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Champions League Final: Man City, Inter Set For Showdown

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Manchester City and Inter Milan clash in Saturday’s Champions League final in Istanbul with the English side, under Pep Guardiola, strongly fancied to win European club football’s biggest prize for the first time.

The match at the 75,000-seat Ataturk Olympic Stadium, kicks off at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) in the Turkish metropolis and brings the curtain down on a season that has stretched almost into mid-June after the long interruption for the World Cup.

City have spent the last decade chasing this trophy having been transformed following an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008.

Also-rans before Sheikh Mansour arrived, they are now England’s dominant force, fresh from winning a fifth Premier League title in six seasons.

Guardiola, chasing the third Champions League crown of his coaching career, has built a side that is playing arguably the finest football of any team since his great Barcelona of a decade ago.

Now they are through to their second Champions League final in three seasons, two years after losing to Chelsea in Porto, and are hoping to complete a treble after securing the Premier League and FA Cup.

The last English team to win that treble was Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, in 1999.

“We have been good in this competition, but we just need to find a way to win the first one,” said Kevin De Bruyne on Friday.

“If we do it, it would obviously be immense for the players, for the club, and for the fans it would be something amazing.”

City’s rise has been made possible by the investment from the Abu Dhabi United Group, which led to them generating the biggest revenues in world football in 2022 of 731 million euros ($787m).

Question marks surround their success, given City were charged in February by the Premier League with 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

In Europe, meanwhile, City were banned for two years from UEFA competitions in February 2020 for “serious financial fair-play breaches”, although that sanction was later overturned.

Irresistible Force

City have become an almost irresistible force. They brushed aside RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the knockout rounds and have lost just once in 27 matches.

The goals of Erling Haaland — 52 in all competitions — have elevated them to another level, along with Guardiola’s decision to turn centre-back John Stones into a midfielder.

Inter, while one of Europe’s grand old names, should not be able to compete with City when you look at their finances.

The Nerazzurri have enormous debts and their income for last year was under half that of City.

However, they emerged from their group ahead of Barcelona before beating Porto, their first victory in a Champions League knockout tie since 2011.

They then saw off Benfica and AC Milan to reach the final. They have won 11 of their last 12 games and recently retained the Coppa Italia.

“We understand what they are as a team,” De Bruyne said.

“They defend incredibly well. We don’t expect it to be an open game. That doesn’t happen a lot in a final anyway.”

Having reached their first Champions League final since lifting the trophy for the third time in their history in 2010, Inter are in to win it.

“We know we have a great opportunity to write a new page in the history of our club,” said coach Simone Inzaghi.

More Ataturk Drama?

Inzaghi has a settled side, with a grizzled three-man defence, a classy midfield, flying wing-backs in Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco, and Lautaro Martinez alongside veteran ex-City striker Edin Dzeko up front.

Both sides should be at full strength, with Kyle Walker set to start for City after missing training earlier this week.

It is Inter’s sixth European Cup final, but just their second in 51 years.

City’s only European trophy to date came in 1970, when they won the Cup Winners’ Cup, beating Poland’s Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in the final.

That match was not shown on British television due to a clash with the FA Cup final replay the same night.

A huge global audience will watch Saturday’s showdown, for which both clubs were officially allocated around 20,000 tickets.

It is the second Champions League final held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, situated on the European side of the Bosphorus, 25 kilometres from central Istanbul.

Liverpool triumphed here in 2005, recovering from a three-goal deficit against Milan to draw 3-3 before winning on penalties.

AFP

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UNIDO Wins 16 Medals at United Nations Inter-Agency Games 2026

Jointly hosted by the Vienna-based organizations, with the strong support and engagement of UNIDO, the Games welcomed participants from across the UN system for several days of competition in a wide range of sporting disciplines.

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Image credit: UNIDO

United Nations Industrial Department Organization (UNIDO) wrapped up this year’s United Nations Inter-Agency Games winning a total of 16 medals — 7 Gold, 6 Silver, and 3 Bronze — through competitions involving both UNIDO and joint inter-agency teams.

The game held in Crete, Greece, brought together colleagues from across the UN system in a long-standing tradition of friendship, exchange and healthy competition, highlighting the role of sport in strengthening cooperation and collegiality.

Jointly hosted by the Vienna-based organizations, with the strong support and engagement of UNIDO, the Games welcomed participants from across the UN system for several days of competition in a wide range of sporting disciplines.

First established more than five decades ago, the Inter-Agency Games have grown into one of the largest and longest-standing staff initiatives within the UN family, bringing together around 1,500 participants and supporters from agencies worldwide.

UNIDO recorded its highest level of participation to date, reflecting the dedication, discipline, and commitment of colleagues who trained throughout the year in preparation for the event.

Beyond the results themselves, the Games provided an opportunity for colleagues from different agencies, professional backgrounds and duty stations to connect in an informal and collaborative environment.

Throughout the event, UNIDO participants demonstrated a strong spirit of fair play, professionalism and mutual respect both on and off the field of play.

UNIDO played an active role in supporting the organization of the 2026 edition alongside fellow Vienna-based organizations, reflecting the strong culture of cooperation that underpins the multilateral community in Vienna.

The Games also highlighted the continued collaboration between the Staff Union and the Administration in promoting sport, health and mental well-being as important elements of a positive and inclusive workplace culture with benefits extending well beyond the sporting arena.

UNIDO remains proud to support the Inter-Agency Games and the values they represent, including teamwork, excellence, inclusion and international cooperation.

(Industrial Times Ngr)

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Serving Senators, governors battle for APC senatorial tickets today

The APC began its primaries on Saturday with aspirants contesting House of Representatives tickets, ahead of today’s senatorial primaries across the country.

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Senate President Godswill Akpabio; his deputy, Jibrin Barau; Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele; and Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Tahir Monguno, alongside five serving governors and former governors, are among prominent figures expected to contest in today’s senatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The APC began its primaries on Saturday with aspirants contesting House of Representatives tickets, ahead of today’s senatorial primaries across the country.

The serving governors seeking APC senatorial tickets include Hope Uzodimma (Imo West), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa North), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa North), and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe South). Others are AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara Central), Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe North), and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun East).

Several former governors are also in the race, including Yahaya Bello (Kogi Central), who will face incumbent senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the PDP.

Similarly, former Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who is currently a senator, will defend his seat against Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya.

Also in the race are former governors Jolly Nyame (Taraba), Simon Lalong (Plateau), and Danjuma Goje (Gombe), all vying for senatorial seats in their constituencies.

Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has also formally declared his ambition to contest the Delta Central senatorial seat.

(Extracted from Daily Trust).

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African Athletics Championship: Team Nigeria wins 12 medals

Kenya topped the medal table with six gold, four silver and seven bronze medals for a total of 17, while South Africa won six gold, two silver and six bronze medals. Ethiopia finished third with five gold, four silver and six bronze medals.

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Nigeria’s team won 12 medals in the just concluded 24th African Athletics Championships with the women’s 4x400m relay team delivered a commanding gold-medal performance on the final day of competition.

The quartet of Esther Okon, Toheebat Jimoh, Jecinter Lawrence and Patience Okon-George successfully defended Nigeria’s title in the event, clocking 3:29.25 to finish comfortably ahead of Ethiopia and Kenya on Sunday.

Nigeria’s team dominated the race from start to finish and crossed the line nearly 30 metres ahead of their closest challengers to secure the country’s fourth gold medal of the championships.

The victory ensured Team Nigeria ended the competition with four gold, five silver and three bronze medals, placing fourth overall behind Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia in the final standings.

Kenya topped the medal table with six gold, four silver and seven bronze medals for a total of 17, while South Africa won six gold, two silver and six bronze medals. Ethiopia finished third with five gold, four silver and six bronze medals.

Nigeria’s only other medal on the final day came through Rosemary Chukwuma, who won silver in the women’s 200m after running 23.60s.

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