Burna Boy, the Grammy-winning Afro-fusion singer, is set to perform at the 2023 UEFA Champions League (UCL) final.

This season’s final will be held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on June 23.

In a blog post on Thursday, UEFA announced the self-proclaimed ‘African Giant’ as one of the headliners alongside another soon-to-be-announced “global sensation”.

“GRAMMY® Award-winning and multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter, and producer Burna Boy will co-headline the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi®, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on Saturday 10 June,” a statement from UEFA reads.

“Known for his global chart-topping hits Last Last and It’s Plenty, the Nigerian star will bring his energy and signature soulful vibes of Afrobeats to millions of fans before the biggest club fixture in football gets underway.”

On his part, Burna Boy said: “As a huge football fan myself, I know it doesn’t get any bigger than the UEFA Champions League!

“That’s why I’m so excited to be performing on the Pepsi stage at this year’s final. Music and football are the ultimate combination, so you already know I’ll be bringing the vibes and making magic in Istanbul.

“The world isn’t ready for what we have in store!”

Big news! @burnaboy will be performing at the Champions League final in Istanbul alongside another amazing headliner! 🎶 🔥

Search #PepsiKickOffShow to find out more…#UCL x @PepsiGlobal pic.twitter.com/njhtDFOIAd

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 16, 2023

Chelsea legend, Glenn Hoddle, on Wednesday, pleaded with Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, to come to the English Premier League in the summer following his brilliant form in the ongoing 2022/2023 season.

Hoddle described Osimhen as a top player after his team’s cruised past Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

Osimhen, 24, scored a goal as Napoli defeated Frankfurt 2-0 in the Champions League round of 16 first-leg tie in Germany.

“He has got that pace to go in behind defenders,” Hoddle told BT Sport.

“And he is also good at hold-up play as well, he can hold the ball up. He’s got everything at the moment.

“He is a top, top player. Let’s hope he can just continue, be injury free, and end up in the Premier League. It would be lovely to see him play every other week.”

A United States Court of Appeal in New York has dismissed an appeal brought before it by Samson Siasia, former Super Eagles coach, seeking to overturn his five-year FIFA ban.

In a judgment delivered by a three-member panel on Thursday, the court ruled that Siasia failed to establish why a court in New York had jurisdiction over the case.

It added that the Nigerian failed to establish, in his suit, that FIFA, a body based in Switzerland, was “essentially at home” in New York.

The court also said although Siasia, who is based in the US, was banned from using a coaching licence issued by US soccer, his argument in that regard was not effective and barely supported by “conclusory statements.”

The ruling also affirmed the decision of a New York district court that had earlier dismissed the case on December 29, 2021.

“Upon consideration, it is hereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that the order of the district court entered on December 29, 2021 is affirmed,” the court statement reads.

“This case asks us to decide whether the district court properly dismissed Appellant Siasia’s 5 Complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction over Appellee Fédération Internationale de Football 6 Association (“FIFA”), a Swiss entity. See Siasia v. Fédération Internationale de Football 7 Association, No. 21 Civ. 6516 (AKH), 2021 WL 5042974, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 29, 2021).

“We 8 assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts, the procedural history, and the issues on 9 appeal, which we reference only as necessary to explain our decision.

“The record does not support the finding that Siasia made a prima facie showing of personal 6 jurisdiction under either theory. Siasia’s support for general jurisdiction relies on generalized 7 claims and poorly supported speculations of future activity that plainly do not suffice to render 8 FIFA ‘essentially at home’ in New York.”

In 2019, FIFA found Siasia “guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches”.

The offence, FIFA had said, violated the federation’s code of ethics and consequently pinned a life ban from football-related activities on the multiple Olympic medalist.

The ban was also accompanied by a 50,000 Swiss francs ($54,000) fine.

However, the sanction was reduced to a five-year ban on June 21 at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

In August 2021, Siasia sued FIFA over the ban, saying the evidence was “grossly insufficient” and that the punishment violated his due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.