Sports
Reactions Trail LMC’s Decision Against FC Ifeanyi Uba

Reactions have continued to trail the League Management Company’s decision as they fined FC Ifeanyi Uba N9.1 million and other penalties.
FC Ifeanyi Uba in Kano abandoned their match against Kano Pillars in the opening game of the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, at the 48th minutes following the cancellation of a goal scored by the Anambra based club.
The Anambra Warrious perceived that it was in appropriate for the centre referee, Folusho Ajayi to cancel the goal scored.
In his reaction, former Chief coach of defunct Sharks FC, of Port Harcourt, Sunny Iseokweinma said he supported the decision of LMC, because that will sanitize NPFL.
According to him, the fime should not be only monetary terms but also attract six points deduction from accumulated points gotten.
“For me the decision of LMC is very much okay, because this will improve our league and serve as deterrent to other clubs”, Isekweinma said.
He further suggested that fines should also include deduction of six points from any club who abandoned their game midway.
“I want to say that referees should be sanctioned if found guilty of poor officiating,characterized with bias. We want our league to improve, he stated.
A frontline sports writer and blogger, in Nigeria, China Achiru also gave a nod to LMC decision.
According to him, LMC played by the rules, adding that the punishment is in line with LMC rules and regulation.
“The punishment is okay by me because they played by the rules guiding LMC” Achiru said.
He explained that the decision taken by the centre referee, Folusho Ajayi, is also in line with law saying that the referee have the discretion to call off the game anytime after 45th minutes of play in each half.
“I know that the referee association has given her vote of confidence, because before they gave her such top flight match to officiate they have satisfied her fit and competent” he stated.
In Awka, an ex-Rangers International player, Arthur Ebunam, said he supported the LMC’s decision, noting that the standard of the game must be upheld in spite of any perceived injustice.
Ebunam, however, said that the referees association must ensure that their members were of high moral standards as they were in position to make or mar the game.
“The LMC is right; FC IfeanyiUbah should not have abandoned the game, granted that referees make mistakes knowingly or unknowingly all over the world.
“You don’t abandon a game that is already in progress because it is not about you, but about the millions who have interest in it across the continent even the world.
“The option was to continue the game and protest afterwards with all the evidence that you have.
“The behaviour was just unprofessional and the referees that have shown not to be above board should be stopped from spoiling the game for us, I think I support the decision of the LMC,” he said.
Another enthusiast, Nnamdi Obi, said the two-way disciplinary action taken by the LMC was good but lamented the enormity of the fine slammed of FC IfeanyiUbah.
Obi wondered what action was taken against SuperSports which suspended broadcast in the peak of the disagreement and denied fans the opportunity of seeing what was going on.
Tonye Orabere
Sports
Gyokeres Situation, Transfer Under Cloud At Sporting

Sporting have not received an offer for striker Viktor Gyokeres and there is no gentleman’s agreement for him to leave for £59million, says club president Frederico Varandas.
Sweden international Gyokeres, 27, has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Arsenal after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal.
He has a 100m euro (£85m) release clause in his contract.
It has been widely reported that, after staying at Sporting last summer, Gyokeres and Sporting agreed he could leave for 70m euros (£59m) this summer.
However, Varandas said the club’s only promise to Gyokeres was that they would not demand his full release clause.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.
“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.”
Gyokeres spent three seasons with Coventry City in the Championship before joining Sporting under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana was sporting director at Sporting last summer, when Gyokeres’ agent sought assurances about his leaving if a suitable offer arrived.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.
“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.
“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m eurors or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100 million euros.’”
Sports
Concacaf Opposes 64-Team W’Cup Plans

Concacaf President Victor Montagliani has criticised a proposal to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64 teams.
The plans, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, have also drawn opposition from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The tournament will be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, after the opening matches are held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The 2026 World Cup, which will take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada, has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
But Conmebol said it wanted to add more participants to mark the competition’s 100-year anniversary.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told Tidesports source
“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
Concacaf is the governing body of football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams was taken in 2017 following a unanimous vote at a Fifa congress.
Fifa’s 75th congress will be held in Paraguay on 15 May, when Conmebol’s proposal could be discussed.
If the proposal is accepted, the 2030 edition would consist of 128 matches, double the number played under the 64-game format used from 1998 and 2022.
In March, Ceferin described the proposal as a “bad idea” while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said it would cause “chaos”.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman.
“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
Sports
Brazil Edge Paraguay, Book W’Cup Spot

Brazil qualified for the 2026 World Cup this week with a 1-0 win against Paraguay in South American qualifying to give Carlo Ancelotti his first win as manager.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jnr scored from close range in the second half, finishing after fine work from Manchester United-bound playmaker Matheus Cunha.
The victory, Ancelotti’s first after a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on his debut last week, means Brazil has now qualified for every edition of the World Cup.
“We needed to win and qualify for the World Cup,” said Vinicius Jr.
“Now the coach will have more time to work. Of course today wasn’t one of our best performances, but the important thing is always to win.
“Now it’s time to celebrate qualifying.”
Elsewhere, World Cup holders Argentina played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Colombia in Buenos Aires.
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine individual goal, dancing through three defenders before finishing past Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina was reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining when Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a high-boot challenge on Colombia’s Kevin Castano.
But Lionel Messi’s side found an equaliser nine minutes from the end through Lyon’s Thiago Almada, leaving Colombia four points clear of seventh-placed Venezuela.
Ecuador, Argentina’s nearest challengers, booked their spot at next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States after a 0-0 draw away at Peru.
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