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NPFL Crown: No Retreat, No Surrende For MFM FC

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With the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) crown apparently going to the wire, Lagos-based MFM FC have promised to fight on till the last whistle of the league game.
Tidesports source gathered that the recent slump by the league table toppers Plateau United necessitated the delay in crowning the 2016/2017 NPFL champions. Only a point separates the two leading teams on the league table, with Plateau having 63 points and MFM 62.
The Peace Boys from Jos should have wrapped up their league victory but they suffered a shocking home draw on Match Day 36 and an away defeat on Day 37.
The Kennedy Boboye-tutored side of recent had failed to sustain the tempo which saw them on the summit of the table as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against a spirited Rivers United.
The team also failed to win their last match as they also slumped to yet another 0-1 defeat in the hands of Wikki Tourists of Bauchi.
With the slump experienced by Plateau United, second placed team, MFM who have been on their trail are now confident of springing a last minute surprise to snatch the crown.
The high-flying MFM on their part was able to put sword in the heart of their opponents Nasarawa United at their Soccer Temple Agege Township Stadium , winning 2-0 on Matchday 37, despite losing Matchday 36, away to Abia Warriors.
A stunning free kick from defender Stanley Okorom in the 13th minute and an assist for Tchato Giscard who scored a blazing header in the 46th minute gave the Olukoya Boys the comfortable win on 31 August.
Commenting on the possibility of catching up with Plateau United, MFM image maker, Olawale Quadri, said: “It is not over until it is over” in their pursuit of the 2016/2017 league shield.
“We need to put this straight. We are still very much in contention for the league crown. The winner has not emerged yet, so we are fighting on.
“The league still has a match to be played and we will do our best not to disappoint our fans. We made a promise to win the league and we are still on course.
“No one expects the league leaders to slump like that, since they are now vulnerable to defeat. Owing to the pressure on them, we will not leave it without a fight.
“MFM are known for their fighting spirit and we are ready to sustain that. We won’t let go, No retreat no surrender,” he said.
Quadri said that aiming for the league crown was not yet a “Dead duck” but that the club was motivated with the difficult match, against in-form Rangers International, ahead of their rival Plateau United.
“We can catch up because Plateau United should now be under pressure and their last match against the incumbent champions Rangers International of Enugu may not be a ride in the park.
“Rangers are now in a precarious situation and they must not lose their last game for the fear of relegation. They will want to fight.
“Our own game which is away will also be tough but nothing is impossible. We are not yet fulfilled. Our target is the league crown which is not far away.
“We want to put smiles on the faces of the Lagos supporters who have been the motivation behind the team since we started the campaign in the NPFL,” he said.
MFM will be travelling to Maiduguri to meet El-Kanemi Warriors on 9 September.
Tidesports source gathered reports that only a point separates the two contenders for the 2016/2017 league crown. The league leaders, Plateau United, are on 63 points, while MFM second are on 62 points.
A win for both clubs will crown Plateau United, while a draw or defeat for them will see MFM a surprise winner of the coveted season shield, if they beat El-Kanemi.

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I Joined Saudi League To Win Titles – Senegal Keeper

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Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”

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Spanish Football Fires Entire Refereeing Committee

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The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.

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Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League

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Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.

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