Arsenal forward Noni Madueke has praised Nigerians, saying they work hard to make things happen.

He also speaks about his values as someone from the West African nation.

Madueke, who originally hails from Nigeria but plays international football for England, made this statement during an interview to celebrate Black History Month.

When asked what that thing is, which makes him proud but people don’t know about, the winger replied that he really values his Nigerian roots.

“My values, my family values, which have translated into me becoming the footballer that I am today. I am from Nigeria and my parents are Nigerians,” the former Chelsea attacker said.

“Nigerians work hard and we make things happen, so that is something I carried with me, not just in my playing career but in my whole life.”

On who inspired these values in him, Madueke said his father has always been someone he looks up to.“Growing up and just watching my dad work super hard, staying focused, being disciplined and motivated, those attributes definitely inspired me,” he said.

The 23-year-old further spoke about the black footballers who made him believe the game of football was for him, revealing that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is one of them.

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, Alfie Whiteman has retired from football at the age of 27 to pursue a new career in photography and film directing.

Whiteman is already working as a director signed to a production company, Somesuch and has previously worked on Nike campaigns and documentaries in Norway and Ukraine.

Alfie Whiteman has been at the club since he started his career, going on loan stints to Swedish first-tier side Degerfors IF to seek decent playing time.

The third-choice shot-stopper made only one appearance for Spurs in an eight-minute cameo in the UEFA Europa League match against Ludogorets in 2020.

The club’s official statement featured an open explanation from Whiteman himself, offering insight into his reasoning.

“It got to the point where I preferred to end my career on my own terms rather than join a club I simply didn’t want to go to,” he stated.

“When I was younger, I always said I didn’t want to play in the lower leagues; only the highest level ever mattered to me. Otherwise, I’d rather do something different.

“So I just took this step into the unknown and thought: ‘Oh, damn. I’m really doing this.’ Anything can happen.“I’m in complete control of my life, and it’s both really exciting and really scary,” the statement ended.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Friday suspended 149 referees accused of betting on matches.

The TFF said in a statement that its disciplinary committee had handed out suspensions ranging from eight to 12 months, the TFF said, adding that investigations are continuing into three other referees.

An investigation by the federation into 571 referees in the Turkish professional leagues revealed on Monday that 371 of them had sports betting accounts and 152 were actively betting.

“Refereeing is a profession of honour,” said TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu on Thursday. Anyone who tarnishes that honour…will never again be involved in Turkish football.”

The TFF said on Monday that 22 of the officials (seven match referees and 15 assistants) work in the top league.

Ten of the referees listed by the TFF placed more than 10,000 bets, with one of them alone placing 18,227 bets. Forty-two referees each bet on more than 1,000 football matches, the head of Turkish football said on Friday.