Chairman of the Interim Management Committee of the Nigeria Professional Football League, Gbenga Elegebeleye, has disclosed that the next NPFL champions will pocket a cash prize of N100m, while also giving details of how the abridged season will play out.

“We promised to give support to the clubs through our sponsors, and we will do that. Remember we had a four-team pre-season tournament, each of the clubs were given N10m as participation and the winner got N100m. So, what we say, we do and the winner of this season again, will get N100m.

“Mind you, N50m was promised to Rivers United that won the league last season and it has not been paid, so we will not promise what we will not do and we are ready to give Nigerians the best gift,” Elegbeleye said during a radio interview.

Elegbeleye also gave further details about the prosecution of the season, insisting that the draw for the abridged season will be held on Wednesday and will be live on television.

“It will be a live draw on television and we will finalise arrangements with the TV station soon. You know we are just starting now and the league has been off TV for a while.

“We are going to have like three pots for the draw. We don’t want to have a north vs south arrangement. All the teams will play where they find themselves but we will make sure clubs from the same states will not play themselves,” he noted.

He also assured that the IMC will be transparent in dealings with match officials and erring clubs.

“Our own pact is that sponsors will pay the referees directly, so that we will eliminate the chances of owing referees or referees doing the bidding of home teams and any club that is found wanting of crowd violence will not be subjected to monetary fines but three points will be deducted from them. We have to change the narrative so we can have a better league.”

World Cups in cricket, rugby union, and women’s football while world titles in swimming and athletics are up for grabs in 2023.AFP Sport looks at the showpiece events:

CRICKET WORLD CUP

Where: India

When: October-November (dates to be decided)

— The 13th edition of the global 50-over showpiece will see England defend the title they won in thrilling fashion on home ground in 2019.

Despite the event stretching over seven weeks and featuring 48 games, only 10 teams are taking part.

There is, however, already controversy with former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja having hinted his country could boycott the World Cup if India refuse to play the Asia Cup scheduled for Pakistan also in 2023.

RUGBY UNION WORLD CUP

Where: France

When: September 8-October 28

— All eyes will be on Antoine Dupont as he leads strong favourites France into a home World Cup featuring 20 nations playing at nine venues.

The opening game pitches France against New Zealand in what promises to be a thrilling start.

Reigning champions South Africa are drawn in the same pool as Ireland, while Wales are in a pool alongside Australia, Georgia and Fiji, the first two of which they lost to in the Autumn Nations Series.

England go into the tournament in a state of flux having axed coach Eddie Jones in favour of Steve Borthwick.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Where: Budapest

When: August 19-27

— World athletes of the year Armand Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will bid to recreate their world record-setting victories in the Hungarian capital.

Coming a year after the Covid-delayed world champs in Eugene, Oregon, the biennial event will play host to a raft of up-and-coming track and field stars.

All eyes will be on Jamaica’s five-time 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the women’s sprints, at the age of 36.

The US team will look to the likes of Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles, Michael Norman and Erriyon Knighton to light up the men’s short track, while Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Karsten Warholm will bid to extend their winning form.

WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Where: Fukuoka, Japan

When: July 14-30

— As swimming tries to catch up after the pandemic, Fukuoka hosts the second of three World Championships in 19 months.

The meet was originally scheduled for 2021 but was elbowed aside when the Tokyo Olympics were pushed back.

Fukuoka says it has a ‘concept’: “Water Meets the Future”, expressing “the hope that all the participants will meet the future.”

Yet, as established stars, with one eye on the 2024 Olympics, skipped major events swimming did meet its future in 2022.

Romanian David Popovici, Australian Mollie O’Callaghan, Canadian Summer McIntosh, Italian Benadetta Pilato and American Torri Huske, can all arrive in Japan to defend world titles they won last June as teenagers.

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

Where: Australia and New Zealand

When: July 20-August 20

— The all-conquering United States women’s national team face stiff competition from a series of emerging European contenders for the World Cup.

The Americans have won four of the eight previous editions of the tournament, including the last two, but have been beaten by Germany, England and Spain this year.

England are looking to back up their victory on home soil at Euro 2022, while co-hosts Australia will be hoping Chelsea star Sam Kerr can lead the Matildas beyond the quarter-finals for the first time.

Ten venues across nine host cities in Australia and New Zealand will host the first 32-team women’s World Cup, which is set to smash records for attendance and viewing figures in a further indication of the growing popularity of the sport.

• Akpom hits hat-trick
• Onyeka missing, Ndidi, Iheanacho play as sub

It was a tale of mixed fortunes for Nigerian players in Europe who were involved in league actions on Boxing Day in England, Johnny Edward writes

Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough):

Akpom scored a second-half hat-trick for Middlesbrough who defeated Wigan 4-1 at the Riverside on Monday.

The treble took his tally to 12 in the English Championship this season. The win also saw Middlesbrough complete a league double over the Latics and also extended Kolo Toure’s winless start to life as Wigan boss.

Boro took full control in the second half as the understanding between Ryan Giles and Akpom exposed the Latics’ defensive frailties.

Hayden Hackney opened up the visitors’ defence to send Giles down the left, and Akpom was on the end of his cross to make it 2-0 in 49 minutes.

The former England U-21 international again finished well after Giles’ strong run had created problems for the defence.

Wigan gave themselves some hope as Thelo Aasgaard gave a quick reply, volleying in from Max Power’s cross, but Boro saw out the game.

Akpom claimed the match-ball from yet another Giles pass to secure Boro’s first league double over Wigan.

The in-form former Arsenal has now been involved in 33 per cent of Middlesbrough goals so far this season. The former Hull City striker also became the first Middlesbrough player to score a treble for the club since 2018.

Troost-Ekong, Okoye, Kalu, Dele-Bashiru (Watford)

Tom Dele-Bashiru made his third consecutive start for Watford who suffered a setback –a 2-0 defeat at home to Millwall in their fight for a Championship play-off place.

Andreas Voglsammer scored his first goal in English football to set Millwall on the road to a vital victory before Zian Flemming’s bagged his 10th of the campaign after the Hornets were reduced to 10 men by Hassane Kamara’s red card in the 38th minute.

The defeat was Slaven Bilic’s second in nine games, denting their own push for promotion to the Premier League.

Williams Troost-Ekong replaced Bacuna at the start of the second half while Samuel Kalu came on for Kabasele with 19 minutes left to play. The game was Troost-Ekong’s 12th league game of the season. For Kalu, it was his sixth of the campaign.

Again, Maduka Okoye was not listed in the matchday squad. He is yet to make a league appearance since he joined in the summer.

Semi Ajayi (West Brom)

Ajayi was an unused substitute for West Bromwich Albion who made it six wins in eight games under boss Carlos Corberan as they scored a goal in each half to beat Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Matt Phillips was sent clear down the left to fire in a ninth-minute opener. Substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante then came off the bench to score the second with a sublime left-foot chip on the run, just 11 minutes after coming on for Daryl Dike. Albion, who were in the Championship relegation zone when Corberan came in, moved up to 12th. Ajayi has made seven appearances this term.

Iheanacho, Ndidi (Leicester City)

Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi both made substitute appearances for Leicester City who suffered a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

It was the 10th substitute appearance of the season for Iheanacho who came on for Harvey Barnes in the 71st minute for his 11th league game while Ndidi replaced Boubakary Soumare a minute later.

The win was Newcastle’s sixth consecutive Premier League win of the season and they move up to second in the table.

Alex Iwobi (Everton)

Iwobi kept his place in Everton’s starting line up on Boxing Day but failed to help the Toffees record a victory over Wolves as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat following Rayan Ait-Nouri dramatic stoppage-time winner.

The game was Iwobi’s 15th EPL game of the season while he has scored once providing five assists.

Aribo, Edozie (Southampton)

Sam Edozie made his first EPL start of the season for Southampton who were booed off by their own supporters at half-time following a 3-1 defeat.

A header from Adam Lallana and an own goal by left-back Romain Perraud heaped more misery on Jones’ relegation-threatened side.

Solly March then added a third for the Seagulls in the second half, thumping a shot into the top corner from 20 yards out that Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu had no chance of saving.

A penalty was awarded to Southampton in the 73rd minute after Edozie ran into Pascal Gross inside the area, and while Sanchez saved James Ward-Prowse’s initial effort, he could not keep out the headed rebound by the home skipper.

Joe Aribo came on for Moussa Djenepo at half time in the defeat. Saints are now bottom of the table after Wolves grabbed a late winner against Everton.

Frank Onyeka (Brentford)

Onyeka failed to make the matchday squad of Brentford who were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur.  The Nigerian midfielder has made 12 appearances this term.

Manchester United made a positive start to life without Cristiano Ronaldo as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial stepped out from the Portuguese’s shadow to score in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Ronaldo’s rollercoaster second spell at Old Trafford came to an end during the World Cup break after an explosive interview in which he took aim at manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners.

On the field, his influence had already waned since Ten Hag took charge at the start of the season.

Rashford has been a player transformed under the Dutch coach and carried his fine form for England at the World Cup into the Premier League’s return.

A brilliantly worked corner opened the floodgates for United as Christian Eriksen picked out an unmarked Rashford inside the area to sweep into the top corner.

Forest were without their first choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson as he is on loan from United and his understudy Wayne Hennessey was culpable when the home side doubled their lead just three minutes later.

Rashford’s burst down the left and teed up Martial at the edge of the box, but the Frenchman’s strike should not have had enough power to beat the Welsh international goalkeeper.

United were also short handed at the back with Lisandro Martinez absent following Argentina’s World Cup celebrations, Diogo Dalot injured and Harry Maguire still feeling the aftereffects of an illness.

As a result Raphael Varane was forced into starting just nine days after playing 113 minutes for France in the World Cup final, while Luke Shaw lined up as a centre-back in a back four for the first time.

But Forest did little to test a makeshift backline as they remain with just one goal away from home in the league all season.

Steve Cooper’s men did have the ball in the net shortly before half-time, but Willy Boly’s effort was ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR check.

Ten Hag has publicly stated his desire to add a striker in the January window given Ronaldo’s departure and United should have added more than one goal in the second half.

Antony fired straight at Hennessey after fine play from Rashford and Bruno Fernandes gave the Brazilian a clear sight of goal.

Hennessey also stood firm to block from Martial and Rashford from close range, but the Red Devils finally got the third goal they deserved three minutes from time.

The imperious Casemiro strode forward to win possession and picked out his Brazilian compatriot Fred to slot into the far corner.

Victory takes United to within one point of the top four and with a game in hand to come on fourth-placed Tottenham.

Forest remain rooted in the relegation zone, but just one point adrift of safety.

In a shocking video posted by Golaut official on YouTube, Brazil legend, Pele, seems to be slowly losing the battle against cancer as he faintly says goodbye to family and friends

The condition of the three-time world champion has deteriorated as he was seen struggling to breathe in the video which went viral.

The 82-year-old, who had a tumour removed from his colon in September 2021, was admitted to the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo on November 29, 2022 and recently spent Christmas Day there.

As his condition worsens, family members gathered in the hospital to stay with him, with his daughter vowing to stick by his side as the Brazil great receives care in the hospital after his cancer progressed.

However, in the posted video tagged, ‘Pele says goodbye to family and friends from the hospital bed’, the legend was recorded faintly passing a message.

Meanwhile, British businessman and sports manager Frank Khalid said in a Twitter post, “Pele says goodbye to family and friends from the hospital bed. Football legend, Pele is slowly losing the battle against cancer, family says ‘his condition is worsening even further’,” Khalid wrote.

In another developing video on social media, one of Pele’s former rivals, Romario, has wished the Brazilian football legend well.

Speaking to Ge Globo, Romario said, “King, get better. So much faith. The whole world is looking and praying for you. Improvements! I kiss your heart.”