CONFEDERATION of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has expressed his condolences following the loss of lives at a stadium in Madagascar.

A stampede of spectators trying to enter Madagascar’s national stadium for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games left 12 dead and injured around 80 on Friday.

Videos shared on social media showed Red Cross workers giving medical attention to scores of injured people next to the athletics track as Prime Minister Christian Ntsay said 11 of the injured were in a critical condition.

“CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe conveyed his heartfelt condolences and the condolences of CAF to the families and the Fédération Malagasy de Football in respect of the 12 people who lost their lives and all the persons who were injured during the football match at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium in Antananarivo, Madagascar,” a CAF statement today said.

“CAF also extends its condolences to the Government of Madagascar and the friends and the colleagues of the 12 people who lost their lives.

“CAF is also wishing the people who were injured a speedy and full recovery.”

According to Reuters, it was not immediately clear what caused the stampede, but at least 15 people were killed in a similar incident at the Mahamasina stadium in 2019.

“An unfortunate event happened. There was a stampede at the entrance. There were a lot of injuries. We will observe a few seconds of silence because compatriots have died when they wanted to enter,” President Andry Rajoelina told the crowd in the stadium after the incident.

[Ntn]

Inter Miami head coach, Tata Martino does not think the club’s captain, Lionel Messi, should be compared with Brazilian legend Pele.

Martino believes that Messi and Pele featured in different eras in the USA so the comparisons do not do justice to both.

With Messi now playing in Major League Soccer (MLS), many started comparing the Argentina captain with the Brazilian icon again, who played for the New York Cosmos in the past where he scored 64 goals in 107 matches.

Messi has scored 11 goals in eight games across competitions for Inter Miami so far.

The former Paris Saint-Germain star would easily break Pele’s record in America if he keeps the streak going.

Speaking after Messi’s MLS debut against New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Martino said, (via GOAL): “The league that received Pele is a way different league than the league that Lionel Messi has come to.”

[DailyPost]

Former Premier League star, Darren Bent has urged Mikel Arteta to drop Kai Havertz from his starting XI.

This is following their Saturday’s setback against Fulham.

Bukayo Saka equalised for Arsenal from the penalty spot in the 70th minute and Eddie Nketiah tapped in what was looking like a winning goal before 10 men Fulham rallied to get a draw.

The Gunners only showed some attacking cohesiveness when Mikel Arteta decided to sub off Havertz in the second half.

And Bent thinks that the Germany international should be removed from the Gunners XI ahead next weekend’s clash against Manchester United.

According to the former England star, he was surprised that Arsenal paid as much as £65 million to Kai Havertz from Chelsea.

According to Bent, Arteta is having the problem of which position to play Havertz.

“At the moment he[Havertz] is a passenger, he’s got no confidence and that’s unfortunate,” he told Sky Sports.

“…I think you need to get Odegaard, Partey and Declan Rice and then work from there.

“The next game, which is against Manchester United, they’re going to have to make changes.”

[DailyPost]

The Chairperson of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the financial dispute between the Falcons and the Nigeria Football Federation, Blessing Onu, has ordered the football body to produce payment slips for women’s national team players and officials attending the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.

She stated this in Abuja on Thursday while questioning NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, who was present before the committee.

Onu requested that the NFF provide documents detailing how the Falcons were funded for the 2019 Women’s World Cup and a breakdown of match bonuses and payment slips for the team’s 23 players and coaching staff by August 30.

Gusau responded that no funding was available for participation but that the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would provide $960,000 to all 32 qualifying countries.

According to him, these countries should use the FIFA preparation money to prepare their teams for the World Cup.

We can’t use this money to pay outstanding allowances for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, he said.

The NFF president stated that they typically received funding from the Confederation of African Football and FIFA, and that no payment was received from the Federal Government for its staff and officials.

He stated that FIFA covered the federation’s operational costs.

The Confederation of African Football provides $250,000 per annum as subvention funds, he said.

Onu accused Gusau of obstructing the investigation into the Falcons’ allegations of non-payment of allowances and entitlements.

Her statement came in response to the NFF president’s alleged refusal to accept the invitation of the ad hoc committee investigating the clash between the Falcons and NFF officials.

Onuh said;

It’s obvious that the NFF president is frustrating this ad hoc committee from investigating the allegations levelled against it.

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has reacted to the loss of her world women’s 100m hurdles crown to Jamaica’s Danielle Williams on Thursday in Budapest.

Speaking after the race, Amusan said she will be back “stronger” next year.

It was quite “a journey getting into the final” despite all I had gone through in the last couple of weeks, the track and field sensation told journalists after the race.

“It has been God, my team and my family,” the 2022 gold winner told reporters.

She thanked all her fans for supporting her through the ups and downs, promising that she will be back stronger.

Amusan hopes to get her “medal” back next year.

“Yeah, it’s a tough one; nobody likes to lose but considering what I have gone through in the past couple of months, I’m so grateful that I came out,” she enthused.

Williams, the 30-year-old, who previously won in Beijing in 2015, timed 12.43 seconds to edge out Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico (12.44sec) with Kendra Harrison of the United States taking bronze (12.46).

Amusan and 2019 winner Nia Ali were never in the hunt, finishing sixth and last respectively.

Amusan was cleared of doping violations with the provisional suspension on her lifted ahead of the championship.

Last month, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended the Nigerian track and field athlete for three missed whereabouts failures.

The suspension was announced after it was discovered that Amusan had missed three drug tests within a 12-month period. This charge carried a two-year suspension term, even if an athlete has never failed a drug test.

Ultimately, the Disciplinary Tribunal announced the verdict which stated, “Tobi Amusan has not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period”.

Serena Williams, widely hailed as the greatest female tennis player of all time, is solidifying her position as one of the world’s multimillionaires, with her net worth soaring to new heights.

The tennis icon, also recognized as one of the wealthiest Black women in America, has experienced a remarkable surge in her financial fortunes, with her net worth inching closer to the coveted $300-million mark.

According to a recent report by Forbes, a U.S. business magazine renowned for tracking the wealth of ultra-high net-worth individuals, Williams has witnessed a substantial $30 million increase in her net worth since the beginning of this year, rising from $260 million on Jan. 1 to $290 million on Aug. 24.

This surge in Williams’ fortune follows a significant boost of $20 million in 2022, when her net worth leaped from $240 million to $260 million.

Over the past three years, her net worth has witnessed a notable surge of $65 million, soaring from $225 million in 2020 to her present $290 million.

The accomplished tennis star, who gracefully retired from professional tennis in 2022, has left an indelible mark on the court and established herself as one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

Her earnings in 2022, a staggering $45.3 million, were primarily the result of lucrative endorsement deals inked with prominent brands such as Nike, Lincoln, and Michelob Ultra. In a significant testament to her influence and success, Williams secured the 49th position on Forbes’ esteemed list of the highest-paid athletes globally.

Throughout her professional career since debuting in 1995, her earnings have accumulated to an astonishing $470 million, underscoring her status as a trailblazer both in the realm of sports achievements and financial triumphs.

Looking towards the future, Williams is expanding her horizons beyond the tennis court. Her focus has shifted toward private equity investments, a domain she has been exploring through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.

A testament to her acumen, the firm has raised an impressive $111 million from investors, facilitating the creation of a diverse portfolio featuring 60 firms.

What sets Williams’ investment approach apart is her commitment to promoting underrepresented communities.

A remarkable 78 percent of her investments are dedicated to companies founded by individuals from marginalized groups, whether people of color or women.

FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Luis Rubiales on Thursday after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president kissed Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips following the Women’s World Cup final last weekend.

“The FIFA disciplinary committee informed Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final,” world football’s governing body said in a statement.

FIFA said the incident “may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code”.

Spain star Hermoso released a joint statement with union Futpro on Wednesday, which called for action to be taken against the RFEF president.

“We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that the exemplary measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable,” the statement said.

Spain’s women’s football league, Liga F, also called for Rubiales to be sacked.

Rubiales, 46, initially attacked his critics before eventually apologising but the criticism of his behaviour has not abated.

Premier League side, Crystal Palace is set to splash the sum of €12 million for the services of Super Eagles and Leicester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho, but a reliable journalist has revealed that Roy Hodgson will only make an official move on one condition.

Turkish journalist and Europe Transfer Football expert, Ekrem Konur revealed on Wednesday via social media platform-Twitter, that Iheanacho who doesn’t want to play in the English Championship, will be offloaded by the Foxes, owing to his huge weekly wage.

At the King Power Stadium, the Nigerian currently pockets £80k-per-week, which he has more than earned during his 210 senior appearances at the club since joining from the Premier League’s reigning champions Manchester City back in 2017.

According to Konur, “Crystal Palace is planning to open negotiations for Iheanacho with a bid of around €10million to €12million.”

However, the 26-year-old’s contract is set to expire in less than a year meaning that the ongoing window will be Enzo Maresca’s final opportunity to cash in should he not want to risk losing his prized asset for free, and especially having suffered relegation, that’s probably a sensible choice.

According to Football Insider, the Nigeria’s international could seal his departure in the final days of the transfer market, and whilst it’s stated that he has admirers over in Saudi Arabia, the centre-forward could end up staying in the top-flight and making his way to Selhurst Park.

Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has congratulated athletics sensation, Oluwatobiloba Amusan for qualifying for the Women’s 100m hurdles final, at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The world record holder won the second semifinal with a time of 12.56 seconds to defeat all comers in the tightly contested race.

Enoh said “Tobi embodies the resilient spirit of Nigeria and we are glad she’s flying beyond all hurdles to do us proud in Budapest.”

“I have no doubt that Tobi can produce her magic again and clinch gold in the final. She has done it before and she can do it again. She has our support now and always”.

Tobi will file out on Thursday night, flying Nigeria’s flag in the final, as she hopes to defend her 2022 title against other top athletes.

She currently holds the world record in the event with a time of 12.12 seconds, which she set in Eugene, Oregon, to slam Gold at the last World Championships.

World champion, Tobi Amusan, qualified for the final of the 100-meter Hurdle at the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Budapest on Wednesday.

The Nigerian athlete won the second semifinal with a time of 12.56 seconds to qualify for the final billed for Thursday evening.

Despite a slow start, the world hurdles record holder recovered in time, clocking 12.56s to finish ahead of Jamaican Achkara Nungent’s 12.60 seconds and Dutch Nadine Visser’s 12.62 seconds.