Just spent this exact amount today. I felt sorry for myself immediately.

Wow! Just wow! x.com/WorldAthletics/status/…

My mum is dying, please help retweet🙏😩

I have an abiding annoyance with how the idea of 'pragmatism' is spoken of in football. In the proper sense, pragmatism is contextual and rational, based upon an appraisal of not just the problem but also the tools/resources/circumstances available. As such, what is pragmatic for one may not be so for another. If I have an urgent meeting and the means to arrive at it via helicopter, it would not be pragmatic for me to take the bus and expose myself to the whims of Lagos traffic; for an individual of more modest means and/or without a similar time constraint, pragmatism would necessitate the opposite. Pragmatism is doing a cold, logical appraisal of the tools at your disposal and thereby coming up with a problem-solving framework that best maximises them. Apply this to football: pragmatism, in a nutshell, is to identify your team's strengths (and/or weaknesses) relative to the opposition, and build a tactical system that platforms and/or mitigates them, thereby giving you the most logical route to success. And because the aim of football is to both score and prevent concession, that system must balance both the mitigation of weakness and the platforming of strength in order to be complete. The direction in which that balance tilts depends on the dynamic at play: when facing an opponent with inferior resources, the latter should be privileged over the former to a degree reflective of the disparity, and vice versa in the opposite case. If, comparatively speaking, you boast greater attacking riches than your adversary, to be pragmatic is to attack, to assert and impose your will. (We even, subconsciously, have a concept of this: in 2002 when France, boasting the top scorers from the Premier League, Serie A and Ligue 1 limped out of the World Cup with two defeats in three, no one asked why they did not defend better. Instead, everyone asked how it was that they left Korea with a zero in the 'goals scored' column.) What we saw from South Africa last night, and what is often labelled pragmatic, is a football that is defence-first, that seeks to contain regardless of competitive advantages. Bafana, with a squad heavily composed of a Mamelodi Sundowns side the world watched and admired at last summer's Club World Cup, were not so inferior to Mexico that they needed to abdicate all of their distinguishing characteristics. Yet, not only did they completely deny the possession-based approach that should have been their edge against the hosts, they sat in with a back five and were painfully passive out of possession. That was not pragmatism. It was cowardice.

Imagine having to come here and defend what I say here, having worked in every facet of Nigerian football since 2012. Media officer, soccer school administrator, football academy manager, social media manager, journalist, reporter, events manager, etc. Lol

You attend the training session of many Nigerian coaches- and most of what they do is run. They are always running. Ogenyi Onazi came to an academy session one time, stood about 30 metres away from the players, and asked them to aim a pass at his chest. Not 1 player. 5 tries.

Physical 2. Psychological 3. Tactical 4. Technical We have many world-class players with #1, few with #4 and a tiny bit with #3 and . The reason is that most academies prioritise #1. The average training session starts with laps around the pitch. Little done on #3 & #4.

'Forgive' them - you messed up too. Let them know they can trust you with their grievances, you are understanding etc. Get them back on your side, and loyal, but never forget...so reintroduce them slowly and let them gain back their importance to you [they don't know this though]

This book? A gem! Great work by @TheOddSolace 🫡

That's a wrap for #RolandGarros 2026. Thanks for sticking with me! Remember, I'm always here talking tennis even outside the Slams. Now over to grass. ✌🏾

I love the Diamond League, man.

Audrey Werro, I was not familiar with your game o. Wow! Swiss champ.

Wetin Mundo jump today like this? He couldn't even go past 6 metres.

You sure say na better thing we buy like this?

Zadok Yohanna is officially Albion. 💙🤍

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the best football columnist in Africa has no place to lay his pen. My contract with Afrik-Foot, spanning two years, has now come to an end. Thank you to everyone who clicked a link and who went there on the strength of my name. Open to new, bigger and better things. The transfer window closes tonight but, as a free agent, I am still very much on the market. So, commission me, refer me, recruit me. You can view some selected columns, as well as my portfolio, to get a feel for my work here: solacechukwu.com/#columns You can (and should) also purchase #Elusive, the story of @EnyimbaFC's CAF Champions League double in 2003 & 2004, here: solacechukwu.com/#elusive

One hospital bill can wipe out 5 years of your savings. Don't just hustle without taking care of your health Don't sacrifice your sleep Don't sacrifice your diet. When you're looking for things to protect, choose your health first.

Happy Global Running Day! Running, the gift that keeps on giving.