Sports
World Cup: Eagles face wounded Argentina in make-or-mar tie
Nigeria face a daunting task against Argentina as they seek to progress to the knockout stages of the 2018 World Cup in a make-or-mar Group D match at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.
After losing their opening match in the group 2-0 to Croatia and beating debutants Iceland 2-0 on Friday, the Super Eagles need to avoid a defeat against two-time champions Argentina to progress to the round of 16
Albiceleste are on the verge of exiting the tournament except they defeat the Eagles and hope that Iceland lose to or draw with Croatia in the other group match. The Argentines have been less than impressive in Russia having drawn 1-1 with Iceland – with Lionel Messi missing a penalty – and losing 3-0 to Croatia in their second match.
Nigeria and Argentina are meeting a fifth time at the World Cup with the Eagles losing all the four previous encounters.
The Argentines triumphed 2-1 over Nigeria in 1994, they were 1-0 winners in 2002 and 2010 and beat the Eagles 3-2 in 2014. Hence, the Eagles would be seeking to end a run of consecutive losses to the Albiceleste.
Overall at senior level, Nigeria and Argentina have met eight times – the most recent of which was in a friendly match in Krasnodar, Russia in November 2017. Nigeria have won twice in friendly matches – a 4-1 win in Abuja in 2011 and a 4-2 win last year in Krasnodar. One of the meetings ended in a draw – a goalless draw in the Confederations Cup in 1995 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Argentina have won the rest.
The Eagles will be seeking to capitalise on the current unsettled state and dismal form of the Argentines to nick a first win over them at the World Cup and progress at the expense of the South Americans.
Reports of unrest in the team have surfaced since their 3-0 loss to Croatia with coach Jorge Sampaoli under fire for their current form. The reports have suggested the coach would not be in charge of Tuesday’s match as the players would select the team themselves. But the team would also be wary of the threat posed by Barcelona star Messi and Manchester City record scorer Sergio Aguero.
However, Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr would be banking on the form of two-goal hero – against Iceland – Ahmed Musa and the unity of purpose among his players for a result that would guarantee Nigeria’s fourth appearance in the round of 16. The Eagles have only failed to progress from the group stages on two occasions – 2002 and 2010.
Former Eagles midfielder Friday Ekpo said the Argentines would want to make a statement against Nigeria.
“There are a lot of things at stake in the match. Nigeria – apart from seeking to qualify for the round of 16 – will want end the run of losses to Argentina. But for Argentina, there is pride at stake as they will want to show that they are better than Nigeria at the World Cup,” he said.
“Nigerian teams have a way of bouncing back after defeats but they tend to relax after giving a good performance. The Eagles should see it as their final match at the World Cup because they need it more than the Iceland game.”
Sports
QNET and Man City Mark 10th Anniversary of their Partnership
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.
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.
Sports
Robinho To Serve A 9 Year Jail Term Over Gang Rape
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.
Sports
Former Tennis Champion, Tania Okpala Returns To Tennis After Rehabilitation
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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