Everton owners The Friedkin Group (TFG) are exploring the sale of the club less than two years after taking control, report has indicated.

The American group completed a takeover of the club in 2024 in a deal believed to be worth in excess of £400m.

In a statement, TFG said after prioritising stability, investment and the opening of Everton’s new stadium last year, the time is right “to consider the next chapter”.

“The Friedkin Group is exploring new investment options for Everton Football Club, including the potential sale of a controlling interest,” TFG said.

“When TFG became custodians of Everton, the club faced significant financial uncertainty and challenges both on and off the pitch. The immediate priority was to provide the stability, investment and support needed to secure the club’s future, including helping to bring the long-promised stadium to completion for its deserving supporters.

“With that foundation now safely in place, the time is right to consider the next chapter for Everton.”

The Federal Government has raised alarm over the growing use of new technologies by terrorist groups in Africa, calling for stronger intelligence sharing and better funding to tackle the security threat.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, raised the concern in a statement issued by the ministry on Friday, following her remarks at the opening of the Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said armed groups were increasingly using new technologies in their operations and funding their activities through transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows.

She decried the growing wave of terrorism on the African continent, noting that armed groups were adopting new technologies to carry out their operations and using proceeds of transnational organised crime to finance their activities.

She called on African countries to take greater responsibility for addressing the continent’s security challenges amid growing terrorism, regional security threats and weaknesses in existing security frameworks.

Against the backdrop of growing regional security threats and pressures on multilateralism, the minister called for “a stronger, better funded and self-reliant African peace and security architecture” capable of addressing the continent’s evolving security challenges.

The minister urged African states to strengthen intelligence sharing, improve early warning systems and support African-led mediation efforts to prevent conflicts and respond to emerging threats.

She urged African states to strengthen the Continental Early Warning System, African mediatory initiatives and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

She also called for greater attention to local grievances, youth unemployment and community resilience, noting the need to address issues that could contribute to insecurity.

The minister underscored the importance of building enduring national peace infrastructures and enhancing intelligence sharing among African states to improve the continent’s response to security threats.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed the importance of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for people affected by terrorism and encouraged African countries to use the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts across the continent.

She stressed the need for increased support for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and encouraged African countries to leverage the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUTC) for the coordination of continental counter-terrorism efforts.

She further called for predictable funding for African Union-led peace operations, stressing the need to strengthen the AU Peace Fund and complement it with international funding commitments, including support from the United Nations.

Jorge Jesus has responded to the statement Cristiano Ronaldo released on Wednesday.

The Portugal head coach was reacting to Ronaldo’s account of what happened between the pair during the Denmark camp, where a dispute flared up and ended with the Al-Nassr star walking away from the squad.

In that statement, Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking his promises over the agreed plan for his involvement in the UEFA Nations League matches.

Report quoted Jesus as saying
“I have read the statement,”

“And now, as I do every day, I will head to the federation to work, and to think about the team and the Portuguese national team. I have nothing more to say than that,” he was said to have told the journalists waiting for him outside his home.

Ronaldo’s lengthy statement apologised to the Portuguese people and admitted he deserved to be punished by the Portuguese Football Federation. He also revealed what led up to the dispute, pointing specifically to a short document “that was handed to the coach at his request”. It set out 8 points Jesus was supposed to raise in the press conference before the Denmark match. According to Ronaldo, “nothing that was discussed was carried out in front of the media”.

Jesus had insisted earlier that he hadn’t read the statement, saying he was watching a Portugal under-21 match when it dropped. He did, though, confirm he knew it had been published.