10072020 - Day 4: Panel grills ‘Magu's 7 Untouchables’

Chukwueze,
Villarreal keep
Europe dream alive
with Getafe win
Samuel Chukwueze was on
parade for Villarreal when
they locked horn with Getefa in
Wednesday’s Spanish La Liga
game at the Coliseum Alfonso
Perez.
Chukwueze kept his place in the
team as Villarreal bounced back
from their home defeat to
Champions Barcelona at the Elmadriga
last weekend.
Chukwueze who has been
linked with a move to Atletico
Madrid however, partnered
Gerardo Moreno upfront in
Villarreal’s 4 – 4 – 2 system.
The 21-year-old struggled in his
new role all night and was unable
to find the back of the net before
he was replaced in the second
half.
However, two late penalties
from Santiago Cazorla and
another 93rd-minute strike from
Ruben Pena sealed the three
points for the yellow submarines.
Hugo Duro came off the bench
to score for Getafe who were
missing Oghenekharo Etebo
because of injury.
Rivers Angels debunk Oluehi,
Nwabuoku transfers
Rivers Angels has debunked
reports linking their players
Tochukwu Oluehi and Evelyn
Nwabuoku with Spanish Reto
Iberdrola club Pozoalbense.
Oluehi
Manuel Pellegrini is to take
over as manager of Real
Betis next season, the Spanish
club have announced.
The former Manchester City,
West Ham and Real Madrid boss
will succeed Rubi, who was
sacked by the La Liga outfit last
week, as full-time coach.
The 66-year-old Chilean, who has
been out of the game since leaving
West Ham last December, has
agreed a three-year deal at the
Benito Villamarin Stadium.
A statement on the club’s website
read: “Real Betis have signed the
Chilean manager Manuel
Pellegrini to lead the team from
next season.
“Real Betis have appointed a
coach of a high level and big
international prestige to elevate
the performance of the first team
in a three-year project.”
Pellegrini won the Premier
League title with City in 2014
during a three-year spell at the
Etihad Stadium that also included
two League Cup triumphs.
He had previously led Real
Madrid to second in La Liga and
both Villarreal and Malaga to the
Musa
It was reported that the Super
Falcons players had signed
contracts with the Spanish club on
Wednesday.
Reacting to the news Thursday,
Rivers Angels have claimed the
Spanish team is yet to make
contact with them over the
possibility of signing the players.
The club said in a statement that
both players remained bonafide
members of their squad.
In the statement, made available
to Sports Vanguard, the club
maintained, “As of Thursday, July
9, 2020, Nwabuoku and Oluehi
remain bonafide players of Rivers
Angels FC with existing contracts
with us.
“Neither the said club nor its
representatives have contacted
anyone from here and hearing that
they have announced the signing
of our players is highly
disrespectful and unethical.”
Pellegrini confirmed as new
Real Betis manager
latter stages of the Champions
League.
After a stint with Hebei China
Fortune he returned to England
with West Ham in 2018 but was
sacked earlier this season after 18
months in charge.
Betis are currently 13th in La
Liga. Alexis Trujillo, who oversaw
a 3-0 win over Osasuna on
Wednesday, will remain in charge
for the final three matches of this
season.
Musa is ‘biggest’
Eagles player for
now, says Babayaro
Former Super Eagles defender, Celestine
Babayaro has said that current captain of
the national team, Ahmed Musa was the
only big game player in the Super Eagles squad
at the moment.
The former Chelsea and Newcastle defender
said that Musa who plays for Al Nassr of Saudi
Arabia, still had a lot going for him at the
highest level.
Already there are reports that the fast-playing
Super Eagles captain could make a return to
mainstream Europe in the summer.
Babayaro, who was part of Nigeria’s 1996
Olympics-winning squad said Musa had
always proved that the team could depend on
him during big games, especially given the fact
that most of the players in the squad were
relatively new to international football.
“Musa has been around for a long time despite
his young age. He was lucky to have come into
the team at an early age,” Babayaro said,
adding, “he has been in the team since 2012
and what I have noticed about him is that he
scores in big games where the pressure is heavy.
“At two different World Cups, we have seen
him come alive during key games even in the
qualifiers. In the present Super Eagles setup,
he is the only big game player as the rest are
relatively new to international football.”
Ligue One
player arrested
for masturbating
in public
*Risks one year jail,
€15,000 fine
Ligue One footballer Farid El
Malai has been taken into
custody for a second allegation of
indecent exposure.
Having already been charged with
sexual exhibition following a
complaint that surfaced in May, the
Angers winger has been accused of a
further two flashing offences and has
been called into questioning by the
local authorities, as per Ouest France.
The 23-year old spent time in police
custody on Wednesday morning,
before returning to training for an
afternoon session.
His lawyer told Ouest-France that
their client “reiterates his most
sincere apologies to the women he
may have upset by his inappropriate
behaviour.”
The Algerian international was
already facing a court hearing over a
first instance of alleged public
indecency.
It was reported that El Melali was
seen ‘masturbating in the courtyard
of his block of flats while looking at a
woman who lives on the ground floor.’
He had suggested he thought he was
alone in the courtyard.
Neighbours of the woman alerted
police after the incident took place
and local police then arrested the
former Paradou AC player.
A further investigation has been
ordered following a second separate
instance where El Malali exposed
himself to the same victim, with the
footballer now set to appear a court
on August 25.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 — 39
Rohr not under pressure to beat
England to Saka
Super Eagles manager, Gernot
Rohr is in no pressure to beat
England to the
services of Arsenal
wonder kid,
Bukayo Saka
The 18-year old is
still eligible to play
for the Eagles
h a v i n g
represented
England at the
youth level. His
form for Arsenal
Saka
Italian Serie A sides AC Milan
and Fiorentina have expressed
an interest in signing Super
Eagles defender Ola Aina this
summer.
Torinogranata.it claimed that the
two clubs have joined Premier
League sides West Ham United
and Everton in the race to sign the
Nigerian.
Aina joined Torino permanently
for € 10m last summer after
impressing on loan in the 2018-
19 campaign.
But, this season, the Nigerian
international has not been
impressive which means the
Turin based club could be willing
to consider offers for the 23-yearold.
Everton and West Ham have also
been linked with Aina in the past
but Torino are not willing to accept
anything less than the € 10m they
paid the Blues.
Aina has made 25 league
appearances for Torino this
has sparked off calls for his
invitation to play for Nigeria.
Reports say Nigeria have already
established contact with Saka’s
representative who also manages
the affairs of Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina
and Joe Aribo who have all shifted
their allegiance to Nigeria and
have featured for the Super Eagles
since last year.
Saka was even invited by the
Nigeria Football Federation, NFF
to watch the botched 2021 AFCON
Super Eagles match against Sierra
Leone before it was cancelled.
The NFF has shown the
desire to have Saka play for
Nigeria but their desire has
not been matched by that of
the Super Eagles coach,
Rohr who, although
admitted he was a fan of the
Arsenal young lad, wants
Saka to show interest of
playing for his fatherland,
rather than force or lure him
to play for Nigeria.
After his experiences with
Fikayo Tomori, Tammy
Abraham and Phillip
Billing who used interest
from Nigeria to gain
attention from England and
Holland respectively,
where they are now full
internationals, Rohr wants
to tread gently over Saka.
Milan, Fiorentina join chase
for Ola Aina
Anthony Joshua is
set to have another
mandatory challenger
- adding a further
stumbling block to the
two-fight deal which
has been agreed in
principle with Tyson
Fury.
All eyes are on the
much-anticipated
clash between Joshua
and Fury, which would
currently see all the belts in the
heavyweight division on offer.
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The pair have already held talks
Rangers to rest late George' jersey number
Management of Rangers
Football Club at an
emergency management meeting
yesterday, announced the
retirement of the jersey number
'15' worn by late Ifeanyi George
before his sudden death in March,
2020.
The G.M/CEO of the Enugu based
club, Davidson Owumi made this
disclosure to Rangers Media
stressing that the action was in
honour of the great services
rendered to the club by late
George.
"After a lengthy deliberation by
management, we came to a
conclusion to rest the jersey
number worn by our late attacker,
Ifeanyi George, for the whole of
next season as a mark of respect
and honour for his services to the
club," stated Owumi.
This gesture, Owumi said, "Was
to further cement the good
relationship we had with late
Ifeanyi George while defending
the colours of Rangers on the field
of play just as plans were in top
gear to make the insurance
benefit cheque presentation to the
family left behind by the player a
campaign and averaged 1.3
tackles, 1.5 interceptions, and 1.3
clearances per game.
However, it remains to be seen if
any of these sides would be
willing to coffer out the € 10m
Torino is demanding for his
signature.
Aina
Joshua, Fury bout faces fresh
stumbling block
grand event since it was the first
of its kind in the country. All
thanks to the sports loving
governor of the state, Rt. Hon.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his approval
of the insurance policy for
registered players and officials."
Recall that late Ifeanyi George
scored his last goal for Rangers in
a CAF Confederations Cup 2019/
2020 match day 6 group A
encounter against Egyptian side,
Al-Masry which ended 1-1 draw
in jersey number 15 inside the
main bowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe
stadium in Enugu.
Joshua-Fury
and arranged a two-fight deal in
principle for 2021 with the
monetary split between the
fighters agreed.
But there is still plenty standing
in the way of the fights with
Joshua facing IBF mandatory
challenger Kubrat Pulev and Fury
facing another rematch with
Deontay Wilder later this year.
Provided the pair both win those
fights, Fury will have another
mandatory challenger for his WBC
belt with Dillian Whyte waiting
over 1000 days for his world title
shot.
Joshua also has another
mandatory challenger for the WBO
belt in the form of Oleksandr
Usyk, with the former
cruiserweight king set to fight
Dereck Chisora in 2020.