Sports
LMC Fines Ex-Eagles Star, Officials
The League Management
Company (LMC) last week said it had sanctioned two senior club officials, a coach and 12 match officials, including four referees and eight assistant referees.
In a statement, LMC said the 15 of them were charged under the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) rules for various acts considered inimical to the good of the game.
“The General Manager of FC Taraba of Jalingo, Tijani Babangida, and that of Heartland FC of Owerri, Okechukwu Ibe who is also a Director of LMC, have been fined N50,000 and N200,000 respectively.
“They were sanctioned for comments and behaviour which were in breach of some sections of the Code of Conduct for club officials under the NPFL rules,’’ the league organising body said.
LMC similarly said Abia Warriors’ Head Coach Ladan Bosso was fined N50,000 for comments it ruled to be in breach of regulations.
It said this was in line with Article 14 of the Code of Conduct for coaches and managers and Article C1 of the Framework and Rules of the NPFL.
“Babangida and Bosso were punished for public comments against referees, comments considered capable of bringing the league to disrepute, while Ibe was charged for acts capable of bringing the league to disrepute.
“This included excessive complaints against the referee during Heartland FC’s Match Day 11 fixture against Enyimba International.
“Babangida’s charge followed his comments to the media on the Match Day 11 fixture between El-Kanemi Warriors and FC Taraba, even after he had followed the official channels to lay a complaint about the officiating.
“This was even after he was aware that his complaint was being dealt with.
“Bosso’s charge is in relation to comments he made to the media against the referee after the Match Day 12 fixture between Rangers and Abia Warriors.
“The LMC believes he failed to act in an ethical and professional manner, in the best interest of the game, and he made statements capable of bringing the game to disrepute,” the statement said.
The LMC then asked all those sanctioned to within 48 hours accept the respective sanctions imposed or elect to defend themselves before a commission.
“They have all accepted the charges and apologised,’’ it said in the statement.
The LMC said it had also forwarded the cases of the match officials to the Referees Appointment Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
“We have requested that the listed officials’ performances be reviewed and they should be dropped from further officiating NPFL games, pending the conclusion of the review of their performance in some matches.
“In referring the case to the Committee, the LMC expressed dissatisfaction with their performances in some fixtures of Match Days 11 and 12,’’ the statement said.
It said referee Jerry Akure from Benue and his assistants, Aliyu Jingi of Bauchi State and Garba Musa from Yobe, were charged for below par handling of a match.
The match was the Match Day 11 fixture in Umuahia between Abia Warriors and Sunshine Stars.
“Referee Maaji Mohammed and his assistants Abbas J. and Alfa Gimba, all of Niger Referees Council, were charged for poor officiating in the fixture between El-Kanemi Warriors and FC Taraba, also on Match Day 11.
Sports
Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie A Lead
Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.
Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.
Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.
But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.
Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.
It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.
Sports
Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool
A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.
Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.
“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.
For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.
Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.
His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.
Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.
Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.
The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.
“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”
Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.
The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.
“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”
He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.
“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”
Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.
The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).
Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.
Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.
Sports
Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors
Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.
Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.
Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.
Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.
Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.
The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.
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