Premier League
Axe falls again on previously banned Imamu Maliki, referee of Bendel Insurance versus Remo Stars match
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Imamu Maliki Umar of Kano who refereed the Bendel Insurance versus Remo Stars on Sunday has been sidelined alongside the assistant referee Sunday Azi from Plateau State.
Both are among the 14 referees that are being sanctioned in the current Nigeria Premier League.
Last year, the NFF banned the same referee for two years, but surprisingly has made a return before the expiration of the ban.
On July 8, 2022, in a match between Niger Tornadoes FC Vs. Lobi Stars FC the NFF Committee ruled that Imam Malik Umar was banned from all football related activities for two years.
On Sunday in Benin, back-in-action Imamu Maliki belatedly ruled a foul throw that preceded the goal by Remo Stars after his assistant referee Sunday Azi from Plateau State raised his flag after almost five passes of the ball that eventually resulted into the controversially disallowed goal.
Both officials are among the 14 referees that have now been benched.
Their poor performances ruled the media space and apparently prompted the Referee Development Unit of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to act.
In aftermath, the axe has fallen on 14 referees. Incidentally, matches involving Niger Tornadoes had the most recurring controversial refereeing.
In seven matches in which referees were sanctioned, three involved Niger Tornadoes.
In their Matchday 2 home match with Rivers United, Referee Bawa Buhari of Gombe has been sanctioned. So also are referee Chukuka Jahlove of Anambra State and Assistant Referee Akinwale Tomiwa of Oyo State, both officials in Niger Tornadoes home game against Bayelsa United on Matchday 4.
Their Matchday 5 duel with Sporting Lagos also had controversial officiating leading to the sanctioning of Assistant Referee II, Zechariah Nde of Delta State.
Also under the hammer are Referee Saeed Abdulaziz of Katsina State and Assistant Referee Jimmy Aimugbonrie of Edo State who handled the Gombe United versus Plateau United Matchday 5 match.
Perhaps the most controversial officiating decision was in the Kwara United home game with Sporting Lagos when a penalty kick was awarded even when the ‘offending’ player had his hands at his back while the ball hit him just above his torso.
The officials sanctioned are Referee Brown Ebenezer of Abia State and Assistant Referee Atuwho Morrison of Delta State.
In the Matchday 6 of the Sunshine Stars versus Abia Warriors, all unnamed four match officials are sanctioned.
The memo conveying the sanctioning was sent to the Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Premier League by the Referee Development Unit of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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