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Heartland Rejects Demand For Coach’s Sack

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The management of Heart
land FC of Owerri has rejected calls by fans of the club to sack its Chief Coach, Ranson Madu.
The fans in separate interviews told newsmen at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri that the coach should be sacked for “poor performance’’.
The fans expressed bitterness over the poor performance of the club in the ongoing 2013/2014 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), saying it was beyond expectation.
Heartland’s Media Officer, Cajethan Nkwopara, however, told newsmen that the problem with the club was not technical crew.
He said the club’s management went to the open market lately and were left with leftover players to buy.
According to him, the club is undergoing rebuilding process where most of the players need to adapt with the philosophy of the club.
He described the decision of the club’s fans for management to sack the coaches as misplaced priority and urged them to be patient with the club for a possible improvement.
Heartland in the ongoing season has won only one match out of seven and drew six to place the club in the 18th position of the 20-club league format.
The only match it won was against Eyimba of Aba.
A popular supporter of the club, Mr Emenike Udeh, said the only way for Heartland to come out of the relegation zone was for the club’s management to sack the chief coach.
He then, urged the management to engage a more experienced coach, saying it was not too late for the club to stay out of the relegation zone.
Udeh said that as a prominent supporters member, he could direct other fans to start boycotting Heartland’s matches at home and away if the management failed to yield to their desire.
Another supporter, Ibe Anosike, said that favouritism had eaten deep into the club.
“The problem is favouritism which started in the regime of the present chief coach of the club.
“We know players who are very good, but the coach will rather prefer to feature people who gave bribe to be featured.
“The management must sack both the coaching crew and the technical crew for the problem to be settled,” he said.
Anosike also reacted to the payment of sign-on fees to players by Gov. Rochas Okorocha and which was later replaced with insurance package after the abolition of sign-on fees.
Okorocha paid sign-on fees arrears of Heartland players before its abolishment and introduced an insurance package for them to boost their morale.
The fan, however, said that the governor’s moves were to boost players’ morale but that the coach has failed.
“The problem of the club is not from the players but the coaches who have failed to use the players properly,’’ Anosike said.
Another, Ikenna Tobem, expressed the fear of Heartland going on relegation this season following their current position on the league table.
“Government has done enough in the area of welfare which is enough for both the players and the management to impress the government,’’ he said.
According to him, it was sad that Heartland which won the Federation Cup back to back in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons was now in the 2013/2014 Premiership relegation water.
“We are very unhappy that the champion has fallen and this has placed the club in a very bad shape,’’ he said.

Heartland FC players ready for acton during Glo league match recently

Heartland FC players ready for acton during Glo league match recently

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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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