Liverpool are still competing for another European trophy in Jurgen Klopp’s final year, with the Reds set to face Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals. On paper, it should be a fairly straightforward tie for Liverpool, with their opponents languishing in sixth in Serie A and having won just twice in their last nine games in all competitions. Despite this, Atalanta do have some players that could cause issues for Klopp’s team and will be key to any chances of a potential upset. The Italians finished unbeaten in the group stages and topped Sporting, Sturm Graz and Rakow on their way to the knockout rounds. They then faced Sporting…
Author: GuruTrends
South Africa coach, Desiree Ellis, has expressed her disappointment at Banyana Banyana’s failure to qualify for the women’s football event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Banyana will miss their second consecutive Olympics after the reigning African champions were held to a goalless draw in the second leg of their African Women’s Olympic qualifying playoffs on Tuesday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The draw saw the nine-time Africans champions advance 1-0 on aggregate. Ellis also blamed her team’s poor start and formation for their Olympic miss. “We also knew that we needed to score as early as possible because the…
The Nigeria Premier Football League club owners association says “there are no complaints or problems” following reports that clubs were set for a showdown with the NPFL board over financial differences, The PUNCH reports. The club owners were said to have planned a boycott of match-day 30 games billed for this weekend, over the non-disclosure of broadcast deals the NPFL signed with StarTimes and Propel Sports, as well as the fulfillment of financial commitments made at the start of the season. Secretary of the body and Chairman, Sporting Lagos, Godwin Enakhena, informed The PUNCH that they were negotiating with the…
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge (39) expects to make history with his third consecutive Olympic marathon gold medal at this year’s Games in Paris, he told Reuters in a interview on Thursday, adding that there were no thoughts about retirement yet. Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila, East Germany’s Waldemar Cierpinski and Kipchoge are the only athletes to have won two Olympic gold medals in the marathon when they retained their titles. “My huge expectation actually is to win the Olympics for the third time,” said Kipchoge, who turns 40 in November and finished 10th at last month’s Tokyo Marathon. That result and his relatively vintage age has…
The Premier League will introduce semi-automated offside technology next season after the clubs unanimously agreed on the decision in a shareholders’ meeting on Thursday. The technology has been in use in major tournaments and helps limit the need for long waits for VAR reviews, where match officials manually check if a player is offside or not, while also reducing the margins for error. “The new system will be used for the first time in the Premier League next season, and it is anticipated the technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks,” the league…
•Let’s protect Nigeria’s integrity, Tinubu appeals to Nigerians •Support for leaders, a vote for better tomorrow, says Buhari President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, at their separate praying grounds on Wednesday in Lagos and Katsina states respectively, rejoiced with the Muslim faithful on the celebration of the Eid El-Fitri. Tinubu and his predecessor called on Nigerians to love the country and support leaders. Tinubu, who was present at the Dodan Barracks in Ikoyi, Lagos, to observe the Eid prayer, urged Nigerians to defend the integrity of the country. “The kind of resilience, sacrifice, endurance that we have, we…
West Ham have only won four fixtures in 2024 – can they become the first team to inflict defeat on Bayer Leverkusen this season? West Ham travel to Leverkusen hoping to be the first team to stop Xabi Alonso’s runaway train, with the German side flying high and still fighting on three fronts. It’s in stark contrast with David Moyes’ side, whose form at the closing stages of the season appears to be stuttering. Here Flashscore picks out some of the key talking points ahead of the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night… Leverkusen burnout or the freedom of no league concerns? Bayer…
The Kano State Police Command has arrested 54 suspected thugs during the Eid-Fitr celebration on Wednesday in Kano. This is contained in a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna, a copy of which was made available to PUNCH Online on Thursday. Haruna said the suspects were found in possession of weapons and illicit drugs. “During the Hawan Eid Sallah Day, a total of 54 suspected thugs were arrested and weapons and illicit drugs were recovered from them. The suspects will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation,” Haruna said. According to him, the state…
Nicki Minaj is a legendary performer and is full of surprises. On Wednesday night (April 10), Nicki made a stop in Boston as part of her Pink Friday 2 tour. However, the night was everything but average. The rap queen brought out a lineup of talented women including JT, BIA, Akbar V, Katie Got Bandz, and Maliibu Miitch to perform “Super Freaky Girl (Queen Mix).” This move not only delighted fans but also highlighted Nicki’s support for her fellow artists. This is a move that showcased unity among female rappers during the memorable Boston performance. The energy was high as fans witnessed the ladies onstage…
Men of the Lagos State Police Command’s Rapid Response Squad have carried out a comprehensive overnight operation resulting in the arrest of 43 suspects across black spots in Oshodi and its surroundings. This was made known in a statement shared on the command’s X account on Thursday. The statement said, “Operatives of Lagos State Rapid Response Squad on Tuesday arrested 43 suspects in an all-night raid of notorious spots in Oshodi and its environs, just as they recovered a semi-automatic pistol in a separate incident same day. “The raid, which was carried out in Anthony, Bolade Oshodi and Oshodi Terminus,…
5-year-old Gekyume Onfroy keeps many sweet memories of his late famous father around his house. When XXXTENTACION was killed, not only did he leave behind millions of fans to mourn, but the young star also said an untimely goodbye to his son. Gekyume Onfroy is now five years old, and though we don’t see much of him in the public eye, updates do surface every now and then to show us how X’s son is learning and growing without his father physically by his side. Sadly, the latest one is going viral thanks to a tactless reaction from one of the “Jocelyn Flores”…
Meta said on Thursday it was developing new tools to protect teenage users from “sextortion” scams on its Instagram platform, which has been accused by US politicians of damaging the mental health of youngsters. Gangs run sextortion scams by persuading people to provide explicit images of themselves and then threatening to release them to the public unless they receive money. Meta said it was testing an AI-driven “nudity protection” tool that would find and blur images containing nudity that were sent to minors on the app’s messaging system. “This way, the recipient is not exposed to unwanted intimate content and…
It’s no longer just Breezy versus Huncho. Chris Brown and Quavo’s beef traces back about seven years, yet it seems no closer to a point of resolution. Not only that, but it looks like we’re getting this feud manifested on wax for the first time in their turbulent history together. Moreover, Breezy sent some shots the rapper’s way on “Freak,” a cut off of his latest full-length release, the deluxe version of his album 11:11. “F***ing my old b***hes ain’t gon’ make us equal,” he raps on the cut, referring to Huncho’s fling with Brown’s ex Karrueche Tran, which started their whole spat. “Sipping…
Gunmen, on Thursday, attacked a police checkpoint along the Abakaliki-Enugu Highway and set a police patrol van belonging on fire. Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened at the Ishieke Junction on the outskirts of Abakaliki metropolis. Sources in the area said the gunmen killed one policeman and abducted another, but this could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report. The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the attack. He, however, denied knowledge of the killing or abduction of any police officer saying reports from the scene were still sketchy. He said,…
Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico has been cleared to return to football 11 months on from the shocking accident that threatened his life. The 30-year-old Spaniard was hit by a mule cart and runaway horse during a pilgrimage in his homeland on May 28, 2023. The former Sevilla star had returned to Andalusia in order to attend El Rocio, but was left sporting serious head and neck injuries. Rico’s family said at the time of the incident: “Sergio Rico travelled last night from Strasbourg to Malaga and there to El Rocio, with the permission of the club after PSG won Ligue 1. After just…
The Delta State Police Command, on Thursday, paraded 12 suspects for various crimes, including a 17-year-old boy (name withheld) who faked his kidnap in the Agbor area of the state. Parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Asaba, the state capital, the state Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, stated that the teenager had already squandered the ransom paid before being arrested. He said, “On March 20, 2024, the DPO Agbor Division received a complaint on the suspected kidnap of a 17-year-old boy (name withheld) in Okhumera quarter, Agbor-Obi “The suspect forwarded a voice note to his sister stating that…
Neymar has escaped a $3 million fine following a court ruling after being accused of environmental damage for building a lake at his mansion. The controversy arose when an initial complaint regarding an environmental crime was reported to Mangaratiba City Hall. This complaint stemmed from a video Neymar posted on his Instagram account, which allegedly showcased the artificial lake being built on his property situated in Mangaratiba, a town on the southern coast of Rio. Multiple agencies, including the local attorney general’s office, the state civil police, and environmental protection bodies, investigated Neymar’s case. However, a ruling from Judge Adriana Ramos…
Manchester United players reportedly believe that Erik ten Hag will be sacked in the summer, with the Dutchman already resigning himself to that fate. Ten Hag took charge of the Red Devils in the summer of 2022 and led them to a first trophy triumph in six years by delivering Carabao Cup glory last season. He has, however, struggled to generate consistent performances and results across his reign. The United board have done little to quash the speculation regarding Ten Hag’s future, with new stakeholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe saying on that subject: “I’m not going to comment on the job he’s done because that would…
Emmanuel Petit has advised Arsenal to break the bank on two attackers who could emulate Erling Haaland, but told the Gunners to avoid Alexander Isak. Arsenal are reported to be on the hunt for a new striker who could guarantee plenty of goals, especially with repeated injuries to forward Gabriel Jesus. They have been linked with several potential targets including Brentford’s Ivan Toney, Newcastle United’s Isak and a host of other burgeoning names in European football. Petit believes that Toney and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams’ should fit Mikel Arteta’s system seamlessly and has urged the north London outfit to sign the two strikers.…
The first time I crossed into Gaza through the Erez checkpoint in 1991 it was not much more than a few bored Israeli soldiers in a shed, checking IDs, before they let visitors drive their cars through an opening in the barbed wire and into Gaza. In the years since then, it evolved into a gleaming terminal, with complex layers of concrete walls, defences and steel gates, all covered with dozens of CCTV cameras. Only the very trusted and privileged were allowed to drive through Erez. Journalists had to walk and drag their bags with them. Until 7 October, when…