Author: Chief Editor

The Club World Cup will be staged with strict measures to combat the spread of Covid-19, the Qatari organisers said Saturday less than two weeks before the tournament which will be closed to overseas fans. It is due to get underway on February 4 with spectator numbers capped at 30 percent of capacity at each of the two 40,000-seat grounds which will host games. “Fans will have to undergo rapid PCR or antigen tests up to 72 hours before each match. If it comes out negative they are allowed to receive their ticket,” said Abdulwahab al-Musleh, sports affairs adviser to…

Rafa Benitez abruptly left as coach of Chinese Super League side Dalian Pro on Saturday, saying it was for family reasons in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The 60-year-old Spaniard, who took Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005, had been in charge of Dalian since July 2019. “Unfortunately, like so many things in the last year, Covid-19 has changed our lives and our projects,” the former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Napoli and Chelsea boss wrote on his blog. “From today, both my coaching staff and I will sadly no longer be coaching the Dalian Professional F. C.…

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has lamented that the country’s educational system was not structured to train leaders but to produce workers. Dogara stated this Wednesday in Abuja at a symposium tagged, “The Future of Leadership: The Role of the Youth,” which was part of the activities to mark one year anniversary of Lead Generation Initiative (LGI), a non-governmental, committed to galvanising, training and empowering young Nigerians across the country to get involved and take responsibility in community development and nation building. The lawmaker was of the opinion that if the country wants to…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope his side can emulate his own performance when they face Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday. A week on from their goalless draw in the Premier League at Anfield, the arch-rivals face each other in the Cup at Old Trafford on Saturday. When United completed the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999, Solskjaer scored the winning goal in a fourth-round Cup tie against Liverpool. Now reigning Premier League champions Liverpool head in to this tie on the back of a shock 1-0…

Leicester’s Premier League title hopes suffered a blow on Friday as manager Brendan Rodgers said talismanic striker Jamie Vardy will be out “for a few weeks” to have a hernia operation. The 34-year-old former England international’s 11 league goals this season have been pivotal in Foxes fans dreaming of a repeat of their fairytale 2016 title win. Leicester lie third in the table, just two points off leaders Manchester United. Rodgers had spoken earlier in the week of getting the best out of Vardy in the time he has remaining at the top as he has also been hindered by…

Tottenham Hotspur coach Jose Mourinho said on Friday Dele Alli missed last weekend’s win at Sheffield United through injury rather than an impending transfer. The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from the north London side after falling out of favour under Mourinho. But the Portuguese boss said Alli had been omitted from the travelling squad to Bramall Lane because of a minor tendon injury that also threatens the England international’s involvement in Monday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Wycombe. “The reason he did not play, or was not selected for Sheffield, is everything in relation to the…

Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori joined AC Milan on loan for the rest of the season on Friday. Serie A leaders Milan are believed to have retained an option to buy Tomori for £25 million ($34 million) when the loan expires at the end of the current campaign. Thiago Silva’s move to Chelsea in the close-season pushed Tomori down Frank Lampard’s list of centre-backs. Kurt Zouma, Toni Rudiger and Andreas Christensen were all competing with Tomori to partner Silva at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. Canada-born defender Tomori opted to stay and fight for a first-team place before the start of…

A number of recent events, at home and abroad, raise issues about the nation’s unending quest for a transformational leader, more so, as the politicians have started traversing the country, even if covertly, in preparation for an election that is still, at least, two years away. Abroad, the most conspicuous of these events is the absence of the customary peaceful transfer or power that occurs in the United States, considering the high level of military mobilisation and show of force that accompanied the exit of President Donald Trump and the swearing in, on Wednesday, of President Joe Biden. Needless to…

Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has given reasons why pigeons released by the president initially refused to fly during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. The PUNCH had reported that the doves, otherwise known as white pigeons, released by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ceremony last Friday, refused to fly despite multiple attempts by the President. This elicited reactions from Nigerians, some of whom described the incident as a “bad sign”. In an article on his Facebook Wall titled, ‘Reflection from a wreath-laying ceremony,’ Adesina described the pigeons’ refused…

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for Covid-19, the Spanish club announced Friday. The positive test comes a day before Madrid travel to Alaves in La Liga seeking to bounce back from an embarrassing midweek Copa del Rey exit. Details later… AFP/Punch