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Hamburg relegated after 55 seasons in Bundesliga

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Hamburg were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in their history on Saturday, as a 2-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach proved too little too late.

A proud run of 55 season in Germany’s top flight came to an ugly end, as Hamburg fans set off a flurry of fireworks, releasing a cloud of black smoke across the Volksparkstadion, forcing play to be suspended just minutes from time.

The six-time German champions, who won the European Cup in 1983, are the only team to have played in every single Bundesliga season since the league’s inauguration in 1963, earning them the nickname “dinosaur”.

Hamburg had battled to victory over Moenchengladbach, but were doomed to relegation as Wolfsburg beat Cologne 4-1.

The day started disastrously for Hamburg, as Joshua Guilavogui fired Wolfsburg ahead in the opening minute against Cologne.

In Hamburg, Aaron Hunt put the home side ahead before Josip Drmic equalised for ‘Gladbach.

Jonas Hector brought Cologne level just after the half-hour mark with an exquisite chip, but Divock Origi restored the lead for Wolfsburg, edging Hamburg closer to disaster.

Lewis Holtby’s curling strike kept Hamburg’S hopes alive, but when Bobby Wood was sent off 20 minutes from time, their fate seemed sealed.

Minutes later, Robin Knoche headed in Wolfsburg’s third, and when Josip Brekalo added a fourth in stoppage time, Hamburg’s fight was over.

After a 15-minute delay due to crowd trouble, the game was able to end. The famous digital clock in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion, which displays how long the club have been in the top flight, must now finally be switched off.

At the other end of the table, Hoffenheim pipped Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig to fourth place, as they beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 to secure Champions League football next season.

Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki gifted Hoffenheim possession with a dreadful clearance on 26 minutes, allowing Andrej Kramaric to fire the home side in front.

Marco Reus equalised for Dortmund after half-time, but goals from Adam Szalai and Pavel Kaderabek fired Hoffenheim into Europe’s elite.

Bayern party goes flat 

Lucas Alario grabbed a brace as Leverkusen eased to a 3-2 win over Hanover, as both they and Leipzig secured a Europa League place.

A brace from Jean-Kevin Augustin and goals from Timo Werner, Dayot Upamecano and Ademola Lookman helped Leipzig to a frantic 5-2 win over Hertha Berlin.

For Bayern Munich, who wrapped up the title last month, Saturday was supposed to be a day of celebration, as they were presented with the Bundesliga trophy for the sixth season in a row.

Bayern, though, were unable to give coach Jupp Heynckes an appropriate send-off in his final home game, as they stumbled to a shock 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart.

Ruthless on the break, the visitors tore through Bayern, as Daniel Ginczek, Anastasios Donis and Chadrac Akolo all found the net on the counter-attack.

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QNET and Man City Mark 10th Anniversary of their Partnership

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QNET and Manchester City 10th year anniversary ---
QNET and Manchester City 10th year anniversary (Photo: Techeconomy)

Man City counts 28 trophies in the last 10 yearsQNET,  an Asian direct selling giant and Manchester City, a top Football club in and outside England, are celebrating 10 years of partnership with great results. 

The anniversary was part of the 26th V-Malaysia Conference (VCON) at Penang in Malaysia.

The long-standing partnership will see QNET continue as Official Direct Selling Partner for City’s men’s and women’s teams, according to Techeconomy report.

This partnership marked a significant milestone in May 2018 when City welcomed QNET as the first sleeve partner in the Women’s Super League.

QNET and Manchester City 10th year anniversary
QNET and Manchester City celebrating 10 years of partnership

Throughout the next phase of this partnership QNET will continue to provide City-led football clinics to communities around the world, as well as engaging with consumers and distributors through this relationship with City. 

In a message to the leaders of QNET and the 8,000 VCON participants from over 30 countries, Ferran Soriano, the chief executive officer of Manchester City FC, said they are pleased to achieve great milestones that would not have been possible without the support and the commitment of everybody at QNET, “and every single one of you. I do remember back in 2014 when I met the leadership of QNET for the first time, and we discussed our plans, our ambitions, and we promised a lot. 

“We promised that Manchester City would be a great football team, and that they would play beautiful football. Now, 10 years since then, we hold 28 trophies. I have to be honest and say that when we promised we were going to do well, we didn’t think we were going to win 28 trophies.

“We’re excited now we’re starting a new season, and guess what? We want to win again, and if we do, it would be another record. Maybe we can win the fifth Premier League in a row. Obviously, something that hasn’t happened before. I can promise that we will fight for all the trophies like you fight for all your objectives. Manchester City and QNET have the incredible power to engage people from every country, create a sense of community and empower individuals and teams to achieve their aspirations”. 

He promised Manchester City’s support to the QNET brand to achieve even more successes in the coming years. 

Trevor Kuna, the CEO of QNET said that the partnership with Manchester City has made positive impacts on the business.

QNET’s grass-roots business model enables ordinary people from all walks of life to start their own business with minimal overhead. 

With hard work and dedication, QNET distributors, known as Independent Representatives (IRs) have the opportunity to become economically self-sufficient, raising the standard of life for their families and communities.

QNET is driven by two important philosophies: ​RYTHM (Raise Yourself to Help Mankind) and InService.

Meanwhile, the highlight of the QNET and Manchester City celebration was the presentation of a 10-year partnership anniversary plaque by John Kirton, senior partnership marketing manager, Manchester City Football Club to the QNET team. 

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Robinho To Serve A 9 Year Jail Term Over Gang Rape

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Former Manchester City and Real Madrid striker Robinho will reportedly serve a nine-year jail sentence for gang rape – Imposed on him by an Italian court — in Brazil, judges in Brasilia has ruled.

The 40-year-old was found guilty in Italy in 2017 and according to Globo, Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (BSCJ), made the ruling on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

The former Premier League player, whose real name is Robson De Souza, was one of six men who were found guilty of a§§aulting an Albanian woman in an Italian nightclub in January 2013.

In January 2022, the Supreme Court in Rome dismissed his final appeal against the conviction, according to the report.

Robinho claims he is innocent and has been living in Brazil for the past seven years. It came after nine of the court’s 15 ministers had voted in favour of the decision to incarcerate the footballer in Brazil.

Globo also claims that the ex-footballer, who also spent time at AC Milan and Real Madrid, will now be arrested in Santos, where he currently resides.

Robinho, who was 28 and was playing for AC Milan at the time, admitted during his appeal to having ‘contact’ with the woman, but the Brazilian insisted it was consensual.

The Milan Court of Appeals found Robinho had ‘belittled’ and ‘br¥tally h¥miliated’ the victim as it upheld his original sentence in December 2020.

Intercepted phone calls between the Brazilian and those allegedly involved in the assault were used as key evidence in his initial conviction.

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Former Tennis Champion, Tania Okpala Returns To Tennis After Rehabilitation

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Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has revealed that former tennis champion, Tania Okpala, has resumed playing on the courts.

This development follows Soludo’s assurance that she would undergo rehabilitation after a video surfaced online showing her in distress on the streets of Awka, pleading for assistance.

In an update on his social media handle on Thursday, Soludo expressed his satisfaction with Okpala’s return, stating, “Tania Okpala is back on the courts!

“A few months ago, social media was flooded with a viral video showing Ms. Tania in a distressing state on the streets of Awka. I am pleased to report that we have successfully restored Tania to her winning ways.”

Okpala, who hails from Anambra and has a Belarusian mother, represented Nigeria in the 1990s.

Here are pictures of her in the tennis court.

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