Sports
Nigeria and Guinea receive wildcards for the 2023 AfroCan and Women’s AfroBasket tournaments
Nigeria and Guinea granted wildcards for 2023 AfroCan and Women’s AfroBasket tournaments
BIDJAN (Cote d’Ivoire) – FIBA Africa has announced the allocation of two wildcards for the upcoming continental tournaments, with Nigeria and Guinea being selected for participation.
Nigeria will be making their second consecutive appearance in the FIBA AfroCan, while Guinea has secured their fourth spot in the Women’s AfroBasket since 2015.
The FIBA AfroCan is a national team competition held every four years, exclusively featuring African-based players, except for two spots. The inaugural edition took place in Bamako, Mali in 2019.
Scheduled to be held in Luanda, Angola from July 8-16, the 2023 AfroCan promises to be an exciting event.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Women’s AfroBasket, a biennial FIBA Africa national team competition, is set to take place from July 28 to August 6 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Nigeria’s invitation to the 2023 FIBA AfroCan comes after finishing as runners-up in the Zone 2+3 Qualifier held in Abidjan over the weekend. Despite losing their opening match to Guinea (65-62), Nigeria bounced back with a resounding 78-51 victory over Benin on Saturday.
However, beating hosts Cote d’Ivoire at Palais de Sports Treichville in Abidjan on Sunday proved mission impossible for Nigeria as they fell 74-65 to the Elephants.
Nigeria, who finished 1-2, will complete Group B of this year’s AfroCan, which includes hosts Angola and Mali.
GUINEA
Guinea came up short against Cote d’Ivoire in the two-game Qualifiers in Abidjan, losing 179-101 on aggregate, but they are headed to the 12-nation Women’s AfroBasket, where they will face Angola hosts Rwanda in Group A.
FIBA
Sports
Transfer: Gabriel Jesus Could Leave Arsenal as Napoli Show Interest
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus could leave the club this summer, with Italian side Napoli reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian forward.
According to Sky Italia, Napoli’s new manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is a long-term admirer of Jesus and is keen to explore the possibility of bringing him to Serie A.
Jesus and Allegri share the same agent, Giovanni Branchini, who was reportedly spotted at Napoli’s pre-season training camp in Castel di Sangro on Friday.
A meeting could reportedly take place to discuss a potential move for the Arsenal forward.
Napoli’s interest could depend on their ability to offload one of their existing strikers. The club would reportedly need to find new destinations for Lorenzo Lucca, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, or Romelu Lukaku before making a move for Jesus.
Arsenal are reportedly willing to consider offers of around £18 million for the 29-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract with the Gunners.
Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 and could now be heading for a new challenge in Italy if Napoli’s interest develops into a formal transfer.
Sports
Transfer: Liverpool Agree Loan Deal for Barcelona Defender Araujo
Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Uruguay international Ronald Araujo on loan.
According to Sky Sports, the deal could be completed this weekend, with the 27-year-old defender set to move to Anfield on a straight loan arrangement.
Araujo renewed his Barcelona contract last year, extending his stay at the Catalan club until 2031.
However, the defender endured a difficult campaign last season and was subsequently granted an extended leave of absence from the team.
The proposed move to Liverpool would give Araujo an opportunity to revive his career in a new league and country.
The Uruguay international joined Barcelona from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018 before making his first-team breakthrough a year later.
Sports
LaLiga: Mourinho Introduces Four New Rules at Real Madrid
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly introduced a series of new rules at the club after identifying what he considered bad habits within the dressing room.
Mourinho returned to the Spanish giants for a second spell this summer and has already begun implementing changes to improve discipline and professionalism within the squad, according to AS.
One of the new measures concerns players’ diets. The Portuguese manager has reportedly ended the freedom for players to eat whatever they choose, with the club’s nutritionist now responsible for overseeing their meals.
Under the new system, menus will be carefully structured and determined according to the nutritional needs of the players.
Mourinho has also introduced a disciplinary measure for players who arrive late to training. Such players will reportedly be required to undergo individual gym sessions.
Another rule concerns injury rehabilitation. Players recovering from injuries will now be expected to complete their rehabilitation at the club’s training ground under the supervision of Real Madrid’s medical and fitness staff rather than working independently with external personnel.
The changes are part of Mourinho’s reported efforts to establish greater discipline and control within the Real Madrid squad following his return to the club.
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