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PEOPLES DAILY
Sports PAGE 29
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
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2025 AFCON: if Morocco becomes an obstacle, we’ll crush them – Peseiro
Super Eagles Head coach Jose Peseiro has vowed to “crush” any team that will stand in the way of the Super Eagles as they prepare to go all the way and win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON title
Giving credit to Morocco, the Portuguese tactician agreed that Morocco has put football in Africa on a higher pedestal; but he still insists that Morocco will be crushed should they pose an opposition to his team.
“Morocco’s performance as the World Cup shows African football has come of age and many teams especially from the rest of the world will now show more respect to teams from the continent,” Peseiro told the Media.
“On our part, the aim still remains to win the next AFCON and we are ready to beat any team that comes our way.”
“That’s the target and it remains the same,” he added.
The gaffer further stated that he’s got his tactics, which will be transmitted to the players, and when the transmission is finally over with everybody understanding each other, even Argentina will not stop them.
Peseiro was in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup which ended on Sunday to understudy teams and their tactics.
Enzo Fernandez: Benfica boss criticises Chelsea pursuit of Argentina midfielder
Benfica manager Roger Schmidt has criticised Chelsea in their pursuit of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The Blues are in talks about signing the 21-year-old 2022 World Cup winner from the Portuguese club.
Fernandez, who joined Benfica from River Plate in August 2022, has a release clause of about £106m.
“What the club is doing who wants Enzo, it’s disrespectful against all of us, against Benfica and I cannot accept what they are doing,” said Schmidt.
“To make the player crazy, and then to pretend they can pay the clause and later they want negotiate I think is not what I understand about a good relationship between clubs who maybe want to discuss about the player.”
Fernandez played 89 minutes for Benfica in a 3-0 defeat against SC Braga following his return to Portugal after playing a key part in helping Argentina win the World Cup.
“Enzo, we don’t want to sell him, nobody wants to sell him at this club,” said Schmidt. “Everybody knows he has a clause in his contract and, of course, if the player wants to leave and somebody comes and pays the clause we cannot work against that and so then maybe we will lose the player.
“There’s a club who want our player, they know we don’t want to sell the player, they tried to get the player on their side and they know that they only can get this player when they pay the clause so it’s a very clear situation.”
He added: “First of all Enzo is a very good boy and a fantastic football player. We like him a lot and, of course, we want that he stays at Benfica.
“Of course, the situation for him is not so easy because he played the World Cup, he became world champion, he got offers, and there’s a lot of money on the table.
“In this situation as a young player you think about that, [it can] confuse you a little bit. I think that everybody can understand but, nevertheless, he’s a very good boy.
“He was not there last week, he had no permission to go to Argentina. He missed the training so that is not acceptable [and] that’s why it will have consequences.”
Ahmed Musa unveils ultra-modern sports complex in Kaduna
Super Eagles captain and Nigerian star, Ahmed Musa, shared a video of the imposing, ultra-modern sports complex that he built and which was unveiled in Kaduna State.
On account of how frequently he has given back to society, the 30-year-old has managed to capture the hearts of many people in Nigeria and all across the world. The latest facility is situated in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria, in the Old Kamazo, Janruwa Layout, along the Yakowa motorway. In the video of the complex that the former Leicester City forward shared on Twitter, courts for badminton court, volleyball, lawn tennis, squash court, and a football field can all be seen with an embedded gymnasium to complete the top-of-the-line facilities.
Musa is a forward and left winger for the Nigerian national team as well as Sivasspor in the Turkish Super Lig. He is one of only three Nigerian centurions crossing the 100-cap mark, having played in 107 games so far, scoring 16 goals, and helping the Super Eagles to lifting the Africa Cup of Nations.
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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY,JANUARY 20, 2023 S P R T
Novak Djokovic into Adelaide International last eight with win over Quentin Halys
Novak Djokovic earned a hard-fought win against Quentin Halys to move into the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International on Thursday.
The Serb rallied back from 5-2 down in the first set and 5-3 in the second to beat the Frenchman 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5).
Djokovic will face Canada’s Denis Shapovalov on Friday as he continues his build-up to the Australian Open.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the second week of the Adelaide tournament with an ankle injury.
The 27-year-old also pulled out of last week’s United Cup and so will have had limited match time going into the Australian Open, which gets underway on 16 January.
The world number 22 could go into the first major tournament of the season having not played a singles match since an ATP event in Tokyo in October.
Meanwhile, Djokovic, who beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon final, will be bidding for his 10th Australian Open title in an attempt to equal Rafael Nadal’s overall men’s Grand Slam record of 22.
The former world number one is set to miss this season’s Indian Wells and the Miami Open after the United States extended its requirement for international visitors to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Djokovic, who was deported prior to the 2022 Australian Open because of his Covid-19 vaccination status, said “it is what it is” when asked about the prospect of missing more tournaments.
“If it is official then it is. What can I do? Nothing,” the 35-yearold said.
Seventh seed Shapovalov, Djokovic’s quarter-final opponent, raced through Thursday’s second-round Adelaide International tie with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Russian Roman Safiullin.
IOC boss, Bach congratulates Gumel on re-election as NOC President
By Amaechi Agbo
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), President, Dr Thomas Bach, OLY, has congratulated President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee Engr. Habu Gumel on his re-election.
Dr Bach conveyed his congratulatory letter to Engr Habu Ahmed Gumel who is an a Honorary Member of the IOC from Lausanne, dated December 20.
In the letter personally beside by the IOC Boss, added that the International Olympic Committee is predisposed to collaborating with Nigeria Olympic Movement to continue to support and assist NOC in performing its mission and daily activities.
‘’Please allow me to extend my sincerest congratulations to you on your re-election as President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee on 15 December 2022, and my very best wishes for a successful term.
‘’The IOC looks forward to pursuing its fruitful collaboration with your NOC and remains fully at your disposal to continue to support and assist your NOC in performing its mission and daily activities.
‘’Wishing you and your NOC a happy and successful New Year 2023, remain, Thomas Bach,’’ the statement stressed.
Right, Engr Habu Gumel, NOC President in a handshake with IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach recently
