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Ronaldo Suspended For Five Games

Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for five games after he was sent off in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Sunday.

He was given a one-match ban for being shown two yellow cards and a further four for pushing the referee in the back after he had been sent off.

The bookings at the Nou Camp were for taking off his shirt to celebrate his goal to make it 2-1 and for a dive.

He will miss Wednesday’s second leg.

Ronaldo, 32, will have 10 days to appeal.

The Portugal international will be able to play in the Champions League but will not return to domestic action until 20 September against Real Betis.

Madrid had already signalled their intent to appeal against Ronaldo’s second yellow card shown for diving eight minutes from time when he went down inside the area under pressure from Samuel Umtiti.

“Ronaldo’s sending-off annoys me because even if it is not a penalty, the card is harsh,” said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane after the game. “We will see if we can do something so that he is available on Wednesday.”

BBC Sport

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Money Was Never My Motivating Factor, Says Neymar

Neymar, the world’s most expensive footballer, said money was never the motivating factor in his record 222 million-euro (200 million pounds) transfer from Barcelona to Paris St Germain.

The Brazilian forward told a news conference on his arrival in the French capital that he was motivated by desire for a new challenge and said he wanted to make his debut on Saturday.

Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who introduced the player as “an idol for the whole world”, backed up Neymar’s assertion that he could have gone elsewhere for more money.

The 25-year-old is committed to PSG until June 2022, the club said in a statement.

Media reports have said he could earn around 550,000 euros per week.

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Wladimir Klitschko Announces Retirement From Boxing

Former Ukrainian Heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, has announced his retirement from boxing.

Klitschko retired from the sport at age 41 after winning various titles in a glorious 21-year career which started as a professional after winning Olympic gold at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

Klitschko was last defeated by British star Anthony Joshua in April with a rematch in November.

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Man City Signs Danilo From Real Madrid

Manchester City have signed defender Danilo from Spanish Champions Real Madrid on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club said on Sunday.

The 26-year-old joined Madrid in 2015 and played 24 matches for Zinedine Zidane’s side last season as they won the Spanish league title, sealed their second consecutive Champions League trophy and won the Club World Cup.

British media reports claimed the Brazilian joined City for a fee of around £26m ($33.78 million), making him manager Guardiola’s second major defensive signing in the current window following Kyle Walker’s arrival earlier this month.

Danilo, who previously won two league titles in four years at Portuguese club FC Porto, will join his new team mates in their pre-season U.S. tour and could face his former club when City play Madrid on Wednesday.

On the role Guardiola played in his move, the former Real Madrid defender said, “He’s been one reason, but it’s also the ambitious project of the club that convinced me to come.”

He added, “I hope to meet the expectations. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I would love to win the Champions League with Manchester City.”

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Ikeja City Mall Hosts Maiden Edition Of Nigerian National Freestyle Football Championship

History will be made on Sunday July 23rd, 2017 as Ikeja City Mall in Lagos hosts the first Nigerian National Freestyle Football Championship in Nigeria, organized by Feet ‘n’ Tricks Limited.

On the choice of  Ikeja City Mall as the venue of the event, Nzewi said that the Mall has become the  prime destination of choice for entertainment and relaxation in Lagos, which will further be livened by activations never seen in this part of the world. “Freestyle football is all about entertainment, relaxation and competition, and we are set to create a new entertainment business in Nigeria,” Chief Executive Officer of Feet n Tricks, Odyke Nzewi said.

On Friday, Nzewi, said all plans had been concluded to stage a memorable event that Lagosians would remember for a long time.

Nzewi said further: “The concept is new here in the country but truth is the talents are here in abundance. We want to showcase those we have picked as finalists.

“Our team has been able to put in so much hard work in all areas of logistics to make the participants and fans enjoy the final on Sunday. We have some surprises too for a range of people on the day. We are excited and optimistic of a fantastic event.”

The event is being sponsored by GAC Motors, a product of Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Company Limited and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The President and Founder of the World Federation of Freestyle Football, Daniel Wood, will be in attendance for the final of the first ever National Freestyle Football Championship.

Nzewi added: “Wood has confirmed to be here because many people are excited that Nigeria is joining the big league of countries that have embraced freestyle football.

“There are other top officials of the world body coming for the event, and so we have doubled our efforts to stage a great Grand Finale come Sunday in Lagos.”

Freestyle football is the art of juggling  a football using  feet, knees, lower legs, shoulders  and the head, while simultaneously performing creative moves, without the ball touching the ground.

A former Super Eagles skipper, Nwankwo Kanu, is among the three judges to officiate the final of the first ever National Freestyle Football Championship.

A former European Champion, Daniel Mikolaj, who is regarded as one of the Top 8 freestyle football athletes in the world in the past five years, is the head of the judges. Joel Asare, who is a two-time Ghanaian champion, will also be one of the judges. Asare represented Ghana in Tokyo, Japan at the Red Bull Street world finals 2013. Another football legend, Moses Amata, has been named to join the judges’ team for the forthcoming National Freestyle Football Competition.

Thousands of entries were received via the designated registration platform where participants uploaded a 30-second video of themselves freestyling.  These video entries were subjected to a screening process by professional judges after which 16 male and eight female freestyle footballers have emerged for the July 23 finals.

The winner of the championship will go home with a salon car courtesy of GAC Motors with a million naira, and will represent Nigeria at the World Freestyle Championship to be held in Czech Republic in August.

Slated to perform at the event are renowned Nigerian performers including KCEE, Timaya, Soma and SKIIBI

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CAF Expands AFCON To 24 Teams

The CAF Executive Committee on Thursday passed a resolution to increase the number of participating teams in the Africa Cup of Nations  from 16 to 24.

The change will take effect from 2019 when Cameroon hosts it, according to Citifmonline.

The 55 members of the committee met in Rabat, Morocco,  earlier this week to discuss the growth of African football and the possibility of expanding the tournament as well as changing the timing and scheduling of the showpiece competition.

The CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad hinted on Wednesday that some of the discussion at the symposium could be implemented within days and this is the first of many major changes expected to take place in the continent’s football.

This development would mean that the qualifying rounds for that tournament will be adjusted to accommodate all 24 teams, with the main tournament structure also taking a different shape.

The decision to increase the slots,  which had received mixed reactions from the football fraternity,  is said to be aimed at crafting new and innovative ways of making the competition more attractive.

Meanwhile, Cameroon risks losing out in hosting the tournament as it is still behind in its preparations.

Some have suggested that the tournament will be moved to Morocco if the West African nation is unable to meet the deadline to complete its preparations.

 

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Blatter Regrets Overstaying As FIFA Executive

Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, forced out as head of world football’s governing body amid a corruption scandal in 2015, admitted on Sunday he regretted not stepping down earlier.

The 81-year-old was banned over ethics breaches, bringing an end to his 17-year reign as FIFA chief, following a suspect two million Swiss franc ($2 million, 1.8 million euro) payment to ex-UEFA president Michel Platini.

“I should have stopped myself earlier,” Blatter said in an interview published by Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick, adding that his ousting as FIFA boss was “a relief”.

Blatter, who was re-elected for a fifth term in May 2015 before promptly announcing his plans to resign, recalled the editor-in-chief of a Swiss magazine warning him the role of FIFA president had an expiration date.

“‘At your place the date is 2014’, he told me, and I said to him that sometimes it’s written that the product can be consumed beyond this date if it’s stored in a cool place,” Blatter said.

Blatter was also asked about a report in German newspaper Der Spiegel that current FIFA chief Gianni Infantino had feared being dismissed as the subject of another ethics committee investigation.

Infantino was cleared last year by FIFA of ethics violations after investigating him over his use of private jets, personal expenses, hiring methods and a contract dispute.

But FIFA assured last month “no investigation” had been opened into Infantino after sources said his role in the Confederation of African Football’s presidential elections was being looked into.

“I don’t know about that, I only know that former FIFA colleagues addressed themselves because of him to the ethics committee and that three or four weeks later, they were thrown out of FIFA,” Blatter said.

Ethics chiefs Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbely were replaced in May at the annual FIFA Congress, with Borbely calling the decision “a setback in the fight against corruption”.

Blatter also spoke out against the introduction of the video assistant review (VAR) system, currently being trialled at the Confederations Cup in Russia.

“The game loses attractiveness… You have to leave referees to make mistakes, what FIFA are doing is delicate and dangerous,” he said.

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Portugal Defeats Mexico To Finish Third In FIFA Confederations Cup

Portugal defeats Mexico in a  2-1 in Sunday’s third-place play-off at the Confederations Cup in Moscow.

Luis Neto bundled into his own net to hand Mexico a 54th-minute lead, but Pepe stabbed home a stoppage-time equaliser to force an extra 30 minutes at Spartak Stadium.

Silva, on as a substitute, grabbed the winner just before the end of the first period of extra time, burying a penalty after Miguel Layun handled in the box.

Both sides finished with 10 men as Nelson Semedo was dismissed for Portugal before Raul Jimenez saw red for Mexico.

European champions Portugal were without captain Cristiano Ronaldo after the Real Madrid star was released from the squad to return home to meet his newborn twins.

World champions Germany face Copa America holders Chile later in the final in Saint Petersburg.

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Alexis Sanchez To Become Highest Paid Player In Manchester City

Arsenal Ace, Alexis Sanchez may soon become the highest paid player in Manchester City if they successfully convince him to move to the Etihad.

Both the player and Manchester City are hopeful of completing a £50m move from Arsenal.

According to the Daily Star, City are ready to offer Sanchez wages of £275,000-a-week to become the highest paid player in the club’s history.

Sanchez is yet to sign a new deal with the Gunners and has 12 months to run on his deal at the Emirates. He doubts the club’s ability to compete for the league title and is said to be keen on reuniting with former boss Pep Guardiola.

Arsene Wenger has maintained that times have changed and that Arsenal simply do not need to sell their best players any more.

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Super Eagles Secures Victory Against Togo, Gets FIFA’s Boost

Super Eagles team on Thursday secured a 3-0 victory against Togo in their friendly football match in Paris, France.

Ahmed Musa scored twice, while Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho scored the third goal for the Super Eagles.

This is their second warm-up match ahead of their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in Uyo on June 10.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have moved two places up  in the monthly FIFA world rankings released yesterday, as the team now occupy 38th position in the world.

Yesterday’s ranking is an improvement from the 40th spot they were the last term, and are now rated the fourth best team in Africa behind Egypt, Senegal and Cameroon.

The three-time African champions are yet to lose a game since German coach Gernot Rohr took charge, and the last time they suffered a defeat was in March last year, when they were beaten 1-0 by Egypt in a 2017 AFCON qualifier in Alexandria.

In the African rankings, Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon and Congo DR are among the continent’s best five teams in the order, with the Indomitable Lions better placed than their next World Cup opponents, the Super Eagles.

Nigeria’s two other 2018 World Cup World Cup qualifying rivals – Algeria and Zambia – sit in the 53rd and 99th place respectively in the updated ranking.

Meanwhile, South Africa, who the Super Eagles face this month in an AFCON qualifier, occupy the 65th position in the global ranking.

In the world rankings, Brazil, Argentina and Germany are the top three teams in the world, followed by Chile and Colombia.

The next FIFA Ranking is set for July 6.

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Arsenal Brings The Emirates FA Cup To Dubai

Fresh from their victory over Chelsea FC, Arsenal brought the Emirates FA Cup once again to Dubai after the team’s record 13th victory of the historic trophy.

The Emirates FA Cup made its way to Arsenal Soccer Schools Dubai at 7he Sevens so that it’s lucky students could join in to take special individual and group photos with the trophy, and over 120 kids had their photo taken with the iconic trophy.

Arsenal Soccer Schools Dubai is a joint venture between Emirates and Arsenal, open to boys and girls of all abilities, aging from five to 20. Each year, more than 400 children are taught to “Play the Arsenal Way’, based on the same principles taught to the first team. The training programme is also designed to help aspiring young footballers develop their skills on the pitch, ensuring they have a platform to reach their potential.

Emirates has been a proud sponsor of Arsenal Football Club since 2004, and the partnership includes the club’s jersey sponsorship and naming rights to Arsenal’s home ground, Emirates Stadium.

In 2015 Emirates became Title Sponsor of the FA Cup, the world’s oldest and largest domestic football tournament, which is now globally known as The Emirates FA Cup.

The Emirates FA Cup also made a special visit to Emirates Group Headquarters, and employees were given the chance to take pictures with the trophy.

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