Sports

‘Ronaldo Won’t Leave Madrid For Less Than €1bn’

Published

9 years ago

June 21, 2017

Florentino Perez has stressed that Cristiano Ronaldo will only leave Real Madrid if a club matches his €1billion buyout clause and has slammed those who have called the Portugal international “a delinquent” following his tax issues.
Prosecutors in Madrid recently filed a complaint to a court that accused the four-time Ballon d’Or winner of a “voluntary” and “conscious” breach of his tax obligations, claiming the 32-year-old created a “business structure” in 2010 to conceal earnings from image rights between 2011 and 2014, thus defrauding the Spanish tax authorities to the tune of €14.7million.
The complaint was quickly followed by reports that Ronaldo has decided to leave Madrid ahead of next season following his tax problems, but Perez is adamant the prolific forward will only be on the move for a huge transfer fee.
“I have not talked with him yet, but I will talk with him in the upcoming days. But he has a €1billion exit clause. Unless someone is willing to pay that, he will not leave,” Perez declared.
“This is all very strange. I will defend him as a player and as a human being. I know Cristiano and he is a good guy, both as a professional and a person. What people cannot do is talk about him like he is a delinquent, that bothers me and is hurtful.
“I do not know his tax situation very well. I can only say that we all have to fulfil our obligations when it comes to taxes. But I have no doubts about Cristiano. What I have been told is that he is using the same corporate structure that he used in the UK and there were no problems there.”
“Cristiano is not angry about who pays the fine. He has always wanted to comply with the rules.
“We released a statement to show him our support. There is nothing Real Madrid have to do now. Cristiano will have to fulfil his fiscal obligations. There is a solution for everything.”

Sports

LGA Boss Pledges To Reintroduce School Sports

Published

7 hours ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The chairman of the Khana Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, Bariere Thomas, has revealed that plans are underway to commence school sports at the primary and secondary school levels in the area.

According to him, school sports that were primarily used to discover young talents had become a thing of the past, adding that one of the ways to discover young talents is to organize programs that will expose talents at the grassroots level.

Thomas said this on Saturday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after a novelty football match between Khana All-Stars and council appointees.

The match was held to mark the birthday of Felix Ibor, the Supervisor for Education in Khana LGA, at the Bori Police Station field.

The LGA boss reiterated that organizing competitive sporting events in primary and secondary schools is one of the best ways to bring out the best in young people and help to achieve their potential.

“What we are doing in the Khana Local Government Area is to consolidate on the sports we know, which are wrestling, cycling, football, and others,” he said.

He added that he is concerned about the competitive nature of wrestling on the global stage; at Khana LGA, for instance, they are focusing on how to consolidate the sports they know more about.

Thomas described Felix Ibor as an academic whom he has known and worked with since before he became LGA chairman.

He commended both teams for the novelty match, saying that it was held to celebrate Ibor’s birthday.

Ibor thanked the chairman and both teams for celebrating with him, and he prayed that God would also bless them.

Meanwhile, Ibor also presented a set of Jessy to the chairman for the council team.

Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Ezechukwu Eyes Double Gold In African Champs

Published

8 hours ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

Teenage Nigerian sprinter Miracle Ezechukwu has set her sights on winning both the 100m and 4x100m relay titles at the 24th African Athletics Championships in Accra, while also targeting a new personal best in the process, Tidesports source.

Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.

The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.

“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.

“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.

Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.

She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.

“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.

The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.

Sports

Amusan Targets Third African Hurdles Title In Accra

Published

8 hours ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

World record holder and five-time national champion Tobi Amusan will target a third African 100 metres hurdles title as she begins her campaign at the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana, which gets underway at the University of Ghana

Amusan arrives with an impressive record at the continental championships, having won five gold medals across individual and relay events.

She won the 100m and 4x100m relay titles at Asaba 2018, repeated the sprint hurdles and relay double at Mauritius 2022, and added another relay gold at Douala 2024.

She was, however, expected to challenge for a third 100m hurdles crown in Douala but did not compete in the individual event for personal reasons, instead featuring in the relay.

Liberia’s Ebony Morrison is the reigning champion in the women’s 100mH after setting a championship record of 12.7s, ahead of South Africa’s Marione Fourie and Madagascar’s Sidonie Fiadanantsoa.

Even though Amusan is expected to have an easy path to reclaiming the title, compatriots Adaobi Tabugbo and Janet Sunday will be in contention to challenge her.

Tabugbo is familiar with the championship stage, having previously placed fifth in the 100mH at Douala 2024 while also winning relay gold alongside Amusan.