Sports

By Sam Tyav, Makurdi Chairman of Lobi Stars Football Club, Simon Terver Ikya, has tasked Christians to remain in unity and as well have hope to enable them achieve maximally. Mr. Ikya also identified with Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia of Benue State and other government officials who have remained supportive of Lobi Stars, urging them to remain firm in their support for the club to enable it succeed. A statement by the club's Director, Media and Communication, Mr. Uja Emmanuel, noted that for the Chairman, Easter represents the ultimate triumph, where sacrifice culminates in victory, much like the defining moments…

The Premier League title race might be as good as over but the battle for European places is as competitive and exciting as ever, with as many as 13 teams in with a chance of qualifying. A number of factors have combined to make it so open. The Champions League and Europa League are bigger since the introduction of the league phase, and there is a third European competition, the Conference League. The strength of the Premier League means an English winner of any competition will add to the number of teams in Europe next season. Mid-table in the Premier…

Enzo Fernández has been dropped for Chelsea’s next two games, with Liam Rosenior suggesting the club’s vice-captain had “crossed a line” in recent comments over his future. Following what he described as the worst 10 days of his career, Rosenior insisted he had to punish Fernández, who first questioned whether he would remain at Stamford Bridge beyond this season and then suggested he would like to live in Madrid – a comment widely viewed as courting a move to Real Madrid, a club with which he has frequently been linked. While he will still train with Chelsea’s first-team squad, Fernández…

*After Over Three Months' Injury Hell *Mo Salah Leaves A Legend, Says Slot Liverpool’s bid for Champions League qualification for next season has been boosted by the news £125m British-record signing Alexander Isak is set to return to training today after more than three months out with a broken leg. The Sweden international could make the squad for next week’s European away leg against Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). “Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday (Tuesday) evening and apart from that he’s going to train with the group again for…

*You'll Use Financial Might To Build Stronger Squads At Our Expense -Spanish Clubs Kick *UEFA Agrees UEFA has rejected requests from English clubs to increase the size of Champions League squads to 28 next season after a backlash led by their counterparts in Spain. Larger squad sizes was one of the matters discussed at a meeting of UEFA’s Club Competitions Committee last month, but the proposal has not been put forward for the next meeting of UEFA’s Executive Committee, which will take place before the Europa League final in Istanbul, Turkey, on 20 May. The regulations for the Champions League…

*Arteta Speaks A delighted Pep Guardiola admitted disbelief at Manchester City’s second-half dismantling of Arsenal in which Nico O’Reilly’s double claimed the Carabao Cup at Wembley, yesterday. With the final goalless at half-time, O’Reilly’s headers in the 60th and 64th minutes gave City the season’s first trophy, a fifth League Cup of Guardiola’s tenure and the 16th major honour overall of his decade in charge. The manager said: “Not even me gave one pound to the victory today. We could not win against Nottingham Forest home or West Ham away [in the Premier League], we lost 5-1 aggregate against Madrid…

By Jonathan Wilson The Anglo-Scottish Cup, which had a brief and never particularly beloved life between 1975-76 and 1980-81, always struggled to find a place in the calendar. In its second season, the two legs of the final had to be squeezed into 48 hours, Nottingham Forest drawing 1-1 away at Leyton Orient before a 4-0 win at home. Only 12,717 bothered to turn up at the City Ground to see it. It was all very anticlimactic. Yet that game holds a place in football’s history. “Our lot tasted champagne,” said Brian Clough, “and found that they liked it.” Forest…

*'They Were Killed To Deter Public Protests Amid War With US/Israel' *Angry Reactions From Amnesty International, Rights Groups *'Ban Iran From All Sports Tourneys' Iran executed a 19-year-old champion wrestler in a public hanging yesterday along with two other people who were arrested during the brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters in January. Saleh Mohammadi, a rising star from Qom, was allegedly tortured to confess to the capital crime of waging war against God, with the teen executed without a fair trial, according to human rights groups. Amnesty International slammed the executions, alleging that the men were denied “adequate defence and…

Following the outcomes of the second leg matches of UEFA Champions League Round of 16 played on Tuesday and Wednesday, a picture emerged of the strengths of participating teams. Most English Premier League (EPL) teams received raw deals at the hands of their opponents, raising questions about the actual quality of the EPL this season as against hype. The matches threw up some noted observations. The Big Winners Another traumatic week for the self-worth of the Premier League, one in which Europe’s big beasts got into their stride. The defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), put on a devastating display at…

Qtr-Final Pairings: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Liverpool Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid Sporting CP vs. Arsenal By Sid Lowe, at the Spotify Camp Nou, and Andy Hunter, at Anfield For a while, Newcastle made this fun on Wednesday evening, but they did not make it through, all that hope giving way to hurt. By the time the final whistle went at the Spotify Camp Nou, as the Barcelona fans sang their anthem and the exhausted men in black and white made their way slowly towards their supporters positioned above a scoreboard that showed 7-2, it seemed almost…