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I considered retiring over extortion case, says Pogba

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Paul Pogba has said that he considered retiring from professional football due to an alleged organised armed extortion attempt against him which involved his brother.

Last year, an investigation was opened into allegations that Juventus and France midfielder was the target of an extortion plot by his brother Mathias and childhood friends demanding €13 million from him.

Speaking to Al Jazeera’s Generation Sport, Pogba said the case played a part in him wanted to quit football.

“Money changes people. … It can break up a family,” he said. “It can create a war. Sometimes I was just by myself thinking: ‘I don’t want to have money anymore. I just don’t want to play anymore. I just want to be with normal people, so they will love me for me — not for the fame, not for the money.’ Sometimes it’s tough.”

Pogba also endured a tough spell on the pitch following his return to Juventus following his departure from Manchester United.

Paul Pogba has warned that criticism from the media can lead to footballers wanting to quit the sport. Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images
The 30-year-old suffered a lot of injury problems last season and was forced to withdraw from France’s World Cup squad in Qatar.

The midfielder said he is determined to prove his critics wrong and warned that criticism can lead to players wanting to quit the sport.

“I want to make them eat their words. … I want to show them I’m not weak,” Pogba said. “They can talk bad about me. I will never give up.”

He added: “Football is very beautiful, but is cruel. People can forget you in one day. You can do something great, but the next day you are nobody.

“People are waiting for you, saying: ‘He’s done, his career is finished.’ You get these comments after scoring goals, and winning the World Cup. People forget it. So you have to prove all the time.

“You have to accept it, but nobody can be criticised like that. There are so many players that lost it mentally, they didn’t even want to play football anymore because of all the negative things.”

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Shehu Dikko Visits Finance Minister, Discusses Building Nigerian Sports Economy

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By Kola Daniel

The newly appointed chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, paid a courtesy visit on Monday to the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun.

During the meeting, Dikko and Edun discussed a range of initiatives focused on developing a sustainable sports economy in Nigeria, aligning with the strategic reform objectives of the NSC as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dikko emphasized the importance of sports as a viable economic driver and explored how to better harness Nigeria’s vast potential in the sector.

“We aim to transform Nigerian sports into a sustainable economic force,” he stated, adding that initiatives are in place to bring Nigerian sports up to international standards and attract greater investment.

The discussions are part of Dikko’s ongoing efforts to lay a solid foundation for Nigeria’s sports economy, leveraging partnerships with key government agencies and stakeholders.

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NIS/LSFA TRAINING COURSE: Falcons Captain, Ajibade Sponsors 11 Coaches For 3rd Batch Of Training

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Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, through her foundation, Rasheedat Ajibade Foundation(RAF), is sponsoring 11 Lagos State Coaches For the 3rd batch of the NIS/LSFA Coaching Certification Course.

While she has paid for the training of the coaches, the Athletico Madrid of Spain star forward also pledged to continue to give back to society.

She enjoined the Lagos FA, to always provide adequate information concerning its future programmes, to enable her foundation to be part of it.

Responding to the philanthropic gesture of Ajibade, the Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, Hajji Gafar Liameed, expressed his gratitude to the former Robo star, for extending her love and support to the coaches, and allowing the lucky coaches to further improve their knowledge of the game and also get the necessary certification to operate as licensed coaches.

Gafar went ahead to rally well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to key into the several programmes and activities of the LSFA, as it continues to rejig and develop football in the state.

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DISGRACE! CAF Humiliates Libya With $50,000 Fines, Awards Victory To Nigeria After AFCON Qualifying Disaster 

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Super Eagles

The Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football has awarded the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals in their abandoned matchday 4, 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, which was scheduled to be held in Benina on 15 October.

In its ruling on Saturday, signed by chairman Ousmane Kane, the Disciplinary Board determined that the Libyan Football Federation was in breach of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The Libyan Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The match No. 87, Libya v Nigeria, of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on 15 October 2024 in Benghazi), is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (with a record of 3-0),” the ruling read in part.

 

The LFF was also ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000, with payment due within 60 days of notification of the present decision.

The outcome of the Disciplinary Committee means that Nigeria is close to qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with two matches to spare.

As a result, the Super Eagles are now on 10 points from four matches, four points ahead of second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda has five points. Bottom-placed Libya has only one point and is out of the running for qualification.

A win or draw against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday, 14 November (a matchday 5 encounter) will secure the Super Eagles a ticket to the finals in Morocco, scheduled for December 2025/January 2026.

The Nigerian team had boycotted the match citing safety concerns, after being left stranded at the remote Al-Abraq airport on the outskirts of Benghazi for over 22 hours.

The LFF, in response, accused the Nigeria Football Federation of not cooperating with it regarding the travel itinerary.

It also alleged that the Libyan national team had suffered the same fate in Nigeria during the reverse fixture a week earlier, claiming the team was left stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport by Nigerian authorities.

 

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