Author: Chief Editor

Cedric Soares is expected to seal a move from Southampton to fellow EPL side Arsenal in the coming days. The EPL giants are also expected to confirm the permanent capture of Pablo Mari imminently. According to ESPN, EPL club Arsenal are expected to agree a permanent deal for Cedric Soares in the coming days. The Gunners have reportedly offered him a three-year contract but any deal for the Portuguese international will depend on Southampton. Soares’ deal with the Saints expires at the end of this month and his parent club will have to extend his contract first before Arsenal can make the deal permanent. While the…

Chelsea play host to Manchester City this Thursday, but which key battles will decide the outcome of the match? Raheem Sterling, Aymeric Laporte, N’Golo Kante and Kepa Arrizabalaga could play key roles. This Thursday sees a major clash in the Premier League, as Chelsea play host to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. Both sides will be gunning for a win. Chelsea are currently in fourth place and need as many points as they can muster in order to cement a Champions League spot. City, meanwhile, will be hoping to put pressure on league leaders Liverpool, even if their own title…

Gunnar Solskjaer insisted goalkeeper David de Gea is still “the best in the world”, during a passionate defence of the Manchester United star after he was heavily criticised for his performance against Tottenham Hotspur. United face Sheffield United on Wednesday as Solskjaer’s side line up at Old Trafford for the first time since winning the Manchester derby on March 8. The Reds marked their opening match since the coronavirus lockdown with a 1-1 draw away to Spurs in the Premier League on Friday but De Gea was heavily criticised by former United skipper Roy Keane for letting Steven Bergwijn’s shot…

Manchester City thrashed Burnley 5-0 at an empty Etihad to ensure Liverpool will not be able to clinch the Premier League title when they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday. However, the match was overshadowed by a banner flown over the stadium at the start of the match reading: “White lives matter Burnley”. Black Lives Matter (BLM) has been printed on the back of all shirts for the first 12 matches of the Premier League restart. Players, coaches and referees have also taken a knee before kick-off in every match to show their support for the fight against racial injustice. “I…

By Chu Maoming Within the FOCAC framework, China will cancel the debt of relevant African countries in the form of interest-free government loans that are due to mature by the end of 2020. This was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he chaired the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19 in Beijing on June 17, 2020. In his keynote speech entitled “Defeating COVID-19 with Solidarity and Cooperation” delivered at the summit, President Xi also announced that for those African countries that are hardest hit by the coronavirus and are under heavy financial stress, China will work with the…

The perennial ethnic chest-thumping and supremacy contest in Nigeria is something that is difficult to understand. It rears its head always, even without provocation. For many Nigerians, their ethnic group is only great when another ethnic group is denigrated or ridiculed. Naturally, all the ethnic groups excel in certain areas of life. Yes, some may appear to have achieved more milestones than others, but how does that warrant any chest-thumping? My people say: If a person is super big, it is only within the person’s house. Now, imagine you have N1bn and your neighbour (John) has N1m. You run your…

Tayo Oke Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki was, until June 16, 2020, the Governor of Edo State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He has resigned his membership of the party in protest at his de-selection by the party’s hierarchy. Former Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode (2015-2019), had suffered the same fate before him. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu is being threatened with the same ignominious outcome by the party in Ondo State. Obaseki’s case underlines all three and it portends ominous consequences for the APC. All three had considered themselves “performing governors”, deserving of second terms in office, but all fell…

Liverpool’s 30-year wait to win the English title could come to an end this week, but the Reds must rely on Manchester City dropping points at Chelsea. Jurgen Klopp’s men host Crystal Palace in the first Premier League game at Anfield for 110 days. A 0-0 draw at Everton in their first match for three months on Sunday means the champagne will remain on ice even if Liverpool return to winning ways. However, a victory for Klopp’s side will leave City needing to win at Stamford Bridge 24 hours later to deny Liverpool the title. Palace was the last team…

Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala scored early as Juventus put their Italian Cup final woes behind them with a 2-0 win over Bologna on Monday to move four points clear of Lazio on top of the Serie A table. Portuguese star Ronaldo had missed a penalty in the Italian Cup semi-final against AC Milan and drew a blank in the final which Juventus lost 4-2 on penalties to Napoli. But the 35-year-old made no mistake in Juventus’s first league game since beating Inter Milan 2-0 in Turin on March 8. He converted a spot-kick earned by Matthijs de Ligt after…

Barcelona and Lionel Messi who will clock 33 years on Wednesday have started negotiations over the renewal of the player’s contract, after the deadline to confirm whether the Argentine will continue at the club passed at the start of June. According to Spanish media, Marca, negotiations have taken place between club President Josep Maria Bartomeu and the player’s father, Jorge Messi, with both parties agreeing on the main terms of the contract. The club has proposed an extension of two years which the player has initially agreed to, and would mean the Argentine’s commitment to the club would be until…