Odion Ighalo: “I play for money”.

After a successful career in Europe, Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo has been moving to Asia, and Saudi Arabia in particular, for a number of years now. The current striker of El-Wehd, said that he no longer plays for passion, but to earn money.

“I don't know when God will tell me to stop, but I know it won't be more than three years before I do. I've played for passion all my life, now I have to play for money. I'm not one of those players who say I play soccer for passion. I play for money, and at the end of the day, it's all about money. Look at the people who go to Saudi Arabia, the great players. Does Ronaldo still play for passion? He's won more than 100 times what I've won in my life, but he's still gone to Saudi Arabia. Are you telling me that's passion? No, it's for the money. It's only when we Africans say it, that they'll say we love money. But these people don't care, some of them want to be the best paid and all that", elaborated the Nigerian.

 

Ligue 2 - Saint-Étienne: Dylan Batubinsika guides Les Verts to victory over Grenoble

Saint-Étienne defeated Grenoble (0-2) on Tuesday April 23. Dylan Batubinsika scored the first goal for Les Verts in the 80th minute. The Congolese international put his team on the right track before Dylan Chambost sealed their victory 7 minutes later (87th). The Congolese scored his first goal of the season after 25 games. Saint-Étienne consolidated their 3rd place and are now 4 points behind leaders Auxerre.

 

Leicester: Wilfred Ndidi and Iheanacho targeted by Crystal Palace

Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho are on Crystal Palace's radar, reveals talkSPORT. The two Nigerian internationals are at the end of their contract with Leicester and will therefore be available for free this summer. The former has scored 3 goals and provided 5 assists in 29 league games this season. The second, meanwhile, has 5 goals and an assist in 22 games.

Ligue 2 - Amiens: Louis Mafouta hat-trick

Amiens failed to get back to winning ways. Les Amiénois recorded a 5th game without a win on Tuesday's 34th day of Ligue 2, when they were held 3-3 by Quevilly. And yet Louis Mafouta did everything in his power to give his team the 3 points. With the Picards trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes, he equalized (33rd) and then gave Amiens a two-goal lead before the break (3-1). But Quevilly managed to equalize.

Jupiler pro league: 5 nominees for the best African footballers are known

The Jupiler Pro League has revealed the names of the 5 nominees for the Belgian Ebony Shoe. The trophy is awarded to the best African footballer playing in Belgium. Mohamed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise), Kevin Denkey (Cercle Bruges), Bilal El Khannouss (Genk), Mandela Keita (Antwerp) and Aboubakary Koita (Saint-Trond) will attempt to succeed last season's winner, Mike Trésor Ndayishimiye. The award ceremony will take place on May 13 in Brussels.

Bamba recounts his last exchange with Sala on the plane before the crash

Emiliano Sala died on January 21, 2019 from a plane crash while joining his new team Cardiff from Nantes, who had just transferred him. Sol Bamba, a Cardiff defender at the time, reveals in an interview with a YouTube channel that he exchanged views with the former Argentine striker before the plane took off.

“We shared the same agent and he'd just signed for Cardiff, he'd come to visit the facilities for two-three days. When he flew back, we exchanged messages. He'd joke that the plane was having trouble getting off the ground, and that if we didn't hear from him in a few hours, he'd be at the bottom of the sea. He was just kidding, we were having fun. During the night, my agent called to tell me that his plane had disappeared, that it hadn't landed. It was around 3-4am,” recalls the former Ivorian international (51 caps).

27 matches without defeat: APR wins Rwandan League

 

Who will stop APR? Rwanda's military soccer team is crushing everything in its path. In fact, last weekend, the Black-Whites clinched the league title with a 1-0 win over Kiyovu Sport. With 4 matches remaining in the championship, APR FC have won their 5th consecutive title and 22nd in their history. What's more, the team set a record of 27 Primus National League matches unbeaten.

“It hasn't been an easy season, there have been ups and downs, some games have been difficult but we've managed and that's the mark of true champions. Overall, I can say we've done well,” said club defender Fitina Omborenga. “If things go well, we hope to finish the season unbeaten,” hopes APR president Colonel Richard Karasira.

Zambia: Football Association President Andrew Kamanga arrested

Andrew Kamanga, President of the Zambia Football Association since 2016, has been arrested by the DEC (Drug Enforcment Commission) in connection with embezzlement of public funds and money laundering. The federation's general secretary, Reuben Kamanga, was also arrested.

Will Bavieux Touré and Wadie Jari soon be joined by another federation president in prison? Following in the footsteps of his Malian and Tunisian counterparts, Andrew Kamanga has been arrested by the Zambian authorities, in this case the DEC, a commission combating money laundering and drug trafficking.

At the root of the affair was a request from the Zambian Football Association to its government to cover the expenses (notably accommodation) of two people travelling to the African Cup of Nations in January: Madalitso Kamanga and Jairrous Siame.Some 12,400 euros were donated by the government, not including return airfares.

Kamanga calls on FIFA for help

The problem was that the CID found that the money had been paid equally into the bank accounts of each individual. Worse still, these two men are not FAZ members as stated, but simply the brother and friend of the FAZ president.

With just a few days to go before the elections, in which Andrew Kamanga is once again the clear favorite, the latter immediately contacted FIFA, citing the “influence of a third party”. Following his arrest, he was released on bail and is now awaiting trial with his secretary general, Reuben Kamanga, who is also accused of money laundering.

As a reminder, the FAZ had already been under the spotlight of scandal with a case of sexual abuse of minors revealed notably by Sport News Africa. Since then, no decision has been taken by the management.

Feguifoot: Coach suspended for sexual abuse allegations

The Guinean Football Federation was quick to react. Following an investigation published on Sport News Africa into allegations of paedo criminality and sexual abuse of players at the Nongo soccer center, the federation has suspended one of the coaches involved. The coach of the U20 women's national team, Sekouba Camara, has been suspended after being accused by several players, including one who accused him of sexual abuse.

In a statement released to the public, the body told the technician: “In the interests of the integrity of our soccer and pending the results of the investigation, we are forced to temporarily suspend you from your coaching duties.”This decision was taken as a precautionary measure in view of the seriousness of the “allegations”.Feguifoot also invites him to “cooperate fully with the investigation and provide any relevant information that could help shed light on this matter.”

Nigeria - Nwabali: “No club has approached me about a possible transfer”

 

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali (27) has said that he is yet to receive any offers from clubs after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Media reports had previously suggested interest from Queens Park Rangers (England), Union St Gilloise (Belgium) and Al Ettifaq of the Saudi Pro League.

However, Nwabali, a key player in Nigeria's runners-up spot at the AFCON 2023, stressed the lack of direct contact regarding any transfer talks in an interview with FARPost. “To be honest, I haven't seen anything on my table since the AFCON,” Nwabali says.

“Maybe these clubs would have spoken to my team or my manager. But at this stage, we can't say anything,” adds the keeper. “Clubs can't approach me because it wouldn't be professional. They have to approach my management or my manager. So, I don't know if there's anything on the table waiting maybe towards the summer. Most clubs always do that. When they show interest, you pave the way for other clubs,” hopes the current last line of defence for Chippa United in the South African D1.