The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, has arrived in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire, for the Super Eagles match against Angola.

The Super Eagles would trade tackles with the Angola national team in the ongoing All African Cup of Nations, AFCON, quarterfinal match.

Obi’s arrival in Abidjan was disclosed by his Special Adviser, Valentine Ozigbo via X.

He wrote: “Just arrived in Côte d’Ivoire with HE @PeterObi to support our soaring Super Eagles to victory in the Quarterfinals of AFCON 2023. Quite a pleasant lunch at Sofitel Abidjan.

“Let’s rally behind our team, knowing their strength and unity on the field mirror our spirit and passion as a nation. Together, we soar higher.”

Also in Ivory Coast are the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Bako Lalong, and Senator Ned Nwoko.

Posting on X, Lalong wrote: “Today, I joined H.E. #SPNigeria Godswill Akpabio on a journey to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to rally behind the Super Eagles of Nigeria as they face Angola in the quarterfinals. The nation stands united in support of the Eagles, and I am confident they will bring pride to us. Go Eagles!”

Super Falcons forward, Asisat Oshoala will seal a move to United States National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) outfit, Bay FC this week.

Oshoala’s current contract with Spanish Iberdrola side, Barcelona is due to expire this summer.

Bay FC, who are based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, will reportedly pay €150,000 to secure her services.

The 29-year-old joined Barcelona from Chinese club Dalian Quanjian in 2019.

Oshoala won the UEFA Women’s Champions League title twice during her stay with the Blaugrana.

She has also played for Arsenal and Liverpool Ladies.

Julián Álvarez scored twice to propel Manchester City to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

The win kept City in touch with premier league leaders Liverpool and extended their impressive winning streak to nine matches.Before kick-off, Burnley faced a daunting task, having conceded 32 consecutive goals against City without a response.

Despite Erling Haaland’s return from injury, Pep Guardiola chose to stick with Álvarez up top, and the Argentine proved to be a relentless force.

Matheus Nunes set up City’s opener with a precise cross, allowing Álvarez to head home from the edge of the six-yard box.

A clever set-piece routine by Kevin De Bruyne provided Álvarez his second goal, showcasing clinical finishing past James Trafford.

Lyle Foster gave Burnley a moment to ponder with a curling effort just before halftime, but Vincent Kompany’s side faced an uphill battle.

The challenge worsened 27 seconds into the second half as Phil Foden’s delivery found Rodri, sealing the result.

With Burnley’s persistent efforts, they managed their first goal against City in nine games during stoppage time, with Ameen Al-Dakhil converting David Datro Fofana’s cross.

Burnley are now on a five-game winless streak, sitting seven points from safety and facing a tough triple-header against Fulham, Liverpool, and Arsenal.

City, on the other hand, will be expected to continue this run in upcoming matches against Brentford and Everton.

Rangers have announced the signing midfielder of Uche Ezeala.

Uche joined the Flying Antelopes from Nigeria Premier Football League outfit, Shooting Stars.

The 20-year-old failed to make a single appearance for the Oluyole Warriors in the first half of the campaign.

Uche was unveiled as Rangers player on Wednesday.

He started his playing career with Go-Round before moving to Shooting Stars.

Uche also had a brief spell with Niger Tornadoes in 2022.

Newcastle United halted Aston Villa’s 17-match unbeaten run in the Premier League at home, securing a commanding 3-1 win fuelled by Fabian Schar’s first-half brace.

Following a morale-boosting FA Cup triumph at Fulham, Newcastle aimed to avoid a fifth consecutive league defeat, a feat not experienced since 2021.

Despite early promise, clear-cut chances were scarce until Anthony Gordon’s close-range effort was deftly saved by Emiliano Martinez.

Undeterred, Newcastle capitalised on their positive start, with Schar netting two goals in four minutes, first converting Kieran Trippier’s corner and then doubling his tally after Gordon’s attempt hit the bar.

In the second half, Newcastle extended their lead as Jacob Murphy scored via a tricky deflection from Alex Moreno after Miguel Almiron’s delivery.

Villa responded with determination, as Ollie Watkins notched his 50th Premier League goal from Leon Bailey’s cut-back, setting the stage for a thrilling final quarter-hour.

Despite Villa’s late surge, Newcastle’s defence held firm, securing their first league win since mid-December.

Aston Villa hope to bounce back against Sheffield United on Saturday after their first home defeat in the Premier League since February 2023.

Al Ettihad striker, Karim Benzema could be reunited with former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr before the January transfer window closes.

Benzema’s future is uncertain and he has been linked with away from the Saudi Pro League club.

According to L’Equipe, the French striker has spoken to a Riyadh-based club, fuelling speculations that he could link up with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

Head coach of Al-Ittihad, Marcelo Gallardo, is believed to have frozen Benzema out, with the club open to letting him leave on a temporary deal in January, but only within the Saudi Pro League.

Other than Al-Nassr, league leaders Al-Hilal are also being linked with the player.

Super Eagles defender, Ola Aina, has named the most skillful player in the team.

Aina has been one of Nigeria’s finest players at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Nottingham Forest fullback has been hailed for his quality on and off the ball.But he regards AC Milan’s Samuel Chukwueze as more skilful.

Speaking to reporters after training on Monday, Aina was asked if he was the most talented player in the Super Eagles squad.

He replied “I don’t know. I don’t think so”.

When pressed further on who was the most skilful player, Aina added, “Samuel Chukwueze. Yeah, I think it’s Samuel.”

Chukwueze has featured in three of Nigeria’s four games at the AFCON, starting in the wins over Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau.

The organisers of the youth League have revealed that the venue for the South-South qualifiers has been moved from Asaba to Port Harcourt.

The chairman of the organising committee, Pastor Emeka Inyama, made the disclosure in Abuja.

The reason for the change in venue was not revealed.

Akwa United, Bayelsa United, Bendel Insurance and Rivers United are the teams that will be participate at the new venue.

Teams are expected to arrive at their zonal grounds on January 30 while screening and documentation will hold on January 31.

Other zones are Kaduna for North East and North West, Enugu for South East, Ekiti for South West and Lafia for North Central.

The zonal qualifiers of the competition is billed to hold between February 1-3 across all centres.

Former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane has blamed Tottenham Hotspur star Guglielmo Vicario for his role in Manchester City’s FA Cup-winning goal on Friday.

Keane believes Pep Guardiola’s side targeted Tottenham’s ‘weak’ goalkeeper during the encounter.

Recall that Man City qualified for the fifth round of the FA Cup after securing their first-ever win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday night with a 1-0 victory.

Nathan Ake scored the only goal of the match after 88 minutes, prodding home after Vicario was unable to hold onto Kevin de Bruyne’s corner.

However, Keane feels Vicario failed to command his area.

“The goalkeeper has got to command that six-yard area,” Keane told ITV Sport.

“A goalkeeping coach I used to work with years ago, he used to say – and I loved it – you come with violence. You come and attack that space and clear people out of the way. You have got to let them know you are there. If defenders are backing into you, be physical. Command that area.”

“They had worked on that, they knew there was a weakness,” Keane added.

“We were getting frustrated with it too, we thought City might try a few shot corners but they persevered and eventually got it right. They looked at that goalkeeper and said, “right he will be weak in that area.”’

Arsenal is competing with Bayern Munich to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi for their manager Mikel Arteta in the summer.

The Premier League North London club failed with an attempt to sign Zubimendi last year.

The Gunners instead decided to spend the majority of their summer budget on a £105 million deal for Declan Rice.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, were not successful in their bid to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham last summer but remains in the market for a new central midfielder once this season is over.

According to Bild’s Bayern Insider podcast, Zubimendi is one of The Bavarians’ top targets for the summer but Arsenal are providing ‘serious’ competition.

The report added that Arteta has already held talks with Zubimendi and the 24-year-old Spanish footballer would be open to joining Arsenal.

Zubimendi has a €60 million release clause in his current deal with Real Sociedad.

Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, has revealed his decision to step down from the role at the end of the season, emphasising he is “running out of energy.”

Appointed in October 2015 with a contract set initially until 2026, Klopp’s tenure has been marked by significant achievements, including winning the Champions League in 2019 and securing Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years during the 2019-20 season.

“I told the club already in November,” said Klopp, who disclosed his decision with Liverpool leading the Premier League.

“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take,” Klopp explained.

Expressing his commitment but acknowledging waning energy, Klopp stated, “I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.”

Klopp, the only Liverpool manager to achieve victories in the league title, European Cup/Champions League, FA Cup, and EFL Cup, steered Liverpool to their sixth European Cup in 2019 and lifted the Premier League trophy in 2019-20.

While Klopp secured domestic cup success in the 2021-22 season, Liverpool narrowly missed a quadruple, finishing second in the Premier League to Manchester City and losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid in Paris.

Despite a silverware-less season last year, Liverpool remains in contention for four trophies this term, recently securing a place in the Carabao Cup final by defeating Fulham on Wednesday.

Kwara United head coach Kabiru Dogo has revealed that the team is working to bring in more new signings before the end of the transfer window.

Dogo disclosed this during a chat with newsmen in Ilorin.

He pointed out that the reinforcement would bring healthy competition to the team.

Dogo, however, commended new recruit Afeez Nosiru on his debut against Sunshine Stars.

“Having Afeez in the team is a bonus to us; he brings experience, commitment and dedication to the team,” he stated during his address.

“We are also working on bringing in new faces that will help us through the hostilities of the second round.”

The president of the Cameroon Football Federation, Samuel Eto’o, was seen celebrating their qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations last 16 with players and coaches of the team on Tuesday night.

In a clip that has gone viral on social media, Eto’o joined the jubilation in the dressing room, following their 3-2 win over Gambia in their final Group C fixtures.

The former Chelsea and Inter Milan striker danced and hugged all the players.

The Indomitable Lions will now face Nigeria in the Round of 16.

The Super Eagles finished second in Group A behind Equatorial Guinea.

Nigeria defeated Cameroon 3-2 the last time both countries played each other at the same stage in 2019 in Egypt.

Chelsea will face either Liverpool or Fulham in the Carabao Cup final.

The Blues thrashed Middlesbrough 6-1 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night to qualify.

Boro came into the second leg of the semi-final tie with a slim 1-0 advantage.

However, they were blown away by Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the second leg.

At the end of the first half, Chelsea were leading 4-0, thanks to Jonny Howson’s own goal and goals from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer.

Palmer and Noni Madueke added more goals after the break, while Morgan Rogers added a late consolation for the visitors.

Liverpool head into the second semi-final against Fulham with a 2-1 lead from the first leg.

Chelsea Women are closing in on a deal to sign Mayra Ramirez from Levante for a club-record fee.

The 24-year-old has impressed at the Spanish club, scoring six goals in seven league games this season.

Last term, the Colombian netted 14 times.

Chelsea are looking to bring in a striker this window, after Sam Kerr suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Kerr suffered the injury during a warm weather training camp in Morocco earlier this month.

Ramirez is set to become Chelsea’s most expensive signing, surpassing the £250,000 fee paid for Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg in 2020.