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Nottingham Forest appointed Ange Postecoglou as manager on Tuesday to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked following a dispute with club owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Nuno led Forest to European qualification for the first time in 30 years last season by finishing seventh in the Premier League.

But he became the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season after publicly stating that his relationship with Greek billionaire Marinakis had deteriorated.

Postecoglou himself was sacked by Tottenham in June just days after winning the Europa League.

READ ALSO: PSG Call For Change After Dembele, Doue International Duty Injuries

Despite ending Spurs’ 17-year wait to win a trophy, the Australian was dismissed due to Tottenham’s worst league season since 1976/77 as they finished 17th.

However, Marinakis backed the 60-year-old to continue his record of winning trophies at Tottenham, Celtic, Yokohama Marinos and during his spell in charge of Australia.

“We are bringing a coach to the club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies,” said Marinakis.

“His experience of coaching teams at the highest level, along with his desire to build something special with us at Forest, makes him a fantastic person to help us on our journey and achieve consistently all our ambitions.”

Greek-born Postecoglou will take charge of Forest, who sit 10th in the Premier League on four points after three games, for the first time in Saturday’s daunting trip to Arsenal

Marinakis is hoping he can repeat his Europa League success, with Forest among the favourites to win the competition.

But Postecoglou’s attacking style is vastly different to the cautious approach that reaped rewards for Nuno at the City Ground.

“After gaining promotion to the Premier League, then building consistently season after season to secure European football, we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies,” added Marinakis.

“Ange has the credentials and the track-record to do this, and we are excited he is joining us on our ambitious journey.”

Relationship ‘changed’

Nuno took charge in December 2023 after Steve Cooper was sacked and went on to save the club from relegation.

Forest surpassed all expectations last season, but cracks in the relationship between Nuno and Marinakis began to show after they let slip a promising opportunity to qualify for the Champions League.

Marinakis appeared to confront Nuno on the pitch following a 2-2 draw against Leicester in May, although the club claimed that was due to the decision to let striker Taiwo Awoniyi play on following an 88th-minute injury that later required urgent abdominal surgery.

Nuno was then publicly critical of Forest’s transfer activity before the season began, saying that he was “worried” about their prospects and his squad had been left “unbalanced”.

Forest eventually brought in 13 players as new sporting director Edu Gaspar took a more hands-on role in signings.

“Following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as head coach,” Forest said in a statement released just after midnight on Tuesday morning.

“The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club.”

When the Super Eagles of Nigeria lock horns with South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, it is not just rivalry at stake. A place in next year’s World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico will be on the line. 

Nigeria’s rivalry with the Bafana Bafana has continued to produce drama, and this one is expected to follow a similar storyline. With the race for the 2026 World Cup nearing its climax, the match carries even more weight. 

Super Eagles’ Poor Campaign

The Super Eagles are in a precarious situation heading into the game, having struggled in the earlier stages of the qualification race. After seven matches, South Africa lead the Group C race to the tournament with 16 points, six ahead of Nigeria;  just three games to end the series. 

The West Africans need a win to keep their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup alive. They need a win or a draw in their last two games and hope that South Africa fail to earn all three points in one of their remaining matches. 

The Super Eagles’ chances could also be boosted if South Africa lose three points for fielding an ineligible player in a March 2025 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho. 

Heading into the game, Nigeria scraped through Rwanda in their last game on Saturday courtesy of a Tolu Arokodare’s strike, while South Africa trounced neighbours, Lesotho. Benin Republic are second on the log with eleven points, one ahead of Nigeria. 

READ ALSO: [2026WCQ] Chelle Hails Nigeria’s Win Vs Rwanda, Sets Sights On South Africa

South Africa Vs Nigeria: Head-to-Head Record

Team readiness
Osimhen’s absence
⚠️ FIFA’s silence on SA

All these and more were addressed at tonight’s presser ahead of our clash with South Africa.#SoarSuperEagles #Naija4thewin pic.twitter.com/aGbOXeCAdD

When the Bafana Bafana came to Nigeria, it ended in a draw. The reverse fixture comes on the back of a three-game unbeaten home World Cup qualifier run for the South Africans. On head-to-head, the Super Eagles have an edge and defeated their foes via penalties in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. At the 2019 AFCON, Nigeria also beat the 1996 continental champions. 

Overall, the last three matches between these teams have all ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time. 

Osimhen Injury Blow 

2023 CAF Men’s POTY @victorosimhen9 https://t.co/U3Sbz5dJqQ pic.twitter.com/S9D2faSbv7

Going into Tuesday’s game without pointman Victor Osimhen is a huge blow for the Super Eagles. The Galatasaray forward limped off in the win against Rwanda and did not travel to South Africa for the match against Hugo Broos’ side. Apart from Osimhen, Nigeria have a full complement of players for the match. 

South Africa, on the other hand, will be without right-back Nyiko Mobbie, who was injured. Thabiso Monyane was called up to take his place for the game. 

South Africa vs Nigeria: Time, Other Match Details

Below are the details of the match between South Africa and Nigeria in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, including time and venue: 

Date: September 9, 2025

Kickoff time: 5:00 pm (WAT/Nigeria time). 

Venue: Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

South Africa vs Nigeria: Who Emerges As Winner? 

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Nottingham Forest early on Tuesday after 21 months in charge at the Premier League club.

“The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era,” said a club statement released just after midnight.

Nuno becomes the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season, two weeks after admitting his relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis had deteriorated.

“Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espirito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as head coach,” said the club.

The 51-year-old took charge in December 2023 after Steve Cooper was sacked and went on to save them from relegation.

READ ALSO: [PREVIEW] Nigeria Clash With South Africa In Crucial World Cup Qualifier

Last season, the club finished seventh in the Premier League, their highest since 1994/95.

That secured their first European berth in 30 years, with a Europa League place handed to Forest instead of their initial Conference League spot, after Crystal Palace’s demotion for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

“The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club,” said the statement

“As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.”

Forest sit 10th in the Premier League after three games this season and were beaten 3-0 by West Ham in Nuno’s last game in charge.

British media reported that talks had begun to appoint a successor quickly, with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said to be among the candidates.

The former Tottenham manager, Nuno, had been critical of Forest’s transfer activity since the end of last season, with new sporting director Edu reportedly taking a more hands-on role in signings.

“I always had a very good relationship with the owner. Last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis. This season it is not so well,” Nuno said of his dealings with Marinakis.

“Our relationship has changed and we are not as close. Everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality.”

But Nuno later said he had spoken to Marinakis on the phone and was confident reports that he could be sacked were wide of the mark.

“These kinds of things should be done in the right moment… we have the international break and I think that is the right moment.”

Manchester City and the Premier League have settled their dispute over the rules governing commercial deals.

City have accepted that the current rules for ‘associated party transactions’ are “valid and binding”.

The Etihad Stadium club had launched arbitration proceedings on January 20 against the current rules, which are designed to ensure that deals between teams and entities linked to their ownership are done at fair market value.

READ ALSO: Hjulmand Announced As Leverkusen Coach After Ten Hag Sacking

City’s challenge was understood to have included criticism of the way the Premier League treated shareholder loans under the rules.

The league and City have agreed to make no further comment on the matter.

The APT rules were originally introduced in December 2021, following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle earlier that year.

Those rules were successfully challenged by City last year, with a tribunal finding them unlawful on multiple grounds, including the fact that they excluded shareholder loans from fair market value assessments.

That led to the Premier League consulting with clubs on amendments to the rules, with 16 teams voting in favour of the amended rules at a meeting last November.

City’s acceptance that the amended rules are valid and binding appears to put to bed an issue that had threatened to have a major impact on the league if the rules had been significantly weakened.

Without APT rules, entities linked to clubs’ owners could potentially overvalue sponsorships and other commercial transactions to boost a club’s revenue, putting that club in a stronger position under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) and therefore giving more leeway to spend on transfer fees and player wages.

An assessment of shareholder loans for fair market value was incorporated into the APT rules last November, but the rules do not apply retrospectively.

Instead, the fair market assessment only applies to ongoing and future loans.

City and the Premier League still await the outcome of an independent commission hearing, which was examining more than 100 charges against the club for alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules, charges City strenuously deny.

The hearing took place between September and December last year, after City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023.

Bayer Leverkusen on Monday appointed Dane Kasper Hjulmand as coach, replacing Erik ten Hag, who was fired after just two league games in charge.

The former Denmark coach has been appointed on a contract until 2027.

“It is an honour to be entrusted with such a team,” Hjulmand said in a statement, adding that he is “motivated to shape the future of the club”.

The appointment ends a chaotic fortnight for Leverkusen, who sacked former Manchester United manager Ten Hag on September 1, just two games into the Bundesliga season.

Ten Hag replaced Xabi Alonso, who took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double in 2023-24 — the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title — before moving to Real Madrid in the summer.

READ ALSO: Leverkusen Sack Erik Ten Hag After Two League Matches

Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes admitted to an error in hiring Ten Hag but said letting him continue would have been “an even bigger mistake”.

Runners-up last season, Leverkusen collected just one point from their opening two matches.

“Unprecedented” Sacking

Ten Hag hit back in a statement, calling the sacking “unprecedented” and “a complete surprise”.

Hjulmand is expected to be on the bench for Leverkusen’s home match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

Hjulmand emerged as one of several candidates to take over the vacant position, alongside one-time Barcelona coach and player Xavi, former Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, and Raul, the Spanish striker who recently coached Real Madrid’s second team.

Ex-Denmark Coach

The 53-year-old resigned as Denmark coach in July 2024, having taken the side to the semi-finals of the Euros in 2021, where they narrowly lost to England.

He also took Denmark to the last 16 of Euro 2024, where they were eliminated by hosts Germany.

Rolfes said Monday the new manager would “set up a clear and dominant style of play with our team” and would “strive for the most ambitious national and international goals”.

The manager took Nordsjaelland to their first and only Danish title in 2011-12.

Hjulmand has experience in Germany, having coached Bundesliga side Mainz for just under one season in 2014-15, but was sacked after a run of one win in 13 games.

After Friday’s match against Frankfurt, Leverkusen kick off their Champions League campaign with a trip to Danish champions Copenhagen.

Ten Hag’s Journey

Fired by Manchester United last October, Ten Hag joined Leverkusen as the successor to Xabi Alonso, who moved to Real Madrid.

“This decision was not easy for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement.

“The past few weeks have shown that the steps to build a new and successful team have not been effective,” Rolfes said.

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Club CEO Fernando Carro said the decision was “painful, but necessary”.

The sacking means the 55-year-old Dutchman now has the unwanted record of being the coach to be fired so early into a Bundesliga season, breaking the previous mark of five matches.

Named United manager in July 2022, Ten Hag won the FA and League Cups but was let go after a run of just one win in eight matches midway through the 2024-25 season, the club’s worst start to a campaign in the Premier League era.

Taking over after the most successful period in Leverkusen’s history, with an unbeaten league and cup double in 2023-24, including the first Bundesliga title in the club’s 120-year history, Ten Hag was tasked with overseeing a dramatic rebuild.

Exodus Of Players

Leverkusen lost several core members of the team this summer, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli and Lukas Hradecky.

 The club did not name a replacement for Ten Hag, saying the “training work would be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being”.

Named Leverkusen manager on July 1, Ten Hag’s first match in charge was a 5-1 drubbing by Flamengo’s under-20s team in a friendly in Brazil.

After a 4-0 win over fourth-tier Sonnenhof Grossaspach in their German Cup opener, Leverkusen claimed one point from their first two Bundesliga fixtures.

Leverkusen let a one-goal lead slip to lose 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim, and on Saturday conceded two late goals against a 10-man Werder Bremen to draw 3-3, having led 2-0 and 3-1.

On Sunday, German outlets Bild and Kicker both reported Ten Hag was facing the sack, despite his short tenure at the club.

Ten Hag was tasked with bedding in more than a dozen new signings ahead of this season, including several young players.

The three most expensive signings in the club’s history — Malik Tilmann, Jarell Quansah, and Eliesse Ben Seghir — all arrived this summer, for a combined cost of 102 million euros ($120 million) plus bonuses.

Mohamed Ben Romdhane scored in added time to give Tunisia a 1-0 win in Equatorial Guinea on Monday and qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Victory for Tunisia gave them an unassailable lead in Group H and they become the second African nation to secure a place at the tournament after Morocco.

Tunisia have 22 points from eight matches, 10 more than second-placed Namibia, who have one match in hand but cannot match the total of the Carthage Eagles.

Ben Romdhane, a midfielder with Egyptian and African club giants Al Ahly, struck in the 94th minute after being set up by Firas Chaouat.

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Tunisia started the match in Malabo with players based in nine countries, including Hannibal Mejbri from Premier League outfit Burnley.

The Eagles are coached by former defender Sami Trabelsi, who captained Tunisia at the 1998 World Cup in France.

In other early matches, Morocco maintained a 100 percent record in Group E by winning 2-0 in Zambia through goals from Youssef en Nesyri and Hamza Igamane.