Sports
Interesting Facts about the 2023/24 EPL, Laliga, Serie A Season
The 2023/24 club football season promises to produce another ten months of thrilling football action around Europe. The top football players and coaches will entertain the fans with their techniques, skills, and tactical acumen in their pursuit of silverware across different competitions. The new season rave will see football fans eager to watch all the action and share in the joy of victory of their favourite clubs.
As we usher in the new football season, here are some interesting facts to know before the action starts:
Full-blown football fest on DStv and GOtv: MultiChoice is making the season a special one for GOtv customers, as they can now access all Premier League matches on their decoder. Customers can now upgrade to the new GOtv package, GOtv Supa+ to enjoy EPL, La Liga, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, CAF Champions League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup matches, just like DStv Compact, Compact Plus, and Premium subscribers do.
The rise of Guardiola’s mentees: Arguably the best football manager in the world, Pep Guardiola has owned the Premier League since he joined Manchester City seven seasons ago. He has won five of the last seven league titles, breaking almost all the records in English football. Having worked with several talents, some of his prodigies have taken to coaching and will lead teams against him in the Premier League this season. Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta was Guardiola’s righthand man at City for four years; Burnley’s coach, Vincent Kompany captained Guadiola’s City team to two Premier League titles, while Brighton’s coach, Roberto De Zerbi said Guardiola inspired him to become a coach. Guardiola will face Kompany in the 2023/24 opening match on August 11th, available to DStv and GOtv Supa+ customers.
Barcelona’s temporary home: This is definitely a good one for all opponents that will be facing Barcelona this season. They won’t have to worry about the home advantage that over 100,000 fans provide at Camp Nou every matchday. The famous stadium is under reconstruction, so Barcelona will play all their home matches for the 2023/24 season at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis, which is more like a neutral ground. This temporary home will host the first El Clasico of the season (Barcelona vs Real Madrid) on 29th October, live on DStv and GOtv.
No to Referee harassment: The Premier League has a cult followership in Nigeria. As the new season rolls in, it’s important that fans are abreast of the new rules and changes effected by the Premier League management. English football’s authorities aim to reset the attitude of players and managers towards officials this season. Referees will be encouraged to issue at least a yellow card if they are surrounded by two or more players. Managers will also be punished if they step out of their technical area on the touchline into the pitch to confront any match official at half-time or full-time.
First Belgian Manager In EPL: Former Manchester City captain, Vincent Kompany, will become the first Belgian coach to manage a team in the Premier League when he leads his Burnley team out against Man City on Friday.
Goal celebrations timing: As part of the effort to reduce time-wasting by players during goal celebrations, referees have been asked to give additional time at their discretion at the end of each half. So, get ready for lengthy Premier League, Serie A, Laliga, and Champions League matches that could last over 100 minutes, all available on DStv Compact, Compact Plus, and GOtv Supa+.
Napoli vs Millan: While the likes of Ademola Lookman, Isaac Success, and Tyronne Ebuehi will also feature prominently in the Serie A this new season, matches involving AC Millan and Napoli will get more attention from Nigerians, with Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen featuring for the respective clubs. Nigerian football fans will be keen to see who gets the better of the other when both sides take to the field in what is usually one of the big fixtures of every Serie A season. The first leg of their Serie A encounter will be at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on 29th October, live on DStv Compact, Compact Plus, and GOtv Supa+
Influence of Spanish managers: The Exploits of Guardiola appears to be luring more Spanish coaches to England. Four Premier League teams will start the season with Spaniards as their managers. This is the joint most by any country at the start of the 2023/24 EPL season (England and Spain). The Spanish managerial contingent comprises Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Pep Guardiola at Man City, Unai Emery at Aston Villa, and Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The deal between Arsenal Football Club and Emirates has been renewed, making it one of the longest-running and most recognisable partnerships in world sport.
Both parties first came together as partners in 2006 and have since built one of football’s defining partnerships. Spanning the entire Emirates Stadium era, the relationship has evolved alongside the club – supporting Arsenal’s ambitions, strengthening both organisations’ global reach and creating new ways for supporters around the world to connect with Arsenal.
The latest deal will see Emirates continue as the Champions’ front-of-shirt, training kit and stadium naming rights partner through to 2033.
The renewal comes at a pivotal moment in the club’s history following its recent Premier League title. The new agreement will build on many of the flagship initiatives that have defined the partnership, including the Emirates Cup, which brings world-class football to Emirates Stadium each summer, and Global Gooners, which gives supporters from around the world the opportunity to experience Arsenal in North London for the first time.
The next chapter of the partnership will begin this weekend as Arsenal welcome Borussia Dortmund to North London for the Emirates Cup, with a programme of anniversary activity celebrating more than two decades of shared history while looking ahead to the next chapter still to be written. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, will attend alongside Arsenal senior leadership as part of the celebrations.
Launching alongside the partnership renewal is a new cinematic film featuring Arsenal legend Per Mertesacker. Set inside an antique shop filled with objects from across the Emirates era, the film celebrates two decades of shared memories between Arsenal, Emirates and our supporters, reflecting on the history we’ve made together and the moments still to come.
“Winning the Premier League is an incredibly proud moment in our club’s history and one that belongs to everyone connected with Arsenal. Emirates has been an integral part of this success – standing alongside us throughout this journey and sharing in the defining moments, challenges and successes that have shaped our club over the past two decades,” the chief executive of Arsenal, Mr Richard Garlick, stated.
On his part, the President of Emirates Airline, Sir Tim Clark, said, “Over the last two decades, Emirates and Arsenal have built something that goes far beyond a traditional partnership, and one we are immensely proud of. We have grown alongside the club through changes of era and ambition, united by a shared goal of bringing people closer to what they love.
“In practice, that has meant reaching the millions who follow Arsenal across the Emirates network and beyond and creating experiences for them that neither of us could have done alone.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will look to secure their place in the quarter-finals when they face Egypt in their final Group C match on Wednesday at 9:00 pm at the ongoing WAFCON 2026 in Morocco.
The defending champions bounced back from their disappointing 3-2 defeat to Malawi with a crucial 1-0 victory over Zambia and will now be aiming to finish the group stage strongly. All the matches of the tournament air live on SuperSport via DStv and GOtv.
The final matchday of Group A saw hosts Morocco play out a goalless draw with Senegal, a result that was enough to send Morocco through to the quarter-finals in first position in their group. Algeria also secured their place in the knockout stages after a 2-0 victory over Kenya, bringing their group-stage campaign to a strong close.
Tuesday, Group B will conclude with Burkina Faso facing South Africa before Tanzania takes on Ivory Coast. South Africa and Ivory Coast played out a 2-2 draw in their previous match, while Burkina Faso bounced back from their opening defeat with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania. With the group still to be decided, the final results will determine which teams join the quarter-final line-up.
All eyes will then turn to Group C on Wednesday, where Egypt will face Nigeria, and Malawi will take on Zambia, with both matches kicking off at 9:00 pm. The Super Falcons will be hoping to build on their victory over Zambia and secure the result they need to advance to the knockout stages, while Egypt will be looking to end their campaign on a positive note after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Malawi in their previous game.
Nigeria’s final group match comes after a difficult start to their title defence. The Super Falcons were stunned 3-2 by Malawi in their opening game but responded with a 1-0 victory over Zambia to revive their campaign. The ten-time champions will now need to complete the job against Egypt as they look to keep their hopes of retaining the continental crown alive.
The final group-stage fixtures on Thursday will see Ghana take on Mali, and Cape Verde face Cameroon on Thursday, with both matches also scheduled for 9:00 pm. Ghana suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their previous outing, while Mali secured a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde. The final results will determine which teams progress to the knockout stages from Group D.
Matchday 3 Fixtures
Tuesday, August 4
Burkina Faso vs South Africa – 9:00 pm
Tanzania vs Ivory Coast – 9:00 pm
Wednesday, August 5
Egypt vs Nigeria – 9:00 pm
Malawi vs Zambia – 9:00 pm
Thursday, August 6
Cape Verde vs Cameroon – 9:00 pm
Mali vs Ghana – 9:00 pm
SuperSport Brings All the Live Action
Catch every match of WAFCON Morocco 2026 live on SS Football (Ch. 202, GOtv Ch. 61) and SS Football Plus (DStv Ch. 202) on DStv and GOtv. Fans can also stream every match live on DStv Stream from ₦6,000, with no decoder or dish required.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
At least for the next four seasons, DStv and GOtv subscribers are guaranteed access to all UEFA men’s club matches on SuperSport.
This is because CANAL+, the parent company of MultiChoice, which owns DStv and GOtv, has secured the exclusive broadcast rights to all UEFA men’s club competitions across Sub-Saharan Africa through 2031, ensuring SuperSport will continue to broadcast the UEFA Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues live to DStv and GOtv subscribers.
The four-season agreement, which begins with the 2027/28 campaign, covers more than 40 countries across the region and includes exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
In English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, SuperSport will continue as the exclusive broadcaster of UEFA club competitions, bringing the continent’s biggest European club matches to DStv and GOtv subscribers. The agreement also restores full UEFA Champions League coverage on CANAL+ Sport channels in French-speaking Africa, alongside the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
The rights deal further strengthens CANAL+’s sports portfolio, which already includes major football competitions such as the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Ligue 1, the Betway Premiership and the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026.
The agreement ensures football fans across Sub-Saharan Africa will continue to enjoy live coverage of Europe’s premier club competitions on SuperSport when the new rights cycle begins in 2027.
“We are very proud of this new partnership, which gives us exclusive rights to all UEFA Men’s Club competitions across more than 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“For four seasons, until 2031, our subscribers will enjoy the thrill of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League’s biggest matches. Today, CANAL+ offers the most attractive sports line-up across Sub-Saharan Africa, and the acquisition of these rights is a perfect illustration of that.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to UC3 and to the teams at Relevent for once again placing their trust in CANAL+, following our recent agreements in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Austria,” the chief executive of CANAL+, Mr Maxime Saada, stated.
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