Barcelona legend, Carles Puyol, has welcomed the club’s former captain, Lionel Messi, to come back to the Blaugrana in the near future.

Puyol said it is not too late for Messi to make a return to Barcelona, adding that the Paris Saint-Germain forward will always be welcome at Camp Nou.

The Spanish centre-back played with Messi during their time at Barcelona.

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Messi left his boyhood club, Barcelona, last summer to join PSG.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner joined PSG as Barca could not afford to offer him a new deal due to their financial situation.

Messi endured a difficult debut campaign at PSG, scoring just 11 goals in 34 matches in all competitions.

“It’s not too late for a Leo Messi return,” Puyol said via Goal.

“He has one year left in his contract, and many things can happen in that time.

“It depends on Xavi and Leo, but he will always be welcomed at Barca.”

Napoli sporting director, Cristiano Guintoli has downplayed injury concerns surrounding Victor Osimhen ahead of the side’s UEFA Champions League clash against Liverpool.

There were fears Osimhen could miss out on the game after the Naples club issued a statement on their website on Monday that the Nigeria international picked up a minor injury in last Saturday’s away win at Lazio.

Osimhen, according to the statement, trained separately from his teammates.

But Guintoli has stated that the striker is expected to be fit for the game.

“He (Osimhen) has a little discomfort in the adductor, there is no injury, it is a fatigue that he must manage together with the doctor and decide a few hours of the game with Liverpool if it is appropriate to risk or not,” Guintoli told Kiss Kiss Napoli via Tutto Napoli.

Osimhen has scored two goals in five league appearances for the Partenopei this season.

The Liverpool encounter will hold at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday.

After 17 years of quitting the Nigeria Professional Football League for a career in Europe, former Super Eagles captain and two-time CAF Champions League winner Vincent Enyeama has hinted at the possibility of making a sensational return to the Nigerian league.

Enyeama got his breakthrough at Ibom Stars, where he made 56 appearances and scored a goal, before joining Enyimba in 2001.

During his three years stint at Enyimba, the goalkeeper had 100 appearances and was on target on 10 occasions.

Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Africa, Enyeama won three league titles and two CAF Champions League with the Aba Elephant.

The Aba-born goalkeeper had another spell with Iwuanyanwu Nationale, before leaving for Israel in 2005 team up with Bnei Yehuda, where he spent two seasons.

Between 2007 and 2011, the legendary keeper filed out for Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he made 113 appearances.

In 2011, Enyeama moved to French side Lille for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract and became René Girard’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Steeve Elana, during the 2013/14 Ligue 1 season.

Enyeama kept 11 consecutive clean sheets in Ligue 1 matches during the first half of the season, a feat that earned him the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé – an award given to the best player who represents an African national football team in Ligue 1.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner’s illustrious career in Europe came to an end in 2018.

With over 600 appearances during his spell, Enyeama, who turned 40 last week, revealed he was not done yet as he prepared to return to action.

“It’s really interesting, yes it is, and I miss football,” Enyeama said in an interview on Uyo’s Comfort 95.1FM, as per Fagenwa Sanni.

“So, I would like to return to it, first with a team here in France, because I trained here in Lille and back when I was in Akwa Ibom.

“And I will come back to Nigeria next year. So, if Akwa United needs a goalkeeper for 4 to 5 months, yes, I have the opportunity to play for free.”

One of Nigeria’s greatest-ever goalkeepers, Enyeama was named in the IFFHS CAF Men’s Team of the Decade between 2011 and 2020.

National men’s basketball team D’Tigers have been handed a lifeline of playing at the 2024 Olympics scheduled for Paris, 

Two defeats from three games during the recent 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Abidjan left Nigeria in a precarious position. With Nigeria not yet guaranteed a place at next year’s World Cup in Japan, Indonesia and The Philippines, an outing in Paris had seemed out of reach.

But with the new rule, even if they do not make the 32-team World Cup, D’Tigers will still have an opportunity to reach the 2024 Olympics going by the latest FIBA rule.

Prior to the new rule, teams that qualified for the last eight of the World Cup were guaranteed a place at the Olympics, while others would have to battle it out for a slot in another set of qualifiers.

However, a statement on the FIBA website indicated that Nigeria, top-ranked basketball country in Africa, still stood a chance to slug it out in the newly introduced Olympics qualifying tournament.

“While most of the teams going to the Olympics will do so with their performances at the World Cup, as happened when teams booked their places in China 2019 for the Tokyo Games, there will still be a path to Olympic qualification, thanks to the newly introduced pre-OQTs that will offer tickets for the OQTs,” the website read.

“Seven teams that do not make it from the Second Round of the African Qualifiers for the World Cup will be eligible, as well as the best-ranked team (in the FIBA World Ranking) that did not play in the Second Round, so eight teams.

“Five countries that do not make it to the World Cup from the Second Round of the Americas Qualifiers will be eligible for the pre-OQTs, as well as the three teams with the highest FIBA World Ranking that didn’t play in the Second Round.”

The world body added, “Eight of the teams in the Asian Qualifiers that come up short of the World Cup will also be eligible to take part in the pre-OQTs.

“Five countries will make it out of the pre-OQTs and advance to the 24-team OQT field. They will join 16 teams that will be in the OQTs, irrespective of region and based on the World Cup rankings (finishes), as well as three other teams based on the World Cup rankings – the next best-ranked teams from Africa, the Americas and Asia.

“The winners of the OQTs will join Olympic hosts France (pending decision of the Central Board), along with the other teams that clinch places in the Paris Games with their performances at the World Cup.”

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium

 Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium which is the venue for Remo Stars’ continental debut with AS FAR of Morocco on Sunday has been designated as the venue for the CAF Super Cup which will hold on Saturday.

The Super Cup encounter between  two Moroccan clubs, Wydad Athletic Club -winners of last seasons CAF Champions League and RS Berkane – CAF Confederation Cup holders will kick off at 8pm local time which is the same time in Nigeria.

This is Wydad’s fourth final, they go level with Raja Casablanca for the most Super Cup Final appearances for a Moroccan team.

No country has had more different clubs reaching the Super Cup final than Morocco (six) in addition to Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca, RS Berkane and Maghreb FEZ, they have also had FAR Rabat and FUS Rabat ending as runners up.

This is Wydad’s fourth final, they go level with Raja Casablanca for the most Super Cup Final appearances for a Moroccan team.

No country has had more different clubs reaching the Super Cup final than Morocco (six) in addition to Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca, RS Berkane and Maghreb FEZ, they have also had FAR Rabat and FUS Rabat ending as runners up.

Manchester United are finally up for sale as owners, the Glazer family, continue to face pressure from fans to sell the club, with Dubai now named among the potentially interested parties alongside Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

According to Mirror publication in the UK, the Glazer family have slapped a minimum £3.75billion price tag on the club.

n recent time, multiple fan protests have taken place  since the start of the new season, as supporters join Gary Neville in pleading for the American family to hand over the keys to Old Trafford, having acquired the club for £790million in 2005, loading it with debt via a leveraged buyout.

Britain’s richest man and boyhood fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently made headlines by declaring interest in buying his beloved team and now moguls from Dubai are believed to be weighing up a swoop.

It’s already been widely reported that the Glazers would consider selling a small stake in the club, but now a price tag for a full takeover has emerged for the much-maligned Glazers to part ways with their prised assets after 17 tumultuous years.

Super Falcons meet a number of Nigerians based in Kansas City, Missouri last week

Nigeria and USA women National Senior Teams clash in Washington DC on Tuesday in the second of a two-match tour of the United States by the nine-time African champions.

Three-time world champions USA trounced the Falcons 4-0 in the two teams’ first encounter at the Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday, with a brace from Sophia Smith and one each by Lindsay Horan and Alex Morgan.

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Both USA and Nigeria have qualified to participate at the 9^th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals to be staged by Australia and New Zealand in the summer of next year.

Tuesday’s encounter will take place at the Audi Field in Washington. Audi Field is utilized by National Women’s Soccer League side Washington Spirit and Major League Soccer team, D. C. United and though the USWNT have played 10 times previously in Washington (all at the RFK Stadium), it is their first run-out at the Audi Field.

The game will commence at 11pm Nigeria time (6pm in Washington DC)

Meanwhile, prior to their clash with USWNT in Kansas City, the Super Falcons took time to have a ‘Meet and Greet’ session with some prominent Nigerians based in the State of Missouri, including Adeola Ajayi (ex-Nigeria basketball team player), Chioma Atanmo (Community Manager, Sporting KC), Olofu Agbaji (ex-Nigeria basketball team player), Tijani Idris (ex-Nigeria basketball team player) and David Ehindero (a U.S –based Nigerian businessman).

Also at the simple but lively session were John Allagh (ex-Nigeria basketball team player), Prince Tega (a player with NFL football team, Kansas City Chiefs), Ochai Agbaji (ex-Nigeria basketball team player) and Victor Ejelonu (CEO, My Village Grill Restaurant).

World champion Tyson Fury issued a public challenge on Monday to Anthony Joshua to fight a ‘Battle of Britain’ for the WBC heavyweight boxing belt.

Joshua, 32, suffered a second straight loss to Ukraine’s WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk in a title rematch in Saudi Arabia last month and has said he wants to return to the ring before the end of the year. 

Fury announced last April that he was fulfilling a promise to his wife to retire but has subsequently said he will fight again.

“I think you’ve all heard that I am going to be fighting soon within the next few months,” Fury said in a video directed at the former champion on social media.

“Anthony Joshua, I know you’ve just lost a fight to Usyk and you’re bout-less at the moment, and I’d like to give you an opportunity to fight me for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world and the lineal championship in the next few months

“You’re coming off a 12-round fight, so you’re match fit, you’re ready. I’m giving you a few months’ notice,” added the 34-year-old.

Usyk said after the fight in Jeddah that he was only interested in a bout with Fury but media reports have said he will not fight again this year in order to rest and spend time with his family.

“If you’re interested I’ll send you the date over and we can rumble,” Fury told Joshua in the video.

“A Battle of Britain for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. Let me know if you’re interested, if not I will select another opponent.

Wreath are placed during a ceremony, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack on the Israeli team at the 1972 Munich Olympics in which eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died takes place near the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, September 5, 2022.

Germany’s president asked for forgiveness on Monday for his country’s failure to protect Israeli athletes and team memberswho were murdered 50 years ago at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

“We cannot make right what happened,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a gathering including relatives of the dead and Israeli officials during commemorations at the airfield where a failed rescue attempt took place.

Palestinians from the Black September militant group took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage on Sept. 5, 1972.

Eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died after a stand-off at the Olympic village and the nearby Fuerstenfeldbruck airfield.

Steinmeier said Germany should shoulder its share of responsibilities for the “catastrophic” failures to protect the athletes and for taking decades to compensate the victims’ families.

“I am ashamed. As head of state of this country and in the name of the Federal Republic of Germany I ask for forgiveness for insufficient protection of the athletes, for insufficient resolution of this matter,” Steinmeier said

“We also bear responsibility as hosts for not preventing what we should have prevented.”

The Games continued in 1972 after the attacks and the IOC took almost half a century to comply with families requests for an official act of remembrance at a Games.

It finally held a moment of silence and mentioned the Munich victims at last year’s Tokyo summer Olympics opening ceremony.

Ankie Spitzer, whose husband Andre, an Israeli fencing coach, was killed in the attacks, addressed him in her speech. “Please forgive me Andre that it took me so long,” she said.

“Although we are finally reaching our goals after 50 years at the end of the day you are still gone and nothing can change that.

“Everybody is asking me now if I feel closure. They don’t understand that there will never be closure. The hole in my heart will never, never heal,” Spitzer said.

Families had threatened to boycott the event following disagreements over the size of Germany’s compensation offer.

The dispute was resolved after Germany’s government and the Israeli families agreed on Friday on a package worth a total of 28 million euros ($27.77 million).

As flags across all state buildings in the Bavarian capital flew at half-mast, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Steinmeier laid a wreath at the site.

“The decision to take responsibility for the failures surrounding and following the massacre, to allow for an objective and rigorous inquiry, and to compensate the victims’ families is part of that sanctification of the good and triumph over evil,” Herzog said.

The ceremony was attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach and other officials.