Sports
‘Arsenal Game Is War, Not a Friendly’ – Spurs Coach Fires Warning
Newly appointed Tottenham Hotspur manager, Thomas Frank, has described the upcoming North London derby against Arsenal as his first major test since taking charge of the club, emphasizing that the highly anticipated pre-season clash is “more than a friendly.”
The fixture, scheduled for Thursday at the 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, marks the first-ever North London derby played outside the United Kingdom — and it’s already sold out.
“It’s a great challenge,” said Frank during a pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “Besides being our big rivals, and the first North London derby outside the UK, they are also, right now, one of the best teams I must say unfortunately in the world,” he added with a smile.
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Frank, who took over the reins from Ange Postecoglou following the Australian’s controversial exit despite Europa League success, made it clear that the clash would be treated with full competitive intensity.
“Against Arsenal, it’s not only a friendly, and we’ll do everything we can to win,” he asserted.
Since assuming his role, Frank has already overseen the high-profile signing of Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for $74 million.
However, the club’s pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White has so far proven unsuccessful.
When asked about further transfer plans, the former Brentford boss remained tight-lipped. “We’re constantly talking about transfers,” he said. “That is something I would like to keep private. In general, I’m happy with the squad. We’re aware of where we may want to strengthen.”
Van de Ven Fit and Ready
Tottenham’s injury woes last season contributed to their disappointing 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
A key figure among the long list of sidelined players was Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven, who now says he feels stronger and more prepared after a full summer of training.
“I haven’t had a pre-season at Tottenham before,” said Van de Ven. “It’s more time to work on my body and to prepare for the Premier League, the Champions League, and all other games. So I’d say that’s a positive thing.”
Coach Frank acknowledged that fitness will play a crucial role in the club’s performance this season.
“Availability is key. It’s difficult because there are more games now and the intensity is going up,” he said. “The good thing is we have a good and long pre-season, which allows us to push and pull the players.”
Ethiopia has officially submitted its bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), more than 50 years after it last staged the continental football tournament.
The Ethiopian Football Federation confirmed the development in a post on X on Monday, declaring the country’s readiness to host what it described as Africa’s biggest football event.
“Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to CAF to host AFCON 2028,” the federation said, reaffirming the nation’s full readiness to host the tournament.
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Ethiopia last hosted the AFCON in 1976. Its capital, Addis Ababa, is also the headquarters of the African Union.
However, the country’s bid could face significant challenges, particularly security concerns arising from ongoing insurgencies in Amhara and Oromia, the country’s two most populous states.
There are also concerns over the possibility of renewed conflict between the federal government and the northern Tigray region.
On the footballing front, Ethiopia ranks 143rd out of 211 countries in the latest FIFA rankings. The national team last featured at the AFCON in 2022 but failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Morocco hosted the most recent AFCON, while the 2027 edition is scheduled to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The 2028 tournament is expected to mark a major change in the competition’s calendar, as AFCON is set to move from a biennial event to a four-year cycle, aligning it more closely with other major FIFA competitions.
Meanwhile, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have also expressed interest in jointly hosting the 2032 AFCON.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has sacked the technical crew of the Super Falcons following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The NFF Executive Committee directed members of the technical crew to step down from their positions with immediate effect on Monday.
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“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has asked members of the technical crew of the @NGSuper_Falcons to step down with immediate effect,” the federation said in a post on X.
The decision follows a disappointing campaign by the nine-time African champions at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Falcons suffered a historic quarter-final exit after losing 1-0 to Cameroon, marking the first time Nigeria had been eliminated at that stage of the competition.
The defeat also denied Nigeria an automatic qualification ticket for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, forcing the Falcons into the African playoffs.
Nigeria’s hopes of securing a place at the tournament suffered another blow in the playoffs when the team lost 2-1 to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana.
The defeat ended the Super Falcons’ hopes of featuring at the 2027 Women’s World Cup and prompted the NFF to take immediate action against the technical crew.
The development represents a major setback for the Super Falcons, who have long been one of Africa’s most successful women’s football teams.
Arsenal powered to a 3-0 win against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, delivering a swaggering statement of intent ahead of their Premier League title defence.
Mikel Arteta’s side used the annual curtain raiser to the English top-flight season as an opportunity to prove their long-awaited title triumph has done nothing to sate their appetite for success.
The Gunners took just 24 seconds to show new City boss Enzo Maresca the standard required to keep up with the champions.
Riccardo Calafiori’s quick-fire opening goal was followed by a clinical Kai Havertz header before half-time.
Arsenal overwhelmed sloppy City with their trademark intensity and Martin Odegaard netted after the interval to cap a resounding victory.
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The glamour friendly at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium also allowed Arteta to parade Arsenal’s close-season recruits.
Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for £75 million ($101 million), slotted into midfield with ease, while Christos Tzolis, lured from Club Brugge for £34 million, gave a lively display including two assists.
The north Londoners will start a campaign as champions for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
Already installed as favourites to win their first successive English titles since the 1930s, Arsenal look primed for a sustained spell as the Premier League’s preeminent force.
Their vibrant performance was the perfect warm-up before promoted Coventry visit the Emirates Stadium for the opening game of the Premier League season on August 21.
It was a dispiriting wake-up call for Maresca, who will have noted how much more dynamic and cohesive Arsenal looked compared to his spluttering team.
Pep Guardiola won 20 trophies in a glorious decade in Manchester, including the FA Cup and League Cup in his farewell season, but City haven’t won the title since 2024 and finished seven points behind Arsenal in second place last term.
Hand-picked to succeed Guardiola after quitting Chelsea in January following a turbulent reign lasting less than two seasons, Maresca now knows it will take a huge effort to close the gap on Arsenal, starting with City’s opener at home to Bournemouth on August 23.
Rampant Arsenal
Arteta believes his players are still “hungry” for trophies, with their painful Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in May providing motivation for this season.
The Gunners took less than a minute to underline Arteta’s point with a beautifully crafted opener.
Myles Lewis-Skelly featured in Arsenal’s midfield despite being linked to Chelsea and Manchester United and the teenager showed why he is in demand with a deft pass that split the City defence.
Calafiori surged onto Lewis-Skelly’s ball, evading City’s woeful marking to slot a composed finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma from 12 yards.
The left-back’s goal was the quickest in the Community Shield since 1968 and rampant Arsenal struck again in the 27th minute.
Martin Odegaard was gifted space to float a cross to the far post and Tzolis, left unmarked by Abdukodir Khusanov, headed it back into the six-yard box, where Havertz climbed above Ruben Dias to nod home.
In his first showpiece occasion for City after his £116 million move from Nottingham Forest, England midfielder Elliot Anderson struggled to exert any influence.
City talisman Erling Haaland was largely anonymous, wasting two good chances in the first half.
Arsenal captain Odegaard showed his Norway teammate how to do it three minutes after half-time.
Tzolis rolled a pass into Odegaard’s path and he slalomed through the City defence before leaving Donnarumma embarrassed with a clever dummy and close-range finish.
Only City, in 2019, have gone onto become Premier League champions among the previous 15 winners of the Community Shield.
On the evidence of their stroll in the Cardiff sunshine, Arsenal’s 18th Community Shield victory won’t be the last silverware lifted by Odegaard this season.
Courtesy – AFP
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