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Argentina legend Diego Maradona has denied living in a state of poor health while rubbishing the claims by his daughter he is dying slowly.
The football legend’s daughter had expressed her concerns earlier as she claimed that his new job Gimnasia is slowly killing him from the inside.

The legendary former Argentina attacker joined Gimnasia de La Plata last month after stepping down from Dorados in June, citing health reasons.

In response to the claims of his daughter, Maradona stated that he is not dying and that he has been sleeping peacefully and has no idea as to what his daughter meant.
Quote

“I’m not dying at all,” the former Boca Juniors star said in a video uploaded on social media, as per AS.

“I sleep peacefully because I am working. I don’t know what Gianinna meant. I know that as one gets older people care more about what you will leave behind than about what you are doing.”
Maradona then went on to confirm that he won’t be leaving behind any of his earnings to anyone and will instead donate everything to charity.
Quote

“And I won’t … I tell everyone that I am not going to leave anything. I am going to donate it. Everything I earned in my life, I am going to donate.”

Maradona is regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/im-not-dying-even-when-i-die-youll-get.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

France-born defender Lionel Zouma is set to make his international debut as he has been included in Central African Republic's (CAR) latest squad.

CAR will host Burundi in Bangui on 13 November before travelling to Nouakchott to face Mauritania six days later in their opening matches of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The 26-year-old, who is the older brother of Chelsea's Kurt Zouma, is currently with French second-tier club club Bourg-en-Bresse.

He is among 22 players picked by the new CAR coach Francois Zahoui for the Group E matches.

Lionel Zouma played for France at under-10 level but was eligible to switch allegiances to CAR through his parents who emigrated to France where he and his brothers were born.

He called up once before by CAR for a friendly match against Equatorial Guinea in 2017 but did not play.

A third brother, Yoan, made his professional debut for English club Bolton Wanderers earlier this year.

Midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, who netted a goal in Valencia's 4-1 victory over Lille on Tuesday, returns to the squad after he pulled out of their last friendly international against Niger last month due to injury.

Saudi Arabia-based Cedric Yambere and Amos Youga, who plays for French club Le Harve, are both included in the list.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/kurt-zuma-elder-brother-lionel-zouma.html?m=1


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Callum Hudson-Odoi earns a recall to the England senior squad on his 19th birthday.


The Chelsea starlet is happy to announce his England return on Twitter: 'What a way to mark my Birthday with another England call up!!! Always give thanks to God!'

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/what-gift-hudson-odoi-gets-england-call.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen will miss Lille’s French Ligue 1 clash against Paris Saint Germain on Friday, November 22nd due to suspension


“Due to an accumulation of three yellow cards in fewer than ten games, @victorosimhen9 will be suspended for #PSGLOSC on 22 November,”reads a Tweet on the club’s official Twitter handle on Thursday.

Osimhen who linked up with Lille from Belgian outfit, Sporting Charleroi this summer is however available for Saturday’s home clash against Metz.

The 20-year-old has scored seven goals and recorded two assists in 12 league appearances for Les Dogues this season.

He scored his first away goal in Tuesday’s Champions League match 4-1 defeat to Spanish club, Valencia.

The striker is in Nigeria’s squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Benin and Lesotho billed to hold on November 13th and 17th respectively.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/nigerian-striker-victor-osimhen-to-miss.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Southgate has named his England squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers with Montenegro and Kosovo.


Tottenham star Alli & Man Utd starlet Wan-Bissaka have ruled out of the squad, Chelsea youngster Hudson-Odoi & Liverpool midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain included.

Man City defender Stones & Leicester playmaker Maddison also return to the team.

FULL LIST
GK: Pickford, Heaton, Pope

DF: Alexander-Arnold, Trippier, Stones, Gomez, Maguire, Mings, Tomori, Chilwell, Rose

MF: Henderson, Rice, Winks, Barkley, Mount, Maddison, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Delph

FW: Sterling, Sancho, Hudson-Odoi, Kane, Wilson, Rashford, Abraham

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/alli-wan-bissaka-out-of-england-squad.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Super Eagles defender, William Troost-Ekong has extended his contract with Udinese after his impressive form for the Italian club.



The 26-year-old Nigeria international who joined Italian Serie A club in 2018 from Turkish side Bursaspor, signed the deal this afternoon (Nov. 6). The new deal will see play more games for Udinese until 2023.



Announcing the deal on Twitter, Italian club Udinese wrote: “William Troost-Ekong has signed a new deal with Udinese until 2023,” Udinese said on their Twitter account.





Very happy with my renewal. Thanks to Udinese for the confidence, the hard work continues! #ForzaUdinese,” the Nigeria international wrote via his Instagram page.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/william-troost-ekong-signs-contract.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Kyle Walker was called on as an emergency goalkeeper after Claudio Bravo was sent off in a chaotic 1-1 draw with Atalanta in Group C.

Claudio Bravo (Manchester City) sees red and is sent off in Milan after 86 minutes.

The Former Barcelona goal keeper was later sent off for a challenge on Illicic. And Walker was called up as an emergency goal keeper .

Manchester City had earlier lost Ederson due to injury.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/photos-moment-bravo-was-sent-off-and.html?m=1

Nigeria forward Simy Nwankwo has been named Serie B player of the month for October


It is the second time Nwankwo has won the award after last picking it up in March.

Nwankwo scored four goals in five league outings for Crotone during the month of October.

The 27-year-old scored a brace against Virtus Entella and Venezia, before scoring the Sharks’ only goal in their 2-1 loss to Chievo.

He has scored seven goals in 11 Serie B appearances for Crotone this season.

The Super Eagles’ fringe forward will be looking to maintain his fine form when Crotone host Ascoli at the Stadio Ezio Scida in Friday’s league fixture.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/nigerian-striker-simy-nwankwo-named.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Arsenal have announced their 18-man squad to travel to Vitoria as David Luiz, Ozil, Aubameyang & Xhaka are all excluded.


Full squad
GK: Leno, Martinez

DF: Bellerin, Tierney, Sokratis, Holding, Mustafi, Kolasinac

MF: Ceballos, Torreira, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Guendouzi,

FW: Lacazette, Pepe, Nelson, Martinelli, Saka

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/laca-pepe-lead-arsenal-squad-against.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Pep Guardiola delivered a rallying half-time team talk to inspire his Manchester City's players to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Southampton.


City surprisingly found themselves trailing at the break at the weekend after James Ward-Prowse had scored in the 13th minute against the run of play.

Despite their dominance, the home side struggled to break down Southampton's resilient defence and didn't find the breakthrough until the 70th minute, which came courtesy of a Sergio Aguero strike.


With the clock winding down, City looked like they may have to settle for a point but Kyle Walker struck a late winner with only four minutes remaining to complete the comeback.

It has been revealed that Guardiola galvanised his players with a rousing speech in the tunnel just before they went out for the second half.

'Be together until the end guys,' he is heard saying animatedly in a video posted on social media. 'Be positive in your mind. Rhythm, rhythm with the ball. Let the people up front win the game.

'Raz (Raheem Sterling), Kevin (De Bruyne), Sergio (Aguero), Gabby (Gabriel Jesus). Don't cross to cross, cross with good intention. Stay positive. Be together until the end. Be together.



'Don't feel down guys. Don't feel down. This game is about mentality. Don't feel down. You did it many times. Make the process, pass the ball. Don't make a wrong move, and cross it. Make the process. Join the team. We go, we go, we go!'

The City boss' message clearly got through to his players as they showed the hallmark of champions to turn defeat into three points.

There was added significance in the win as Premier League leaders Liverpool had also won late on.

Guardiola's men are now just six points behind Liverpool and travel to Anfield on Sunday with the chance of closing the gap to three.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/11/pep-talk-guardiola-inspired-comeback.html


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Arsenal hero Nicolas Pepe has been named Europa League Player of the Week.


Nicolas Pepe came off the bench to score two free-kicks to inspire Arsenal's 3-2 comeback win over Vitoria Guimaraes. And the other nominees are Oussama Idrissi (AZ Alkmaar), Ryan Christie (Celtic) and Franco Vazquez (Sevilla).

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/nicolas-pepe-named-uel-player-of-week.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Nigerian-born striker, Joshua Zirkzee, scored hattrick for Bayern Munich in their 4-0 thrashing of Olympiakos Piraeus 4-0 at the Proponitiko Kentro Reti stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The Netherlands youth international scored an impressive treble in Athens, which takes his goal tally in the UEFA Youth League this season to four in just two games.

He scored in the 35 minutes of action off an Angelo Stiller’s assist before adding another two in the 51st and 74th minutes, respectively.

Zirkzee was on song for his team on October 1st against Tottenham in their second group game.

He has now contributed to eleven goals (eight goals and three assists) in his last six UYL games.

The 18-year-old is inching closer to his senior team debut for the Bundesliga giants.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/nigerian-striker-scores-hattrick-for.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Two stunning late free-kicks from Pepe saw Arsenal come from behind to beat Vitoria 3-2. After the game Pepe posted photo on ins and said: "not on purpose."


Nicolas Pepe salvaged a fortuitous Europa League win for Arsenal as Unai Emery's side twice came from behind to overcome Vitoria SC 3-2. Arsenal edged past Vitoria SC in an end to end contest at the Emirates Stadium to keep their perfect record in the Europa League intact.

After this game Pepe posted his photo on social media and said: "Not on purpose."

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/not-on-purpose-pepe-reacts-to-his.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Guendouzi tops most valuable players under 21 in UEL, followed by Roma starlet Zaniolo & future Arsenal player Saliba.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/arsenal-younster-guendouzi-tops-most.html?m=1

The man known as Britain's oldest footballer isn't getting any younger as he approaches another year of his remarkable life but he is, in his own words, "fit as a fiddle".

You could even argue Dickie is the fittest pensioner in the country.

The veteran can often be seen improving his technique and power in his back garden. "There is a brick wall down there," he tells SPORTbible in an exclusive interview.

"I often practice my shooting by hammering the ball against it to keep my legs mobile."

And if you live nearby, you might even spot the veteran at his front door, performing a series of breathing exercises to keep him in tip top condition.

"Every morning I go to the front door and take in 10 really deep breaths of fresh air. I also do it in the evening before I go to bed."


As you can probably gather by now, Borthwick isn't your average 83-year-old man.

A retired engineer from Weymouth, a seaside town in Dorset, the experienced striker-turned-left winger is passionate about a return to the game. "I'm very available." he says. "I miss playing football terribly".

He is currently without a permanent club after previous veteran teams folded. In fact, there is just one veterans team left in the area, but things just aren't the same as they once were.

"They are very competitive and they have players who are 35 or 40 years old." he says. "They aren't veterans. We used to play football once a fortnight. There was comradery and something to look forward too. I used to play piano in the pub.

"But those days are over. Dead and gone."

The 83-year-old insists he is still on the look out for further opportunities after appearing in several charity games, but he doesn't want to play walking football.

"I've been asked to take part in the past, but I don't want to. I feel like I am capable of playing 90 minutes." he insists.

"Obviously I'm not going to charge around like I did 30 years ago, but I'd go at my own pace. A steady pace."


So what can Dickie bring to a team? It goes without saying that he has a wealth of experience under his belt.

Borthwick, a lifelong Manchester United fan, has made 1,600 appearances in a career spanning 72 years and counting.

In his early years, he played for Ross County and Invergordon Town FC in the Scottish highlands before moving to Dorset, where he's made appearances for 11 non-league clubs, including a more recent spell at Portland Town

"The Tank", as he is affectionately known on the pitch, has also netted over 400 goals to date, and continues to try and improve himself both on and off the pitch.

Dickie maintains a strict diet to make sure he's ready when a call-up comes around.

"I don't eat any rubbish. I try to eat good, healthy food. You don't want to go out looking like a beer barrel do you?" he laughs.

Like many of his Sunday League compatriots, he does enjoy a cheeky pint or two at the weekend but nothing excessive.

"I'm not a heavy drinker but that's my routine. A doctor once told me that a few pints of bitter is like medicine. I've taken his advice and look at me now."


For most of his career, the veteran has been lucky when it comes to injuries.

In fact, one of his rare scrapes, a lower back injury suffered in one particular game, may have just saved his life back in October 2012. "If it wasn't for football, I may not be here," he says.

Borthwick was in his 70's at the time when an opponent knocked him to the floor. It was purely accidental but Dickie landed heavily on his back, so he decided to visit a doctor.

"There was no real damage done" he tells SPORTbible. "But as a safeguard, they wanted to take a blood sample. Within three or four days, I was asked to go to Dorchester hospital.

"They told me the bad news but it was treatable"

Borthwick was diagnosed with prostate cancer but after eight weeks of treatment, the 83-year-old confirms that stage of his life is now over. "My love for the game certainly was driving me on to beat it and I have done that." he says.

Dickie tells me he is a "lucky man" with "good genes" but there's more to him than that. The 83-year-old is one of the most inspirational people I've ever spoken to.

He's ambitious and passionate; not just about football, but life in general.

And he just wants to play football again, even if it just a charity game.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/age-just-number-check-britains-oldest.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Top scorers in 2019 for the whole world so far are revealed, Vela and Ibrahimovic top the list while Messi and Lewy are also named in.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/ex-arsenal-forward-vela-and-ibrahimovic.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid look set for trips to China, after FIFA granted the nation the rights to host the inaugural version of its expanded Club World Cup.


A freshly designed, 24-team tournament has been scheduled for 2021 and a host of elite level teams have been pencilled in to participate.

The decision to award the hosting rights to China will be announced on Friday in Shanghai after it is confirmed in a vote of FIFA’s governing council at its quarterly meeting, as report the New York Times.


Once the final plans have been confirmed, the new event will be brought in to replace the unpopular Confederations Cup.

As it does for the World Cup, Europe will provide more competitors for the event than FIFA’s other five regional confederations.

The structure of the tournament, in line with FIFA's plans, would see Europe have eight places in the 24-team field.


South America would have the next largest allotment, with six, and the remainder would qualify from the other regional confederations, including three from CONCACAF. The inaugural hosting of the competition has been awarded to China in reward to the nation's commitment to investing in their own football project over recent years.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had reportedly wanted to include 12 European teams in the inaugural event, but this was reduced on request of UEFA.

The top two European competitions - the Champions League and the Europa League, would take two of the eight allocated slots over each four year period.

As reported, the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea would be included, along with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/chelsea-liverpool-madrid-atleti-to-play.html?m=1


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Lille manager Christophe Gatlier has absolved Victor Osimhen of any blame after the forward failed to score for the fifth consecutive away game in the French Ligue 1 this season


Osimhen has scored seven goals in 10 league games for Lille since his arrival from Belgian club, Sporting Charleroi this summer.

He also endured a barren outing in Lille’s Champions League 3-0 away defeat at Ajax last month.

All of the Nigeria international’s goals so far were scored at home with the 20-year-old also failing to find the back of the net in Saturday’s 2-1 away defeat to Toulouse.

“We lose as a team and win as a team. Osimhen is part of the team. Collectively, we will have to do better away from home not just Osimhen. It’s for the entire team,” Gatlier told reporters.


Lille will host Spanish club Valencia in a Champions League matchday three encounter on Wednesday.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/lille-coach-gatlier-defends-osimhens.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Mohamed Salah could be back in contention for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Genk.


The forward was not named in the Liverpool squad for Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United as he continues to recover from the ankle injury he sustained before the international break.

Salah was not in consideration for the game at Old Trafford, according to Jürgen Klopp, but may be available again next week.

“Mo was not ready, that’s how it is,” the manager told Sky Sports.

“He couldn’t train with the team; I don’t know where it came from that everybody said he will play. There was pretty much no chance for today, maybe for Wednesday, we have to see.”


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/breaking-salah-ruled-out-of-man-united.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Anthony Martial and David de Gea have been included in the Manchester United squad against Liverpool.


Martial is poised to make his return from an eight-week lay-off with a thigh injury he suffered Crystal Palace on August 24. De Gea also arrived with the rest of the United squad at The Lowry Hotel on Saturday night after he injured a muscle abductor in Spain's European qualifier against Sweden on Tuesday night.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/martial-de-gea-included-in-man-utd.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back after missing the last three matches due to illness and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has included 18-year-old midfielder James Garner in his provisional squad. Fellow teenagers Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood, Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes are also under consideration for selection in the matchday squad.

Confirmed United squad members

David de Gea, Sergio Romero, Lee Grant, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Ashley Young, Brandon Williams, James Garner, Scott McTominay, Andreas Pereira, Fred, Juan Mata, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes, Daniel James, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood.

Eden Hazard has been left out of the Real Madrid squad, for Saturday’s LaLiga clash against Mallorca.



Goal reports that Hazard has been excused from the fixture, following the birth of his fourth child.

Madrid face an away trip to struggling Mallorca with an already depleted squad.

Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luca Modric and Lucas Vazquez had all been ruled out of the encounter by coach Zinedine Zidane, while Dani Carvajal has been rested.

Hazard was kept out of the first three league games of the season, after completing a €100million move from Chelsea in the summer.

The Belgium international returned to action in mid-September and has since made six appearances in LaLiga and the Champions League.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/eden-hazard-misses-mallorca-clash.html


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

The Golden Eaglets squad numbers for the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup have been revealed ahead of the tournament which begins in Brazil on October 26.


If the jersey numbers are anything to go by, Football College Academy starlet Sunday Stephen is ahead of Joseph Oluwabusola and Daniel Jinadu in Manu Garba's pecking order of goalkeepers as he has been handed the number one shirt.

Sporting Dreams' Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi and Blessed Stars Academy left-back Charles Etim will wear the number two and three jersey respectively; Ferdinand Ikenna and Usman Ibrahim have been given the number 5 and 6 respectively.

Key players Samson Tijani, Olakunle Olusegun, Wisdom Ubani and Akinkunmi Amoo have been allocated the numbers 4, 7, 9 and 13 respectively.

Abba Yusuf Bichi of Talentbase Sport FC will wear the number 19 shirt.

Golden Eaglets Squad Numbers In Full 1) Sunday Stephen2) Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi3) Charles Etim4) Samson Tijani5) Ferdinard Ikenna6) Usman Ibrahim7) Olakunle Olusegun8) Hamzat Ojediran 9) Wisdom Ubani10) Peter Agba11) Quadri Edun12) Peter Olawale13) Akinkunmi Amoo14) Daniel Francis15) Monsuru Opeyemi16) Daniel Jinadu17) Divine Nwachukwu18) Ibraheem Jabaar19) Abba Bichi20) Ibrahim Said21) Joseph Oluwabusola Ifeanyi Emmanuel.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/golden-eaglets-official-squad-numbers.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Cameroon Drops Eto’o From World Cup Squad
Etienne Eto’o Pineda, son of Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o has been dropped from the junior Indomitable lions final squad for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.

Young Eto’o who’s eligible to represent Spain joined up with the Cameroonian squad in order to be included in the team’s final 21 to the World Cup , but Thomas Libiih is not convinced he’s deserved a place in the final squad of 21 players.

Eto’o who is the captain of Mallorca’s youth team was not part of the squad that won the 2019 Africa U17 Cup of Nations in Tanzania .

The omission is a huge disappointment for the Real Mallorca youth team star who was hoping to make the squad in order have the opportunity to step out of his father’s shadow and make a name for himself.

Eto’o was dropped, alongside five other teammates, Aurel Tiki Joel, Jordan Konango, Bryan Djile Nokoue, Enzo Tchato and Dani Barel Fotso.

Cameroon will take Tajikistan, Spain and Argentina in Group E


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/cameroon-drops-etoo-from-world-cup-squad.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Former Man Utd manager Alex Ferguson fixed a football match with a corrupt agent who gave him a £30,000 gold Rolex, a court heard today.


Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Pagliara, 64, made the claims to an undercover reporter posing as a businesswoman looking to invest in football players, jurors were told.

He said the legendary manager fixed a champions league game against Italian giants Juventus and alleged Ferguson pocketed money from transfer deals.

“Towards the end of the meeting Pagliara launched into what could only be described as a diatribe of Sir Alex Ferguson, accusing him of having conspired with Pagliara to fix the result of a football match between Juventus, a club which Pagliara was associated with, and Manchester United in the Champions League for which Pagliara had thanked him with a gold 30 grand Rolex watch.

“Pagliara went on to accuse Sir Alex Ferguson of having taken money as part of transfer deals. He claimed that he had paid Ferguson before,” said the prosecutor.


Pagliara is on trial for bribery at Southwark Crown Court alongside assistant head coach of Barnsley Football Club Tommy Wright and fellow football agent Dax Price. All three deny the charges.

The trio were charged following allegations of corruption published by the Daily Telegraph in 2016, one of which led to Sam Allardyce resigning as England manager.

Pagliara claimed that ’99 per cent of the people in football, if they weren’t in football, would be selling second-hand cars’.

He also claimed he had ‘opened so many Swiss bank accounts for managers that you would not believe’.


“'You have to have an offshore account somewhere and that's where we do it. For example, Antonio Conte [then head coach at Chelsea] has winked at us and said, ‘Yeah, I want that player, is there a little coffee for me Pino?’”

“Yeah, that's what he'll say: yeah, of course, there is and now I'm negotiating a coffee as well and we are not talking about a double espresso.”


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/sir-alex-ferguson-accused-of-fixing-man.html


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna has named Alex Iwobi as one of Everton's danger men ahead of the Hammers trip to Goodison Park on Saturday, October 19.


The Nigeria international has caught the eye so far in the 2019-2020 season, contributing to three goals (2 goals, 1 assist) in eight appearances across all competitions.

Everton acquired Iwobi from Arsenal just before the close of the transfer window for a fee in the region of 35 million pounds.

Previewing the game, the Italy international of Nigerian descent told West Ham's official website : ''They will try to step up, so we have to be focused on not conceding, but they have a lot of quality and have spent a lot of money, so they want to compete like we want to compete.

''They have good attacking players like Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alex Iwobi, [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and a young player I heard a lot about when I was in Juventus and he was in the Academy, Moise Kean, who has a lot of skills and is very strong.

''But we just have to focus on our jobs and getting the three points''.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/west-hams-angelo-ogbonna-names-iwobi-as.html?m=1


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

De Gea returned to Manchester United training today to receive treatment on his thigh injury.


De Gea was spotted at Carrington on Thursday morning receiving treatment as they prepare to take on league leaders Liverpool.

The Red Devils' No1, 28, picked up a nasty knock while on international duty with Spain and could miss up to two months.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/de-gea-returns-to-man-utd-training.html?m=1


lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

In the competition to win over customers, providing the right customer experience is the “front line” in today’s business world.


Sport is no exception – top sport entities are moving towards an entertainment company model, transforming their organizations into real global brands and attracting audiences from all over the world. Football is leading the way in building worldwide audiences: top football teams are winning over fans in China, India, Indonesia and the US, countries that account for around 45% of world population. Social media provides convenient and efficient channels to reach and engage these people.

Data from the upgraded KPMG Football Benchmark Social Media Analytics tool – which helps examine the social media performance of 1,000 clubs, leagues and sporting competitions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube – show that players, clubs and associations are all focusing on improving and growing their social media presence accordingly.

Our chart below shows the top sport competitions with a global reach via social media. The UEFA Europa League just missed the top 10, ranked 11th in our findings.


The impact of such increasing global reach and popularity in social media on the business of football has been ever growing. A player with a huge followership may have a higher value in the transfer market, as he can bring his fans to his new club as well.

In parallel, a club’s growing fame and the high-level of engagement of followers on these channels will increase their negotiating power with investors, sponsors or kit suppliers and thus help a club grow their matchday, commercial and TV revenues.

Data from the tool also reveal that success on the pitch remains the core attraction for building an audience. UCL performance, for example, helped last season’s semi-finalists Barcelona gain 14.6 million new social media fans, and title winners Liverpool could add 11 million new followers on their social media channels from the group stage to the end of the tournament.

Ajax’s fantastic UCL campaign helped them grow their followership by 3 million, while runners-up Tottenham gained 4 million new social media fans (20% growth) from September 2018 to June 2019.


In addition, major clubs are investing massively to enhance their creative presence on social media. Some are also providing exposure for sponsors through standardized messages around major moments, like starting line-ups, goals, half-time/full-time updates, substitutions, etc. Manchester City’s, for example, launched a YouTube series this year entitled ‘Inside City’, partnering with Nissan, to engage fans, while they announced their team starting line-ups on Twitter in a “Here’s how City line up today!” series, in partnership with Hays Recruitment.

Another spectacular example earlier this year was how the England Women’s Football Team revealed their 2019 World Cup squad on Twitter, with celebrities naming the players one by one in a thread of posts for a full day’s engagement. Several clubs also operate multiple foreign-language Twitter accounts to personalize their fan experience beyond their home market.

Manchester City has over 10 such accounts, many in Asian languages, while AS Roma has created a Pidgin Twitter account in March, run from Lagos, Nigeria to serve their West African fans.


Beyond sporting performance, superstars can also help a club grow their followership. Christiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus was a unique example. Since the most followed athlete in the world joined the Old Lady last summer, the club have been able to grow their followership by 62% on the four main social media platforms and could establish themselves as the 4th most popular club in terms of the number of total followers. A transfer can work the other way too – when 21-year-old Serbia striker Luka Jovic joined Real Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, his personal fan base grew radically overnight, profiting from the popularity of the most followed club in football, gaining almost 400k new followers on his Instagram account, an 80% increase in less than a day.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/ucl-becomes-worlds-most-popular.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Sampdoria have officially appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new Coach and will debut against hometown club Roma on his 68th birthday.


The veteran had also taken over from Eusebio Di Francesco as caretaker manager of Roma in March.

Di Francesco terminated his contract with Samp by mutual consent after six defeats in the opening seven Serie A rounds, but first choices Stefano Pioli and Gennaro Gattuso turned down the job.

Ranieri has accepted a two-year contract, although there is reportedly an option to terminate early if the Blucerchiati are relegated to Serie B.

In another twist of fate, his debut match on the Sampdoria bench will be against Roma on Sunday October 20 – Ranieri’s 68th birthday.

This represents the 17th club of Ranieri’s management career, with the addition of a short stint as Coach of the Greece national team for four games in 2014.

He previously worked at Vigor Lamezia, Puteolana, Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia (twice), Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus, Roma (twice), Inter, Monaco, Greece, Leicester City, Nantes and Fulham.

Ranieri has 393 Serie A games under his belt, resulting in 169 victories, 126 draws and 98 defeats.

His trophy cabinet has the 2015-16 Premier League with Leicester City, Valencia took the European Super Cup in 2004 and Copa del Rey in 1999, plus the 1995-96 Coppa Italia and 96-97 Italian Super Cup with Fiorentina.

Looking further back, his Cagliari won the 1988-89 Coppa Italia Serie C.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/official-bottom-side-sampdoria-hire.html

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

The Nigerian continued from where she left before the break as her effort steered the Catalans to a fourth win of the season in Huelva


Asisat Oshoala netted the winner for Barcelona as they beat Sporting de Huelva 1-0 in a Spanish Primera Iberdrola game on Sunday.

The Nigeria international had ended her goal drought in the Spanish top-flight with a brace in Barcelona's 6-1 comeback thrashing of Atletico Madrid before sealing a 2-0 win at Sevilla.

The Super Falcons captain who turned 25 on Wednesday, was on target for Nigeria in Monday's 1-1 draw against Cote d'Ivoire but her side could not avoid a third successive Olympic qualifying crash.

The FC Robo product struggled with the devastation from another botched Olympic dream to inspire Lluís Cortés' ladies to their fourth win of the season with her lone 29th-minute strike.

Oshoala's goal condemned Sporting with Nigeria's Peace Efih, Ghana's Princella Adubea, Equatorial Guinea's Oluwatobiloba Olanrewaju and Gambia's Fatoumata Kanteh to a fourth league defeat.

The latest strike from the three-time African Women's Footballer of the Year at Ciudad Deportiva El Conquero means she has now scored four goals in five league matches this season for Barcelona.

The win sees Barcelona retain the summit of the log on goal difference with 13 points from five matches, while Sporting are 13th with three points after five games.

Barcelona will host Juventus in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Wednesday before hosting Logrono on Sunday, while Sporting will play host to Deportivo La Corona on Saturday.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/asisat-oshoala-nets-winner-as-barca.html

The 20-year-old goalkeeper suffered an injury as he fell awkwardly into his own goal in his bid to save a goal-bound shot


Nigeria received an injury scare during their 1-1 draw with Brazil as Francis Uzoho was stretchered off with a thigh problem after 62 minutes of play.

Uzoho sustained the knock after landing awkwardly in his attempt to save a goal-bound cross, and he was shown holding his thigh.

He was clearly in significant discomfort, with the 20-year-old goalkeeper eventually being stretchered off, to be replaced by debutant Maduka Okoye after a brief delay.

Joe Aribo gave the Super Eagles a 35th-minute lead before Casemiro levelled matters for the five-time world champions at Singapore National Stadium.

The draw rounded off a disappointing week for Brazil after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Senegal on Thursday.

Since beating Peru 3-1 to win the Copa America, coach Tite’s men are winless since having drawn three and lost one of their matches.

For Nigeria, who finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, they surrendered a two-goal lead to play a 2-2 draw with Ukraine.

This friendly is expected to strengthen Gernot Rohr’s side ahead of November’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification games against Benin Republic and Lesotho in November.


https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/super-eagles-goalkeeper-uzoho-picks-up.html?m=1

lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, dominique

Neymar could be set for a spell on the sidelines after the Brazil forward limped out of the Selecao's friendly with Nigeria.


The Paris Saint-Germain star lasted just 12 minutes of the international friendly in Singapore before suffering an injury to his left thigh.

He was pictured icing the injury once he made his way to the bench, suggesting the world's most expensive footballer may have to miss matches over the next few weeks.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/injury-worry-for-brazil-as-neymar-limps.html?m=1

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Brazil XI: Ederson; Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Renan Lodi; Arthur, Casemiro; Gabriel Jesús, Neymar, Everton; Firmino

Subs: Weverton, Militao, Sandro, Richarlison, Coutinho, Santos, Caio, Fabinho, Henrique, Paqueta, Barbosa, Marcinho.

Nigeria XI: Uzoho, Awaziem, Collins, Ajayi, Ekong, Ndidi, Aribo, Iwobi, Osimhen, Chukwueze, Simon

Subs: Ezenwa, Okoye, Onuachu, Otabor, Ebuehi, Olayinka, Azeez, Shehu, Esiti, Dennis.

https://www.reportminds.com/2019/10/brazil-vs-nigeria-line-ups-ndidi-iwobi.html?m=1