Z-PRO MEDIA

...Commends NDLEA, youth organisations for taking ownership of the fight against drug abuse  By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye      Ekiti State Technical Advisor on Sports Development, Dr Olusola Osetoba, has again stepped beyond the touchline of sports to the frontline of youth protection, rallying young people, students and critical stakeholders in Emure Local Government Area for a powerful anti-drug awareness drive. The high-impact campaign, staged to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, saw Emure youths take over the streets in a colourful but hard-hitting placard walk, sending a clear message, Ekiti youths choose purpose over pills. Organised by the Nigerian Youth Congress, Emure Youths Movement and Students’ Union Leaders, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the sensitization rally attracted a wide spectrum of stakeholders, civil society actors and community leaders. Informatio...

By Mishael Emmanuel    What should have been a conversation about basketball development in Nasarawa State has instead degenerated into a messy public spectacle, as senior basketball stakeholders blasted what they described as reckless lies, administrative ignorance and cheap social-media activism. At the eye of the storm is former Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) board member and North Central representative, Adamu Deshi, whose name was dragged into circulating online reports accusing him of frustrating a basketball tournament in Lafia. Deshi wasted no time dismantling the claims. “This is nothing but a campaign of calumny designed to destroy my reputation,” he said. In a blistering rebuke, Deshi questioned the credibility of those pushing the narrative, accusing them of hiding incompetence behind the language of youth activism. “How can people who claim they want to take over basketball administration behave with this level of irresponsibility?” he asked. Cal...

    Newcastle United will be without midfielder Joelinton for Wednesday's crunch clash at Paris St Germain in the Champions League but captain Bruno Guimaraes could still make it, manager Eddie Howe said on Tuesday.   Brazilian Joelinton went off in the second half of Newcastle's 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa on Sunday with a groin injury and has not travelled to the French capital.   "Joe won't make the game. He has had a scan. We don't think it's a bad injury," Howe told reporters at the Parc des Princes. "But we think he will be out for a few weeks. He will miss a few games.   "Our other Brazilian, Bruno, is with us, and we will know more in the next few hours." Guimaraes missed the Villa game with an ankle injury but was expected to train with the squad later on Tuesday.   "We'll know more in the next few hours," Howe said.   Reigning champions PSG and Newcastle are sixth and seventh in the table with victory for ei...

    Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, on Tuesday, told his players to forget about the top-eight permutations ahead of their final Champions League group match and concentrate on what matters most, beating Turkish side Galatasaray.   After their shock 3-1 defeat at Norway's Bodo/Glimt last week, City are in 11th place in the Champions League standings and sit outside the top eight on goal difference.   The leading eight teams in the table automatically advance to the last 16, while the sides positioned ninth to 24th enter a playoff round to determine the other qualifiers.   City, the 2023 Champions League winners, are one of eight teams on 13 points after seven matches, with three points separating third place from 15th in the table.   They need to beat Galatasaray at home and have other fixtures go their way in order to avoid the playoffs, with goal difference likely to play a big role.   "I prefer to have more (points) but it is what...

...Bookings rise despite ICE-related violence in US ...European travel to US dipped post-2024 election ...Hotel occupancy in Mexico City rises ahead of matches     Flight bookings to North America have spiked since the World Cup match schedule was announced in December, data from travel technology firm Amadeus showed on Tuesday, with 18% of those reservations made by British travellers.   European travel to the United States has dipped since President Donald Trump's election in November 2024, with many tourists deterred by greater scrutiny at border crossings.   Although a recent rise in violence tied to ICE detentions in the city of Minneapolis has amplified fears among some, data from World Cup watchers and Amadeus show that bookings are up, particularly among England and Scotland fans.   Of the bookings made for the time frame of the tournament, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 37% were in the mon...

    Liverpool manager Arne Slot said his team's five-match winless run in the Premier League had dampened spirits ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Qarabag, despite their strong performances in Europe.   A victory over the Azeri side at Anfield would secure Liverpool a top-eight finish and a direct spot in the round of 16, avoiding the knockout playoffs.   Yet Saturday's 3-2 loss at Bournemouth saw the English champions drop to sixth in the Premier League, 14 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.   "It is going to be really difficult to quiet outside noise with the position we are in the league," Slot told reporters on Tuesday.   "It's impossible to shut down the noise at a club like this if you are not competing for the league."   LIVERPOOL SHORT OF CENTRE BACKS   A growing list of injuries has become a major concern for Slot, with centre back Joe Gomez sidelined after Saturday's loss, and Ibrahima Konate also unavailab...

     Tottenham Hotspur forwards Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert were involved in a minor car accident, manager Thomas Frank said on Tuesday, but he expects both to be available for their Champions League game at Eintracht Frankfurt.   Spurs will, however, be without defenders Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, as they seek to secure a last-16 place in the competition by finishing in the top eight in the league-phase standings. Frank did not have all the details about the car accident which happened while the players were heading to the airport to travel with the squad to Frankfurt for Wednesday's match.   "Unfortunately, both were involved in a minor accident, everyone else involved in that accident is fine," Frank told reporters.   "It was a tyre blowing up, so the two of them are a little bit delayed, but they will land later tonight. I'm actually in doubt if they were both in the same car, but they were together.   "I haven't spoken ...

      For cross-country skiers at the Milano Cortina Olympics winning a medal does not just depend on having great skis, it is also about how those skis are treated and the team of people who know exactly what to do to create the optimal glide. Fast skiing depends on a range of external factors: varying snow conditions, fickle temperatures and variable terrain. That means each athlete on the World Cup tour must travel across multiple countries with a truckload of Nordic ski equipment.   "A full-time World Cup skier usually has somewhere between 50 and 70 pairs of skis. Some athletes even break the 100-pair mark, which can work but it definitely adds a whole new layer of chaos," said Chris Hecker, one of the U.S. ski team's wax techs.   They are essentially a group of amateur physicists, meteorologists and craftspeople all bundled into one.   For U.S. athletes, the massive ski fleet is stored in Yolanda, a semi-truck that doubles as a waxing work...

...Italian politicians critical, some demand ICE be barred ...Italian government says ICE won't be on the streets ...Italian interior minister to address parliament         U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel will help protect U.S. delegations at next month's Winter Olympics in Italy, causing a political uproar in the country.   ICE and Border Patrol agents have come under heavy criticism over their enforcement of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown after they shot and killed two U.S. citizens in separate incidents this month in Minnesota.   ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division will back up the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service at the February 6-22 Milano Cortina Olympics, the Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X.   The ICE agents' role will be "to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations," the post added, noting "all security operations remai...

...Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt and Tunsia in the semi final  By Mishael Emmanuel and Trust Ittai    Nigeria’s hopes of securing a podium finish at the Handball African Nations Cup in Kigali, Rwanda, were shattered at the quarter-final stage after two heavy defeats. The Golden Arrows, as the Nigerian team is affectionately known, faced Egypt in their second quarter-final matchup after a narrow loss to Angola earlier in the competition. Unfortunately, the Nigerian team’s struggle continued, with Egypt cruising to a dominant 48-22 victory. This result sealed Nigeria’s fate, extinguishing any remaining hope of reaching the semi-finals. Earlier in the tournament, the Golden Arrows had lost a tight contest to Angola, 27-24, in their first quarter-final match.  Despite a spirited performance, they were unable to break Angola’s defense and failed to capitalize on key moments.  That defeat already put Nigeria on the back foot, but their performance against Egy...

    Trials allowing supporters to drink alcohol in the stands at Women’s Super League matches have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, prompting renewed debate over why such policies remain controversial in English football when they are routine across much of British sport. The sight of a beer snake at cricket matches being one of the traditions of the summer. This weekend marks 100 fixtures since WSL Football expanded its latest scheme, with 15 of the 26 clubs across the top two tiers taking part. Tottenham, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest will join the trial for the remainder of the season. A survey of 4,270 fans rated their experiences on a scale of one to ten, with fan safety scoring an average of 9.4. Seventy per cent of respondents supported alcohol consumption in the stands, up from 58% during last summer’s smaller pilot. Family-friendliness was also rated highly at 9.1, while atmosphere scored 8.6. Rugby union, cricket, golf and horse racing ha...

      The inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup is potentially reshaping the financial landscape of women’s club football, with FIFA is throwing down the gauntlet to UEFA and the other confederations with ambitions to develop their club games by offering the biggest prize money in the women’s international club game to date.  The club that lifts the first-ever FIFA Women’s Champions Cup Trophy in 2026 will earn $2.3 million. In comparison Arsenal Women earned about $1.8 million in prize money for winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League last season. The Champions Cup runners-up will receive $1 million, the two semi-finalists will each collect $200,000, while teams eliminated in Round 1 and Round 2 – OFC representatives Auckland United FC of New Zealand and AFC representatives Wuhan Chegu Jiangda WFC of China PR – will receive $100,000 apiece. “A total payout of close to $4 million distributed among the six participants based on their performance is a clea...

    Chelsea have been fined £150,000 following an incident at the end of their Premier League match against Aston Villa in December, raising questions about behaviour and accountability inside the club during what has been, by the Blues’ standard, a turbulent period on and off the pitch. The fine relates to a plastic water bottle thrown towards Villa’s technical area after the final whistle of the Villains’ 2-1 comeback victory at Stamford Bridge. Two late goals from Ollie Watkins triggered wild celebrations from the away bench, after which an unidentified member of Chelsea’s staff hurled the bottle in their direction. Chelsea accepted a Football Association misconduct charge for breaching FA Rule E20.1, after the club “failed to ensure its players and/or other relevant personnel around the technical area did not behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or abusive way after the final whistle”. An independent FA regulatory commission imposed the sanction followi...

      Jay Vine overcame a crash with a kangaroo to clinch the Tour Down Under title on Sunday, the opening event of the 2026 World Tour, Australian media reported.   Australian Vine was among the cyclists who tumbled down when a kangaroo leapt into the peloton, during the final stage of the race.   The 30-year-old quickly remounted, however, switched bikes and went on to secure victory for the UAE Team Emirates. “Everyone asks me what the most dangerous thing in Australia is, and I always tell them it’s kangaroos,” Vine told reporters. “They wait in the bushes until you can’t stop and then jump out in front of you. Point proven today. “Two of them blasted through the peloton when we were doing about 50 kph. One stopped and went left, right, left, right, and I ended up hitting its backside.”