News

Why Arsenal Fans Must Share Blame For Michael Oliver Death Threats

Except what’s been really striking about this particular 48 hours is that it’s not just the usual Arsenal-based sources of that fevered online discourse.

This time, everyone in the football media appears to have suffered simultaneous widespread and catastrophic headloss.

The reaction to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card at Wolves has been truly astonishing. We have spent much of the last day and a half feeling like we’ve taken crazy pills.

First up, let’s just say this. We don’t think it was a red card. We think it’s quite harsh. But the vitriolic and fevered response has been wildly over the top.

It is at the very, very least a high-scoring yellow. It’s the type of take-one-for-the-team cynical, counter-attack-preventing move we’ve all seen plenty of times and for which the standard, basic punishment is always going to be a yellow card. Factor in that this deliberate act of foul play incorporates what we’re willing to accept an accidental raking of studs upon leg, and you can surely see why a referee might upgrade that yellow to red. You don’t have to agree with it – we don’t – but it isn’t inexplicable.

Similarly, once a red card has been given on field and the VAR sees studs on leg above the boot, you have to acknowledge that it no longer becomes as straightforward as people have insisted to just simply overturn that decision. It is not at that stage an objectively, indisputably, factually clear error that requires correction.

There are mitigating and exacerbating factors at play here. There’s no use pretending the fact it’s Arsenal isn’t part of the picture. They set the temperature on these matters, for better and worse. The fact Lewis-Skelly is a young player with a clean rap sheet is also a big part of it.

We’d go so far as to say there are certain players who could commit that exact tackle and receive the exact same punishment and we’d hear no more about it beyond Gary Neville watching the replay on commentary, making that ‘Oooooh’ noise he makes when he thinks someone is in trouble and then confirming this by saying out loud ‘I think he might be in trouble’.

But we’re getting off track a bit there. The point is this: it probably shouldn’t have been a red card, but it is not a decision that defies belief or one that simply cannot be explained without recourse to dark conspiracy theories and the rest of that kind of maddening guff.

We’d seen and heard some initial reaction on Saturday afternoon before seeing any footage of the actual incident. When we did see it, we were genuinely a bit annoyed. Certainly a bit underwhelmed. We’d been promised an all-time clusterf*ck disgrace of a decision and instead we got a ‘Yeah, pretty harsh that, will probably be overturned on appeal, won’t it, but can see where the ref’s coming from’. Which is absolutely no good at all.

Perhaps that’s why everyone decided to continue insisting a season-defining disgrace had occurred. Even after Arsenal managed to win the match.

The football punditocracy commenced a 24-hour period of intense scrutiny and wild criticism of this one refereeing decision, scrutiny and criticism that was not applied to anything any footballer or manager did or didn’t do this weekend.

The gobsh*tes of talk radio lined up to declare it a shocker, incompetent, horrendous and the rest, as you’d expect.

More worryingly, even the Match of the Day pundits lost their minds. Alan Shearer, a pundit of whom we’ve grown increasingly fond over the years, called it ‘one of the worst decisions I have seen in a long time’ which, given the amount of football Shearer watches for that job, simply cannot actually be the case.

News

Newstap/SWAN Five Star Sports Award Excites Ebi Egbe

Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle Sports Facilities Construction Ltd, Ebi Egbe says he’s highly honoured to be nominated as one of the receipients of the forthcoming maiden Newstap SWAN Five Star Sports Award

He stated this when he received his letter of nomination from the Editor of Newstap Communications and South West Secretary General of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria.

According to him, the recognition is an indication that Nigerians value what his company is doing noting that they’ll never compromise standards but will be moving with technological innovations.

“It’s always nice to be recognized. At Monimichelle Limited, we’ve been doing our best to make sure we bring in the best for sporting infrastructure not just in Nigeria, but the entire African continent. So I’m excited to be receiving this award from Newstap Communications and SWAN

” I also want to say that what this award shows is that the world is following our good track record. And this have really propelled us to continue doing what we’re doing. So I want to appreciate the organisers of this award for finding me worthy to be honoured.
He also assured Nigerians that his company will continue to provide the best services which is in tune with the latest technology.

“At Monimichelle, we don’t like to sit at the back seat. Even though we are an African company servicing African market, we’re following technology as it’s revolving in the world because technology changes everyday in the sports industry and we always make sure we give our clients the best of services and will continue to do so”, he concluded.

CEO of Monimichelle Group Ebi Egbe (middle) flanked by Editor of Newstap, Ifeanyi Eduzor (right) and Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN official Charles Ogundiya when Egbe received his letter as one of the recipients of the Newstap/ SWAN Five-Star award billed for March 7 in Lagos.

Other reciepients of the Five Star Sports Award includes, the Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, GTI Assets Management and Trust Limited, a company that has turned around the nation’s premier league, the NPFL, President of Remo Stars, Kunle Soname and Chairman of Benue State Football Association who is also the only founder of two women clubs in Nigeria – Naija Ratels and Benue Queens, Barrister Paul Edeh.

The event comes up on Friday, March 7, 2025 at the Bamboo Hall of the prestigious Eko Club, off Bode Thomas Street Surulere, Lagos.

News

Karim Benzema Hints Return To Real Madrid

Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema has hinted at a desire to return to the club once he has brought down the curtain on an illustrious playing career.

Benzema is second on Madrid’s list of all-time goal-scorers, ahead of icons Raul and Alfredo Di Stefano, having netted 354 times across 14 years. He is also fifth on the club’s all-time appearance list, playing 648 games between 2009 and 2023.

Madrid have welcomed former players back in a variety of off-field roles in the past, with 1980s stars Jorge Valdano and Emilio Butragueno among those to have had prominent executive positions. Raul has been in charge of Real Madrid Castilla since 2019, with Alvaro Arbeloa currently a youth coach. Santiago Solari had spells in charge of various sides up to first-team level, with Zinedine Zidane famously serving as an adviser before two spells as head coach.

Benzema admitted in a Mega interview that he doesn’t know if coaching is the path he wants to take, only that he wants to be “close” to president Florentino Perez.

“The other day, I was with Florentino in Madrid. When he signed me [in 2009], I told my father that as long as he was at Real Madrid, I would be there,” the Frenchman explained.

“He was the first person I called when I decided I was leaving. He didn’t quite understand…I told him that the youngsters, Vinicius and Rodrygo, were ready. When I retire, I want to be close to football. Coach? I don’t know, it seems more complicated than being a player. I want to be close to Florentino.”

Benzema, now 37, is currently in his second season with Saudi Pro League giants Al Ittihad.

“I feel good here,” he said. “My life is like in Madrid. I get up, train at home in the gym and in the afternoon I train with the team. In the evening, I sometimes go out to dinner or to the beach. Here you can’t walk down the street either, people are crazy about football.”

News

Fulham Condemn Manchester United Fans Racist Abuse on Calvin Bassey

Fulham have condemned the “abhorrent” racist and homophobic online abuse directed at Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey following Sunday’s FA Cup penalty shootout win at Manchester United.

Nigeria defender Bassey, who scored the opening goal at Old Trafford, shared some examples of the unsavoury abuse he had received on social media.

“We strongly condemn this abhorrent behaviour, which has no place in football or society,” Fulham said in a statement.

“Such actions are entirely unacceptable, and we stand in full support of Calvin Bassey, who will continue to receive our full backing.

“We will do everything in our power to work with the relevant authorities in identifying the perpetrators of these vile messages and taking the strongest form of action against them.”

Bassey’s online abuse follows recent cases involving Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, England defender Kyle Walker, Newcastle United’s Joe Willock and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw.

In a recent interview with BBC Sport, Samuel Okafor, chief executive of anti-discrimination body Kick It Out (KIO), said the level of abuse in English football had “reached crisis point”.

Bassey’s goal was cancelled out in the second half by Bruno Fernandes, with the game staying level at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes and extra time.

Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee missed for United in the shootout to send the Cottagers into the quarter-finals, where they will host Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage.

BBC