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Chelsea part ways with Pochettino after one season

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Chelsea has announced the exit of Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s head coach after only one season at the helm of affairs.

In a statement on the club’s website, Chelsea said both parties “mutually agreed to part ways”.

Pochettino’s exit comes a few days after the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, where the Blues finished sixth in the English Premier League (EPL). He also led the team to the Carabao Cup final before losing to Liverpool.

The Argentine joined Chelsea in May 2023, replacing Frank Lampard, who had been interim manager following Graham Potter’s exit a few months prior.

Speaking on his exit, Pochettino expressed gratitude to the leadership of Chelsea, adding that the club “is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come”.

“Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history. The club is now well-positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come,” the manager said.

Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s sporting directors, said Pochettino “will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time.”

“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time, and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career,” the directors said.

Pochettino’s assistants — Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino — will also leave the club.

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FIFA-banned Russia announces friendly match against Super Eagles

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The Russian Football Union (RFU) says the country’s men’s national team will take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in an international friendly on June 6.

RFU announced the fixture in a statement on its website on Thursday.

The match is scheduled to be played in Russia, but the time and venue are still undecided.

Russia will play two other friendly matches. The team takes on Zambia in March before facing Belarus on June 10.

RFU said it “reached agreements” with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the two other national football bodies to arrange the friendly matches.

However, Russia was banned from football by FIFA and UEFA in 2022 following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from participating in FIFA and UEFA competitions.

But in 2023, the world football governing body relaxed the sanction to allow Russian U-17 national teams to compete in international competitions.

The youth teams are to play under the name of the ‘Football Union of Russia’ rather than Russia, in the absence of their national flag, national anthem, national-team kit and equipment, and instead playing in neutral colours.

Despite the ban, the Russian men’s national team have been playing non-FIFA-sanctioned friendly matches against non-western countries.

NFF is yet to issue an official statement about its true position on the friendly announcement by the Russian FA. If the match becomes official, it will be the first game between Nigeria and Russia at the senior level of international football.

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Boniface debunks rumour of breakup with Norwegian partner over prenup

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Victor Boniface, the Super Eagles striker, has dismissed rumours that he is no longer with his Norwegian partner Rikke Hermine.

The rumours emerged on social media, claiming that Boniface had ended their four-year relationship due to a dispute over a prenuptial agreement.

An X user shared a post claiming that Hermine had requested a legal marriage without a prenup, which Boniface allegedly rejected to protect his financial future.

“Nigerian footballer, Victor Boniface has reportedly ended his 4 years relationship with his Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke Herminem,” the post reads.

“According to reports, she insisted on a legal marriage without a prenup (A prenup is a contract protecting assets and finances of both parties in case of divorce or death). Boniface is now focused on safeguarding his financial future and avoiding potential pitfalls.”

Boniface denied the reports, describing them as “fake news and lies”.

In now-deleted posts, the Super Eagles striker stated that the reports were “unverified and unfounded”.

“Stop posting fake shit you guys know nothing about….. Una go just carry phone without knowing Wetinx Dey sup just post,” he wrote in pidgin English.

“No be everybody be like una sister. So respect urself. Everything you guys say about her are all lies.”

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Haaland signs new 10-year deal with City — longest contract extension in EPL

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Erling Haaland has agreed to a new 10-year deal as a Manchester City player.

The club announced the deal in a statement on its website on Friday.

“Erling Haaland has signed a new 10-year Manchester City contract, keeping him at the Club until the summer of 2034,” the statement reads.

The length of the 24-year-old’s new deal is the longest contract extension in the English Premier League (EPL), surpassing Cole Palmer’s nine-year agreement with Chelsea.

Haaland moved to the Etihad in 2022 from Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian scored 52 goals in all competitions in his debut season, including 36 in the EPL to win the league’s Golden Boot prize. He also broke the league record of goals scored by a player in a single season.

His goals led Man City to an impressive treble of trophies: EPL, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

The striker has scored 111 goals in 126 games in his two-and-a-half season at the club.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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