SPORTS
Tottenham Relegation Fears Grow after Forest Win
Nottingham Forest took a giant leap to safety and plunged Tottenham further into relegation danger with a devastating victory at Spurs.
Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi settled the basement battle to lift Forest three points clear of the Premier League’s drop zone.
Forest leapfrogged Spurs into 16th to leave the hosts a point above the bottom three after West Ham’s defeat at Aston Villa.
It casts further doubt on the future of Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor, who has only been in charge seven games.
Tottenham failed to sign Gibbs-White last summer, a transfer saga which left Forest threatening Spurs with legal action.
Fastforward seven-and-a-half months, the England midfielder’s goal could have helped pushed them closer to the Championship with a huge result for Forest – their first win in the Premier League under manager Vitor Pereira after he joined in February.
Spurs have now not won in the top flight since 28 December, have lost six of their past seven league games and are falling apart under Tudor.
The Croatian has lost five of his seven games in charge and Sunday’s result could be the most damaging of all.
Tottenham were on top in the first half but Igor Jesus – who had earlier turned the ball onto his own crossbar while defending – nodded in the opener in first-half stoppage time.
Mathys Tel hit the bar before the break as Spurs searched for an instant response but fell further behind after 62 minutes when Gibbs-White was left unmarked in the area and his shot from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cutback went through Guglielmo Vicario’s hands.
Once Spurs substitute Lucas Bergvall sliced a good chance wide there was no coming back and Awoniyi added a third with three minutes left, leaving Tottenham with seven games to save their Premier League future.
It could not have been any more damaging if they had tried and a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games pushes them closer to relegation.
Tudor’s position will now surely be in doubt just over a month after being appointed as Thomas Frank’s replacement.
The former Croatia defender has earned just a point from his five Premier League games and suffered a humiliation against Forest – who had not won in the Premier League for two months.
Tottenham are in disarray and could suffer relegation from the top flight for the first time since 1977.
It could have been scripted. Spurs did start with some purpose following the backing from the fans but that evaporated in the second half.
Igor Jesus’ goal silenced Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Gibbs-White’s goal was the cue for some fans to leave.
Awoniyi added more pain but after just two home league wins all season – against Brighton and Brentford – it should not come as a surprise.
Tottenham were cheered on and booed off and their Premier League fate is increasingly in the balance.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will find out their opponents for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games women’s football qualifiers this week.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday that the draw for the African qualifying series will take place on Wednesday at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12 noon and will be streamed live on CAF TV.
A total of 35 national teams, including Super Falcons will participate in the qualifiers, which will be played over five rounds.
The other countries are; Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea.
Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the other countries that will take part in the qualifiers.
Two teams will earn Africa’s slots at the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Super Falcons and Copper Queens of Zambia represented the continent at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame (LBHF) monthly tournament returns on Saturday, celebrating founder Wale Edun’s 70th birthday marked on Monday, April 20.
“This special edition honours our founder’s enduring legacy,” said Mr David Mohamed, LBHF Director, in a statement issued on Thursday.
The tournament will be held at Agege Stadium in Lagos State.
Founded in 2010 by Edun, LBHF is widely regarded as Nigeria’s and Africa’s longest-running amateur boxing tournament.
Until Tuesday, Edun was the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, before resigning his post on health grounds.
“The initiative provides a platform for young boxers to train and gain exposure,” Mohamed said, noting its role in grassroots boxing development.
As a non-profit organisation, LBHF has nurtured talents who have achieved national and international success.
“This edition doubles as a tribute to Edun, whose vision has shaped many boxing careers,” Mohamed added.
Action begins with Fatade Juwon facing Abiodun Yusuf in the men’s 50kg category.
Tajudeen Yekini will then confront Adele Faruq in the 55kg division.
In the men’s 60kg category, Tajudeen Rasheed meets Ogunleye Aliazeem, while Mosuru Adedeji battles Innocent Prosper.
Exhibition bouts will feature Princess Adeola against Zainab Ibrahim in the women’s 28kg category, and Adeseye Kalid versus Saliu Razak in the men’s 34kg division.
The sole women’s main-card clash will see Oluwatoyin Amirat face Aminashaun Raheemo in the 48kg division.
Wahab Ramadan will meet Lawal Opeyemi in the men’s 70kg bout, before Makinde Mohamed faces Ibadiaro Idris in the 75kg category.
The event concludes with Lawal Mohammed against Oluwapo Oluwaseun in the men’s 80kg title bout.
Over the years, LBHF has developed talents like Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje, producing fighters who have represented Nigeria with distinction.
“This celebration reinforces our mission to sustain boxing as a pathway for young Nigerians,” Mohamed said.
English and Italian football giants Manchester City, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus will square up for pre-season friendlies in Hong Kong in August, the clubs announced yesterday.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, currently arm-wrestling Arsenal for the Premier League title, will take on Inter Milan on Saturday, August 1, spearheaded by their Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland.
The match will kick off the “Hong Kong Football Festival” at the city’s futuristic 50,000-seat Kai Tak stadium.
The gleaming arena opened a year ago, featuring a roof that can be closed and air-conditioning to combat the fierce summer heat and humidity in Hong Kong.
Chelsea will play Juventus on Wednesday August 5 to round off the mini-tournament.
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