La Liga
RITA CHIKWELU JOINS OSHOALA IN SPAIN
Experienced Nigeria midfielder Rita Chikwelu has become the latest in an ever-increasing number of African players to join the Spanish Women’s League.
The 31-year-old has joined Madrid CFF on a six-month deal after a decade in Sweden, where she scored 60 goals, with Umea IK and Kristianstad.
She joins compatriot Chidinma Okeke at the Spanish Primera Iberdrola side.
“This is a different and competitive league, as a footballer you want to test yourself around the best players,” she told BBC Sport.
“The Spanish league is an interesting place for African players and I believe this will continue to help develop our players’ game and their profile.”
Chikwelu helped Nigeria to success at the 2016 and 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations tournaments.
She also played a key role at last year’s Women’s World Cup as the West Africans reached the knockout stage for the first time since 1999.
Another compatriot, the four-time African footballer of the year winner, Asisat Oshoala is the biggest African name in the 16-team league with FC Barcelona.
Christopher Atkins of RWMG Sports Management believes African players are now attracted to new options as more women’s leagues become professional.
The more traditional choices were the USA and Scandinavia, who were among the first to offer professional deals for women, with China, France and England following suit.
“The Spanish league is fast becoming one of, if not the most attractive destination for African players,” Atkins, much of whose work is in the Asian market, told BBC Sport.
“The successes of Asisat Oshoala and (Zambian) Barbra Banda in particular have given inspiration to others and La Liga are doing a great job of boosting the profile of the league.”
Many African players have enjoyed huge financial incentives in China and savoured the competitive nature with its top clubs always on the hunt for new players.
But the fast-growing Spanish league also presents African players with a good platform to parade their skills.
“The clubs are excellent when it comes to looking after the players and making them feel at home,” Atkins added.
African players in the Spanish Women’s league:
- Barcelona – Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria)
- CD Tacon – Osinachi Ohale (Nigeria)
- EdF Logrono – Ida Guehai (Ivory Coast), Barbra Banda (Zambia), Grace Asantewaa (Ghana) Dorine Chuigoue and Jade Boho (both Equatorial Guinea)
- Madrid CFF – Rita Chikwelu and Chidinma Okeke (Both Nigeria)
- Rayo Vallecano Femenino – Priscilla Okyere (Ghana)
- Real Betis Feminas – Michaela Abam (Cameroon) Alice Ogebe (Nigeria)
- Sevilla FC – Toni Payne (Nigeria)
- Sporting de Huelva – Peace Efih (Nigeria) Princella Adubea (Ghana) Fatuomata Kanteh [Gambia/Spanish]
- Tenerife – Rassia Feudjio (Cameroon)
- UD Granadilla Tenerife – Ange N’Guessan (Ivory Coast) Raissa Feudijoat (Cameroon)
- Valencia – Zenatha Goeieman (Namibia)
It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.
“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Real Madrid’s legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial next week for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain’s tax office, the Madrid court which will hear the case has said.
Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of having cost Spain’s treasury more than one million euros ($1.1 million) in undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015.
The trial will begin on Wednesday and it is expected to last two days, a spokesman for the court said.
Ancelotti, who as a coach has won a record five Champions League trophies including three with Real, must be present for the hearings, he added.
Prosecutors accuse him of only declaring in his tax returns the personal remuneration received from Real Madrid during those two years even though he himself declared himself to be a tax resident in Spain and indicated his home was in Madrid.
They accuse Ancelotti of allegedly setting up a “confusing” and “complex” system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings from his image rights as well as from other sources such as real estate.
A Spanish court in 2023 ordered Ancelotti to stand trial over the affair, but did not set a date.
Ancelotti dismissed the affair last year as “an old story that I hope will be resolved soon” when he was asked about the case.
He took over at Real Madrid in 2013, leaving in May 2015, before being appointed at Bayern Munich the following year.
The former Italy international midfielder, who as a player won the European Cup twice with AC Milan, later managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021.
Aside from his success in the Champions League he has won domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
-AFP
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Spain’s former soccer chief Luis Rubiales told Reuters on Thursday he would appeal a court ruling which found him guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.-
-Reuters
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
Nigeria Premier League attains a crescendo this weekend
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL7 days ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY4 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON7 days ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL6 days ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature4 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu