Author: Chief Editor

Iker Casillas revealed a regret about the way he said goodbye to Real Madrid as he promised to return. The great Spanish goalkeeper played his final match for Madrid five years ago this weekend, leaving the club to join Porto. He left at the age of 34 after a 16-year first-team career at the Santiago Bernabeu, but to this day Casillas is sorry for the solitary nature of his exit. “I’ve rarely spoken about my departure from Real Madrid,” Casillas wrote on Instagram. “I gave a press conference alone, a mistake, and I left. Five years have passed since then.…

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned about the motives of foreign investors in French football, suggesting a commission should be set up to ensure they are not solely seeking to make money. Former Arsenal boss Wegner, who now works as FIFA’s chief of global football development, believes an increase in purchases from overseas sources can have a negative effect on the game if not monitored closely. Marseille, Bordeax and Le Havre all have American owners, while Toulouse – who were relegated to Ligue 2 following the decision to abandon the 2019-20 top-flight campaign – are in talks with an…

Sweet-toothed striker Timo Werner bagged a hat-trick as RB Leipzig thrashed Mainz 5-0 on Sunday to climb back to third in the Bundesliga and keep their dwindling title hopes just about alive. When asked how he would celebrate, Werner, 24, told reporters “there will definitely be some sweets involved”. Julian Nagelsmann’s side sit seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich ahead of the reigning champions’ top-of-the-table clash against second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. Leipzig bounced back from their draw with Freiburg last weekend in their first match since the coronavirus lockdown in style, with Werner moving to within three goals of…

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has called on the Federal Government to discontinue the school feeding program forthwith as it has become a conduit pipe being used to siphon billions of Naira from the national purse. This is coming against the background of claims by some Northcentral States that they were neglected in the distribution of palliatives from the Federal Government. The national President of the forum Dr. Pogu Bitrus who spoke to the Guardian exclusively over the weekend challenged the Government on the need to rather empower Nigerians to cater for the needs of their families. “To promote the…

It is indeed inscrutable that government’s projection to end gas flaring over the years has failed due to several factors. But huge revenue expected from penalty payments by the oil and gas companies appears to be the focal point now to the detriment of the environment, which should be the main concern of all stakeholders. That would be unfortunate if non-compliance with approved standard procedures of oil exploitation becomes a major revenue source. The foregoing is against the backdrop of the recent declaration that gas flare penalty payments by oil and gas companies will increase to N103.51 billion this year,…

By Martins Oloja When a leader encourages the culture of impunity, the society is lost and it makes the work harder for the rest of us (Wole Soyinka) The powerful feed ideology to the masses like fast food while they dine on that most rarefied delicacy: impunity. (Naomi Klein) Nothing’s as dangerous as power with impunity. (Isabel Allende) But if the laws are to be so trampled upon with impunity, and a minority is to dictate to the majority, there is an end put at one stroke to republican government, and nothing but anarchy and confusion is to be expected thereafter.…

An unnamed Bournemouth player has tested positive for COVID-19, the Premier League club announced Sunday, becoming the eighth case involving an English top-flight club. Bournemouth added the player’s identity would not be disclosed due to “medical confidentiality” and that he would self-isolate for seven days. “Following strict adherence to the Premier League’s return to training regulations, the club’s training ground remains a safe working environment for players and backroom staff, who will continue to be tested for Covid-19 twice per week,” said south coast side Bournemouth in a club statement. The Premier League announced Saturday that there were positive tests…

Borussia Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc confirmed Saturday that Mario Goetze, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, will leave at the end of the season. “We will stop working together with Mario Goetze in the summer,” Zorc told Sky before Saturday’s Bundesliga game away to Wolfsburg. “It is a joint decision after a constructive conversation. Mario is a really good guy.” The decision caps a frustrating season for the 27-year-old attacker, who has made only five league starts this term. Goetze wrote himself into German football folklore by volleying home a cross during extra time…

The French Football League (LFP) on Saturday set August 23 as the provisional date for the start of the next Ligue 1 season. They are waiting on the outcome of UEFA’s June 17 meeting on new dates for postponed European competitions before confirming the proposed launch of the 2020-21 campaign. But the LFP on Saturday said that after talks with broadcasters, and leaving aside for now announcing specific match dates, “the start of season dates can be set on August 22 for Ligue 2 and August 23 for Ligue 1”. Ligue 1 was the first major European league to call…

Mauricio Pochettino says returning to the Premier League is his “priority”, stating he is eager to manage again six months after being sacked by Tottenham. The 48-year-old transformed Spurs’ fortunes during his five-and-a-half-year reign but failed to win a trophy and was sacked less than a year after leading them to the Champions League final. The Argentine has now ended his six-month “gardening leave”, meaning he is free to join another club. He has been heavily linked with Newcastle if their proposed Saudi Arabia-backed takeover goes through, while speculation over the Manchester United job has never gone away. “After six…