Sports

Qatar reports three new virus cases at World Cup sites April 18, 2020 Workers take a break at the Al-Bayt stadium under construction for the 2022 Qatar World Cup and one of several where the workforce has been hit by COVID-19. Qatar has detected three more coronavirus cases among workers on World Cup stadiums, organisers said Thursday, bringing the number of infections among those involved in 2022 tournament construction to eight. The Gulf nation has reported seven deaths from the COVID-19 disease and 4,103 cases in total, announcing the first infections in stadium workers on Wednesday. Building work for the stadiums and infrastructure to stage the tournament has continued through the crisis even as non-essential retail has been halted and mosques, parks and restaurants have closed. “The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has confirmed that two staff members who work for a SC contractor have tested positive for COVID-19,” organisers said in a statement. ...

COVID-19: De Bruyne reveals his family may have suffered from Coronavirus April 18, 2020 Manchester City playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne, has disclosed that his family may have contracted Coronavirus (COVID-19) while on lockdown in Manchester. According to De Bruyne, himself, children, and wife, were sick for some days, but they all recovered before confirming whether the issues were related to COVID-19. “At the beginning of the lockdown, my family was sick for eight or nine days,” De Bruyne told Sky Sports. “It started with my little boy, then my older boy and then my wife, but I don’t know if we had [Coronavirus] or not. “Luckily, we are out of it, and the last two or three weeks have been perfect, and we are finding a routine and everything, so we are okay. “Well, the first two weeks were a bit weird because I don’t know what is going on. “Then, I managed to get a treadmill. I was swimming a bit because I’m lucky to have a pool downstairs. “I was doing a couple...

Transfer: How Cristiano Ronaldo was offered to Barcelona April 18, 2020 Legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, reportedly offered Cristiano Ronaldo to Barcelona, as he did not want the player to join Real Madrid. Former Madrid president, Ramon Calderon, claims Ferguson was desperate not to sell Ronaldo to the Spanish giants. The Portugal superstar eventually joined Los Blancos from United in the summer of 2009, but the deal itself was agreed the previous year. “(Alex) Ferguson did not want him to leave and in particular, he did not want him to join Madrid, as we had won even more trophies than Manchester United, so he offered the player to Barcelona instead. “Barcelona were delighted with the opportunity but Ronaldo was very clear about the commitment he had with Madrid and a document that had already been signed,” Calderon told Diario AS. Post navigation

I don’t want to be a coach – Yakubu April 18, 2020 Former Super Eagles striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has ruled out coaching, and would prefer to venture into other fields. Speaking with Goal, the former Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Leicester City striker says he enjoys his role as a FIFA ambassador, adding that he prefers it to coaching. “I don’t want to be a coach,” Yakubu said. “I went to the U-20 (Flying Eagles) camp in Munich before they went to Poland. There, I stayed for over a week and passed my message to the young footballers. “I even coached the strikers a little bit and I am always ready to help out when I’m needed but coaching is not for me. “I enjoy what I’m doing now than coaching, but, I can come in whenever I’m needed to speak to the boys and pass my knowledge to the upcoming players. “I was in the national team for 10 years and I had a great time there, good or bad. “For me, to be invited to speak with the U-15s, U-17s and U-20s will be nice an...

Arsenal told to sell Aubameyang to Manchester United on one condition April 18, 2020 Former Arsenal star, Charlie Nicholas, has urged the club to sell striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, to Manchester United if the Red Devils offer £100million. GIFTALWORLD had reported that Aubameyang is facing an uncertain future at Arsenal. His current deal at the Gunners will run out in the summer of 2021. The Gabon international has drawn the interest of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Inter Milan in recent weeks. But Nicholas believes Aubameyang would make Man United better. “Van Persie jumped to a massive salary, but Manchester United are not the same caliber as what they were. Would Aubameyang be the cutting edge to them? Man Utd has other issues to address like Arsenal,” Nicholas said as quoted by Express UK. “If Arsenal were to get £100illion for him to sign for Man United, I would take that. He will make them better, that is why they would pay big. “Arsenal were the cha...

Sancho gives condition to join Manchester United April 18, 2020 Borussia Dortmund winger, Jadon Sancho, will only move to Manchester United if the Red Devils can guarantee UEFA Champions League football next season, according to The Athletic. Man United are currently outside of the Champions League qualification places as they trail fourth-placed Chelsea by three points. There is still plenty of time for the Old Trafford club to close the gap on the top four. GIFTALWORLD had reported that Sancho had drawn the interest of Man United in the past few days. Man United are willing to offer Sancho the no.7 shirt, in a bid to lure him to join the club this summer transfer window. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side is believed to be leading the race to sign Sancho from Dortmund for a club-record fee. Meanwhile, Manchester United striker, Marcus Rashford, has since welcomed Sancho, to Old Trafford. Rashford, who is close friends with Sancho, wants ...

Brugge reject €10m Dortmund offer for Dennis April 17, 2020 Borussia Dortmund’s offer of €10m for Nigeria international, Emmanuel Dennis, has been turned down by Club Brugge, who value the player higher than what the Bundesliga giants are offering. According to reports in the German media, the bid was rejected by Club Brugge, who value Dennis between €25m and €30m. Dortmund are in the market for a replacement for England winger Jadon Sancho, who is expected to leave the club this summer. German sides Leipzig and Leverkusen are also interested in the versatile forward. Dennis has also been linked with Sheffield United, Newcastle United and Southampton in the Premier League as well as Napoli in Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco. The 22-year-old linked up with Club Brugge three years ago from Ukrainian club, FC Zorya.

CORONAVIRUS: PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS PUSHING FOR JUNE 30 END TO SEASON April 16, 2020 The Premier League are set to meet again on Friday, with more clubs wanting the season concluded by June 30 because of player contracts, according to Sky Sports. The agenda will be how to end the 2019/2020 season, which has been suspended since March because of the coronavirus outbreak. Clubs are doing everything they can to finish the season, rather than declare it null and void. However, the possibility of many contracts ending before the campaign finishes, would affect several clubs. Their worry is that if the season does not end by June 30, out-of-contract and loan players will be able to walk away from their clubs, even though FIFA has recommended that deals due to expire could be extended to the end date of any domestic campaign. No decisions are expected to be ratified at Friday’s meeting and the season will only restart when the government advises it is safe to do so. Game...

COVID-19: Marouane Fellaini’s second Coronavirus test result out April 15, 2020 Chinese club, Shandong Luneng, has announced the result of midfielder, Marouane Fellaini’s second Coronavirus (COVID-19) test. Shandon, in a brief statement on Tuesday, disclosed that the follow-up test returned negative. “Fellaini was assessed and was deemed to have recovered and has been discharged,” the club’s statement read. GIFTALWORLD recalls that Fellaini had tested positive for the virus last month. The former Manchester United star was the only player known to have contracted the disease in the Chinese Super League (CSL). The 32-year-old is expected to spend 14 days in quarantine for further observation.

Coronavirus: Yobo names team that should win Premier League title April 15, 2020 Former Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, has admitted he would be happy to see Liverpool crowned Premier League champions. Jurgen Klopp’s men are 25 points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, with matches currently suspended due to the outbreak of COVID-19. There have been calls for the season to be ended prematurely and the Reds awarded the trophy. This suggestion has met with both support and criticisms. Yobo, who played for Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton, however feels it would be unfair if they won’t win it. “If I want to be sentimental [as an Evertonian], I could have said I don’t want them to win it,” he told Goal. “But I love football and for the interest of global football, and the way Liverpool have played, they deserve to win the Premier League title – 25 points is not a joke. “From the way they played last season, winning the Champions League and...

Coronavirus: Arsenal players reject pay cut April 15, 2020 Arsenal players have turned down the club’s latest proposal to slash their wages during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Goal reports. There have been in talks with senior officials over the last fortnight to reach an agreement. Several options have been discussed, but so far none have been met with enough approval to be put into action. Over the weekend, the idea of a 12.5% wage cut was put forward, with Arsenal trying to lessen the financial blow the club might suffer if the season is completed or finished behind closed doors. There were clauses included in the offer, including paying players in full if they qualify for the Champions League. It was, however, met with scepticism by the players, with the Gunners currently in ninth place. Had that offer been accepted, it would have seen Arsenal cut around £25 million ($31m) from their annual £230 m ($286m) wage bill.

Ighalo picks better player between Van Nistelrooy, Persie April 15, 2020 Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo, has chosen who is a better player between former Red Devils stars, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie. Ighalo, who won Man United’s March Goal-of-the-Month Award, said he would instead prefer to partner with Van Nistelrooy than Van Persie. According to the 30-year-old, Van Nistelrooy was a goalscorer and a positional striker like him that could run between defenders with space. When asked who he would pick between Van Nistelrooy and Van Persie, Ighalo told Periscope live with Juliet Bawuah: “I would gladly pick Van Nistelrooy. “Van Nistelrooy is a goalscorer. He does not show skills, and he does not try to dribble and all that. “He is a position striker, like me. “A striker who can run between defenders and have space. “That is the kind of striker I learn from. Don’t get me wrong. Van Persie is a good player.” Van Nistelrooy joined Man...