Author: Chief Editor

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi has left Juventus amid reports linking the 33-year-old to a move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami. Matuidi and Juventus have mutually agreed to terminate the final year of his contract in Turin. The French World Cup winner made 45 appearances for Juve across all competitions last season. Inter Miami have lost all five matches so far in their debut Major League Soccer season. Matuidi, who signed for Juventus from Paris St-Germain in a deal worth up to 30.5m euros (£27.8m) in 2017, would be the highest-profile signing yet for the franchise which is part-owned by…

Valencia have alerted Premier Leagueclubs by putting all of their players up for sale in a bid to balance the books, according to reports. Winger Ferran Torres became the most high-profile player to leave the club when the 20-year-old moved to Manchester City for £37million last week, and other stars are now expected to follow suit. The Liga side have confirmed that former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has moved to Villarreal in a deal that is expected to also see their rivals snap up Spain international Dani Parejo for a combined total of under £11.5million. New boss Javi Gracia, who…

*Unnamed player of the Catalan club tests positive for Covid-19 Bayern Munich were hard at work on Wednesday completing their preparations for the UEFA Champions League quarter final clash with Barcelona on Friday in Lisbon. Hansi Flickand his team want to continue their European adventure and reach the semi-finals for the seventh time in the last nine years. While the squad is full of respect for the 26-time Spanish champions and their Argentinian talisman Lionel Messi, Leon Goretzkaappeared confident in the build-up. “I think we can beat any opponent,” the 25-year-old Germany international said in a press conference on Tuesday.…

A former Governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, last night denied in its entirety, the allegations levelled against him by a businesswoman, Mrs. Chinyere Amuchinwa. Amuchinwa in a petition dated July 20, 2020 and addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu and the Department of State Services (DSS), had accused the former governor of defrauding her of N500 million. But in statement issued last night by his Political Adviser, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwu, the former Imo State governor described the allegations as most ludicrous and laughable. Ohakim also described the allegations as an elaborate and audacious scheme…

•Ortom wants FG to allow responsible citizens to carry arms •DSS releases Mailafia Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) has called on security agencies to investigate the allegation by a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia that one of them is a Boko Haram commander. The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau State, Hon. Simon Lalong, in a statement in Jos, expressed concern over Mailafia’s allegation and demanded an urgent probe to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the claim. Mailafia, who was invited by the Department of State Services over the allegation,…

•Plans to introduce rapid diagnostic test on virus after ongoing verification The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved N8.49 billion for the purchase of 12 testing equipment containing large quantities of items, including sample collection material kits to fight COVID-19. Briefing reporters at the end of the 11th virtual FEC meeting in the State House, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osage Ehanire, said the Presidential Task Force (PTF) approved the resources for the use of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). According to him, plans had been made to establish sample collection centres in each of the 774 local government…

•Assembly complex unsafe for sitting, say 17 lawmakers The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday walked back its threat to suspend the September 19 governorship election in Edo State over threats of violence, explaining that the rethink was based on the implication of a constitutional crisis such a decision would trigger, if the election is not conducted. The commission also said out of 14 items required for the preparations of the governorship election, nine had been implemented. It justified deregistration of some political parties, explaining that they have no verifiable addresses while their telephone lines were traceable to business centres.…

Even rock-solid couples are quarreling more in quarantine. The stress of living through a global pandemic with no clear end in sight while dealing with fears about our health, finances, families and the future of our country, has tensions at home running higher than usual. Maybe you’ve found yourself flipping out on your partner over a pile of dishes in the sink. That strong reaction may have less to do with the messy kitchen itself and more to do with mounting pandemic-related stress you’ve been trying to suppress, says Los Angeles marriage and family therapist Abigail Makepeace. “When you’re suppressing emotions, even a small…

Four months behind schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Champions League has reached the quarter-final stage with Paris Saint-Germain taking on outsiders Atalanta in Lisbon on Wednesday in the first game of the ‘Final Eight’. A straight knockout final tournament held in one place, akin to a World Cup or European Championship, was the only solution available to UEFA in order to complete its most lucrative club competition, suspended for five months from March until last weekend. Two-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals have been done away with, and all eight teams have come to Lisbon, where they are following strict…

President Muhammadu Buhari and State Governors on Tuesday ended their meeting on the state of the nation’s security with call for a joint strategy to bring various conflicts to an end within time limits. They also called on field commanders to take measures to protect civilian communities as a confidence-building mechanism between the military and those communities. Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja said Buhari and governors made their feelings known at the end of the virtual meeting coordinated from the State House, Abuja. The president and the governors…