Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim says he has always felt supported by the club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and also gives thoughts on the club’s new stadium plans.
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Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has missed out on a return to the FIFA Council Seat.
Pinnick lost re-election at the extraordinary general assembly held in Cairo on Wednesday, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance.
Africa has seven seats at the FIFA Council, with CAF President Patrice Motsepe who was reelected on Wednesday, guaranteed a seat while a seat is reserved for a woman.
READ ALSO:  , Motsepe Secures Second Term As CAF President
The Nigerian football administrator narrowly lost out in the election, scoring 28 votes, one short of 29 scored by Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and Djibouti’s Souleymane Waberi.
1- Fouzi Lekja: 49 votes
2- Hani Abou Ridha: 35 votes
3- Djibrilla Hima: 35 votes
4- Ahmed Yahya: 29 votes
5-Souleymane Waberi: 29 votes.
Women slot:
Kanozat Ibrahim: 30 Votes
Amaju Pinnick: 28 votes
Andrew Kamanga: 19 votes
Yacine Diallo: 18 votes
Augustin Senghor: 13 votes
Mathurin de Chacus Pulled out
Pinnick was first elected to the FIFA Council Seat in March 2021 during the 43rd CAF Ordinary General Assembly which was held in Rabat, the Moroccan capital.
He is the third Nigerian to be elected to the FIFA council. Late Etubom Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu were the other persons from the West African nation to have occupied that post.
Motsepe secured a second term, meaning he would serve a second four-year term as CAF boss.
The Players Championship 2025
Venue: TPC Sawgrass Date: 13-16 Mar
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy says he does not expect Tiger Woods to play again this year after the 15-time major winner’s latest injury setback.
On Tuesday 49-year-old Woods had surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The American has played a reduced schedule since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021, and has not played in a PGA Tour event since The Open in July.
“It sucks”, said McIlroy, who faced Woods in January in the technology-driven Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) they co-founded.
“He doesn’t have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body.
” Achilles surgeries obviously aren’t fun. ]I’m] hoping he’s in good spirits and hoping he’s doing OK.
“We obviously won’t see him play golf this year, and hopefully we see him maybe play in 2026”.
McIlroy has been largely injury-free since rupturing an ankle ligament in 2015, which forced him to miss the defence of his Open title.
Speaking before the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass starting on Thursday, the 35-year-old said he intends to retire with a “little bit left in the tank”.
“I can acknowledge how lucky golfers are to be able to do what they do for so long compared to other athletes, so whenever I feel like the time is right, I’ll have no problem moving aside and letting the next generation do their thing”, said McIlroy.
“When I’ve achieved everything I want to achieve in the game and I get to the point where I don’t think I can maybe do that any more.
” I don’t want to be out there embarrassing myself. I’d like to walk away maybe a little before I should.
“There’s always one more, but that’s OK. If you can come to terms with that and walk away on your own terms, then that’s a good thing”.
Asked about the prospect of playing on the Champions Tour, he said: “Absolutely not. I will not play Champions Tour golf.
” I’ve said a lot of absolutes in my time that I’ve walked back, but I do not envision playing Champions Tour golf.
McIlroy won his 27th PGA Tour title at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month, and finished tied for 17th and 15th in his two tournaments since – the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational respectively.
“The two finishes post-Pebble have been almost like the worst that they could be”, said McIlroy.
“I finished bad on Sunday at Bay Hill. I finished bad on Sunday at Torrey Pines as well.
” But the one thing I would say is from the turnaround in my putting from Torrey to Bay Hill was great. I finished fifth in putting last week, so to see that turnaround was really encouraging.
“That’s something for me to be really encouraged about going into this week and then the next few months”.
Russia has remained tight-lipped regarding Ukraine’s acceptance of a United States ceasefire deal.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia was waiting for a briefing from the United States following the talks with Ukrainian officials before it would comment on its stance on the proposed ceasefire. However, there are signals suggesting that Moscow is wary, while US military aid to Kyiv has quickly resumed.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that it’s important not to “get ahead” of the question of responding to the ceasefire proposal, and suggested that a phone call between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to discuss the matter has not been ruled out.
“We assume that Secretary of State Rubio and Advisor]Michael] Walz through various channels in the coming days will inform us on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached”, he added.
Ukraine expressed “readiness” to accept a 30-day ceasefire at a meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The US has said that the ball is now in Russia’s court.
Moscow officials, however, have signalled that Russia is wary.
“Russia is advancing]on the battlefield], so it will be different with Russia”, Senator Konstantin Kosachev noted in a post on the messaging app Telegram. “Any agreements should be on our terms, not American”.
A senior Russian source told Reuters that Russia would need to hash out the terms of any ceasefire and get guarantees of some description.
“It is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form”, the source, said. “Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing”.
In response to Ukraine’s agreement with the ceasefire proposal, the US agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, which were suspended last week following a spat between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Poland, which acts as a logistics hub for the delivery of military aid to its eastern neighbour, said on Wednesday morning that the flow of weapons was already back to previous levels.
“I confirm that arms deliveries via Jasionka]logistics hub] have returned to previous levels”, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters.
The news was welcomed by Kyiv’s European allies, who are now seeking to up the pressure on Russia to respond to the ceasefire proposal.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “The idea of a 30-day ceasefire is an important and correct step towards a just peace for Ukraine … Now it’s up to]President Vladimir] Putin”.
Amid the intense diplomatic back-and-forth, the fighting on the ground has continued.
Just before the meeting in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow, killing several people and causing widespread damage.
Kyiv said that the barrage was intended to encourage Putin to accept the proposals of a truce.
Late on Tuesday, Russian ballistic missiles killed four Syrian men as they hit a ship docked at the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa. Another missile killed a woman in Kryvih Rih.
With Mother’s Day on the horizon now is the time to start planning exactly what to get the women in your life. Whether they’re your mum, mother in law, step mum or a mother figure, it’s the perfect opportunity to show them that you care.
If you’re after some inspiration, Giovanna Fletcher has got you covered. The author and host of Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast has teamed up with Wild &, Bloom to share some of her favourite Mother’s Day gifts you can shop from the site, including flowers, hampers, jigsaws and sweet treats – all of which can be delivered straight to their door.
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READ MORE: Georgia Toffolo’s transitional knitted midi dress is now on sale and perfect for spring
Giovanna said: “As a mum to three brilliant boys, I know how precious time is. That’s why I love how Bloom &, Wild makes it ridiculously easy to send something meaningful to the women who’ve shaped my journey through motherhood – even when I can’t be there in person”.
For the edit, Giovanna picked 11 different gifting options, which are perfect for saying thank you, offering some support, or just encouraging the women in your life to take some “me time” in their busy lives. As Bloom &, Wild is known for its beautiful bouquets that can be delivered straight through a letterbox, it’s no surprise that some of Giovanna’s picks include some beautiful floral arrangements.
One of her favourite bouquets was The Phoebe, £50, which features a collection of sunflowers, carnations and roses. Giovanna said: “I adore sunflowers – whenever I see them growing in my garden it makes me so happy. So this year I’m sending Mum this sunny bunch, to give back some of that joy and care that she shows me, all year round”.
Another beautiful bunch of flowers she chose was The Hope, £34, which features 21 stems including irises, tulips and snapdragons. It’s also a meaningful gift that gives back, with Giovanna saying: “Everyone’s journey to motherhood is different – there are highs for sure, but also lows. So I love that £1 from every sale of The Hope is donated to Tommy’s, helping support mums through pregnancy and baby loss”.
As well as bunches of flowers, some of Giovanna’s other picks included The Mini Mother’s Day Hamper, which includes prosecco-flavoured gummies, a mini bottle of fizz and some sweet treats like strawberry meringues and buttery shortbread biscuits. For more mindful mums, the Mindful Jigsaw Gift Set comes with a spring-themed puzzle as well as some tea and biscuits for a blissful night in.
Elsewhere, Marks &, Spencer has also released its range of Mother’s Day gifts, including a breakfast in bed hamper and a pink prosecco afternoon tea. You can also pick from other gifts like cosy jumpers, perfumes and stylish homeware.
Members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are currently meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The meeting taking place behind closed doors at the party’s national headquarters is presided over by the PDP National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
The meeting comes two days after the Supreme Court threw out a motion for a stay of execution of a High Court judgement removing Senator Samuel Anyanwu from office as National Secretary, replacing him with Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye.
Channels Television’s correspondent observed the heavy presence of security officials comprising the Department of State Services (DSS), police and the civil defence at the headquarters of the PDP in Abuja.
⌈READ ALSO⌋ PDP Crisis: Supreme Court Reserves Judgment In Anyanwu’s Suit
Earlier, staff of the party clashed with thugs and some members of the party who are loyal to the embattled PDP National Secretary.
A staff of the PDP who witnessed the clash told Channels Television that the scuffle started when those members supporting Samuel Anyanwu came into the premises of the party.
He stated that the pro-Anyanwu supporters tried to lock out some members of the PDP National Working Committee who were resuming their usual mid-week meeting, but were overpowered by the staff, private guards and some police officers who are attached to the secretariat.
The development led to the deployment of more security personnel, to prevent further breakdown of law and order.