Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

New signing Lionel Messi has been officially presented to cheering crowds at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium. A sold-out crowd of about 20,000 waited through downpours and lightning to see the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner given a number 10 shirt. In a brief address in Spanish, Messi, 36, thanked supporters and said he had the “same desire” he always has. The World Cup-winning Argentina forward joins the Major League Soccer (MLS) club on a deal until the end of 2025. He will be reunited with defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets – with whom he played at Barcelona – who has also signed…

Manchester United are on the brink of completing the signing of Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana for almost £50m. The Cameroonian, 27, will replace long-time number one David de Gea, who left the club last month after 12 seasons. Following a further meeting between United and Onana’s representatives on Sunday, it is understood an agreement was reached for a five-year contract, with the option of a further year. Negotiations between the clubs have not yet been completed. But it now seems certain Onana will complete the transfer in time to be on United’s tour of the United States when they leave…

Super Eagles winger, Samuel Chukwueze is on the radar of Serie A champions, Napoli. A move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium will see Chukwueze link up with his international teammate and bosom friend, Victor Osimhen. According to Italian transfer expert, Rudy Galetti, the 24-year-old is high on the list of wingers targeted by Napoli. The Nigerian has also been linked with a move to another Serie A club, AC Milan. Villarreal are willing to sell Chukwueze but his €30m price tag has put suitors away. He has one year remaining on his contract and could leave on a free…

Carlos Alcaraz won the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time by ending Novak Djokovic’s recent dominance with a stunning victory. Spain’s Alcaraz, 20, fought back from a nervy start to win 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 against the defending champion. Djokovic was going for a fifth straight win, an eighth men’s triumph and a 24th major – all record-equalling feats. But the 36-year-old Serb was outlasted by top seed Alcaraz, who underlined his class by winning a second major title. Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, celebrated by falling…

Harry Maguire says he has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag. Maguire was appointed skipper by Ten Hag’s predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2020 – five months after signing for £80m from Leicester City. The England centre-back says he is “extremely disappointed” but will “continue to give my all” in the shirt. The 30-year-old made eight starts in the Premier League last season and is linked with a move to West Ham. United said Ten Hag will announce a new captain “in due course, after he has informed the players”. The new captain is unlikely…

Former minister of state for labour and productivity, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has again taken a swipe at supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, Peter Obi, over social media trolls targeted at President Bola Tinubu. A section of Nigerians who do not support the election of Tinubu had since Friday taken to social media to tackle the president over his move to pay N8,000 to 12 million households in a bid to mitigate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal. Reacting to some of the social media attacks, Keyamo in a tweet on Saturday,…

The Federal Government has filed a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition against Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, before the Federal High Court. According to Channels Television’s report on Sunday, the Federal Government accused Emefiele of possessing a single-barrel shotgun without a licence. The government claimed the offence contradicts Section 4 of the Firearms Act, Cap F28 Laws of the Federation 2004. In addition to the charge, Emefiele was accused of possessing 123 rounds of live ammunition without a licence. DAILY POST learnt that the case is yet to be assigned…

Nigeria goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye is set to leave Sky Bet Championship club, Watford this summer. Okoye arrived at the Vicarage Road from Dutch club, Sparta Rotterdam a year ago in a deal worth €3.5m. The 23-year-old has, however, failed to earn a starting spot in the team. The shot-stopper made two appearances for the Hornets last season. Okoye is now third choice goalkeeper at Watford with Daniel Bachmann and Ben Hamer ahead of him in the pecking order. He was not included in Watford’s squad for recent pre-season friendlies against Boreham Wood and Arsenal. According to the Watford Observer, the…

Al-Ettifaq manager, Steven Gerrard, is currently the fourth highest-paid manager in world football. The former Liverpool captain earns an eye-watering £15.2m annually in Saudi Arabia. Gerrard signed a three-year deal with Al-Ettifaq as he made a return to management following spells with Rangers and Aston Villa. His contract sees him earn £15.2m each year of his deal, which works out at around £1.26m per month. Atletico Madrid boss, Diego Simeone, remains the highest-paid with a £30m pay packet. The Premier League duo Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp make up the top three, as they are paid £20m and £16m by…

The State Security Services (SSS) has faced criticism from Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, a group of legal practitioners, for the arrest and detention of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. They questioned the absence of similar action against former President, Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking on Arise Television, Kingdom Okere, the Convener of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, argued that Emefiele was merely following orders and that the person who gave these orders, former President Buhari, should also be held accountable by the SSS. He said, “Whatever Emefiele did as CBN Governor had presidential approval. So, if…

Nigerian lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives are planning to spend more than N40 billion to buy vehicles. According to Saturday Sun, the plan involves the procurement of 107 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Landcruiser and 358 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Prado for the Senate and House members respectively. The vehicles for the four top officers of the National Assembly will be purchased separately. These top officers include the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abass; the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau; and the Deputy…

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu if it is serious about ending the insecurity to end in the South-East. In a statement on Friday by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, IPOB knocked the Nigerian Army for linking it to the incessant sit-at-home orders and enforcement in the region. The pro-Biafra group dissociated itself from the violent enforcement of sit-at-home exercise across the South-East. It warned the army chief against unleashing terror on the South-East people in the guise of going after sit-at-home enforcers. They advised the Bola Tinubu administration not…