Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca supports Reece James' criticism of his team-mates, saying it is "absolutely" the sort of leadership he wants to see from the Blues captain. James, 25, was critical of Chelsea's "poor performance" in the 2-1 defeat by Legia Warsaw at Stamford Bridge on Thursday. Though the Blues progressed to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League 4-2 on aggregate, James said the side had shown "disrespect" to the competition with their display. Asked if James showed his leadership qualities with his comments, Maresca said: "Absolutely, absolutely, yes. He's in charge of that, he's one of the captains. "I think probably in part he was right in terms of, because of the first result, we tried to manage [the game] in the wrong way. "Probably he's right in what he said. He sort of takes us inside the changing room." Maresca criticised James' lack of leadership skills earlier this season, saying he "expected more" from the England right-back in his role as captain. "I complained a little bit with him in terms of leadership," continued Maresca. "But my target was just this one, to try to get more from him. And now he's doing well also in terms of leadership." Chelsea were booed off at Stamford Bridge, despite sealing a place in the final four. The Blues are sixth in the Premier League, behind fifth-placed Manchester City on goal difference. Despite murmurs of discontent within the fanbase, Maresca says he still feels "unwavering support" from the board and will stick to his principles. "We are in a semi-final of a European competition. So why now we need to change something?" said Maresca. "I think I don't have any doubt about what we are doing, in the way we are doing, and for different reasons. "In the last two years, Chelsea has been zero times top four, top five. This season we spent all season, almost all season, top four, top five, in the Champions League spots." Cole Palmer's goal drought stretched to 15 matches as the England playmaker failed to get on the scoresheet against Legia Warsaw. The 22-year-old's last goal came on 14 January, in a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. The former Leicester City boss says Chelsea cannot finish in the top five this season without Palmer and Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson, 23, rediscovering their form. "They have scored goals. It's just a moment that they need to turn a little bit that moment," said Palmer. "Cole scored 14 goals in 20 Premier League games, so he scored goals. Nico was the same before the injury. "Now, unfortunately, Nico was out for two months [with a hamstring injury], so probably physically needs a little bit more. And this is the same for Cole."

It was an evening of celebration and glitz as Nigerian Breweries Plc rolled out the red carpet to honour the Super Falcons for their historic 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title. Held on Wednesday, June 30, 2025, at the prestigious Eko Hotels Sky Lounge, the night kicked off in style with a show-stopping dance performance that set the celebratory tone for the evening. The event was hosted by popular media personality and comedienne, KieKie, who kept the energy high with humour and engaging interactions. One of the highlights of the evening was a fun-filled music game that had guests and players excited. In a heartwarming moment, each player, alongside the team’s medical crew and administrative staff, were called out and specially recognised for their contributions to the team’s success. Also present at the event was the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, who applauded the Super Falcons for their outstanding performance, resilience, and dedication that earned Nigeria another continental trophy. To round off the evening, the team was serenaded by Mavin Records star, Johnny Drille, whose soulful performance had the players and guests on their feet. The celebration continued with an energetic after party, hyped by the ever vibrant media personality, Do2dtun. Earlier in the day, the Falcons had been received at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, with traditional drummers, dancers, and jubilant well-wishers lining the courtyard. From there, they were hosted at the Nigerian Breweries Plc headquarters in Iganmu, Lagos, before heading to the grand dinner.

A Big Brother Naija Season Six housemate, Samuel Alifa, aka Sammie, is currently embroiled in a controversy after a businessman, Emmanuel Idakwo, alleged that he was defrauded by Sammie during his attempt to audition for the show last year. According to Idakwo, he paid Sammie the sum of N4.4m. In an interview with Saturday Beats, Idakwo claimed that he “trusted” Sammie because he had previously been in the house and had a better understanding of the audition process. He added that their shared origin (Kogi State) and tribe (Igala) further solidified his trust in Sammie. He admitted that although he knew the organisers of the show did not request payment, he only agreed to pay because Sammie told him it was the new way of getting into the show. According to him, Sammie allegedly made payment on his behalf before informing him about it. He said, “The next thing, he called me and said he had some money with him, so he paid on my behalf. I asked why he would do that, because I had told him I did not have that kind of money. But, he said I shouldn’t be scared, that the money was refundable. He claimed that the money would be refunded once I exited the house. He added that even if I didn’t make it into the house, the money would still be refunded; that it was a new twist to that season.” Idakwo also alleged that he had to sell his car to be able to pay Sammie over N4m in 16 installments. He added that he became suspicious when Sammie was unable to refund the money after things didn’t go as planned. He said he then had to contact a former Multichoice employee who Sammie claimed to have been liaising with. The said ex-staff then allegedly told him (Idakwo) that Sammie defrauded him, because nothing like that was ever requested by him or the company. However, during an interview with Idakwo, social media personality, Lucky Udu, called Sammie, who stated that the money he collected was for “consultation fee” and that he could only refund N1m after some time. But, when our correspondent reached out to him, Sammie maintained that he neither defrauded Idakwo nor promised to get him on the show. Responding via text message, he wrote, “I truly appreciate your concern and your interest in hearing my side of the story. However, just as I’ve shared with other journalists, I would prefer not to speak on this matter at the moment. I want to be clear that I did not scam anyone, nor did I promise to get him on the show.”

England captain Harry Kane scored his 24th Bundesliga goal of the season as they closed in on the German title with a convincing win at Heidenheim. The leaders raced into a 3-0 lead after 36 minutes with 31-year-old Kane scoring the first - his 24th in the league this term - from an assist by former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise. Further goals before half-time by Konrad Laimer and Kingsley Coman put Bayern in control. Joshua Kimmich rifled the fourth as Bayern went nine points clear at the top with four games to go. Nearest rivals Bayer Leverkusen, who won the title last season, can reduce the gap to six points if they win at 15th-placed St Pauli on Sunday (18:30 BST). Bayern's latest win lifted spirits after the German club went out of the Champions League 4-3 on aggregate against Inter Milan in midweek. Kane has scored 35 goals in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season. Heidenheim are 16th in the table, two points above the automatic relegation places.