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Archive March 26, 2025

FIFA announces record prize money for winners of upcoming Club World Cup

By in News, World News

As soon as details of a $1 billion prize fund were finally revealed, the winners of FIFA’s first 32-team Club World Cup in the United States could win a football record $125 million.

FIFA stated that it had set aside $ 38.1 million to the top-ranked European team, likely Real Madrid, and $ 3.58 million to the Oceania representative Auckland City, for teams that would take part in the tournament between June 14 and July 13.

Results in the 63 games will contribute another $ 470 million, including $7.5 million for round-of-16 play, and $ 40 million for the team that wins the MetLife Stadium near New York, winning the championship game.

Following the delivery of the golden trophy to President Donald Trump by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the trophy has been sitting in the White House’s Oval Office this month.

A delayed conclusion of a global broadcast agreement with streaming service DAZN, which received significant funding from a Saudi-backed sports agency, was the subject of the prize fund.

FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia to host the men’s 2034 World Cup in December.

Each of the 12 European clubs participating in the Club World Cup will be charged a fee of at least $12.81 million for entry. Without providing any further information, FIFA stated that “a ranking based on sporting and commercial criteria” would be used to determine payments.

One of the 12 stadiums in Seattle where the most lucrative FIFA tournament is held [Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters]

Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea also qualified by holding the same four seasons’ champions league records as they did from 2021 to 2024.

If a nation didn’t have three Champions League winners, they could only have two entries. Due to the country cap, higher-ranked clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona being unable to advance past the round of 16, Salzburgburg of Austria qualified as the final European team.

A $15.21 million entry fee will be charged to each of the six South American teams.

Despite not winning the MLS Cup title last year, teams from Africa, Asia, and the CONCACAF region of North America will each receive $9.55 million for their contributions to the game.

Due to the fact that Pachuca and Leon of Mexico both received the same level of qualification, FIFA is currently challenging its removal from the competition.

FIFA wants to pay $250 million to organizations all over the world who did not make it to the tournament. How many clubs will receive no guarantees as to how much money will be made.

Palestinian Oscar winner feared for his life during Israeli settler attack

By in News, World News

The Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land says he thought he was going to “die” at the hands of Israeli settlers and soldiers before his arrest this week in the occupied West Bank.

Hamdan Ballal was arrested on Monday by Israeli forces after he was beaten and injured three weeks after winning his Oscar in Hollywood. He was released on Tuesday from a police station in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba.

The incident took place in the village of Susiya in the southern West Bank as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Ballal said he had gone to document a settler attack on his neighbour’s home in Susiya.

But as the situation escalated and Ballal realised it had “become more and more dangerous”, he said he decided to return home to his family.

However, a settler known to him, together with two Israeli soldiers, followed him to his house, Ballal said, adding that the assault took place just outside his home.

“They held the gun directly to me, the soldiers. … The settler went behind me and directly attacked me with his hands. I don’t know what he held in his hands,” he said.

Ballal fell to the ground as the attack continued.

“The soldiers kept on shouting at me, threatening me and putting the gun, one time at my neck. … They also put the gun on my cheek.”

Ballal recalled thinking he would not survive the attack.

“The soldiers let him [the settler] beat me, and the soldiers also beat me with a gun. I fell because it was a hard, hard attack,” he said. “They focused on my head. They kicked my head and also with a gun.

“I felt they were going to kill me, not just to punish me. … I felt I would die,” he told Al Jazeera.

‘Settlers do what they want’

The documentary No Other Land – directed by Ballal, another Palestinian and two Israelis – chronicles settler violence and Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank’s Masafer Yatta area. It won the Oscar for best documentary on March 2.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, Ballal said the Israeli army “lets the settlers do what they want”.

“Because the army [is] here, they are settlers with uniforms,” he said.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 884 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war started 17 months ago.

Swiatek ‘verbally abused by aggressive fan’ in Miami

By in News, Sports News
Images courtesy of Getty
Jonathan Jurejko
The tennis news correspondent for BBC Sport

Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, is being protected by increased security after a “traumatizing” fan verbally abused her at the Miami Open.

In a Saturday practice session, the man targeted Swiatek, 23, as well.

The man is said to have insulted Swiatek’s family in private.

The man’s representatives told BBC Sport that the world number two had previously abused her on social media.

The Polish player’s team said, “The incident in Miami appears to be a direct transition from verbal aggression online to harassment in the real world.”

“He was teasing and aggressive.”

The incident was immediately reported to tournament organizers, according to Swiatek’s representatives.

Swiatek recently addressed the emotional drain she has experienced as a result of her previous refusal to “step on the court” and serving a one-month ban for a doping offence.

The second seed has advanced to the Miami Open quarter-finals, where she will face Alexandra Eala, a teenager from Philippines, on Wednesday, following the incident at the weekend.

“Security is our top priority,” he said. Her spokesperson said that we keep an eye on the network to catch these kinds of issues.

Threats, hate speech, or even disturbance during training are two things that cannot be condoned.

According to reports, the WTA and the tournament’s organizers immediately took additional security measures in place around the former world number one, who has since become a long-time player.

The Miami Open organizers stated to BBC Sport that everyone’s safety and security was taken “extremely seriously.”

In a statement, they said, “We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every precaution to respond appropriately.”

The WTA echoed those assertions, saying that “comprehensive” security measures are in place to “promptly and effectively” deal with any incidents.

The WTA stated that while the details of these are not public, they remain true to our commitment to keeping a safe environment for both players and attendees of our events.

The most recent incident involving a WTA player is a stark reminder of the dangers that female athletes are exposed to regularly.

When she saw a man who she had already reported for “exhibiting fixated behavior” in the stands of her match in Dubai last month, Raducanu, 22, recoiled in horror.

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Senate Rejects Motion To Immortalise Humphrey Nwosu Amid Heated Exchange

By in News, Nigeria News

A motion to honor the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu was the subject of a heated debate in the Senate on Wednesday, which caused tense exchanges among the members before being ultimately rejected.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe raised the motion, which was co-sponsored by members of the minority caucus, primarily from the South-East, under the theme of “urgent need to immortalize Professor Humphrey Nwosu’s contributions and brave defense of the democratic electoral process during the 1993 presidential elections.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the leader of the Senate, raised a motion of order just as Senator Abaribe began to present the motion, alleging that lawmakers had not received copies of the motion, a procedural blunder, but Senator Abaribe disputed that the documents were available. The chamber became agitated as a result of the disagreement.

Read more about Senate’s investigation into rising costs for data services.

Senator Barau Jibrin, the session’s deputy president, noted that the motion was contentious and that the public had differed regarding Prof. Nwosu’s involvement in the presidential election that was postponed on June 12, 1993.

He claims that it’s “controversial.” Some view him as one of the six people who cut June 12, and others call him a “hero of democracy”

The “nays” had the day when the motion was ultimately put to a voice vote, effectively rejecting the idea.

The Senate Leader, who explained that the time has passed for that, furthering the escalating tensions, rejected Senator Abaribe’s attempts to reintroduce the motion under various procedural orders.

A clearly irritable Abaribe questioned the merits of an honoring Nwosu motion. What’s wrong with this motion, he asked? Why would Prof. Nwosu be immortalized?

Senators Yahaya Abdullahi and Senator Abaribe both warned against creating a “dangerous precedent” that would prevent lawmakers from bringing up important issues.

“We must allow speakers to speak.” If we don’t, he said, “We are saying that whenever things go wrong, we can’t fix them,” he said.

However, the deputy senator president responded by pointing out differences in Abaribe’s procedural language, saying, “You approached me to bring the motion under Order 50 and 51, but you later changed it to Order 42. Senator Abaribe is advised to resubmit his motion on the upcoming legislative date by saying, “This is a process.”

Senators from the South-East who were criticized for the motion’s rejection publicly, including Senators Victor Umeh and Patrick Ndubaeze. He raged, “What is the meaning of this?” and asked, “What is the meaning of this?” This is not how we can continue to operate. How are things going? ‘.

Bill To Remove Immunity Enjoyed By VP, Govs Scales Second Reading 

By in News, Nigeria News

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved 42 constitutional amendment bills for second reading.

The bill that would remove the vice president’s, governors, and their deputies’ immunity from prosecution would be one of the bills that would improve accountability in public office, combat corruption, and promote impunity.

This came after 39 bills for constitutional amendments passed the green chamber on Tuesday for second reading.

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Among the notable suggestions that came up for second reading on Wednesday are:

A bill to amend the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution to increase accountability in public office, reduce impunity, and remove the president’s immunity from the vice president, governors, and their deputies, and to end corruption.

A bill to change the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution to separate the minister of justice from the governor of a state and the commissioner for justice from the governor of a state.

The minimum number of youths and women who can be appointed to specific positions are specified in a bill for an act to change the provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999 to grant citizenship to spouses of women from Nigeria.

The bills that would create Ijebu, Ife-Ijesa, Tiga, Orlu, and Etiti were also introduced.