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Brazilian Football Legend, Mario Zagallo Is Dead

Published

4 months ago

January 6, 2024

Editor

Brazilian football legend and the first person to win the FIFA World Cup as both a player and coach, Mario Zagallo, has died at the age of 92.

Zagallo was as instrumental figure as any in Brazil’s rise to prominence as a global football power.

Zagallo, who died on Friday, was the only surviving member of the Brazilian team that lifted the 1958 World Cup trophy, the country’s first title and one that eased the pain of a traumatic defeat by Uruguay at the Maracana eight years prior.

“I was at the Maracana for that fateful loss to Uruguay. I was a soldier and it was my job to keep people off the pitch,” said Zagallo, of a result that prompted national mourning.

“I’ll never forget the silence, the sadness and the disappointment of that defeat,” he noted.

His legendary teammate, Pele, died in December 2022.

While that memory remained vivid, Zagallo would do his utmost to relieve the anguish by leaving his fingerprints on four of Brazil’s five World Cup triumphs.

Emerging from the amateur ranks during the 1950s, Zagallo, a diminutive left winger, embodied Brazil’s quest to blend attacking flair with defensive solidity, combining his exquisite technique with admirable commitment.

He won five Rio de Janeiro state championships with Flamengo and Botafogo. He only made his Brazil debut at the age of 26, shortly before the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but became an integral member of the team, winning 37 caps.

Brazil’s run of success

The tournament, which launched 17-year-old sensation Pele on the world stage, ended with Brazil beating the hosts 5-2 in the final. Zagallo scored his team’s fourth and then set up Pele for the final goal.

Four years later, Zagallo played every single minute as a Garrincha-inspired Brazil overcame an injury sustained by Pele in the group stage to retain their crown, coming from behind to beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 in Santiago.

After retirement, Zagallo returned to the game as a manager, taking over former club Botafogo and leading them to two more state titles in a country under a military dictatorship.

Joao Saldanha had guided the national team to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico but was cast aside before the tournament in favor of Zagallo. Saldanha fell out with Pele and refused to bow to demands of then-president Emilio Garrastazu Medici on squad selection and, as a known Communist sympathizer, his fate was sealed.

Zagallo, just 38 at the time, inherited an exceptionally gifted squad — including Pele, Carlos Alberto, Jairzinho and Rivelino — and oversaw six wins from six games as Brazil captured the title for a third time in four attempts.

Years ahead of his time as a player, Zagallo quickly demonstrated his merit as a coach. He later reflected on the fabled 1970 World Cup, dominated by a spectacular Brazilian display, as his “greatest memory as a manager”.

A counter-intuitive type who believed in the number 13, Zagallo’s unabating hunger for success brought further domestic titles with Fluminense and Flamengo before he ventured abroad to Kuwait, winning the Gulf Cup in 1976 and reaching that year’s Asian Cup final.

Tireless pursuit of glory

After taking the United Arab Emirates to Italy in 1990, Zagallo was called on by Brazil for a final time, as technical director for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Together with his protege, Carlos Alberto Perreira, he guided the side to another world title after a dull final against Italy led to a penalty shootout.

His tilt at a fifth success fell agonizingly short in 1998 when Ronaldo, the pre-eminent player of his generation, suffered a mysterious fit before the final and Brazil slumped to a 3-0 defeat to hosts France.

Zagallo’s durability and lasting aura ensured he was a natural choice to stand in briefly for the departed Luiz Felipe Scolari following Brazil’s fifth World Cup victory in 2002.

“He was one of the greatest Brazilian players of his generation and, after winning the World Cup four times, he has left a permanent mark on Brazilian football,” said Ronaldo of the man nicknamed “The Professor”.

His wife of 57 years, Alcina de Castro, passed away in 2012.

AFP

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[ICYMI]FULL LIST: AMVCA 2024 Nominations

Published

2 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

Multichoice Nigeria has announced the list of nominations for the 10th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, which is scheduled to be held on May 11, 2024.

The event will take place at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos State.

The AMVCA is an annual award presented by MultiChoice recognising outstanding achievements in television and film.

Below is the list of AMVCA 2024 nominees:

Best Digital Content

National Treasure – Adebola Adeyela (Lizzy Jay)

Medical Negligence and Copyright Infringement – Isaac Ayomide Olayiwola (Layi Wasabi)

Hello Neighbour – Elozonam Ogbolu, Lina idoko and Jemima Osunde

The Boyfriend – Maryam Apaokagi-Greene

Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa)

Mami Wata (CJ Fiery Obasi)

Jagun Jagun (Femi Adebayo)

Ijogbon (Kunle Afolayan)

Orisa (Odunlade Adekola)

Nana Akoto (Kwabena Gyansah)

Best Indigenous Language (East Africa)

Where The River Divides

Ormoilaa Ogol (The Strong One)

Wandongwa

Nakupenda

Itifaki

Best Indigenous Language (South Africa)

Service To Heart

Uncle Limbani

Motshameko O Kotsi

Best Multichoice Talent Factory Movie

Grown

Her Dark Past

Somewhere in Kole

Full Time Husband

The 11th Commandment

Mfumukazi

Best Scripted M-Net Original

Slum King

Half Open Window

Itura

The Passenger

Magic Room

Best Unscripted M-Net Original

What Will People Say

The Irabors’ Forever After

Nwuyee Bekee (Foreign Wives)

Date My Family Zambia

Royal Qlique (Season 2)

Best Indigenous M-Net Original

The Passenger

Nana Akoto

Apo

Irora Iya

Love Transfusion (Kiapo Cha Damu)

Best Short Film

T’egbon T’aburo

Broken Mask

Eighteenth Year

Man and Masquerades

A Place Called Forward

Best Supporting Actor

Alexx Ekubo (Afamefuna)

Demola Adedoyin (Breath of Life)

Ibrahim Yekini (Jagun Jagun: The Warrior)

Gregory Ojefua (This is Life)

Timini Egbuson (A Tribe Called Judah)

Levi Chikere (Blood Vessel)

Ropo Ewenla (Over the Bridge)

Best Supporting Actress

Joke Silva (Over the Bridge)

Fathia Williams (Jagun Jagun – The Warrior)

Bimbo Akintola (The Black Book)

Genoveva Umeh (Breath of Life)

Eliane Umuhire (Omen)

Tana Adelana (Ijogbon – Chaos)

Ejiro Onojaife (The Origin: Madam Koi Koi)

Best Lead Actor

Wale Ojo (Breath of Life)

Stan Nze (Afamefuna)

Marc Zinga (Omen)

Gideon Okeke (Egun)

David Ezekiel (Blood Vessel)

Richard Mofe Damijo (The Black Book)

Adedimeji Lateef (Jagun Jagun – The Warrior)

Gabriel Afolayan (This is Lagos)

Best Lead Actress

Segilola Ogidan (Over The Bridge)

Lucie Debay (Omen)

Omowunmi Dada (Asiri Ade)

Ireti Doyle (The Origin: Madam Koi Koi)

Adaobi Dibor (Blood Vessel)

Evelyne Ily (Mami Wata)

Kehinde Bankole (Adire)

Funke Akindele (A Tribe Called Judah)

Best Cinematography

Mami Wata

Blood Vessel

Over The Bridge

Breath of Life

Jagun Jagun (The Warrior)

Ijogbon (Chaos)

Omen

Best Editing

Chuka Ejorh And Onyekachi Banjo

Holmes Awa

Alex Kamau And Victor Obok

Dayo Nathaniel

Antonio Ribeiro

Nathan Delannoy

Best Sound Design

Ava Momoh (Over the Bridge)

Daniel Pellerin and Amin Bhatia (Kipkemboi)

Grey Jones Ossai x2 (Breathe of Life and Blood Vessel)

Samy Bardet (Mami Wata)

Best Art Direction

Blood Vessel (Victor Akpan)

Over The Bridge (Abisola Omolade)

Breath of Life (Okechukwu Frost Nwankwo, Kelechi Odu)

The Black Book (Pat Nebo and Chima Temple)

Jagun Jagun: The Warrior (Tunji Afolayan)

Mami Wata (C.J Fiery Obasi)

Omen (Eve Martin)

Best Costume Design

Over The Bridge – Demola Adeyemi

Fumilayo Ransome – Kuti (Bolanle Austen- Peters, Ituen Basi, Folake Coker, Clement Effanga)

Jagun Jagun (Lola Awe)

Mami Wata (Bunmi Demilola Fashina)

Breathe of Life (Daniel Obasi)

Best Makeup

Over The Bridge (Francesca Otaigbe)

Mami Wata (Campbell Precious Arebamen)

Mojisola (Hadizat Gambo)

Jagun Jagun (Hakeem Onilogbo)

A Tribe Called Judah (Feyisayo Oyebisi)

Best Writing TV series

Skinny Girls in Transit (s7)
Bunmi Ajakaiye
Ifeanyi Barbara Chidi
Abdul Tijani- Ahmed

Wura (s2)
Jeffery David Musa
Olumide Kuti
Esther Oyiza Kokori

Visa On Arrival
Bovi Ugboma

MTV Shuga Naija
The MTV
Staying Alive Foundation

Volume
Mona Ombogo

Masquerades of Aniedo
Timendo Aghahowa
Motunde Akiode

Slum King
Donald Tombia
Ifeanyi Barbara Chidi
Fatimah Binta Gimsay
Xavier Ighordje

Best Writing Movie

Breathe Of Life – BB Sasore
Over The Bridge – Tosin Otudeko
Fumilayo Ransome Kuti – Tunde Babalola
Jagun Jagun – Adebayo Tijani
Afamefuna – Anyanwu Sandra Adaora
ATCJ – Funke Ayotunde Akindele, Collins Okoh & Akinlabi Ishola
Mami Wata – CJ Obasi

Best Documentary

Ormoilaa Ogol (The Strong One)
Lobola – A Bride’s True Price?
Empalikino (Forgiveness)
The Water Manifesto: Osun (Water For Gold)
Sowing Hope

Best Series (Scripted)

Volume
Wura (s2)
Slum King
Itura
Chronicles

Best Series (Unscripted)

Lol Naija (s1)

Nightlife in Lasgidi

The Real Housewives of Lagos

Gh Queens (s2)

Mutale Mwanza Unscripted (s1)

Best Director

Moses Inwang (Blood Vessel)
Adebayo Tijani & Tope Adebayo (Jagun Jagun)
BB Sasore (Breath of Life)
Johnscott Enah (Half Heaven)
C. J. Fiery Obasi ( Mami Wata)
Kayode Kasum (Afamefuna)
Tolu Ajayi (Over The Bridge)

Best Movie

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

Breath of Life

Over The Bridge

Blood Vessel

A Tribe Called Judah

The Black Book

Mami Wata

Headline

Money Laundering: More Trouble For Binance As Canada Fines Crypto Giant $4.38m

Published

12 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

Cryptocurrency exchange giant, Binance, facing charges for alleged $35.4million money laundering and tax evasion in Nigeria, has been fined about C$ 6 million ($4.38million) by Canada’s anti-money laundering agency for violating the country’s money laundering and terrorist financing laws.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada on Thursday said Binance had failed to register as a foreign money services business with the intelligence body despite several deadlines.

According to Reuters, the Canadian anti-money laundering agency added that Binance, which ceased operations in Canada last year, had not reported receiving virtual currency worth C$10,000 or more on 5,902 separate occasions between June 1, 2021, and July 19, 2023.

Binance did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

Meanwhile, senior authorities within the Federal Government have accused the Chief Executive Officer of Binance, Richard Teng, of blackmail, over a claim that some unknown individuals in Nigeria, demanded a $ 150 million crypto currency bribe from the company’s embattled representatives.

Top Federal Government sources who were not authorised to speak, told our correspondent in confidence in separate interviews on Tuesday.

Senior executives in the Office of the National Security Adviser noted that the Finance CEO’s claim was unfounded.

One of the sources said, “Did he (Binance CEO) mention a name? Since he didn’t mention a name, why should anyone be worried? Why should anyone waste their time if somebody made an unfounded allegation but could not mmentionany name?”

Another source noted, “If someone would say something like this, he should be able to mention the people. It’s not worth our time, anybody can say anything but as long as they can’t substantiate it, it’s a waste of time.

“He should mention names, if not, all that he’s saying is rubbish.”

Meanwhile, two other Federal Government sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused the Binance CEO of blackmailing the Nigerian government.

They noted that Teng’s claim was frivolous, adding that the Binance CEO’s action was the modus operandi of foreign personalities and corporations facing legal charges in Nigeria and other African countries.

One of the sources noted, “It is not only the EFCC that is prosecuting or investigating Binance over its atrocities against Nigeria. There are allegations of money laundering, and tax evasion, amongst others against the company, and several federal government agencies are probing the company’s activities in the country.

“But the latest comment about alleged request for bribery by the Binance CEO is a blackmail against the federal government. That is the modus operandi of international corporations and individuals facing charges in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa.”

Another source said, “It is the tradition of these international players to blackmail the country whenever they’re caught. What is the correlation between the alleged request for a bribe and the allegations brought against Binance?

“The facts are there – they evaded tax, their platform is being used to launder money, so why are they not facing the facts? The claim is frivolous and a mere blackmail against the government.”

The PUNCH reported last Tuesday that the founder and former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao had been sentenced to four months in prison in the United States.

Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to a money laundering charge.

A United States District Judge Richard Jones said in court last Tuesday that Zhao has also satisfied the requirement of him to pay $50 million in fines.

The 47-year-old admitted to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by willfully failing to set up an effective anti-money laundering system at Binance.

Zhoa founded and ran the cryptocurrency exchange as CEO from July 2017 to November 2023.

In March, The PUNCH reported that a U.S. district court ordered that Zhao surrender his Canadian passport and notify the court before travelling within the country.
PUNCH

Headline

Porn Star Testifies Against Trump At Hush Money Trial

Published

3 days ago

May 8, 2024

Editor

The porn star at the heart of Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, Stormy Daniels, testified on Tuesday about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the former president in a hotel penthouse suite.

Trump, 77, is accused of falsifying business records to reimburse his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels on the eve of his 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, when the lurid story of marital infidelity could have sunk his campaign.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger announced “The people call Stormy Daniels,” as Trump, who is seeking to recapture the White House in November, sat at the defense table in the Manhattan courtroom flanked by his lawyers, AFP reports.

What followed was detailed testimony about the sexual encounter Daniels said she had with Trump – his pajamas, his boxer shorts, the sexual position, that he did not wear a condom – all while the former president, sitting just feet away, stared on in silence, stony-faced.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, and his defense team sought, unsuccessfully, to have a mistrial declared.

The extraordinary courtroom face-off comes six months before election day when Trump will try to defeat Democratic President Joe Biden.

Daniels walked prosecutors through her difficult childhood in Louisiana, a stint as a stripper and her eventually joining the adult film industry.

The 45-year-old, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe where she was employed as a greeter by X-rated movie company Wicked Entertainment.

Daniels said she was 27 at the time and Trump was “probably older than my father.”

She said a member of Trump’s security detail told her the real estate tycoon wanted to have dinner with her. She was reluctant but agreed after discussing it with her publicist.

When she arrived at the penthouse where Trump was staying he emerged wearing “silk or satin pajamas which I immediately made fun of,” Daniels told the jury.

“I said ‘Does Mr Hefner know you stole his pajamas?’” she said in a reference to the outfit favored by the late Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner.

Trump changed clothes and they began talking about adult movies.

“He was very interested in a lot of the business stuff,” Daniels said.

Trump, who was married at the time to his current wife, Melania, suggested Daniels be on his hit reality television show, “The Apprentice,” she said.

Daniels said she went to the bathroom at one point and when she emerged Trump was on the bed in boxer shorts and a T-shirt.

“It startled me,” she said. “The intention was pretty clear.”

“I was not threatened verbally or physically,” Daniels said, although there was an “imbalance of power.”

She said they had brief sex on the bed “in missionary position” and Trump did not wear a condom.

“I felt ashamed I didn’t stop it, didn’t say no,” Daniels said.

Daniels said she met with Trump again on several occasions but cut off contact when it became clear she would not appear on “The Apprentice.”

After Trump announced his candidacy for president, Daniels said her publicist suggested she could sell her story and put her in touch with Keith Davidson, a Hollywood lawyer who testified previously at the trial.

“My motivation wasn’t money, it was to get the story out,” Daniels said.

She said she entered into a non-disclosure agreement in October 2016 on the eve of the presidential election negotiated by Davidson and Cohen for which she was paid $130,000.

“I couldn’t tell my story, he couldn’t tell the story,” she said.

After a lunch break, Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche asked Judge Juan Merchan to declare a mistrial, objecting to some of Daniels’ testimony, particularly her claim that she was threatened in 2011 by a man in a Las Vegas parking garage who allegedly warned her not to talk about Trump.

“It’s extremely prejudicial to insert safety concerns into a trial about business records,” Blanche said.

Merchan denied the motion, saying “I don’t think we have reached a point where a mistrial is in order.”

Trump is under a partial gag order prohibiting him from publicly attacking witnesses, the jury or court staff.

Merchan has already fined him $10,000 for breaching the gag order and warned Trump he may face jail time for future violations.