Welcome to Ezemuoka's Blog

  Chelsea is set to sign veteran footballers Jordan Henderson from Brentford and Danny Welbeck from Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.   The pair, 36 and 35 years old respectively, have emerged as surprise candidates to bolster Xabi Alonso's squad.   According to Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, an agreement on personal terms is almost done with both players.   England midfielder Henderson has a year left on his Brentford contract, but the Bees are willing to let him leave on a free transfer.   Ex-England striker Welbeck, 35, is keen on moving to Stamford Bridge and there is optimism from Chelsea's side that a deal can be concluded.   The Blues are looking for experience because of an acceptance that their model of signing young players needs a "tweak" - according to influential owner Behdad Eghbali in April. Welbeck scored a career-high 13 league goals in 37 games for Brighton last season, taking his tally to 51 goals in 201 matches since joining fr...

  Japan on Tuesday issued a tsunami warning after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the southern part of the country. The earthquake was measured at the highest possible level of seven on Japan’s Shindo scale of shaking, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).   The JMA said the earthquake struck at 4:27 pm local time. It added that the tsunami triggered by the earthquake could measure up to 1 metre   While there was no immediate report of any casualties, AFP reported that the earthquake knocked out power to tens of thousands of households. About 45,000 households and facilities have no power in the Kumamoto region, according to local utility Kyushu Electric Power.   The firm added that three nuclear reactors operating at the time in the region were continuing their normal operations.   Around half an hour after the quake, a local NHK staffer wearing a helmet reported live on air that the shaking was continuing, with the newsroom shaking so violently it...

  Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has been confirmed as the head coach of the France national team. He replaces Didier Deschamps, France's longest-serving manager, who ended his 14-year stint in charge after the nation's semi-final exit to Spain at the 2026 World Cup. Zidane, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, has been out of management since leaving Real Madrid for a second time as head coach in 2021. The 54-year-old, widely considered to be France's greatest player, has signed a contract that will see him lead the nation through the 2030 World Cup qualifiers. On being appointed, he said it was "a great source of pride" to lead the French national side following their fourth-place finish at the World Cup.   "I've often said it: there's nothing greater than the French national team. So it's a joy and obviously a great source of pride to become the manager of this French national team," he added.   "It's also a respons...

  The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has strongly condemned the racist abuse directed at Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo by some Moroccans on social media.    The NFF’s statement comes after reports of a theft at the Super Falcons’ Marriott Hotel in Casablanca, where the suspect accused of stealing cash was arrested. According to the country’s football governing body, the stolen money was recovered in full and the person responsible was sentenced to six months in prison. Following the incident, Okoronkwo became the target of racist abuse and offensive emojis on social media, which the NFF denounced.   “The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) strongly condemns the unacceptable racist abuse directed at Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo on social media following recent incidents at the team’s hotel in Morocco,” the NFF stated.  “The racist abuse and emojis directed at our player make absolutely no sense, especially as the individual responsible for the...

  Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy has achieved another major career milestone after his collaboration with Colombian superstar Shakira, 'Dai Dai,' became the highest-charting FIFA World Cup song in history.   'Dai Dai' climbed 25 places on this week's Billboard Hot 100 , reaching a new peak of No. 17 and overtaking Shakira and Freshlyground's iconic 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' to become the highest-charting FIFA World Cup song in history.   The song also rose to No. 3 on the Canadian Hot 100 and is currently in contention for the top spot on the UK Official Singles Chart.   Shakira and Burna Boy sang it for a reported 80,000-plus fans at the opening ceremony on June 11 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.   During the final match on July 19, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS and Madonna headlined the first-ever World Cup final halftime show, also featuring Burna Boy, among others, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., an 11-minute showc...

  Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, plans to donate one-third of his wealth to charity, his daughter, Halima Dangote, has revealed.     Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed this in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, July 28.   Halima said her father has secured his family’s support to dedicate 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.     According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s net worth is estimated at $35.1 billion, meaning one-third of his current fortune would amount to about $11.7 billion if maintained at that level.   Explaining the decision, Halima said her father considers philanthropy central to his legacy and has embedded it into the family’s long-term succession plans.   “He sort of put all the structure in place whereby we focus a lot on health and education. He actually donated 25 per cent to the foundation. If you look at it, it is what we call in Sharia Code in Islam; ...