso has come under fire from the Italian sporting press for not starting Victor Osimhen in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Juventus. Osimhen, who was on target last Saturday against Crotone, came off the bench to cause a lot of trouble for Juventus and win a penalty that helped Napoli score their only goal of the game. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Juventus in the 13th-minute before Paulo Dybala doubled the lead on 73 minutes. Osimhen was introduced for Diego Demme in the 54th minute, and he was brought down by Giorgio Chiellini in the penalty…

• Crotone striker scored more goals than Ronaldo, Lewandowski and Iheanacho over the past month Crotone’s Nigerian-born striker Simeon ‘Simy’ Nwankwo, has been rated the most decisive striker in Europe’s top football leagues over the past month after scoring eight goals between March 3 and April 3, even as his Italian club fights to avoid relegation to Serie B. Simy has scored 1eight goals in Serie A over the past month, exceeding the feats by some of the world’s best strikers such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Håland, and Karim Benzema. Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski has seven goals…

Bayern Munich has confirmed 32-year-old centre-back Jerome Boateng will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, but the decision has sparked obvious tensions behind the scenes. Bayern have already signed France centre-back Dayot Upamecano, 22, from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig for the 2021/22 season, effectively hastening Boateng’s departure. “That was a joint decision of the club management and the coach was also involved,” sports director Hasan Salihamidzic told Sky. “I explained that to Jerome, he understood.” Boateng was at fault for Paris Saint-Germain’s winning goal as Bayern’s 19-match unbeaten run in the Champions League ended as…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to make his big-screen debut in the next Asterix film, the AC Milan and Sweden striker announced on Thursday. The 39-year-old posted the word ‘Antivirus’, the name of his character, on his Instagram account using the typeset and colours associated with the Goscinny/Uderzo heroes. Ibrahimovic, who was recently recalled to the Swedish national team and is likely to feature in this year’s delayed Euro 2020, will play a Roman called Caius Antivirus in “Asterix and Obelix: the Middle Empire”, the fifth film in the live action series. The film, which will be directed by Guillaume Canet…

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa expects a tough battle at runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday, calling Pep Guardiola’s side one “full of surprises.” Bielsa’s team have garnered a lot of praise of their own for their free-flowing style on their return to the Premier League and are presently in 11th spot. However, City present a daunting challenge not least because Leeds have beaten only one of the top six this season, Leicester in January. Leeds and City shared the spoils in their first meeting, a 1-1 draw in October but that was before Guardiola’s team really hit…