Sports
Bruno Fernandes Announced PFA Player of the Year After Record-Breaking Season
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year after an outstanding 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
The 31-year-old midfielder played a key role in United’s third-place finish, providing a league-record 21 assists and scoring nine goals. His performances also saw him become the second-fastest Manchester United player in the Premier League era to reach 200 goal involvements, achieving the milestone in 314 appearances, behind only Wayne Rooney’s 295.
Fernandes, who joined United in 2020, is the second Portuguese player to win the prestigious award after Cristiano Ronaldo claimed it in 2007 and 2008.
United manager Michael Carrick gave Fernandes greater freedom in attack, a role that allowed the captain to further influence matches with his creativity and vision.
“Bruno can just create moments. He’s bright. I think that little bit of freedom suits him,” Carrick said earlier in the season.
Fernandes has now recorded 110 goals and 106 assists for United. His award also means Manchester United players have won the men’s PFA Player of the Year prize 12 times, more than any other club in England and Wales.
In the women’s category, Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw was named PFA Women’s Player of the Year for the second time after finishing as the Women’s Super League’s top scorer with 21 goals.
Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly won the Men’s Young Player of the Year award after making 53 appearances and scoring nine goals in a breakthrough campaign. Arsenal striker Olivia Smith claimed the Women’s Young Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year.
The PFA Premier League Team of the Year included David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes, Nico O’Reilly, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo and Igor Thiago.
Sports
Ex-Super Eagles Captain William Troost-Ekong Converts To Islam
Former Super Eagles captain and Al-Ahli star, William Troost-Ekong, has converted to Islam.
Troost-Ekong was said to have recited the Shahadah in Doha, Qatar, where he plays for Qatar Stars League club Al-Ahli, as reported by a Qatari press, “Al-Arab” on Wednesday.
A respected Islamic cleric, Dr Muhammad Salah, also shared a video on his verified Facebook account wherein the defender recited the testimonies.
The 33-year-old defender first moved to the Arab region in the summer of 2024, when he signed for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Khaleej.
He joined Qatari side, Al-Ahli in January 2026 on a one-and-a-half-year contract and has since played 14 matches across all competitions, including a single appearance in the current season.
On the international stage, Ekong won 83 caps for Nigeria between 2015 and 2025, scoring 8 goals.
He reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire and was named best player of that edition.
Troost-Ekong also represented Nigeria at the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games, establishing himself as one of the country’s most experienced defenders of the past decade.
He enjoyed a distinguished international career with Super Eagles, making more than 70 appearances for the Super Eagles.
Sports
Sadio Mane Builds $20.4m Mango Processing Plant In Hometown
Senegalese football star, Sadio Mane, has launched a CFA11.7 billion ($20.4 million) agro-industrial project in his hometown of Bambali, southern Senegal, aimed at expanding mango processing and creating jobs.
The project, known as SM10 Agro, was launched on September 19 in Bambali, Sedhiou Region.
The complex will include a processing plant with an annual capacity of 8,500 tonnes of mangoes, producing mango pulp, dried fruit and mango butter.
It will also include a 500-hectare plantation of Kent mangoes.
The project is located in Casamance, Senegal’s leading mango-producing region, where limited processing facilities have contributed to significant post-harvest losses.
Senegal loses an estimated 30 to 45 percent of harvested fruit annually, with poor farming practices, harvesting and transportation challenges, and limited processing outlets among the factors contributing to the losses, Ecofin Agency reported.
Speaking at the launch, Mane said he wanted his legacy to extend beyond football.
“I don’t want to be remembered only for the goals I scored. Before the stadiums, the lights and the victories, there was, of course, Bambali. This is where my dreams began… We want to help create jobs and develop agriculture,” Mane was quoted as saying.
The facility is expected to allow more mangoes to be processed locally, including fruit that may not qualify for export to European Union markets because of phytosanitary requirements.
A 2023 study by the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale, cited by Ecofin Agency, found that existing mango processing facilities in Casamance were concentrated mainly in the Ziguinchor region, while Sedhiou and Kolda remained poorly equipped despite producing local mango varieties.
The study also identified limited access to packaging and labelling services in Casamance as a challenge for processors, forcing some businesses to depend on Dakar for the services.
Mane’s investment comes as Senegal’s mango export industry recovers from recent difficulties linked to fruit-fly infestations and other phytosanitary problems.
Senegal exported about 27,000 tonnes of mangoes in 2021, but export volumes subsequently declined following problems that affected access to the European market.
Exports to Europe reportedly rose to more than 19,000 tonnes in 2026, up from about 14,000 tonnes the previous season, following improved phytosanitary measures, particularly efforts to control fruit flies.
Sports
Mohammed Salah Fined, Banned In UK From Driving For Six Months Over Speeding Case
Former Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, has been banned from driving for six months after failing to identify the person driving his Rolls-Royce when it was caught speeding in Cheshire, United Kingdom.
Court documents reported by the BBC showed that the vehicle was recorded travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone in Wilmslow on March 27.
Salah, 34, failed to respond to a notice issued by Cheshire Constabulary requiring information about the driver and did not enter a plea.
He was prosecuted at Warrington Combined Court under the Single Justice Procedure, which allows magistrates to deal with certain cases without a public hearing.
A court spokeswoman said Salah was convicted of failing to provide information relating to the identification of the driver of the vehicle.
He was disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to pay £1,044.
The incident occurred three days after Salah announced his departure from Liverpool at the end of the 2025/26 season, bringing his nine-year spell at the club to an end.
Liverpool had described Salah as oneof the greatest players in the club’s history when it announced his departure on March 24.
Salah scored 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool before leaving the club for Turkish side Trabzonspor after the 2025/26 season.
He currently plays for Trabzonspor in Turkey.
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