• Blues sit 11th in Premier League table
• Julian Nagelsmann on shortlist of replacements

Chelsea’s season has descended into chaos after they fired Graham Potter and began looking for their third manager since being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital last summer.

Julian Nagelsmann is prominent in Chelsea’s thoughts after the ruthless dismissal of Potter, who was informed of his fate at 2.45pm on Sunday, but the former Bayern Munich manager is believed to be reluctant to take the job until the summer. A full-time appointment is not imminent. Chelsea have installed Bruno Saltor, who was part of Potter’s backroom staff, as interim head coach and want to think carefully before making their next move.

Chelsea have drawn up a shortlist of candidates, including Mauricio Pochettino, and would like someone in place before pre-season. Nagelsmann is the early favourite but Luis Enrique could come under consideration. Chelsea have been linked with the Eintracht Frankfurt manager, Oliver Glasner, while Rúben Amorim is building a strong reputation at Sporting Lisbon.

However, eyebrows will be raised at the new regime’s behaviour. Much has been made of Boehly and Clearlake, which is owned by Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, trying to move away from Roman Abramovich’s sacking culture.

Yet Chelsea, who are 11th in the Premier League despite spending close to £600m on signings since last summer, have fired two managers in seven months. Potter was hired after the departure of Thomas Tuchel in September. Chelsea paid £21.5m in compensation to Brighton & Hove Albion to bring the 47-year-old and his coaching staff to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have not paid the £50m that was left on Potter’s five-year contract but he is understood to be due significant compensation. The former Brighton manager’s No 2, Billy Reid, has also been sacked. Chelsea said that Potter had “agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition”. That is understood to refer to the manager’s trusted assistants, Bruno, Bjorn Hamberg and Ben Roberts, not leaving the club. Anthony Barry is waiting to find out if he will be allowed a reunion with Tuchel at Bayern.

It had seemed that Potter had bought himself time after Chelsea reached the last eight of the Champions League by beating Borussia Dortmund last month. They play the first leg of their quarter-final away to Real Madrid next week.

Last month’s mini-revival was not sustainable and Potter’s fate was sealed by Aston Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. There was alarm at Potter’s tactics against Villa. Chelsea had two centre-backs, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoît Badiashile, on the bench and two full-backs, Reece James and Marc Cucurella, in their back three. Cucurella gifted Villa the opening goal.

Discussions about Potter’s future began on Saturday night and continued into the morning. Yet at 8.32am the club’s press office sent out an email stating that Potter would hold a press conference on Monday to preview Chelsea’s home game against Liverpool on Tuesday night. A source close to Chelsea’s owners said that there was no indication a change was imminent.

The decision came out of the blue. The players had not been warned. The news was delivered to Potter by the club’s sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, in a “short and sharp” call.

Potter has been linked with the Leicester City job after Brendan Rogers left by mutual consent. on Sunday, but is likely to need to recover mentally.

Chelsea feel they have done everything to support Potter. They bought eight players during a wild January transfer window, although Potter cautioned against too many signings. He was left with a bloated squad once the window shut and struggled to find a settled starting XI, with injuries playing a part.

But while Chelsea are in a challenging period after their change of ownership the poor results exposed Potter and drained the board’s patience. Chelsea felt they were seeing no signs of progress. They are at risk of missing out on European qualification and decided that a change was necessary before they play Madrid. It was felt they will have a better chance of beating the European champions with Bruno in charge. The 42-year-old has no managerial experience.

Winstanley and Stewart will be involved in an exhaustive search for a new manager. Stewart and the technical director, Christopher Vivell, worked with Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig. Nagelsmann is available after being replaced by Tuchel at Bayern and the 35-year-old has admirers at Chelsea but the German must prove he can handle top players. Chelsea also spoke to Pochettino when they fired Tuchel. However, Pochettino could return to Spurs after the departure of Antonio Conte last week.

Boehly and Eghbali said: “On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.

“Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season. We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter-final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high.”

The Africa Cup of Nations 2023 holding in 2024 has entered the fast lane as the date for the final draw has been fixed.

CAF General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba confirmed that the Final Draw  will be held in September 2023. But the date and venue are yet to be confirmed.

There are just two match days for the conclusion of the qualifying series although almost a quarter of the field has been filled.

The already qualified teams are Cote d’Ivoire as hosts, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Tunisia and  South Africa.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles need at least a point from obtainable six in the remaining two matches to qualify.

With the rapidly growing global interest of CAF competitions recorded in the last few months, CAF is projecting record global TV audiences and stadium attendances for next year’s edition of its flagship competition, which also currently holds the record of being Africa’s biggest event.

As evidently seen in recently concluded CAF competitions, CAF has taken giant steps in enhancing the viewing and stadium attendance experience of its competitions with the introduction of cutting-edge broadcast technology as well as digital engagement, resulting in a world-class product that is consumed in real time globally.

The race towards the 2023  Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire is shaping up nicely as six teams have so far confirmed their places in the flagship tournament following the recent round of qualifiers over the past seven days.

Holders Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa, Morocco and Burkina Faso have joined hosts The Elephants in the line up for the tournament which has now been confirmed to start in January 2024.

Here is a round-up of matches played in Matchday Three and Four of the qualifiers for the competition to be held in Cote d’Ivoire.

Group A

A three-way battle remains for the two qualification slots heading into the last two rounds of matches. Leaders Nigeria (nine points) beat Guinea Bissau 1-0 in the reverse fixture to remain on the apex, with the latter in second spot (seven points).

The race towards the 2023  Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire is shaping up nicely as six teams have so far confirmed their places in the flagship tournament following the recent round of qualifiers over the past seven days.

Holders Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa, Morocco and Burkina Faso have joined hosts The Elephants in the line up for the tournament which has now been confirmed to start in January 2024.

Here is a round-up of matches played in Matchday Three and Four of the qualifiers for the competition to be held in Cote d’Ivoire.

Group A

A three-way battle remains for the two qualification slots heading into the last two rounds of matches. Leaders Nigeria (nine points) beat Guinea Bissau 1-0 in the reverse fixture to remain on the apex, with the latter in second spot (seven points)

Sierra Leone are third (five points) after beating Sao Tome and Principe 2-0 and remain in contention for a place in the final tournament. Sao Tome have been eliminated as they are bottom with a point.

Group B

Burkina Faso have already sealed their place in the tournament as they needed just a point in their last match against Togo. They drew 1-1 to move to 10 points and attain an unassailable lead from third place.

The Togolese are bottom with two points but still with a mathematical chance as they are five points behind second placed Cape Verde who drew with Lesotho who are third. The three teams are all in contention for a place.

Group C

The race towards the 2023  Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire is shaping up nicely as six teams have so far confirmed their places in the flagship tournament following the recent round of qualifiers over the past seven days.

Holders Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa, Morocco and Burkina Faso have joined hosts The Elephants in the line up for the tournament which has now been confirmed to start in January 2024.

Here is a round-up of matches played in Matchday Three and Four of the qualifiers for the competition to be held in Cote d’Ivoire.

Group A

A three-way battle remains for the two qualification slots heading into the last two rounds of matches. Leaders Nigeria (nine points) beat Guinea Bissau 1-0 in the reverse fixture to remain on the apex, with the latter in second spot (seven points).

Sierra Leone are third (five points) after beating Sao Tome and Principe 2-0 and remain in contention for a place in the final tournament. Sao Tome have been eliminated as they are bottom with a point.

Group B

Burkina Faso have already sealed their place in the tournament as they needed just a point in their last match against Togo. They drew 1-1 to move to 10 points and attain an unassailable lead from third place.

The Togolese are bottom with two points but still with a mathematical chance as they are five points behind second placed Cape Verde who drew with Lesotho who are third. The three teams are all in contention for a place.

Group C

Namibia produced the biggest result from this group with a shock 2-1 win over giants Cameroon and are now only a point away from qualification. They lead the group with five points, one ahead of second placed Cameroon.

Burundi are third in the group with a point. They face both Cameroon and Namibia in June and wins in the two games will qualify them to the tournament.

The group has three teams after the exclusion of Kenya.

Group D

Heading into the June matches, the group remains open. Egypt and Guinea won both their matches in this last round of matches to lead the group with nine points and the two will qualify if they draw when they meet in June.

Malawi (third) and Ethiopia (fourth) are both on three points after back to back losses and fate is out of their hands.

Group E

Ghana, Central Africa Republic and Angola remain in the race for the two qualification slots. Leaders Ghana are on eight points on top of the group, one ahead of CAR after picking four out of a possible six from the last round of qualifiers.

CAR won back to back matches against Madagascar, who remain bottom with one point and have their hopes almost sewn off.

Group F

After their fourth straight win, Algeria’s Les fennecs are through to the tournament with an unassailable 12 points. They beat Niger home and away and are also assured of top spot with second placed Tanzania eight points behind.

The Taifa Stars were beaten 1-0 by Uganda in Tuesday’s return fixture, with the Cranes getting themselves back into contention. Bottom side Niger on two points are also in contention.

Group G

This group also remains open heading into the final round of matches. Mali’s 1-0 loss at the hands of Gambia away from home meant they will wait for qualification, but still remain top of the group with nine points.

Congo Brazzaville avenged for their shock defeat against South Sudan to beat them in their home fixture in Dar es Salaam, moving to second with six points, same as Gambia but with a better goal difference.

South Sudan are bottom with three points and are still mathematically in contention.

Group H

Hosts Ivory Coast are already through, but they remained unbeaten in this group after edging out Comoros 2-0 to move to 10 points. The battle for the single slot to the tournament is now between Zambia (9) and Comoros (3) with winless Lesotho out.

Zambia who beat the latter home and away need just a point in June to confirm their place in the tournament.

Group I

All teams are still in the race to qualify. Gabon lead the group with seven points, one ahead of Sudan who revived their hopes by beating the former 1-0 in Omdurman.

Mauritania are third with five points following their home draw against DR Congo. The latter are on four points which they picked from the past match window from the win and draw against the Mauritanians.

Group J

Tunisia beat Libya home and away to move to 10 points and claim their ticket to Ivory Coast. They are on 10 points, one ahead of Equatorial Guinea who completed a home and away sweep of Botswana and eliminated them from contention.

They need just a point in their next two matches to qualify. Libya who are on three points have a mathematical chance but fate is not in their hands.

Group K

The group is already sewn with Morocco and South Africa confirming their tickets. Morocco had already qualified even before this qualification window as they were on six points.

South Africa booked their spot with a nervy 2-1 win over Liberia in Monrovia, making amends after dropping a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 in the first leg. The group has three teams after the exclusion of Zimbabwe.

Group L

Defending champions Senegal swept Mozambique home and away to move to 12 points and confirm their qualification. The battle for the single remaining slot is now left to Mozambique (4), Rwanda (3) and Benin (2).

Rwanda and Benin played to back to back 1-1 draws.

Anthony Joshua on Saturday night beat America’s Jermaine Franklin. The fight at the 02 Arena in London.

The fight went full distance as Joshua won the most important fight of his career. It was his first victory since losing to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk on 25 September 2021. He also lost the rematch on 20 August 2022 in Saudi Arabia.

But on Saturday night, he  won by unanimous decision as the three  judges scored the  fight 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 in his favour.  Joshua

There were ugly scenes at the end as corners and fighters clash momentarily and security steps in.

Joshua now extends his record to 25 wins in 27 fights but fails to produce knockout moment

In the latest financial rankings of national teams released by transfermarkt, Super Eagles witnessed a massive rise in the squad market value.

The rise in the squad market value saw the three-time African champions move up two steps and now ranked the 13th most valuable international team globally, while also cementing its position in Africa as the most valuable team on the continent.

The Eagles boast players who ply their trade in Europe’s lucrative leagues, making them one of the world’s most valuable teams, with a total value of €338.50m.

In February, they were placed 15th with a market value of €301m.

The Nigerian squad’s value witnessed an increase of €37.5m compared to the squad’s previous value.

There was a massive rise in the market value of some of the Eagles players, following their recent outstanding performances for their various club sides.

The biggest of them of all is Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, who according to transfermarkt, has the highest rise between the month of January and March.

His excellent form saw a massive €30m rise in his market value, moving from €70m to €100m, and is now Nigeria’s most valuable player ever.

Though Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, saw another drop in his valuation due to seasons that have been blighted by injuries, he remains the second most valuable player in the team with €38m, compared to his previous value of €60m.

In-form Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman, is another player who contributed to the increase in the Eagles’ market value as he moved from his previous value of €20m to €30m, following his impressive debut season with the Italian club.

Everton forward, Alex Iwobi, maintained his €25m valuation to remain as Eagles’ fourth most expensive player.

While Samuel Chukwueze’s market value remains at €20m, other players like Terem Moffi, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey all contributed to the growth in the team’s value with a combined value of €72m.

Since hitting his first million in his career after moving from €900,000 to €1m, goalkeeper Maduka Okoye continues to see his value increase despite little action since joining Watford.

The goalkeeper is currently valued at €2.5m.

Ndidi wasn’t the only player with a reduced market value, Nottingham Forest forward, Emmanuel Dennis had a €5m deduction. He is now valued at €10m compared to his initial €15m market value.

The increase in some of the players’ value put together helped the Eagles move up to 13th place globally, while also ranking as the most valuable team on the continent.

Prior to the latest rankings, Morocco, who were once the third most valuable African team are now second in Africa and 14th in the world with a team value of €306.85m following their impressive outing in Qatar.

Ivory Coast are third in Africa and 22nd globally with a market value of €251.03m, while Ghana are fourth on the continent and 24th in the world.

Senegal, who were once ranked number one in Africa are now the fifth most valued African team and 27th in the world.

Despite the drop in their value, England retain their position as the most financially valuable team in the world with a market value of €1.11bn compared to their previous €1.28bn, while European champions Italy dropped further from sixth position to seven.

France moved one place up to second position (€1.03bn), while Portugal (€913.50m), Argentina (€853.70m) and Spain (€787m) complete the top five in the world.

Nigeria’s Falconets will take on Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast in the group stage of the maiden edition of the WAFU B U-20 Nations Cup.

Niger Republic, Benin Republic and Togo will compete in Group B.

Ghana will host the regional competition from May 20 to June 4, 2023.

The Baba Yara Sports Stadium and Kwame Kyei Sports Complex have been selected for the competition.

The tournament is.organised by the West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone B.

The Falconets are the most successful side in Africa.

Barcelona have acknowledged they are in contact with Lionel Messi about bringing him back to the club when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in June.

Vice president Rafa Yuste confirmed Friday that the club are looking into the possibility of re-signing Messi, who left for PSG in 2021, with coach Xavi Hernandez later adding he hopes to see the Argentine back at Spotify Camp Nou.

“I am still gutted he couldn’t continue here,” Yuste said at a news conference. “Of course I would like him to come back, because of what he represents on a sporting, social and economic level.

“We are in contact with [Messi’s camp], yes. Beautiful stories should have happy endings, and there is a mutual love between the two parties.”

Messi, 35, left two years ago after two decades in Catalonia because Barca could not afford to renew his contract. The financial side of any return this summer remains an obstacle.

Barca need to knock more than €150 million off their annual spending — or raise money through transfers — to comply with LaLiga’s economic regulations and be able to sign players and register contract renewals.

“We still have two months to work hard to present our revenue and sustainability plan to [LaLiga president Javier] Tebas,” Yuste added when asked whether bringing Messi back was really possible.

“I don’t like to speak about Leo because he is a PSG player, but if all the conditions are met, we are open to the possibility. [Barca] president [Joan Laporta] has been with Leo’s father, and there is a good relationship.

“Of course, there is no plan to go on the attack because we don’t want PSG to see it like that. If it happens, it will be because destiny takes you back to where you have to go. If all the conditions come together and Leo comes back to Barcelona, it would be the perfect ending to a very happy story.”

Barca coach Xavi, who played alongside Messi, said it depends more on what the Argentina forward wants to do next than money, with a renewal at PSG and a move to Major League Soccer other possibilities.

Argentina has submitted a formal bid to host this year’s Under-20 World Cup in place of Indonesia which was stripped of its rights to stage the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday.

Argentina was the only country to submit a formal offer. The FIFA Bureau will decide whether to accept the proposal in two or three days with the tournament scheduled to start on May 20.

“We all know Argentine football and surely it can host a competition of this level,” Infantino told a news conference in Paraguay, where he will take part in the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) Congress on Friday.

There are other countries that have also announced interest but as a candidacy, with the government’s guarantees and other details, Argentina is the first and we will make the decision in two or three days,” he added.

FIFA stopped Indonesia from hosting the event after the country’s soccer federation (PSSI) said it had cancelled the draw because the governor of the island of Bali refused to host the Israel team.

“Israel is in favour of Argentina hosting, they deserve it as world champions. It is a very nice and big country, with excellent facilities. I hope they can also organize the 2030 World Cup,” Israel’s Ambassador to Argentina, Eyal Sela, said.