The names of the top three nominees for the 2022/23 UEFA Men's Player of the Year award have been revealed.

Manchester City stars, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and and former PSG and now Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi are the three nominees for the 2022/23 Men’s Player of the Year Award.

“UEFA has announced the names of the top three nominees for the 2022/23 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award,” the statement reads.

According to UEFA, its technical study group made the shortlist based on the performance of players in the 2022/23 season.

Performances for both club and country were considered.

The group trimmed the nominees to three via the votes of a jury consisting of coaches of clubs that participated in the group stage of European club competitions last season.

National team coaches and selected journalists’ groups completed the jury.

The winner will be announced at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, on Thursday, August 31.

Fulham are reportedly considering a surprise transfer move for Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, which could be worth as much as £50million.

The USA international impressed on loan at Reims last season, enjoying a prolific campaign in Ligue 1, but he faces plenty of competition for a place in Mikel Arteta’s squad, so could be on the move this summer.

According to the latest from the Daily Mail, Fulham are considering spending as much as £50m on Balogun as they look for a replacement for Aleksandar Mitrovic up front.

The Mail also claim Fulham have asked Manchester United about Eric Bailly, who has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford.

If Arsenal could receive as much as £50m for a backup player who developed in their academy, that would surely be very hard to turn down.

Balogun impressed on loan at Reims last season as he scored 22 goals and he could now depart permanently.

So far in this transfer window, Fulham have brought in Raul Jimenez, Calvin Bassey, and Adama Traore.

Manchester City's Treble-winning trio Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and John Stones were nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. They are joined on the six-player shortlist for the accolade by Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard with former Tottenham striker Harry Kane also making the list.

Haaland is the favorite to claim the peer-voted award after he broke the Premier League single-season goalscoring record with 36 goals in 35 matches.

That was part of 52 scored overall by the Norwegian in all competitions as City claimed an historic triple of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

De Bruyne, the PFA Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021, supplied 18 assists and seven goals in the league to propel City to a third straight title.

Around 450 million girls around the world are excluded from sport. But we know that sport teaches vital lessons, from perseverance to resilience, confidence, integrity and teamwork among many others. All of which set young people up for life. And when girls are excluded from sports, they are also excluded from learning these lessons.

This FIFA Women’s World Cup there’s a new team to support that is fighting female exclusion from sport.

To mark the tournament, 180 Amsterdam has partnered with NGO Game of Our Lives to launch a new team, She Has Fire, to encourage everyone to sign up to fight for the inclusion of girls in sport.

Game of Our Lives (GOL) is a gamified impact platform where sports stars take on the role of social activists championing a cause alongside their fans. The She Has Fire team is being led by Nadia Nadim, the Danish footballer, doctor and Afghani refugee and supported by England footballers Nikita Parris and Gemma Bonner, Carson Pickett (USA), Savannah De Melo (USA), Wang Shuang (China), Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria) and Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa). 

The team’s launch is being marked by the creation of a new football kit that highlights the hidden lessons girls learn when they play sport. In short, it’s a lesson plan for the world, that happens to be on a football shirt.

The shirt, and accompanying film, have been created to help support the She Has Fire team; to encourage everyone to sign up, pledge their support and also learn how they can help to ensure all girls can play sport, wherever they are in the world. 

Hidden on the design of the football shirt are the ten sport-centric lessons that every girl should have the opportunity to learn through sport. From a distance, the tiny printed lessons look like the shirt’s pattern, an open book. It’s only when you come up close that you can read each lesson.

Dylan Ingham, co-founder of the Game of Our Lives Foundation said, “The FIFA Women’s World Cup this year is a vital moment for women in sports. We need everyone to join She Has Fire to help us end the exclusion of girls in sport and empower the next generation. Because the lessons girls learn on the pitch enable them to become women who lead off it.”

Kika Douglas, CCO of 180 Amsterdam added, “Stepping onto a field or into a meeting room like you belong there is exactly how you convince your doubters that you do. Sport is an essential part of how young people grow but too often girls are shut out of this space. We’re so pleased to have been able to work with a female-led team to create something that will amplify the issue and encourage people to pledge their support to ending the exclusion of girls in sport.”

The 10 lessons hidden on the shirt are confidence, goal-setting, determination, resilience, mental agility, accountability, integrity, clear communications, teamwork and discipline. These lessons, hidden in plain sight, are a social invitation, designed to raise awareness and encourage people to support the fight to end the exclusion of girls from sport. 

A short film, ‘Lessons’, amplifies the She Has Fire launch by detailing each of these lessons and championing the women who support them. It was directed by Iman Whitfield and produced by Eye Force. An accompanying social campaign features the stories of women who have become leaders by playing sport.

Following this July’s event in Australia and New Zealand, the She Has Fire campaign, and shirts, will continue to carry the message into different parts of the world. 

[lbbonline]

FC Barcelona’s insistence on finding a suitor for Clement Lenglet this summer has seen them engage in negotiations with a number of clubs.

Initially, the plan was for the Catalans to offload Lenglet permanently to Tottenham, where he spent a season on loan, but a stark difference in the player’s valuation meant the move kept stalling.

Then Al Nassr entered the picture with hopes of securing another European talent, but the centre-back’s delay in making a decision meant the club went looking for other options, eventually entering talks for Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte.

Saudi club tempts Lenglet with €12m net salary

Now, it is being reported by Gerard Romero that a Saudi Arabian club is offering €12 million per year in net salary to Lenglet.

While the player has doubts as he desires to continue in Europe among the elite footballers, he is gradually beginning to ‘open the door’ to the Saudi path.

Barcelona have made their stance clear on Lenglet, with the club already overbooked in defence.

Xavi does not have Lenglet in his plans for the new season and sees him as a disposable asset.

Lenglet, recognizing the minimal interest he is garnering from European sides that are willing to pay Barcelona’s valuation of €15 million, is showing signs of acceptance of the Saudi route.

Moreover, staying in Catalonia appears unfeasible owing to the exclusion he faces from the squad.

The clock is ticking, and the transfer window is nearing its end.

Lenglet will be obliged to take a decision soon and unless a European club comes calling, the French defender will have to cut his losses and take his talents to Saudi Arabia.

[barcauniversal]

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson has accused Chelsea of 'deliberately ignoring' the Premier League's profit and sustainability guidelines amid the London club's continued spending. 

Monday's £115million purchase of Moises Caicedo took the Blues' outlay on new talent to over £800m in the three transfer windows since a Todd Boehly-led consortium purchased the club in 2022. 

Chelsea have spent more than every club in LaLiga in that period and have only narrowly been outspent by the 18 clubs in Germany's top-flight. 

This has led to questions about how the Premier League outfit have been able to enjoy such an extraordinary splurge while adhering to the league's financial rulings that allow teams to incur loses no greater than £105m across a rolling period of three seasons. 

Borson -  a former banker and current lawyer with extensive knowledge Financial Fair Play - believes the Blues are knowingly flaunting guidelines after Boehly 'overpaid' in acquiring the club for £4.3billion last May.

'You're talking about a club that's never made a profit in 20 years,' Borson told talkSPORT. 'They have historically operated at a loss and filled that gap by selling footballers. 

'Then what's happened is Todd Boehly's come along and I just want to say very clearly [he] knows exactly what he's doing. Nobody would deny the quality of his team, of the individual. There's no question.

'There's nothing that any of us can say on the outside that they haven't thought about and that's why I posit that this is all part of a strategy. 

'To deliberately ignore the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules in order to accelerate the success of Chelsea. 

'That's partly because we all know in the background that Boehly, for all of his business success and wealth, has overpaid for Chelsea by a very considerable amount. 

'It happens. Wealthy people sometimes make mistakes and he's made a mistake in terms of what he paid for the club. He now wants to accelerate the success of the club. '

As in seasons gone by, the Stamford Bridge outfit have successfully used player sales to fuel their purchases. Nine first team players have left the club for a fee this summer, while a further eight departed at the end of their contract which freed up funds in their wage bill. 

Owing to Boehly's knowledge of the US sports market, where he has flourished as the owner of MLB outfit the LA Dodgers, Chelsea have become the poster child for amortisation. 

The accounting process by which club's are able to spread the cost of purchases over the length of a player's contract, while including the full sum of a sale in that year's books. 

This tactic has seen the side agree extended terms with several recent arrivals. Caicedo, the most recent example, agreed an eight-year contract with an option for a further 12 months. 

Though, according to reports, it may not be a technique the club will be able to exploit for much longer. As Mail Sport earlier reveled, the Premier League are considering closing the loophole. 

'This hasn't been discussed formally,' one league source said. 'This hasn't been discussed formally, but is something we will look at. Alignment with UEFA rules would make sense for all parties. 

'The only club currently handing out eight-year contracts on a regular basis is likely to be involved in UEFA competitions soon, as are any others that follow suit.'

[DAilymail]

Tottenham striker Richarlison will refuse to shake Michail Antonio's hand when he plays against West Ham this season. The Brazilian has seemingly not forgotten comments made by his rival last term.

Antonio poked fun at Richarlison on his podcast last season. The Brazilian scored just one legitimate Premier League goal in his debut campaign.

However, he would have scored more if it wasn't for VAR intervention. Speaking on The Footballer's Football Podcast alongside Newcastle striker Callum Wilson in May, Antonio joked: "He's scored four times this season.

"Three of the times he has been offside. He has taken his top off four times this season."

The pair laughed, with Wilson adding: "He's got four yellows. He's almost on a suspension!"

The public mocking of Richarlison didn't go down well with Tottenham interim boss Ryan Mason. And Richarlison clearly hasn't taken too kindly to the comments either.

Antonio has revealed that he has spoken to Hammers team-mate Lucas Paqueta, who plays alongside Richarlison for Brazil. And he claims that the former Everton star plans to snub Antonio when their two teams meet in early December.

Asked if Spurs need to sign a striker after Harry Kane's departure, Antonio said on the podcast: "I am no longer commenting on Richarlison. It’s got to the stage where I feel that some people are a little touchy.

"I am not going to talk about the person that is in that position. I am just going to say that Tottenham need a striker. I will leave it at that – It’s banter. We banter with each other.

"I have gone to Paqueta. They play with each other. I have said ‘What’s wrong with your boy? It’s a bit of banter. I don’t understand why he is taking it so personally', to the stage where his manager has to talk.

"Lucas is like ‘It’s just how he is, Mickey. I told him that’s how you are. But he says ‘no, no, no. When we play against them. I am not going to shake his hand’."

Antonio and Wilson were criticised by Mason at the time for their initial comments. The Spurs coach said: "I certainly don't feel like I'm ever in a position to criticise another head coach or another manager on the work they're doing or the job they're doing at their football club.

"Richy, I don’t think he’s thinking about other players. His own pride and his own determination will probably drive that most of all.

"Maybe he’s heard it, maybe’s seen it, maybe it will give him a little bit more. I’m not sure on that.

"As a coach I wouldn’t do it, and as a player I’d never have done it as well. I don’t really like that type of thing."

[Express.co.uk]

The Saudi Professional League has become one of the hotspots in the football sphere where top players abound.

From champions league to world cup winners, the SPL has witnessed the arrival of some top players coming with a pool of experience gathered from some of the biggest clubs in European football.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund has pumped money into the league to attract some of the world’s finest players to the oil-rich country.

One of such big names is Portuguese captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in late last December. He left his old club, Manchester United on a free transfer after he’d returned for a second spell.

French players, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante both signed for Al-Ittihad.

Former Liverpool midfield duo, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson signed for Al-Ittihad and Al-Ettifaq, respectively, and were joined by another formate Reds, Sadio Mane to Al-Nassr.

It’s reported that the PIF owns 75 per cent majority stake in four clubs in the SPL – Al-Nassr, Al Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal.

The biggest transfer in the league, however, is Neymar, from PFremch giant, PSG.

The 31-year-old attacker, who won the treble with Barcelona, and is also Brazil’s joint highest goal scorer with Pele, has had some high and low moments in his former club PSG, as he had to battle with injuries and match fitness issues.

Here, we look at the top 10 most expensive football transfers in the SPL:

1. Neymar: €90m

PSG – Al-Hilal.

2. Malcom: €60m

Zenit to Al-Hilal.

3. Ruben Neves – €55m

Wolves to Al-Hilal.

4. Fabinho – €46.7m

Liverpool to Al-Ittihad.

5. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – €42m

Lazio to Al-Hilal.

6. Riyad Mahrez – €35m

Man City to Al-Ahli.

7. Sadio Mane – €30m

Bayern to Al-Nassr.

8.  Jota – €29.1m

Celtic to Al-Ittihad.

9. Roger Ibanez – €28.5m

Roma to Al-Ahli.

10. Allan Saint-Maximin – €27.2m

Newcastle to Al-Ahli.

[Punch]

England secured their first ever place in a Women’s World Cup final after The Lionesses beat co-hosts Australia 3-1 in Sydney.

Australia manager Tony Gustavsson took a gamble starting a not fully fit Sam Kerr for the first time this tournament, signalling that the Matildas wanted to get this wrapped up in 90 minutes. Despite that statement of intent, it was a gamble that would not pay off.

In the first half, England dominated possession, though Australia set out to frustrate their attempts on goal, of which there were a few.

Despite England’s dominance, it never really felt that they were fully in control of the game, and Australia took their chances with lightning speed on the counter-attack.

For a brief spell, they felt the more dangerous side, though an inspired shot by Ella Toone gave England the lead before the first half was through.

Indeed, the partnership between Toone and Alessia Russo shone again, as it did at the Euro last summer.

In the second half, Australia came out all guns blazing, with Hayley Raso and Caitlin Foord often finding themselves in the thick of it. But it was Sam Kerr who eventually equalised in the 63rd minute with a stunning strike from outside the box, to keep the Matildas in the game.

That was short lived, as Lauren Hemp showed once again how important she is to the team, emerging between the Australian defence with a fantastic finish.

Australia brought on attacking reinforcements in sub Emily van Egmond, who missed out on a starting spot due to sickness, but despite Australia’s best efforts, they couldn’t contain the pace and power of Alessia Russo, who found the net minutes before full-time.

The Lionesses will now go on to face Spain in Sunday’s final.

It’s one thing to make the final, but the challenge will be epic when England take on Spain. We’ve shown we can beat them in previous contests, but Spain were without Alexis Putellas and Jenni Hermosa in last year’s Euro. Nonetheless, if England put on a display as focussed as this, they will certainly be in with a shot.

[NationalDaily]

“Bros, you dey town?”

“Yes. Where you think say I for dey. I no tell you say I dey travel”

“I thought maybe you would have gone to Niger.”

“Go Niger go do wetin?”

“I hear some civil society groups are compiling names of persons who will go to Niger to talk to the coup leaders to give peace a chance, forget about the coup and reinstate President Muhammad Bazoum in power.”

“Of all the pressing problems that I have in Nigeria: fuel price has gone up, diesel is expensive, landlord has announced rent increase, school fees have been raised, Tinubu’s economic policy is not working, how on earth do you think that my main priority should be what goes on in Niger? People are fighting their former colonial masters, they have removed a President that is a lackey of the West, the people of Niger themselves are on the streets jubilating and hailing the coup leaders and you say, I should go there to talk to them. Please, in my capacity as what?”

“As a notable noise maker in the Nigerian society, and a champion of democracy. This is about democracy, and the need to preserve it in the West African region, from the Sahel to the rest of Africa. ECOWAS has already taken up the responsibility. The Heads of States and Governments have imposed sanctions. They have dispatched a standby force.”

“Yes, yes, I know. They have the support of the African Union, the European Union Commission, and the United Nations. Americans, the French, the Germans have military bases in Niger. They did nothing until shege happened, and now it has become our collective responsibility. Please my main responsibility now is how to pay school fees next month, and how to buy diesel for the generator at home and fuel the cars. Whatever they do in Niger is not my personal problem right now. Have you not heard that here in Nigeria, we too are trying to breathe?”

“Many Nigerians are concerned because Niger is our sister country. We have strong religious, cultural and historic affinities. Are you aware that the head of the military junta in Niger is married to a Nigerian woman from Kangiwa in Kebbi State, while the Emir of Dosso in Niger pays homage to the Emir of Argungu in Nigeria? Seven states in the North share a border of about 999 miles with Niger, including Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina. Some people sleep in Nigeria and eat breakfast in Niger. That is how close we are. And even if you are not aware of anything, are you not aware that when President Buhari was leaving office one thing he said is that if anybody disturbs him too much in Nigeria, he will relocate and join his kith and kin in Niger? Now the old man has nowhere to go. He is stuck here. You people complain too much in Nigeria. The people in Niger are in a revolutionary mood.”

“I sympathize with President Buhari. His plight must be a lesson to all persons who assume dual citizenship as allowed by the laws of Nigeria. You could find yourself in a situation where there could be issues in your two countries and you are caught betwixt and between. If gbege come gbege now, where President Buhari go run to? Father country no well, mother country dey boil. This is why I always say what we need in Africa is good governance and responsible leadership.”

“But I think that there is now some light at the end of the tunnel, though. Nigeria’s Council of Ulamaas, the Jamma’tu Izalatu Bidiah wa Ikamatu Sunnah (JIBWIS) led by the Chairman, visited Niger on Sunday. They were granted audience by the coup leaders. They met with President Abdourahamane Tchiani himself and the newly appointed Prime Minister. The coup leaders in fact sent their apologies to President Tinubu for having refused previously to grant audience to the delegations that he sent before now: President Patrice Talon of Republic of Benin, a Nigerian delegation comprising former Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari, Head of Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency and Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, subsequently, President Mahamat Idris Deby of Chad also went to Niger, and thereafter too, General Abdusalami Abubakar and the Sultan of Sokoto. Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi went to Niger in his capacity as the head of the Tijanniya sect. They granted him audience. The Council of Ulammas from Nigeria also went there. They met with them. I am afraid Niger may have been taken over by Jihadists and terrorists, right on our doorstep. Afterall, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire pointedly accused them of terrorism. The good news is that they now say they want to dialogue with ECOWAS.”

“It is because the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, the EU Commission, France and those who donate money to keep Niger going are beginning to bite hard. Yes, Niger is rich in Uranium, the seventh largest deposits in the world, but it is also a poor country that depends on about $20 billion worth of international aid per annum. The sanctions are actually not enough. I assume that the coup leaders are now panicking. The thing to do is to add more sanctions. Nigeria should take the lead by telling our daughter from Kebbi state who is married to the coup leader to pack her bags and come back home. That is one sanction that will hit home. I don’t trust Tchiani. ECOWAS must resolve to hit him hard below the belt.”

“You know sometimes, I don’t understand you. We are discussing peace, diplomacy and international relations, you are reducing everything to marital issues. What if your sister says it is in fact the coup leader of Niger that she wants and ECOWAS can go to hell, will you go and force her to leave her husband because Nigeria wants to show it has power even in the bedrooms of Niger?”

“I don’t trust General Tchiani and his men. Look at how they snubbed Nigeria, the giant of Africa”.

“Leave that giant thing. Nobody considers Nigeria a giant anymore. In fact, it is so bad, if President Tinubu himself dares to go near Niger, they will arrest him and lock him up with Bazoum and serve him agbado which they must have heard he likes a lot. And nothing will happen. In fact, some Nigerian will say it serves him right. Please leave that matter about being a giant. Nobody sees Nigeria as a giant anymore please.”

“Those boys in Niger will detain Nigeria’s President? That will be an assault on the sovereignty of Nigeria. Then, the war that nobody wants will begin immediately”

“My friend, go and calm down. You think all the Nigerians who have been saying Nigeria should not commit to any act of aggression don’t know what they are saying? ACF, Katsina Forum, Afenifere, Council of Ulamaas, HURIWA, Senator Shehu Sani, NLC, PDP, LP, you think they don’t know what they are saying? Nigeria is broke. It cannot finance any major military operation that is likely to end up as proxy war between the East and the West. It also cannot afford a full-scale war in its backyard. And what does Nigeria stand to gain from committing troops to an operation in Niger?”

“Peace and stability at home. That is Nigeria’s national interest, particularly to prevent the coup virus from spreading from the Sahel region into the West African heartland. It is not in Nigeria’s interest to have a coup anywhere around its vicinity. Nigerian citizens at the moment cannot breathe at the moment. If they get suffocated further, you don’t know what they can do. We may have to use Niger to send a strong lesson to anybody that werey is disturbing his or her head.”

“Have you thought of the implications of joining ECOWAS to send troops to Niger? Nobody knows the reaction we will get. Terrorism in the Northern borders, more refugees trooping into Nigeria, the possibility of aggrieved Nigerians supporting Niger, and sabotaging their own country. If I were President Tinubu, I will borrow myself small sense, and tread cautiously. Niger is a Banana peel for President Tinubu. He should not step on it.”

“I see we are a country of cowards. ECOWAS is a community of shadow-boxers. They don’t even have a standby force anyway. Just making mouth. In the next few days, I imagine that Tinubu and ECOWAS will try to do damage control and save face.”

“I think the former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, former Minister of Foreign Affairs put his fingers on it when he said Tinubu has no experience in international diplomacy, and he should seek the help of former Heads of State and Presidents of Nigeria. And he is right. This is not the Kabiyesi rulership of Lagos State. This is something far more complex, because of the international dimensions. Nigeria is bigger than the swashbuckling, triumphal, “awalokan” boys from Lagos.”

“Please can we talk about something else?”

“Did I not hear that one Nigerian aircraft on its way to Niger has crashed somewhere in the North? Those are the people you say are sending apologies to Tinubu? If they want dialogue, then on what terms? Will they listen to ECOWAS?”

“Can we change subject? It looks like Pastor Tunde Bakare has joined the ranks of those criticizing Tinubu? Did you listen to his state of the nation address on Sunday? Vice, Virtue, Time: three Things That Cannot stand Still.”

“What prophecies did he make? Did he predict that the Naira will be N2,000 to the dollar by October and that the pump price of petrol will be about N900 per litre?”

“He said more than that. He spoke truth to power. He said Nigeria is on a downward slope under Tinubu, and that what we have is an imperial presidency and leadership by impulse”

“Pastor Bakare is one of the original founders of the ruling APC, Nigeria’s ruling party.”

“He said APC could never have won the 2023 general election if there was no split in the PDP, and that President Tinubu is showing a tendency to act before thinking.”

“He said that? Isn’t that anti-party?”

“I think the man was speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit. I heard him saying with 48 Ministers, Tinubu is running a bloated government and abusing the tenets of neoliberalism, and that there cannot be any economic reform without economic justice, and the poor must be allowed to breathe.”

“Yes, yes, yes, on that one, he is right. The poor in Nigeria are suffocating. That is why they are now protesting in Yola, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and Kano due to the high cost of living. We, the people, just want to breathe. The people are saying let government remove its knees from our necks and not choke us to death like George Floyd was choked to death in the US.”

“You know Pastor Bakare even said Godwin Emefiele, the embattled and suspended CBN Governor is a victim of vendetta, and political impunity, who is being made a scapegoat.”

“I won’t be surprised if Pastor Bakare is accused of anti-party activities and he is expelled from the APC. Has Mr. Dele Alake responded to him yet?”

“I have not seen anything. No, not yet.”

“You can be sure the President’s spokespersons are still loading their bazooka. When they fire, you will hear the boom, boom of attacks on Pastor Bakare.”

“And you think the Pastor will be bothered? Na dem dem. If they fire bazooka, he will respond with an inter-continental ballistic missile!”

“At home and abroad, just creepy stories all over within 75 days of Tinubu in office. Punitive economic policies that impoverish the people. A Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that publishes a balance sheet for the first time after seven years that is fit only for the dustbin. An uninspiring cabinet list. Mediocre performance in international relations Oh, what a curious set!.”

“Oh, come on. I can think of one or two sweet stories. The Super Falcons did well in the Women’s World Cup. They may have lost out in the Round of 16, but they were good, and they deserve to be celebrated truly. Also under Tinubu, our girls won the AfroBasket Championship for the fourth time in a row, beating their arch-rivals, Senegal 84 -74. That’s something to cheer about. And our boy, Anthony Joshua knocked out Helenius in the seventh round, his first knock-out in three years… let’s be fair.”

“Yeah, I also saw the Governor of Osun State, Jackson Ademola Adeleke hosting Rasheedat Ajibade and Rofiat Imuran, two Super Falcons from Osun State and celebrating them with Jacksonian dance steps. Quite refreshing.”

“The Governor of Osun is a naturally happy man. He is always giving us good content. He should consider opening a Tik Tok page on social media, and that can be a good source of non-oil revenue for Osun state! He will beat all social media influencers at their game. He is just a natural entertainer. Nice one.”

“So which two teams do you think will make the Women’s World Cup final? Four teams are already in the semi-finals. Spain vs Sweden today. Australia vs England tomorrow.”

“I must confess this year’s Women’s World Cup has been top-notch. Record attendance. Impressive quality of play. In fact, some of those female teams are so technically proficient, if they play against the current Super Eagles of Nigeria, our male national team, they will serve them woto woto. But do I want England to win? No. For defeating Nigeria without putting up a convincing performance, No, please. Australia should beat them and Spain or Sweden should win.

“This is exactly what Pastor Bakare calls the politics of vendetta oh. Can you see that there are no saints anywhere?”

“Not exactly the same thing. I have a right to protect my country’s interest. I still don’t understand the overriding national interest that Nigeria wants to protect in Niger. I keep saying that the time may have come when we have to review this mantra about Africa being the centre-piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy process. Nigeria must be Nigeria’s number one interest, not the ego of ambitious politicians – call it Nigerian exceptionalism.”

“I hear you. Na here we dey, everything go soon clear for everybody eye. Make all of una dey talk your talk. Na here we dey as Dede dey.”