Super Eagles target Eberechi Eze has been handed a national team call-up by England manager Gareth Southgate ahead of Three Lions Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, ending speculation about the Crystal Palace player’s international career.
But his 10 goals and four assists in the Premier League for Crystal Palace this season earned him a place in the squad.
The 24-year-old was born in England to Nigerian parents.
The Nigerian Football Federation had previously tried to get the midfielder to switch allegiance to Nigeria so he could play for the Super Eagles. If he makes his competitive debut in any of the forthcoming matches, he will no longer be able to play for Nigeria.
But his 10 goals and four assists in the Premier League for Crystal Palace this season earned a place in the Three Lions squad this time.
In the list released by Southgate on Wednesday, Eze was named alongside 24 other players, including Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka.
Eze joined a growing list of players (Saka, Dele Alli, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Gabby Agbonlahor, etc.) that have chosen to represent England at the international football level over Nigeria.
On June 16, England play Malta in Ta’ Qali before taking on North Macedonia three days later at Old Trafford.
The Three Lions top the early Group C table after beating Italy and Ukraine in their opening two qualifying matches in March.
Meanwhile, last week, both England and Nigeria were on the losing end as Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun, born to Nigeria parents in the United States but grew up in England, ditched the two countries to pledge his allegiance to the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT).
The 21-year-old, currently playing for French Ligue 1 side Reim, has been impressive for his club this season, with 20 goals and two assists in 35 matches as he continues his development away from Emirates.
Days after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, CNN TV host, Christiane Amanpour has asked the new monarch, King Charles III, to step away from Britain’s ‘colonial legacy’ and possibly offer reparations to countries colonized by the UK.
Amanpour was in London over the weekend analyzing Charles III’s first public address as king and the conversation came around to how “different demographics” were listening to it for different reasons.
During his first televised address as king after he inherited the crown from the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles III addressed the increasingly diverse state of the U.K.
“In the course of the last seventy years we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths.
The institutions of the State have changed in turn,” he noted. “But, through all changes and challenges, our nation and the wider family of Realms – of whose talents, traditions and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud – have prospered and flourished.
Our values have remained, and must remain, constant.” Reacting to the king’s remarks, Amanpour spoke of British colonialism;
“I really do believe that we have to have this conversation right now, even at this moment,” “And look, what he said, ‘In the 70 years of her being on the throne, many cultures and faiths have flourished in these past seven decades,’” she paraphrased.
Amanpour appeared to suggest that this flourishing was overblown, “particularly in the wake of Black Lives Matter and particularly in the protests that erupted all over the world after what happened in Minnesota, in London, in France and other parts of these nations that had colonial servants, let’s face it.”
She recounted further that Britain, specifically, has a controversial imperial history, saying, “People were in service to this empire. The wealth of this empire was derived on the back of the people of their empire.”
“What we’re saying is that there is the generation of multicultural and diverse Britons who want this answered, who want to see their monarch finally talk about what it means and, you know, potentially the idea of reparations, definitely justice, right? Justice,” she said, warning that the citizenry of Britain has diversified and is looking to the King to address modern cultural issues with new policies.
She added that “Prince William who’s the heir and the next king, has talked about it, having been criticized for a trip he made in the Caribbean – again, colonial legacy – that we must have this discussion, and it must be up to those countries. But it also has to be had in this country [England] as well.”
Meghan Markle has claimed Buckingham Palace made her erase her first names from her and Prince Harry’s son Archie Harrison’s birth certificate.
The Sun reported on Saturday, January 30, that the former American actress, 39, “secretly erased” her first names, Rachel Meghan, from the document in June 2019, nearly one month after Archie’s birth.
She was then referred to as “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.” Prince Harry‘s name was also amended to add the word prince, so it reads, “His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex.”
Harry Charles & Meghan Markle
The adjustment reportedly occurred on June 5 after Harry and Meghan’s son arrived on May 6 of 2019. A spokesperson for Meghan has now confirmed the change of name but says Meghan did not request her name should be changed on her son’s birth certificate.
The spokesman told the Telegraph: ‘The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex.
‘To see this UK tabloid and their carnival of so-called ‘experts’ chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family ‘snub’ and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive.’
The change triggered speculation, with the Queen’s ex-press secretary Dickie Arbiter saying: ‘Maybe this was an early part of their plan.’ Lady Colin Campbell, who spotted the amendment, said: ‘It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking.’
Meghan and Harry, 36, tied the knot in May 2018 and welcomed Archie one year later. Months after the name change the couple announced their decision to quit the royal family in January 2020 and completed their duties that March.
On Thursday, England will be going back into lockdown, with pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops told to close.
Here are nine things that are different from the March lockdown.
1. You can meet one friend… with your children
In March, you could only meet others from outside your household in a very limited set of circumstances.
Meeting another person socially wasn’t allowed until May.
This time, you can catch up with a friend in an outdoor public place, like a park or beach, as long as you socially distance and neither of you is self-isolating.
And this time, children of pre-school age are not included in the two-person limit, so those looking after youngsters can still have social contact.
2. Schools and universities are staying open
The government has emphasised that it is prioritising education – so schools, colleges and universities will all remain open, as will nurseries and other childcare.
They closed back in March and while studies continued online, many students did not return in person until September.
In the summer, scientists had warned that pubs and other activities might have to close for schools to remain open in the second wave.
”We cannot let this virus damage our children’s futures even more than it has already,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, adding that clinical advice is for young people to be in school.
3. Public toilets will not be closed
The government has specifically said that public toilets can remain open.
This also applies at visitor attractions like gardens and castles, if they are normally available to the public and are sufficiently separate.
During the last lockdown, many councils did not reopen their public toilets when allowed.
People with young children and long-term health conditions were particularly affected, and with pubs and restaurants closed, many complained they were forced to relieve themselves in public places.
4. ‘Bubbles’ exist
Many people are going into this lockdown as part of a support “bubble”, a concept which didn’t exist back in March.
It means that an adult living alone or a single parent family can mix freely with one other nominated household of any size.
A household with children under 13 can also form a childcare bubble with another household to help with informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare. This must always be between the same two households.However, the Cabinet Office has been unable to confirm to the BBC whether one or more people from the second household can provide the childcare – so in the case of grandparents, for example, whether only one of them can do it.
Bubbles will continue during the lockdown.
5. Click and collect services will be available
Non-essential shops are closing once again, but this time click and collect – where customers order products online and go to pick them up – will be allowed.
Click and collect involves minimal contact, and could help shops to keep more workers employed.
Garden centres can also stay open this time, as can waste and recycling tips.
6. Sitting on a bench is allowed
In the early days of lockdown, sitting on a bench could be interpreted as breaking coronavirus rules – unless the person was taking a break from exercising. Sunbathing or reading outdoors were also not permitted.
This time, the government has not placed any time limit on recreational activities, with the prime minister suggesting that meeting a friend in the park for a walk or sitting on a bench and eating a sandwich was perfectly fine. We
7. You can take unlimited exercise
The message is very different now to March, when people were told to take only one form of exercise outdoors a day.
The government is mindful of obesity, mental health and other problems caused by lockdown inactivity, and the risks of coronavirus transmission are generally higher indoors.
The new lockdown guidance says “you can and should still travel to… spend time or exercise outdoors. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel to do so if necessary”.
Only essential travel was permitted in the spring, but this was open to interpretation, with one police force criticised for sharing drone footage of ramblers online.
8. Dentist and opticians are staying open
Dentists and opticians were only open for emergency appointments at the start of the last lockdown.
But they can open as usual this time, as can chiropractors and osteopaths.
Boots Opticians and Specsavers say they will operate as normal, while the British Dental Association has confirmed that dental services will be available.
An alarming side-effect of the last lockdown was missed medical appointments, as many worried about burdening the health service or being exposed to the virus.
This has potentially led to thousands of missed diagnoses and treatments.
Mr Johnson stressed it is ”really important” to ”get your scans, turn up for your appointments and pick up your treatments”, during this lockdown and all winter.
9. Nobody will formally shield
About two million vulnerable people had to shield in the last lockdown, meaning they stayed at home.
Many found this advice ”very restrictive,” the government says.
The aim is to strike a balance between practical measures to keep people safe, while reducing the harm caused to their wellbeing and mental health.
“I know how tough shielding was, and we will not ask people to shield again in the same way,” Mr Johnson said.
However, the “clinically extremely vulnerable”, including organ transplant patients and people with certain cancers, have been told to take extra care to minimise contact with others, including working from home.
They have been advised not to go to shops, but can still exercise and go to school.
Sir Bobby, 83, won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup with United during 17 years at Old Trafford.
He finished his career with spells at Preston and Irish side Waterford.
His wife, Lady Norma Charlton, expressed the hope that the knowledge of his diagnosis – first reported by the Telegraph – could help others.
Manchester United said in a statement: “Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.
Joining United in 1953, he scored 249 goals in 758 games for the club, long-standing records which were eventually broken by Wayne Rooney in 2017 and Ryan Giggs in 2008 respectively.
Born in Ashington, Northumberland, he remained England’s record goal scorer until Rooney surpassed him against Switzerland in September 2015.
At the age of 20, Sir Bobby was a survivor of the Munich air crash of 1958 in which 23 people died, including eight of his Manchester United team-mates.
He inspired United to a first European Cup win in 1968, scoring twice in the final, and was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1966 after playing every minute of England’s World Cup victory.
Sir Bobby came second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1958 and again in 1959. In 2008, he received the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
United renamed Old Trafford’s South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby in 2016.
Covid-19: Nearly 100,000 catching virus every day – study
Nearly 100,000 people are catching coronavirus every day in England, a major analysis suggests.
The study, by Imperial College London, says the pace of the epidemic is accelerating and estimates the number of people infected is now doubling every nine days.
The authors say we are at a “critical stage” and “something has to change”.
The UK government is sticking to its regional strategy in England.
Experts are warning that we are fast approaching the peak in infections seen in the spring.
The React-1 study is highly influential because it is the most up-to-date assessment of Covid-19 in the country, with the last swabs taken only on Sunday and nearly 86,000 volunteers taking part.
It shows cases are rising in every age group and in every region of England.
While cases are currently highest in the North, infections are surging more rapidly in the South.
The study compared the latest swabs collected between 16 and 25 October with the last round of swabs, between 18 September and 5 October.
It suggests:
The number of people infected has more than doubled since the last round, with one in every 78 people now testing positive.
The hardest hit area is Yorkshire and the Humber, where one every 37 people has the virus, followed by the North West region.
Three times as many people aged 55-64 are infected and twice as many over 65s.
Overall, the number of people infected is doubling every nine days.
The South East, South West, east of England and London all have an R above 2.0. London has an estimated R of 2.86.
Cases are spiking in young people in the South West in a repeat of the pattern seen in northern England just over a month ago.
96,000 people are now catching the virus every day.
Prof Steven Riley, one of the authors, said he was “really disappointed” when the data started coming in and said it meant the “current measures are not sufficient”.
“There has to be a change, the rate of growth is really quite rapid, one way or another there has to be a change before Christmas,” he said.
He argued this could be either the general public following the rules more closely or government imposing tougher restrictions on our lives.
“If we are going to consider at some point over the winter something much more stringent it becomes a question of timing. I think these results do argue for something sooner rather than later,” Prof Riley said.
The Anglo-Nigerian has committed his international future to the Three Lions despite his eligibility for the African giants
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has wished the Nigeria national team all the best after confirming his international future with England.
The versatile player has been handed call-up by the Three Lions for their upcoming games against Wales, Belgium and Denmark.
The 19-year-old has been delivering outstanding performances for the Emirates Stadium giants since his promotion to the first team.
“I feel like I’m really, really proud of my Nigerian heritage,” Saka told Sky Sports. “I always still watch Nigeria’s games where I can and I wish them all the best and support them all the way, but I’ve seen the process of how England are transforming and I think in the future they’re going to do great stuff.
“I feel like it was right for me to choose England.”
Saka made a key impact for Mikel Arteta’s men in the 2019-20 season as they won the FA Cup and finished eighth in the Premier League.
The forward was born in England but eligible to play for the Super Eagles through his parents and has now pledged his international future with the European country.
“My dad was born here, my mum was born in Nigeria, but they both grew up in Nigeria and met each other in Nigeria,” he added. “They came over and when they came to England it wasn’t easy for them because obviously, it’s a new country.
“It’s really cold for them, but they adapted well, and as soon as they had me and my brother they always left everything out the way and put us first.
“Especially my football career, my dad always pushed me, he took me to training on days where sometimes it would take two hours to get to training, so I’ll always be so grateful for my parents for the work they’ve done for me.”
Nigeria are well covered in the wing roles, with the likes of former Leicester City forward Ahmed Musa, Nantes star Moses Simon, Bordeaux’ Samuel Kalu, Villarreal sensational Samuel Chukwueze and CSKA Moscow’s Chidera Ejuke impressing for the three-time African champions.
The Super Eagles have lined up two friendlies against Algeria and Tunisia on October 9 and 13 respectively as part of their preparation for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone in November.
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