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Abuja Stadium Gets New Look, Ready To Host Eagles

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The Minister of Youths and Sports, Sunday Dare, has assured that football matches would soon return to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, as the stadium now wears a new look following its renovation by the ministry.
Formerly known as the National Stadium, Abuja, it was renamed after M.K.O. Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, in 2019.
The stadium, which was built at a whopping $360 million to host the African Games in 2003, had deteriorated while the environment looked unkept and rough with grasses growing all over the walkways and parking lot.
The Abuja stadium has been undergoing rehabilitation with re-grassing of the main pitch, replacement of the scoreboard and vandalised cables restored, which ensures the facility is well lighted at night to enhance security, all made possible due to the intervention and collaboration with the Dangote Group.
In a statement by the ministry and made available to Tidesports source, the minister assured that the work was almost at the completion stage.
“Football action will soon return to the main bowl of the newly renovated Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, as the pitch is now lush green and the scoreboard functional,” the statement reads.
“The new-look of the Stadium was made possible by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, after he made a plea to business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who agreed to bankroll the rehabilitation of the stadium.
“Prior to the intervention, the Moshood Abiola National Stadium had deteriorated to the extent that the pitch had become an eyesore and the scoreboard dysfunctional.
“The rehabilitation is in fulfilment of the mandate of the minister to renovate existing infrastructures and develop grassroots sports.”
“The adopt-a-pitch initiative has resulted in the rehabilitation of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
Garba Lawal said, “A fantastic piece of news because this is the stadium we opened in 2003 and I remembered we lost 3-0 against Brazil, that was the day the stadium was opened and I played full minute that day.
 “It is an awesome ground and I’ve always wanted to see the Eagles in Abuja and Lagos. The minister did a wonderful job, the ministry, federal government and everyone involved did well to see that the stadium is ready.
“The most important thing now its the maintenance.

of the stadium which has always been our problem.”
Mutiu Adepoju added, “It is a good thing that our stadiums are having good shape especially the national stadium in Abuja.
“It is great news and one need to be happy about it and such developments are what we are looking for because this is what is good for our sports.
“Kudos should go to the minister for the good job and I am happy that the stadium is ready after renovation.”
The statement also revealed that there are plans to rehabilitate the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, Oyo State, through a private-public partnership model.

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Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

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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.

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Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

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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.

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Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

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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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