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ABS, La Planet Sign Pact To Exchange Players

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Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Ilorin FC and La Planet Sport Academia State, a sport academy based in Kwara, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on exchange of players for developmental purposes.
The signing of the MoU which took place in Ilorin yesterday, attracted sports stakeholders across the state and some business moguls.
In the agreement, La Planet Sport Academia shall be sending players for developmental purposes to ABS Ilorin FC, while it will in return give technical support to its coaches and players.
Also, in the agreement, the ABS Ilorin FC will build a football business relationship with the academy.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Kwara Director of Sports, Tunde Kazeem, said the sports council would continue to give support to persons or groups showing interest in development of athletes, especially at the grassroots.
He described the signing of the MoU as one of the best event in the history of sports in the state and thanked both parties for the initiative.
Speaking after signing of the MoU, ABS Director of Football, Alloy Chukwuemeka, said the club would continue to run professionally and in line with the details and visions of its proprietor, Dr Bukola Saraki.
Chukwuemeka explained that Saraki had directed that the club be run professionally in such a way that other clubs will emulate.
He said that since he joined the team about 10 years ago, he has not relented on that mandate and assured that ABS will continue to develop local players to stardom.
The ABS Director of Football believed that the game is about exceptional talents, hence, the reason for the agreement with La Planet Sport Academia which is responsible for the scouting of players across the nooks and crannies of the state.
He boasted that almost every Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs have at least one ABS player.
In his remarks, the President of La Planet Sport Academia, Shogo Shodunnke, described Chukuemeka as an honest man running ABS in a transparent manner.
He said that it is these traits that informed his decision to partner with ABS, adding that so far, no fewer than 48 players who had participated in the end of the season Pre-season tournament tagged AMAPRO, had turned professional footballers.
Shodunnke said in the shortest period that AMAPRO began a few years ago, he has scouted over 200 players.
The La Planet Sport Academia President, described Kwara as his home, and pledged to give his best to see that the world best football players come from there.
In their separate goodwill messages, Mr Jide Alabi, a banker, said that it was a good development, seeing someone looking at football from the business angle of it.
He said it is high time that Nigeria see sports as an industry, especially football because it is capable of boosting the economy if the right things are done.
Also, Olaide Ahmed, the President of Excel All Stars, an amateur football club in Ilorin, appreciated Shodunke’s love for football at the grassroots.
He commended the management of ABS, for giving young players in the state opportunities to become professionals and earn a living through football.
Ahmed explained that ABS remained the only club in Kwara discovering and promoting players and appealed to the management of Kwara United to emulate the Saraki Boys.

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Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

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Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

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Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

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Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

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Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

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Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

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