The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Thursday said they are optimistic of beating Morocco on Sunday to win their first ever CHAN. Super Eagles assistant coach, Salisu Yusuf who is in charge of the CHAN assignment also expressed his excitement at the prospect of making history as the first manager to win tournament. He admitted that his side struggled when they confronted Sudan but noted that the players' doggedness earned them a place in the final.
Algerian, Leicester City’s winger Riyad Mahrez has missed training for the second successive day after failing to secure a move to Manchester City, according to Sky Sports. The 26-year-old, who handed in a transfer request earlier this week, was the subject of multiple offers from the Premier League leaders on Deadline Day, with the last of those understood to be a player-plus-cash offer worth an estimated £65m.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, currently serving a ban from the sport, told Reuters on Thursday he is considering legal action against the global football body in an attempt to clear his name, the Reuters reports. Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, was handed a six-year ban for ethics violations, imposed amid the biggest corruption scandal to shake world soccer’s governing body in 2015.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday commended the Home-based Super Eagles for beating Sudan 1-0 to qualify for the final of the 2018 CHAN in Marrakesh, Morocco. The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adeshina said he joined other football loving Nigerians in celebrating the brilliant performance of the team and assured of government support to enable them win the tournament.
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has lamented that pundits have failed to see the football side of the club. He maintained that people say all Manchester City have is money. Guardiola stated this on Wednesday evening at a post-match conference. When asked about his club's spending habit and the performance of the club, he told reporters.
Mesut Ozil has agreed a new contract that will commit him to Arsenal until 2021 and also make him the highest paid player in the club’s history.
After more than a year of negotiations, an offer of £350,000-a-week has been accepted by Ozil that will see him become the focal point around a new array of attacking options that also now include Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
