Jose Mourinho said he does not think he is ‘The Special One’ anymore but the AS Roma coach is targeting a unique achievement of becoming the first coach to win all European trophies when they play Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League final.

Mourinho, who has won the Champions League, Europa League and the UEFA Cup, now has the chance to win the inaugural third-tier European title and Roma’s first trophy in 14 years in Wednesday’s final against the Dutch side in Tirana.

The Portuguese coach famously dubbed himself ‘a special one’ when he first took charge of Chelsea in 2004, a moniker he now seems keen to leave in the past.

“If I win I will become the first one to win all European trophies, but that’s only if I win,” Mourinho told reporters on Tuesday.

“The ‘Special One’ story is an old story. It was when I was at the beginning (of my career). When you have more maturity and stability, you think more about the people and less about yourself.

“It’s an old story. I don’t believe in magic. When you arrive at a final after a season of work, the work is done. It’s the team’s moment, not the moment of an individual.”

Mourinho, who took charge of Roma this season, led the club to a sixth-placed finish in Serie A to qualify for the Europa League next season. The club is seeking its first trophy since they lifted the Coppa Italia in 2008.

“I don’t believe in magical potions, I don’t believe in magical spells,” Mourinho added.

“There’s nothing special to be done, just us to be us as a team. Knowing the qualities we have, knowing the limitations we have.

“For me, no matter how the final ends, this is a positive season for us.”

Mourinho said Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has not played since April due to a hamstring injury, has returned to training ahead of the final.

“It was important for him and I trust how he feels about his physical shape. He said he is ready to play,” Mourinho said.

Manchester United’s new manager Erik ten Hag says that Cristiano Ronaldo is part of his plans for the club, ending speculations over the Portuguese forward’s future 

Ten Hag was unveiled as United boss on Monday (May 23) and, while he avoided making grandiose promises, the Dutchman was clear when asked at this first news conference if Ronaldo was in his plans.

“Of course,” he said. Pressed on what he thought the 37-year-old could bring to his team, he replied: “Goals”.

Ronaldo scored 24 goals in the Premier League and Champions League this season after returning to United from Italian club Juventus but has been criticised by interim manager Ralf Rangnick over his lack of contribution to pressing of opponents.

With ten Hag taking charge and bringing in former England manager Steve McClaren and ex-Ajax Amsterdam assistant Mitchell van der Gaag as part of his coaching team

But asked whether he welcomed such a role for the German, who is also coach of the Austrian national team, ten Hag was far from effusive. “That’s on the club,” he said.

The Dutchman was also careful to avoid making commitments on when United, who finished sixth in the Premier League, would be back competing for titles.

“I don’t think about that at this moment. I’m thinking that this is a project and it takes time. We want to win every game. We go from game to game and then we’ll see,” he said.

In an interview with the club’s MUTV channel, ten Hag said the players would have to come together and co-operate if the team are to challenge for top honours.

The disappointing season has been accompanied by widespread reports of divisions within the club and the team and a difficult relationship between some players and Rangnick.

Ten Hag expects a different approach under his charge.

“Everywhere I was in my career, I have high demands on my players. I expect them to fight and give 100 per cent,” said ten Hag, who bowed out as Ajax manager by bringing another title to the Amsterdam club.

“We have to do better and they have to co-operate. They have to be unified, to form a team, and to battle the opponent,” he said.

United will play in the Europa League next season and face the challenge of trying to catch up with local rivals Manchester City who won the title, finishing 35 points above United.

“Of course, we are in this moment, the current situation is obviously not that good. It’s a big challenge,” said ten Hag.

“I want to build and construct a team who are battling for each other, who are unified and who will get results. Also we are playing in the Theatre of Dreams.

“We want to entertain. But in the end, the intention is to play fantastic football. If we can’t play fantastic football, we still have to win,” he added.

Naomi Osaka pondering whether to attend Wimbledon next month

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka’s participation in Wimbledon was in doubt on Monday after the Japanese player said the decision by the sport’s authorities to strip the tournament of ranking points had reduced her motivation to play.

Wimbledon last week had its ranking points taken away by the men’s ATP and women’s WTA after the grasscourt major opted to exclude players from Russia and Belarus because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“I would say the decision is kind of affecting, like, my mentality going into grass, like I’m not 100% sure if I’m going to go there,” Osaka told a news conference after her first-round defeat at the French Open on Monday.

“I would love to go just to get some experience on the grass court, but like at the same time, for me, it’s kind of like — I don’t want to say pointless, no pun intended, but I’m the type of player that gets motivated by… seeing my ranking go up.”

The move by the ATP and WTA was met with “deep disappointment” by the All England Lawn Tennis Club who repeated their stance that the ban was the only viable option under British government guidance.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also said it will not grant ranking points to Wimbledon this year for junior and wheelchair tennis events.

The AELTC decision to impose the suspension on Russian and Belarusian players at this year’s championships is the first time players have been excluded on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era when German and Japanese players were banned.

World number one Iga Swiatek said she would take part in Wimbledon, but implored the tennis governing bodies to come together to find a solution to the “tricky situation”.

“I feel like it’s a pretty tricky situation, and every solution is going to be somehow the wrong one for some part of people or players,” the Polish player said after an easy first-round win at Roland Garros.

“I just hope that the people that are responsible for making the decisions, they are all going to come together so our sport is going to be united, because for now, I feel like it’s not united. We feel that in the locker room, so it’s pretty hard.”

Swiatek expressed some sympathy for Russian and Belarussian players.

“I also know that all the Russian and Belarusian players are not responsible in what’s going on in their country,” she said.

“But on the other hand, the sport has been used in politics and we are kind of public personas and we have some impact on people. It would be nice if the people who are making decisions were making decisions that are going to stop Russia’s aggression. But it’s a tricky one.”

Zimbabwe have joined Kenya in forfeiting their matches in the qualifying series of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations due to begin in few days’ time.

According to a press statement by the Confederation of African Football, this is sequel to the two countries’ football associations failing to have their suspensions by FIFA set aside.

 CAF has confirmed that both Kenya and Zimbabwe will not participate in the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 qualifiers. 

The qualifiers will kick-off on the first day of June 2022. 

CAF had included them in the official draw earlier in April 2022 on condition that the suspension must be lifted two weeks before their first match day. 

Kenya and Zimbabwe, suspended for political interference, have not yet met the criteria required by the FIFA Congress as a prerequisite for lifting their suspension. As a result of the suspension, the  two associations; Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) will be considered losers and eliminated from the competition.

Groups C and K will be composed only of three teams and the order of the matches will be maintained in accordance with the match schedule that has been communicated to the teams after the draw.

The first and runner-up teams of those groups will qualify to the final tournament

Deputy Governor of Lagos State Femi Hamzat has assured the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) that the state is ready to host World Championships in near future following the successful hosting of several ITTF-sanctioned tournaments in the last eight years. 

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the ITTF team to his office in Lagos on Tuesday, May 24, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Femi Hamzat said the state would continue to support table tennis while assuring that they would be willing to host the world based on the experience of hosting several tournaments in the past. 

“I am excited to receive the ITTF team in my official office which used to be the office of the Governor of Lagos State which was built in 1979 and this visit is significant, especially in this office.

“We are happy that our efforts have started yielding positive results with Quadri Aruna now ranked among the top 10 players in the world.

“In the past, it used to be the Chinese that used to dominate the ranking in the world.

“We will continue to support table tennis and we want all our visitors to enjoy the atmosphere in Lagos, we are ready to show what more we can do by hosting world championships as we are ready to do it and we believe ITTF will consider maybe for next year,” Hamzat said. 

The ITTF team, led by Executive Vice President Wahid Enitan Oshodi said the visit became necessary following the huge support ITTF has got from the state in the last eight years.

 “We are here on a Thank-You visit because Lagos has been a major supporter of table tennis in Africa, and we are happy that the support has started yielding fruit now that Aruna is now ranked among the top 10 players in the world.

“We hope that more players will come through like Aruna. Lagos has been the backbone of table tennis in Africa, and we hope that this support will be sustained by the state,” Oshodi said 

For the President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, Lagos has continued to raise the bar when it comes to hosting major table tennis tournaments while ITTF and ATTF would continue to look up to the state for more support.

“We are grateful to the government and good people of Lagos for their hospitality and support in the past few years and we at ITTF have recognised the important role that Lagos plays in Africa, and we hope we can continue to partner with the state to host more tournaments because of the experience in terms of putting a top-class organization,” El-Salhy. 

The Lagos team had the state Commissioners for Youth and Social Development, Segun Dawodu, and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Gbenga Omotosho.

The ITTF has Vice President of ITTF Africa, Prof Germain Karou; Deputy Chairman, ITTF Tribunal, Morenike Obi-Farinde; Chairman, Youth Committee, ITTF Africa, Kweku Tandoh and President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF),  Ishaku Tikon. 

Former Super Eagles World Cup Coach, Adegboye Onigbinde and the President General of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Dr Rafiu Ladipo, have jointly said that, the legendary Nigerian footballer earned his success in the game solely to the contribution and support of his wife the late Alhaja MuIikat Teslim Balogun.  

He said, the legendary soccer star may not have gone the distance he went in terms soccer stardom, if he had married another wife different from Alhaja Mulikat, who the family gathered today in their home at the Ikorodu area of Lagos to celebrate her 24^nd year memorial anniversary.

She consistently attended all the football games played by her husband and was also very loud wherever she was seated such that her husband continuously focused his attention there.  

The former NFF  Technical Director  noted that far back as 1958, it was Alhaja Mulikat who  the then Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, sought audience with to convince her husband to dump his British club, Queens Park Rangers, to return to Nigeria to assist the West Rovers  to  win the  Challenge Cup. Alhaja Mulikat convinced her husband and he returned to help the club win the title.”

For Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, Alhaja Mulikat was indirectly responsible for the great contributions and indelible mark her husband made to the development of football in Nigeria.

“If there were top decisions made by Teslim Balogun that lifted him to become one of Nigeria’s greatest football players of all time, they were due to the influence of his wife who stood firmly by him with humour, humility and discipline. She accompanied her husband to all the training sessions he was involved in when he finally returned to Nigeria.

“She was always there to quietly point out areas where her husband didn’t do well in training and this helped tremendously during competitive games.”