Football

Spain star Yamal’s hometown buzzing over teen’s Euro success

Every time Lamine Yamal scores, he holds up his fingers to sign the number 304 — the postcode of Rocafonda, the modest Catalan district where he grew up, which is bursting with pride over the 16-year-old’s success in Euro 2024.

It’s not yet midday but there is a real buzz inside the local bar, El Cordobes, which is still reeling with excitement after Yamal, who used to come in with his dad, clutching a football, shot home the sublime goal against France that helped propel Spain to Sunday’s Euro 2024 final.

For years, people here to the north of Barcelona knew he was different but nobody could have predicted the lad would go on to become the youngest player to score in a European Championship.

“We knew he was going to play with Barcelona’s first team,” bar owner Juan Carlos Serrano says with a proud smile.

“But we had no idea he would have the kind of impact he’s having now.”

On the wall behind him is a framed Barcelona shirt signed by Yamal that his father gave Serrano as thanks for his support during the years when the pair used to go to the bar before taking the train into the city for him to train with the club’s youth team — until he signed with their famed La Masia youth academy.

That was the last day Yamal came into the bar, but not the last time he came back to this district of Mataro, a city of 130,000 people that lies 30 kilometres (18 miles) up the coast from Barcelona where he spent some of his childhood and where many locals proudly show off photos with him.

‘-A proud, happy father’ –
After his parents separated, Yamal lived between the nearby town of Granollers and Mataro, but his constant visits to his grandmother, who arrived from Morocco decades ago and still lives in Rocafonda, has kept up his ties to the neighbourhood where his father is greeted as a local hero.

Just back from Germany, where he watched Spain’s semi-final victory over France semi-final match, his neighbours are crowding around to congratulate him over his son’s stunning goal, which he still gets excited about.

“I lived every moment in that stadium just like any other Spanish fan, going crazy,” says Mounir Nasraoui exuberantly standing in the doorway of the bar.

And he will soon be going back, with more to celebrate: his son turns 17 on Saturday and on Sunday, he’s hoping for victory in the final against England.

“As a father, I am proud, happy and grateful,” he said, thanking his neighbours for their support.

“This neighbourhood is proud of being the place where Lamine Yamal comes from.”

‘We have a star here!’ –
Several streets away, the blazing sun is not enough to stop the kids from playing football on a local pitch where Yamal too spent hours playing when he was small.

Everyone wants to be like him in this neighbourhood which is thrown into the limelight every time the young star player signs its 304 postcode.

“People get really excited about Lamine Yamal because nothing like this has ever happened here before,” explains Mamadou Sow, 32, who works in catering.

“That gives the kids even more desire to do sports and other things ,” he told AFP, saying he was overjoyed to “finally” see the neighbourhood, which has come in for some negative press in recent years, being mentioned on TV for positive reasons.

“It’s exciting.”

Life has not been simple in this district on the outskirts of Mataro whose postcode is 08304 and which has a large immigrant population and a lower income than other more affluent neighbourhoods.

“We’ve always had a bad reputation for crime and other things, and to have someone so important shedding a different light on the neighbourhood is really positive,” said Rocio Escandell, head of the Rocafonda residents’ association.

Despite his youth, Yamal has long been venerated in his childhood home.

Outside the bakery that his uncle used to run by the local football pitch is a large painted image of him wearing a Barca shirt, his arms crossed and fingers signing the number 304.

Jauad Darraz, the new owner, is carrying out renovations so he can open a new bar.

But there are some things he does not intend to change.

“We’re changing everything except the picture,” he grins, referring to the painting.

“I like it because Lamine Yamal is from the neighbourhood… We have a star here!.”

Football

UCL: UEFA releases Champions League Play-offs draws

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The final stage before the group phases of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League has been set with the play-off round draw conducted on Monday, August 5, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw, held at 12:00 CET, decided the matchups for the play-off rounds scheduled for August 20/21 and 27/28, where teams will compete for a spot in the prestigious tournament’s main event.

This was displayed on the Website if the European Football Body titled “UEFA Champions League play-off round draw.”

Here are the complete matchups:

– Young Boys Bern (SUI) vs. Galatasaray (TUR)

– Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs. Qarabag (AZE) or Ludogorets (BUL)

– Midtjylland (DEN) or Ferencvaros (HUN) vs. Slovan Bratislava (SVK) or APOEL Nicosia (CYP)

– Jagiellonia Bialystok (POL) or Bodo/Glimt (NOR) vs. Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

– Malmo (SWE) or PAOK (GRE) vs. Sparta Prague (CZE) or Steaua Bucharest (ROU)

– Lille (FRA) or Fenerbahce (TUR) vs. Slavia Prague (CZE) or Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

– Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) or Rangers (SCO) vs. RB Salzburg (AUT) or Twente (NED)

The draw adheres to specific procedures to ensure fairness, with teams playing home and away matches in a knockout format. An equal number of seeded and unseeded clubs are paired based on club coefficient rankings, and certain teams are restricted from being drawn against each other.

In the Champions Path, 10 teams were split into five seeded and five unseeded categories, while in the League Path, four teams were divided into two seeded and two unseeded groups.

Football

UEFA Champions League Play-Off Draw 2024: Full List

The final challenge before the group stages is now ready, with the draw for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-off round conducted on Monday, August 5, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

Held at 12:00 CET, the draw decided the matchups to be played on August 20/21 and 27/28, where teams will compete for a place in the renowned tournament’s main event.

PUNCH Online sourced this information from a release on the UCL website on Monday night.

It was titled, “UEFA Champions League play-off round draw.”

Here is the complete compilation of the draws:

Young Boys Bern (SUI) vs. Galatasaray (TUR)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs. Qarabag (AZE) or Ludogorets (BUL)

Midtjylland (DEN) or Ferencvaros (HUN) vs. Slovan Bratislava (SVK) or APOEL Nicosia (CYP)

Jagiellonia Bialystok (POL) or Bodo/Glimt (NOR) vs. Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

Malmo (SWE) or PAOK (GRE) vs. Sparta Prague (CZE) or Steaua Bucharest (ROU)

Lille (FRA) or Fenerbahce (TUR) vs Slavia Prague (CZE) or Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) or Rangers (SCO) vs. RB Salzburg (AUT) or Twente (NED

PUNCH Online highlights that the UEFA Champions League play-off round draw adheres to specific protocols to maintain fairness. Teams compete in home and away fixtures using a knockout format.

Clubs are matched up with an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams, based on their coefficient rankings. Certain restrictions are in place to ensure that some teams cannot face each other.

In the Champions Path, 10 teams were categorized into five seeded and five unseeded groups. Similarly, in the league path, four teams were divided into two seeded and two unseeded categories.

The draw sets the pairings and assigns home teams for the initial matches, while UEFA oversees the scheduling and start times.

Football

Amuneke unveiled as new Heartland coach

Emmanuel Amuneke has been unveiled as the new coach of Heartland

Former Super Eagles attacker, Emmanuel Amuneke has been unveiled by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma as the new coach of Heartland FC.

Uzodinma announced the appointment of Amuneke on Monday in a post shared on his X account, expressing his joy to have the latter as Heartlands new manager.

“I am thrilled to announce that our brother, Mr Emmanuel Amuneke, the celebrated international football legend from Imo State, has been appointed as the Head Coach of Heartland Football Club,” Uzodinma wrote.

“Amuneke’s remarkable career has made us incredibly proud, and his return to our State in this new role brings a wave of optimism.

“Heartland FC has faced series of challenges in recent seasons, but this appointment marks a renewed commitment to revitalize the club.

“With Amuneke’s wealth of experience and indigeneship to the State, I am confident that this will be a turning point for Heartland FC, guiding it back to its winning ways and reigniting our collective passion for the team.”

Heartland which went on relegation last season have also acquired the slot of Beyond Limits and will play in the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) during the 2024/2025 campaign.

Football

La Liga records Iheanacho will target after joining Sevilla

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In a flash of events, in a manner that no one saw in the script, Super Eagles striker, Kelechi Iheanacho completed his move to La Liga club Sevilla as a free agent on Wednesday.

Iheanacho became a free agent earlier this summer after he was released by Leicester City, to end a seven-year romance.

The 27-year-old has spent most of his professional football life in England. He moved to Manchester City in 2015, after his exploits at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament and helped Nigeria win the competition.

He was linked with several clubs in the Premier League such as Aston Villa, Ipswich Town. However, the former Fox decided to move across several borders to move to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. He will link up with compatriot Chidera Ejuke who also moved to the club this summer in a similar fashion as a free agent.

Iheanacho may have bowed out of the English topflight at least for now but he left some marks that will become points of reference now and in the near future.

Consequently, we take a look at the records and milestones Iheanacho will be targeting in the Spanish La Liga in his first season.

Top Nigerian scorer in debut season

One of the records Iheanacho will always be remembered for in England is his achievement in the FA Cup. Iheanacho has 18 goals in 24 FA Cup games for Manchester City and Leicester City which is the most by any African player, surpassing the previous record held by Didier Drogba, who scored 12 goals in 29 games for Chelsea.

Now, he has the opportunity to become Nigerian topscorer in his very first season in the Spanish topflight. He could surpass the achievements of Odion Ighalo, Obafemi Martins and Victor Ikpeba Umar Sadiq.

Ighalo has a very impressive record in his professional career but he could only manage six goals in 30 matches in his debut season, in the colours of Granada.

Martins also netted six goals in his debut season, which was in the 2012/13 campaign at Levante. Legendary Ikpeba only featured in three matches without a goal in his first season in the league at Real Betis.

Sadiq found the back of the net three times in his debut season with Almeria and Sociedad before the unfortunate injury while Samuel Chukwueze scored five times in his debut season.

Top Nigerian scorer in a season

The Nigerian international has the chance to be the highest-scoring Nigerian in a season on record.

With the high level of competition in the records among Nigerian players in the Premier League, seven goals could be sufficient to see Iheanacho hit this record in Spain, surpassing Ighalo and Martins’ goal record.

Join Martins to score on debut

Iheanacho could become the second Nigerian player to score on his debut in a La Liga game. Martins scored on his debut for Levante against Real Madrid. Sadiq, Ikpeba, Ighalo and Chukwueze, however, failed to score on their debuts.

Become first Nigerian to net brace or hat-trick on debut

History could also await Iheanacho by becoming the first Nigerian to score a brace or hat-trick in the Spanish topflight when the 2024/25 season kicks off this month.

Goal machines like Ighalo, Ikpeba and Martins failed to reach this milestone. With some sound bites of what Iheanacho did in England, he is capable of accomplishing this landmark.

Nigerian with highest assist in a La Liga season

Alex Iwobi shared the Nigerian highest assist record of 29 in the Premier League with Nwankwo Kanu and Iheanacho could create a piece of history in the Spanish league this season.

Martins registered three assists on his debut season in the La Liga while Chukwueze registered two. Sadiq had none in his aborted season as well as Ikpeba and Ighalo.

Super Eagles attacker, Iheanacho sometimes plays as a second striker and this could possibly position him to create this history.

Football

Manchester City fined £2.09 million for delayed kick-offs

Manchester City have been fined 2.09 million pounds (about 2.7 million dollars) by the Premier League in England for 22 instances of delaying the kick-off or restart of matches.

The English champions have accepted the sanction, which relates to rule infringements over the past two seasons, the league confirmed on Wednesday.

The issue is unconnected to the 115 charges Manchester City is facing for alleged breaches of the competition’s financial regulations.

A statement from the Premier League read: “The Premier League and Manchester City FC have entered into a sanction agreement after the club accepted it had breached Premier League Rule L.33 relating to kick-off and restart obligations.”

Manchester City have been punished on a sliding scale for each offence.

Their first, a delay of one minute and 18 seconds to the start of the second half against Crystal Palace in August 2022, incurred a warning.

Fines ranging from 10,000 pounds to 200,000 pounds have then been imposed for each subsequent breach.

The longest delay was two minutes and 46 seconds for the start of the final game of the season against West Ham last season.

That was when Manchester City clinched a fourth successive title.

The statement added: “Rules relating to kick-offs and restarts help ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provide certainty to fans and participating clubs.

“It also ensures the broadcast of all 380 League matches around the world is kept to schedule.”

Manchester City have not commented directly.

But the ruling stated: “The club has apologised for the accepted breaches… and confirmed that it has reminded the club’s players and football management teams of their responsibilities in complying with Rule L.33.”

Football

France vs Argentina: Epic Olympics Football Quarter-Final

France secured a thrilling quarter-final match against Argentina in the men’s Olympic football tournament by defeating New Zealand 3-0 in their last group game on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Argentina had already clinched their spot in the last eight, and France followed suit with goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Desire Doue, and Arnaud Kalimuendo against New Zealand in Marseille.

With three victories and no goals conceded, France topped Group A, while the United States advanced as runners-up after a 3-0 win over Guinea, with Kevin Paredes scoring twice.

Thierry Henry’s French team will face Argentina in Bordeaux on Friday. The South Americans, who have won gold twice, secured second place in Group B with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Lyon.

It will be the first time the nations meet since Argentine players were caught on video singing racist chants about French players while celebrating their Copa America victory earlier this month.