FOR the third time in six months, Nigeria and the Benin Republic will do battle on Thursday (today) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as they seek to seal their automatic spots for the 2025 AFCON. After beating the Cheetahs 3-0 during the first leg at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, in September, the Super Eagles are visiting the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Ivory Coast—the Benin Republic’s adopted home ground—for the umpteenth time this year, needing a win to cement their automatic spot in Morocco 2025. Ultimately, a draw is the bare minimum needed for Nigeria to advance, and the Super Eagles…
Author: Peter Noah KC
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COUNTRIES will file out over the weekend to jostle for places in the qualification race for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The games will be played between Thursday and Tuesday across the continent in the last round of matches. AFCON 2025 Qualifiers Fixtures Below is the list of fixtures for the qualifiers, matchday 5 and 6 (times GMT): Matchday 5 Nov 13, Wednesday Group E: Liberia v Togo (1600); Group G: Chad v Sierra Leone (1900); Group J: Namibia v Cameroon (1300) Nov 14, Thursday Group A: Madagascar v Tunisia (1600); Group B: Lesotho v Central African Republic…
THE Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has fined Plateau United ₦4.7m and handed the club a three-point deduction over crowd violence in the side’s match against Rangers. Some players and officials of Enugu Rangers were injured in an attack by suspected fans of Plateau United with viral videos and photos on social media showing some of them bleeding. The game ended goalless. But following the incident, the NPFL said the attack in the November 11 game was a breach of its rules. “Plateau Utd failed to provide adequate & effective security, resulting in the attacks on the match officials &…
EMMANUEL Solomon scored two goals for Ikorodu City, who came from behind to beat Katsina United 2-1 in an NPFL matchday 11 encounter at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina on Sunday. It was the Lagos-based club’s second consecutive win of the campaign, having defeated Rivers United 2-0 last week to condemn the Pride of Rivers to their first defeat of the season. Moses Effiong put the hosts ahead 22 minutes into the encounter before Solomon drew the visitors level seconds before the end of the first 45 minutes. He scored the winning goal minutes before regulation time as Ikorodu held…
KANO Pillars midfield maestro and Nigeria Premier League oldest player Rabiu Ali scored his sixth goal of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League season with a late penalty, which earned Pillars a 1-0 win over Bendel Insurance at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin-City on Saturday. The matchday 11 game was heading for a goalless draw until Insurance player handled the ball inside the box in stoppage time. The 44-year-old Ali stepped up for the four-time champions, sending the Insurance goalkeeper the wrong way for Pillars’ second away win of the season and fifth after 11 games. Kano Pillars moved up…
THE head coach of Enyimba Football Club, Yemi Olanrewaju has said that his boys are fully aware of what is at stake as they prepare to host current league leaders, Remo Stars FC in Aba on Sunday. Remo Stars last season broke the hearts of Aba fans as they ran away with the three points, drawing the Aba Millionaires dream of a tenth league trophy backwards. Coach Olanrewaju is hoping that the Sunday game goes well to pacify the Aba fans and maintain a good position on the league table. “Yeah we know the importance of playing Remo stars. They…
THE Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, on Thursday reiterated his plans for the nation’s sports, revealing how he intends to tackle the challenge of funding. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sports Thursday night monitored by News Point Nigeria Sport, Dikko said with the creation of the National Sports Development Fund, the problem of inadequate funding would be solved. “The main issue of sports is about funding. The moment you can resolve the funding issue and get the sustainable flow of funding into sports, about 80 per cent of the problem is resolved,” he said. “Part…
THE interim coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, has invited 23 players for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda. Among the players listed for the games is Galatasaray’s star striker, Victor Osimhen, who was absent in the last game against Libya due to injury. He returned from injury and bagged a goal in Galatasaray’s 3-0 win away at Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig on October 19. Osimhen also scored the winning goal in Galatasaray’s derby match on October 28 against Besiktas. Also returning to the Super Eagles team after a while out is…
VICTOR Osimhen is the only African player to make Sports Pro’s Top 50 Most Marketable Athletes list for 2024, being ranked 44th ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. The US website used three metrics — brand strength, total addressable market, and economics—to determine the rankings, with Osimhen scoring higher than the Norwegian striker, who sits in 45th position. The Nigeria international recorded 24.18 in brand strength, 26.94 in total addressable market, and 13.03 in economics for an aggregate marketability score of 64.15, while Haaland managed 22.8, 17.73, and 23.49, respectively, for a total of 64.02. American gymnast Simone Biles tops…
THE Federal Government has denied a threat to the security of Nigerians in Libya following a recent ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in favour of Nigeria. The CAF had awarded the Nigerian senior men’s football team, Super Eagles some points, and had fined Libya for alleged mistreatment of the Nigerian team during a Nations Cup Qualifying Match. Following the ruling; reports emerged that Nigerians were being subjected to various harassments. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigerians were safe in Libya. The ministry reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens in Libya. The CAF decision…
ATALANTA brought Serie A leaders Napoli down to earth with a bump with a 3-0 victory on Sunday as Ademola Lookman grabbed two goals. Napoli were hoping to open up a seven-point lead over Inter Milan who play later in the day but Atalanta stunned the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium as they decisively ended the home side’s unbeaten run that stretched back to August 18. Lookman pounced first in the 10th minute when Marten de Roon’s header fell for the London-born Nigerian international who beat Napoli ‘keeper Alex Meret from close range. He doubled Atalanta’s lead with a superb curling…
FOLLOWING the verdict delivered by the Confederation of African Football in response to the complaint lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation over the recent inhumane treatment meted out to the Super Eagles in Libya, members of the Nigerian community have reported mass arrests and fines in the country. The Nigerian football team was held at the Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya for over 20 hours upon arrival for the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles and Libya’s national team. The contingent was scheduled to land at the Benghazi Airport and travel for…
SUPER Eagles B players are expected to regroup next week to continue their preparation for the 2025 African Nations Championship qualifying two-legged fixture against Ghana scheduled for December. The team had its first training session in Abuja on Wednesday and concluded training for the week on Thursday before the players returned to their respective clubs for the weekend’s Nigeria Professional Football League matches. The players showed flashes of brilliance during the two-day exercise, drawing encomiums from Super Eagles interim coach and Technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation Augustine Eguavoen, who said he was impressed with what he had seen of…
MANCHESTER United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their new head coach. The 39-year-old Portuguese, who will move to Old Trafford from Lisbon club Sporting on 11 November, has signed a contract until June 2027. Former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who took charge on an interim basis after Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday, will stay on for the club’s next three fixtures. Amorim is the sixth permanent manager United have appointed since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign ended with his retirement in 2013. In a statement, the club said that “Ruben is one of the most exciting and…
NIGERIA international Calvin Bassey has opened up on the magical Lionel Messi moment that inspired him to choose to play for the Super Eagles ahead of the Three Lions of England. “When Nigeria played Argentina, they lost 2-1, but it was a good game,” Bassey told Sky Sports. “Messi, of course—Messi is Messi, in it—he scored that outrageous goal. I think it was knee, left foot, then right foot. It was top. “But that was more of a motivation to me to want to play for Nigeria and also play on the big stage.” The Fulham defender was born in…
FORMER Chairman, Gombe State Football Association, Shuaibu Ahmed Gara-Gombe has called on the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) to overhaul its rules concerning teams’ reception during matches under its purview. The fiery sports critic and one of a few Nigerian football stakeholders who call spade by its name made this observation against the backdrop of the recent hostile reception of the Libyan authorities during the aborted 2025 AFCON qualifying Group D fixture scheduled for October 15 in Benina, Libya. The Super Eagles had their flight diverted from Benghazi to Al-Abraq, almost 150 miles away from the original destination, and took…
THE Nigeria Football Federation, on Tuesday, confirmed the dates and venues for the country’s senior men’s national team final two Group D matches for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series against Rwanda and Benin. According to NFF, the Confederation of African Football has scheduled November 14 and 18 as the days for the two games. The Super Eagles will travel to Abidjan for their Matchday 5 fixture against the Benin Republic, scheduled for Thursday, November 14, at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. This match will start at 8 pm Nigerian time (7 PM Ivorian time) and will be officiated by…
NIGERIA’s Ademola Lookman has been ranked number 14 in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award which is holding in Paris, France. The Atalanta forward narrowly missed out in joining Victor Osimhen to become the only Nigerians to have made the top 10 in the Ballon d’Or award. Osimhen was ranked in the 8th position last year. Lookman is however the only African player that made the award nomination list this year. Lookman was in scintillating form as Atalanta won its first-ever European trophy last season, with the Nigerian scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He scored…
MANCHESTER City and Spain midfielder Rodri has won the men’s Ballon d’Or – awarded to the best footballer of the year – for the first time. The 28-year-old, who lost just one game last season for club and country, was awarded the prize in Paris after helping Spain win Euro 2024 in July. He also won the Premier League, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup with City. Rodri is the first player in the club’s history to win the Ballon d’Or. Real Madrid won the award for club of the year and their manager Carlo Ancelotti was the winner…
NIGERIA and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman will carry Africa’s hopes as the continent’s sole representative at the prestigious Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday (today). The 27-year-old heads into the glamorous event in red-hot form after a spectacular performance in Atalanta’s 6-1 victory on Saturday, where he scored twice and provided two assists before being substituted in the 56th minute. Lookman’s nomination marks a significant milestone in his career, making him the only African to be shortlisted for the award this year. “It’s special being on the list and even more special being the only African,” Lookman told BBC…