Liverpool Football Club said it was devastated by the death of its player, Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain with his brother.

“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,” the club wrote on social media on Thursday.

-Reuters

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The National Sports Commission (NSC) has expressed deep sorrow over the death of veteran sports administrator and former Kano Pillars Chairman, Abba Yola, describing his passing as a painful loss to Nigeria’s sports community.

Alhaji Yola, a retired Assistant Director in the Ministry of Sports, also served as Chief of Staff to former Sports Minister Sunday Dare. Throughout his distinguished career, he held numerous high-profile positions within Nigeria’s sports architecture.

According to a media release by Dr (Mrs) Kehinde Ajayi, the Director of Press at the NSC, the chairman of  NSC, Shehu Dikko, described Yola as a “sports administrator par excellence” whose contributions to Nigerian sports were both immense and enduring.

“Alhaji Abba Yola was not only a seasoned administrator but also a personal friend. His death is a shocking and painful loss,” Dikko said.

“We worked closely during his tenure as Chairman of Kano Pillars, and I witnessed firsthand his commitment to the development of sports in Nigeria. He left a lasting legacy, particularly through his role in the Sports Commission and Ministry of Sports.”

Dikko also recalled Yola’s significant role in Nigeria’s qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, noting his service as a member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) that oversaw the campaign.

Similarly, the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, paid glowing tribute to the late administrator, calling him “one of the brightest minds Nigeria has produced in sports administration.”

“Alhaji Yola came through the ranks in the Sports Commission and was instrumental in many of the successes we are seeing today,” Olopade said.

“As Chief of Staff to Sunday Dare, he was actively involved in launching the ‘Adopt-An-Athlete’ initiative, which has evolved into the Elite Athletes and Podium Performance Program currently supporting Nigeria’s top talents with training grants.”

“His contributions are deeply woven into the fabric of Nigerian sports, and his absence will be profoundly felt. Our thoughts are with his family and the good people of Kano State,” Olopade added.

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Uriah Rennie, the first Black referee in the Premier League, has died aged 65, the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association said on Sunday.

Jamaican-born Rennie, who grew up in Sheffield, made history in 1997 when he refereed a Premier League match between Derby County and Wimbledon. He went on to officiate in over 300 games – including 175 in England’s top flight.

“As the first Black referee in the Premier League, Uriah was a pioneering trailblazer whose legacy will live on, continuing to inspire future generations,” the Premier League said in a statement on Monday.

Rennie retired in 2008, and 15 years passed before another Black official took charge of a Premier League game, Sam Allison refereeing Sheffield United against Luton Town in 2023.

In April, Rennie told the BBC he was learning to walk again after being left paralysed from the waist down by a rare condition.

“Incredibly sad to hear of the passing of referee Uriah Rennie. A pioneer, trailblazer and a bloody good ref,” former England and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore wrote on social media.

-Reuters

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