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A talented Nigerian artiste, Olaolu Akeredolu-Ale, has designed the 2024 Emirates FA Cup trophy which final comes up this Saturday.
The 23-year-old British-Nigerian, popularly known as Olaolu Slawn was approached by the English Football Association to design a one-off special trophy after BRIT awards.
He designed the trophy alongside Thomas Lyte.
This was first disclosed by @whatsonshuffle via X writing, “After previous endeavors with the BRITs Awards, Slawn has been commissioned to create the design for the 2024 FA Cup Trophy.”
Olaolu Slawn’s video of the making of the FA Cup trophy was also posted.
Confirming the project on Monday via his Instagram handle, the Lagos-born designer wrote, “Biggest thing I’ve done yet. My tribute to the FA Cup trophy. Slawn and @ThomasLyte. Thank you @EmiratesFACup. Amen.”
The Emirates FA Cup reacted, “Can’t wait to see your tribute unveiled on Monday.”
Most of Slawn’s works include spray paint, large-scale pop art canvases, graffiti, caricatures and murals.
In 2023, he became the youngest person to design the Britannia statuette for the annual BRIT awards.
His latest work, the FA Cup trophy would be lifted by either side of the Manchester clubs in a derby final at Wembley Stadium, on Saturday, May 25, 2024.
first black UK consultant in kidney treatment
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester were crowned the EPL Champions of Saturday, and look forward to getting a better chance of their bitter rivals to do double.
Manchester United, managed by Dutch Erik ten Hag, are desirous of the England’s oldest cup to wrap up the season with a silverware and book a place for Europa League next season.
Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent after meeting with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali over the course of two days.
LEADERSHIP can reveal that Pochettino agreed to his departure with Chelsea late on Tuesday morning, following the club’s end-of-season review that started on Monday.
There is no any bad blood between Pochettino and Chelsea, who will immediately start their search for a replacement with a young and progressive coach to be targeted.
Among the names likely to be considered will be Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, Girona’s Michel, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, who has been lined up by Brighton, and Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca.
Pochettino had met co-controlling owner Todd Boehly for dinner last Friday night, before, on Monday and Tuesday, spending several hours with Winstanley and Stewart, and meeting with Eghbali.
It means Pochettino leaves Chelsea after one year of the two-year contract he signed last summer and is in line to pocket a significant compensation fee.
The departure of Pochettino, which has been described as being ‘amicable’, makes him the third permanent head coach to lose his job under the Clearlake Capital-Boehly ownership after Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Bruno Saltor managed Chelsea for one game last season, before Frank Lampard took interim charge, meaning a total of five managers have worked under Chelsea’s current owners in two years.
A run of five successive wins at the end of this season clinched European qualification for Chelsea under Pochettino, who also took the club to the final of the Carabao Cup and the semi-final of the FA Cup.
The Argentine has left with his head held high and his reputation intact. But, in the view of key figures at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s season, viewed as a whole, fell short of pre-season expectations and raised issues such as the crippling injury list.
[Leadership]
Arne Slot, the coach of Feyenoord will replace Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool made the announcement on Monday.
Liverpool said in a statement that the Dutchman, 45, would take up the position of head coach on June 1, subject to a work permit.
The club did not specify the length of his contract in their statement but Sky Sports said it understood Slot had signed a three-year deal.
Slot’s arrival has been an open secret, with Liverpool reportedly agreeing a compensation deal worth up to £9.4 million ($12 million).
He confirmed Anfield was his next destination at his final pre-match press conference at the Eredivisie club on Friday.
Klopp announced his departure in January and took charge of his final game on Sunday, a 2-0 win against Wolves.
In his final speech to the Anfield crowd, the German urged fans to throw their full support behind Slot.
“You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me,” he said. “You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team.”
Slot moved to Feyenoord in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial role at AZ Alkmaar.
He led the Dutch giants to the inaugural Europa Conference League final at the end of his first season. They narrowly lost 1-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
Slot then delivered just a second league title in 24 years to De Kuip last season before penning a new three-year deal.
“You can see people are genuinely sorry you are leaving,” he said on Friday.
“You can say that with words, but when you see it in people’s faces, it affects me quite a lot.”
Feyenoord have enjoyed a strong season, winning the Dutch Cup and coming second to an all-conquering PSV Eindhoven side.
Liverpool captain and fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk has hailed Slot’s attacking mindset, saying it would suit the philosophy at Anfield.
Initially, Bayer Leverkusen boss and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was the favourite to succeed Klopp at Anfield.
However, Alonso has committed to staying at Leverkusen after leading them to a first-ever Bundesliga title.
Liverpool won the League Cup in Klopp’s final season in charge and finished third in the Premier League, qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Super Eagles head coach Finidi George says his team is focused on their next 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
The three-time African champions are yet to record a win in the qualifiers after drawing their opening two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
The West Africans must beat Hugo Broos’ side to get their qualification campaign back on track.
Finidi is wary of the difficult task ahead of his team but is confident they can surmount the hurdle.
“We know Nigerians would love the team to win all the time, and we’ll just get the players focused on the game, one game at a time. We focus on the South African game and see how we can win that one before we talk about the Benin Republic game. For me, as a coach, it’s either you have a good result, or you don’t have a good result,” Finidi said in an interview with Eagle FM.
“One cannot be scared in life. Like I said, going through life is difficult, you walk through it with the difficulties that you know you’ll encounter. So that’s how I look at life and approach it that way, and football will not be any different. We will do our job and make sure we get the best out of that game, and apart from that, nothing else.”
Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder, Alex Iwobi has stressed that he has no regrets for choosing his ancestral home over England in international football.
Alex Iwobi was born in Lagos, Nigeria but was raised in London and had his basic football education at Arsenal Football Academy. He graduated from the academy and started his professional football career at the club.
Due to his skills and enormous potential, Alex Iwobi represented England at Under-16, Under-17, and Under-18 levels. Despite that, he opted to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Iwobi made his international debut for Nigeria on March 25, 2016, against Egypt in an African Cup of Nations qualifier.
Since then, the former Everton versatile midfielder who now plays for Fulham has gone on to become one of the most prominent members of the national team.
“I wouldn’t say I have any regrets. I’d like to say I respected England, they gave me a lot of opportunities and I was able to do them proud,” Alex Iwobi told Hotsports Nigeria.
“But I feel more at home with Nigeria. I feel this is where I’m at home and where I represent, like my family, everyone. I’ve grown up in a Nigerian culture so I’d say that I have no regrets about picking Nigeria over England
“I’ve been here for a while now and I’m familiar with the team. Even from the first time I came here they always made me feel welcome.
“I’m always enjoying myself not just when we are playing matches but in training. In the camp, it’s like one big family so it makes it easier for me to express myself and join in.
“I’m enjoying my time and hopefully there’s more years to come as well.”
![Arsenal Fan In Kenyan Commits Suicide Over Inability Of Club To Win EPL Title [PHOTOS]](/media/k2/items/cache/63fa4ef4103dda54f872ecd627528ab7_M.jpg)
A Kenyan man has allegedly committed suicide following the outcome of the 2023/24 English Premier League season, which Manchester City won on Sunday, May 19.
In a viral video seen by Pulse, the deceased, who was wearing an Arsenal FC jersey, was spotted in a position that seemed like he had hung himself to death.
It was gathered that the unknown man, whose identity is yet to be determined, was an Arsenal fan.
Man City and Arsenal entered the season's final day knowing that a slip from either of them would cost them the title.
However, Man City entered the final day of the season with a two-point advantage over Arsenal, with 88 and 86 points, respectively.
A win for Man City against West Ham at the Etihad would seal them a record fourth consecutive EPL title, while Arsenal also required a must-win against Everton at the Emirate stadium and a slip from Man City to secure their first EPL title in 20 years.
Man City eventually won the title after defeating West Ham 3-1, while Arsenal needed a late winner in stoppage time to defeat Everton 2-1.
However, the tragic video of the Arsenal fan who killed himself has sparked mixed reactions amongst netizens on social media.
Liverpool have officially confirmed that Arne Slot will be their manager from the 2024/2025 season.
The Dutchman replaces Jurgen Klopp, who took charge of his last game on Sunday.
Slot will resume work on June 1 with the Premier League side.
He emerged as Liverpool’s top choice, after they missed out on Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim.
In April, Slot disclosed that Feyenoord and the Reds were in talks over a compensation package.
It is believed Liverpool have paid around £9.4million (£7.7m plus £1.7m in add-ons) for the 45-year-old.
“Liverpool Football Club can announce Arne Slot has agreed to a deal to become the club’s new head coach, formally taking up the position on June 1, 2024, subject to a work permit.
“The 45-year-old will join the Reds from Feyenoord ahead of the 2024-25 season after a deal was reached with the Eredivisie club for his services,” Liverpool said in a statement on Monday.
[DailyPost]
Erling Haaland has finished as the English Premier League (EPL) top goal scorer for a second consecutive season as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 to win a fourth consecutive title.
The Norwegian striker was absent for two months of the season through injury and struggled to match the heights of his debut campaign at City when he struck 52 times in all competitions, including a Premier League record 36.
The 23-year-old failed to add to his 27 Premier League goals on the final day but still proved decisive in the run-in to help City secure an unprecedented fourth consecutive English top-flight crown.
Haaland scored nine times in his final seven Premier League appearances of the season to help City edge Arsenal to the title by two points.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who himself started the season at City, was second in the top scorer standings with 22 goals, one ahead of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
EPL Top Goal Scorer Chart
27: Haaland (Man City)
22: Palmer (Chelsea)
21: Isak (Newcastle)
19: Foden (Man City), Solanke (Bournemouth), Watkins (Aston Villa)
18: Salah (Liverpool)
17: Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
16: Bowen (West Ham), Mateta (Crystal Palace), Saka (Arsenal)
14: Jackson (Chelsea), Wood (Nottm Forest)
13: Havertz (Arsenal)
12: Cunha (Wolves), Hwang (Wolves), Trossard (Arsenal), Wissa (Brentford)
11: Alvarez (Man City), Eze (Crystal Palace), Gordon (Newcastle), Morris (Luton), Nunez (Liverpool), Richarlison (Tottenham)
10: Adebayo (Luton), Bailey (Aston Villa), Fernandes (Man Utd), Hojlund (Man Utd), Jota (Liverpool), Olise (Crystal Palace)
Manchester City are champions of the 2023/24 English Premier League season after defeating West Ham 3-1 at the Etihad on the campaign’s final day.
The Citizen clinched the title after finishing just two points over Arsenal, who defeated Everton 2-1 at the Emirate Stadium.
The latest title triumph is Man City’s fourth consecutive title, a record-setting achievement for Pep Guardiola’s side.
It is also the club’s 10th EPL title and the sixth since Guardiola took over the team in 2016.
A Phil Foden brace and Rodri’s shot in second-half ensured Man City ended the season with 91 points over Arsenal’s accumulated total of 89.
The two teams’ performances took the title race to the season’s final day, and the Citizens executed their plans to perfection.
Arsenal had to come from a goal down against Everton, but their effort proved short of the indefatigable champions.
Idrissa Gueye put Everton ahead early in the first half after his freekick was deflected past David Raya by Declan Rice into the net. The Gunners struck back three minutes later when Takehiro Tomiyaso stroked the ball home after Martin Odegaard teed him up.
Kai Havertz completed the come-back for Mikel Arteta’s side with one of the final kicks of the game.
Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp got a winning farewell in his final game at Anfield, thanks to a Liverpool 2-0 victory over ten-men Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Chelsea confirmed their return to European football next season with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, while Manchester United will hope to win the FA Cup for a chance to play European football next season after finishing eighth in the league despite a 2-0 win at Brighton.
Luton join Burnley and Sheffield United to be relegated from the EPL following a 4-2 loss to Fulham at home.
RESULTS
- Arsenal 2-1 Everton
- Brentford 2-4 Newcastle United
- Brighton 0-2 Manchester United
- Burnley 1-2 Nott. Forest
- Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth
- Crystal Palace 5-0 Aston Villa
- Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
- Luton 2-4 Fulham
- Manchester City 3-1 West Ham
- Sheffield Utd 0-3 Tottenham
British heavyweight fighter, Tyson Fury has expressed his frustration over his split decision loss to Ukrainian fighter Oleksandr Usyk, implying that sympathy for Usyk’s war-torn country influenced the judges’ verdict.
The undefeated Ukrainian became the first undisputed world champion of the century after a closely contested fight against Fury in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Usyk, donning his national colours, dedicated his historic win to the people of Ukraine in the aftermath of the judges’ announcement in Riyadh.
He had temporarily returned to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022 before resuming his boxing career.
Fury, visibly disappointed, suggested that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine may have swayed the judges.
“I believe I won that fight. He won a few rounds, but I won the majority of them,” Fury stated in the ring after the fight.
“We both put on a good fight. His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion.”
More...
An unidentified middle-aged man has reportedly died while watching a football match in Lagos State.
Naija News understands that the unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday, May 16.
According to Punch, the deceased, who is said to be a regular customer of the open bar, walked in, sat down, and started to watch a football match until he fell asleep.
However, all efforts to wake the deceased when the match ended were abortive, as he was found motionless.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, saying it was reported to the Elere Police Division.
According to him, “The owner of a bar located along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway reported at Elere Division that at about 6:15 pm on Thursday, one of his male customers in his 50s, whose name and address are yet unknown, came into the open bar to sit and watch television.
“He was later observed to be sleeping on the chair and in an attempt to wake him up, it was discovered that he was lifeless. The scene was visited by detectives of the division, and the deceased was seen lifeless on the chair without any mark of violence.
The body has been removed to the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, Yaba, Lagos State for autopsy. Efforts to trace his family are in progress.”
Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface has flew his childhood coach who discovered his potential while starting his career as a juvenile in Akugre, Nigeria, to watch the Bundesliga champions' coronation, Newspremises reports.
Boniface finished an outstanding first season with the BayArena outfit with his 14th goal of the Bundesliga campaign as Leverkusen defeated Augsburg on the final day.
Despite winning the league in April, Bayer Leverkusen were presented with their medals and the trophy in a fully packed BayArena on Saturday, May 18, 2024.
In pictures shared on social media, Boniface who was encouraging his fans not to give up on their dreams posted photos of when he started football with his ex-coach and his crowning moment with the man known as Coach Perez holding the Bundesliga title.
Boniface has been a key figure at Leverkusen since joining the club from Belgian side, Union Saint-Gilloise, last summer, scoring 21 goals and delivering 10 assists across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
The 23-year-old could end the season with an unprecedented treble as Leverkusen prepare to face Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final and Atalanta in the Europa League.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso's men are now 51 games without a defeat.
Real Madrid defender, Jesus Vallejo has described as fake recent reports claiming that he and his partner María Delgado divorced after a 12-year relationship.
The Spaniard said he is still in the relationship and has no intention of dumping his wife.
He also shared pictures with his wife from his wedding at Catedral-basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza.
“News published by Aimara G. Gil in the AS Newspaper that Maria and I broke up is TOTALLY FAKE.
“Maria and I have been in a relationship for 12 years and have always been together and still together today,” he wrote on Instagram.
Vallejo joined Real Madrid in 2015 but has been loaned to several clubs for the majority of his ongoing tenure at the Spanish capital.
[DailyPost]
Pep Guardiola urged history-chasing Manchester City to seize their title “destiny” as the battle for Premier League supremacy reaches a thrilling climax on Sunday.
Guardiola’s all-conquering team go into the final day of the season with a two-point lead over second-placed Arsenal thanks to an eight-game winning streak.
City host West Ham knowing a win will seal an unprecedented fourth successive English title.
Arsenal have been near flawless themselves in 2024, with 15 wins and one draw, away to City, in 17 league matches.
Arsenal, who finished second last year, must beat Everton at the Emirates Stadium and hope City fail to win if they are to end their 20-year wait for the title.
Guardiola doesn’t expect a favour from Everton, who have nothing to play for, and will instead focus on ensuring his players finish the job themselves.
“The destiny is in our hands, but if you are thinking that Everton are going to do something, forget about it. I have seen Arsenal all season,” he said.
“We just focus on what we have to do against West Ham. There is not any contamination in my brain about anything other than what we have to do to beat West Ham.”
Not for the first time, City have been at their relentless best in the intense heat of the run-in.
Guardiola’s men have dropped just six points since mid-December, in draws against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.
As City close in on a sixth title in seven seasons under Guardiola, the competitiveness of the world’s most-watched league has been questioned.
But the Catalan coach has hit back at suggestions the Premier League has become boring and that City’s dominance is thanks purely to the financial muscle of their Abu Dhabi-based owners.
“It’s not boring, it’s difficult,” Guardiola said.
Arsenal have set a club record by winning 27 Premier League games this season, but that still might not be enough to dethrone City.
“We have to give ourselves the opportunity to live a beautiful day on Sunday, where the dream is still alive and is possible,” Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said.
“It’s football and once we are there we just have to live the moment.”
– Man Utd face Euro exile –
There will be an emotional farewell for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp at the end of his memorable nine-year reign, but the Reds will finish third regardless of their result against Wolves at Anfield.
“I spoke before about how hard it will be to say goodbye,” Klopp said.
“I love absolutely everything about this place, I do. I take memories with me, fantastic memories, I take relationships with me forever.”
Manchester United are at risk of missing out on European football altogether after a miserable season.
Erik ten Hag’s men sit eighth and must better Newcastle’s result at Brentford when they visit Brighton to avoid finishing outside the top seven for the first time since 1990.
Tottenham visit relegated Sheffield United knowing a point is enough to guarantee fifth spot, while in-form Chelsea would secure a top-six finish with a draw against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
The top six teams will all definitely qualify for Europe, while seventh could be enough as long as Manchester United do not shock City in next week’s FA Cup final.
At the bottom, Luton will be relegated if they fail to beat Fulham or if Nottingham Forest avoid defeat at Burnley.
Even if Luton win and Forest lose, the Hatters’ vastly inferior goal difference means they need a mathematical miracle to survive.
Fixtures
Sunday (all 4pm Nigerian time)
Arsenal v Everton, Brentford v Newcastle, Brighton v Manchester United, Burnley v Nottingham Forest, Chelsea v Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Aston Villa, Liverpool v Wolves, Luton v Fulham, Manchester City v West Ham, Sheffield United v Tottenham
AFP