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When questioned Friday over his team’s harrowing 3-1 defeat at Leeds in midweek, Enzo Maresca claimed he had no choice but to rotate his Chelsea squad.

The Blues are now nine points clear of Arsenal, who leads the Premier League, with their place in fourth place as a result of Wednesday’s defeat at Elland Road.

Chelsea’s manager Maresca remarked, “We did many bad things.” “Probably we paid the price for a 10-player game against Arsenal that lasted an hour. ”

The Italian made five adjustments for the game at Leeds, one of which was criticized for his rotation policy.

Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo were not selected for the starting lineup, and Pedro Neto, the team’s captain, was given a suspension.

Maresca claimed, however, that his hand had been forced.

The reason the other one is unable to play is why the majority of our rotation happens, he said. Players are currently unable to play every three days, so we have them.

And for this reason, we have performed the majority of the rotation in the past.

When you pick 11 players and win, everything is fine. It’s always the reason you pick 11 players and don’t win.

Going to Leeds is undoubtedly not the best scenario for us because we played with 10 players for an hour against Arsenal on Sunday. ”

Before Chelsea’s Saturday game against Bournemouth, Marcesca was questioned about whether his young side needed some experience.

No one mentioned experienced players when we lost to Barcelona and drew against Arsenal, he said, despite the fact that we always talked about them when we lose to them.

William Troost-Ekong, the captain of Nigeria, has left international football after being selected in the Super Eagles’ 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) provisional squad, which is scheduled to begin on December 21.

Ekong, who has been a member of the Super Eagles since 2015, made the announcement in a message on his X handle on Thursday night.

He stated in the video post, “Today, I am announcing my retirement from international football.”

Troost-Ekong, who was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and a Nigerian father, praised the honor of representing the three-time African champions.

APPRECIATED GREATFUL . A SUPER EAGLE EVER

The greatest blessing of my life has been playing for Nigeria. My support won’t always be there, though the journey may come to an end.

The chapter will begin now. pic. twitter.com/qt7MoMZHiW

READ ALSO: FIFA Gives Clubs an Extra Week Before Announcering AFCON Stars

The defender expressed gratitude for being a “part of the group that demonstrated that it is possible to play and represent our beloved nation.”

However, he claimed that the “time has come to pass on the responsibility, to pass on the opportunity, to pass on the captaincy.”

The footballer thanked the “past and present who have participated in my international journey,” as well as the fans, teammates, and coaches of Nigeria.

“The heart of Nigerian football, to all you Nigerian fans. You have supported me through every challenge and high. The player said, “I will stand with you as you did for me.”

About two days after being added to Nigeria’s 54-man provisional list for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), he retired.

Also available: Full List of Nigeria’s Provisional AFCON Squad, Boniface, Uzoho, and Iheanacho.

During Stephen Kesshi’s time as Nigeria’s coach, Troost-Ekong made his Super Eagles debut in 2015 against Chad in an AFCON qualifier.

The defender helped the team under Samson Siasia, who was represented by Nigeria at the Rio Olympics, capture the bronze medal in football the following year.

The Super Eagles’ “Oyinbo Wall” tag, which honors his impressive defensive partnership, was given to him by his partnership with Leon Balogun.

The Al-Kholood defensive strongman featured for the Super Eagles at the 2018 edition of the competition in Russia despite playing a significant role in Nigeria’s failed bid to win the 2026 World Cup.

He led the team to a second-place finish at the 2024 edition in Cote d’Ivoire where he became known as the Player of the Competition after taking bronze with Nigeria at the AFCON in Egypt a year later.

The draw for the 2026 finals in Washington, where Donald Trump is expected to win the majority of the media attention, kicks off on Friday with the first 48-team World Cup draw drawing in full swing.

From June 11 through July 19, the most logistically challenging World Cup will be held in North America, with 16 more teams joining the global competition, an increase from the 32 participating countries in Qatar in 2022.

Trump will take center stage at the Kennedy Center on the banks of the Potomac River for the ceremony on Friday, which will be a star-studded affair.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, has visited Trump numerous times over the course of his presidency.

The US President is reportedly expected to be the first person to receive the FIFA Peace Prize, which will be given out at the drawing ceremony, “to recognize the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people and bring hope to future generations,” as Infantino put it.

Even Trump’s choice of the draw location pays homage to the late 1970s-era entertainer’s center, which he established earlier this year as chairman of the Kennedy Center.

Because it was previously thought that the US capital would not be a match venue, the draw also means that the US capital would be able to participate actively in the World Cup itself.

Heidi Klum, the supermodel, and American comedian and actor Kevin Hart will host the ceremony, which will also feature Village People, Andrea Bocelli, &nbsp, and Robbie Williams.

The stars who will assist with the draw include NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey legend Wayne Gretz, and former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal.

Trump’s second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence atop a major event have made the World Cup his main focus.

However, he has not resisted threatening to move World Cup games from Democratic-run cities if he believes the circumstances are “unsafe” and using domestic politics as a pretext.

“I would call Gianni, the phenomenal head of FIFA, and ask him to move it somewhere else. And he would follow that, Trump asserted recently.

At the ceremony, both the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, will be present.

The United States hosts 11 of the 16 World Cup locations, with Mexico and Canada hosting two of them.

READ ALSO: FIFA Gives Clubs an Extra Week Before Announcering AFCON Stars

Iran U-Turn

Iran vowed to boycott the ceremony because the United States had previously refused to grant visas to several members of its delegation due to the political element of the draw.

Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, called the decision “purely political.” In response, Iran made a statement on Wednesday that it would now send representatives, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei.

After winning the World Cup for the third time in Qatar in 2022, Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the current champions.

Along with record five-time winners Brazil, France, Germany, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium, they will also be among the top seeds. The first pot of seeds is finished by the three hosts.

Cape Verde, Jordan, and Curacao are among the first-time qualifiers as a result of the tournament’s expansion.

Also read: Los Angeles Clippers Axe Chris Paul

Monster

However, not everyone will agree with Sepp Blatter’s description of the 48-team system in an interview with CBS. “The monster has been unleashed,” Blatter said.

The top two of each group will advance to the last 32 along with the eight best third-placed teams in the group. The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four.

In order to prevent Spain, Argentina, France, and England from meeting before the semi-finals, the draw will be done for the first time to ensure that the four highest-ranked countries are kept apart.

The winners of the playoffs will be among the bottom seeds, meaning that the favorites will want to avoid Italy, who won the World Cup in 2006 but failed to qualify for the previous two competitions, by six places remaining in the finals.

The tournament will begin at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, followed by the MetLife Stadium, which is located just outside of New York City, for the final match.

Teams will only learn the full details of their matchday locations and kickoff times on Saturday, the day after the draw, due to the complexity.

Chris Paul, a 12-time All-Star, was fired by the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in a shocking move that comes as the team approaches the bottom of the NBA standings.

In a social media post on Wednesday morning, Paul, 40, revealed that he had left the Clippers while on a road trip in Atlanta.

Paul, who signed a one-year deal with the Clippers this season, was informed that he was being sent home.

In a statement made available to US media, Clippers’ CEO Lawrence Frank later confirmed Paul’s exit.

Chris and I are going to end our relationship, according to Frank. We will collaborate with him as he moves forward in his career. ”

At the end of the current season, Paul is said to have made plans to leave the NBA. The veteran, who joined the Clippers in 2011 and left in 2017, had previously spent six seasons with the team.

The Clippers’ franchise leader in total steals and assists is the fan favorite.

Following weeks of unrest between the player and coach Ty Lue, Paul’s exit was reported by ESPN.

According to the report, which cited unnamed sources, the Clippers believed Paul had become “disruptive” after the pair had been arguing for “several weeks.” ”

Lue said the return of the ex-long franchise star “wasn’t a good fit,” as he told reporters before the Clippers’ game against the Hawks in Atlanta on Wednesday. ”

Lue described the abrupt breakup with Paul as “I don’t like it.” I don’t like it for CP because it just didn’t work out as we anticipated.

It simply wasn’t a good fit, she said. That is what we knew. They made the decision, and so we have to see what we do going forward. It was an organization. ”

Every year Paul was on the Clippers’ roster, but they never made it past the Western Conference semi-finals.

With a 5-16 record this year, the Clippers are only one place off the Western Conference’s bottom.

Paul, who was hired as a bench player, has only averaged 2. 16 appearances for a total of 9 points.

Frank, the head of the Clippers, asserted in a statement on Wednesday that Paul was not to blame for the team’s subpar campaign.

Chris has a legendary career and is a legendary Clipper. One thing should be very clear, I want to say. No one is blaming Chris for our subpar performance, Frank said.

I accept liability for the information currently available. There are many causes of our difficulties. We’re appreciative of Chris’s influence on the franchise. ”

Conor McGregor, an American woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted at an NBA basketball game, has dropped her lawsuit against the Irish mixed martial arts fighter.

Following a 2023 Miami Heat game, McGregor, one of the most well-known and financially successful fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, had refuted the allegations of sexual battery.

A Florida court on Tuesday issued a notice of voluntary dismissal for the woman, who was first identified as a 49-year-old Wall Street executive.

The alleged incident had already sparked a criminal controversy for the prosecution.

In June 2023, McGregor was present for the Miami Heat’s NBA Finals Game 4 encounter with the Denver Nuggets as part of a sponsorship deal to promote a pain-relief brand.

Read more: Jake Paul, the YouTuber behind Anthony Joshua to fight.

At the conclusion of the game, McGregor apparently met the mysterious woman in the VIP area of the venue.

It is claimed that McGregor later allegedly assaulted the woman in a restroom while leading her to a men’s restroom.

In a separate sexual assault case in Ireland last year, McGregor was found guilty and ordered to pay a woman who had accused him of rape about $250, 000 in damages.

After missing three drug tests in a year, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion was given an 18-month suspension last month.

McGregor will be able to fight again by March of next year because the suspension was postponed until September 2024, which could allow him to compete at a UFC event that is scheduled to take place on June 14 at the White House in honor of US President Donald Trump’s birthday.