jide olaniran

Ex Sstv,Ex STV,New Media Strategist, SportsBusiness Head. TV | Radio Services.

[Get French Football News @GFFN]

😡 Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca going ballistic with Ainsley Maitland-Niles after the latter was handed a red card during Lyon's 1-0 loss to Lorient in December. The scene is part of "Toujours là" (Still here), a fly-on-the-wall documentary on Lyon's season.

[Bolarinwa Olajide @iambolar]

🚨🚨| Elye Wahi will now be able to travel to Canada after initially banned, per reports.

His entry to Canada has been authorised after a document was sent by the Marseille prosecutor's office stated that he "is not under examination and is not the subject of any proceedings" in the sports betting case surrounding Nice-Metz.

[Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb]

There has been rightful focus on the US for this, but the Toronto Star reports that 73% of Ghanaian fan tourist visa requests to come to the World Cup have been denied by Canada.

[Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive]

🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Statement from the Messi family:

"The Messi family informs that Jorge Messi is currently dealing with a health situation.

At this time, he is under medical supervision, recovering and showing positive progress within the condition he is facing.

In light of the reports, rumors, and speculation that have circulated in recent hours, the family wishes to express its deep discomfort with the lack of sensitivity, respect, and decency shown by some people when discussing a strictly private family matter.

The family would also like to clarify that only Jorge’s closest relatives have accurate and reliable information regarding his condition. Therefore, any version, statement, or information that does not come directly from the family or its official channels should not be considered valid or truthful.

At a time like this, we ask for responsibility, caution, and humanity.

A person’s health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media attention.

We sincerely appreciate the messages of support, respect, and concern we have received, and we ask that Jorge’s privacy, confidentiality, and that of his entire family be respected throughout this process.

Any relevant updates will be communicated by the family through the appropriate official channels.

Thank you for your understanding." 🇦🇷

[Guillem Balague @GuillemBalague]

Statement from Leo Messi family | 18 June 2026

The Messi family informs that Jorge Messi is currently going through a health-related situation.

At this time, he is under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favorably within the condition he is experiencing.

In light of the reports, rumors, and speculation that have circulated in recent hours, the family wishes to express its deep discomfort with the lack of sensitivity, respect, and discretion with which some people have treated what is strictly a private family matter.

The family also wishes to clarify that only his closest relatives have real and accurate information regarding Jorge’s condition. Therefore, any version, statement, or information that does not come directly from the family and its official channels should not be considered valid or truthful.

At times like these, we ask for responsibility, prudence, and humanity. A person’s health and the peace of mind of those around them should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest.

We sincerely appreciate the expressions of affection, respect, and concern we have received, and we ask that Jorge’s privacy, confidentiality, and intimacy—as well as that of his entire family—be respected throughout this process.

Any relevant updates will be communicated in due course by the family and through the appropriate channels.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Transfer News Live @DeadlineDayLive]

🚨 DR Congo's most iconic supporter, Michel Mboladinga, was unable to attend yesterday's clash with Portugal as he is currently serving a 21-day quarantine following the Ebola outbreak. 😢

The good news? He is expected to return to the stands for DR Congo's World Cup showdown with Colombia on June 23. 🙏❤️🇨🇩

[jide olaniran @jidesports]

@DoubleEph My prayer is that if I am not caught yet , please media don't gloat about it

[The Touchline | 𝐓 @TouchlineX]

🚨🤍 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Yan Diomande emotional letter to his late sister:

"Dear Roxane,

Remember when somebody bought me a fake United jersey, and I wrote Ronaldo 7 on the back with the black marker?"

"We didn’t know rich or poor. We just knew happiness."

"Remember 25 people sleeping in one house back in Abidjan? Mum wanted to watch her soap operas. Everyone else wanted to watch movies. Remember how I always used to fake like I was asleep and then go into the TV room after midnight? I’d put the TV on real low. Just like 2 volume bars. I’d watch football in the dark and dream."

"Remember when the adults saw me playing football in the dirt and nicknamed me “Roberto Carlos” because of how hard I would shoot? And remember how I was secretly so mad about it, because CR7 was my idol?"

"Remember when I went to play so far from home? I was 9 years old. Inter Foot Sud Comoé, all the way near the Ghana border. Just a little boy on his own. I don’t know if I ever told you this story, but me and the other kids used to go into the village and steal potatoes because we were so hungry. We did a “bank heist.” Two kids distracting the shop owner, and 18 other kids running out with two potatoes. They weren’t even good. But they tasted amazing. Hahahah. It’s still my favorite thing to eat. Boiled potatoes with some oil. It reminds me of those times."

"Remember when I got my first real football boots, and I used to sleep with them? Growing up, I always played in those white plastic sandals. Even when I go back home now, I still play in them. It’s our tradition."

"Remember when I would come back home, and you would tell my friends from the neighborhood, “Why did you stop training? Yan is not going to buy you cars. You have to keep working."

"You were 10 years old, and already my agent."

"Remember how we used to sit and dream about moving to France? How we were going to go shopping and get our own apartment and I was going to be a rich footballer with cars and a big house, and you wouldn’t have to worry about nothing. You were the one who always believed that I could be the next Cristiano, when everybody else laughed."

"Remember when I moved to America for high school at 15, and I was so homesick? I didn’t know what anybody was saying for months. They sat me next to a French kid, and he tried to translate everything the teacher was saying. Remember when I called you, saying, “You won’t believe it, the kids here argue with teachers."

"Back home, you know we wouldn’t even dare to blink at our elders."

"Remember when I couldn’t believe the kids were smoking after school? You used to say it sounded like I was in an American TV show."

"Remember when they took me on trial at Bournemouth? At Chelsea, Rangers, Olympiacos, Crystal Palace? Eze and Olise even came up to me after one training and said, “Yo kid, you’re really good.”"

"But they still didn’t sign me."

"Even the B teams in the MLS didn’t want me. I didn’t even know why. They never gave me a reason. The adults handled everything. They just kept taking me all around Europe, and everybody kept saying no."

"My visa was up. My dream was over. They sent me back to Africa, and we cried together."

"You were the one who never stopped believing. A few weeks later, I signed for Leganés and we cried different tears."

"That was back when I used to have emotions. Now, I don’t feel anything. It’s like I’m not even human. Since you died, I’m just blank."

"I don’t even think I shed a tear the day they told me that you were gone. I was just in shock."

"It was a few weeks after I made my debut for Leganés. Who makes their debut at 18 against Real Madrid? It was too crazy. It was a dream."

"And then it was a nightmare. Someone kept calling me from back home. I was annoyed. I didn’t understand why they kept calling me."

"I picked up, and they didn’t even soften it. You know how it is back home. No emotions. Just……..

“Your sister is gone.”
“What?”
“She died.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Somebody put something in her drink at a party, and she never woke up. She is gone.”

"You were 15."

"15."

"I never got any answers. I don’t know if I want to know why. Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it’s just something that happens in our country. Maybe I could have protected you. I don’t know."

"I try to trust God’s plan. It’s all I can do. I don’t try to forget, because I know I won’t forget. All I can do is use the pain to work harder, and to do everything we dreamed about."

"I wrote this because I can’t speak about it. I wrote this because I want you to know that I will make sure that you live on. I will make sure that everybody knows your name. The whole world."

"Everything I do on a football pitch, it’s for you."

"So much has happened since I last saw you…… You would not even believe it. I don’t know if I believe it."

"You know what’s crazy? After my debut against Madrid, I actually swapped shirts with Mbappé. Remember when we used to watch him on TV, and you’d say, “Mbappé? Yeah, he’s good. But my brother is better.”

"I was wrong about one thing. I don’t want to be rich. I see what it does to people, even to family. When I was at Leganés, everything I was earning, I was sending home. It got to the point where I didn’t even want money anymore. It was just a burden. They never stopped asking. I guess they thought I was a millionaire already. I didn’t even have an apartment. I was living at the training ground in a room with no TV. Just football and sleep, football and sleep."

"I didn’t want a big house. I didn’t want cars. I just wanted to put everything into football. Everything to show the world that my sister was right……."

"Ha…. you will think this is funny. When I moved to play at RB Leipzig, I was always late. Well, not late. But I was on time, which in Germany means you’re very late."

"So you already know what I did next. I started arriving 90 minutes early to everything. I was so early all the time that the guys started calling me “The German.”"

"I always have to overdo everything. I have zero chill. You always said that."

"The pitch is the only place that I feel at home anymore. It’s the place where I feel calm, and I can speak to you. I just wish you were still here so I could tell you….. We did it."

"Everything you said came true."

"We’re leaving for the World Cup tomorrow. For real. Your brother is going to play for Côte d'Ivoire, like Drogba, like Yaya, like Gervinho."

"I don’t even look at it like a game. I look at it like a stage. This is my chance to show the whole world what you saw in me. Every time I score, I’ll make sure everybody knows your name. I’ll make sure they don’t forget you."

"You always said that I could be better than Cristiano. If I see him there, I’ll tell him hello for you."

"I’m going to do what you predicted, I swear. Before I even had real boots, you were telling everybody, “My brother is going to be the greatest in the world.”

"I will prove that you were right, or I will die trying... Your brother, Yan."

— @PlayersTribune

[OptaJoe @OptaJoe]

90 - The only two winning goals scored in the 90th minute or later at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far have both secured 1-0 victories for African nations, with Caleb Yirenkyi netting for Ghana against Panama and Amad Diallo scoring for Côte d'Ivoire against Ecuador.

Timely.

[jide olaniran @jidesports]

@Nedu_jnr Ok, incase my hand can't reach him , you can also stretch yours to help hold him.

[jide olaniran @jidesports]

Bandits are stopping Okada for their victims - I am not sure any security strategy by any Presidential candidate will capture that . Hmmm

[Hamma @HAHayatu]

Driver to late General Rabe has been discharged from hospital and now back in Kaduna.

He said when the bandits stopped them he tried running away but he was shot on his arm and caught, they started going with him too but he was bleeding so they decided to take him back to main road and get an Okada for him to take him.

[jide olaniran @jidesports]

@DoubleEph Lol

[Olúṣeun Onìgbìndé @seunonigbinde]

I am thinking GDP per capita is a subtle measure to determine World Cup hosting.

If you like borrow money to build infrastructure, if your people are poor, nothing for you.

[FourFourTwo @FourFourTwo]

🗣️ "My father left Cape Verde at 16. He went to Portugal, working in cafes – he was a keen baker and chef – and then he got work with a shipping company, went to the Netherlands and settled in Belgium. An Irish Ferries captain used to go into his cafe and then convinced him to go to Ireland for a weekend. He got there and never went back!"

The centre-back's journey from Ireland to #WorldCup2026 is incredible
https://t.co/JZkrpYtcmm

[jide olaniran @jidesports]

The logic here is that as a Governor in Nigeria if I go on a working visit to America , when I return to my state everything there will start working like in America and many examples abound in Nigeria.

[JJ. Omojuwa @Omojuwa]

Credit to Rufai Oseni here. He asked the question, when the candidate went round about not asking the question, he doubled down and it couldn’t be clear this person has zero clue.

Anyone who cannot answer the ‘how’ to whatever they say they are going to do is either lying or simply deluded about how things work. None is a desirable option.

[jide olaniran @jidesports]

@seunonigbinde Bro, CYDM

[ESPN Africa @ESPNAfrica]

18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim was a mascot at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Seven years later, he made his debut for Egypt at the World Cup 🥹

[B/R Football @brfootball]

Tyler Bindon's appearance for New Zealand on Monday meant he and his mother Jenny became the first mother-son pair to both appear at a World Cup ❤️

Bindon Sr. played at the 2007 and 2011 Women's World Cups 🇳🇿

[Ben Jacobs @JacobsBen]

BREAKING: Roberto Martinez will leave Portugal after this World Cup regardless of how the team performs.

Martinez has already decided not to renew his contract, which expires after the tournament.

He is open to a Premier League return, but hasn't ruled out taking another international job either.🇵🇹

🤝 @alex_crook

[Melissa Reddy @MelissaReddy_]

We can map our lives in World Cups. Everyone will have a story of why and how you got hooked. It is emotional, it is identity, and it is belonging to something bigger.

Which is why we have to fight for it. Fight against it being abused, altered, and turned into a branding exercise and money-spinning scheme.

It’s the World Cup, not ‘The FIFA’. It’s commercial space not hydration breaks for player welfare.

It’s not “equal conditions for every team.” Ask Iran.

https://t.co/gSOIBtWvxF