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Atule Strikes Twice As Enyimba Finally Click In CAF Confederation Cup

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Enyimba are two-time CAF Champions League winners. Photo: X@EnyimbaFC

Joseph Atule scored twice as Nigerian club Enyimba finally clicked in the CAF Confederation Cup by hammering Mozambican visitors Black Bulls 4-1 on Sunday.

The two-time African champions remain bottom of Group D despite the victory, but they are only one point behind second-placed Al Masry of Egypt with two matchdays remaining.

Clubs finishing first and second in the four groups qualify for the knockout stage and Enyimba are hoping to become the first winners from Nigeria.

Enyimba host Masry in southeastern city Uyo next Sunday, seeking to atone for a 2-0 loss in north Africa last November.

A string of poor domestic and African results, including a 3-0 loss away to Bulls last month, led Enyimba to change coaches, hiring veteran Stanley Eguma in place of Yemi Olarenwaju.

Atule bagged the first and last goals of the match and Ifeanyi Ihemekwele and Brown Ideye also scored for Enyimba, who had netted just twice in five previous qualifying and group matches.

Bulls’ goal also came from a Nigerian, with Ejaita Ifoni equalising before Ihemekwele gave the home team a 2-1 half-time lead in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League.

Title-holders Zamalek of Egypt, who drew 0-0 away to Masry in Alexandria, top the table with eight points. Masry have five and Bulls and Enyimba four each.

 

 

South African outfit Stellenbosch, one of six group debutants, boosted their hopes of a last-eight spot by defeating Desportivo Lunda Sul from Angola 2-0 in Pretoria.

Former New Zealand midfielder Andre de Jong scored both goals in Group B, breaking the deadlock with a clinical finish on 50 minutes and converting a penalty midway through the second half.

Renaissance Berkane of Morocco secured a quarter-finals place from the same group by winning 1-0 at Stade Malien of Mali. Stellenbosch will also qualify if they beat Stade next Sunday.

Tanzanian hopefuls Simba won 1-0 against three-time Confederation Cup title-holders CS Sfaxien of Tunisia in Rades to share the Group A lead with CS Constantine of Algeria on nine points.

It was the fourth straight group loss for Sfaxien, who recently sacked Portuguese coach Alexandre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP

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International News

Barcelona Seals New Deal With Head Coach Flick

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Barcelona completes contract renewal with head coach Hansi Flick, per official announcement.

 

According to Fabrizio Romano, Flick’s new contract with Barcelona runs until June 2028, with an option to extend until June 2029, meaning the coach could stay for three more seasons.

In his first season in charge, Flick led the team to a domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

This season, Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup again and retained the La Liga title, bringing his total to five trophies in two seasons.

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Entertainment

Erling Haaland Makes Acting Debut In Animated Film 

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Erling Haaland will follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and Vinnie Jones by taking his first steps into the acting world, with the Norwegian striker set to make his film debut.

 

The Manchester City striker will voice a character described as ‘an animated version of himself’, in the upcoming animated film Viqueens.

This is according to the Hollywood Reporter, who say that the 25-year-old is playing a Viking called Haaland in the motion picture.

The adventure-comedy is directed and co-written by the award-winning Harald Zwart, the Norwegian director known for The Karate Kid and Agent Cody Banks.

‘As a Norwegian storyteller making a Viking adventure for a global audience, having Erling Haaland join feels incredibly exciting,’ said Zwart.

‘Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world – powerful, fearless and uniquely Norwegian.

‘Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story.’

Solveig Langeland, managing director of Sola Media, added: ‘Erling Haaland transcends sports – he’s a global cultural figure.

‘His involvement brings another exciting dimension to a film that already combines international adventure, humour, and emotional storytelling in a way we believe will resonate with audiences everywhere.’

He follows the likes of Beckham and Jones, who have already hit the cinema screens around the country.

Beckham made his silver screen debut in his pal Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur back in 2017 alongside film stars Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana, playing hardened battleguard Trigger in the flick.

Meanwhile, Jones is known for portraying gangsters on screen, and as recently as 2024 played gamekeeper Geoff in Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen, featuring Theo James.

He famously also played Coach Dinklage in She’s the Man, and was The Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Haaland may need a while before he becomes the big actor that Jones has become, though, with plenty of years on the pitch still ahead of him.

The striker’s focus will currently be on winning the Premier League with Manchester City, as they look to hunt down Arsenal, who are two points ahead at the top, with two games to go.

Haaland will next be in action on Tuesday night as they travel to Bournemouth.

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International News

Iran squad travel to Turkey for friendlies, US visas

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Iran’s national football team was headed to Turkey on Monday to play a final friendly match and apply for visas to fly to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported.

 

The team plan to participate in the tournament despite co-host Washington having launched a war against Iran with a massive wave of attacks alongside ally Israel on February 28.

The fighting has been on hold for weeks thanks to a ceasefire, but peace talks have failed to make a breakthrough and new drone attacks against Gulf countries at the weekend combined with threats from US President Donald Trump raising fears of a return to fighting.

The team “departed this morning for Antalya, Turkey to play its final friendly match before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup,” the Tasnim news agency reported.

It said the squad consisted of 22 domestic-based players alongside their coaching staff.

On Saturday, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said they would also be completing visa applications for the US while in Turkey.

– ‘Let ’em play’ –

Iran secured their spot at the World Cup in March 2025, but since then the United States has twice launched attacks on the country.

US officials have insisted that Iran is welcome at the tournament, while organiser FIFA has said it will go ahead as planned and rejected Iranian suggestions that their games be moved to co-hosts Mexico or Canada.

“I think let ’em play,” Trump said in late April.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them”, suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, which Washington has branded a terrorist organisation.

Last month, officials from Iran’s football federation abandoned a trip to the FIFA congress in Canada, saying they had been “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers.

One of their delegation, Mehdi Taj, is a former member of the Revolutionary Guards, which Canada has also designated a terror group.

The Iranian football team hope to play two friendlies in Antalya.

They have already confirmed one match, against The Gambia, on May 29, said Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who heads a company that sets up friendlies for the team.

“No visas have been issued yet,” Taj, the head of Iran’s football federation, told Iranian media on Thursday.

On Saturday, FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom held a meeting in Turkey with the federation, describing it as constructive, as did Taj.

When the squad reaches the United States, Iran will set up their base camp in Tucson, Arizona.

The team, who are in Group G, are due to kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, before facing Belgium in the same city and then Egypt in Seattle.

 

 

AFP

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