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The Chief Executive Officer of Arsenal Football Club, Vinai Venkatesham, has announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
Vinai Venkatesham became the CEO of Arsenal in 2020, about a season after Mikel Arteta was appointed the manager of the club.
Before he rose to the position of Arsenal’s CEO, the Indian-born British administrator who joined Arsenal in 2010, had served as the club’s Managing Director, and chief commercial officer.
Vinai Venkatesham has helped to stabilize the Gunners. Under his leadership, Arsenal won two Community Shields and contended for the Premier League title last season in which they finished second behind Manchester City.
While announcing his planned departure from the club after three years as the club’s CEO, Venkatesham revealed that he is leaving the club to face another challenge.
He said, “This was a tough decision, but it is time to pursue another challenge. Now is not the time for goodbyes as I remain focused until my last day and supporting a seamless transition.”
In reaction to the announcement, the co-chairman of the club, Josh Kroenke said: “The board is fully supportive of Vinai’s desire to pursue his next challenge.
“Whilst it is business as usual with everyone focused on the season ahead, we’d like to take this moment to thank him for his contribution and long service.
“Vinai will always be part of the Arsenal family and always welcome back at Emirates Stadium.
“Change and succession is something the club is well prepared for. The board remains committed to our strategy and will address leadership change as we continue to drive the club forward.”
[NaijaNews]
Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen will headline a 13-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2023.
The Nigerian international, who has scored a total of 31 goals to help
clinch the Serie A title and reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League last season, was the only African player on the list of nominees for 2023 FIFA Men’s player award released on Thursday by the world soccer governing body.
The list is dominated by Manchester City FC’s 2022-23 treble-winning squad, while coach Pep Guardiola was also nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach alongside four of his peers.
Osimhen has established himself as one of Europe’s deadliest marksmen and his outstanding goal-scoring statistics have not gone unnoticed to the eyes of Europe’s wealthiest clubs, with the likes of Manchester United, Bayern, and Chelsea all expressing an interest in acquiring his services in the near future.
Haaland’s Man City team-mates Julián Álvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, İlkay Gündoğan and Bernardo Silva joined him on the shortlist for impressive contributions to Pep Guardiola-treble-winning squad.
Kylian Mbappé also makes the list as well as Marcelo Brozović, Rodrigo, Hernández Cascante, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Declan Rice of Arsenal.
Performances at the record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 were reflected in the Best FIFA Women’s Player nominees. Adidas Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmatí leads a quartet of Spanish nominees. Four players from tournament runners-up England and a trio of Matildas – who were a victory away from reaching the final on home soil – are also part of a 16-player shortlist.
[Leadership]
Barcelona were dealt a blow on Thursday when the Spanish champions’ spending limit for the season was cut to 270 million euros ($290 million) by La Liga.
The Spanish top flight has strict spending controls that prevent clubs from continuing to overspend on player wages and transfers.
Barcelona’s previous limit was 649 million euros ($697 million), a figure inflated by the sale of future television rights income among a series of financial “levers” the club pulled.
The Catalans’ current level of salary expenditure is around 400 million euros ($429 million) per Spanish reports.
The punishment for exceeding the limit is being put under the division’s spending cap, in which Barcelona will only be allowed to use around 50 percent of income to improve their squad, until they make cuts to fall under the new limit.
The current situation means it is unlikely Barcelona will conduct significant transfer business in January, with further cuts needed if they are to be in a position to reinforce next summer.
This is despite the departures of Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Ousmane Dembele and several other players.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen signed a new deal with the club in August until 2028, which allowed Barcelona to register new signings including loanees Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix.
“We have to thank him for restructuring his contract because it has allowed other players to register,” said club president Joan Laporta on Thursday.
La Liga president Javier Tebas said he did not know when Barcelona’s financial situation would return to normal.
“It depends on Barca and their business strategy,” Tebas told a news conference Thursday.
“Maybe they sell a great player and will take a giant step forward. We don’t know if they will.
“The whole medium and long-term strategy is set by the club, we don’t set it for them.”
Breaking NEWS: Are you currently earning in Naira but need salary/earnings in US Dollars? Nigerians have now been approved to earn as much as $10,000 (₦9.2 million naira) monthly. Click here to start. Be sure to ask for evidence.
[DailyTrust]
Harry Maguire‘s mother, Zoe Maguire, has come in the defence of the England and Manchester United defender, after he was criticised for his performance in a friendly match between England and Scotland.
The Three Lions defeated Scotland in Glasgow, by 3-1 on Tuesday night, courtesy of goals from Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
The 30-year-old defender, who came off the bench as a substitute after the first half, put the ball in the back of his team’s net in the 67th minute.
An 81st-minute winner was struck by Kane after a brilliant effort by Real Madrid’s midfielder, Bellingham.\Following the own goal, the under-fire defender was on the receiving end of a number of criticisms, from both fans in the stadium.
In a post on her Instagram story, Zoe Maguire fired back at ‘negative and abusive comments’ aimed at her son.
She wrote, “As a mum seeing the level of negative and abusive comments in which my son is receiving from some fans, pundits and the media is disgraceful and totally unacceptable to any walk of life never mind someone who works his socks off for club and country.
“I was there in the stand as usual, it’s not acceptable what’s been created, over nothing. I understand that in the football world there are ups and downs, positives and negatives but what Harry receives has gone far beyond ‘football.’
“For me seeing him go through what he’s going through is not ok. I would hate to have to see any other parents or players go through this in the future, especially the young boys and girls breaking through the ranks today.
‘Harry has a massive heart and it’s a good job he’s mentally strong and can handle it as others may not be able too. I wish this sort of abuse on nobody!”
Maguire has been faced with lots of criticism and backlash following his poor outings for both club and country.
England manager, Gareth Southgate, has spoken out against the abusive comments.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons forward Desire Ugochi Oparanozie has announced her retirement from football for both country and club at the age of 29.
Oparanozie was included in the squad that represented Nigeria at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup which started in July and ended in August.
In a post on Wednesday, on her X account, formerly Twitter, she wrote, “To my fans, family, and friends, thank you for the show of love and support over the years. It’s time to take a bow, as I believe there’s no better time than now. I’m officially announcing my retirement from professional football for both club and country.
“To every team and coach I have played for, to every mate I’ve played alongside, and to every opponent I have played against, thank you all for being part of this incredible journey. Thank you football, thank you Nigeria.”
Oparanozie had a successful career in the Chinese Women’s Super League and represented Nigeria’s national team on different occasions.
She started at Bayelsa Queens and later played for Delta Queens and Düvenciler Lisesispor.
In 2012, Oparanozie transferred to Rossiyanka in the Russian Women’s Football Championship. She had a successful stint there, playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and scoring a goal. After that, she moved to VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for the 2013-14 season.
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has stated that he is looking forward to winning the 2023 CAF Player of the Year.
Osimhen has been one of the best players from the continent in the last year.
The 24-year-old scored 31 goals in 39 appearances for Napoli last season and broke George Weah and Samuel Eto’o’s goals record in the Serie A. He also helped the Partenopeans to their first Scudetto in 33 years and their first-ever quarterfinal finish in the UEFA Champions League.
With his achievements in the last year, the Super Eagles striker is a frontrunner to become the first Nigerian to win CAF Player of the Year Award in the last 24 years.
Osimhen also has serious competition from the likes of Yassine Bounou and Achraf Hakimi, but he just looks clear of the rest.
Ahead of the awards, which will hold on December 11, Osimhen has stated that he is looking forward to wearing the crown of the best player on the continent.
“It means a lot, a whole lot to me,” Osimhen told Pulse.
“I remember in 2015, when I won the (CAF) Youth Player of the Year (award), you know, I saw the winner (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang) walk up to the podium to receive it (the CAF POTY award).
“Since then, for me, it became a dream to try to be there and win something as prestigious as that.
“I think now I have a huge opportunity to actualise this dream. I’m really looking forward to it, and hopefully, it comes home.”
The last time a Nigerian won the CAF Player of the Year Award was in 1999, but Osimhen would be looking to put an end to that wait.
[Leadership]
Jose Peseiro the Super Eagles head coach, has stated reasons behind his decision to accept a short-term contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Recall that Peseiro’s previous contract expired at the end of June.
There was a lot of back and forth before the Portuguese gaffer accepted a pay cut and a short term deal that will expire after the AFCON in 2024.
The 63-year-old’s contract is subject to renewal if the Super Eagles finish well at 2024 AFCON.
The Portuguese stated that the desire to win the AFCON was the main reason behind his decision.
“Me and my staff did everything in order to stay here to train these players and reach the big goal – win the AFCON title,” Peseiro told Brila FM.
The Super Eagles have won the AFCON title three times in the past.
[Newsguru]
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes provided three assists and scored once to inspire Portugal to victory against Luxembourg in a 9-0 thriller and maintained their perfect start to their Euro 2024 Group J qualifying campaign.
Despite missing Cristiano Ronaldo through suspension, Portugal produced a dominant display at Estadio Algarve with Fernandes producing a hat-trick of assists before scoring a late goal himself in the nation’s biggest international victory to date.
Goncalo Inacio opened the scoring after 12 minutes and a brace from Paris St-Germain forward Goncalo Ramos soon had the home side in complete control.
Inacio headed in a fourth in first-half stoppage time from another pin-point delivery by Fernandes.
Skysports.com reports that Roberto Martinez’s side did not let up and, just before the hour, Fernandes found Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, who raced clear to fire home a fifth.
Ricardo Horta added a sixth with 20 minutes left before Jota slotted in again. Fernandes then capped his fine individual display with a well-taken goal late on and Joao Felix completed the rout to make it six wins from six.
Slovakia remain five points behind Portugal after they made a fast start to beat Liechtenstein 3-0 in Bratislava with goals from David Hancko, Ondrej Duda and Robert Mak inside the first six minutes.
Alfred Finnbogason scored in stoppage-time to give Iceland a 1-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Reykjavik.
Croatia moved top of Group D on goal difference after a 1-0 win in Armenia, where an early strike from Andrej Kramaric proved enough for all three points.
[Leadership]
Real Madrid are ready to commit £200million to sign Kylian Mbappe without negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain, according to SPORT.
Both clubs did not hold talks this summer despite Mbappe being frozen out by the Ligue 1 champions.
The 24-year-old has since returned to the first team and has scored five goals in his first three matches of the season.
Although there are speculations Mbappe could agree a new contract with PSG, it is believed Real Madrid intend to reach a pre-contract agreement with the player in January.
This will mean the France captain joins them for nothing when his PSG deal expires on June 30.
Real didn’t like PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi rejecting their approaches out of hand, even offers approaching £172m.
Instead, Real have decided to set aside around £200m for Mbappe in the form of wages and a signing-on fee.
[DailyPost]
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles ended their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on an impressive note with Victor Osimhen scoring hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday night.
The Super Eagles applied pressure from the get go and played most of their football in advanced positions up the pitch.
Nigeria were awarded a couple of corners inside the first five minutes of the game but failed to make the most of their opportunities.
Nigeria continued to dominate play as the 10th minute rolled on and pinned Sao Tome back during the opening exchanges of the game.
With Sao Tome buckling under the pressure, Nigeria took the lead in the 13th minute as Osimhen scored his eighth goal of their qualifying campaign.
The game reached a tacky period around the 20th minute mark, with neither side progressing in the final third, but the Super Eagles managed to double their lead in the 27th minute as Ademola Lookman added his name to the scoresheet.
After a passing move on the edge of the Sao Tome area, Lookman made way inside the box before letting off a shot that beat the opposition goalkeeper at his near post.
Taiwo Awoniyi and Samuel Chukwueze completed the rout.
Sports Development Minister John Owan Enoh, who was among the spectators at the Stadium, congratulated the Nigerian team for rewarding the support of Nigerians with a good performance, while charging the team to bring home the AFCON trophy next year.
“On the behalf of all Nigerians, I congratulate the Super Eagles for making the country proud with such an incredible performance. While this wraps up our qualification gracefully, I want to charge the team to go out against all odds in Ivory Coast next year. We want the AFCON trophy to land in Nigeria and all hands will be on deck to make this happen,” he stated.
“The ministry will work round the clock to ensure the team gets the best preparation possible, in our quest to bring glory to Nigeria. Our players have displayed commitment to the national colours and I hope that the renewed sense of patriotism remains in place to catalyze the team at the AFCON.”
The Super Eagles bagged 15 points from six games to secure top spot in Group A. Lagos-born Victor Osimhen grabbed a hat trick to become Nigeria’s fourth all-time highest goalscorer with 20 goals.
[Leadership]
Former Arsenal attacker, Kevin Campbell has given his verdict on Declan Rice and Thomas Partey as the Gunners return to the Champions League this season.
This season’s Champions League campaign will commence next week.
Arsenal are already in Group B of this season’s Champions League, alongside Sevilla, PSV and Lens.
Mikel Arteta’s side will host PSV at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
However, Campbell believes Arsenal fans and football lovers will see the best of both Rice and Partey in the Champions League this season if the Ghanaian international is fit to feature for the Premier League giants.
“I truly believe Declan Rice, he is only working, at the moment, to about 60-65% capacity of his talent. I really do,” Campbell said on The Highbury Squad.
“But he is learning how to play in this system. It is only four games, and he has been immense in all four games.
“I just think his ceiling is massive. I will be brutally honest with you. When Thomas Partey is fit, and you got those two as a pivot, then you see the best of these guys in the Champions League.”
[TheCable]
Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Sunday to win his fourth US Open and a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, cementing his claim as the greatest tennis player in history.
The 36-year-old Djokovic won 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to become the oldest men’s champion in New York in the Open era and match Margaret Court’s all-time mark for most Grand Slam victories.
“I don’t know where to start. It obviously means the world to me,” said Djokovic, wearing a white jacket with the number 24 on his chest during the trophy presentation.
“It’s hard to describe. I’m really living my childhood dream to compete at the highest level in this sport.
“I never imagined I would be standing talking about 24 Grand Slams but the last couple of years I’ve felt I have a chance and I have a shot at history and why not grab it.”
The Serbian is the first man to win three Grand Slam events in the same season four times, crowning his impending return to world number one in the most fitting of ways inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The victory added to his wins at the Australian and French Opens earlier this year, with the only blemish his five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of Wimbledon in July.
“You know, some people who are born, he’s a genius. He’s one of kind. Not too many people in this world like him in sport-wise,” said Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic.
“This is one of the biggest achievement in the sport history.”
Medvedev suffered his fourth loss in five Grand Slam finals, all of which were against Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.
“First of all I want to ask Novak: What are you still doing here? Come on!” quipped Medvedev.
“I don’t know when you are planning to slow down a little bit.
“I mean, 24. I feel like I have not a bad career and I have 20 titles. You have 24 Grand Slams. Wow.”
Medvedev defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the 2021 final to prevent the Serbian from becoming the first man to win all four Grand Slams in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969.
Djokovic admitted to feeling overwhelmed on that occasion, but there was little evidence of nerves as he quickly took command of Sunday’s championship match.
The second seed — who missed last year’s US Open because of his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 — burst out of the gate with a confident hold sealed by successive aces and struck at the first opportunity, punishing Medvedev for a double-fault to break for a 2-0 lead.
A third ace consolidated his advantage before Medvedev got on the board in the fourth game.
The pair traded holds largely untroubled until Djokovic again put pressure on Medvedev as the third seed served down 2-5.
Medvedev dug in to twice stave off set points, but Djokovic calmly made the set his the following game.
– Second set grind –
Medvedev dethroned last year’s champion Alcaraz with a “12 out of 10” performance in the semi-finals, but he struggled to replicate his very best consistently against an imperious Djokovic.
Attempting to be the first player to beat the top two seeds en route to the title since 1975, Medvedev once more repeatedly found himself under the pump early in the second set.
He was able to resist, hitting a sweeping volley to fight off break point as he secured a gutsy hold for 4-3 before finally asking questions of Djokovic, who was showing signs of fatigue.
A leaping overhead gave Medvedev his first break chance of the contest the very next game, but Djokovic responded with a brilliant scoop on the half-volley to save it.
Djokovic wobbled serving at 5-6, double-faulting twice as Medvedev brought up set point. But Djokovic was waiting as Medvedev went cross-court, and put away the volley to force a tie-break.
Medvedev seemed to have the momentum on his side after winning an astonishing rally to nose 5-4 ahead only for Djokovic to bag the next three points, snatching a marathon 104-minute second set and closing in on a historic triumph.
“Should have won it,” Medvedev said of the second set. “Should have won it, but sometimes tennis is not that easy.”
Djokovic sportingly offered to help Medvedev to his feet after the Russian took an awkward tumble early in the third set, but there was no such goodwill when two break points came about soon after.
Medvedev pumped a backhand long to hand Djokovic a 3-1 advantage. He gave the break straight back, but Medvedev faltered again and there was no mistake second time around as Djokovic wrapped up the title before the emotions streamed out.
Israel Adesanya has reacted to his defeat by Sean Strickland who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history defeating the Nigerian to win the middleweight title in Sydney.
The 32-year-old American beat Adesanya at the UFC 293 on Sunday to dethrone the Nigerian, who is one of the sports’ finest.
The match ended in favour of Strickland 49-46.
“I hate losing, but I love living. What a life!” Adesanya tweeted on X.
In a video shared with family members seen by THE WHISTLER, Adesanya showed his bruises, saying “It is not that bad. Nothing broken. We are great baby. I’m still thriving and it is all good. I am driving.
“(I am) hanging out with my family first then I will address the people. Right now, I got to put me first.”