Author: Chief Editor

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has revealed he “very nearly” left Stamford Bridge in January but says he now has his sights set on winning more trophies with the Premier League club. Giroud recently signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Chelsea until the end of next season. The new deal completed a sudden change of fortunes for the France international. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard had been searching for a striker in the January transfer window and Giroud, linked with a move to Tottenham, would have been surplus to requirements if a new recruit had arrived. But Lampard…

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the release of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. Justice Mohammed Liman ordered Senator Kalu’s release on Tuesday morning after listening to an application filed by the former governor. Senator Kalu, a two-term former governor of Abia State, had urged the court to set aside his conviction on December 5, 2019, by Justice Mohammed Idris. He explained that this became necessary since the Supreme Court, in its verdict delivered on May 8, 2020, held that Justice Idris gave the judgment without jurisdiction. [Channels]

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has clarified that at no time did he solicit for intervention projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Akpabio, a former Senate Minority Leader in the Eighth Senate, declared as false claims that he wrote personal letters as Senate Minority Leader, requesting for Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC) intervention projects in his senatorial district. Chairman of the Senate committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, had at a press briefing last week, brandished some letters purportedly written to him by Akpabio, that his projects should be included in the budget…

Odion Ighalo’s Chinese club, Shanghai Shenhua, yesterday admitted that the ‘uncertainty’ around when foreigners will be allowed to return to China after the coronavirus crisis played a part in their decision to allow him to extend his loan deal with Manchester United in England. Ighalo is staying at Manchester United after agreeing to extend his loan contract until the end of January 2021, the club confirmed yesterday morning. The Nigerian striker’s loan deal from Shanghai Shenhua was set to come to an end yesterday, but United have been able to extend it into next year. According to dailymail.co.uk, United will…

Depending on which website you read, Nigeria’s Wilfred Ndidi is the most sought after midfielder in world football. Reports in various sites have Ndidi’s agents discussing terms for a transfer with different football clubs, including Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris St. Germain and Tottenham. Yesterday, africanfootball.com quoted Todofichajes as claiming that Real Madrid has joined the race to sign the Leicester City midfielder, who is reportedly already talking with officials of Arsenal. According to the report, Ndidi, who is fast establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the English Premier League, has not gone unnoticed with…

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick yesterday revealed that the federation chose to stick with Gernot Rohr as Super Eagles’ coach because the German ‘earned a new deal.’ Pinnick also said the federation has mapped out plans to liaise with Rohr to make the best use of the abundant talents available to the Nigerian senior national team. Speaking during a media call yesterday, Pinnick said the NFF was looking forward to better days for Nigerian football, adding that the federation was working with its sponsors to fashion out ways of beating the dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on…

The technical crew of the Super Eagles of Nigeria has admitted newly appointed assistant coach of the team, Joseph Yobo, into its fold. The Media Officer of the team, Toyin Ibitoye, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday. Ibitoye said the former captain of the team was admitted into the crew during a meeting via video conferencing on Sunday. “Joseph Yobo was welcomed officially to the team at the meeting. “The scouts and assistant coaches were able to provide the head coach with information about all our players in Europe and draw…

Italian football federation president (FIGC) Gabriele Gravina said Monday he hoped that a small number of fans will be able to attend matches before the season finishes. “Fans in stadiums? It is my heartfelt wish to be able to see a small presence in stadium for the end of the championship,” Gravina told Italian radio. “It seems unthinkable that in a stadium with 60,000 or 80,000 seats, there is no space for a minimal percentage of spectators who can attend the match with all necessary precautions.” Italian football has been suspended since March 9 because of the coronavirus pandemic which…

Liverpool players showed their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in the United States by taking a knee around the centre circle at Anfield on Monday. Reds stars including Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold tweeted the same photograph of the squad along with the words “Unity is strength” accompanied by the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Earlier, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford said he feared society was “more divided than ever” in the violent aftermath of Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Floyd died last Monday after a white police officer held his knee on the handcuffed…

Odion Ighalo’s dream of finishing the 2019/20 season with Manchester United has been given the nod as the English team and Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua have reached an agreement to allow the Nigerian forward stay till January 31, 2021 at Old Trafford. Ighalo’s agent, Attah Aneke confirmed the good news to UK’s The Sun on Monday morning. After a permanent loan switch was frustrated by the 20 million pounds demand by Ighalo’s parent Chinese club, the former Watford striker wanted a loan extension till end of the league season but Shanghai tied that to him first signing a new deal…