Davide Astori honoured by Fiorentina in first clash since tragic passing

Published

9 years ago

March 11, 2018

FIORENTINA players wore shirts bearing Davide Astori’s name and number in the warm-up for their first match since their former skipper’s tragic passing.

Benevento are the visitors for an emotional affair at the Artemio Franchi, with an eerie silence greeting the players as they emerged for the match.

Fiorentina players honour their former captain during pre-match warm up

The players held a huge banner bearing the words “Captain forever” before kick-off.

Many fans turned up ahead of time to pay their respects to their former captain and idol, while players from both sides lined up arm-in-arm in an emotional tribute.

Benevento’s official match pendant had the words “Ciao Davide 13” attached to it.

While announcing the line-up, the stadium announcer, said: “At 13, our captain forever: Davide Astori.”

Fiorentina boss Stefano Pioli named Milan Baldelj as captain for the match.

Riccardo Saponara, whose heartfelt tribute to his form

Meanwhile, Davide astori’s replacement for Fiorentina Vitor Hugo scored his first-ever goal for the club in their first match since the tragic passing of their former captain.

Tributes were paid before the contest and play was stopped on 13 minutes so fans and players could applaud the ex-Italy international.

Vitor Hugo celebrates with a t shirt in honour of tragic Davide Astori

Fiorentina players can't hold back emotions at full-time against Benevento

Then, eight minutes later, Hugo headed home Riccardo Saponara’s corner to open the scoring.

Players were met with an eerie silence as an emotional crowd remember Astori. The sound from players shaking hands could be heard, despite the sellout crowd.

Banners in memory of Astori were scattered amongst the crowd, while the players held up their own tribute to their former captain.

While the stadium announcer named him in the starting line-up for the day, insisting he would always be their captain.

Fiorentina players celebrate the goal in memory of Davide Astori together

It was proved to be a highly-emotional occasion for Fiorentina players

Fiorentina boss Stefano Pioli, who was moved to tears before kick-off, was looking for the victory which would temporarily move his side up to ninth place.

The opening goal arrived on 25 minutes as Hugo headed home Riccardo Saponara’s corner.

Benevento, who are rock bottom on ten points, were in search of their first-ever away point in Serie A and looked dangerous whenever they went forward.

La Viola goalkeeper Marco Sportiello was forced into a number of smart saves.

Milan Baldelj poignantly holds aloft Davide Astori's captain's armband

But the home side should have been further ahead before half-time as Giovanni Simeone — son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego — missed a number of chances.

Milan Baldelj, who wore Astori’s captain’s armband, almost settled the game in the final minute when his thunderous effort rattled the post.

Marco Benassi really should have scored from the rebound as he skied over and allowed Benevento one last chance.

Vitor Hugo rises highest to head home for Fiorentina against Benevento

Fiorentina players applaud crowd after emotional match against Benevento

But they couldn’t capitalise and Fiorentina held on for a victory, as Benevento’s slim hopes of staying up are almost extinguished.

Players form both sides failed to hide their emotions after the final whistle as several fell to the ground in floods of tears as they remember their tragic former team-mate.

While Baldelj symbolically held up the captain’s armband to the crowd.

It was an emotional occasion and fitting tribute which showed just how much of an imprint Astori left on his Fiorentina team-mates.

Kane, Yamal, Mbappe, Messi make 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist

Published

1 month ago

September 8, 2026

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Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are among the 30 players nominated for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, with the race for football’s most prestigious individual award officially underway.

The nominees were unveiled on Tuesday, with several of the biggest names in world football making the shortlist following their performances during the 2025/26 season.

The winner of the award will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 26.

Mbappe, Yamal, Kane and Messi headline a star-studded list that also includes Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior, Ousmane Dembele, Bruno Fernandes, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane.

Other notable nominees are Rodri, Declan Rice, Lautaro Martinez, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded annually to the player judged to have produced the outstanding individual performance over the preceding season.

The women’s category also has 30 nominees, including Barcelona stars Alexia Putellas, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patri Guijarro and Ewa Pajor, as well as Arsenal forward Alessia Russo and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw.

Zambian forward Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Rose Lavelle, Vivianne Miedema and Wendie Renard are among the other leading names on the women’s shortlist.

Meanwhile, Yamal is also nominated for the Men’s Young Talent of the Year award alongside Pau Cubarsi, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Warren Zaire-Emery and six other players.

The Women’s Young Talent of the Year category has five nominees, including Vicky Lopez and Lily Yohannes.

The nominees for the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award include Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martinez, David Raya, Yassine Bounou and Unai Simon, while Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton and Ayaka Yamashita are among the five contenders in the women’s category.

For the Men’s Coach of the Year award, Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique have been shortlisted.

The five nominees for the Women’s Coach of the Year award are Jonatan Giraldez, Andree Jeglertz, Nils Nielsen, Pere Romeu and Elena Sadiku.

In the club categories, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo and Paris Saint-Germain are in contention for the Men’s Club of the Year award.

Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Club America, Manchester City and OL Lyonnes are the nominees for the Women’s Club of the Year award.

All eyes will now turn to London, where the winners of the various categories will be crowned on October 26.

Sports

‎Oseni Mobilises Supporters with Free Tickets for Shooting Stars’ Victory ‎

Published

1 month ago

August 29, 2026

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has congratulated Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan on their 2-1 victory over newly promoted Inter Lagos in the opening fixture of the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
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‎The Oluyole Warriors began their campaign on a winning note at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, on Friday, securing three points in front of their home supporters.
‎‎Ahead of the encounter, the lawmaker mobilised hundreds of supporters to the stadium and provided free tickets for fans to enable them to watch and cheer the Ibadan-based club.
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‎The mobilisation, led by members of his youth wing, contributed to the strong home support for Shooting Stars as the team battled the Lagos-based newcomers in an entertaining opening-day encounter.
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‎In a statement issued on Friday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, who represents, Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency said he was delighted with the victory and commended the players, coaches, management and supporters of the club for starting the new season on a positive note.
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The statement added that the gesture was a reflection of Oseni’s passion for sports and his belief that sustained support from the fans could inspire the team to greater achievements during the season.
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“ Oseni is a lover of sports and passionate about Shooting Stars. This is one of the ways, among others, that we can support the team and encourage them in their quest for victory,” the statement stressed.
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It further explained that the free tickets were provided to encourage more supporters to fill the stands and give the players the backing they needed, particularly in their first home game of the season.
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According to the statement, Oseni believes that sports provide an important platform for youth engagement, development and community pride, stressing that Shooting Stars remains a club with a strong place in the identity of Ibadan and Oyo State.
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‎On the pitch, Lucky Emmanuel put Shooting Stars ahead in the 15th minute before Inter Lagos equalised through Uchenna Njoku. Sodiq Ibrahim restored the home side’s lead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time, with the score remaining 2-1 until the final whistle.
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‎The APC chieftain urged the Oluyole Warriors to build on the victory and maintain their winning mentality throughout the season, assuring the team of his continued support and encouragement.

Sports

Oyo APC Demands Probe of N5.5bn Lekan Salami Stadium Renovation

Published

2 months ago

August 18, 2026

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The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies to investigate the N5.5bn reportedly spent on the renovation of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.

The party made the call following the reported rejection of the stadium by the Confederation of African Football as a venue for Shooting Stars Sports Club’s continental campaign.

Shooting Stars secured qualification for continental football after about 28 years but will reportedly play its home matches in Abeokuta after the Ibadan stadium failed to meet CAF’s requirements.

In a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan on Tuesday, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, described the development as disappointing and embarrassing to the state.

The party alleged that the CAF decision had raised questions about the quality of work carried out at the stadium and the funds reportedly committed to its renovation.

Sadare said the state government should explain why a facility said to have gulped N5.5bn could not secure approval to host a continental competition.

He said, “Everyone in the state should ask Governor Makinde to explain the circumstances surrounding the stadium’s failure to secure approval for the CAF Confederation Cup and provide details of the funds committed to its renovation and upgrading.”

The APC also criticised what it described as the alleged delivery of substandard projects by the Makinde administration, citing the recent erosion that reportedly damaged part of a road project in Bodija shortly after its commissioning.

The party said the stadium’s failure to host Shooting Stars’ continental fixtures was particularly unfortunate because the club’s return to African competition after nearly three decades should have provided Oyo State with an opportunity to showcase its sporting infrastructure to a wider African audience.

The APC therefore urged the EFCC and other relevant anti-graft agencies to investigate the award and execution of the stadium project, establish how the funds were spent and make anyone found culpable to face the law.

It also called on the state government to urgently address the deficiencies identified at the stadium and ensure that the facility is upgraded to meet international standards and capable of hosting major continental competitions in the future.