Author: Olukayode Oke

Besides the deep love for boxing that has turned him into a World Heavyweight Champion, Oleksandr Usyk has another sport he adores. We are talking about soccer and he even took his passion to new heights by becoming a professional footballer. Back in February 2022, Oleksandr Usyk made his soccer debut with a professional team when he entered the pitch during a match for FC Polissya. It was during the Ukrainian 2022 Winter Cup and he played for a good 15 minutes. Looking at the impression he made, Oleksandr Usyk has power when he makes his sprints and great decision-making skills with the ball…

Mauricio Pochettino’s reign as Chelsea boss got off to a flying start last night as his youthful side hammered League Two newcomers Wrexham. Kicking off their pre-season tour of the US in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the Blues were two up at the break thanks to Ian Maatsen’s double. A much-changed line-up had to wait until the final 10 minutes to add to the scoreline, with Conor Gallagher, new signing Christopher Nkunku and Ben Chilwell netting before full-time. Pochettino, 51, was delighted to see his team win but was quick to admit there was room for improvement. He said: “Like…

Big money signing Declan Rice made his first Arsenal appearance as his new side opened their US tour by comprehensively beating Wayne Rooney’s MLS All-Stars. The midfielder, 24, completed his £105million switch from West Ham last Saturday and just four days later made his bow 3,660 miles away from the Emirates Stadium. Rice was introduced as a second-half substitute in Washington DC as Arsenal swept aside the Rooney-managed MLS All-Stars 5-0 in sweltering conditions. Gabriel Jesus’ audacious clipped effort gave the Gunners an early lead that Leandro Trossard added to with a lasered effort from the edge of the box.…

Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone has asked Barcelona to include their winger Abde Ezzalzouli as part of the deal to let Joao Felix join the Blaugrana this summer, according to El Nacional. Felix has earlier expressed his desire to join Barcelona, insisting that playing for the Blaugrana is one of his childhood ambitions. Simeone is reportedly not on good terms with Felix and he is open to letting Felix leave for Barcelona this summer. However, the Argentine wants Ezzalzouli, who spent last season on loan at Osasuna from Barcelona. The Moroccan international made 34 appearances across competitions, scoring six goals…

Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle worth £12m plus add-ons to sell star midfielder Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq. Henderson is currently in Germany with Liverpool for their pre-season training camp but was not involved in their 4-2 friendly win over Karlsruher on Wednesday(today). The England midfielder, 33, has two years left on his contract at Anfield. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was recently appointed as manager of Al-Ettifaq after previous stints at Scottish club Rangers and Aston Villa. The agreement for Henderson follows Liverpool receiving of a £40m offer from Al-Ittihad for fellow midfielder Fabinho last Friday. Unlike…

Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen have joined the race to sign Union St Gilloise forward Victor Boniface. According to German tabloid, Bild, Leverkusen want Boniface to replace their injured forward, Patrick Schick. The 22-year-old caught the eye of Leverkusen officials during the Europa League clash against Union St Gilloise last season. Premier League club, Everton have also made contact with the Nigerian. Boniface arrived Union St Gilloise from Norwegian club, Bodo/Glimt last summer. Union St Gilloise reportedly wants €12m to sell the striker.

The House of Representatives has confirmed the appointments of Service Chiefs following the adoption of the report of its ad hoc committee, which screened them. Naija News reports that the Green Chamber confirmed the appointment of the service chiefs during plenary on Wednesday. The confirmation included Major-General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the Chief Of Defence Staff; Major-General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja as the Chief Of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Emmanuel lkechukwu Ogalla as the Chief Of Naval Staff, and Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar as the Chief Of Air Staff.

Violence against women and girls comes in different ways, as ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, Wednesday, condemned the ironing of breast of girls by parents and other family members. The Country Director, AAN, Ene Obi, in a chat said the practice is not acceptable, because it endangers the health of girls Ene described it as evil and inhuman as girls are made to suffer unnecessary torture in the name of making them unattractive to men and boys when their breasts are flat. She said ActionAid is working on it through advocacy and sensitizing Nigerians about the harm it causes to girls on…

A Nigerian man identified as Tembu Ebere has revealed he went ‘partially blind’ for 45 minutes during his attempt to cry for an entire week to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) ‘Cry-a-thon.’ Ebere, while speaking to the BBC, confirmed he was partially blind after he experienced “headaches, puffy eyes, and a swollen face.” He revealed that he had to force himself to cry to break the record. I had to re-strategise and reduce my wailing” he said while adding that he was determined to cry for one week as he planned despite the difficulties encountered. Ebere also confirmed that…

Despite being part of a stacked Nigeria forward line that includes Asisat Oshoala, Desire Oparanozie and Rasheedat Ajibade, NY/NJ Gotham FC forward Ifeoma Onumonu wants to stand out at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. At 29, Onumonu is going to compete at only her second international tournament for the Super Falcons when she suits up in Australia this month. Her first tournament was the Women Africa Cup of Nations last year, which was a disappointment for the traditionally high-flying Falcons. California-born Onumonu, who played her youth and U23 football for the USA and played collegiate soccer at the University of California, was first called to the Nigeria squad in 2021. She…

The National Assembly is set to unveil the list of his ministerial nominees sent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after 50 days in office. The list will be read out by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, during Wednesday’s plenary. According to Guardian, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Magaji Tambuwal, received the letter containing the list from the Presidency on Tuesday. As mandated by law, the President is obligated to submit the list of ministerial nominees within 60 days of assuming office. After Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, he has until July 26 to fulfill this requirement. According to insider…

Inter Milan goalkeeper, Andre Onana has touched down in the UK ahead of his proposed move to Manchester United. The Cameroonian is expected to undergo his medicals on Wednesday at the club’s Carrington training ground, the UK Mirror reports. United manager, Erik ten Hag, wants Onana to replace David De Gea who has left Old Trafford as a free agent. Onana will cost the Red Devils €50million (£43m) plus around £5m in add-ons. He will be reunited with Ten Hag, who he worked with at Ajax. The 27-year-old will put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the option…