By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi Manchester United face Atlético Madrid with more than Champions League points at stake, as they seek to end their winless record against the Spanish side, follow the Premier League’s recent success against La Liga opposition and ease the growing pressure on Michael Carrick. Manchester United face more than the challenge of securing three Champions League points when they travel to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. They also have an opportunity to uphold the growing reputation of Premier League clubs against Spanish opposition and prove that their own struggles do not place them outside that continental trend. English sides…
Author: Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi More than 7,800km separated Benin from Argentina, where the Cheetahs arrived expecting a memorable Messi farewell experience but reportedly left frustrated by their treatment after the match. Benin travelled to Buenos Aires expecting one of the biggest nights in their football history. They were not simply facing Argentina; they were walking into Lionel Messi’s farewell party, an occasion that promised memories, photographs and perhaps a few treasured shirts to take home. Instead, what happened after the final whistle has reportedly left the African side deeply disappointed. Benin arrived ready for a special night The excitement inside the…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi England’s Black stars turned Croatia’s anti-racism punishment into a historic footballing statement, inspiring a record-breaking 7-0 humiliation in Rijeka. If God has a way of saying “no to racism”, then HE has just used England to passed judgement on Croatia. On a night UEFA decided their fans served their one-game stadium ban punishment imposed by UEFA following racist and discriminatory fan behaviour during last year’s quarter-finals, the Vatreni endured a historic humbling in Rijeka, and at the heart of it, Black players. It wasn’t like Croatia had the records against England, but they have at least made…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi Barcelona’s Negreira case centres on more than €7 million in payments to companies linked to former Spanish refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira, with the purpose and potential sporting consequences of the arrangement still under investigation by Spanish authorities and UEFA. Barcelona’s Negreira case has returned to the spotlight after UEFA on Thursday confirmed that its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have received new documentation submitted by Real Madrid. The case centres on payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), over a period…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau has deepened fears of another major tournament failure, with the recurring problems of player selection, squad quality and Eric Chelle’s tactical decisions leaving the Super Eagles’ AFCON hopes in serious danger. A 3-0 defeat at the hands of Guinea-Bissau left the chances of another major tournament absence staring in the faces of Nigerians, as the Super Eagles continue to seek a good riddance to the bad rubbish that has apparently come to stay. Nothing longer feels scary about the future, even in the face of this persistent inconsistency, because the present sells…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi Manchester City’s reported guilty verdict could open a compensation battle, but Arsenal’s case is uniquely complicated by the key players they lost to City during the club’s rise and the subsequent title battles between the two sides. Manchester City’s extraordinary Premier League case has now reached the stage that could force English football to confront a question that has been sitting beneath the surface for years: how much did rival clubs lose while City built one of the most dominant teams in modern English football? With an independent commission reportedly finding the Mancunians guilty of 114 of…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi In the absence of Victor Osimhen, debutants George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor outshined the other Super Eagles attackers to deliver a comeback win in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. The significant actions of the game, from conceding an early goal to the desperate search for a response, till Ilenikhena’s leveler and Usor’s winner, sent a wave of concerns but also highlighted how Nigeria may have learned something from the painful experience that ultimately contributed to their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Madagascar took the…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi For years, Manchester United have been known for giving young players a pathway into the first team, and JJ Gabriel appeared to be the latest academy prodigy ready to follow that route, but recent events threaten the chances of that happening. The 15-year-old forward joined United at the age of 11 after spending time in the youth systems of Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham, and his reputation grew rapidly after he was dubbed “Kid Messi” as a youngster. His technical ability, dribbling and close control made him one of the most closely watched prospects in the academy,…
By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi Chelsea’s attack looks title-winning, but their defensive frailties under Xabi Alonso are making a serious Premier League title challenge increasingly difficult to justify. There is no denying that Chelsea can be frightening going forward. They have pace, movement, individual quality, and enough attacking talent to make almost any Premier League defence uncomfortable. The trident of Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer are turning the fan-given JP Morgan nickname iconic, having combined for 14 Premier League goal contributions among them after just four games into the season. They turned defence into attack in quick succession. Many of…
The 90 minutes at the Bernabéu is a very long time catchphrase is supposed to be a weapon fashioned against visiting teams, but Real Madrid players and their fans have appeared to have turned it the other way round owing to recent events. The club’s two greatest strengths, the fans and the attacking talents, have been working against their progress in recent weeks, making it difficult for their progress early in a season where they seek to challenge Barcelona’s LaLiga dominance. Los Blancos have already fallen three points behind their Clasico rivals after four games, while Hansi Flick and his…