Sport Archives - Page 17 of 26 - SocietyGazette.com

BREAKING: Manchester United Sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s three-year reign as manager at Old Trafford on Sunday following a run of one win in seven Premier League games.

“Manchester United announces that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as Manager,” the club said in a statement. “Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision.”

The club also announced that Michael Carrick will now take charge of the team for forthcoming games, before the appointment of an interim manager.

Manchester United announces that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as manager.

Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision. While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.

Ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as Manager and our very best wishes for the future. His place in the club’s history will always be secure, not just for his story as a player, but as a great man and a Manager who gave us many great moments. He will forever be welcome back at Old Trafford as part of the Manchester United family.

Michael Carrick will now take charge of the team for forthcoming games, while the club looks to appoint an interim manager to the end of the season.

Aston Villa announce Steven Gerrard as new manager

Aston Villa on Thursday announced Steven Gerrard as their new manager to replace the sacked Dean Smith.

The former Liverpool captain has left his role as Rangers boss to take the reins at the club, who have lost five straight Premier League matches.

Gerrard guided Rangers to a first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years last season, finishing the campaign undefeated in the league.

“The board of Aston Villa are delighted to appoint Steven as our new head coach,” said CEO Christian Purslow.

“He then took the brave decision to test himself in the intense and high pressured environment of the Scottish Old Firm. His subsequent achievement in winning the Premiership title with Glasgow Rangers really caught our eye as did his experience in Europe.”

Gerrard is considered one of the greatest players in Premier League history, scoring 186 goals in 710 appearances for Liverpool.

However, this will be his first taste of management in the English top-flight.

“Aston Villa is a club with a rich history and tradition in English football and I am immensely proud to become its new head coach,” said Gerrard.

“It was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims.”

Villa are 16th in the Premier League after picking up 10 points in their first 11 games.

FIRSTBANK LAGOS AMATEUR OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP, THE LONGEST-RUNNING GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP IN NIGERIA BEGINS

FirstBank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced the commemoration of the 2021 and 60th edition of its annually sponsored Lagos Amateur Golf Championship. The tourney is scheduled to Tee-Off at the golf section of Ikoyi Club 1938 on Thursday, 18 – Sunday 21 November 2021.

The FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship is a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) listed competition that attracts the best golfers from the amateur scene, not only in Nigeria but across the continent and indeed the world. Participating in the competition contributes to the points for golfers to aid their WAGR rankings.

Preceding the competition will be a press conference, scheduled to hold on Wednesday 10th November 2021 at the Ikoyi Club House Terrace, where the CEO of FirstBank Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adeola Adeduntan will unveil the landmark edition of the longest-running known golf competition sponsorship the 60th FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship.

The highlights of the press conference are the unveiling of the “Corporate Golf Challenge”, “CEO’s CUP”, ProAm and Ladies Invitational. The Corporate Golf Challenge for Charity will be participated by twenty-Five (25) corporate teams of 4 players to compete in a networking environment of corporate hospitality designed to drive corporate social responsibility goals. It holds on Thursday 18th November, while the official competition will Tee-Off on Friday, 19th November through to the Championship Finals on Sunday, 21st November 2021. The net proceeds from team entry fees will be disbursed to charities under the FirstBank SPARK initiative. SPARK, an acronym – Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness – is a values-based initiative designed to raise consciousness that we can choose to be kind.

In addition, the “CEO’s CUP” is a newly introduced prize for the overall gross winner of the championship to recognise this indelible landmark and the unbroken legacy at the diamond jubilee.

The ProAm event, scheduled for Sunday 21st November 2021 is earmarked to recognise Professional Past Winners of the competition. Tagged ROLL OF HONOUR, the past winners play with invited amateur guests for a cash prize of US$5,000.00 (Five Thousand Dollars) as well as trophies and other prizes. The LADIES INVITATIONAL is a subset event of the ProAm, comprising female guests invited by the Bank.

Speaking on the landmark event the Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Ms. Folake Ani-Mumuney said “at FirstBank, we are excited to celebrate the landmark diamond jubilee of the Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship which is indeed the longest sponsored golf championship in the country and arguably, the continent. For decades FirstBank has been at the forefront of the growth and development of sports in Nigeria, cutting across various and notably sporting events in the country. Sponsoring sports reflect our belief in the role of sports as a major vehicle for social development, whilst also being a unifying force of individuals, irrespective of language, culture, religion and social strata in any given society.

To continuously encourage and develop the game of golf, a series of professional coaching clinics and skills competitions are held during the Championships. The clinic will be facilitated each day, from Friday, 19th to Sunday 21st November 2021 at Ikoyi Club 1938 Golf Club Driving Range. Participants in the clinic include school children as well as advanced golf players that want to learn and/or improve their golf game. Participants are also able the exhibit their skills in Beat the Pro – Longest Drive and Beat the Pro – Nearest-To-the-Pin competitions.

Other FirstBank sponsored sporting events include the Georgian Cup of Kaduna Polo Tournament, sponsored for 102 years; the Dala Tennis Hard Court in Kano Club for over 30 years; the Obasanjo Pro-Amateur Golf tournament of Abeokuta Club now in its 5th year. The Bank’s influence in the development of sport in Nigeria is under its First@Sport initiative.

Barcelona sack coach Ronald Koeman after disastrous season start

Ronald Koeman has been sacked as coach of Barcelona, the club announced on Wednesday, after defeat by Rayo Vallecano left the club ninth in La Liga.

Barca have won only two of their last seven league games under Koeman, a run that included losing to Real Madrid in Sunday’s Clasico at Camp Nou.

A poor start to the season has raised the possibility of the team failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League, which would have enormous consequences for the club’s already-dire financial situation.

Barcelona’s former midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who is currently in charge of Qatari club Al Sadd, and River Plate coach Marcel Gallardo are reportedly among those under consideration to take over.

A club statement released after midnight in Spain on Wednesday read: “FC Barcelona has dismissed Ronald Koeman as coach of the first team tonight.

“The president of the club, Joan Laporta, has informed him after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad this Thursday at the Ciudad Deportiva.

“The FC Barcelona wants to thank him for his services and wishes him good luck in his career.”

Thomas Partey relieved after first Arsenal goal

Thomas Partey was delighted to finally net his first Arsenal goal on Friday night, saying he’s been ‘waiting for this moment for a long time,’ but club legend Ian Wright wants to see him score a lot more regularly from now on.

Partey opened the scoring in Arsenal’s encouraging 3-1 win over Aston Villa at the Emirates, a result which saw them climb into the top half of the table and put their dismal early season form further behind them.

The Ghanaian had previously made 39 appearances for the Gunners without scoring, but he finally broke his duck as he nodded in a header from a corner in the first half.

The 28-year-old was delighted to get the win after two frustrating draws in the Premier League and he was relieved to score, knowing he should be contributing more goals from midfield.

‘All the team was frustrated and we wanted a win,’ Partey said via The Mirror. ‘That was the mentality we brought to this game today and we were able to get our result.

‘I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. I think it was the right moment to have it and I’m very happy.

‘The team performed very good. We have to do this every weekend and every game and with this, we can achieve beautiful things.

‘They deserve it. they have been supporting us when we have been down and when things have gone bad. This win is for them and I hope they enjoy it.’

Wright, who scored 185 goals for Arsenal, was pleased for Partey, but feels he should be contributing more in terms of goals.

The Gunners had scored just seven goals in eight Premier League games before Friday night and Wright wants the likes of Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka to be scoring more often.

‘He [Partey]’s somebody that he’s been shooting from some crazy places, so he was desperate to get his goal. I’m quite pleased that he finally got it,’ Wright told Premier League Productions.

‘I would like to see him getting more goals because Arsenal are going to need more goals from the midfield.

‘We’re seeing with Emile Smith Rowe, we’re seeing with Saka, there is going to need to be more goals than just the dependency on [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang.’

It was a satisfying night for Arsenal, with Aubameyang and Smith Rowe scoring the other goals as they climbed to ninth in the table with the win.

Why We Can’t Fire Rohr As Super Eagles Coach–Amaju Pinnick

Nigerian Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnic, has made excuses for Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, saying that the Eagles will qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under his watch.

The national team and the coach, Rohr came under serious criticism with many Nigarinas including former players calling for the sack of Rohr over loss to Central African Republic in Lagos.

The Super Eagles lost to the CAR by a lone goal, a team that has never won an away game in the World Cup Qualifiers.

But Pinnick defended the German on Arise Tv programme, ‘The Morning Show.’

Rohr 56, has been accused of running the national team from Germany and not competent to help the team book a place in Qatar.

In defence, Pinnick said the coach has never argued with the federation regarding living in Nigeria as claimed.

He said, “We have a contract with Gerhot to live in Nigeria and he has not been antagonistic to that. That is the truth. I’m not trying to defend him when I don’t need to defend him.

“But most of our players live outside the shores of this country and that what we do right now is that he is at the head of a monitoring team that monitors and talks to our players, talks to their teams, their backroom staff, their coaches and because he is an ex-international himself, he has relationship with most of their coaches. These are some of the things people don’t know.”

He further pointed out that the Super Eagles under the German coach will qualify for the World Cup, a feat which would secure his place as coach.

The NFF boss said, “I always want to believe that by God’s grace it is not negotiable that we will not qualify. We will do our best in the enterprise, putting everything together to ensure that Nigeria qualifies, because it is just one factor that unifies the country. It is just one factor that makes the country happy that is why we are not leaving any stone unturned.”

According to him, Rohr’s side lost to CAR in Lagos because the Eagles underestimated the team in Lagos.

“The incident in Lagos was quite unfortunate because we never expected that it would come even though we know it is football.

“My take on that is that our team underestimated the strength, the capacity of the team from the Central African Republic. In football, you pay for losing your chances and it was a very deep loss for us. I couldn’t sleep for days.”

I Brought Essien Down For Not Fulfilling His Promise – Spiritualist Alleges

A spiritualist has alleged that he caused the downfall of former Chelsea and Ghanaian International, Michael Essien.

The self-acclaimed spiritualist in an interview with Arnold Mensah Elavanyo on Vibes in 5, noted that the skilful midfielder promised him a house.

He, however, stated that Essien started facing tough times in his career after he failed to fulfil his promise to him.

According to the spiritualist, he manages about fifty other Ghanaian footballers who are currently working abroad.

He noted that he has hand in the demise of some players who have refused to value his services.

The spiritualist said, “I manage about 50 Ghanaian footballers, some of whom are currently working abroad.

“However, I was responsible for the demise of the players who did not value my services.

“Essien promised to buy me a house in Accra if I helped him advance in his football career.

“He didn’t keep his promise, so I brought him down.”

Michael Essien during his journey as a footballer played for the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Deontay Wilder Handed Six Months Ban After Defeat To Tyson Fury

Defeated heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder has been handed a six-month medical ban by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
It was gathered that the ban which is expected to last till 8 April is coming as the Alabama-born American gets set for surgery in his broken hand.

Similarly, Tyson Fury has been given a 45-day suspension, the UK Sun reported.

Recall that during a fight for the WBC title, Tyson Fury had defeated Tyson Fury in a 11 round Knockout in their thrilling trilogy fight in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.

Wilder had put Fury down on the canvas twice in a disastrous fourth round for the Britain.

However, the Gypsy king bounced back to defeat the Bronze Bomber.

Speaking to the The UK Sun, Wilder’s co-manager, Shelly Finkel, that the US boxer will have an operation next week after breaking a bone in his hand.

“Deontay broke his right hand behind the third knuckle and he has to have that fixed next week,” Finkel said.

“He has to have surgery, the knuckle is OK, it’s the bone behind the knuckle that broke. He’s sore but he was OK, he was home yesterday.

“He’s healing and at this point, if everything is OK, after the hand surgery he’ll probably look to enter the ring mid next year, like April or May.”

See Full List Of 30 Players Shortlisted For 2021 Ballon d’Or

A 30-man list of top footballers with a chance of winning the 2021 Ballon d’Or award has been unveiled on Friday.
The list was unveiled in a series of social media posts by organizers of the prestigious award, France Football on Friday.

Naija News reports that the list is made up of one goalkeeper, five defenders, nine midfielders, and 15 forwards.

However, many observers have said the eventual winner will likely emerge from the trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski.

Already, Messi has won the award six times while his eternal rival, Ronaldo has won the award five times and so will be looking at scooping it this time around to go level on numbers with the Argentine forward.

However, the award may still go the way of Lewandowski.

Below is the full list of the 30 footballers shortlisted for this year’s Ballon d’Or.

Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)

Defenders
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Simon Kjær (AC Milan)

Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

Midfielders
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)

Mason Mount (Chelsea)

Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Pedri (Barcelona)

Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Jorginho (Chelsea)

Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Forwards
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)

Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)

Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Lionel Messi (PSG)

Neymar (PSG)

Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)

Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)

The list will be screened until an eventual winner emerges.

Barca president hoped Messi would ‘play for free’ before leaving for PSG

Barcelona president Joan Laporta says he hoped Lionel Messi would stay at the club and “play for free”.

Messi, 34, left for Paris St-Germain in August after Barcelona were unable to renew his contract because of La Liga’s salary limits.

The Argentine, who won 10 league titles with the Catalan giants, had to leave despite agreeing a deal worth 50% of his previous contract.

“There was disappointment on both sides,” Laporta said.

“I hoped Messi would do a U-turn and he would say he would play for free,” he added in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC1.

“I would have liked that and I would have been all for it. It is my understanding La Liga would have accepted it. But we cannot ask a player of Messi’s stature to do this.”

Laporta reiterated that Messi signing a new deal would have put the club “at risk”.

Messi famously broke down in tears at a news conference as his departure was announced.

Laporta also backed under-pressure manager Ronald Koeman, with Barcelona down in ninth in the La Liga table.

“I asked him if he trusted the team and he said, ‘Of course I trust them. I need to get the injured players back’. He wants to continue at all costs and show this team is competitive.”