Premier League
EUNISELL EXTENDS RIVERS UNITED SPONSORSHIP DEAL
West Africa’s largest independent chemicals company and oil and gas engineering solutions company, Eunisell, has extended its sponsorship deal with Nigeria Professional Football League side, Rivers United.
Eunisell has been sponsor of the club since 2016.
Representatives of both organisations sealed the extension at Eunisell’s headquarters in Lagos, on Friday, November 1.
The extension of Eunisell’s sponsorship deal comes on the eve of the 2019/20 NPFL season.
Group Managing Director Eunisell, Mr Chika Ikenga, said “the group is proud to continue its support of Rivers United FC. We are with them come rain or shine.
“The team is talented and motivated, and epitomises the spirit of Nigerian football. We admire their teamwork, the passion for the game, their positive attitude and that they never give up – That is how professional football teams and players should approach each match.”
He added that “Eunisell’s aim with being intrinsically involved with the nation’s favourite sport is to help increase the standard of the top flight and in turn, rally the fans to get behind their club of choice in stadiums around the country.”
As part of the sponsorship activation, a corporate facility for Eunisell executives and customers will be set up inside the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, home ground of Rivers United.
General Manager of Rivers United, Okey Kpalukwu, revealed that Eunisell’s sponsorship, which is the longest running for a club in the NPFL, has been beneficial to ‘the Pride of Rivers.’
“We are happy with Eunisell’s sponsorship and I can assure you that the Rivers State Government is equally pleased,” he stated.
Kpalukwu reiterated the readiness of the club to represent the brand well in the NPFL.
He said: “I have to reassure you that we have done all that is necessary for us to do as a team. The season kicks off on Sunday, November 3 and our first game will be against Kano Pillars. I am assuring you that we are not going to let you (Eunisell) down.”
Eunisell’s initial sponsorship was with Sharks in 2015.
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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