Author: Peter Noah KC

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will release the list of players that Coach Eric Chelle plans to deploy in Nigeria’s two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe early next month, officials of the team have said. The Super Eagles will travel to Kigali to face the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium, in Kigali on Friday, March 21 before coming back home to face Zimbabwe on March 25, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo. A top official of the team told The Guardian, yesterday, that the players, technical crew and other officials of the team…

AHEAD of next month’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, former Nigeria International Mobi Oparaku said the Super Eagles risk qualification if they fail to play as a team against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Nigeria’s chances of winning the automatic Group C ticket hangs in the balance after taking just three points in their opening four matches and Oparaku believes results of the next two matches in March could decide the fate of the Super Eagles. Oparaku, a soccer gold medal winner with the national U-23 team at Atlanta 1996 Olympics, said the Super Eagles can get back their mojo in the…

NIGERIA will slug it out with bronze medal winners China in her opening Group B game at the FIBA Under 19 Women’s World Cup 2025 in Czech Republic in July. The Junior D’Tigress’ matchup against their Chinese counterparts on 12 July 2025 was made known after the tournament draw yesterday in Brno. After the China game the Nigerian women’s team will play Canada on 13 July, and Portugal on 15 July. 16 teams were divided into four groups of four teams each during the draw. All 16 teams participating in the event will advance to the competition’s Final Phase with…

ENYIMBA have ended their five-match winless streak in the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL)by securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Lobi Stars at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium. Enyimba’s desperation for a win was palpable, given their recent poor form, which led to their elimination from the CAF Confederations Cup and a drop to ninth place on the NPFL table. Their opponents, Lobi Stars, were also struggling in the relegation zone, mired in a four-match winless run, with one goal scored in their previous four matches, leaving them languishing in 19th place. But yesterday, Enyimba started the match on the…

FORMER Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba, has paid a courtesy visit to Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos House, Marina, on Monday. Drogba’s team and representatives from the E1 Racing Team accompanied him on the visit. The governor’s senior special assistant on new media, Jubril Gawat, shared a video of the visit on social media, captioning it as a meeting between the governor and the African football legend. The caption read: “Between Governor #jidesanwoolu and African Football Legend, #ChelseaFC Legend, Didier Drogba #didierdrogba this morning at the Lagos House, Marina, as Team Drogba and the Representatives of E1 Racing Team…

THE Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) Council has approved a new date for the forthcoming NUGA competition to be hosted by the University of Jos. The Competition will now take place from 6th to 16th November, 2025, at the University of Jos. The announcement was made, when the NUGA National Executives paid a courtesy visit to the University Management at the Council Chamber, Administrative Building, Naraguta Campus of the University, during the NUGA Annual Council meeting which took place in UNIJOS. NUGA President, Professor Engr. Mohammed Bawa, who led the delegation, explained that the decision to shift the date came…

A MEMBER representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has make case for Manchester United forward, Marcus Rashford. Oseni, an ardent football enthusiast, fan of Shooting Stars FC, Ibadan, and Manchester United, in a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele said the club was unfair to the England international. He urged United’s management to reconsider their approach, stressing that Rashford deserves respect for his years of service. He expressed confidence that the player’s current challenges would ultimately lead to greater success. According to him: “The treatment of Rashford by Manchester United is a…

REMO Stars will hope to extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points even before nearest rivals, Shooting Stars and Rivers United take to the pitch tomorrow with an away tie against Sunshine Stars today as the Nigeria Premier Football League Matchday 22 fixtures get underway this weekend. Remo Stars are dictating the pace of the season with 42 points from 21 games and they will face Sunshine Stars who though are technically at home in the tie have been forced to play the game in Ikenne, the home ground of Remo Stars. The Owena Whales…

NAPOLI have reportedly rejected a staggering €65 million (about ₦105 billion) from Galatasaray as the Turkish giants made a bold move to secure Victor Osimhen’s services permanently. However, Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has politely declined the proposal, preferring to wait until the summer transfer window. According to Corriere dello Sport , the Turkish club’s offer falls €10 million short of Osimhen’s release clause, which is currently set at €75 million and active for the January transfer window. Galatasaray’s attempt to negotiate a lower price was anticipated, given Osimhen’s expressed desire to complete the season in Istanbul. De Laurentiis’ decision…

THE main bowl of the Kwara State Stadium Complex has now been renamed Rasheed Yekini Sports Complex, Ilorin. This was contained in a statement released yesterday by Rafiu Ajakaiye, the Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the state government has now bequeathed the stadium in honour of the former Super Eagle striker who died in 2012. “The main bowl of the Stadium is named after the late Rashidi Yekini, a football legend renowned for scoring Nigeria’s first world cup goal and the country highest goal scorer till date” the statement reads. Yekini, who died in 2012…

SAUDI Arabian Professional League club, Al Nassr, has officially opened transfer talks with Bayer Leverkusen for Victor Boniface. This was confirmed in a post shared on X by Italian journalist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, on Monday. Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo also plays for Al Nassr. “Understand Al Nassr have started official talks for Victor Boniface as new striker!,” Romano wrote. “Negotiations are underway with Bayer Leverkusen for the Nigerian striker to replace Talisca. The other candidate is Jhon Durán, but Aston Villa still insists on keeping him at the club.” The news of Boniface being linked with a move…

THE Nigerian Super Eagles have been drawn against Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda for the upcoming African Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Nigerian team was drawn in Group C during the ceremony that was held in Morocco on Monday. The mouthwatering encounter in the group will see Nigeria battling against the Cartage Eagles of Tunisia. Champions on home soil in 2004, Tunisia eliminated Nigeria in the semi-final before defeating Morocco in the final. The Tunisian team also knocked out Nigeria in the Round of 16 of AFCON 2021 in Cameroon. Nigeria defeated Tunisia 4-2 on its way to the AFCON…

THE Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) resumed its mid-season break with one of the campaign’s biggest upsets on Saturday. Niger Tornadoes claimed arguably their most impressive away win of the season, defeating reigning champions Rangers 2-1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu. The victory was sweet revenge for Niger Tornadoes, who had suffered a 1-0 defeat to Rangers in their final game of 2024. Bashir Usman’s strike secured that win for the Coal Miners at the Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna on December 29. Determined to repay the favour, Tornadoes opened the scoring in Enugu in the 17th minute through…

SUPER Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, who currently stars for Galatasaray, has been embroiled in a controversy following an alleged altercation with a journalist. According to reports from Turkish media outlet Posta, the prolific forward allegedly assaulted a journalist at the exit of the entertainment venue he went to with his friends in Turkey. The situation escalated when the striker, seemingly annoyed by the presence of a reporter, reacted aggressively. Tolga Bozduman, the journalist at the center of the allegation, recounted the altercation. “I was filming Osimhen as he exited, accompanied by three colleagues. When the camera flashes stopped, he became…

AHEAD of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draw, Nigeria’s Super Eagles may face formidable opponents such as South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Mali’s Eagles in the group stage. This comes after they were seeded in Pot One for the AFCON group stage draw, set to take place at the Mohamed V National Theatre in Casablanca, Morocco, on Monday. This top-tier seeding ensures that Nigeria will avoid facing other football powerhouses in the same pot during the draw. However, they stand the chance to face the likes of Mali, South Africa, Cameroon who are pitted in other pots. Sharing…

SUPER Eagles star Victor Boniface has refuted claims of breaking up with his Norwegian girlfriend Rikke Hermine, describing the reports as “fake”. The alleged breakup between the Bayer Leverkusen forward and the influencer made headlines on social media in the past few days. It claimed that Hermine demanded a legal marriage without prenup, a clause Boniface refused, effectively ending the relationship. But in a now-deleted post written partly in Pidgin English, the Nigerian striker denied the claims. “Stop posting fake shit you guys know nothing about,” he wrote on X on Thursday, before saying, “People will just pick their phones…

WHEN Nigerian football legend Ahmed Musa lines up against fellow 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner Brown Ideye at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Thursday, it will mark a fascinating moment in one of Nigeria’s oldest football rivalries, as two accomplished internationals reignite the fierce battle between Kano Pillars and Enyimba. The clash between these Nigerian football powerhouses, who share 13 league titles between them, has produced some of the most memorable matches in Nigeria Premier Football League history. Now, the rivalry takes on added significance with the presence of these two veterans who have returned to elevate the domestic…

ITALIAN Serie A side Udinese have removed Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye from their registered players list amid an ongoing investigation into alleged betting irregularities. The 25-year-old, who is being investigated over suspicious betting patterns surrounding a yellow card he received during Udinese’s 2-1 win against Lazio on March 11, 2024, faces a potential five-year ban if found guilty. Investigators raided Okoye’s house following a complaint by betting agency Sisal, whose algorithm detected unusual gambling activities linked to the goalkeeper’s yellow card for time-wasting in the 90th minute. The Prosecutor’s Office in Udine also searched the premises of Diego Giordano,…

NIGERIAN side Enyimba have crashed out of this season’s CAF Confederation Cup after losing 3-1 to Zamalek on Sunday. The two-time CAF Champions League winners went into the Group D match at the Cairo International Stadium needing victory to reignite their hopes of making the next round. However, the Egyptian giants went ahead in the 29th minute courtesy of Mostafa Shalaby’s header. Seifeddine Jaziri doubled the lead for Zamalek just after half-time. The Nigerian side pulled one back to reawaken hopes of any comeback all thanks to Ifeanyi Ihemekwele’s goal in the 57th minute. But when Jaziri netted a second…

SUPER Eagles and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is looking forward to raising more awareness on young Nigerian footballers by investing and nurturing young talents. Speaking in Lagos, Ndidi who returned to Maracana Sport Complex in December, the second time in six months, announced his intention to prioritise the development of youth football in Nigeria in 2025. Ndidi stated, “I want to focus on academy football in Nigeria. That’s where everyone is missing out based on the fact that you cannot name a 16-year-old who plays competitive football every weekend in Nigeria.” He drew comparisons with European teams, noting, “If…