Aruna Quadri Nigerian tennis star welcomes baby girl

Nigerian tennis star Aruna Quadri has welcomed a baby girl with his wife, Rashidat who is also a tennis player.
Quadri and his wife Rashidat got married in 2012 and now have three children together.
The 28-year-old and his wife welcomed their new bundle of joy on Friday, December 2 in Portugal where they are based.
The couple now has three children; the first
Mariam is three, while the second Junior Aruna Quadri is just a year-old.
This rounds up a remarkable year for the Oyo State-born tennis star who was impressive in Rio 2016 Olympic Games » .
Quadri beat fifth-seeded player Chih-Yuan Chuang in the third round and German Boll Timo in the fourth to make it to the quarter-finals where he lost to world number one, Long Ma.
In the last ITTF ranking, he rose from 40th to 25th released by ITTF on Tuesday, September 6.
With this rise, he becomes the first African tennis player to be in the top 25.

Pulis aiming to add 'one or two'

West Brom manager Tony Pulis has confirmed he is looking to add "one or two" in the January transfer window after defeat to Manchester United on SaturdayDespite the scoreline, West Brom matched their opponents for much of the game but Pulis admitted afterwards that he was looking to add more bodies to his side to maintain their recent surge up the table.

"We've got three points out of three difficult games. We're still seventh on 23 points," he told a post-match press conference"Now what we have to do is make sure we hang in there until the window opens and fingers crossed we can add one or two to the squad.
"That's what we need to do, add one or two to the squad and keep things ticking over and going in the right direction."
The Baggies conceded their first goal within five minutes at The Hawthorns as a pin-point pass from Jesse Lingard saw Ibrahimovic head home.

James: I have offers to leave Real

The Colombia international says he is happy in Spain but wants more playing time, having been in and out of the line-up since Zinedine Zidane took charge.
And the 25-year-old was an unused substitute on Sunday when Real defeated Kashima Antlers 4-2 in the Club World Cup final in Yokohama.
After the game, James said: "I can't assure I will stay at Real Madrid.
"I have offers and seven days left to think about my future.
"I am happy in Madrid, but I want to play more. I have a bitter feeling as I wanted to play the final, but I am happy for the title. It's the 15th title in my career."
English national newspapers have reported that Premier League-leaders Chelsea are interested in James, who is reportedly seen as a possible replacement for Oscar if the Brazilian goes to China, and claim he could cost £75m.
James was one of the stars of the tournament at the 2014 World Cup, scoring six goals in five games to land the Golden Boot award, as Colombia reached the quarter-finals.
Having previously moved to Monaco from Porto for £38.5million in 2013, he was transferred to Real after the World Cup for £71m.
He has scored 21 times for Real since the move but has only found the net twice for the Champions League holders this season.

Premier League Manchester City sink Arsenal to revive title bid, Tottenham Hotspur battles back

Pep Guardiola 's side recovered from Theo Walcott 's early opener as second half goals from
Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling delivered the knockout blows in a heavyweight clash at Eastlands.
City's second win in five days lifted them into second place and closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to seven points ahead of the busy Christmas period.
"At half-time I told them not to think about the score, I told them to keep going. Arsenal were lucky in the first half," Guardiola said.
"The guys give everything in every game. I'm happy to be City coach. In terms of spirit it's always there."
Just days after squandering the lead in a late loss at Everton, Arsenal's second successive defeat leaves the fourth placed Gunners languishing nine points behind Chelsea as their 14-match unbeaten run suddenly becomes a distant memory."
"Of course I'm disappointed and frustrated. We had a very good first half and then we conceded two offside goals," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
"It's difficult to accept. I believe there's a lot going on (regarding refereeing decisions). It's hard going into game like that and get decisions go against you."
Guardiola's latest stab at finding the right formula in City's creaky defence saw the Spaniard again leave out John Stones and deploy full-back Aleksandar Kolarov alongside Nicolas Otamendi.
But it took Arsenal only five minutes to expose City's soft centre as Alexis Sanchez caressed a fine pass behind Otamendi to Walcott, who dispatched a cool finish past Claudio Bravo from close-range.
Showing impressive composure, Guardiola's team monopolised possession after that and Sterling almost equalised when he headed just wide from Kevin de Bruyne's cross.
City's territorial dominance was rewarded in the 47th minute when David Silva's pass picked out Leroy Sane and the German winger beat the offside trap to slot home.
Unable to stem the tide, Arsenal needed a series of saves from Petr Cech to keep them level, but the Gunners defence was finally breached again in the 71st minute when England forward Sterling beat Cech at his near post.

Premier League Refs 'like lions in the zoo', complains Arsenal's Wenger

Theo Walcott gave Arsenal a fifth-minute lead, but Leroy Sane equalised early in the second half, getting the benefit of the doubt in a tight offside call to run in and score from David Silva's pass.
Raheem Sterling struck a 71st-minute winner, but Wenger felt Silva's attempt to play the ball in front of goalkeeper Petr Cech should have seen the goal ruled out.
"We conceded two offside goals, which is very difficult to accept in a game of that stature," Wenger told his post-match press conference.
"As it is well known, the referees are protected very well, that is right, like the lions in the zoo.
"So we have to live with those decisions. I want them to be safe. If they could make the right decision, it would be even better."
Arsenal's defeat was the second game in succession they had gone ahead, only to lose 2-1, having fallen to defeat in similar circumstances at Everton on Tuesday.
On that occasion, Wenger protested that Ashley Williams's headed 86th-minute winner had stemmed from an erroneously awarded corner.
The result saw City leapfrog Arsenal into second place, leaving them seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea.
Chelsea won 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium two weeks ago, but City manager Pep Guardiola felt there was not much difference between that display and his side's performance against Arsenal.
"Arsenal were lucky in the first half," Guardiola told the BBC.
"It was a Premier League game and a good game for everybody. It was similar to the game against Chelsea. Then we played well and lost and today we won.
"The guys give everything in every game. I'm happy to be City coach. In terms of spirit, it's always there."
Adding to Arsenal's problems, midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was forced off by injury in the second half just 13 minutes after coming on as a replacement for Alex Iwobi.
"It looks a hamstring," Wenger said. "It is a muscular problem."

Chelsea turn it up to 11

Diego Costa earned Chelsea a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday as the Premier League leaders claimed a club record-equalling 11th consecutive league victory.
Costa headed home Cesar Azpilicueta's cross in the 43rd minute at a foggy Selhurst Park to send
Antonio Conte 's men nine points clear.
"The run is fantastic," said Chelsea manager Conte. "Congratulations to my players, not me. I am pleased for them because they deserve this."
Chelsea have matched their record of 11 consecutive wins from April to September 2009, achieving the feat within the same season for the first time.
The only blemishes were yellow cards for Costa and N'Golo Kante that mean both players will be suspended for next weekend's home game against Bournemouth.
Narrowly beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in mid-week, Palace threatened to take the lead against Chelsea when Jason Puncheon scuffed wide from Martin Kelly 's cross.
The visitors went in front shortly before half-time after Eden Hazard sprayed a pass wide to Azpilicueta, whose floated cross allowed Costa to nod in his 13th goal of the campaign.
Marcos Alonso struck the bar with a late free-kick, but Costa's goal proved sufficient.
Chelsea are nine points clear of second-place Liverpool, who visit Everton on Monday, and Arsenal, who travel to fourth-place Manchester City on Sunday.
"We can improve though ," Conte added. "It is important to understand we are only at the 17th game in the season. We must not look at the table."

Gareth Barry Giggs' Premier League record in sight as midfielder signs new deal

Former England international Gareth Barry looks set to break Ryan Giggs's Premier League appearances record after he signed an extension to his present contract with Everton on Friday.

The 35-year-old midfielder -- capped 53 times -- has 609 Premier League games under his belt, only 23 shy of Welsh legend Giggs's mark, committed himself to the club until 2018.

"Let's hope (Barry) will smash every record. He's a quiet person but a strong character. He is 35 but he is still so important for the team," Everton manager Ronald Koeman told the club website.

Another England international, defender Leighton Baines, also put pen to paper to extend his present contract to 2019.

Baines, 32 and capped 30 times, is involved in his 10th campaign for Everton having signed from Wigan Athletic in 2007.

"The majority of my career I've spent here at Everton and it's something that I hope will continue even beyond these next few years," said Baines.

"I hope I'm always affiliated with Everton."

Koeman also persuaded a player at the other end of the age scale, 20-year-old defender Mason Holgate -- who made his senior debut this term -- to also extend his present deal to 2021.

"Mason is one of the big talents at the club," Koeman said.

"Of course, he started playing this season and did a great job. He's the future for the club and other young players like him."

Club World Cup Croc alert for Ronaldo in final clash

Japan's Kashima Antlers plan to unleash a secret weapon to strike terror into Spanish giants Real Madrid when they meet in this weekend's Club World Cup final: a deadly crocodile.

Though relative minnows on the world stage, a voracious predator lurks in the Kashima side in the form of defender Naomichi Ueda, who has fired a warning ahead of Sunday's Yokohama clash.

"I'm a crocodile," he said. "Just as a crocodile will complete its conquest by dragging its prey into the water, I just want to bring them down -- whether it's in the air Killer reptiles notwithstanding, Kashima face overwhelming odds against a Real side on a club record win streak of 36 matches.

They finished a distant third in the J-League season before capturing the championship playoff less than two weeks ago.

But Kashima became the first Japanese side to reach the Club World Cup final after stunning Colombia's Atletico Nacional 3-0 in midweek.

"If I don't score again in the final, I'll quickly be forgotten," said striker Yuma Suzuki, who celebrated scoring Kashima's third goal in Osaka by copying Ronaldo's trademark macho man goal pose.

"I had no choice," added the 20-year-old, whose celebration after scoring with his first touch off the bench even set tongues wagging on Spanish television.

"It's like a dream. Now I want to do it on front of Ronaldo's very eyes."

Whether or not his childhood idol Ronaldo sees the funny side is likely to depend on the score in Yokohama but a defiant Suzuki told Japan's Nikkan Sports: "I will show Real Madrid how Japanese football has grown."

Real coach Zinedine Zidane insisted the European champions and Spanish league leaders would not underestimate the pugnacious Antlers as his side chases a second world title in three years.

"It's basically a home game for them so the conditions favour them," said the Frenchman after his side's comfortable 2-0 semi-final win over Club America.

"For us it's all about recovering properly for Sunday. We will study the Antlers between now and the final and we'll be ready."

Midfielder Lucas Vazquez echoed his manager's sentiments.

"They will be tough to beat," he said. "They played well to win their semi-final. But we've been very consistent in finding ways to win games and our confidence is high.

"No excuses about jet-lag or fatigue, we are determined to win the title."

Premier League Preview Rattled Arsenal face Man City mettle test

All-too-familiar questions about courage, backbone and durability surround Arsenal ahead of their trip to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend.

Arsenal's 14-game unbeaten run had lain strong foundations for a determined tilt at the festive fixture list, only for Arsene Wenger's men to come unstuck in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Everton.

Wenger was left to voice time-worn complaints about an opponent's "physical" approach, after his side shrivelled amid the Goodison Park roar, but Petr Cech is desperate to show Arsenal are no pushovers."You have to pick yourself up," the Arsenal goalkeeper told the club website.

"There is a big period coming up now with the games coming thick and fast and there is no time to dwell on the defeat.

"Sometimes I think it is best if after a big game you play another big game. You have opportunities to win. It's a kind of a six-pointer. It's probably a perfect game for us."

Arsenal's defeat, courtesy of an 86th-minute header by Everton centre-back Ashley Williams, was their first in the league since a slapdash 4-3 loss at home to Liverpool on the season's opening weekend.

Compounding their disappointment, they now trail leaders Chelsea by six points, while all of the teams around them -- Liverpool, City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United -- won their mid-week matches.

If there is a consolation for Arsenal it is that City are by no means firing on all cylinders themselves.

Guardiola's side went four home games without victory in the league prior to Wednesday's 2-0 defeat of Watford and recently fell to damaging losses against Chelsea (3-1) and Leicester City (4-2).

In the absence of the suspended Sergio Aguero, Nolito started up front against Watford and the Spanish forward is anticipating an open encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

"It will be a hard game, but I guess Arsenal will come and try to get the three points, as that is their philosophy of football," he said.

"It is also ours, so we will have to see who gets the points."

MerseysidCity will be without midfielder Ilkay Gundogan after he injured his knee against Watford, with reports in Germany on Thursday suggesting he could miss the whole season with ligament damage.

Chelsea secured a 10th straight victory by winning 1-0 at Sunderland and can register 11 successive league wins within the same season for the first time if they win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Antonio Conte's side are guaranteed to top the table on Christmas Day, but his players remain on high alert for signs of complacency.

"I know more than anyone, football goes week by week, month by month," centre-back Gary Cahill told Chelsea TV.

"We want to keep this going and continue the good spirit that's in our camp at the minute. That's the most important thing for us."

Liverpool stole past Arsenal into second place courtesy of a 3-0 win at Middlesbrough and now face the London club's conquerors, Everton, in a Monday night Merseyside derby.

Adam Lallana, who scored twice at the Riverside Stadium, said Liverpool's display was "not too far off the complete performance", but revealed manager Jurgen Klopp was not fully satisfied.

"The manager has already quickly said to us that there are things we can improve on," Lallana said.

"At times we can maybe get a little bit carried away and all of us maybe want to attack at times when we need to protect a bit more."

Sixth-place United visit seventh-place West Bromwich Albion on Saturday buoyed after snatching a 2-1 win at Palace on Wednesday via Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 88th-minute strike.

Bottom club Sunderland and struggling Middlesbrough also lie in wait for Jose Mourinho's men over the festive season, but midfielder Ander Herrera says United can take nothing for granted.

"If we were in Spain I could tell you, 'These are the games we are going to win,' but in the Premier League you never know," said the Spaniard.

"If you think you are just going to beat West Brom, Middlesbrough or Sunderland, maybe you don't do that, so you just think about the next game."

Fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated):

Crystal Palace v Chelsea (1230 GMT), Stoke v Leicester, West Brom v Man Utd (1730 GMT), Middlesbrough v Swansea, Sunderland v Watford, West Ham v Hull

Sunday (1600 GMT unless otherwise stated):

Man City v Arsenal, Tottenham v Burnley, Bournemouth v Southampton (1330 GMT)

Monday (2000 GMT):

Everton v Liverpoole derby

Karim Benzema French court rejects striker's request to drop sextape case

A French court on Friday rejected a request from Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema to drop the investigation into alleged blackmail over a sex tape featuring international teammate Mathieu Valbuena, a lawyer said.

"We are pretty astonished because the decision is to reject our requests for the investigation to be cancelled," said Serge Money, who represents another suspect.

The case, which cost Benzema a place in France's Euro 2016 squad on home soil, is now expected to go to trial next year.

The Versailles appeal court also asked the investigating magistrate to consider charging former Liverpool and Marseille striker Djibril Cisse.

Investigators suspect 28-year-old Benzema of acting as an intermediary between the presumed blackmailers -- including one of his childhood friends -- and Lyon midfielder Valbuena.

Benzema and three of the other suspects asked for the case against them to be dropped.

They say police used "dishonest" methods by posing as a friend of Valbuena's in a telephone conversation with one of the accused.

The prosecution meanwhile says Cisse helped to push along the deception by informing Valbuena that "rumours" were circulating about the existence of the sextape.

The 35-year-old was arrested as part of the investigation in 2015 but was released without charge.

Cisse said in a TV interview at the time that he had only been arrested "so the investigators could hear my side of the story. I never swindled anyone -- Mathieu is a friend".

Benzema has been usurped as France's star striker by Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, but national coach Didier Deschamps says he has not ruled out a return to the international fold for the Real forward.