Sports
Real Madrid Remain Europe’s Most Valuable Club -Report

Real Madrid remain Europe’s most valuable football club despite the ever-increasing dominance of the English Premier League, according to a report published Thursday by analysts Football Benchmark.
The report ranks Europe’s 32 most prominent clubs, calculating their value based on their annual financial statements and assessing squad values.
Real, who face Liverpool in Saturday’s Champions League final, came out on top for the fourth consecutive year of the report, with a valuation of 3.184 billion euros ($3.4 billion).
That is still short of their valuation in 2020, just before the pandemic, of nearly 3.5 billion euros, although the report points out that they were one of few clubs to register a net profit in both seasons impacted by the pandemic.
“Real Madrid have extended their lead at the top due to continuous sporting and commercial success,” says the report’s author, Andrea Sartori.
It said Real lost 84 million euros due to the absence of matchday revenues with supporters shut out due to the pandemic.
However, Real “made the made the most of the restrictions…accelerating works on the Bernabeu. It will be ready at the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023 and will certainly give them a massive revenue boost and potentially a competitive advantage”.
Manchester United (2.9 billion euros) and Barcelona (2.8 billion euros) rounded out the podium, with Bayern Munich fourth and Liverpool fifth (2.556 billion euros).
Of the 32 most valuable clubs, only four (Ajax, Galatasaray, Porto and Benfica) are from outwith the big five European leagues of England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
READ ALSO: EPL: Details Of Rudiger’s Contract With Real Madrid Revealed
Ten of the top 32 are English, at a time when Premier League sides are dominating in Europe.
“What is pushing English clubs towards increased continental glory is their success on the financial side,” the report acknowledges.
“The Premier League’s aggregate operating revenues of 5.1 billion euros put them comfortably at the top,” while “what really sets them apart are highly remunerative broadcasting agreements”.
Paris Saint-Germain boast the highest overall growth in value over the seven years since the first Football Benchmark report, up 153 percent to now more than two billion euros.
Above all, the report added, football is showing signs that the downturn caused by Covid is over.
“Last year’s financial results still bear the negative impacts of COVID-19, while the past several months reflect solid signs of football returning to normal, most notably with crowds back in stadia and with continued robust demand from sponsors and investors.”
AFP/PUNCH
Sports
Just Like Football Clubs, Let’s Sign Foreign President To Fix Nigeria – Actor Okele [VIDEO]

Popular Nigerian actor, Tunde Usman, professionally known as Okele, has proposed ‘signing’ of foreign Presidents to fix the country.
The actor made the suggestion while reacting to Nigeria’s current economic hardship.
Reacting to the increase in price of cooking gas across the nation, Okele in a now trending video shared on his Instagram page proposed a football method of removing a non performing coaches to address Nigeria’s challenges.
Speaking in Yoruba, the actor argued that adoption of the football method might solve constant disappointment with elected leaders.
READ ALSO:Nollywood Actress, Mercy Aigbe, Loses Mother
“Greetings to all Nigerians home and abroad. May God help us soften this hardship. I just thought of something about gas, fuel and the way things are expensive in Nigeria.
“If you are a lover of football you would know that every club has a coach, assistant coach, and those that train the keepers. So, instead of campaigning for different political parties with some looting our money, why can’t Nigeria look around the world and sign any ex-president that has proven himself in another country to fix Nigeria.
“Even many football nations signed coaches from different countries. Maybe we should adopt the signing of the President method to end different political parties campaigns. Let’s come together and sign our President the same way we signed the coach and we can sack the non performing President and sign a new one.”
Sports
FIFA U-20 World Cup: Argentina Crush Nigeria 4-0

Argentina produced a commanding performance to beat Nigeria’s Flying Eagles 4-0 in a knockout-stage match at the U-20 World Cup on Wednesday.
Alejo Sarco opened the scoring after just two minutes, tapping in from a Dylan Gorosito cross.
Maher Carrizo doubled the lead with a superb left-footed free-kick on 23 minutes and added a second shortly after the interval (53′) to make it 3-0.
Mateo Silvetti capped the scoring with a low finish on 66 minutes, finishing off a move created by Gianluca Prestianni.
The Flying Eagles huffed and puffed but rarely threatened the match rhythm. Daniel Daga saw a close-range effort saved before half-time, and Kparobo Arierhi rattled the post in stoppage time of the first half.
READ ALSO:Nigeria Vs Lesotho: What Super Eagles Must Do To Qualify For 2026 World Cup
But none of their attacks could find a way past Argentina’s goalkeeper Santino Barbi or break down a disciplined defensive unit.
Meanwhile, Ebenezer Harcourt produced several important saves to limit the damage early on.
Tactical changes came early in the second half as Nigeria’s coach shuffled his pack, introducing Auwal Ibrahim, Abduljelil Kamaldeen, Emmanuel Ekele and Charles Agada in a bid to spark a revival, but Argentina’s control of the midfield and clinical finishing rendered the substitutions ineffective.
Details later…
Sports
Salah Scores Twice As Egypt Qualify For 2026 World Cup

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored twice to help Egypt beat Djibouti 3-0 in Casablanca on Wednesday and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The 33-year-old has now netted nine times in a marathon qualifying campaign that began two years ago, and victory for Egypt gave them an unassailable five-point lead over Burkina Faso in Group A.
Twice African Footballer of the Year, Salah helped Liverpool win the Premier League a record-equalling 20th time last season, and captured the Golden Boot award with 29 goals.
But the Egypt captain has lost his spark with Liverpool this season, scoring just three goals in nine matches in all competitions.
After Ibrahim Adel put Egypt ahead on eight minutes against opponents 158 places lower in the world rankings, Salah netted six minutes later and again on 84 minutes.
READ ALSO:Nigeria Vs Lesotho: What Super Eagles Must Do To Qualify For 2026 World Cup
While Egypt have won the Africa Cup of Nations a record seven times, they have been less successful in the World Cup, qualifying just four times in 15 attempts — in 1934, 1990, 2018 and now 2026.
Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was among the goals as Ghana trounced the Central African Republic 5-0 in Meknes, and need one point from their final Group I match at home to Comoros to qualify.
Mohammed Salisu, Alexander Djiku, captain Jordan Ayew and Kamaldeen Sulemana were the other scorers for the Black Stars, who led 1-0 at half-time.
Ghana have 22 points and a vastly superior goal difference than Madagascar, who are three points behind. Mali, seeded to win the group, are out of contention with 15 points.
READ ALSO:
Cape Verde came from two goals behind in Tripoli to draw 3-3 with Libya and edge closer to a first World Cup appearance.
The island nation of about 550,000 inhabitants off the coast of Senegal will clinch first place in Group D if they defeat Eswatini in Praia on Monday.
Known as the Blue Sharks, the Cape Verdeans are two points ahead of Cameroon, who beat Mauritius 2-0 in Saint-Pierre with Manchester United striker Bryan Mbeumo scoring.
Cape Verde have 20 points after nine rounds, two more than Cameroon, the eight World Cup appearances in an African team.
READ ALSO:
– Disastrous start –
Roberto Lopes, a defender with Republic of Ireland club Shamrock Rovers, conceded a first-minute own goal as Cape Verde made a disastrous start.
Telmo Arcanjo levelled for the islanders before goals either side of half-time from Ezoo el Mariamy and Mahmoud al Shalwi gave the Mediterranean Knights a 3-1 lead.
Sidny Cabral reduced the deficit and Willy Semedo equalised on 82 minutes to set up a tense finish as Cape Verde sought a fourth goal and qualification.
A match-winner did not materialise, but they will be expected to beat Eswatini, who remained winless in the group after surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 draw with Angola in Lobamba.
READ ALSO:W’Cup Qualifiers: Super Eagles Edge Rwanda 1-0 To Revive Qualification Hopes
Cameroon had to secure maximum points in Mauritius to keep alive their hopes of overtaking Cape Verde, but needed 92 minutes to ensure success.
Dynamo Moscow midfielder Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu put the Indomitable Lions ahead on 57 minutes and Mbeumo struck in added time with his fourth goal of the qualifying campaign.
Cameroon complete their schedule at home to Angola in Yaounde and must win to have any hope of automatic qualification.
Should Cape Verde come first, Cameroon would hope to finish among the four best-ranked runners-up and qualify for play-offs in November.
READ ALSO:W’Cup Qualifiers: Super Eagles Edge Rwanda 1-0 To Revive Qualification Hopes
The winners of the African mini-tournament, comprising single-match semi-finals and a final, advance to six-nation inter-continental play-offs next March with two World Cup places up for grabs.
Eswatini looked set to end an eight-match winless run in the mini-league when South Africa-based Justice Figuareido pounced on long passes to score twice in the second half.
Angola, with French coach Patrice Beaumelle in charge for the first time after the sacking of Portuguese Pedro Goncalves, halved the deficit through Jonathan Buatu.
Then, slack Eswatini marking at a corner enabled Papel Ary to head the equaliser with 10 minutes of regular time remaining.
AFP
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