Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he wants Takehiro Tomiyasu to stay.

The Japan defender is a January target for Bayern Munich.

Anthony Joshua could revisit the Rumble in the Jungle as part of an “iconic” bout around the 50th anniversary of the legendary fight, says Eddie Hearn.

Promoter Hearn says talks have taken place over the heavyweight contender fighting in Africa, and that government backing for an event is available.

Joshua, 34, has Nigerian ancestry but has never fought on the continent.

“It’s something that would be iconic for the sport,” Hearn told BBC World Service’s Newsday of the proposals.

“When we’re visiting these countries, there’s government funding to stage these events.

“Sometimes that isn’t forthcoming in all areas but there have been discussions and I think it will happen in time.”

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman contested the heavyweight world championship in Zaire – now Democratic Republic of Congo – in October 1974 in one of the greatest fights of all time.

Both men were champions during the long careers that made them legends, with Ali knocking out Foreman in the eighth round to win the WBA, WBC and Ring titles.

Joshua held the WBA belt for a combined total of almost four years and has been IBF, WBO and IBO champion, although he is currently aiming to win back the titles he failed to regain from Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia in August 2022.

[Thisday]

Popular Nigerian professional footballer, Asisat Oshoala has warned people against flooding her DMs to beg for money.

The Barcelona striker in a Snapchat post on Thursday cautioned that she would no longer condone individuals flooding her inbox with excuses like their wives just giving birth or wedding expenses.

Speaking on how much she has been of help to people, Oshoala urged netizens to make use of their common sense and set their priorities right.

“While I enjoy having fun here, there are certain things that should be common sense.

“I help a lot of people here, but there are situations I won’t condone or support, such as ‘My Wife Just Gave Birth,’ ‘I Want To Have a Wedding,’ and so on. Use your common sense. Set your priorities right,” she wrote.

[DailyPost]

Former Super Eagles number one goalkeeper and captain, Vincent Enyeama, has revealed that he lost the desire to follow the national team after he was forced to retire from the team in 2015.

Enyeama, who began his career spanning over two decades with Ibom Stars, is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers that have come out of Africa.

He made his Super Eagles debut at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and captained the team on several occasions. He won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, after winning bronze in the 2004, 2006 and 2010 tournaments.

As the Super Eagles continue to face goalkeeping problems after his exit, many fans have suggested that he be appointed a goalkeeper coach so he could mentor another shot stopper in his calibre, but Enyeama hinted that he lost touch with Super Eagles after the spat with coach Sunday Oliseh made him quit the team with 101 caps.

“Sincerely, I’ve not been following Nigerian football right from the day I left and with due respect, I was really treated like shh..,” he told Ufuoma Osusu, Hotsports executive producer in an interview.

“I mean I was treated like a piece of used material; so I decided to put a block between me and the national team and that went on for a long time. It’s now that I’m beginning to follow the goings-on from a distance.

“But I really put a stop to watching Nigerian football and the national team because I was deeply hurt. It’s now I am really becoming gradually at ease. I think I have made personal changes to move on and change chapters and pages to slowly reconcile myself with the system.

“To state the fact, I can’t really say much about the National Team and the goalkeeping and all of that because I am not watching them.”

He added that he was glad with his achievements in the sport.

“I feel accomplished. I feel very accomplished. It’s not easy to achieve the feat that I have achieved all these years. It’s not an easy feat. To God be the glory, I went through all these years, achieved the glories, achieved all the laurels, achieved everything that I’ve got and that makes me feel great.

“I had so many great moments in my career. The truth is that I can’t really specify or single out any particular one as special. But AFCON 2013 remains one of the best moments because we won that trophy and Enyimba 2003 and 2004 also paints a good memory in my career history because we emerged champions of the continent by winning the CAF Champions League twice. These are very memorable moments among other moments for me.”

[Guardian]

Nigerian duo Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have been nominated for the 2023 Globe Soccer best men and women player awards respectively. 

The nominees for the awards were unveiled on Tuesday by the organisers with the Napoli star battling 29 others for the prize.

Other nominees for the men’s award are Nicolò Barella, Jude Bellingham, Karim Benzema, Yassine Bounou, Antoine Griezmann, Ilkay Gundogan, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Robert Lewandowski.

Lautaro Martínez, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Kim Min-Jae, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, and Vinícius Jr are also in contention for the men’s best player prize for the award.

Last year, the Nigerian forward, who led Napoli to a first league title in over 30 years, got the Emerging Player of the Year gong in the Globe Soccer Awards.

Osimhen’s Year

Osimhen was ranked eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards, the highest-ever finish by a Nigerian player.

He is also in pole position to win this year’s African Player of the Year prize when the ceremony is held next year.

For the women’s category, Oshoala who won a treble with Barcelona last season including the Champions League, will battle teammate Aitana Bonmati among others.

Other nominees are Sam Kerr, Alexandra Pop, Olga Carmona, Esther Gonzalez, Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Salma Paralluelo

In the coaching category, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola headlines the list of nominees and is favourite to scoop the award after a treble-winning season with the English Premier League outfit last term.

But he has to contend with Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Lionel Scaloni, Carlo Ancelotti, Xavi Hernandez, Simone Inzaghi, Luis de la Fuente, Jonatan Giraldez, Marcel Koller and Sarina Wiegmann.

Already, online voting has started for the different categories and will run until December 7th. After this, a 30-member jury from the football industry will then pick the awardees.

The Globe Soccer Awards winners will be unveiled in a ceremony on January 19, 2024.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr next February in the Riyadh Season Cup for what could be the final showdown of the global football icons.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who joined the US squad in July and sparked a championship run in the Leagues Cup against US and Mexican clubs, is expected to meet Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Messi, 36, led Argentina to last year’s World Cup crown and has long been a rival of Portugal captain Ronaldo, 38.

Inter Miami was named the guest international side and will join Saudi Pro League sides Al-Hilal and Al Nassr in next February’s Riyadh Season Cup, but no exact dates for matches at Kingdom Arena in the round-robin competition were announced.

Miami also features Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets who combined for five La Liga crowns.

Ronaldo, a five-time Champions League winner, is joined by former Liverpool standout Sadio Mane and former Inter Milan captain Marcelo Brozovic on Al Nassr.

Al-Hilal features Brazil all-time leading scorer Neymar, who is recovering from a knee injury.

Last January, Ronaldo made his first appearance in Saudi Arabia following his move to Al Nassr with a Riyadh All-Star XI that lost 5-4 to a Paris Saint-Germain side featuring Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos.

Czech Republic coach Jaroslav Silhavy said Monday he was stepping down, only minutes after watching his side clinch automatic qualification for Euro 2024 with a 3-0 win over Moldova.

“Even though we are happy now, we had already decided before the game not to continue,” the 62-year-old coach told Czech Television in a post-match interview.

Silhavy took up the role in 2018, leading his team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 before failing to qualify for last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

The Czechs have now secured a spot at next year’s Euros in Germany but he has come under fire for the team’s lacklustre performances in Group E where they finished second behind Albania, winning only four out of eight games.

The Czech team was also hurt by last weekend’s scandal as West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal and two other players were sent home after spending Saturday night at a night club.

“The pressure was enormous, beyond comprehension at times. It was one of the factors behind our decision,” said Silhavy.

A former defender, Silhavy’s future was put in doubt after the Czechs crashed to a 3-0 loss in Albania in October.

The Czech Football Association did not fire him but trimmed his contract until November 30, with an option to continue if the Czechs qualify for Euro 2024.

Saturday’s party, however, was another nail in his coffin as Coufal, Aris Thessaloniki defender Jakub Brabec and Sparta Prague striker Jan Kuchta were photographed in a night club two days before the Moldova game.

The players apologised, but football pundits slammed the poor atmosphere in the team, pointing a finger at Silhavy.

The coach himself said the affair was “a big disappointment” as all three had been in the starting line-up for last Friday’s 1-1 draw with Poland in Warsaw.

“I won’t say whether I was successful or not,” Silhavy said on Monday.

“You can see we have done some work, we have been working here for more than five years and there’s nothing we should be ashamed of.”

He said he would travel to Germany as a fan.

“Germany is near (the Czech Republic). We will definitely go and cheer for the boys.”

AFP

Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) now Nigeria’s National Security Adviser has been very vocal lately and there may well be many out there who may be wondering why the NSA, effectively the country’s official “father of secrets” should be so loud in the public arena. The NSA in any country is an ultra-senior adviser to the President, counsellor and confidant on both domestic and foreign policies.  He is also a coordinator of the country’s security network. But there is no manual as to the style or method that any NSA brings to the office. It is simply a matter of character and choice. A National Security Adviser may choose to be in the background or opt to be vocal like Zbigniew Brzezinski of the United States, and Henry Kissinger who was both NSA and Secretary of State in his time. Kissinger was so public and vocal, he often appeared as if he was sharing power with President Richard Nixon. It looks like Nuhu Ribadu, the current National Security Adviser of Nigeria has chosen to be up-front and centre-stage and we must pay attention to what he says. In the last week alone, he has spoken twice and his statements are pungent. First, on November 13, at the annual Conference of the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Ribadu disclosed that Tinubu inherited “a bankrupt country.” The theme of the Conference was “Leveraging Defence Democracy and Regional Collaboration and Enhanced National Security”.  He told his audience: “We are facing very serious budgetary constraints. It is okay for me to tell you. It is fine for you to know. We have a very serious situation… We have inherited a very difficult country, a bankrupt country to the extent that we are paying back what was taken. It is serious.”

Ribadu repeated more or less the same concerns, a few days later at the 19^th Annual Conference of All Nigeria Editors in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State where in addressing the theme: “Stimulating Economic Growth, Technological Advancement: Role of the Media”, he called for the support of all Nigerians in eliminating all forms of insecurity. Earlier, at the Defence Chiefs Conference, he had praised the military for their patriotism which had led to a reduction in the spate of violent deaths, (from 1, 200 to less than 100 deaths), and increase in crude oil production – from 900, 000 barrels per day under Buhari to 1.7 million barrels per day under President Tinubu. He further said that the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to tackling the challenges that Nigeria faces.

It was intriguing to see Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman of the EFCC in the role of a social critic. But he wasn’t saying anything new or original. As far back as August 2016, Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had raised the alarm that the Buhari administration was running the Nigerian economy aground. He even gave six recommendations which the government of the day ignored. Seven years ago, Sanusi II also warned the government about the dangers of using foreign reserves to keep the exchange rate at its official level in the market. He said the policy would never work! Nobody listened. In more recent days, he has since reminded everyone how Buhari mismanaged Nigeria. Like Sanusi II, President Olusegun Obasanjo in the last seven years has also consistently accused the Buhari administration of spending recklessly and terribly lacking the understanding of economics. Obasanjo has not changed his mind that indeed Buhari caused Nigeria’s current economic woes due to sheer recklessness. Obasanjo and Sanusi II are not alone. In August, Senator Adams Oshiomhole also said the same thing. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy told us, also in August, that the Tinubu administration inherited a “bad” economy with an unacceptable high rate of unemployment and inflation: “We met a bad economy and the promise of Mr. President is to make it better,” he said.  

The question to ask is where was Ribadu between 2015 and 2023 under Buhari? Where was Wale Edun? Or Adams Oshiomhole, and all the self-styled economists now advising this administration? In 2019, Nuhu Ribadu was in fact the Director of Field Operations for the APC Presidential Campaign. He helped to bring Buhari back to power. Oshiomhole also campaigned for him. Were they deaf then to the protests by Sanusi II and Obasanjo that Buhari and his team were destroying Nigeria’s economy? What Ribadu, Edun, Oshiomhole and other APC figures now criticizing Buhari are doing amounts to self-indictment. They were part of the problem. And since Ribadu insists that the truth must be told: at what point did he discover the truth by the way?, let it be known that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lacks the right to moralize over the failure of the Buhari government. Did he not boast in the domain of the man he called the Eleyi of Ogun State (Governor Dapo Abiodun) that he, Tinubu was the Godfather who re-discovered Buhari, told him to stop crying, and made him President. Where was he when his chosen President was mismanaging the economy? What did he do? Now that he has taken back what he believes rightly belongs to him, he now blames the APC “John the Baptist” at the Presidential Villa.

There is this traditional folk wisdom that says you can help a man to get a job, but you cannot help him to discharge the responsibilities that come with the office, how he goes about it is his responsibility. It is just that we are shocked to hear from NSA Ribadu that Buhari left an empty treasury and ran the country aground. Buhari met a country debt profile of N12.6 billion in 2015, he left behind N87 trillion debt in 2023! By May 29, 2023, Nigeria’s inflation rate was 24%, the country was left in such a stranglehold that by October, headline inflation had accelerated to 27.33%. Food inflation is now 31.52%, unemployment rate is over 50%.  Buhari left behind a chaotic foreign exchange system, a weak, badly devalued national currency, a compromised, over-politicized Central Bank, a huge debt overhang with the debt service to revenue ratio at 98%. One of the major reasons Nigerians supported Buhari was out of the belief that as a retired Army General and a former military Head of State, he would be able to deal with the challenges of terrorism, insurgency and banditry head-long.  Ribadu who is a policeman has disclosed that he did not make much difference. Buhari adopted the strategy of pacifying and appeasing terrorists. His administration gave criminals “aso ebi.” He served them pepper soup and jollof rice, under the guise of rehabilitation. Till the last moment, the Buhari administration blamed the Jonathan administration that preceded it for all its woes. Even when it became clear that the duty of every administration was to improve on the efforts of its predecessor, and that eight years was more than enough to make a difference, Buhari and his people continued to blame Jonathan.

But here is what Karma has served: in September, Mr Wale Edun said on record that the Jonathan administration stabilized the Nigerian economy, and that the last time the Nigerian economy functioned was under Jonathan. Since he left office, President Jonathan who marked his 66^th birthday yesterday, has remained relevant. His example continues to endure as a gold standard for democratic conduct and sportsmanship. He did not play “do or die politics”.  In the face of the desperation of APC politicians who were threatening to burn down the country in 2015, if they were not allowed to take power, he decided to walk away, and said Nigeria was more important than anyone’s individual ambition. Other African leaders have followed in his footsteps: John Mahama of Ghana and George Weah of Liberia. He is today one of the most sought-after former Presidents in the world – leading election observation missions and intervening in peace building processes. I doubt if any international organization would require President Buhari’s services any time soon.

I am in fact surprised that all the spokespersons of President Buhari who used to spit fire and brimstone have moved on. Notably. where is Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the former Minister of Information? He is now a Special Adviser to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He has moved on. Femi Adesina, Presidential Spokesperson is now Vice Chairman of The Sun newspapers. He is a Pastor of the Foursquare Gospel Church. He has also taken a traditional chieftaincy title from his home town, Oluomo of Ipetumodu, in addition to chieftaincy titles he already had from Abia (Ugo Mba 1 of Isieketa) and Enugu (Nwanne di Namba of Nmaku). Pastor, multiple-Chief Femi Adesina has also moved on. In 2022, President Buhari, trying to show that he was determined to address the economic challenges that the country faced, decided to set up a Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) to replace the Economic Management Team led by then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The committee was chaired by Dr. Doyin Salami of the Lagos Business School (LBS). Members included Bismarck Rewane, CEO Financial Derivatives, Chukwuma C. Soludo, former CBN Governor and now Governor of Anambra State, Professor Ode Ojowu, Dr Mohammed Sagagi, Dr Salisu Mohammed, Iyabo Masha: all first-class brains in economics and finance. In 2022, Salami was later made Chief Economic Adviser to the President. It took President Buhari four years to set up an Economic Advisory Council and seven years to appoint a Chief Economic Adviser. Obviously, he didn’t think the economy was important as Obasanjo alleged.  Exactly what kind of advice did he receive? We may never know. His economic advisers have all melted into the folds of the Nigerian jungle where anything is possible. They are all probably waiting for the next Nigeria Economic Summit Group meeting where they can sound off about macroeconomics, scenarios, and those cliches with which textbook economics lobby for appointments. They too have moved on, in search of the next client. The only man who seems to be hanging around - our good friend Garba Shehu, also seems to have gone possum.  

After President Buhari left office on May 29, Garba Shehu stayed back to help manage communications. He was Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to President Buhari. He continues to function in that capacity in the private sphere, playing the role of an attacking midfielder in the Buhari team. Each time anybody tries to attack the Buhari record, he pounces, and provides an alternative view. One of the first pieces he wrote after May 29 was “One Hundred Days After Buhari”- an innovation in presidential communications. He has also had cause to tell us that Buhari brought Nigeria out of economic hardship, why Buhari could not remove fuel subsidy and that his boss is not responsible for Nigeria’s high inflation rate. When Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice said in an interview with Adesua Giwa-Osagie that the Buhari administration was “the most incompetent in Nigerian history led by a set of political morons”, Shehu was quick to go after Adoke with expletives.  But why has Garba Shehu not responded to NSA Nuhu Ribadu who has in fact outrightly accused the Buhari administration of theft? It has been a week since Ribadu delivered his double bombshell, and we have not heard from Garba Shehu. Is Shehu afraid of the NSA? Is he also aware that former Minister of Communications under Buhari, Adebayo Shittu has said on Channels TV: “In Buhari’s government, if you don’t go and meet him for the next four years, he would probably would not ask of you.” Engr. Shittu, he probably was not aware of your existence! Deal with that, please. However, I have seen, as of the time of this writing, a statement by Mallam Shehu on X (formerly Twitter) to the effect that President Muhammadu Buhari himself would appear on NTA Network, Monday, in an interview session titled “A Conversation with History.” The interviewer should ask him: how and why did he bankrupt Nigeria? His handlers should advise him not to come up with the jaded, contrived, response that he inherited a bad economy, which has been exposed as a blatant lie by those who should know.

This is where the Tinubu administration seems to be different.  Whereas the Tinubu team has been saying that Buhari ruined the Nigerian economy because he was the perfect clueless leader, they have also been forthright in saying that Tinubu is determined to correct whatever may have gone wrong. That is leadership. That is accountability. That is courage. In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a week ago, Tinubu said yes, he inherited liabilities but he also inherited assets. But “we do not make any excuses”. That is what Nigerians want – a leader who would “not make any excuses”. Buhari and his team spent eight years giving one excuse or the other. Throughout, they blamed President Jonathan, and hounded his team. At other times it was COVID-19. Or the President’s health. Or the Russia-Ukraine war. They even blamed the weather! Meanwhile, they abused Ways and Means and broke the law. Tinubu says he will make a difference. We expect him to do so.

It is not enough however, for the National Security Adviser to tell us that Nigerians “face a serious situation” and that “we are paying back what was taken”. If indeed, it is fine for us to know as he says, then he has to come out with the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  The country’s NSA cannot afford to sound like a social media commentator. He must back his claims with concrete evidence. For acknowledging the right of the people to know, can he please tell us: who took what away? How much was taken away? How much are we paying back? How much have we paid back so far? Who are those persons responsible for bankrupting Nigeria? By making the statements he made in Abuja and Uyo, he faces the test of transparency and accountability. Full disclosure cannot be a threat to national security. Having brought the matter to the public domain, the NSA is obliged to tell us more.

The major thing we know for now is the repeated disclosure by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy that Nigeria can no longer borrow to fund budget deficit, and that it would be unwise to borrow more when debt service to revenue ratio is 98%, and the budget as a percentage of GDP is 10%.  Edun thinks the country should focus more on revenue generation through infrastructure. He was accompanied to the Joint Senate Committee by Zach Adedeji, Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service and Ms. Patience Oniha, Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO). Patience Oniha? Yes, the same Ms. Oniha who used to tell us that there is nothing wrong with borrowing. Madam has started singing a new song…Oh la la…

A set of six jerseys that Lionel Messi wore during Argentina’s victorious 2022 World Cup run will be auctioned in December, Sotheby’s announced Monday, estimating their value at more than $10 million.

The football star donned these shirts during the first halves of the group-stage rounds against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, as well as later games against Australia, the Netherlands and Croatia — and the final against France.

Argentina’s winning run in Qatar last year was the final feather in the forward’s cap, having failed to secure the championship in four previous World Cups.

If the jerseys indeed fetch above $10 million, that could make the sale the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever auctioned off, Sotheby’s said.

The most expensive individual jersey ever sold at auction was one that basketball legend Michael Jordan wore during his NBA finals run with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.

It sold for $10.1 million last year.

Auction houses have increasingly taken note of sports memorabilia in recent years, considered a growing market.

The shirts are being brought to auction by US tech startup AC Momento, which helps athletes manage memorabilia collections.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the UNICAS Project, an initiative with a Barcelona children’s hospital that helps kids with rare diseases.

The jerseys will be available for free public viewing when they are up for auction, from November 30 to December 14.

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is set to sue the Premier League champions after claiming he is owed millions of pounds in unpaid wages.

Mendy will take City to an employment tribunal in a bid to recoup what the French left-back believes were “unauthorised deductions from wages” after he was charged with rape and sexual assault two years ago.

The 29-year-old was cleared of the rape and attempted rape charges and left City when his contract expired in June.

It is alleged City stopped paying Mendy in September 2021 after he was initially charged and held in custody.

“Nick De Marco KC… is acting for the former Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy in a multi-million-pound claim for unauthorised deductions from wages,” a statement on behalf of Mendy told Sky Sports and The Guardian.

“Manchester City FC failed to pay Mr Mendy any wages at all from September 2021, following Mr Mendy being charged with various offences all of which he was subsequently acquitted of, until the end of his contract in June 2023. The claim will come before an employment tribunal.”

In January, Mendy was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, but the jury were unable to reach verdicts on two charges, leading to a retrial.

He was found not guilty on those two charges by a jury at the retrial in July.

Mendy, who was reportedly paid around £100,000 ($125,000) per week by City, is seeking the return of pay he is owed up until the end of his contract with the treble winners.

A three-time Premier League champion with City, Mendy last played for Pep Guardiola’s team in 2021 and joined French club Lorient at the start of this season.