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Besiktas appoints Vincenzo Italiano as head coach, raising questions for Wilfred Ndidi's future
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
Besiktas has announced Vincenzo Italiano as their new head coach, signing a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season. Italiano, 48, joins from Bologna, where he spent two seasons in Serie A, and previously managed Fiorentina and Spezia. His appointment follows a disappointing season for Besiktas, which finished fourth in the Süper Lig, 17 points behind champions Galatasaray. This change in management introduces uncertainty for Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who joined Besiktas from Leicester City in August 2025 for €8m on a three-year contract with an option for a further year. Ndidi, appointed vice captain in October 2025, made 25 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist. Turkish sports commentator Mustafa Demirtas has suggested that Ndidi may not fit Italiano’s tactical system, indicating that Besiktas might seek a different type of holding midfielder during the summer transfer window.
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Must ReadThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC is under public scrutiny following the death of 16-year-old Sesugh Atser in Makurdi, Benue State, in May 2026. The EFCC stated that Sesugh, a suspect in a cyber fraud case, escaped from custody on May 4 with two others by breaking through a toilet roof. The commission claims that on May 21, during an attempt to re-arrest him in Kanshio, Sesugh and suspected cult members opened fire on EFCC operatives. The EFCC reported that operatives returned fire in self-defense, and Sesugh was later found lying in a pool of blood by the roadside, pronounced dead at the Police Cottage Hospital. The EFCC emphasized that Sesugh did not die in custody and was never granted bail. However, this account has been met with skepticism on social media, with users questioning the escape narrative and the circumstances of his death. Activist Rinu Oduala and other users on X raised concerns about the plausibility of a 16-year-old opening fire and the EFCC's changing description of Sesugh from a fraudster to a cult member. Sesugh's mother, Jennifer Atsar, told Saturday PUNCH that her son was a hardworking student and denied he was a fraudster. She alleged that EFCC operatives had previously arrested and released him, retaining his phone and demanding N100,000 for its return. She claims that on the day of his death, two plainclothes EFCC officers lured her son to a hotel, where he was shot while attempting to flee after seeing a gun. She stated that her so
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