Sports
Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte on Paris Saint-Germain’s managerial wishlist following Champions League exit
Paris Saint-Germain are looking for a high-profile coach to bring them Champions League glory next season – and Arsene Wenger could be one of the candidates.
Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini will also be on the wishlist of the big-spending Qatri club.
The Ligue 1 leaders were eliminated in the knockout stages for the second consecutive year last night as Cristiano Ronaldo inspired a 5-2 aggregate victory for Real Madrid.
Spanish coach Unai Emery signed a two-year contract when he joined from Seville in 2016 with the option of a third year if PSG reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The Paris club are 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and are still on course for a domestic cup double.
But the massive summer spending spree – which saw PSG break the world transfer record for Neymar and spend £166m on Kylian Mbappe – was not designed for the home market.
Laurent Blanc was fired in 2016 shortly after signing a new two-year deal when PSG went out in the Champions League quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive year.
Emery, who won three consecutive Europa Leagus with Seville, survived last year’s 6-1 second leg humiliation at the hands of Barcelona.
But after a tame surrender to Real Madrid, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaïfi said: “Now is not the time to talk about changes. Everyone is annoyed. We will calm down and think about what we have to change. We are happy with our investment, we believe in our players. We want to continue our project.”
PSG have already approached Wenger, now 68, since the 2011 takeover by the Qatar Sports Investments but the Frenchman could become available at the end of the season. Conte wants to leave Chelsea and Mancini is seeking another challenge away from Zenit.
Ancelotti coached PSG for 18 months until June 2013 before leaving for Real Madrid but is available after leaving Bayern Munich in September – following a 3-0 defeat at PSG.
Emery said: “My future is the present. I do not want to waste energy on things which, for me, are not important.”
On Sunday before the Real Madrid match, sporting director Antero Henrique said: “We will decide together, him and me, and speak at the end of the season and he is comfortable with that. What occupies us today are matches – the challenges that await us.”
The Chairman of Agbele Sporting, Hon. Ponmile Omidiji, has rejoiced with and extended warm felicitations to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, on the occasion of his birthday.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Omidiji and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement reads: “It is my greatest pleasure to felicitate with you, the man of the masses and a philanthropist par excellence, on your day of birth.
“You are a morale booster and a great motivator to this generation. You always utilise any position you occupy for the benefit of others. Indubitably, you are a good man and worthy of emulation,” he added.
Omidiji also seized the opportunity to commend Hon. Soname’s contributions and tireless efforts towards the development of football in Nigeria and beyond, noting that such commitment is truly appreciated.
He offered heartfelt prayers for the celebrant, praying that Almighty God would continue to bless and protect him, that God’s grace would abound in his life, and that all his concerns would be firmly in God’s hands. He further wished that the world would always be kind to him.
Christian Chukwu, former captain and head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has died at the age of 74.
The football icon passed away in the early hours of Saturday, though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear at the time of reporting.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his longtime friend and teammate, Chief Olusegun Odegbami, who spoke to Channels Television. Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu in Nigeria’s triumphant 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on,” said Odegbami.
“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” he added.
Born on 4 January 1951 in Enugu, Chukwu carved a legendary career in Nigerian football, notably captaining Enugu Rangers to numerous domestic triumphs and leading them to continental glory in 1977 with victory in the now-defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup.
He made history in 1980 as the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy following a 3–0 win over Algeria in the final held in Lagos.
Chukwu went on to contribute to Nigeria’s football success off the pitch, serving as assistant to Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof during the Super Eagles’ victorious 1994 AFCON campaign and their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
As head coach, Chukwu led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His tenure as national coach lasted from 2002 to 2005, ending during the qualification phase for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Nicknamed “Chairman” for his commanding presence on and off the pitch, Chukwu also played a role in Nigeria’s youth football development, working as assistant coach during the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup, which Nigeria won in China.
In 2019, he battled prostate cancer, which affected his mobility. A public appeal for support was launched, and Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola stepped in to cover his overseas medical expenses, reportedly donating $50,000 for his treatment.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes Marcus Rashford was unable to see football “the way I see it” before the unwanted England striker was shipped out of Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old Rashford fell dramatically out of favour with the Portuguese boss and spent seven weeks on the sidelines until he was loaned to Premier League rivals Aston Villa during the transfer window.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“And sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Aston Villa coach) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Amorim, whose team face Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, said his focus now is on turning around a wretched season.
“Guys, in the summer… like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” he said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
