Friday, 10 April 2026
PEP GUARDIOLA ADDRESSES BERNARDO SILVA EXIT WITH MAN CITY STAR'S FUTURE UNCERTAIN
Bernardo Silva is widely expected to leave Manchester City in the summer and Pep Guardiola has now given the latest on what he knows about the midfielder's situation
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| Pep Guardiola spoke about Bernardo Silva's potential departure(Image: Aitor Alcalde/UEFA via Getty Images) |
Pep Guardiola jokingly claimed he was livid with Bernardo Silva for failing to inform him about his departure from Manchester City, while insisting that no decision had yet been reached. City's assistant Pep Lijnders hinted last week that Silva's exit this summer was a foregone conclusion, yet Guardiola suggested that any announcement would come directly from the player himself.
Silva has considered moves away from the club at various stages throughout his nine years there, but committed last season to honouring the final year of his deal, with Guardiola having handed him the captaincy. He told journalists in September that he had reached a decision regarding next season - with most expecting him to depart - but has remained tight-lipped ever since.
Speaking following the Liverpool match, Lijnders seemingly confirmed his exit by wishing him a fond farewell over the remaining six weeks. Nevertheless, there has still been no official word from either the club or the player, and Guardiola jokingly admitted he was fuming with his skipper for leaving him completely in the dark.
"I'm so grumpy with Bernardo because a month ago I said 'if you take a decision I have to be the first to [know]' and he didn't say anything to me yet," he said, reports the Manchester Evening News.
"I think the proper one must be Bernardo, I don't know if he has already decided. I said, jokingly, 'tell me I deserve it' but he didn't tell me so I don't know what's going on.
"It looks like a farewell press conference for Bernardo - he didn't tell me! I'm pretty sure all the managers he has had would say how much they love him because he is always thinking, he is incredibly competitive, has a fire inside and always in the toughest moments on the biggest stages he is always there.
"Big, big games, it's not about playing good or playing bad, it is being yourself and not being afraid. Bernie has had all of these attributes since the first day he arrived from Monaco.
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| Bernardo Silva is expected to leave this summer(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images) |
"He has been an incredible signing for us and because I love this club amazingly I would love him to stay and finish his career here but he's going to decide his decision when he is going to decide and announce to the club, to the media, and everyone.
"But he has been an incredible signing for numbers and minutes and titles and especially in bad moments. I define players in bad moments when everything is difficult, how he always made a step up and said I'm here to help."
- Simon Bajkowski
MOBUTU’S GIFT TO HEROES: THE 1974 STORY OF ZAIRE’S WORLD CUP TEAM
In 1974, Zaire’s national football team—today known as the Democratic Republic of Congo—made history as the first sub-Saharan African nation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, held that year in West Germany. Their stunning qualification sent waves of pride across the country and caught the attention of President Mobutu Sese Seko, whose government was keen to use sports as a symbol of national strength and identity.
To celebrate the team’s achievement, President Mobutu organized a lavish ceremony in Kinshasa, where each player received a brand-new Volkswagen car, a house, and cash rewards. These gestures served both as a personal thank-you to the players and as part of Mobutu’s broader political theater—a show of prosperity and success under his rule.
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| Dusan Bajevic inscrit l’un de ses trois buts de la rencontre, face au malheureux gardien Dimbi Tubilandu, entré en jeu en cours de match. STAFF / AFP |
At the time, Zaire was deep into Mobutu’s “Authenticité” campaign, a program urging citizens to embrace African cultural identity and reject foreign influence. The players, hailed as national heroes, became the face of this movement, embodying the pride and power of a new Zaire on the global stage.
Yet behind the triumphant display lay pressure and fear. Reports that surfaced later suggested that the government expected nothing short of victory in the World Cup, and when results did not meet expectations, tension and intimidation followed. Some players spoke of unfulfilled promises and threats from political officials—signs of how tightly politics was intertwined with sport during the Mobutu era.
Even so, the 1974 World Cup remains a defining chapter in African football history. It was a moment when the dreams of a nation converged with the ambitions of its leader, leaving behind a legacy that continues to be remembered today—not only for the reward of cars and glory but also for what it revealed about power, pride, and the politics of sport in Africa.
- Muhidin Issa Michuxi
Thursday, 9 April 2026
GIANPIERO LAMBIASE'S RED BULL EXIT LEAVES F1 FANS WITH ONE QUESTION
Fans fear Gianpiero Lambiase’s move to McLaren could signal Max Verstappen’s Red Bull exit
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| Gianpiero Lambiase, Race Engineer, Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, on the podium Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images |
The news that Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is set to move to McLaren has left Formula 1 fans with one question: what does this mean for the four-time champion?
Lambiase has signed a long-term deal with McLaren from 2028 after his current contract expires, unless an earlier release is negotiated. Lambiase will take the role of chief racing officer at the Woking outfit, reporting to team principal Andrea Stella.
Lambiase's upcoming move comes after a slew of high-profile exits from Red Bull, including Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay.
The news has also come amid retirement talk from Verstappen. The Dutchman has been clear that he would consider leaving F1 before the end of his contract, which currently expires at the end of 2028, if he does not enjoy the new regulations.
"I guess Max is either leaving the sport or the team soon," one fan commented on Reddit, while another responded: "Could even be a decision by the both of them. If you leave, I leave, just give the other one enough time to find something else. Max has no interest in F1 if the regs remain like this, and would rather do anything else. GP knows this and has been shopping around. My money is on that they quit RB at the same time."
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| Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing with Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase |
"Wow! Totally didn’t see this coming. Wonder what it means for Max," another fan wrote, while someone else commented: "I think this all but confirms Max is taking a break, probably through the rest of these sh***y regulations. I don't see him trying to chase GP when GP will not be his race engineer anymore regardless in his new role."
One fan also commented: "What in the world is happening. Max must be quitting."
Another fan hoped that it would not lead to Verstappen's exit from the championship altogether, but a team move. "I hope this means Max will leave for Mercedes, I don't want him to retire just yet," they posted.
Verstappen is yet to comment on this news, but in 2021 he told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport: "I have said to him I only work with him. As soon as he stops, I stop too. Of course, we can be pretty strict with each other sometimes, but I want that too.
"He has to tell me when I'm being a jerk and I have to tell him. I always told him that."
- Lydia Mee
TALKS ARE UNDERWAY FOR TYSON FURY V ANTHONY JOSHUA FIGHT AT CROCK PARK IN WHAT COULD BE KATIE TAYLOR'S FAREWELL SHOW
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| Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could be set to meet at Croke Park (Zac Goodwin/Bradley Collyer/PA) |
Rumours that Anthony Joshua’s long-awaited heavyweight fight against Tyson Fury could be staged in Dublin later this year have been rippling through the boxing grapevine over the last few weeks and now it has been confirmed that talks are underway to stage the contest at Croke Park in September.
Fury will make his return to boxing when he takes on Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night and he has been speaking about the prospect of finally facing Joshua later this year in the build-up to the fight.
The two British fighters have come close to a showdown on numerous occasions in the past, but deals for the fight to take place have fallen through.
Now influential Saudi Arabian promoter Turki Alalshikh is pushing to get the fight into the diary at last, with Dublin appearing to be the favoured venue for the fight.
A Joshua vs Fury bout in Dublin would also give Katie Taylor a chance to realise her last big dream of a fight at Croke Park, with the stadium’s chief executive Peter McKenna telling the BBC that a deal is being negotiated.
"The real hope is that we will get Tyson Fury here later on in the year. That would be such a world-billing event that we would be able to facilitate a Katie Taylor fight here," said McKenna.
"A lot of stars need to align. Katie's manager needs to agree, Katie's promoter needs to agree, Tyson Fury's promoter needs to agree.
"I am very confident that all three are coming to the sense that this is one of Ireland's greatest sporting athletes and it would be such a 'wow' to have her here and for her to finish her career here."
Security costs have been cited as one of the reasons why Taylor has been denied the chance to fight at Croke Park throughout her professional career, with her promoter Eddie Hearn failing to reach an agreement to allow the Bray-born boxer to fight in front of what is certain to be a sell-out crowd.
Joshua’s last fight came against YouTuber Jake Paul last December and he has yet to confirm when he will make a return to the ring after he was involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
- Kevin Palmer
MUSIC LEGEND DR. DRE PRACTICING BASKETBALL 🏀 AT 94 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT 🔥 🥵
Dr. Dre understands it now!🏀 94degrees and he trained for almost two hrs! He’s a living legend that deserves his flowers.👏🏾👏🏾
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Player: @drdre
Passer: @wiggidy_whack
Film: @niceshotnate
Trainer: ( @lethalshooter )
#NBA #DrDre #LethalShooter #Basketball
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
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