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BREAKING: AFCON 2025 Postponed Due To Club World Cup

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for 2025 in Morocco has been rescheduled to January 2026.

The tournament will be delayed by six months, as it clashes with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.

AFCON 2025 was originally scheduled to take place in June, but the Club World Cup is set to be played in the United States from June 15 to July 13.

CAF’s general secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba, told BBC that the AFCON would now be held in early 2026, acknowledging the pressing issue of scheduling conflicts.

Mosengo-Omba highlighted concerns regarding player welfare, questioning the feasibility of players participating in both the Club World Cup and the AFCON consecutively.

“For the men, we need to make sure that the dates that we’ll be choosing will be in the interests of the players.

“For this, we need to balance different aspects and also discuss with our partners and then we complete [the dates]. Scheduling is a nightmare for everybody,” Mosengo-Omba said.

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Neymar Names Player to Win 2024 Ballon d’Or

Al-Hilal superstar, Neymar has revealed who should win this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
According to him, he will be rooting for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. to win the award.

Vinicius is one of the strong contenders for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
The Brazilian scored in the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday as he helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side record a 2-0 victory at Wembley.
The 23-year-old has now won a second Champions League triumph with Madrid.
Speaking about the player that should win the Ballon d’Or, Neymar said (via @MadridXtra):
“I will be rooting for Vinicius to win the Ballon d’Or.”
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Chelsea Officially Appoint New Manager

Chelsea FC has unveiled Enzo Maresca as the club’s new manager.
The club made the announcement on Monday.
The Premier League west London club disclosed this in a statement via their website.
Maresca will begin his new role on 1 July 2024.
The Italian signed a five-year contract with the Blues.
Reacting, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, said:“We are delighted to welcome Enzo to Chelsea.
 
“He has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style.”
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Nigerians Are Loud, You Can Smell Us From Miles Away – Super Eagles Star, Alex Iwobi

Alex Iwobi, the Fulham and Super Eagles midfielder, has revealed what he loves about being a Nigerian.

The former Arsenal star said Nigerians have unique mannerisms which make them stand out.

He added that Nigerians are “so loud,” especially the Yorubas.

Iwobi stated this in a recent interview with Kiss Fresh, London, United Kingdom.

The host asked, “What do you love about Nigerians and being Nigerian?”

Iwobi replied, “You can smell a Nigerian from a mile away. Our mannerisms are so Nigerian, especially Yoruba people. Yoruba people are so loud.

“My favourite thing about the country is that everyone is so welcoming, rich in hospitality and it’s like one big family. Everyone who is doing well tries to give back to their communities. Every footballer that I am with always try to give back to where they come from. That’s an amazing thing.

“The first thing I do whenever I land in Nigeria and I’m in my hotel room, I order pounded yam and egusi.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo Bursts Into Tears As Al Nassr Lose King’s Cup Final, End Season Trophyless

Cristiano Ronaldo, the superstar player for Al Nassr, was overcome with emotion and burst into tears as his team suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 defeat on penalties against Al Hilal in the King’s Cup final last Friday.

The defeat means Ronaldo will not win any trophy this season.

Al Hilal have now also completed the league and cup double.

The match in Jeddah ended 1-1 in regulation time and extra time failed to provide a winner.

Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Al Hilal the lead in the seventh minute, before Aiman Yahya levelled the game in the 88th minute.

A feisty game saw the referee produce three red cards, with David Ospina sent off for Al Nassr in the 57th minute before Ali Al-Bulayhi and Kalidou Koulibaly followed late on for Al Hilal.

Al Hilal goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou was eventually the hero as he saved Al Nassr’s final two penalties to secure the trophy.

 

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Champions League Final: Kaka Predicts Winner Of Madrid, Dortmund Clash

Kaka, the world-famous retired footballer and ex-Real Madrid star, has backed the Los Blancos to beat Borussia Dortmund and win their 15th UEFA Champions League trophy.

Both teams will clash in the Champions League final on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium.

Real Madrid had eliminated Bayern Munich in the semi-final stage, while Dortmund defeated Paris Saint-Germain.

“I’m very happy that Real Madrid are again in the Champions League final. They had a spectacular season. I hope and I believe that we will win the 15th Champions League,” Kaka said (via @MadriXtra).

The kick-off time for the match is 8 pm.

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Transfer: Jose Mourinho Signs 2-year Deal at New Club

Former Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho has returned to coaching.
The top manager has signed for a new club after his last stint at Roma.
Mourinho’s last coaching job was at Roma where he was sacked last season despite leading them to UEFA Conference League cup victory the previous term.

He has been without a job since his sacking by the Italian side and was rumoured to be warning up to return to coaching in the English Premier League.
And now, Italian football transfer expert, Romano Fabrizio, reports that the Portuguese has penned a 2-year deal with Turkish side, Fenerbahce.
He wrote: “José Mourinho has just signed the contract as new Fenerbahçe head coach, here we go!
 
“After verbal agreement in the morning, deal sealed until June 2026 — two year contract for the Special One.”
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Ademola Lookman’s Goal Wins UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Goal of the Season

Nigerian striker, Ademola Lookman’s goal has won the 2023/24 Europa League goal of the season.
This is according to UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel.
The panel named Ademola Lookman’s second strike of the final for Atalanta against Leverkusen Goal of the Season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s acrobatic finish against Ajax for Marseille earned runner-up spot, while Mohammed Kudus claimed third for his solo effort in West Ham’s 5-0 victory at home to Freiburg.
2023/24 Europa League Goal of the Season:
1 Ademola Lookman (Atalanta 3-0 Leverkusen) – final, 22/05/24
2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille 4-3 Ajax) – Matchday 5, 30/11/23
3 Mohammed Kudus (West Ham 5-0 Freiburg) – round of 16 second leg, 14/03/24
4 Rafael Leão (Slavia Praha 1-3 Milan) – round of 16 second leg, 14/03/24
5 João Pedro (Brighton 1-0 Marseille) – Matchday 6, 14/12/23
6 Darwin Núñez (Sparta Praha 1-5 Liverpool) – round of 16 first leg, 07/03/24
7 Robert Andrich (Roma 0-2 Leverkusen) – semi-final first leg, 02/05/24
8 Victor Boniface (Leverkusen 5-1 Qarabağ) – Matchday 3, 26/10/23
9 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille 4-0 Villarreal) – round of 16 first leg, 07/03/24
10 David Douděra (Milan 4-2 Slavia Praha) – round of 16 first leg, 07/03/24
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LaLiga: Why I Joined Barcelona – New Manager, Hansi Flick

Barcelona’s new manager, Hansi Flick has opened up on why he chose to be the manager of the Spanish club.
According to him, he joined the La Liga giant because he shared the same vision, possession and quality football with the Catalan club.

The German, on Wednesday, officially signed a contract that will see him remain at Camp Nou until 30 June 2026.

Speaking after he was announced as the new manager, Flick, who replaced Xavi Hernandez, also said he was proud to be at Barca.
According to him, he wants to improve Barcelona’s academy players.
 
“I’m proud to be at Barça, it’s a wonderful and incredible club really,” Flick said.
“We share the same vision, possession and quality football.
 
“Barça has La Masia, one of the best academies in the world; so our mission is to improve all the players.”
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Barcelona Sack Manager Xavi, Just A Month After He Reversed His Decision To Quit At The End Of The Season

Spanish football powerhouse, Barcelona have sacked their manager Xavi.

Xavi was sacked with former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick set to replace him.

Xavi will take charge of Barcelona for the final time on Sunday, when they host Sevilla in their last La Liga match of the season.

The 44-year-old, who had been contracted until 2025, was informed of the club’s decision during a meeting with club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco on Friday.

Former Spain midfielder Xavi announced in January that he would leave the Camp Nou, but he was persuaded to stay by Laporta in April.

But recent comments from Xavi, in which he opened up about the club’s financial struggles, are said to have angered Laporta.

Barcelona said they would like to “thank Xavi for his work as a coach” since taking charge in 2021.

 

The Catalans added confirmation about a “new structure” will be confirmed in the coming days, with Flick set to take charge.

Flick, 59, has been out of work since being sacked by Germany in September 2023.

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