Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen named best African footballer in France.

Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen has won the 2020 edition of the Marc-Vivien Foe Award as the Best African Player in the French Ligue 1. The Lille player who scored 13 goals & made 5 assists in 27 appearances for Lille and 18 goals in all competitions is the youngest-ever recipient of the Prix Marc Vivien-Foé, named in honour of the late Cameroon player who died aged 28 in 2003.

The 21-year-old emerged the winner from a list of 11 African footballers who were shortlisted for the award. Algeria’s Islam Slimani (Monaco) finished 2nd in voting for the Marc Vivien Foe prize for the Best African player of the 2019-20 French Ligue 1 season, Slimani (9 goals, 8 assists in 18 appearances) finished second.

Also Read: La Liga to press criminal charges against Mallorca-Barcelona pitch invader.

“It’s something I’ll treasure forever, I’m really proud to have this award with [Marc Vivien Foé’s] name on it.” He said in a telephone interview.

He was voted top African player in Ligue 1, the French top flight, by a panel of 100 journalists. Past winners include Aubameyang, Dede Ayew, Chamakh & Gervinho are all past winners. He becomes the second Nigerian after Vincent Enyeama to win it.

Ex Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, secures coaching job in France.

Former Super Eagles captain, Vincent Enyeama, has been appointed by French side Iris Club de Croix as their goalkeepers’ trainer. The ex-Lille skipper will manage their reserve team and the U16s.

“We are obviously very happy to have him join the club,” adding that Enyeama “will bring his experience of the highest level. ” According to the Sports Coordinator for the first team, Daniel Strzelczyk,

Enyeama who retired from the Super Eagles in 2005 had over 100 caps for Nigeria, he was part of the team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa and played at the 2002, 2010 and 2014 World Cups with the Eagles. He also went 1,062 mins without conceding in Ligue 1 for Lille.

 

Photos from Liverpool FC’s Premier League title celebration.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Thursday, June 25, 2020: Liverpool supporters congregate outside the famous Spion Kop at Anfield as they celebrate after their side were crowned Premier League Champions following Manchester City's defeat by Chelsea. The supporters have waited 30 years for this their 19th Championship title. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool FC sealed the 19th league English Premier League title on Thursday, as Chelsea beat Manchester City, bringing their end to their 30-year title drought. Jurgen Klopp’s men walloped Crystal Palace 4-0 at their home ground of Anfield on Wednesday. But City’s defeat handed them the title effortlessly. Liverpool have clinched the title earlier than any other Premier League champions, breaking the previous record of five games left shared by City and Manchester United.

Liverpool FC  AFP

“It’s such a big moment, I am completely overwhelmed. Tonight it is for you out there. It’s incredible. I hope you stay at home, or go in front of your house if you want, but not more. We do it together in this moment and it is a joy to do it for you.” Klopp  the first German manager to win the Premier League, told Sky Sports.

Liverpool will have an open-top bus parade to celebrate their Premier League win, although no date has yet been set. Meanwhile, Sadio Mané is the first Senegalese player to win the Premier League trophy while Mohamed Salah, the first Egyptian to win the Premier League trophy.

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Thousands of Liverpool fans spent the night celebrating outside Anfield and in the city centre after the club won their first Premier League title. Even the players celebrated massively.
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Image  Image  Crowd of Liverpool fans in front of The Kop celebrating Premier League title winA Liverpool fan celebrates winning the Premier League as he sits on a statue of Bill Shankly outside Anfield

Some fans did wear face masks

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Liverpool supporters gathered in their numbers to celebrate their side's Premier League title

Liverpool FC wins Premier League for first time in 30 years ...

Fans celebrate Liverpool becoming Premier League Champions outside Anfield

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Thursday, June 25, 2020: Liverpool supporters celebrate at Anfield after their side were crowned Premier League Champions following Manchester City's defeat by Chelsea. The supporters have waited 30 years for this their 19th Championship title. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

ImageLiverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield

Neymar loses case against Barcelona, to pay the club €6.7 million.

Barcelona has claimed victory in their legal battle against former player Neymar Jnr, who claimed he was entitled to €22million in an unpaid bonus in the final renewal of the player’s contract. The verdict was announced today by Social Court 15 in Barcelona.

Neymar, who joined FC Barcelona at the start of the 2013-14 season and left in 2017 for the Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record transfer, has now been ordered to pay the club €6.7 million.

“The ruling has fully dismissed the player’s claim for payment of 43.6 million euros and has accepted a large part of the defence presented by FC Barcelona, as a result of which the player must return 6.7 million euros to the club. Since the player’s representative is entitled to appeal this decision, the club shall continue to fervently defend its legitimate interests.” Barcelona wrote on its website.

 

UEFA Champions League to resume on August 7; final to be played on August 23.

UEFA has announced that the culmination of this year’s Champions League will be played out as an eight-team tournament in Lisbon. The eight teams remaining in the competition after the conclusion of the round of 16 will take part in a straight knockout tournament between August 12 and 23.

The four remaining last-16 second leg matches will take place on August 7 and 8.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “I am delighted that we are able to resume almost all of our competitions. I am confident that we will not have to endure the fans’ absence for long and that they will be allowed into stadiums sooner rather than later. UEFA took a bold decision when it decided to postpone Euro 2020. But in doing so, we created the space which has allowed domestic club competitions across the continent to resume, where possible, and play to a conclusion. While the game has suffered huge difficulties as a result of the pandemic, those blows would have landed much harder if we had not shown leadership in those early days.”

 

UK to continue free school meal vouchers throughout the summer holidays following a campaign by Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

Not only has Marcus Rashford inspired a generation, now he’s fed them too.

During the past few months, he helped raise over £20m to feed 3 million vulnerable people in the UK. The England player has now spearheaded a campaign calling on the Government to reconsider a decision not to provide free school meal vouchers in England over the summer.

“We are trending no 1 and 2 in England. I need everyone’s help to keep this noise going as I head to training but before I go, to ALL MPs in Parliament, this is not about politics. The same way us players put rivalry aside when we put the England shirt on, please #maketheuturn. When you wake up this morning and run your shower, take a second to think about parents who have had their water turned off during lockdown. When you turn on your kettle to make a cup of tea or coffee think of those parents who have had to default on electricity bill payments just to make ends meet having lost their jobs during the pandemic. And when you head to the fridge to grab the milk, stop and recognise that parents of at least 200,000 children across the country this morning are waking up to empty shelving. Recognise children around the country are this morning innocently questioning ‘why?’ 9 out of 30 children in any given classroom are today asking ‘why?’ ‘Why does our future not matter?’ We are trending no 1 and 2 in England. I need everyone’s help to keep this noise going as I head to training but before I go, to ALL MPs in Parliament, this is not about politics. The same way us players put rivalry aside when we put the England shirt on, please.”

The UK government has now made a U-turn. He has agreed to extend the free school meal voucher scheme through the summer holidays, with £120m to be spent on the extension. The £15 a week vouchers will be made available to around 1.3 million children in England who are currently eligible for the scheme, and will last for six weeks in what has been called a “Covid Summer Food Fund”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he “understands children and parents face unprecedented situations” during the coronavirus outbreak.

“I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020. I don’t claim to have the education of an MP, but I do have a social education. I’m clued up on the difference a U-turn decision would make on 1.3m vulnerable children registered for free school meals, because ten years ago I was one of them.”

 

 

 

La Liga to press criminal charges against Mallorca-Barcelona pitch invader.

La Liga has revealed their decision to press criminal charges against the pitch invader who ran on to the pitch during Real Mallorca’s behind-closed-doors match against Barcelona on Saturday to try to get a photo with Lionel Messi.

The fan, who donned an Argentina kit with Messi’s name and number 10 on the back scaled a two-meter fence to access the stadium, he was later ejected by security personnel and police. Mallorca are currently investigating how he got into the stadium.

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A statement from La Liga on Sunday said the man accessed the pitch “without any authorization and disobeying the protocols established by health legislation, as well as disobeying the orders of security staff”. La Liga also wishes to show its absolute condemnation for this type of conduct that puts the health of others at risk and risks damaging the integrity of the competition,” the statement added.

 

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“I had planned this ever since I knew the match was happening, I wanted a photo with Messi and to meet him because he’s my idol,” he told Spanish radio station, Cadena Cope.

 

 

Virgil van Dijk to become highest-paid LFC player.

Liverpool is set to offer a new contract to Dutch player, Virgil van Dijk which would keep him at the club for the rest of his career. He could be set to sign up for another seven years at Anfield. According to Football Insider, his current deal of around £125k a week will be upped to more than £200k, along with bonuses for goals, appearances, and clean sheets. making him the highest-paid Liverpool player in history.

Mohammed Salah currently earns £200,000 a week and will see his team-mate now earn more than him. PSG were willing to pay the 28-year-old a whopping salary of £280,000-per-week, which is roughly £100,000-per-week more than what he earns at Liverpool but reportedly turned down an offer from Paris Saint-Germain in order to stay at Merseyside until 2025.

Virgil Van Dijk since joining Liverpool:

• Champions League Winner
• Super Cup Winner
• Club World Cup Winner
• PFA POTY
• Premier League Player of the Season
• UEFA Defender of the Season
• UEFA Men’s POTY
• Ballon D’or 2nd place

Dele Alli handed one-match ban for social media post.

Dele Alli has been handed a one-game ban and £50,000 fine by the Football Association for his controversial social media post earlier this year in which he appeared to mock an Asian man over the coronavirus. He will miss next Friday’s clash with Manchester United.

He made fun of an Asian man in an airport with the caption: ‘Corona whatttttt, please listen with volume.’ He deleted the video within minutes of posting it and apologized twice.

An FA statement read: “Dele Alli has been suspended for one match with immediate effect, fined £50,000 and must undertake a face-to-face education course following a breach of FA Rule E3. The Tottenham Hotspur FC player denied that a social media post breached FA Rule E3(1), as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute, and constituted an “Aggravated Breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin and/or nationality. However, it was subsequently found proven by an independent Regulatory Commission.”

Alli said: ‘In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologise again for any offence caused by my actions on 6th February. It was an extremely poorly judged joke about a virus that has now affected us more than we could ever have imagined. I’m grateful that the FA has confirmed that my actions were not racist because I despise racism of any kind. We all need to be mindful of the words and actions we use and how they can be perceived by others.’ 

Brescia set to end Mario Balotelli’s contract.

Brescia are set to terminate Mario Balotelli’s contract following the striker’s failure to return to training ahead of Serie A’s restart this month.

The 29 year-old who, signed a three-year contract with the club last year was also involved in a row with the Brescia president, Massimo Cellino.

 

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