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Amaechi Lauds PHCCIMA Over USA Soccer Camp Hosting

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Wheel chair race

Wheel chair race

Executive Governor of Rivers
State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,  has commended the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, PHCCIMA over successful hosting of the 1st USA College Prospect Soccer Camp initiative, tagged ‘Play Football and Study Free in America’, held at the prestigious Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
Amaechi, who made this commendation when he visited the stadium venue of the talent hunt programme said he was impressed with the chamber’s  support for the state  government effort at giving youths of the state a meaningful direction.
He said the Ministry of Sports will be given the necessary support needed to collaborate and involve in such activities to ensure not just support for our youths, but also maximum utilisation of the stadium facilities.
Speaking about the foreign coaches who flew in to conduct the talent hunt, Governor Amaechi said the development shows that the state is a safe haven for foreign investment, expressing hope that the programme would open channels of collaboration and sporting relationship between the state and foreign partners.
He said that, the state government is willing and open to valuable partnership that will see the concession of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium facilities to foreign collaborators to manage in line with the global standard, saying it was the only way “we can ensure that the facility is successfully managed and sustained”.
Similarly, the Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Fred Wigwe, was also full of praises for the organizers of the event, stating that he was amazed at the prospect of the initiative that would see youths of the state play football and study free in American Universities.
Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with renowned youth football promotional outfit, Change the Game Project organised the event with the objective of providing youths with a virile and meaningful direction even as the selection process in the week long programme produced a good number of youths who were successfully selected by the foreign coaches.
President of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Engr. Emeka Unachukwu, in his remark described the programme as a huge success, adding that the event was part of PHCCIMA’s End-to-End empowerment programme.
The PHCCIMA boss noted that the idea was not just to hunt for talents and train youths for skills, but to also empower them and guide them through mentorship to succeed.
He explained that the success achieved was as a result of  days of careful and well-thought-out planning, diligence of staff and collaborators, security, health officials and of course the magnanimity of the Rivers state government who provided the turf.
Unachukwu said he was excited that the lofty objective of the project was achieved which consequently has been translated to value to the lives of these talented youths, who ordinarily would have been left to fall prey to the devices of street life.
He explained that the programme also afforded youths the opportunity to realise their lifelong dream of studying in universities abroad free of cost in the United States while  playing football to make ends meet.
The one week football camp event tagged ‘Play Football and Study Free in America’witnessd the presence of coaches from about 15 Universities in America and others from Europe and Italy who took on the screening of boys and girls between the ages of 15-19 and other categories to hunt out exceptional talents at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
States of America soon to kick start an illustrious career.

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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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