Premium Gist sees all, knows all
Popular Nigerian singer, Balogun Afolabi, popularly known as Seyi Vibez, announced the death of his mother late Thursday.
Seyi Vibez who is currently making a wave in the industry with his Afro-pop shared the news of her death with a blank picture on his Instagram page.
He wrote, โToday the Darkest day of my life ๐๐๐ March 16 I lost my ancestor ! ๐๏ธLove you till I go six feet mum โ๏ธRIP.โ
Former Nigeria international footballer Vincent Enyeama has been named the greatest African goalkeeper of all time.
Enyeama was named Africaโs all time best by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The all time goalkeeper ranking was decided from 1987 to 2022.
The IFFHS released the list of greatest goalkeepers in each FIFA federations with Enyeama selected from CAF.
Enyeama represented Nigeria at three FIFA World Cups in Korea/Japan 2002, South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014.
He featured in all the Super Eaglesโ matches as they became African champions at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.
Enyeama also won back-to-back CAF Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004.Italyโs 2006 World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon was named the greatest goalkeeper from Europe and of all time.
Jose Luis Chilavert of Paraguay was picked as South Americaโs greatest, Mohamed Abdullaziz Al-Deayea of Saudi Arabia was selected for Asia, former Real Madrid and Costa Rica shot stopper Keylor Navas won in CONCACAF.
The IFFHS was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pรถge in Leipzig.
It has no official relationship with FIFA, but the world football governing body has cited awards and records conducted by IFFHS on it’s website.
Ismaila Mabo, a former coach of the Super Falcons, has died at the age of 80. His death was announced today, March 13, by his younger brother and a former Golden Eaglets star player, Salisu Nakande Mamuwa.
Mamuwa wrote:
โInna lillahi wa Inna ilaihir rajiโun , i just lost my elder brother these morning, Coach Mabo Ismaila, former Chief Coach of Super Falcons of Nigeria, may Aljanna Firdausi b his final abode, Ameen thumma Ameen.โ His funeral rites will hold today in Jos, Plateau State.
Ismaila was the head coach of the senior womenโs national team at the 1999 FIFA Womenโs World Cup, 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics.
He led Nigeria to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the teamโs best ever result.
Cristiano Ronaldo suffered his first Saudi Pro League defeat on Thursday as Al Ittihad claimed a 1-0 win to replace Al Nassr at the top of the table.
Al Nassr had not lost any of their five league games since Ronaldoโs debut on February 3, drawing his first match before racking up four successive wins.But that run ended against their title rivals at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Romarinho got the gameโs only goal in the 80th minute, rounding off a devastating counter-attack.
The forward brilliantly brought down Ahmed Sharahiliโs right-wing delivery on the edge of the penalty box, with his first touch taking a defender out of the game.He then applied a cool finish which sparked jubilant celebrations.
Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia tried to focus on the positives, however.
โWe are disappointed because we did not deserve to lose,โ he said. Al Ittihad scored a goal the way they like, on the counter-attack. The league is still long. We are now behind Al Ittihad by a point,โ said Garcia. โI am happy with my team. We played in a difficult stadium in front of a strong audience, and yet we played with a wonderful personality.โ
PSG and Argentina football icon Lionel Messi has been named the 2022 Best FIFA Menโs Player ahead of his clubโs teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid star Karim Benzema at an event held in Paris, France, on Monday night.
Messi played an essential role as Argentina national team won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, scoring seven goals to help the South American nation win its first world title in almost four decades and his first World Cup title to crown his achievements in football.
It would be the second time the former Barcelona star would win the coveted honour after clinching the award in 2019, now tied with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo with two FIFA Best Awards each.
Barcelona midfielder and Spain international Alexia Putellas was voted The Best FIFA Menโs Player ahead of Arsenal forward and England international Beth Mead and San Diego Wave and the United States Womenโs National Teamโs Alex Morgan.
She was an important player in the Barcelona Femenรญโs squad as they won the UEFA Womenโs Champions League, Spain Womenโs Primera Divisiรณn and the Supercopa de Espaรฑa Femenina last season.
Man United Womenโs and England goalkeeper Mary Earps won the FIFA Best womenโs goalkeeper thanks to her triumph with the Three Lionesses at the Womenโs European Championship last year, while Argentina FIFA World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez won the menโs category.
Polish amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy won the Puskas Award for his overhead kick goal for Warta Poznaล against Stal Rzeszรณw ahead of Richarlison, Dimitri Payet. He made history by becoming the first amputee to win the honour.
Three Lionesses head coach Sarina Weigman won the FIFAโs Best Womenโs coach award after leading the England national team to their first-ever European title at the 2020 Womenโs European championship; the Dutch have now won the prestigious honour for the third time in her managerial career.
Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni was voted the โThe Best FIFA Menโs Coachโ for 2022 after guiding the La Albiceleste to their first World Cup title in 36 years at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in which they defeated France in the final on penalties to clinch the most prestigious trophy in football.
Georgian footballer Luka Lochoshvili claimed the Fair Play Award โ for saving the life of an opponent from swallowing his tongue, while the Best FIFA Award for 2022 went to the Argentina fans.
Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 4-2 on Saturday in the English Premier League to go top of the league.
The Gunners were displaced from the top spot by Manchester City on goal difference after last weekโs defeat to The Citizens at the Emirates.
Arsenal, however, returned to the top spot, snatching a crucial win in the late minute at Villa Park after coming from behind twice.
It took the home side just five minutes to shake the Gunnersโ net, courtesy of Ollie Watkins.
But Bukayo Saka levelled up for the Gunners in the 16th minute as they settled into the game better.
Philip Coutinho restored Villaโs lead a few minutes to the first half break, leaving the Gunners one goal behind into the second half.
Mikel Artetaโs boys outplayed Villa in the second half to secure a dramatic win.Oleksandr Zinchenko pulled another equaliser for the Gunners in the 61st minute, scoring his first EPL goal for Arsenal since he moved to the Emirates from City.
Emiliano Martinezโs own goal in the storage time gave Arsenal a crucial win , as Gabriel Martinelli ran with the ball into an empty net as Martinez joined his players hunting for an equaliser for Villa from a corner kick.
Arsenal are now three points ahead of City on the log with 54 points in 23 games.
Former Chelsea and Newcastle United forward, Christian Atsu has been found dead after he went missing for days after the earthquakes in Turkey.
The Ghanaian footballer, who played for Hatayspor before his tragic death was one of the star players from the Chelsea academy before heading to Turkey.
The 31-year-old was residing in an apartment in Hatay city which suffered huge damages during the quake.
His club Hatayspor initially reported he was rescued “with injuries” but a day later that position changed. The news of his death was confirmed by his agent in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet.
โChristian Atsu was found and had unfortunately passed away,โ he said through a brief statement on social media.
Atsu was staying in a building with a number of Hatayspor team-mates and officials. The club’s sporting director Taner Savut is also missing.
Atsu scored late in injury time to give Hatayspor a 1-0 win over Istanblul-based Kasimpaลa S.K. in the Turkish league on Feb. 5, earning him praise from his new club hours before the earthquake struck.
Some survivors are still being rescued after the quakes and aftershocks in southern Turkey and northern Syria that are known to have killed more than 40,000 people.
Atsu who previously played for English clubs Chelsea and Newcastle, signed for Hatayspor late last year.
The club is based in Antakya, near the epicenter of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck in the early hours of Feb. 6, one of two major earthquakes, along with ensuing aftershocks that devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Senegal are champions of the 2023 CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament, edging host nation Algeria 5-4 on penalties in a tightly contested final on Saturday night in the North African country.
The competition, initially marred by controversy after Morocco national team were denied entry into the country due to long-standing diplomatic rift, began on January 13 and ended yesterday at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki Algiers in Algeria.
Algeria were the favourites coming into the final, thanks to a massive home support and given they have the best record from the group stage all through to the final. They were undefeated in the previous rounds while Senegal lost a game to Uganda in the group stage.
But those advantages were not enough to derail the Senegalese contingent from claiming honour inside the enemyโs territory.
Amid huge support from the thousands of Algerians in the stands and roughly 200 times more than their Senegalese counterparts, who were less than 300, both the regulation and extra time ended in a goalless draw as the game went into penalties.
The Lions of Teranga came out 5-4 victorious after penalties shootout to become the first West African country to lift the biennial football showpiece for African players plying trade in their home countryโs national leagues.
Senegal are now the holder of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which they won last year in Cameroon, the CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (BSAFCON), a record seventh title also won last year in Mozambique and now CHAN.
Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood have been cleared of all criminal charges one year after he was charged with rape, assault and using coercive behaviour, authorities in UK announced.
His trial was initially scheduled to begin in November this year but the withdrawal of key witnesses and the emergence of new evidence abruptly changed the direction of the situation.
Greenwood was arrested in January last year by the Greater Manchester Police and charged with one count of attempted rape, a count sexual assault and repeatedly engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour following a series of clips of the incident posted on social media by his alleged ex girlfriend.
Immediately after the arrest, the England international was released on bail and had remained suspended from the first team squad by Manchester United pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.
He was rearrested in November 2022 for breaking his bail conditions before he was released on bail again.
In a surprising twist on Thursday afternoon, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that โthe withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.โ
The CPS added:
โIn these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case. We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met.โ
Meanwhile, the club is yet to release a statement about the latest development as speculation continues to build up about the future of the youngster, currently on a ยฃ75,000-a-week wage in a contract that runs until summer of 2025.
France and Manchester United defender Raphaรซl Varane has announced his retirement from international football to focus on club duties.
Varane last game for France, the team he was the vice captain before his retirement, came in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
โRepresenting our great country for a decade has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Every time I wore this very special blue jersey I felt immense pride,โ the 29-year-old said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
He continued:
โThe duty to give it all, play my heart out and win every time we put on the field. Iโve been contemplating this for several months and deciding itโs the right time for me to retire internationally.โ
The former Real Madrid star made his debut for the France national team in the Les Bleusโ 3-1 World Cup qualifier victory over Georgia in 2013 and went on to earn 93 appearances for his country.
He played a pivotal role as France won their second-ever global triumph at the FIFA World Cup in Russia almost five years ago and was also part of the squad that almost defended Franceโs World Cup triumph in Qatar last year.
Unfortunately, the two-time World Cup champions lost in the final to Argentina on penalties after both the regulation and extra time ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw.
During his ten years stint with Les Bleus, Varane also won the UEFA Nations League, a feat France achieved in the final against Spain that took place in Italy in 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr coach has claimed the forward will ‘go back to Europe’ before retiring from football.
The superstar player only secured a move to the Saudi Arabian side last month in a big money deal.
Now his own coach Rudi Garcia has suggested that the five-time Ballon d’or winner will have one final stint in Europe before hanging up his boots.
According to SPORT, Al-Nassr head coach Garcia said: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo is a positive addition as he helps disperse defenders.
The 58-year-old manager added: ‘He’s [Ronaldo] one of the best players in the world. He won’t finish his career at Al-Nassr, he’ll go back to Europe.’
Garcia disclosed this after the side’s 3-1 defeat to Al Ittihad in the semi-finals of the Arabian Super Cup, where Ronaldo failed to get on the scoresheet.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is yet to score for the club in the Saudi Pro League, having featured in one competitive fixture.
Manchester City footballer, Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
He was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault after a trial that began in August 2022.
Following 14 days of deliberation at Chester Crown Court, the jury was unable to reach verdicts on two other charges against Mendy – one count of rape, involving a woman aged 24 in October 2020, and one count of attempted rape, involving a woman aged 29 in October 2018.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it will pursue a retrial against Mendy over the two charges – rape and attempted rape – that the jury could not decide on.
Mendy’s co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, has been found not guilty of three charges. He faces a possible retrial on six charges.
Judge Everett discharged the jury on Friday January 13, ending the trial. Both men had been on trial since 10 August, accused of multiple sexual offences by 13 women. Matthew Conway, prosecuting, said the prosecution would seek a retrial on the counts the jury could not reach verdicts on.
He said:
“The prosecution has made a decision. We have made a decision today, which is to proceed on these counts in two separate trials and we seek today a provisional case management.”
A statement from Manchester City said: “Given there are open matters related to this case, the club is not in a position to comment further at this time.”
The allegations and trial had been “absolute hell” for Mr Mendy, the court heard, with his life in football “over” as he would “never escape” the accusations.
Roberto Martinez was named as the new coach of Portugal on Monday, having stepped down as Belgium coach after their elimination from the World Cup in Qatar in the group stage.
The 49-year-old Spaniard takes over from Fernando Santos and the most pressing issue in his in-tray will be to clarify the situation of skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just signed for Saudi club Al Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived in Riyadh ahead of undergoing his medical with Al Nassr on Tuesday.
The former Machester United star arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday night with the club expected officially unveil him at 7pm local time (4pm GMT) in the Saudi capital.
SSC [Saudi Sports Company] will broadcast and stream the unveiling of Ronaldo at Mrsool Park live on their channels for fans to watch.
Thousands of supporters are expected to attend Ronaldo’s unveiling in person on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah, Al Nassr are ready to ‘throw a party’ at the same level of Ronaldo’s Real Madrid unveiling in 2009.
The Premier League has announced clubs will pay tribute to Pele during the upcoming round of matches, following the Brazilian legend’s death on Thursday December 29.
The Brazilian football legend passed away at the age of 82 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo, after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.
‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pele, an extraordinarily gifted footballer who transcended our sport and inspired millions throughout his remarkable career,’ the Premier League said in a statement.
‘Our thoughts and sincere condolences go to Peleโs family and friends.’ The Premier League confirmed plans for clubs to honour to Pele’s contribution to football, with a minute’s applause to be held prior to kick-offs in this weekend’s matches. Players and match officials will also wear black armbands.
West Ham and Brentford will be the first clubs to pay tribute with the London derby kicking off the Premier League weekend tonight, followed by Liverpool and Leicester when they meet at Anfield.
The gesture will be followed before all games this weekend.
The body of Pele, will be laid to rest at the home of Santos, where he enchanted the world.
Pele will go straight from the Albert Einstein Hospital to Estรกdio Urbano Caldeira in Vila Belmiro at dawn on Monday and the coffin will be placed in the centre of the pitch.
The public wake is expected to begin at 10 a.m.
Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.
The 23-year-old Netherlands international will move to Liverpool when the transfer window opens on 1 January subject to the granting of a work permit and international clearance.
The Reds will pay between ยฃ35m and ยฃ45m for the 23-year-old, who scored three goals in five appearances at the World Cup in Qatar. Gakpo, who underwent his medical on Merseyside on Wednesday afternoon, is understood to have agreed a deal until 2028, with his transfer subject to a work a permit.
โI feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club,” Gakpo told the official club website.
โI think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.”
Liverpool coach, Jurgen Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com:
“There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience.
โHe was the captain of PSV, he was the Player of the Year in Holland last season and, as a lot of people have just seen, he also had a great World Cup with his national team.
โSo, it is clear that he is already a really, really good player but his age also means he also has the potential to become even better.
โOffensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him.โ
The Super Eagles of Nigeria dropped three places in the latest monthly ranking released by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) on Thursday, December 22.
The ranking was released on the official website of the world soccer governing body and showed the three-time African champions dropped from 32nd to 35th position in the world.
Jose Peseiroโs side although maintained their position among the top five teams in Africa, they however slipped from fourth to fifth position.
The Atlas Lions of Morocco moved to top position on the ranking in Africa following their impressive performance at the just concluded 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Terangha Lions of Senegal dropped to second position on the continent with Tunisia remaining in third position, while the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon jumped to fourth position.
Newly crowned world champions, Argentina are now ranked second, with Brazil maintaining top position.
The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 6 April 2023.
Argentina’s Central Bank is reportedly considering a Lionel Messi banknote after the superstar guided Argentina to their first World Cup win since 1986 in Mexico.
According to newspaper El Financiero, the Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina are eager to mark the national team’s historic win in Qatar and have been working on ideas since before the epic 4-2 shootout win in the final over France.
Mock-ups of the 1,000 peso note being discussed has since gone viral – with fans eager to see it enter circulation.
It is detailed in EF that a key part of the reason behind the 1,000 bill is that it begins with a ’10’ – Messi’s shirt number for Argentina.
While Messi’s grinning face is on one side of the note, this group’s nickname ‘La Scaloneta’ is the wording proposed for the back.
In 1978, officials issued commemorative coins when Argentina won its first World Cup back in 1978.
Commemorative coins were also produced on the 50th anniversary of the death of Eva Perรณn, the former First Lady of Argentina. Under national coach, Lionel Scaloni’s reign, Argentina have gone on to win the 2021 Copa America, the first ever Finalissima at Wembley Stadium and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Some Argentina fans went at extreme lengths to express their hate for French footballer, Kylian Mbappe, by burning a coffin with his face during the World Cup trophy celebrations.
Over 4 million Argentines turned out for the open-top bus parade through the streets of Buenos Aires, though it had to be halted for safety reasons due to some fans attempting to jump onto the bus from above.
A viral video shared from the celebration which was shared on social media, showed some Argentina fans holding up a coffin that contained a cross and a picture of Mbappe.
It was set ablaze while the fans jumped up and down and chanted. The clip was posted by Get French Football news, with the caption:
“Argentinians with a lovely 24th birthday present for Kylian Mbappรฉ here.”
Following the parade, Messi was flown back by helicopter from Buenos Aires to Rosario – some 185 miles away – before he was pictured in a car driven by his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, as they headed home.
Following the parade, Messi was flown back by helicopter from Buenos Aires to Rosario – some 185 miles away – before he was pictured in a car driven by his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, as they headed home.
Upon his arrival, Messi was greeted by hundreds of cheering fans chanting ‘Dale Campeon’ translating to ‘Let’s go champion’.
The jubilant fans had been pushed to two sides by security to clear space for his wife to drive the car through the middle and inside a building.
Messi was born in Rosario and also started his football career playing for Newell’s Old Boys based in the city.
Messi and his family relocated to Barcelona in 2001 when he was 13-years-old and it was at the Spanish club he made his name as one of the greatest players in the world.
