CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe will on Wednesday in Arusha, Tanzania, launch the eagerly-anticipated Africa Super League.

Sports Village Square gathered that 24 clubs will be eligible to feature in the competition. Among the teams expected to form the first set of participants are Enyimba of Nigeria, Al Ahly, Zamalek and Pyramids of Egypt; Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca of Morocco; Esperance, Etoile du Sahel and Club Africain of Tunisia; TP Mazembe and AS Vita of Congo; South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns; 

It was first announced on 28 November 2019 by FIFA President, Gianni Infatino. The essence of holding this tournament is the huge financial returns that will exceed the barrier of 200 million dollars, which will be used to develop and improve stadiums, infrastructure and the promotion of football in Africa.

As the curtain fell on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Australia, the overall winners hit a milestone of 1,000 gold medals in the Games’ history.

They are the first to achieve this feat. Their 1,000^th gold medal came when their netball team beat Jamaica on the 10^th day of the Games.

Before then, they had taken an unassailable lead on the medals table having drowned hosts, England to the second place.

Eventually, they had 67 gold, 57 silver and 54 bronze medals  to amass a total of 178. They were just two gold medal shy of their all-time best at Melbourne 2006.

This is 14^th time they have topped the Games’ medals table. It is also the seventh out of the past eight games that they have topped,

Nigeria finished seventh overall with all their 12 gold medals won by women.

Former Nigeria international Victor Moses is facing a long lay-off after suffering an Achilles injury playing for club side Spartak Moscow.

According to BBC reports, The 31-year-old will have surgery after picking up the injury in the club’s 2-0 win at Ural in the Russian Premier League on Saturday.

The former Chelsea winger, who was widely linked with a return to England over the past few months, scored twice in four league outings in the new campaign.

Spartak, Russia’s most successful club, expect Moses to be out for six months.

Moses scored 18 goals in 128 appearances for Chelsea, winning the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup at Stamford Bridge before moving to Russia in July 2021.

He quit international duty in 2018 but former Nigeria coach Augustine Eguavoen was keen  in persuading him to return to the Super Eagles in March.

Moses previously represented England up to Under-21 level before switching allegiance to Nigeria and making his debut against Rwanda in 2012.

He has scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for the West Africans, and helped Nigeria win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The former Crystal Palace, Wigan, Liverpool, West Ham, Inter Milan and Fenerbahce player has represented the Super Eagles at two World Cups, in 2014 and 2018.

Three-times winner Serena Williams moved into the Toronto Open second round with a 6-3 6-4 win over Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Monday while Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Simona Halep also advanced.

Williams, in only her second singles match since returning to action at Wimbledon in June after a year-long absence from competition, was forced to dig deep during a nearly two-hour match played in hot and humid conditions.

“Mentally I feel I’m getting there. I’m not where I normally am and I’m not where I want to be,” Williams told reporters.

“Physically I feel much better in practice, it’s just like getting that to the court. But literally I’m the kind of person who it just takes one or two things and then it clicks. So I’m just waiting on that to click.”

One of 14 major winners in the main draw of an event that is a tune-up for the U.S. Open, Williams clinched the opener on her fourth set point with a vintage smash that Parrizas Diaz had no chance of returning.

The second set was a much tighter affair and Williams did well to hold serve in a physically demanding 18-minute game during which she fought off four break points to get to 4-4 before sealing her first singles win since the 2021 French Open.

“It’s just one win, you know, it takes a lot. But I was happy, like I said, to have a win,” said Williams. “It’s been a very long time. I forgot what it felt like.”

Up next for Williams will be either Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, the 12th seed, or Czech Tereza Martincova.

‘VERY AGGRESSIVE’

Romanian 15th seed Halep, who retired from her second-round match last week in Washington due to illness, needed just 61 minutes to secure a 6-0 6-2 win over Croatia’s Donna Vekic.

The twice Canadian Open champion breezed through the first set in 21 minutes and never looked back as Vekic grew more frustrated as the match wore on.

“It’s not about the result it’s more about how I played,” Halep, who did not face a break point, said during her on-court interview. “I’ve been very aggressive and I played fast so that’s my goal and I am trying to do that every day.”

Kazakh Rybakina, who followed her Wimbledon triumph with a first-round exit at San Jose last week, beat Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-5 6-7(3) 6-1 for her first win as a Grand Slam champion.

Czech 14th seed Karolina Pliskova and Latvian 16th seed Jelena Ostapenko also advanced while Sloane Stephens was leading Sofia Kenin 6-2 6-7(5) 1-0 on centre court when play was suspended due to rain.

Canadian 13th seed Leylah Fernandez will kick off the night session in Toronto against Australian Storm Sanders before Venus Williams meets Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann.

Home-based Super Eagles head coach, Salisu Yusuf has invited 35 players to camp for the 2023 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers against Ghana.

The quartet of Adeyinka Adewale, Ojo Olorunleke, Chiamaka Madu and Sani Faisal who were part of the main Super Eagles squad for the international friendlies in May/June tops the list of invited players for the games.

Nigeria Professional Football League top scorer, Chijoke Akuneto of Rivers United, U-2O international, Nathaniel Nwozu as well as veteran defenders Samson Gbadebo and Tope Olusesi were also included in the squad.

All the invited players are expected to arrive in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ghana will host the first leg at Cape Coast Stadium on Sunday, August 28.

The reverse fixture is billed for the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Saturday, September 3.

The winner of the two-legged encounter will earn a berth at the CHAN 2023 to be hosted by Algeria.

The home Eagles failed to qualify for the last edition of the competition hosted by Cameroon.

FULL LIST OF INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Victor Sochima (Rivers United); Adeyinka Adewale (Akwa United); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC); Nathaniel Nwosu (Flying Eagles)

Defenders: Tope Olusesi (Rangers Int’l); Kazie Enyinnaya (Rivers United); Sani Faisal (Katsina United); Samson Gbadebo (Akwa United); Ebube Duru (Rivers United); Christopher Nwaeze (Akwa United); Isa Ali (Remo Stars); Tosin Adegbite (Enyimba FC); Temple Emekayi (Rivers United); Andrew Ikefe (Plateau United).

Midfielders: Babatunde Bello (Akwa United); Philip Ozor (Enyimba FC); Maurice Chukwu (Rivers United); Hafeez Nosiru (Kwara United); Zulkifilu Mohammed (Plateau United); Chiamaka Madu (Rivers United); Jide Fatokun (Kwara United); Kenechukwu Agu (Rangers Int’l); Joseph Onoja (Rivers United); Haggai Katoh (Plateau United); Uche Onwuasonaya (Rivers United).

Forwards: Abdulazeez Yusuf (Gombe United); Sadiq Abubakar (Enyimba FC); Chidiebere Nwobodo (Rangers Int’l); Promise Amadi (Akwa United); Chijioke Akuneto (Rivers United); Valentine Odoh (Abia Warriors); Andy Okpe (Remo Stars); Adams Yakubu (Akwa United); Godspower Aniefiok (Kano Pillars); Ossy Martins (Rangers Int’l)

Almeria’s General Manager, Mohamed El Assy has reiterated the club’s desire to sell Umar Sadiq this summer.

Villarreal and Getafe have reportedly tabled a £20m offer for the forward.

The Rojiblancos, however, value their Nigerian import around £30m.

Aside from the two clubs, Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund as well as Laliga rivals, Sevilla and Valencia are said to be interested in Sadiq.

El Essy confirmed that Sadiq’s sale is imminent even though he failed to confirm his next destination.

“Umar Sadiq has not travelled to England to avoid any type of injury that could stop the transfer that is close at the moment, ” El Essy was quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

“He will be sold for just under 30 million euros. We have more than 12-13 players who have received offers, they are players who have a name in the market and are expected to have a great future.”

Sadiq played a crucial role in Almeria’s promotion to LaLiga from the Spanish Segunda Division last season.

He has scored 41 goals in 81 appearances for Almeria.