Author: Peter Noah KC

THREE staff members attached to Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, were on Tuesday morning attacked by unidentified gunmen near the Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri, the Imo State capital. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which occurred between Umuowa and Ihite junction, a short distance from the airport, happened while the team was en route to the facility for official duties. Sources told this newspaper that the attackers, suspected to be fleeing gunmen, opened fire on the vehicle conveying the aides as they approached the airport corridor. Otti’s Chief Press Secretary, Njoku Ukoha, confirmed the attack in a statement…

FORMER Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has urged Ademola Lookman to raise his performance levels ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, insisting that Nigeria will need the Atalanta forward at his very best if the team is to challenge for a fourth continental title. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the tournament, scheduled to run from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, will see the Super Eagles attempt to add to their previous triumphs in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Lookman, named the 2024 African Player of the Year, is expected to play a critical…

D’TIGERS suffered a first-ever defeat to Guinea, falling 69-55 in the qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup on Saturday at the Salle Omnisports de Rades in Tunisia. News Point Nigeria Sports reports Guinea dominated the encounter from start to finish, outplaying the Nigerian team in what turned out to be a largely one-sided contest that marked their first victory over D’Tigers in four attempts dating back to 1985. Souleyman Boum Jr. and Shannon Evans combined for 40 points to lead Guinea to a perfect 2-0 start in the opening round of the African qualifiers. The defeat comes after D’Tigers’…

SUPER Eagles striker Victor Boniface has expressed frustration over what he describes as unfair criticism of both his on-field struggles and his online behaviour, insisting that many of the judgments against him are misplaced and exaggerated. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that Boniface, who joined Werder Bremen on loan in the summer after a dramatic late collapse of his proposed move to AC Milan, is enduring a difficult start to life in Bremen. The 24-year-old forward is yet to score in nine Bundesliga appearances and has not secured a consistent starting role, a sharp contrast to his explosive debut season…

FORMER Super Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum, has raised serious questions for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the alleged $960,000 (about N1.45bn) released by FIFA in October 2022 to support Nigeria’s preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that in a viral video circulating across social media platforms, Waldrum accused the NFF of failing to provide the Super Falcons with a proper pre-tournament camping programme despite receiving the FIFA grant earmarked for that purpose. According to the American coach, he became aware of the payment through a trusted…

NIGERIA’s D’Tigers began their chase for a 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup ticket on the wrong footing on Thursday, losing 88–78 in overtime to hosts Tunisia in the first game of the first phase of the qualifiers, The PUNCH reports. News Point Nigeria Sports report that following a difficult trip to Tunisia arriving just a few hours before their only training session head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman started Jordan Ogundiran, captain Ike Nwamu, Stan Okoye, Talib Zanna and Chris Obekpa from his 12-man roster of overseas and domestic players. D’Tigers started on the front foot, going 5–0 up in the opening…

FORMER President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick has said that the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup was partly because of the revised qualification format. He noted that the team would have qualified if the 2018 qualification structure remained in place. News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Amaju made the remarks on Monday at the Big Sport Dialogue in Ikoyi, where he faced pointed questions from the National President of the Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club, Abayomi Ogunjimi. The exchange began when Ogunjimi asked how Pinnick had used his influence as…

SUPER Eagles forward Victor Osimhen has revealed the permanent effects of the severe facial fractures he suffered in 2021, disclosing that the injury continues to shape his daily life and football career nearly four years later. Speaking in an interview with Turkish sports outlet Fanatik monitored by News Point Nigeria Sport, the 26-year-old Galatasaray star explained that nerve damage from the collision has left him unable to eat with the left side of his mouth, a condition that has never fully healed despite multiple surgeries. “I only eat on the right side of my face now,” Osimhen said. “The left…

KANO Pillars ended a seven-match winless streak with a 2–1 victory over Ikorodu City in Monday’s NPFL matchday 14 encounter, News Point Nigeria Sports reports. In Katsina, Pillars stunned second-placed Ikorodu City with a 2-1 victory, halting the Lagos-based side’s eight-game unbeaten streak, the longest run in the league, which had included five wins. Rabiu Ali opened the scoring in the third minute. Olakunle Alaka doubled the lead 30 minutes into the game with a precise finish, consolidating Pillars’ advantage. The Oga Boys fought back in added time of the first half when Joseph Arumala met Folarin’s corner at the…

FORMER Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has fired back at Nigerian head coach Eric Chelle over his controversial claim that “voodoo” contributed to Nigeria’s failed World Cup play-off bid against the Democratic Republic of Congo, branding the assertion as “ridiculous” and “a lame excuse.” News Point Nigeria Sports reports that Chelle’s comments, made after the Super Eagles’ agonising elimination, triggered widespread outrage across the football community, with fans, pundits, and ex-internationals accusing him of trivialising Nigeria’s shortcomings. Mikel, speaking on his popular podcast, became the most prominent voice to challenge the coach’s remarks. Reacting with disbelief, the former Chelsea…

FORMER Super Eagles captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha has urged Nigeria’s national team to fix what he describes as their most damaging weakness; inconsistency as preparations intensify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that Okocha’s intervention comes at a time when Nigerians are still reeling from the emotional and sporting disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a second consecutive absence from football’s biggest tournament. Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign was turbulent from start to finish. Over 10 matches, the team managed four wins, five draws and…

FORMER Ghana captain and African football icon, Asamoah Gyan, has tipped the Super Eagles of Nigeria as one of the strongest contenders for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, set to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that Gyan, who spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the 2025 CAF Awards in Marrakech on Wednesday, said Nigeria’s quality, experience, and recent near-successes put them among the tournament’s top favourites alongside hosts Morocco and defending champions Ivory Coast. The Black Stars legend noted that although Ghana failed to…

NIGERIA have risen three places to 38th in the latest FIFA men’s world ranking announced on Wednesday following a month in which the Super Eagles played two competitive fixtures, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The ranking update, which covered 149 national-team outings worldwide since the previous release, reflects Nigeria’s 4–1 victory over Gabon and the 1–1 draw with the DR Congo that ended in a 4–3 penalty defeat in the African play-off. Despite the heartbreak of missing out on the 2026 World Cup, those results were sufficient to nudge the Super Eagles up the table. Nigeria’s new points total stands at…

MOROCCO captain Achraf Hakimi won the African men’s player of the year award on Wednesday, capping a season in which he lifted the UEFA Champions League with his club Paris Saint-Germain. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the 27-year-old also won a fourth Ligue 1 title last season and claimed the French Cup and UEFA Super Cup, however PSG came up short in the final of the Club World Cup as Hakimi was forced to settle for a runners-up medal in New York. The right-back beat out two past winners in Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah and Nigeria striker Victor…

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday apologised to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians following the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that Nigeria lost to DR Congo on penalties in a tightly contested African play-off final on Sunday in Rabat, Morocco, shattering the Super Eagles’ hopes of featuring at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, the NFF described the defeat as “a moment of profound sadness for Nigerian football.” It noted that…

NIGERIA’s football coach has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of practising “voodoo” after his squad’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ended in a penalty shootout loss. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra time in the African play-offs final in Rabat on Sunday, and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March. In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time”. “That…

SUPER Eagles forward Victor Osimhen is among the three finalists for the CAF Player of the Year award. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the Galatasaray man, the winner of the award in 2023, will battle it out with Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain) for Africa’s most-coveted individual prize. Osimhen was part of the list released on Sunday evening by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the award last won by Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman. In the women’s version, Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade was also part of the shortlist for the prize. She will contend with Morocco’s duo…

THE Super Eagles won’t be at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the US, and Mexico. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that this was after Nigeria lost on penalties to DR Congo in a tightly-contested African play-offs final on Sunday. The game ended 1-1 after normal and extra time. But during penalties, the Leopards of DR Congo overpowered the Super Eagles 3-4 to pick Africa’s sole ticket for the intercontinental play-offs billed for March next year. Deadlock broken from the spot, DR Congo are through to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament! #WCQ pic.twitter.com/KcKtc0TEas Nigeria had taken the lead, just three minutes…

NIGERIA’s hopes of securing a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs have received a significant boost after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday confirmed that Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is eligible to face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Sunday’s crucial African playoff final in Rabat, Morocco. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the clarification eases growing tension among fans after widespread reports suggested that the Leicester City star would miss the encounter due to accumulated yellow cards from the earlier stages of the qualifiers. In a post on the Super Eagles’ official X handle,…

THE Super Eagles produced a commanding performance to defeat Gabon 4–1 after extra time in their World Cup qualifying playoff, a result that keeps Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup dream alive. News Point Nigeria Sports reports that it was a night of mild drama and optimism, and long after the final whistle, certain talking points continued to linger. As Nigeria prepares for a tough test against DR Congo come Sunday, here are five things we learned on Thursday. Even on a night when he struggled for long spells, Victor Osimhen once again delivered when it mattered most. The Galatasaray forward…