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Scotsman
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Beni Baningime: The Hearts 'nutter', a Jude Bellingham comparison, and why Tynecastle boos are normal
Midfielder opens up ahead of season 2025/26 Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Beni Baningime is one of the more energetic characters around the Hearts squad. Quiet on the field, lively off it. The Congolese midfielder enjoys changing-room jibes as much as any footballer and admits he can be a bit of a 'nutter', but not in a crazy way. For new signings, he is a genuine colleague to rely on. This is Baningime's fifth season in Edinburgh and he is an established figure at Riccarton. So much so that he often finds himself digging heels in alone during light-hearted discussions with team-mates. He is a man of principles who knows what is required from a good Hearts player. Personality is a major component and the former Everton man is not short in that department. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The most important thing for me is always character, how they are and how they integrate into the team,' says Baningime about new recruits. Hearts signed six so far this summer with at least two more to come. 'You can always have a world-beater and the boys don't like him, so it's always hard. The new boys have been great and I think the quality has been there. I think we've all been really impressed since they've come in.' Handling Tynecastle's atmosphere and demands is one of the biggest challenges. 'Oh no, of course. That's one of the first things that we said to them,' explains Baningime. 'We said: 'If it's 0-0 or 1-1 and you hear boos, just calm down. That's normal.' I know some of the boys have obviously played abroad, so it's not as demanding or whatever, so it's just letting them know early that there are demands here. I think they'll do alright. They've got a core group of people here who are going to help them out, so they'll do alright. 'I think that's the sound of a big club, that comes with it. If the fans are not as demanding, then that means they don't care. I think as a player that makes you your best [version], because you know every week you've got to be at it. I think that's the requirement that Celtic and Rangers have, so why shouldn't we have the same?' He feels like an elder statesman in Gorgie given the significant turnover of players in recent years. 'I do, to be fair. I'm 27 in two months' time so I'm not a kid any more. At times I'm finding myself speaking a little bit more than I normally would have. I'm a little bit more quiet on the pitch, but off the pitch I'm a nutter, so I need the boys to tell you off the pitch.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He is asked to elaborate on the 'nutter' comment. 'Oh, nah, not a nutter. The word nutter is a bit crazy. Hopefully, I don't get fined for this,' he laughs. 'No, honestly, everyone here, I'm boys with them, and I'm a Christian so my values are a bit different. In the changing room, it'll be me by myself and everyone coming against me. Some of the conversations I can't say, but that's what the boys call me. They think I'm a bit crazy, some of the things that I say, how I act. I'm a bit lively off the pitch. I can be a bit quiet on the pitch and you probably don't see that, but off the pitch I'm a bit lively, yeah.' Fines and culture as Hearts tackle the Premier Sports Cup Baningime revels in being a lone voice as banter flies back and forth among players. 'I love it, I love it,' he says. 'But I'm right so, because I'm right, I keep backing it. But yeah, my views are a bit different. The boys are brilliant. I've never been at a team like this where, during the off-season, I was speaking to most of the boys. That's how tight we are, that's how close we are, and I think all the boys coming in will realise that. Most of the time they normally do tend to get a fine, and by coming you're with the culture that the boys are set in, so it's a brilliant place to be around, and obviously the boys are great.' Hearts head coach Derek McInnes is aware of Baningime's influence on and off the field. He is a controlling presence whose diligent discipline allows others around him to flourish. And McInnes is working the Tynecastle squad hard as they navigate the Premier Sports Cup group phase this month. 'It's been tough, we've had a lot of triple sessions like training, gym and they've been very beneficial,' states Baningime. 'It's been good, because obviously we've got this tournament. There is not a long time to play the pre-season games, so it's been quite tough, but I feel like we're in great shape and that's what it's all about.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The player is effusive in praise of McInnes. 'He's the best. Wait, wait, wait, because I'm wary of what I say, because last time I got a fine,' he laughs. 'I have to be very careful of what I say. I have to be professional, okay? He's a great manager, a great man, very easy to get along with, top man-management, great tactics. What he wants us to do, obviously, he spoke to every single player during the off-season when we were off and explained what he requires of us, so the plan is clear. The confusion and the worries, it wasn't really a worry, it's out the window. 'I think he wants me to be me, but he also wants me to be more aggressive, passing more forward, long passing. He doesn't want me to stay comfortable and just do what I'm naturally good at. He wants me to push on to become the better version of me, and I think he's requiring that of everyone who's in the squad.' Real Madrid and Jude Bellingham comparison at Hearts Coaches are urging Baningime to shoot more often during games. He found the net with a deflected effort from distance in Hearts' first pre-season friendly against St Mirren in Spain. Comments like 'Beni Bellingham' were then heard from the camp as players jokingly referenced the Real Madrid midfielder, Jude. 'Yeah, someone called me Beni Bellingham. I can't say who, otherwise I'm going to get fined. I'm very worried,' smiles Baningime. 'Obviously I'm good at tight spaces, winning the ball back and whatever. If you can add that [goals] to your game, then you can become more of a complete midfielder, so that's what I'm trying to work on and hopefully I can get that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's one of the things that the manager has spoken to me about. It's about making yourself better, and trying to get a goal, a few goals or whatever, trying to work on your shooting and the things that you're a bit weak at. I know what my strengths are, and obviously I have weaknesses as well. I have to try and work on that and hopefully I can get a few goals this season.'
Toronto Sun
17 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
GUNTER: Blame Liberals' lax bail system for daylight fatal stabbing at Edmonton LRT station
A memorial was left after family and friends gathered at Belvedere LRT Station on Jan. 15, 2023, to mourn the loss of 52-year-old Rukinisha Nkundabatware where he was stabbed to death by a stranger on July 9, 2023. Photo by Greg Southam / Postmedia, file Seven years in prison. That's all. With time served while awaiting trial and sentencing, Jamal Wheeler will likely be out in just four-and-a-half. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Two summers ago, at an Edmonton transit station, Wheeler, a lifelong drug addict and violent criminal, used a knife to attack a complete stranger, unprovoked, in broad daylight. A single blow to the chest of Rukinisha Nkundabatware — known as Nkunda to his family and members of Edmonton's Congolese community — left the new Canadian and father of seven dead in the middle of the street, where he had run and collapsed after being stabbed. His assailant, Jamal Joshua Malik Wheeler, 29, had a long history of violent behaviour, including at least two earlier convictions for random attacks on transit riders. And still, Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Teskey sentenced him to just seven years in prison for taking another person's life. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But before blaming the judge for the leniency, consider that last fall Crown prosecutors had accepted a guilty plea to a lesser charge (manslaughter rather than murder) and the Crown had asked the judge only for a seven- to nine-year sentence in the current case. The problem is not the judge. It's not even the particularly light sentence. It's the bail system and the reforms the Liberal government made to it in 2019 that let Wheeler be free the day he decided he needed to brutalize Nkunda. At the time he murdered Nkunda, Wheeler was out on bail for an earlier assault. And he was in breach of one of his bail conditions, too, namely to stay off Edmonton Transit property. Not only was Wheeler trespassing on city property, he was living there, in a tent. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Had he not been given bail, Wheeler would have been in jail where he couldn't have killed Nkunda. And even if he had been released, if his bail conditions were being enforced, it's less likely Wheeler would have been near the transit stop where he attacked Nkunda. Wheeler has had an astonishingly hard life, no doubt about it. He has mental impairments that would be difficult to treat. His father was an absent drug dealer. His mother was an addict who got him started on illicit drugs herself. He has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD. As a result, a court report states Wheeler has 'significantly impaired cognitive development,' is undereducated and will always have difficultly holding a job or even functioning in the wider society. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The defence also submitted what is called a Gladue report — a summary of the ways an accused's Indigenous background has affected his or her ability to avoid crime. Wheeler is Metis. (Frankly, I think Gladue reports are too often a dodge that act like 'get out of jail free' cards. But that's a topic for another day.) Still, why should Nkunda be dead just because the Liberals, the academic theorists and the corrections system have made laxity towards criminals the central focus of our justice system? The public and, especially victims, were already an afterthought before the 2019 bail reforms. Since then, letting violent criminals wander our streets has been seen as the fastest way to reform them from their criminal behaviours and reintegrate them into society, no matter the collateral cost to law-abiding Canadians. It's 'expert' hogwash. And the proof that the theory is a dangerous failure is that more than 40 per cent of murders in Canada since bail was made all but automatic have been committed by someone on release. It's possible to have sympathy for Wheeler and his horrific childhood, to implement treatment and counselling on the inside of prisons, without putting the public at genuine risk from having such murderers, muggers and rapists at large while they await trial, particularly when their violent histories are obvious. lgunter@ Crime Sunshine Girls Entertainment NFL Toronto & GTA
Edmonton Journal
19 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Lorne Gunter: Blame Liberals' lax bail system for daylight fatal stabbing at Edmonton LRT station
Seven years in prison. That's all. With time served while awaiting trial and sentencing, Jamal Wheeler will likely be out in just four-and-a-half. Article content Two summers ago, at an Edmonton transit station, Wheeler, a lifelong drug addict and violent criminal, used a knife to attack a complete stranger, unprovoked, in broad daylight. A single blow to the chest of Rukinisha Nkundabatware — known as Nkunda to his family and members of Edmonton's Congolese community — left the new Canadian and father of seven dead in the middle of the street, where he had run and collapsed after being stabbed. Article content Article content Article content His assailant, Jamal Joshua Malik Wheeler, 29, had a long history of violent behaviour, including at least two earlier convictions for random attacks on transit riders. And still, Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Teskey sentenced him to just seven years in prison for taking another person's life. Article content Article content The problem is not the judge. It's not even the particularly light sentence. It's the bail system and the reforms the Liberal government made to it in 2019 that let Wheeler be free the day he decided he needed to brutalize Nkunda. Article content At the time he murdered Nkunda, Wheeler was out on bail for an earlier assault. And he was in breach of one of his bail conditions, too, namely to stay off Edmonton Transit property. Article content Article content Not only was Wheeler trespassing on city property, he was living there, in a tent. Article content Had he not been given bail, Wheeler would have been in jail where he couldn't have killed Nkunda. And even if he had been released, if his bail conditions were being enforced, it's less likely Wheeler would have been near the transit stop where he attacked Nkunda. Article content Wheeler has had an astonishingly hard life, no doubt about it. He has mental impairments that would be difficult to treat. Article content His father was an absent drug dealer. His mother was an addict who got him started on illicit drugs herself. He has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD. As a result, a court report states Wheeler has 'significantly impaired cognitive development,' is undereducated and will always have difficultly holding a job or even functioning in the wider society.
CAF
20 hours ago
- Sport
- CAF
DR Congo to face Algeria in CHAN friendly, Leopards to camp in North Africa
Published: Wednesday, 16 July 2025 As part of their final preparations for the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN), two-time champions DR Congo will embark on a high-intensity training camp in Algeria, where they are also scheduled to face the host nation in a crucial pre-tournament friendly. Following a short camp in Kinshasa from July 16 to 20, head coach Otis Ngoma and his 36-man home-based squad will travel to Algeria from July 21 to 30 for the decisive phase of their build-up to CHAN 2024, which kicks off on August 2 across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The highlight of the Algeria camp will be a marquee friendly match against the Algerian national team, one of Africa's top footballing nations. The match offers the Leopards a perfect dress rehearsal ahead of what promises to be a fiercely competitive group stage campaign. DR Congo are drawn into Group A — widely regarded as the 'Group of Death' — alongside co-hosts Kenya, Morocco, Angola, and Zambia. With such formidable opponents awaiting, Ngoma is placing strong emphasis on tactical readiness, fitness, and cohesion during the Algeria camp. 'This camp and the friendly against Algeria are crucial for testing our level,' said a member of the technical team. 'Facing a nation of Algeria's calibre just days before the tournament will give our players the competitive edge they need heading into the group stage.' The Leopards qualified for CHAN 2024 after a commanding performance over Chad (1-1 away, 3-1 home), showcasing their intent to return to the continental summit after missing the previous edition in 2022. Otis Ngoma's squad is a mix of experience and emerging talent, drawn exclusively from the domestic league. Powerhouses like TP Mazembe, AS Maniema Union, FC Lupopo, and AC Rangers have heavily contributed to the 36-man list, reflecting the depth of the Congolese league. With past CHAN titles in 2009 and 2016, DR Congo will look to use their Algeria experience to fine-tune their quest for a record-extending third championship.
Morocco World
2 days ago
- Sport
- Morocco World
Wydad Signs Congolese Midfielder Joseph Bakasu
Wydad Athletic Club have signed Congolese midfielder Joseph Bakasu on a four-year deal coming from Maniema Union. The 21-year-old will join the Casablanca-based club as a free agent following the expiry of his contract with the Congolese club. According to AfricaFoot, the deal is worth around €650,000. Bakasu has already arrived in Casablanca to undergo the medical tests and finalize the signing. The club is expected to officially confirm the transfer within hours. The midfielder made 10 appearances in the CAF Champions League this season, scoring once against Raja Athletic Club. He is expected to join Wydad's pre-season training camp in the coming days. Bakasu becomes the latest addition to Wydad's squad during a busy transfer window, joining Stéphane Aziz Ki, Nordin Amrabat, Hamza El Hanouri and Bart Meijers. With such deals Wydad is eager to recover their form for the upcoming events including CAF Confederation Cup. Tags: Bakasubotola prowydad
