Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi says he is excited to begin a new chapter at Coventry City after completing his move from Nottingham Forest.

The newly promoted Premier League club signed the 29-year-old striker permanently from Forest in a deal reportedly worth around £9 million.

Speaking after completing the transfer, Awoniyi said he was happy to join Coventry and could not wait to get started.

“I’m very happy to complete my move to Coventry City,” Awoniyi said.

“I am very excited about this season, and I can’t wait to get started.”

The Super Eagles forward also praised Coventry’s achievement in securing promotion to the Premier League last season.

“I’m really looking forward to working with my new teammates,” he added.

“I have seen how amazing they have been last season, coming up from the Championship. They were incredible, and now I am just excited to join them and get started for the new season.”

Awoniyi will link up with fellow Nigerian international Frank Onyeka, who also joined Coventry permanently this summer.

The striker spent four seasons at Nottingham Forest, scoring 23 goals in 103 appearances across all competitions before making the move to Coventry.

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns a shot to Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania during day 5 of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

It should be no surprise that Alex Eala understands how Manny Pacquiao’s impact on Filipinos goes beyond the oft-spectacular results of his high-profile bouts.

It is pretty much the same with her own.

“When he would have fights, everyone was so excited, and it was just a chance for people to come together,” Eala told a press conference after her 6-0, 3-0 (ret.) victory over Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the Cincinnati Open last Saturday (Manila time).

Like Pacquiao before, Eala has Filipino sports fans everywhere in the world spellbound and her impact goes beyond match-deep.

In fact, regardless of how her third-round duel against world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova in the third round on Monday turns out, her positive effect on tennis isn’t going to change much.

The 21-year-old ace has been the WTA’s “Big Ticket” over the last two years, drawing crowds to women’s tour events when she competes, largely due to diaspora-strengthened Filipino communities coming together to support her.

In fact, it was this sense of community that Eala mentioned—among others—when she was asked to sum up Filipino culture.

“Filipino culture and just every culture in general is very layered. It’s ever-evolving,” she said. “When I think of Filipino culture, what comes to mind is community, family, hospitality, love (and) kindness.”

“That being said, keep in mind that no culture can be summed up in just a couple of words.”

Pacquiao, the boxing icon whose exploits in the mid-2000s to 2010s turned him into an international headliner, is widely regarded as the greatest Filipino athlete of all time. Eala is still at the beginning of her career, but what a start it has been. And there is certainly no cap to her potential.

And even as she is well aware of her current place in the Filipino pantheon of sports heroes, she understands that her journey is as unique as the legend she is now being compared to.

“I think I’m still very, very far from the levels of Pacquiao,” the world No. 20 said. “He’s done a lot for us athletes, I think, to pave the way. I mean, it never really crossed my mind when I was watching his fights back home that one day I would be compared to him now.”

“I guess my journey has similar things or can give similar things like [what Pacquiao gave],” Eala added. “I mean, it’s very flattering to be compared to him. But at the same time, I think [we have] two unique journeys. I don’t think one takes away from the other. I think they’re beautiful [journeys] … they both have their own beautiful set of characteristics.”

There are similarities, too. Pacquiao’s fights often emptied streets as people remained glued to their televisions to watch him. Eala’s matches have kept a nation sleepless because of the time zones she competes in.

And both have followers who turn to their exploits for motivation.

“A couple of sentences from them is enough to see a glimpse into their stories or, you know, how tennis has impacted their lives or how being Filipino and their pride has affected them personally,” Eala said. “So I think it’s crazy how inspiration can affect other people to what depths.”

Perhaps because of this, Eala isn’t pinning her success on tournament results—for now.

“I think it’s just the level that I play [that matters],” she said. “Did I bring the level that I wanted to bring? So if I lose first round, but it’s a really good match, I wouldn’t say that it was a successful week, but it wasn’t a bad one.”

“And if I reached the final, then I’ll take that too.” INQ

Manchester United have made their stance clear on selling Bruno Fernandes during the summer transfer window as Galatasaray show interest in signing their captain

Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United are reportedly having contract talks after Galatasaray apparently made the Portugal international a £17million offer.

United will not consider any offers for their captain, who, it is said, wants to stay. Club sources claim that Fernandes is not available at any price.

His current contract is due to expire at the end of this season, though United have an option to extend it by an additional year. Fernandes last signed a new deal two years ago this month, which included a £56million release clause for overseas clubs, although that clause expired earlier in the summer.

The Athletic claims United insist no clubs have contacted them about their captain. Al-Hilal have previously approached Fernandes, who turned down the Saudi Pro League club last year.

He said late last year of that interest: “I could have left as many people do and said: ‘I want to leave, I don’t want to train, I just want to leave for €20million or €30million, so they pay me more on the other side’. But I never did that.

“I never felt in a position to do that, because I felt that the empathy and affection I had for the club were the same, but there comes a point where, for them, money is more important than anything. The club wanted me to go; I have that in my head.

“I told the directors this, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision. I decided to stay, also because of family reasons, but because I genuinely like the club.

“The conversation with the manager also made me stay. But, from the club’s side, I felt a bit like, ‘If you leave, it’s not so bad for us’.

“It hurts me a lot. More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player they have nothing to criticise about.

“I’m always available, and I always play – good or bad – I give my all. Then you see things around you, players who don’t value the club as much and don’t defend the club as much… that makes you sad.”

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Fernandes has since said earlier this summer: “Playing for Manchester United is always a special moment for everyone. At the same time, it brings a lot of responsibility with it.

“But I don’t think anyone comes to Manchester United thinking that we won’t have the responsibility to win again, to be at the top of Premier League, at the top of European football.

“Because the club’s history brings that responsibility. Regardless of the most recent years they were not at the level that the club was used to.

“I think everyone always believes that we can be the ones who are going to do this, the ones who are going to turn the page, the ones who are going to make it possible for United to fight on all fronts.

“And I think that has to be special for us players, to realise that we can be the main, let’s say, protagonists of this change of history for United to win again.”

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Mexico is home to some of the greatest fighters to have graced the sport of boxing, and now three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera has shared his list of the top five Mexican fighters of all time.

Barrera won his first 43 fights before a duo of defeats to Junior Jones cost him both his undefeated record and WBO super-bantamweight world title, causing him to temporarily retire from boxing.

‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ then decided to return and scored iconic wins over the likes of Erik Morales and ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed to further his legacy, claiming world honours at both featherweight and super-featherweight.

Despite those achievements, Barrera refused to include himself in his list of Mexico’s top five fighters, telling Behind The Ropes Boxing who he has ahead of him in terms of greatness.

“Number one is [Julio Cesar] Chavez, two Salvador Sanchez, three Ricardo Lopez, four Juan Manuel Marquez, five Canelo.”

Canelo is one of five Mexicans to have ruled in four weight divisions and is looking to regain the super-middleweight throne when he takes on Christian Mbilli in October.

Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Marquez was the only other quadruple champion included on Barrera’s list, with Marquez having accelerated through the weight divisions after capturing his first world title in his 42nd pro bout.

Julio Cesar Chavez and Salvador Sánchez are almost universally accepted as Mexico’s top two, with Chavez having been unbeaten in his first 90 contests, whilst Sanchez is considered to be one of boxing’s greatest ‘what-if’s’, tragically passing away at the age of 23 whilst on course to become a superstar.

Lastly is the inclusion of Ricardo ‘Finito’ López, who retired undefeated after 52 fights, recognised by the masses as the best to have ever graced the minimumweight division, having defended the WBC world title on 21 consecutive occasions during the 1990’s.

Prolific sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga have been instrumental in transforming Malawi from no-hopers to giant killers to finalists at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Read moreChawinga sisters shine as Malawi reach Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final

The Malawian Scorchers scored 12 goals en route to the title decider against Cameroon on Sunday with Temwa from Kansas City Current claiming five and Tabitha from Lyon four.

Opposing them in Rabat will be Michaely Bihina, the outstanding goalkeeper at the tournament, who has played a key role as the Indomitable Lionesses reached the final.

The 22-year-old from famed Portuguese club Benfica saved four penalties in the semi-final victory over Morocco – one in extra time and three in the subsequent shootout.

It promises to be an intriguing showdown between Malawi, who have in three of their five matches thusfar scored three goals (Nigeria (3-2) Egypt (3-1) and Algeria (3-1)), and Cameroon, who have conceded only twice in five games.

Malawi are ranked 153rd in the world – 82 places below Cameroon – and it would be the greatest upset in the 28-year history of the WAFCON if they triumph.

“Qualifying for the final is an incredible achievement. Our victories mean a lot to the people of Malawi,” younger sister Temwa told reporters.

“Many of the headlines reflect the goals Tabitha and I have scored, but we are just part of a very talented group of footballers.”

Tabitha, at 30 three years older than Temwa, also emphasised the importance of teamwork in reaching the final.

‘The Chawinga sisters are special’

“Temwa and I will never succeed without our teammates. When everyone performs to the best of their ability we can succeed.”

Bihina told reporters she “watched recordings of several Malawi matches, but had never been to a stadium to watch the team”.

“The Chawinga sisters are special. I have been studying how they operate and, hopefully, it will assist me in the final.

“We raised our game in the knockout stage to eliminate Nigeria and Morocco. The stronger the opposition, the better we play.”

When the WAFCON kicked off in late July, neither Cameroon nor Malawi were considered likely finalists. Defending champions and record 10-time winners Nigeria were the team to beat.

Cameroon only got into the tournament via a side door having lost home and away to Algeria in the final qualifying round.

Later, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) increased the number of qualifiers from 12 to 16. The four losers with the highest rankings, including Cameroon, were added.

Congo Brazzaville, the first qualifying opponents of Malawi, withdrew. They then overcame Angola.

A blow for Malawi will be the absence of midfielder Rose Kadzere, who scored twice en route to the final. Sent off in the semi-final win over Algeria, she is serving an automatic suspension.

Apart from the glory of being crowned African champions for the first time, Cameroon and Malawi will compete for a record two million dollar first prize. The runners-up pocket $750,000.

On Saturday, Morocco face Algeria for third place in a repeat of a group match won 1-0 by the host nation.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The Buss family is selling its remaining 17.8% share in the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a $12.5 million valuation, according to ESPN. “We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction,” the Buss family said in a statement. “We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles; but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”

Kushner and Iger purchased control of the Lakers from Mark Walter last week in a shocking transaction. Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, bought the team in 2025 at a $10 billion valuation. He is currently under federal investigation for potential financial fraud. The Buss family has had a stake in the Lakers for nearly five decades, with Dr. Jerry Buss becoming the team’s owner in May 1979. The team has won 11 NBA championships in that 47-year span.

When the Buss family originally sold the franchise to Walter last summer, Jeanie Buss was allowed to remain the team’s governor. Jeanie took over as governor after he father’s death in 2013. NBA rules allow for someone to be a team governor only if they own at least 15% of the team, which the Buss family trust retained despite selling majority control to Walter. When Walter became owner in 2025, the NBA said in a statement that Buss would remain governor for at least a five-year term.

Mere hours after the news broke that Kushner and Iger were buying the team, Iger gave an interview to The California Post in which he said that the plan was for Buss to remain governor, but that “if things change, they’ll change.” Now that the Buss family no longer owns the requisite 15% of the team necessary to retain governorship, either Iger or Kushner will presumably become the team’s governor and lead the team moving forward.

The Buss family trust requires four out of the six siblings to vote for a sale of the team. The initial sale of majority control from the Buss family to Walter was driven by Jeanie, according to a lengthy ESPN report in January. That sale allowed Jeanie to retain governorship of the team. However, younger siblings Joey and Jesse Buss, who had held prominent roles in basketball operations for the Lakers, were both fired afterward. Now, according to Yaron Weitzman, all five siblings besides Jeanie executed the tag-along clause in the family trust, stating that they wanted to sell the family’s shares. A 17.8% stake in a $12.5 billion sale would be worth $2.25 billion.

Three big questions after shocking Lakers sale: Dodger-fication on hold? What does this mean for a Vegas team?

Sam Quinn

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The Lakers under Walter had spent most of the past 14 months integrating with his other local professional sports franchise, the more recently successful Dodgers. Now, not only is Walter gone, but so is the Buss family, leaving Kushner and Iger to direct the team as they see fit. What exactly that means for the team’s basketball future is not clear, but it is the end of an era for the purple and gold.