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Israeli Football Fans Attacked In Amsterdam As Rescue Planes Sent By Tel Aviv

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed two rescue planes be sent to Amsterdam following “a very violent incident” targeting Israelis citizens after a football match, his office has said.

Israeli citizens in the Dutch city have also been told to stay in their hotel rooms following the attacks, the prime minister’s office said in a second statement.

Tel Aviv Maccabi fans were in Amsterdam for a Europa Cup fixture against Dutch side Ajax, but violence has marred the match in what Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon described as a “pogrom.”

“Fans who went to see a football game, encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness,” Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a post on X.

Local police said 57 people had been held after the game as pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to reach the Johan Cruyff stadium, even though the city had forbidden them to protest there.

Police said fans had left the stadium without incidents, but during the night various clashes in the city centre were reported.

Confrontations between Tel Aviv Maccabi fans and pro-Palestinian supporters have resulted in multiple injuries, with social media videos showing Israeli fans being chased, assaulted and forced to say, “free Palestine”.

Videos have also been shared on social media showing men climbing onto buildings to remove Palestinian flags, singing songs that mocked Palestinian deaths in Gaza, and attacking a taxi.

None of the videos have been independently verified.

Dutch police confirmed they “prevented a confrontation between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors who came from the adjacent casino” on Wednesday night, the police said in a statement on X.

Dick Schoof, Dutch Prime Minister, said he had spoken to Mr Netanyahu and assured him the perpetrators would be found and prosecuted.

“Have been following the news from Amsterdam and am horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens,” Mr Schoof posted on X.

“This is completely unacceptable.”

He added in the post on Friday morning that the situation in Amsterdam was “calm once more”.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said 10 Israeli citizens were injured, and he has advised Israelis in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels.

“The harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked,” Netanyahu’s office stated.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces take vigorous and swift action against the rioters, and ensure the safety of our citizens.”

IDF International Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani called the assaults “targeted attacks against Jews and Israelis”.

“The images of the violence toward Jewish people in Europe are a painful reminder of our history. The IDF has an historic duty of protecting our people, wherever they are. We are preparing to deploy a mission to rescue Israelis from Amsterdam,” Shoshani said.

The clashes erupted despite a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration imposed by Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, who had feared clashes would break out between protesters and supporters of the Israeli soccer club.

Ajax won the match against Tel Aviv Maccabi 5-0.

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”