Nigerian Mixed Martial Artist, Kamaru Usman, will face Sweden’s Khamzat Chimaev at the co-main event of UFC 294 scheduled to take place on October 21, 2023, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The late substitution was announced by UFC President, Dana White, on the championship’s social media handles Wednesday evening.

Usman nicknamed the Nigerian Nightmare, was not originally part of the UFC 294 fight card. The event was billed to feature Chimaev against Brazil’s Paulo Costa.

Following tests conducted on the fighters ahead of the Abu Dhabi showdown, Costa was deemed ineligible to compete due to an elbow injury.

Usman, who competes in the welterweight division, is now expected to make weight within the next ten days to fight Chimaev, who competes in the middleweight class.

The Edo-born mixed martial artist had impressed since signing with the UFC in 2015, going on a 19-match winning streak that saw him capture the welterweight title.

On August 20, 2022, Britain’s Leon Edwards scored a knockout with a head kick in the final minute of round 5 to end Usman’s long reign as champion in the division at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The loss ended Usman’s 19-fight winning streak that extended over nine years.

Usman has not been in any in-ring competition since losing his rematch against Leon Edwards on March 19, 2023.

Athletics Integrity Unit on Thursday slammed one of the country’s fastest sprinters ever, Divine Oduduru with a six-year ban for doping-related offences.

As contained in a press statement issued Thursday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Oduduru has been handed a six-year ban by a three-member Disciplinary Tribunal for committing two Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).

The violations include the Possession of Prohibited Substances and the Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or Method. Additionally, Oduduru has been ordered to pay World Athletics a fine of US$3000 )over N3m) to cover expenses related to the case.

The ban is retroactive, starting from 9 February 2023, the date of Oduduru’s provisional suspension – and extends until February 8, 2029.

Furthermore, all of Oduduru’s results from 12 July 2021, to the date of his provisional suspension have been disqualified.

According to the AIU statement on Thursday, the case unfolded as part of a criminal investigation into Eric Lira, the first person to plead guilty under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act for providing performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The US Department of Justice’s initial complaint, issued in January 2022, referred to two athletes, “Athlete-1” and “Athlete-2.” The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) identified “Athlete-1” as Blessing Okagbare, who faced an 11-year ban last year, and, following an interview with Oduduru, concluded that he was “Athlete-2.”

Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “We are very pleased with the outcome of this matter, given its particularly grievous nature, exposing the sinister collusion between athletes and other persons in deliberate plans to corrupt athletics at the highest level.”

Clothier emphasised the AIU’s commitment to uncovering cheats and acknowledged the cooperation with investigative organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the United States Department of Justice, whose legal reach provided crucial evidence in both Oduduru’s and Okagbare’s cases.

The panel found Oduduru guilty of Possession of a Prohibited Substance and Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance, treating them as a single first violation.

The mandatory four-year ban for the combined violation was extended by an additional two years for Aggravating Circumstances.

The panel justified the longer ban by citing Oduduru’s involvement in a scheme with a teammate to procure multiple non-specified Prohibited Substances to influence athletic competitions.

Oduduru, who turned 27 on 7 October, maintained his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him.

The AIU’s case relied on WhatsApp messages between Okagbare and Lira, revealing Oduduru’s solicitation of Prohibited Substances and photographic evidence of these substances in his Florida apartment.

The substances found included human growth hormone (Somatropin), synthetic Insulin Growth Factor (IGF LR3), and recombinant erythropoietin (EPO).

The panel considered it an extraordinary coincidence that these substances precisely matched those requested by Okagbare from Lira for both herself and Oduduru.

The panel concluded that Oduduru was in constructive possession of the Prohibited Substances based on the circumstances surrounding their discovery in his exclusive control.

Despite the ban and the damning evidence, Oduduru maintained his innocence, and the fallout from this scandal is set to have lasting repercussions on his athletic career and the broader integrity of track and field competitions.

World Athletics (WA), yesterday, unveiled the names of nominees for Women’s Athlete of the Year 2023, but the name of 100m hurdles record holder, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, is missing from the lot.

Amusan, who is Nigeria, Africa and Commonwealth champion in the 100m hurdles, made history last year when she became the first Nigerian athlete to be nominated for the honour.

She eventually made it to the final five, before losing out to then World 400m hurdles champion and record holder, Sydeny McLaughlin.

With Amusan’s failure to successfully defend her world title at Budapest 2023 World Championships, following the emotional trauma she went through over her provisional suspension for three Whereabouts Failures, it was glaring her successful Diamond League defence would not be enough to get into the list unveiled by World Athletics.

The 11 nominees are headlined by five world record breakers, led by Kenya’s World 1500m and 5000m champion, Faith Kipyegon, who set three world records in 2023 in the 1500m, one mile and 5000m.

Others are Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who set a world marathon record and won the Berlin Marathon, flying Dutchwoman, Femke Bol, who set a world indoor record in the 400m flat and won the world title in the 400m hurdles and Maria Perez, 20km and 35km race walk world champion, who set a world record in 35km race
walk.

Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay completes the list of world record holders among the nominees. The world 10,000m champion broke Kipyegon’s 5000m world record on her way to winning the event at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Others listed are Shericka Jackson, the Jamaican world 200m champion and double sprint Diamond League winner; Japan’s world and Diamond League javelin champion, Haruka Kitaguchi, Yaroslava Mahuchikh who won the high jump title in Budapest and Eugene.

Also listed are world and Diamond League triple champion, Yulimar Rojas; Sha’Carri Richardson, the American who won the 100m title at the Worlds and Bahama’s Winfed Yavi, who won the 3000m steeplechase title in Budapest and Eugene.

[Guardian]

UEFA on Thursday announced the Euro 2024 qualifier between Kosovo and Israel, scheduled for Sunday, had been postponed because of the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

“Israeli authorities currently do not allow their national team to travel abroad,” UEFA, European football’s governing body, said in a statement.

“A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.”

UEFA had already postponed on Sunday, the day after the surprise offensive launched by Hamas, “all matches scheduled” in Israel “in the next couple of weeks”.

The governing body has rescheduled Israel’s match against Switzerland match, originally scheduled for this Thursday, for Wednesday November 15 with the venue still to be determined.

Israel’s European Under-21 Championship matches have also been postponed along with an Under-17 mini-tournament in which Israel was due to take part.

[Vanguard]

Former Manchester United striker, Louis Saha, has hit out at the club’s summer signing Mason Mount, insisting that the former Chelsea star is not performing for the Red Devils.

Saha, who claimed he has not seen enough of Mount this season, wants Man United to sign Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma in the next transfer window.

“Man Utd are relying on one or two players to create, and I have not seen enough of Mount yet,” Saha told King Casino Bonus.

“His creativity is nowhere to be seen. I didn’t see any positive runs from him against Brentford. His timing is off, too, and he can’t make chances by playing like this.

“I hope that the players find their groove, and once they do, they will be hard to play against. They have the energy, and when players like Bruno Fernandes start making those passes, I will be more confident in Man Utd.

“I’d say, based on what we’ve seen, Mount isn’t performing and I’ve seen Casemiro play more offensively than Mount. That’s a crazy thing to say, but it’s true.’

He added, “I would like to see Mitoma arrive at Old Trafford. He’s a very exciting player and he never seems to have any doubt on the ball.”

[DailyPost]

Saudi Arabia announced it took the second step to bid for the 2034 World Cup by submitting a letter of intent to host the event to world soccer governing body Fifa on Monday.

“Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup, and this official submission continues our journey to make the dreams of our people a reality,” Yasser Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation SAFF said in a statement.

“We are extremely committed to presenting the most competitive bid possible that will also help unite the world through football,” he added.

SAFF said that once they declared their intention on Wednesday to bid for the tournament, “over 70 Fifa Member Associations from across different continents have publicly pledged their support for the Kingdom.”

Last week, Fifa named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.

Spain Call Up Fati, Zaragoza To Replace Pino

Spain selected Ansu Fati and Bryan Zaragoza to replace the injured Yeremy Pino for upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers on Monday.

Granada winger Zaragoza, 22, scored twice in his team’s 2-2 draw against champions Barcelona in LaLiga on Sunday, earning his first international call-up.

“Barca players congratulated me a lot (on the performance)… and told me to stop running in the middle of the game,” Zaragoza told DAZN.

Brighton forward Ansu Fati, on loan from Barcelona, was not selected by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for the previous qualifying wins over Georgia and Cyprus in September.

Fati’s last appearance for Spain came in June in the Nations League final victory over Croatia, when he came on as a substitute for Pino.

Villarreal winger Pino suffered a hamstring injury during his side’s 2-1 defeat by Las Palmas on Sunday.

Spain, second, will face Group A leaders Scotland on Thursday before visiting third-place Norway on Sunday.

[Leadership]

When in 1992, James Carville, Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist uttered the quip on television: “It’s the economy, stupid”, little could he have realized that he had pronounced a phrase that would reverberate beyond the United States and become a benchmark in other presidential campaign processes. Carville spoke in the context of the 1992 US Presidential campaign by the Democrats against incumbent President George H. W. Bush, that is Bush, the father. As a strategist for Bill Clinton, he merely played up the recession in the United States. He talked about change vs more of the same, the economy and healthcare.

The phrase has caught on since then, not just in the United States but across the world and applied instructively to anything that is considered of high priority. Carville, now 78, in at least one interview is now wondering why President Biden’s approval ratings remain so low despite the fact that unemployment in the United States is at an historic low and inflation is on a downward trend. The economy seems to be doing well under Biden, but it has not increased ratings. The paradox speaks to a certain disconnect, reasons for which may have to be sought elsewhere. What cannot be controverted however is that economic performance is directly linked to the people’s well-being, and the spread of prosperity. In the United States, many Presidents were punished for failing to get the economic framework right: Jimmy Carter, George W. H. Bush. The role of the economy in elections, and government’s performance would always be a major issue, and in that regard, James Carville may be rest assured that he has added a phrase into leadership and governance that may well ring true for all times. The state of the economy determines the people’s level of happiness, the opportunities that are available to them and their capacity for self-belief and actualization. Even in the United States, there is currently a raging debate about Bidenomics between the Republicans and the Democrats, coloured as expected, by partisan interests. The times keep changing but concerns about the economy remain crucial.

And that leads us to the relevant question here: how is the Nigerian economy faring under Tinubu, five months after the assumption of office? Are we better today than we were under President Muhammadu Buhari, the man who has been described as the perfect exemplification of the words “slow” and “clueless”. Nigerians oftentimes do not know what is good for them. They voted for the same man twice and kept him in office for eight years and there are millions out there who believed and may still believe that he was the best choice for Nigeria. I am worried, and for this reason, by the year 2035, Nigeria’s population would have increased to about 400 million. This may translate into an exponential increase in the population of stupid people who can be led by the nose by deceit and propaganda. It is the country that will suffer. In the 2023 general elections, then came along a certain Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the platform of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), who fought a valiant battle to win his party’s ticket, backed by the slogan that having made other persons king of Nigeria (notably Buhari), it was his turn to sit on the throne. He did not quite have the express support of the incumbent President, but in the end, he not only got the ticket, he won the election, with more than 8 million votes - one of the lowest margins since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999. The President’s campaigners sold the narrative that he turned Lagos around, increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), built infrastructure, and mastered political engineering. Reminded again and again, that Lagos is not Nigeria, Tinubu’s strategists told us not to worry. They talked about the possibility of hope being restored. So, today, we ask: how market? How is it going? Five months down the line. Our primary focus is the economy.

Not enough attention is being paid to this very important subject, at the moment, by the way, in part because there has been so much engrossment with politics and other matters. The pursuit of the controversy about President Tinubu’s credentials by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Atiku Abubakar in a foreign jurisdiction, has been the subject of attention in addition to concerns in the Southern part of the country about the controversial death of Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, in itself a very bad and needless distraction that should never have occurred. While distractions in politics and society may serve the sitting government well, nothing is taken away from the fact that the economy is tanking and the people are suffering. On top of it all, I have raised the alarm elsewhere that the President appears to be absent. The Presidency is not a job where the holder of the office can appear and disappear at will. He must be present, always. I have not seen Mr. President in any public capacity in one week, and I think Nigerians have a duty to ask after his whereabouts. If the American President disappears for three days from the news in America, even the stock exchange will be affected. I once wrote a piece referring to a book by Matthew Algeo titled “The President is a Sick Man”. The subject of the book was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th American President who disappeared briefly to have a secret surgery at sea in July 1893 on a friend’s yacht. A journalist, E. J. Edwards exposed the President. Cleveland’s political career was built on the mantra: “Tell the truth”, but he failed at that moment to tell the truth, act honestly, about his own circumstances thus creating a conflict between politics, medicine and journalism. E.J. Edwards, the journalist was disgraced and dismissed as a liar but he was vindicated more than 20 years later when the truth came out. Cleveland disappeared for only five days to treat a cancerous tumour.

Matthew Algeo’s book tells the full story. In contemporary times, if the American President were to disappear from public view for just two days, the American stock market would have issues. It is a measure of the kind of system that we run around here that Nigerians would not see their President for days and they would be comfortably obsessed with tittle-tattle. I have not seen my President since he returned from Paris and he made an appearance on October 1. No Federal Executive Council Meeting. Why? Three additional Ministers have been cleared by the Senate. They are yet to be sworn in. Why? The Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) Board has been cleared by the Senate. Yet to be sworn in. Why? So, what’s next? Where is the President? This columnist hopes fervently that he will show up tomorrow at the Federal Executive Council Meeting, and not be represented again by his Deputy who has been more visible in action in recent times than his principal. This was how President Buhari once disappeared for more than seven months and we all accepted that anomaly, and simply moved on. It must not become a tradition in this country that a President can just disappear and show up at will. The Presidency of Nigeria is a full-time job, not a part-time assignment.

What suffers with a President playing possum is the economy and the people’s welfare. It will be recalled that on May 29, 2023, the day the President assumed office, one of the major highlights of his speech was that fuel subsidy was gone. He promised to reform the economy and make Nigeria a major investment destination. He also promised to fix Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis, and in that wise, the country’s dual exchange rate was abolished, the Naira was devalued, the then Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele was arrested and detained. All of those initial steps taken by the President have failed more or less, leaving Nigerians in greater difficulty. Five months later, Nigerians are still searching for the hope that they were promised. They are forlorn. The removal of fuel subsidy has moved the pump price of petrol (PMS) from N186 in May to over N500 and as high as N617 in July. What is quoted is the fact that there is no provision in the 2023 Appropriation Act for subsidy beyond June 1, 2023, and the fact that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) states that petroleum prices must be determined by market forces. Our neo-liberal economists praised these forces to high heavens. By August 2023, the landing cost of PMS had risen to about N720 per litre. The same government saying that fuel subsidy had gone has since been forced to provide subsidy. Please what happened to the market forces? The situation is likely to get worse with the on-going Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in about a 4% jump in the spot price of Brent Crude and WTI. Nigeria imports finished products because all of its refineries are not working. Marketers have had to halt imports, resulting in queues at fuel stations in many parts of the country, and complaints by oil marketers about NNPCL monopoly. Could it be that the President did not understand the situation before he said subsidy was gone? Shouldn’t the President come clean and announce subsidy is back and his administration has had to reverse itself?

We also need to know what is going on with the harmonization of the foreign exchange regime. Since the introduction of that policy, the Naira has been devalued by more than 40%, such that the biggest challenge that Nigeria faces today is how to save the Naira. If the Tinubu administration hoped to close the gap between the official and parallel windows, it has achieved the exact opposite and created more opportunities for arbitrage. The Naira today is almost N1, 000 to the dollar, and over N1, 250 to the pound sterling. It is rated among the lowest currencies in Africa. Everyone is groaning, including manufacturers and employers of Labour. Godwin Emefiele, former CBN Governor, was suspended and detained, an acting Governor, Folashodun Shonubi was appointed, later replaced by Yemi Cardoso as substantive Governor, yet Nigeria’s monetary policy remains chaotic. Virtually every post-Emefiele policy move under Shonubi’s interregnum failed. The standard excuse was that Nigeria was facing a supply of forex problem until we all found ourselves in a situation where nobody could function again and the entire economy was thrown into a dysfunctional mode. The CBN even said it was entering into an alliance with oil majors and Fintechs to assist with forex supply. It didn’t work. NNPCL, Nigeria’s oil and gas behemoth also waded in, with a crude oil for cash swap with AFREXIM Bank. No result! Why should anyone expect any result in an unproductive economy? Countries earn forex by being productive. Nigeria is one vast consumption destination, a dumping ground.

It is therefore the reason no one should be surprised that in the recent Capital Importation Report, by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), it was disclosed that the country’s total capital importation dropped by 9.04% in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, that is within six months, amounting to a drop of 32.90% year on year. In the report, 28 states of the Federation did not attract any foreign investment in six months, an alarming indication of the economic crisis at Nigeria’s sub-national levels. These states exist just to collect their shares from the monthly Federation Allocation Account. They lack the capacity to produce despite all that talk about how Nigeria is richly endowed and every state is flowing with resources. Petrol dollar which accounts for 40% of GDP, 98% of foreign exchange earnings, and 76% of country revenue has made everyone lazy and has turned crude oil into Nigeria’s biggest curse. The eight states that have received foreign investments according to the report are of varying value: Lagos – 69%, Federal Capital Territory – 28%, but a state like Ondo got just a meagre $200, 000. What is the matter with Ondo State, for example? Why would any foreigner invest there? This is a state that is bogged down by sheer irresponsibility, mindless politicking, absenteeism, physical and psychological, and a governance mind-set that belongs more to the paleolithic age. Those who claim to speak for the confusion in that state are so dumb and so poorly educated they merely misrepresent their own unimaginative narrative. Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the APC and former Governor of Kano State, whose own state is as much a victim of bad politics, now says he wants to help resolve the infantile Governor vs Deputy Governor politics in Ondo State. How? We may again and again focus on the Federal Government, but what goes on at the sub-national level is enough to generate outrage, given the fact that it is the people who suffer from the reduction of governance to a circus.

Senator (Mrs) Remi Tinubu the First Lady of Nigeria has been quoted as saying that nobody should hold her husband responsible for Nigeria’s problems because he is not a magician, he is just a man who inherited the failures of past administrations. I have had cause to praise Mrs. Tinubu for her grace and elegance and the dignified manner in which she has supported her husband. But she must restrain herself from getting directly involved in core governance and policy issues. Otherwise, each time she jumps into the arena, she would have the likes of Garba Shehu giving her a back-hand slap to tell her to get back quickly to the famous other room as Shehu did rather impudently, recently. Nigerians voted for her husband, not her. She must learn to strike a balance. Besides, all the Tinubu sons and daughters trying to treat Nigeria and the Presidency like a family heirloom must back off, and stop pushing themselves in our faces. We have the Vice President, Kashim Shettima who is constitutionally empowered to act on the President’s behalf but even he must be sure of what he says. Going to Lokoja, Kogi state, the other day, to make empty promises with Ajaokuta Steel Company – to create 500, 000 jobs - is one of the most curious empty promises in recent times, based on complete lack of knowledge at the highest levels. VP, you can’t create 500, 000 jobs by merely talking about it at a political rally.

President Tinubu must show up and take charge, not episodically, or through hurriedly arranged photo-ops but every day of the week. He has been employed for the job. He must show up each time Nigerians check the attendance register, except otherwise determined by exceptional circumstances and even at that, we have the right to know.

Former England and  Manchester United midfielder David Beckham is touted to make a sensational return to the Premier League club in an ambassador role if Sheikh Jassim buys the club from the Glazers, according to talkSPORT.

There are speculations the banker is vying with Sir Jim Ratcliffe to buy the Red Devils.

Beckham spent 11 years in the United first-team from 1992 to 2003, before he was sold to Real Madrid.

However, his relationship with Qatar dates back to 2013, when he signed a short-term contract with QSI-owned Paris Saint-Germain.

The 48-year-old was also a guest at Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday night and had an ambassadorial role at the 2022 World Cup in the Gulf state.

[Newsguru]

THREE England-based players, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina and Jamilu Collins, have all withdrawn from the Super Eagles squad for the friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique in Portugal, the Nigerian national team confirmed today.

The Super Eagles face Saudi Arabia on Friday and Mozambique next Monday, with both matches to be held in Portimao, Portugal.

Nottingham Forest pair Awoniyi and Aina have been replaced with Tyrone Ebuehi and Sadiq Umar respectively, while Chidozie Awaziem comes in for Cardiff City defender Collins.

Both striker Awoniyi and defender Aina missed recent Premier League fixtures for Forest with injuries.

Awoniyi missed Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace with a knock while Aina was not in the squad for the 1-1 draw with Brentford on October 1 and Saturday’s clash.

On his part, left-back Collins, who has made nine appearances in the Championship this season after recovering from a long-term injury, played all 90 minutes on Saturday as Cardiff drew 1-1 with Watford.

The Super Eagles players are expected to arrive in Faro, Portugal from tomorrow for the games.

The Nigeria Football Federation says the friendlies have been arranged as tune-up games for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The three-time African champions begin the race by hosting Lesotho in Uyo on November 17 before travelling away to play Zimbabwe four days later.

[NaijaNews]