Former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke, has returned to the country, as both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), have resolved the matter surrounding the millions of dollars found inside an Ikoyi luxury apartment used as a safe house by the intelligence in April 2017, THEWILL can authoritatively report.

This development is coming on the heels of the resolution by the EFCC and the NIA that the cash discovered at the Ikoyi apartment belonged to the NIA, thus absolving Mr Oke of wrongdoing.

According to THEWILL source with knowledge of the matter, “The six-year controversy around the security lodging of $43 million, 27 thousand UK Pounds, and N23 million, belonging to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), at an Osborne Road apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos, has come to an end with the legal resolution to terminate the case.

Read more on https://thewillnews.com/exclusive-former-nia-dg-oke-returns-as-efcc-resolves-case-surrounding-cash-found-in-ikoyi-luxury-flat/

June 18, (THEWILL) – The Lagos and Abuja residences of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, have been searched by officers of the Directorate of State Services, (DSS).

A family source of the detained technocrat, who asked not to be identified, spoke to THEWILL on Sunday and confirmed the searches.

The source said the Abuja residence was searched on Sunday, a day after his arrest, while the Lagos house was searched on Thursday evening, through Saturday morning, saying the men of the DSS left around 2 am with their detainee back to Abuja. The source said both the Abuja and Lagos residences still have a heavy presence of the operatives.

Read more at https://thewillnews.com/dss-search-lagos-abuja-homes-of-emefiele-remove-old-phones-laptops-watches-n250k-family-source/

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Draw:
- Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund: Q1

- Porto vs Chelsea FC Q2

- FC Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain Q3

- Real Madrid vs Liverpool Q4

https://allnews.ng/news/uefa-champions-league-quarterfinal-draw-2020-21-bayern-vs-psg-real-madrid-vs-liverpool

Barcelona's winger, Ansu Fati entered the World Breakthrough of the Year list at the Laureus Sports Awards by the world sports media.

The striker enjoyed a spectacular 2020, only curtailed by an injury that he suffered in November.

The Barça player is on the shortlist alongside Patrick Mahomes, Joan Mir, Dominic Thiem, Iga Swiatek and Tadej Pogacar.
Check out all his records
Click link below
https://allnews.ng/news/barca-s-ansu-fati-in-lareus-sports-award-nomination

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has released the latest power ranking of nations with Belgium retaining the top spot for the third year in a row ahead of World cup winner France.

Belgium, France, Brazil, England and Portugal continue to occupy the top spots, with the leading trio of Belgium, France and Brazil only separated by 37 points. Nigeria dropped one position from December's 35th to sit at number 36.

Read more at https://allnews.ng/news/fifa-ranking-2021-belgium-stays-on-top-as-nigeria-drops-one-point

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has kept breaking the boundaries of age after his recent return to European football from MLS as he signed for his former side AC Milan during the 2020 January transfer and has pushed Milan back to the top of the Serie A summit.

Ibrahimovic is 39 and that has not stopped him from firing all cylinders at San Siro scoring 11 goals in his first 6 months at the club and now 16 goals in all competitions coupled with 2 assists.
Zlatan has numerous trophies since the start of his career in 1999 with the Malmo FF U-19 squad before moving to Ajaz in Netherland for a fee of 8M Euros.
The 6 ft 5 inches Swedish striker was known for his aerial prowess in opposition half using his gigantic stature as cover from even most ruthless defenders.
He completed his 500th goal at the age of 39 on Sunday against Crotone as he pushed AC Milan back to the top of the Serie A summit with yet a second to make it 501st club career goal.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/serie-a-zlatan-at-39-who-does-he-think-he-is

Real Sociedad would lock horns with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup mini-tournament as the winner will face either Real Madrid or Athletic Bilbao in the final scheduled to be played in Spain rather than Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Messi led-Barcelona finished last season trophyless and would look to bounce back to glory days with their first trophy since 2018-2019 season.

After a poor start to the season with 4 losses, 4 draws Barcelona's 3 games winning streak has propelled them to 3rd in La Liga with 7 points from the top spot.

Ronald Koeman has been able to get some steam off him with consecutive wins and a trophy will give him somewhat of a job guarantee even after the election at the Catalonia club.

Messi, Pedri, Griezmann and Dembele are pulling in the same direction at the moment which is really crucial for the Blaugrana with the return of Champions League football at the horizon - to face Pochettino's PSG - a self-proclaimed foe of the Espanyol's derby rival.

Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/real-sociedad-vs-barcelona-end-to-trophy-drought

Aston Villa have confirmed that Friday's FA Cup third-round clash with Liverpool will go ahead with no first-team players tasting action in the match.

Villa were forced to close their training ground on Thursday and there had been concerns they would have to forfeit their match against Jurgen Klopp's team.
"Aston Villa can confirm that the Emirates FA Cup third-round tie with Liverpool will be played at Villa Park this evening," a statement on the club's website.
Instead of forfeiting, under-23s coach Mark Delaney is expected to oversee a side made up of under-18 and under-23 players.

The COVID-19 outbreak at Villa also raises questions about how and whether their upcoming Premier League matches can go ahead.

They are due to face Tottenham on Wednesday and are then up against Everton on 16 January.
READ on @ https://allnews.ng/news/fa-cup-villa-to-face-liverpool-with-u-18-u-23

West Ham completed the sale of Ivory Coast international striker, Sebastian Haller to Ajax for a reported fee of €22.5 million (£20m/$28m) and David Moyes wants Chelsea's out of favour striker Olivier Giroud to replace him at the Hammers.

Haller moved to the London Stadium in a £35m ($48m) transfer deal in summer 2019 from Eintracht Frankfurt but never truly caught fire in the Premier League.

Giroud, who is on the fringes of the Blues first-team, has been identified as a target for West Ham, who want a reliable source of goals to aid their push for European football next season.
Read on @ https://allnews.ng/news/january-transfer-west-ham-wants-giroud-as-haller-replacement

Arsenal's recent streak of win and Chelsea's defeats has switched the pressure from Mikel Arteta to Frank Lampard which started on Boxing day after the London derby.

AllNews understands that Frank Lampard lost emphatically to a coronavirus depleted City 3-1 at the Stamford Bridge bringing criticism to him much more than he got after the Arsenal match when he lost by the same margin on boxing day.

Several reports have suggested in London already that the Blues are already looking into an ideal replacement for Frank who spent over 200M euros in the summer transfer for the purchase of young talents all over Europe.

Chelsea is due to face Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and still are 9th on the table with 7 points from joint-leaders Liverpool and Manchester United - who also have a game at hand.

Criticism is part of the job of a coach when you go 3-4 games without a win and as a big traditional 6 in the English top-flight pressure builds and the suggestion of being fired starts sipping out.

ARTETA JUST GOT A BREATHER
Mikel Arteta was suggested as being in his twilight days at Emirate after consecutive game losses took him very close to the relegation zone. Yet, he managed to get himself back to the good eyes of both fans and board starting from the boxing day.

One thing that helped Arteta so much is the patience of the Emirate camp, and they believe that he is the man to take them into the future combined with 2 trophies that he clinched last season.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/mikel-arteta-vs-frank-lampard-pressure-switches-with-results

Paris Saint Germain (PSG) dismissed their head coach, Thomas Tuchel some days before Christmas after a recent loss of point which has left them 3rd in the Ligue 1 standings, with Mauricio Pochettino and Maxi Allegri tipped to take over.

AllNews reported earlier that Tuchel was part of the coaches to be sacked before January 2021 or by the end of June 2021, it seems marching orders came earlier for Thomas Tuchel.

Mauricio Pochettino has been out of work since being let go by Tottenham in November of 2019 and is a particularly interesting option considering that he played for PSG between 2001 and 2003.

He was believed to be an option for Real Madrid if Zinedine Zidane had been sacked, but the fact that the French coach has completely turned things around in the Spanish capital means that Pochettino must look for other vacancies if he wants to get back to work.

Read on @ https://allnews.ng/news/pochettino-allegri-lead-coaches-to-get-psg-job

The United Kingdom government has raised London's status to tier 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the EPL match between Chelsea and Wolves will be played behind closed doors without fans, the EPL club confirmed.

AllNews understands that Chelsea is currently in a plan to refund fans their ticket fee with a statement released by the club on Tuesday stating just that.
Read more at
https://allnews.ng/news/epl-no-fans-for-chelsea-vs-wolves-as-uk-govt-raises-level

The failure of teams to reach certain heights are blamed on coaches with the second half of the season almost here, Zinedine Zidane, Ronald Koeman, Mikel Arteta tops the coaches to be sacked in Europe's top 5 leagues.

AllNews understands that Arteta's success in his first season at Arsenal earned him promotion and backing in the summer transfer but his recent losses including the North London derby defeat to Tottenham have increase pressure on the Spaniard coach.

AllNews takes a look at several managers who would be out of a job by January or at the end of the season.
See full list and why at
https://allnews.ng/news/coaches-that-are-most-likely-to-be-sacked-in-europe-s-top-5-leagues

Inter Milan prolific striker Romelu Lukaku gets the spotlight to power the former three-time winners into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday in a must-win clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.

AllNews understands that the Belgian scored a double in a 3-2 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach last time out to keep the Italian giants alive in the continental competition whose knockout rounds they have not reached since the 2011-2012 season.

Bottom of Group B, Inter need to win at the San Siro and for 'Gladbach and Real Madrid not to draw their match.

"I've never played so well in my life," said Lukaku after bagging four goals in as many European games this season.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/inter-s-champions-league-qualification-hinges-on-lukaku-s-goals

Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane enters the most crucial week of his career as Champions League qualification and La Liga title race to be decided, as his side faces Borussia Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid later in the week.

Real Madrid value success in the Champions League above all else, but the 13-time champions head into Wednesday's game against Borussia Moenchengladbach with their qualification hopes to hang by a thread.

AllNews understands that should Real Madrid suffer a humiliating group-stage exit, it would be the end to their remarkable run as the only team ever to avoid elimination at this phase, coach Zinedine Zidane’s future will be at risk.

However, despite his success during two stints in charge, winning three Champions League trophies, two La Liga titles and two Club World Cups among other silverware, and his fine history as a player, a defeat could make Zidane Madrid’s eighth managerial casualty in 10 years.
Read on athttps://allnews.ng/news/ucl-live-real-madrid-s-coach-zidane-enters-crucial-week

The EPL scorer chart takes a new turn with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the race for the golden boot with 11 goals for Everton with Son Heung-Min 1 goal behind him.

AllNews understands that EPL matchday 11 concluded with Tottenham, Liverpool as joint-leaders while Chelsea, Leicester, Man United, and Man City trail them with at least 3 points as the title race gets its proper look.

Tottenham is the only team that has two strikers in the top 10 - Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, while Chelsea shares of goals amidst their strikers have kept attackers out of the top 10.
See the full list at https://allnews.ng/news/english-premier-league-top-scorer-2020-21

The UEFA Champions League is underway and after matchday 5, Erling Haaland leads the race with 6 goals followed by Monchengladbach hattrick player, Alassane Pléa with 5 goals, and Alvaro Morata and Marcus Rashford are leveled with him.

AllNews understands that Haaland is out on his own as the Norwegian continues to score at freewill both at his time at Salzburg and now at Dortmund.

The Golden boy winner has scored 6 goals for Dortmund in the UCL season and would look to increase the tally in the game against Lazio on Wednesday.

The surprise in the chart is the missing of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the top 10 scorers - Messi is leveled with the almost 6 players on 3 goals.
See full list at https://allnews.ng/news/uefa-champions-league-highest-goalscorer-haaland-plea-morata-in-race

Argentine legend, Diego Maradona was declared dead on Wednesday with the cause of death to be Cardiac arrest caused by blood clots in the brain.

AllNews understands that the whole world and particularly Argentina has felt the loss of a leader or as some regarded him, "a god" leading to Andre Villa-Boas's urge to FIFA to retire the No. 10 shirt as a tribute to the Argentine.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/no-10-should-be-retired-as-tribute-to-maradona-villa-boas-urges-fifa

FIFA has released the nominees for the FIFA men's award as Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kevin De Bruyne make the cut for the top 11.

AllNews understands that treble winner, Robert Lewandowski has a higher chance of clinching the award but with the presence of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, anything can happen.

READ ALSO: Bayern Munich Quartet, Hansi, Lewandowski, Kimmich, Neuer Won At Least A UEFA Award

Liverpool has 3 players excluding Thiago Alcantara who earned his spot at Bayern Munich......Read more at https://allnews.ng/news/lewandowski-messi-ronaldo-among-nominees-for-fifa-men-s-player-award

The Champions League's second half is set to kick off on Tuesday as clubs will be facing their last counterpart for matchday 4 on different turfs which could be home or away in the UEFA Champions League fixture.

AllNews takes a look at players who are set to miss the next crucial matches for their teams due to several reasons from injuries, suspensions, and the ongoing raging COVID-19.

Barcelona: Lionel Messi and Frenkie De Jong
Ronald Koeman has decided to rest the club skipper, Messi, and the dutch playmaker, Frenkie De Jong as they travel to Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine with 9 points from 9 available and it is just a matter of one more win to seal qualification for the Catalonia club.
The undecided matter in the group is who will be leading the group at the end of the group stage but Barcelona currently tops the group with 9 points followed by Juventus with 6 points.

Lionel Messi and De Jong "needed rest" as emphasized by the former Dutch National manager as "they have played almost games" of the 2020-21 season........... Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/champions-league-fixtures-players-set-to-miss-ucl-matches

Everton showed respect and appreciation for Manchester United winger, Marcus Rashford before the EPL clash as the English man has helped children with his donation at Meyerside part of England.

AllNews understands that Everton will face United on Saturday so before the clash Everton fans used the opportunity to appreciate the young Doctor for his charitable actions before he becomes an opponent on the field of play.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/everton-shows-respect-for-man-utd-rashford-before-clash

Manchester City welcomes EPL defending champions, Liverpool to the Etihad stadium without Van Dijk as City hopes to push back to the top of the EPL standings.

AllNews understands that City has been having issues scoring in the Premier League with - 1 goal in four consecutive matches (2W, 2D).

Manchester City sits at 10th position with 11 points from 6 games - losing 7 points from available 18 points. They have conceded 8 goals scoring 9 in the process.

The highest scorer in the EPL so far for City is Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling - both with 2 goals.

Liverpool on the other hand is leading the standing overtaking the previous leader, Everton. The Reds are leading with 16 points from 7 games - that is a loss of 5 points - 7-2 loss to Aston Villa and draw against Everton in the Meyerside derby.

Jurgen Klopp's side has conceded 15 goals scoring 17 in the process which could be due to the absence of Van Virgil Dijk but he was present when they let 7 in at Villa.
Read on match build up at https://allnews.ng/news/man-city-vs-liverpool-match-preview-build-up-team-news-kick-off-time-where-to-watch-epl-match-live

Wolves brushed aside Crystal palace with a 2-0 comfortable lead after 27 minutes as Daniel Poondence and Rayan Ait-Nouri found the net at the Molineux stadium.

AllNews understands that Ait-Nouri got his first debut game which he scored after 18 minutes to give Wolves a one-goal lead.
Rayan Aït-Nouri is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, on loan from Angers

The French man opened his Wolves account with a left-footed strike into the corner of the net - Kouyate's poorly directed header fell kindly into the path of the former Angers' full-back...........Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/epl-wolves-brushes-aside-crystal-ait-nouri-scores-debut-goal

Arsenal travels to Old Trafford to face Ole Gunner's Manchester United after the completion of the European competition in mid-week with the Gunners trying to see to offset the Red Devils at home for the second time this season.

AllNews understands that both Arsenal and Manchester United had a wonderful goal-scoring spree in the European competition; Arsenal 3-0 Dundalk, Man Utd 5-0 Leipzig.

Arsenal is 11th on the table with 9 points while Man United stands that 15th with 7 points.

Mikel Arteta's side has conceded 7 goals, scoring 8 goals in the 6 EPL games this season, while United conceded 12 goals scoring 9 goals - Arsenal is quite the better side at least psychologically speaking.

United has not been stellar at home this season losing to Crystal and Tottenham but has recently regained confidence and strength with wins in the European competition defeating PSG and Leipzig.

Arsenal will be going to Manchester with morale high from the European win.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/man-utd-vs-arsenal-match-preview-build-up-team-news-kick-off-time-where-to-watch-epl-match-live

Chelsea travels to Turf Moor to face Burnley as Sean Dyche and Frank Lampard face off in round 1 of the meeting between Chelsea and Burnley in the EPL fixture.

AllNews understands that Burnley lost to Tottenham on Monday night as the Son-Kane combination gave Jose Mourinho the 1-goal lead to win the match at Turf Moor.

Burnley now sits at 18th on the log with 1 point after 5 games while Chelsea is on 10th with 9 points from 18 available.

The Clarets are not very good up front scoring 3 goals while defensively they conceded less compared to other sides in the EPL, they have the same number of goals conceded (9) as Chelsea.

The Blues on the other hand has managed to score 13 goals compared to Burnley's 3 in the EPL.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/burnley-vs-chelsea-match-preview-build-up-team-news-kick-off-time-where-to-watch-epl-match-live

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino has tested positive for COVID-19 as the Swiss-Italian national is on self-isolation showing mild symptoms of the virus.

Gianni Infantino 50, is in advanced age which the virus possesses more threat to than the average age of footballers who recently have been reported to be infected.

AllNews understands that the football chief has shown mild symptoms like every other latest report and will continue to self-isolate for the 14-day period.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/fifa-president-infantino-tests-positive-for-covid-19

Barcelona will travel to the Alpine city of Turin to face Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League after both teams won their first match.

AllNews understands that Juventus will be without their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo as he tested positive for COVID-19 on his second test.

Yet the absence of the Portuguese would not water down the popularity of the event and he could be back for the second leg at Camp Nou.

As for the precedents, Barça and Juve have met each other in a total of 13 official matches. The balance, however, is very even: four wins for Barça, four draws, and five victories for the Italians.

On a positive note for Barcelona fans, the last time both teams met in the group stage (2017/18) the Catalans won at Camp Nou and drew in Turin. Furthermore, the last Champions League that Barça won was defeating Juventus in the Berlin final in 2015.
Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/uefa-champions-league-juventus-vs-barcelona-build-up-line-ups-team-preview

Real Madrid skipper, Sergio Ramos, and Eden Hazard have shrugged off injury concerns and are both fit for the UEFA Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen after winning on Saturday in the El Clasico.

AllNews understands that Real Madrid has released its traveling squad for the UCL match and Ramos and Hazard found their name back on the squad list to travel to Germany.
Sergio Ramos missed the game against Shakhtar Donetsk which resulted in a deficiency in the team's defensive line but the Spaniard was back for the El Clasico scoring the second goal through a penalty.

It seems the injury is over for the 34-year old as he is again given the green light to play in the next match for the Los Blancos....Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/ramos-hazard-shrug-off-injury-for-ucl-clash

Arsenal was stunned by Jamie Vardy's strike as Leicester City defeat Mikel Arteta's side on home turf on Sunday night to complete the second consecutive defeat in a row.

AllNews understands that this is the first home defeat for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal having won all home games against Sheffield and Fulham.

The first half was blow for blow as both sides refused to 'throw the towel', Arsenal could have gone in front with an early strike by Lacazette but the flag was up as Aubameyang got a touch on the ball which ruled it offside.

Arsenal dominated the first half in terms of possession, shot on goal, and passes........... Read on at https://allnews.ng/news/arsenal-stunned-at-home-with-vardy-s-strike-for-leicester

Barcelona faces Real Madrid at Camp Nou in the first El Clasico of the La Liga 2020-21 season after both sides completed their Champions League fixtures.

AllNews understands that with recent form and losses in games, Barcelona is the favourite to win the El Clasico but also derbies like this is not always about form, it is about attitude, intensity, and hunger though, Real has not been showing those of late.

In the last 5 meetings between Barcelona and Real Madrid; Madrid (1W, 2L, 1D), Barcelona (2W, 2W, 1D).

Madrid currently sits at the 3rd position with 10 points on the La Liga table with a game at hand while Barcelona sits at the 9th with 7 points with 2 games at hand (due to a prolonged UEFA Champions League last season as a result of COVID-19 pandemic)

Real Madrid (El Clasico Build up)
Certain factors affect Real Madrid in their Champions League campaign already which include;

1. The loss against Shakhtar is the first time Real Madrid will start a UCL campaign.

2. Real Madrid has lost 8 UCL matches without Ramos (1 draw and 7 losses).

3. Shakhtar entered the game as a 15/1 underdog and ended up winning the game.
Read on.............https://allnews.ng/news/la-liga-el-clasico-barcelona-vs-real-madrid-match-preview

Juventus striker, Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive for COVID-19 again ahead of the Serie A match and will have to isolate for another 14 days which means he will miss the clash against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.

AllNews reported earlier that Ronaldo tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the month while on international duty with Portugal and has been racing with time to be fit for the Barcelona clash.

It seems the race is over now with another positive test for the Portuguese international and will miss the chance to face his eternal rival Lionel Messi who will be leading the Barcelona squad to Turin after the El Clasico on Saturday.

He was seen on Wednesday training in his house ahead of the game but all that will just be for his normal fitness as he would not be featuring in the game........... See Video at [https://allnews.ng/news/juventus-striker-ronaldo-tests-positive-to-covid-19-again-will-miss-ucl-barcelona-clash]

Manchester United face Chelsea after both sides completing their UEFA Champions League matches as the two faced European finalists from two countries; PSG and Sevilla and now look to the EPL fixture on Saturday.

AllNews understands that judging by both teams UEFA Champions League performance, Manchester United is favourite to win the tie but football cannot be judged by last game performance.

At the moment, Chelsea sits at 8th with 8 points on the table with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, while United is at 15th with 6 points 2 wins, and 2 losses (with a game at hand)

United won 2-1 against PSG in France while Chelsea could not break the deadlock against Europa league winner, Sevilla despite huge spending summer.

Chelsea's performance was good especially saves from Edouard Mendy but the huge summer spending continues to water down their performance as much is expected from such high valued team.

Both teams played on Tuesday and that affords them an equal amount of time to rest before the Saturday rivalry match but United Chelsea will be more rested given that they played at home and United will have to fly back to England from........... Read on[https://allnews.ng/news/man-utd-vs-chelsea-match-preview-build-up-team-news-kick-off-time-where-to-watch-epl-match-live]