Category: SPORTS

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was voted France’s Ligue 1 player of the year for a record third time on Sunday. Ibrahimovic won the award, voted for by his peers, ahead of PSG team-mate Angel Di Maria, Nice forward Hatem Ben Arfa and Marseille midfielder Lassana Diarra after scoring 35 goals in the capital club’s romp to a fourth straight French title. PSG are on course to repeat last year’s domestic treble, having won the League Cup last month, with the final of the French Cup on May 21 against…

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Olatunde Oduwale of Lagos State on Sunday emerged winner of the 2016 Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship with 19 wins and 1,856 points. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that as the National champion, Oduwale was decorated with a green jacket, given a plaque, a trophy and a cash prize of N150,000. Wellington Jighere, the world scrabble champion, who came second with 19 wins and 1180 points, won a cash prize of N100,000. Oduwale defeated the world champion, Jighere with 676 points to become the 2016 national champion. Rex Ogbakpa…

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Barcelona has been sent out of the Champion League by Atletico Madrid after they lost 2-0 at Vicente Calderón.  Two goals from Antoine Griezmann were enough for the Madrid side to go through to the Semi-finals with a 3-2 goal aggregate. The Madrid side opened scoring at the 36th minute when Saul Niguez, on the right-hand corner of the Barca box, flicks a gorgeous cross towards Griezmann with the outside of his boot. The ball falls perfectly for Griezmann, and he powered an unstoppable header into the top right, leaving…

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The French Football Federation has dropped Bayern Munich forward Karim Benzema from Euro 2016 over sex tape scandal, Franc 24 says.

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Real Madrid and Manchester City are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League after winning their respective quarter-final second legs on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant hat-trick as Madrid beat Wolfsburg 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit and reach the last four for the sixth year running. Meanwhile, City made it through to the semi-finals for the first time by beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Sergio Aguero missed a first-half penalty for City before Kevin…

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The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has warned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of an impending “suspension” should Amaju Pinnick be removed as president. In a letter to Pinnick dated April 11, 2016, FIFA warned that last week’s decision of the federal high court in Jos, if implemented, would likely be considered a5 an interference in the internal affairs of the NFF. “…the case would be brought to the highest authorities of FIFA for consideration of sanctions, including the suspension of the NFF,” it said. Signed by TI. (l Markus Kattner, acting secretary-general,…

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After his controversial resignation in February, former Super Eagles gaffer, Sunday Oliseh has been appointed into FIFA’s (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) new technical department. The ex-Super Eagles midfielder took to his twitter handle very early on Monday morning to make the announcement. He will also work at the football tournament of the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. The 41-year old said: “I feel honoured to be appointed into the “new look” FIFA technical department. “Next mission: The 2016 Rio Olympics football tournament in Brazil. We thank God for the…

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An Italian court on Tuesday called for new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte to receive a six-month suspended prison sentence over match-fixing allegations. The current Italy manager, who will take over Chelsea after Euro 2016, is accused of sporting fraud. The ‘Calcioscommesse’ (football-betting) probe maintains that the 46-year-old former Juventus boss failed to expose an alleged rigged second-division match in May 2011. The game involved Siena, whom Conte managed at that time. Conte, who denies any wrongdoing, was also ordered to pay an 8,000 euros ($9000) fine, by Cremona court public…

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The family of Lionel Messi denied on Tuesday that he was involved in tax evasion after the Barcelona star emerged as one of many personalities accused of shady offshore dealings in the Panama Papers scandal. “The Messi family wants to make clear that Lionel Messi has not carried out any of the acts attributed to him, and accusations he created a…tax evasion plot, including a network of money-laundering, are false and insulting,” it said in a statement. The scandal erupted on Monday when media groups made public a year-long worldwide…

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