Super Eagles’ captain, Ahmed Musa, has slashed the price of petrol per litre at his filling station in Kano.

Naija News reports that the 30-year-old professional footballer announced the reduction of the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) via his Twitter page on Monday.

Musa revealed that the product is sold at N580 at MYCA7, his petrol station in Kano, against the N620 per litre price in the state.

“Fuel #580 @MYCA -7 Filling Station Kano,” Musa wrote on his verified Twitted page.

The footballer is presumed to have reduced the price of fuel to provide succour to vehicle owners in the state.

It was gathered that motorists and citizens of Kano have been expressing their gratituted to Musa’s gesture.

The PUNCH quoted a citizen of the state, Usman Muhammad, to have said: “It’s a welcome development; I can now save some money instead of buying at a higher cost,” after buying the fuel.

Naija News understands that Musa’s action has also sparked reactions on social media.

Curious with the announcement, a Twitter user, Scala [@lakaas123], enquired, “How manage Alhaji? N580 in Kano when not in Lagos? Are you whining us?”.

Musa, however, replied saying “That is what me I decide to sell my own.”

Musa currently plays as a forward and left winger for Turkish Süper Lig club Sivasspor and the Nigeria national team.

Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had announced an increase in the petrol pump price to N617 per litre a few days ago, a development that has caused more untold hardship for Nigerians.

Paris Saint Germain have accepted a €300 million offer to sell French striker, Kylian Mbappe to Saudi Arabian club, Al-Hilal.

According to sports journalist, Fabrizio Romano, PSG accepted the mouth-watering offer and gave the player permission to discuss personal terms with the Saudi club.

The offer which will be the world transfer record if completed includes other performance-related bonuses.

Should he accept the offer, Mbappe will become the highest paid player earning €700 million per year.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid and Arsenal are leading in the race to sign the Frenchman.

Mbappe earns around €100 million net per season. Madrid reportedly agree to pay 250 million for Mbappe.

Mbappe has for long signaled he is not interested in staying beyond the end of his current contract with the Parisians.

Al Hilal already signed Matheus Pereira from West Brom for €18.00m.

We are back with more Women’s World Cup tips as the action continues in Australia and New Zealand. Next up is Germany vs Morocco which takes place at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. 

Germany come into this clash as the number 2 side in the world rankings. It is no surprise to see them as the red-hot favourite to beat a Morocco side ranked 70 places below them. Our betting expert offers up their three best bets for this Group H clash.

Germany vs Morocco Betting Tips

• Morocco +3 Asian Handicap to win @ 8/11 with Bet9ja
• Alexandra Popp to score FIRST @ 29/10 with Bet9ja
• Under 3.25 Asian goals @ 23/20 with Bet9ja

Stubborn underdogs to make Germans work for the win

Germany have featured in every edition of the Women’s World Cup since it began in 1991 and have won it twice. Only tournament favourites USA are ranked higher than Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side hence their very short odds to open their campaign with a win.

However, there is reason to be cautious in adding the Germans on a big minus handicap to our predictions. They have lost two of their last three friendlies. Defeat to Brazil was followed by a victory over world ranked number 32 Vietnam but only by a 2-1 scoreline. 

The real shock came in their last warm up fixture. Falling to a 3-2 defeat to Zambia who at 77th are ranked four places lower than the opponents here. 

Morocco qualified after finishing as runners-up at last year’s Women’s African Cup of Nations. Taking the +3 Asian Handicap makes plenty of appeal. Meaning this bet only loses if Morocco lose by four or more goals. 

Germany vs Morocco Bet 1: Morocco +3 Asian Handicap to win @ 8/11 with Bet9ja

Take Alexandra to pop in the opening goal

Alexandra Popp missed last year’s Women’s European Championships final after injuring herself in the warm up. Prior to that the Wolfsburg hot-shot had scored in all five rounds leading to the final. Including both goals in her nation’s 2-1 win over France in the semi-final.

After returning to full fitness the 32-year-old was in prolific form domestically. Firing in a league high 16 goals from 21 Frauen-Bundesliga appearances. Also putting Wolfsburg 2-0 ahead in the Champions League final they ultimately lost 3-2.

She has showcased how she loves scoring on the big stage and she can underline her return for the national team by opening the scoring here. 

Germany vs Morocco Bet 2: Alexandra Popp to score first @ 29/10 with Bet9ja

Morocco to keep things tight against  

It was Morocco’s attacking play that caught the eye in their journey to the final of the African Cup of Nations last year. Ghizlane Chebbak ended the competition as both player of the tournament and its joint top scorer. 

Her outstanding delivery from set pieces and creativity from open play is seized upon by Rosella Ayane. Standing at 1.80m the Tottenham star is an obvious threat in the air but she also possesses great pace.

In preparation for this tournament, it seems the focus has been on defensive solidity. The Atlas Lionesses have played seven warm up internationals in 2023 conceding only four goals. Keeping four clean sheets across those fixtures too.

Determined not to start their campaign with a heavy defeat, expect Reynald Pedros’ team to work hard and keep the game as tight as possible for as long as possible. Their fate will not be decided by losing to the group favourite Germany but it could be on goal difference.

Completing our tips for this game with the selection of under 3.25 goals on the Asian line here means we only lose if there are four or more goals. Exactly three goals would see half the stake returned as a winner with the other half refunded. Fewer than three goals gives the full win. 

Germany vs Morocco Bet 3: Under 3.25 Asian goals @ 23/20 with Bet9ja

Germany vs Morocco Odds

Odds correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.

• Germany to win @  1/20 with Bet9ja
• Draw @ 45/4 with Bet King
• Morocco to win @ 28/1 with Bet9ja

[Punch]

Victor Osimhen has made a new demand to Napoli over the terms of his new contract with the club.

According to Sky Italia via The Mirror, the Super Eagles forward has demanded that a 120 million euros (approximately N105.8 billion in Nigerian currency) release clause be inserted into his new contract which is different from Napoli’s proposition.

According to the report, the Italian champions intend on inserting 200 million euros into the new deal which would make the striker become one of the most expensive footballers of all time by the time he leaves the club.

Besides the release clause which is one of the reasons a new deal has not been agreed between the Nigerian striker and the Italian giants, there is also disagreement regarding his salary.

As earlier reported, the Partenopei had offered a 7 million euros per year salary which has been deemed insufficient by Osimhen.

The existing contract of the Super Eagles forward expires in 2025 but Napoli don’t want to throw caution to the wind which explains why they want the contract extended.

While parties still have their differences over the terms of the new deal, there is optimism that an agreement will finally be reached.

Nottingham Forest signed Nigeria defender Ola Aina on a free transfer on Saturday after his departure from Torino.

Aina agreed a one-year contract with Forest as he returns to the Premier League after his spell in Italy.

Aina spent nearly five years with Torino after initially moving there on loan from Chelsea in 2018.

The 26-year-old right-back graduated from Chelsea’s youth academy and made three appearances for the Blues.

During his time with Torino, London-born Aina returned to the English capital for a loan spell with Fulham in the 2020-21 season.

He is the first signing by Forest boss Steve Cooper since the end of last season.

“I’m very excited to be here and I can’t wait to get started. I wanted to be back on English soil again and Forest is a club which has an exciting project and team,” Aina said.

“The manager as well, what he wants from the team is something which I want to buy into. He’s told me it’s a family club, he’s told me we have a great bunch of players and he’s told me I’ll enjoy it here.”

Aina, who has 17 caps for Nigeria, helped Torino to a 10th place finish in Serie A last season.

“He’s a versatile player who has good experience of the Premier League and Serie A,” Cooper said.

“He’s a really good player, but a good athlete as well. He’ll definitely make the team stronger.”

Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness has predicted the position Chelsea will finish next season on the Premier League table under their new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea finished in the second half of the Premier League table last season.

The Blues will not play European competition this 2023/24 season.

However, Souness, who believes the 2023/24 season will be difficult for Pochettino, expects Chelsea to maintain the same position this season like last term.

“It’s a very difficult job for the manager at Chelsea this year,” Souness told the Sky Bet Fan Hope Survey.

“I look at that club, and the direction they’ve gone – it just seems to be a mismatch of players that were available and very expensive.

“Chelsea was paying a premium, because of their reputation and standards. I don’t see them doing any different than they did last year.”

[DailyPost]

Hinata Miyazawa scored twice as former champions Japan smashed Women’s World Cup newcomers Zambia 5-0 in a rampant start to their campaign on Saturday.

Japan were a class above the 77th-ranked Africans, creating a slew of chances with their sharp movement and passing in a performance that will have the tournament heavyweights on alert.

Three of the goals came through sweeping upfield movements as Japan scored more than twice in a World Cup game for the first time since the 2011 tournament in Germany, when they lifted the title.

Midfielder Miyazawa bagged her first midway through the first half from an Aoba Fujino assist to put the Nadeshiko a goal up at the break.

Mina Tanaka doubled the lead from Jun Endo’s cross, bringing some relief to the forward, who found the net twice earlier in the match, only to have both strikes ruled out by belated offside rulings.

Tanaka turned provider for Miyazawa’s second goal and Endo drilled home the fourth in front of a crowd of 16,111 in Hamilton.

Substitute Riko Ueki scored the final goal from the penalty spot after she was brought down by goalkeeper Catherine Musonda in the final minute of stoppage time.

It resulted in a second yellow card for Musonda, whose replacement Eunice Sakala made a spectacular save from the spot but was ruled to have moved too early.

Ueki made no mistake with her second attempt as Japan moved to the top of Group C ahead of Spain, who beat Costa Rica 3-0 in Wellington on Friday.

A youthful Zambian side entered the tournament with high hopes after beating Germany in their final warmup game.

However, the lowest-ranked side at the 32-team tournament didn’t create a single clear chance, capping a miserable week in which key attacking midfielder Grace Chanda was ruled out of the tournament with illness.

[Vanguard]

Hublot as official timekeeper for the third consecutive edition of the tournament, and Itaú as bank supporter in Brazil were the last two commercial affiliates to join the partnership programme, taking the number of FIFA Women's World Cup supporters up to 14.

They are joined by FIFA partners Adidas, Coca-Cola, Wanda Group, Hyundai and Qatar Airways, women's football partners Visa and Xero, and nine global FIFA Women's World Cup sponsors.

FIFA has not provided a monetary value for its partnership programme, but it represents an increase from the 12 companies which held sponsorship or supporter status for the last Women's World Cup in France four years ago.

Its chief business officer Romy Gai thanked the partners for their support.

"Together, we all share a commitment to developing women’s football at every level, and everyone involved has built extensive plans to spread the word, develop the game and shine a light on the beautiful game," he said.

"This promises to be a special tournament, and I thank all of our supporters, sponsors and partners for joining us on this journey."

Chief women's football officer Sarai Bareman said "at every level, they will help us grow the game and give more women and girls the opportunity to play".

In the days leading up to the tournament, FIFA finalised deals with Mengniu Group and Booking.com as Women's World Cup sponsors and the Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) as a Women's World Cup supporter.

Chinese dairy product manufacturer Mengniu previously sponsored the men's FIFA World Cups in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, and was already a partner of China's team which is making its eighth appearance from nine editions of the women's tournament.

The Booking.com deal is expected to provide easier access to accommodation for supporters in the tournament's nine host cities, with 60,000 listed on the travel agency's platform in Australia and New Zealand.

Insurance company GEICO is set to serve as a supporter of the tournament in North America, which includes a commercial campaign with the legendary Carli Lloyd, who won two Olympic gold medals and back-to-back Women's World Cups for the United States before retiring in 2021.

FIFA has also revealed details of its plans with Visa to make the tournament in Australia and New Zealand the first-ever cashless World Cup.

It claimed this will allow fans to "benefit from the speed, convenience and security of digital payments", and Visa cardholders will receive offers including a 10 per cent discount on FIFA retail and fan festival purchases when they use Visa to pay.

Critics argue cashless retailers penalise people without access to bank accounts or debit or credit cards and fear there are risks related to privacy and cybersecurity.

Fans carrying cash at the FIFA Women's World Cup can exchange local currencies to AUD$25 (£13/$17/€15) or NZD$25 (£12/$15/€14) and AUD$100 (£52/$67/€61) or NZD$100 (£48/$62/€56) pre-paid Visa cards.

The FIFA Women's World Cup is featuring 32 teams for the first time, and is set to run until August 20.

Record-breaking ticket sales have been reported, although FIFA is believed to have fallen around $100 million (£78 million/€90 million) short of its target for broadcast rights fees.

[insidethegames]