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Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi says Wednesday’s friendly against Portugal will be a good test for the team Éric Chelle’s side head into the contest in buoyant mood with four wins, and two draws from their last six games. The Super Eagles have also lost once in regulation time in 24 matches since Chelle took charge of the team in January 2025. World Cup-bound Portugal are expected to be a tough nut to crack for the three-time African champions but Ndidi insisted that they are ready for the challenge. “It will be a very good test for us, we faced the first test against Poland, and Portugal is a great team with great players as well,” Ndidi told a press conference in Leiria on Tuesday. “It will be a massive test for us as a group, to our vision, to our aim as a team, t...

Manchester United players have benefited from a bonus structure added to their contracts, with some receiving salary increases of up to 25%. Recent figures from Old Trafford show the club’s wage bill stands at approximately £313 million, although it remains lower than those of Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal. In this report, United in Focus takes a detailed look at the estimated earnings of Manchester United’s entire 2026/27 squad, using data sourced from the reputable football finance platform ValuBall. 1. Bruno Fernandes Weekly Salary: £320,000Annual Salary: £16.6 millionContract Expiry: June 2027 2. Matthijs de Ligt Weekly Salary: £300,000Annual Salary: £15.6 millionContract Expiry: June 2029 3. Har...

Former UEFA president Michel Platini has launched civil and criminal legal proceedings against FIFA and its current president, Gianni Infantino, over corruption allegations dating back to 2015, claiming the case derailed his bid to lead world football’s governing body. The 70-year-old former France captain has filed a criminal complaint in French courts accusing Infantino, along with former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger and former audit committee chair Domenico Scala, of malicious prosecution. As reported by BBC Sport on Tuesday, in a separate civil case, Platini is seeking financial compensation from FIFA, alleging that efforts were made to block his path to the FIFA presidency ahead of the 2016 election. Platini, who served as UEFA president from 2008 to 2015, was widely re...

British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has said he would be willing to fight rising prospect Moses Itauma, once he has completed his next two scheduled bouts. Joshua made this known in an interview with Fight Hub TV when asked about a possible future clash with the unbeaten 21-year-old heavyweight talent. “Let me get these two out of the way, and 100% I would fight Itauma. Why not? So many great opportunities are still ahead,” Joshua said. The former two-time world heavyweight champion is set to face Albanian fighter Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 25, with a highly anticipated showdown against Tyson Fury expected to follow in November. If Joshua wins both fights, a potential bout with Itauma could emerge in 2027. Moses Itauma, who currently holds...

The Premier League is set to enforce new and stricter measures aimed at curbing time-wasting during matches starting from the 2026/27 season. Under the proposed rules, teams will face immediate in-game punishment for delaying restarts. If a side takes too long over a goal kick, the opposition will be awarded a corner kick. Similarly, excessive delay on a throw-in will result in possession being handed directly to the opposing team. In addition, new regulations will apply to substitutions. Any substituted player must leave the pitch within 10 seconds. Failure to do so will trigger a penalty where the incoming substitute is forced to wait 60 seconds before entering the field, leaving their team temporarily reduced to 10 players. The reforms are part of broader efforts to speed up th...

Fulham midfielder, Alex Iwobi is elated as he prepares to reach a major career milestone, his 100th appearance for Nigeria. Iwobi is set to hit the landmark when he features for the Super Eagles in Wednesday’s international friendly against Portugal in Leiria. The 29-year-old will become one of a select group of players to reach 100 caps for Nigeria, highlighting his long-standing importance to the national team since his debut in 2015. “I am proud to be where I am today; proud to wear the green-and-white. I am grateful to everyone, including the coach who called me up to the team for the first time. I have no regrets choosing Nigeria,” the former Everton midfielder told thenff.com. Iwobi made his debut for Nigeria in a friendly match against DR Congo in Visé, Belgium, on O...

Nine people have been injured in a sho0ting close to the base England will use during the World Cup in Kansas City. The incident happened only a short drive from the training base and hotel Thomas Tuchel’s squad are due to use during the tournament. England are not yet in Kansas City, but the timing and location will still raise concern as the World Cup build-up intensifies. The Three Lions are set to be based in the area for part of their campaign, with security around host cities already under heavy scrutiny before the tournament begins. The Athletic report that Kansas City Police were called to Troost Avenue at around 4 am on Saturday after reports of shots being fired. When officers arrived, they found a large crowd dispersing from the scene. Three adult women were found...

Anthony Renton, a former player at Middlesbrough, has tragically passed away at the age of 27 following a nine-year battle with leukaemia. The defender came through the Boro academy and later went on to coach at the north east club. Middlesbrough wrote: "We are desperately saddened to report the passing of our former academy player Anthony Renton. An inspirational character, Anthony bravely battled leukaemia for almost nine years - and never let it diminish his love of our game. "Anthony was a promising defender and had only recently signed his first professional terms with Boro when he was first diagnosed with leukaemia back in July 2017. Despite the many challenges and setbacks he faced as a result of his cancer battle, Anthony continued to be a beacon of positivity. "He spen...

Feyenoord have sacked manager Robin van Persie after just 16 months in charge of the Eredivisie Dutch club. The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker guided the club to a second-place finish and Champions League qualification in his only full season as manager, though they finished 19 points behind winners PSV Eindhoven. The 42-year-old departs just two weeks after Devy Rigaux's appointment as technical director and Robert Eenhoorn as general manager. "Robin van Persie has given everything for the club over the past 1.5 years. He certainly deserves credit for concluding a difficult season with a final second-place finish. This secured Champions League football, which is of course very important," said Rigaux. "We conducted a thorough internal analysis. In this, we took i...

Nigerian forward Rafiu Durosinmi has married his longtime partner, Praise Nwanegbo, after departing the Super Eagles camp following Nigeria’s international friendly against Poland. Durosinmi left the team in Warsaw shortly after featuring in Nigeria’s 2-2 draw with Poland last Wednesday, bringing his involvement in the current international break to an end. Originally invited for the Unity Cup matches in London, the striker remained with the squad for the trip to Poland after head coach Eric Chelle adjusted his plans following the withdrawal of key players, including Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman. The striker started the friendly against Poland and played the first half, earning his third senior international appearance before returning home for his wedding ceremony. His d...