Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Category: Sport

  • Ola Aina joins Fulham on loan

    Ola Aina joins Fulham on loan

    British-Nigerian international and Torino defender Ola Aina, has joined newly-promoted English Premier League side Fulham, on loan.

    Aina’s loan move is ahead of Fulham’s opening match today against FA champions Arsenal.

    Aina, who expressed happiness to return to London where he was born and raised could remain in Fulham permanently if should the club side choose that option, as it is open to them.

    “It feels amazing to be back closer to my family, back in the capital,” Aina told the club’s media channel.

    “There’s a great bunch of lads here. I’m really good friends with Big Hec (Michael Hector) and Josh Onomah.” he said.

    Having grown in in skills at the neighbouring Chelsea’s youth system, Aina spent the last two seasons with Torino and played 69 times with his versatility allowing him to play on either flank.

    “I feel very comfortable on either foot. I can fill in wherever needs be.

    “I’d say I’m pretty quick and I like to attack, but I also like to help the team and do the dirty work as much as I can”, he added.

    Aina’s signing follows the capture of midfielder Harrison Reed, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, right-back Kenny Tete and midfielder Mario Lemina and left-back Antonee Robinson.

  • Arsenal’s goalkeeper Martinez keen on first-team deal, set to depart

    Arsenal’s goalkeeper Martinez keen on first-team deal, set to depart

    Arsenal’s backup goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez is set to leave the Gunners this summer.

    Martinez’s performance while standing in for injured Bernd Leno last season, adjudged impressive, sparked intense debates among Arsenal fans about who should be the first choice goalkeeper after seeing the Argentine’s ability.

    Arsenal chief, Mikel Arteta is however keen on doing everything possible to keeping the back up goalkeeper offering a new deal.

    The Argentine, who was also very crucial to Arsenal’s triumph in the FA Cup and Community shield was said to have turned down the latest contract offer as he is focused only on a deal that gets him more regular first-team football.

    A major factor fuelling Martinez’s decision to quit the Arsenal side is Bernd Leno’s return to action. The first-team favoured goalkeeper’s return would see him start ahead of Martinez in Arsenal’s Saturday game against London neighbours, Fulham.

    It is likely that Martinez joins Aston Villa if he pushes through quiting Arsenal after the former tabled two bids for the 28-year-old.

    Amidst interest from Laliga side Villareal, reports suggested that Martinez would prefer to stay in England .

  • Silverbird Gets Sub-licence Deal to Broadcast English Premier League Matches

    Silverbird Gets Sub-licence Deal to Broadcast English Premier League Matches

    A Nigeria’s leading entertainment television station, Silverbird Television, has signed on to broadcast one live English Premier League match per week over the course of the 2020/2021 season.

    The deal was signed with Integral, current free-to-air rights holder for the Premier League matches in Nigeria.

    Integral secured its rights in a sub-licence deal from Infront Sports & Media agency, substantive rights holder for free-to-air distribution rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Integral currently has a similar deal with national broadcaster, NTA, and would now be adding Silverbird TV as an additional broadcaster partner.

    Silverbird would air one of the 3pm fixtures each Saturday on its free-to-air channel, while it would also show a handful of Premier League produced magazine programmes weekly.

    Commenting on the deal, the Managing Director of Integral, Abimbola Ilo, said: “We are once again pleased to be bringing the excitement of the English Premier League closer to its fans in Nigeria.

    “Silverbird is an entertaining television station watched by millions of Nigerians and it’s only right that the most entertaining football league in the world is added to its roster.

    “With the Premier League’s popularity in Nigeria, this is yet another opportunity for its passionate fans to get exciting up to date content on free-to-air TV”

    Also speaking, the Chief Operating Officer of Silverbird Communications, Bola Salako, explained: “We at Silverbird are excited at the opportunity to avail our numerous viewers across Nigeria with select premium football matches from the most exciting league in the world – The English Premier League.

    “Silverbird Television is primarily a family entertainment-oriented channel, and it is quintessential for us to ensure that our viewers get the best of every appropriate programming genre.

    “Sports is a major part of our content offering and football in particular as the acclaimed ‘king of sports’ holds particular appeal to a large section of our target demographic.

    “And with the new Premier League season on the horizon, we are looking forward to team up with Integral on this exciting new project of bringing premium sporting content to mass numbers of Nigerian viewers.”

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Alleged Forgery: Ex-Brazilian international football star, Ronaldinho leaves detention

    Alleged Forgery: Ex-Brazilian international football star, Ronaldinho leaves detention

    One time Brazilian football star Ronaldinho was on Monday released from detention by a Paraguayan Judge, Gustavo Amarilla, after five months.

    The 40year old World Cup winner, who was detained over a forged passport was released alongside his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who for the same charge had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion.

    According to Judge Amarilla, the one time international football sensation “is free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence for a period of one year.

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    “He has no restrictions except for the fulfilment of reparations for damage to society”, which include payment of $90,000 in damages, a decision he accepted as part of terms for his freedom.

    Also, Ronaldinho’s brother, who doubles as his business manager, must pay $110,000.

    in his statement, Judge Amarilla stressed that he was not issuing a “definitive dismissal” of the case but rather that Ronaldinho was benefitting from a “conditional suspension of the procedure.”

    His brother, on the other hand, was given a two-year suspended sentence.

    Prosecutors stated that they did not believe Ronaldinho took part in the plan to manufacture the fake Paraguayan passports but believed de Assis Moreira was aware that the passports were false.

    “They flagrantly used a public document containing false content,” said Marcelo Pecci, one of the public prosecutors, who said it was a “very serious” offense.

    De Assis Moreira must appear before a judge in Brazil every four months for two years and will have a criminal record.

    “Ronaldinho’s situation is not the same as Roberto’s. He has no obligation to appear before any Brazilian judicial authority. He must only report a change of address,” said Amarilla, who accepted a recommendation by four prosecutors to avoid the need for an oral trial.

    Before Monday’s trial, the public prosecutor said that Ronaldinho displayed no “personal characteristics or criminal behaviour that … would put society at risk.”

    The brothers who arrived in Paraguay on March 4 to attend an event in support of disadvantaged children were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents.

    However, just before the Judgement, their lawyer issued a statement insisting that both brothers were innocent.

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    “They presented Paraguayan documents to migration authorities believing they were authentic,” said the statement. “The people they trusted deceived them vilely”, the defense lawyer argued.

    The two men had been under house arrest for more than four months in a luxury hotel in the capital, on bail of $1.6 million.

    Ronaldinho, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, and played a crucial role in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win celebrated his 40th birthday in dentition.

    While investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering and criminal association that has led to the arrest of some18 people in connection with the case, most of them immigration officials or police officers, defense counsel to the brothers stated that:

    “The investigation found no indication that either participated in money laundering or criminal association”.

  • Sevilla Beat Inter 3-2, Win Europa Cup for Sixth Time

    Sevilla Beat Inter 3-2, Win Europa Cup for Sixth Time

    Sevilla Friday night beat Inter 3-2 to win Europa Cup for the sixth time.

    With this, Sevilla would contest UEFA Super Cup against UEFA Champions League winners, Paris or Bayern, in Budapest on September 24.

    Sevilla and Inter would both line up in UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Athens on October 10.

    The Spanish side has again demonstrated its remarkable love affair with Europa Cup as Diego Carlos’s spectacular overhead kick, deflected in by Romelu Lukaku, sealed their sixth title.

    With so much on the line finals can be cagy affairs, but there was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it energy to the game from the off. A goal inside five minutes helps, of course, as Lukaku’s first menacing run was brought to an abrupt halt and the in-form striker duly dispatched his spot kick.

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    Sevilla responded impressively, as they had to a similar setback against Manchester United in the semi-finals. Then as now Luuk de Jong did the damage, justifying his surprise inclusion in the starting XI with two well-taken headers, a diving effort preceding a towering far-post looper.

    Back came Inter, Diego Godín showcasing his own aerial prowess, and while the match grew cagy Lukaku had a golden chance to make it 3-2 but, one on one with Yassine Bounou, he came off second best. Instead it was the unlikely figure of Diego Carlos who settled it, his spectacular overhead kick taking a decisive deflection off the unfortunate Lukaku on its way in.

    The Dutchman had not scored in 11 before his winner against United in the semi-finals, but that was enough to convince Lopetegui to hand him a start – boy, did the gamble pay off. Not only did he nod in two sublime headers, but his general link-up and hold-up play was top notch. A strong all-round display.

    On the eve of the game Inter coach Antonio Conte said he did not want his team to have any regrets after the final whistle.

    After his team suffered defeat, Conte said: “I don’t have many regrets now, my players gave really everything they had against a team used to playing these kinds of games. I think their experience in this sense made the difference in the end tonight.”

    Sevilla controlled the midfield and Inter struggled to pose much of a threat through Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez.

    “This squad are great. They believe in it, what they work on and what they transmit. Even if we hadn’t won I’d still love these guys, but today we take home the prize. We always believed. This team never gives up,” said Sevilla coach, Julen Lopetegui.

    Also speaking on the match, Sevilla defender, Diego Carlos, said: “All the players gave their best, it’s marvellous. This title was very important for all of us, I’m so pleased with all that the club has done for me and I’m so happy. I’m going home with a trophy, a goal and a pregnant missus!”

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    To Sevilla striker, Luuk de Jong: “The coach told me this morning I was starting; I told him the other day I was always ready, and luckily it worked for me. Headers are my speciality; the first cross from [Jesús] Navas was perfect and luckily I put it inside the near post. The second one was a great ball from [Éver] Banega, and it’s a special goal.”

    “The group deserves this. We’ve been fighting all season and getting over the problems that we’ve encountered. This is also for the fans, who deserve to wake up happy every day,” said Sevilla captain, Jesús Navas.

  • Bayern Humiliate Barca 8-2 as Pique Says Catalan Club Needs Lots of Changes

    Bayern Humiliate Barca 8-2 as Pique Says Catalan Club Needs Lots of Changes

    Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said radical changes were needed from top to bottom after his side were annihilated 8-2 by Bayern Munich on Friday to exit the Champions League in one of the Catalan side’s darkest ever nights, Reuters has reported.

    “We feel devastated, although shame is the real word I’m looking for. We cannot afford to compete like this because it’s not the first, the second or the third time that something like this has happened,” a tearful Pique told reporters after the quarter-final drubbing, their worst ever result in Europe.

    “This is very painful but I hope it serves some purpose.”

    Pique, one of the surviving members of the team who won the Champions League in 2009 under Pep Guardiola to begin a golden era for the Catalans, said he was ready to leave the club in order to ensure they improve.

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    He also appeared to blame the Barca hierarchy, which includes president Josep Maria Bartomeu, for the team’s predicament as he called for changes at the very top.

    “We all need to reflect deeply, the club needs lots of changes, I’m not talking about the coach, players – I don’t want to point the finger at anyone but the club needs changes on a structural level,” he said.

    “If new blood needs to come for the club to change course then I’m not untouchable and I’ll be the first to leave if needs be, because it seems as if we’ve hit rock bottom.

    “We all have to reflect about what is the best thing for the club and for Barca.”

    Barca coach Quique Setien is unlikely to survive overseeing such a debacle, although he did not say whether or not he saw himself continuing in charge of the team.

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    “I’m not going to go into all that as I’ve only been here for six months but seeing as this is Pique, surely some of what he said is true,” said the coach.

    “Right now we feel enormous frustration and all we can do is make conclusions and think about the future. Barca is a club that is so great that this will cause us a lot of damage and obviously some things will have to change.

    “The truth is this is a tremendously painful defeat.”

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • NBA appoints Sierra Leonean-American, Victor Williams, Africa CEO

    NBA appoints Sierra Leonean-American, Victor Williams, Africa CEO

    National Basketball Association appoints Sierra Leona-American, Victor Williams, Africa CEO

    National Basketball Association (NBA) Monday named Victor Williams as the Chief Executive Officer of NBA Africa, effective August 17.

    Announcing the new appointment, NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, described Williams as an accomplished investment banking executive with extensive experience growing businesses across the United States of America and Africa.

    CEO NBA Africa would be based in the league’s Johannesburg office and report to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Tatum.

    In this newly-created role, Williams would oversee the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in Africa and would be responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and NBA across the continent through grassroots development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, and more.

    “Adding an executive of Victor’s caliber and experience is an important step in our continued efforts to grow basketball across the continent.

    “We look forward to Victor leading NBA Africa’s operations and helping to accelerate the use of sports as an economic engine across Africa,” Silver added.

    Commenting on his appointment, Williams said: “Becoming CEO of NBA Africa is a compelling opportunity to join the NBA – a widely-respected and admired, globally-oriented sports enterprise.

    “It allows me to blend my professional experience building businesses in Africa with my passion for the sport of basketball.

    “I look forward to working with our colleagues in Johannesburg and Dakar to help grow basketball’s commercial and social impact in Africa and on the world stage.”

    In the last five years, Williams had served as the Executive Head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Africa Regions for Standard Bank Group, where he oversaw the strategy, execution and financial performance for Standard Bank’s business with corporate, sovereign and institutional investor clients in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

    In this pan-continental role, Williams was responsible for growing a wide range of business lines across Africa, including global markets, investment banking and transactional products and services, and helped lead Standard Bank’s expansion into Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

    Williams joined Standard Bank in 2011 as Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for East Africa and subsequently led Standard Bank’s Corporate and Investment banking business in Nigeria.

    Previously, he worked at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was a Managing Director focused on mergers and acquisitions. In this role, he executed more than $5 billion in merger and acquisition transactions and advised senior executives and boards of directors of corporate and private equity firms on mergers, divestitures, acquisitions, joint ventures, recapitalisations and corporate defense.

    Prior to Wells Fargo Securities, Williams was Vice President of Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs in New York City, where he provided strategic guidance to Fortune 500 companies in all aspects of merger and financing analysis and execution.

    Williams, a dual citizen of Sierra Leone and the USA, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and bachelor’s degrees in applied math and economics from Brown University.

    He is a member of Harvard Business School’s Africa Advisory Board and has also served on the boards of publicly-listed companies and non-profit organisations in the USA, Nigeria and Kenya.

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Ronaldo Buys £5.5m Yacht to Celebrate Latest Juventus’ Serie A Title Win

    Ronaldo Buys £5.5m Yacht to Celebrate Latest Juventus’ Serie A Title Win

    Ace footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, has celebrated winning yet another league title by spending £5.5 million on a new luxury yacht.

    Juventus were confirmed Serie A champions after a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday, the seventh league title of Ronaldo’s career.

    The 35-year-old has decided to commemorate the victory by splashing out on the vessel which boasts five cabins, six bathrooms, a large lounge as well as a kitchen. His girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez shared images on Instagram to give fans a peek inside.

    Ronaldo and Rodriguez set sail for the first time this week after the yacht caught the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s eye at the Azimut-Benetti shipyards in Viareggio.

    The Portuguese international picked out the yacht himself and also took his four children along.

    On the pitch, it has been another scintillating season and Ronaldo has scored 31 goals in 33 league games this season.

    He’s four goals behind Lazio’s Ciro Immobile in the Capocannoniere race with one game remaining.

    Juventus fell to a 2-0 defeat against Cagliari last night and they face Roma on Saturday in what would be their fifth game in 12 days.

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 to win 14th FA Cup

    Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 to win 14th FA Cup

    Arsenal FC has won its 14th FA Cup by coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1.

    Christian Pulisic struck early after Olivier Giroud’s excellent flick on but Arsenal refused to cave in and got their reward for steady improvements during the first half when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was fouled by Cesar Azpilicueta just inside the penalty area. He converted the subsequent penalty.

    Just as the pressure was building on his team-mates Aubameyang, in what some may fear would be his final game for Arsenal after entering the final 12 months of his contract, scored a superbly taken goal, lofting the ball over the onrushing Willy Caballero.

    Congratulating Arsenal FC, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda wrote: “Bravo, congrats ARSENAL for a well deserved and needed win – FA CUP. We, FANS and supporters kept faith in you…going forward let’s aim at much bigger things. WE CAN…!!!”

    Idowu Sowunmi