SUPER Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong and former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr have thrown their weight behind Ademola Lookman to win the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of The Year award in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday. Lookman, who has scored 11 goals and provided five assists for Atalanta this season, is among the final nominees for the prestigious award alongside Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi and Rowen Williams. Speaking with talkSPORT, Troost-Ekong expressed confidence in his international teammate’s chances. “I would say he’s arguably our best player and arguably the best player in Africa right now. On December 16, there will be the…
Author: Peter Noah KC
SUPER Eagles forward Ademola Lookman and Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie lead Nigeria’s contest for honours at this year’s CAF Awards, after making the final shortlist of their awards categories which will be handed out on Monday in Marrakesh, Morocco. Nnadozie will be gunning for two honours as she is in the mix for the Women’s Player of The Year award along with Morocco’s Sanaa Mssoudy and Zambia’s Babra Banda. The Paris FC shot-stopper is also a favourite for a back-to-back win in the Women’s Goalkeeper of The Year category. The men’s category is however still locked in a tight…
THE National Sports Commission has distanced itself from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s investigation into alleged financial impropriety at the Nigeria Football Federation. A top official of the NSC, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said, “I don’t know anything about any NFF issue with the EFCC. “The issue is with the NFF not the NSC.” The EFF had, in a letter dated November 28, 2024, and signed by Farouk Dogondaji on behalf of the commission’s chairman, requested details of NFF’s financial dealings from the sports commission. The anti-graft agency sought information about sponsorship deals, tournament…
SUPER Eagles AFCON 2013 winner Brown Ideye has sealed a deal to join nine-time Nigerian premier football league champions, Enyimba, until the end of the current season for an undisclosed fee. Enyimba’s Sporting Director and former Super Eagles forward Ifeanyi Ekwueme said Ideye will feature for the People’s Elephant. “We have been discussing with him for several weeks and he agreed to play for us. We are very happy to have a legend in our club” Enyimba said “Ideye will be with us until the end of this season and we believe he will strengthen our team’s attack as we…
TOJEMARINE and Safety Babes have been crowned champions of the Ardova Handball Premier League 2024 on Sunday. At the grand finale held at the NIS gymnasium at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, Tojemarine produced an elite-level performance to defeat Sokoto Rima Strikers 36-33 and finish top of the men’s standing with 64 points while Sokoto Rima Strikers stayed second with 59 points. Tojemarine became the first Lagos-based side to emerge champions since the handball league began in Nigeria. Tojemarine also became the first team in the South-West region in the open era to win the title. 2023 winners, Niger…
ATALANTA President Antonio Percassi has reiterated that Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman will not be sold during the January transfer window amid interest from elite clubs in Europe, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Lookman has been one of the most sought-after players in Europe, following his exploits with the Italian club last season and how he has started the current campaign. The 2024 CAF Player of The Year nominee’s recent involvement for Atalanta was the stoppage-time match-winner against AC Milan on Friday night, taking his tally to eight goals and four assists in 12 Serie A games and 10 goals and five…
GOVERNOR Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has hinted that he would rejig the management of the state owned Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side, Nasarawa United for enhanced performance in the second round of the ongoing NPFL season. This is no doubt as a result of the underwhelming performance of the ‘Solid Miners’ in the 2024/2025 season. Nasarawa United under the chairmanship of Solomom Babanjah are currently placed last on the NPFL table with a paltry 15 points from 15 matches played so far. The ‘miners’ have recorded four victories, three draws and eight losses to sink deep into relegation…
NIGERIAN international Victor Osimhen has emerged as Africa’s most valuable striker, with compatriot Victor Boniface ranking as the second most valuable forward from the continent, according to the latest market valuations on Transfermarkt. Osimhen, who plays for Italian side Napoli, is currently valued at €75m, making him the joint-fifth most valuable striker globally alongside Argentina’s Julian Alvarez, Sweden’s Alexander Isak, and Germany’s Kai Havertz. The 25-year-old Nigerian has justified his high valuation this season with impressive performances, netting nine goals and providing six assists in 12 appearances across all competitions. The 25-year-old has been particularly impressive in the Super Lig,…
THE Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has announced a new date for the match day 16 fixture involving Sunshine Stars and Shooting Stars. The encounter was initially scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 8 will now hold on Saturday, December 7. The NPFL also revealed a change in venue for the game. The game will be staged at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, instead of Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode. The NPFL made the announcement in a letter signed by its Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, yesterday. Part of the statement reads: “Going by the new arrangement, the…
AS the celebration for the 2024 CAF Africa Player award gears up, Cameroon international Flavien Enzo Boyomo is confident that Nigeria international and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is the favourite to win the men’s best player award. Lookman, who made history as the first player to score a hat-trick in a European club competition final during his club’s triumph over Bayer Leverkusen last season, has been getting massive backing from teammates, stakeholders and fans since CAF announced the final shortlist for the award. Boyomo is the latest to throw his weight behind the Nigerian to claim the honour when the…
THE MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja is set to come alive today (Wednesday) as some of Nigeria’s football legends and top sports administrators showcase their skills in the Shehu Dikko Novelty Match. Organized to honor Mallam Shehu Dikko’s appointment as Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), the match will pit Team Shehu Dikko against Team Nigeria, with Dikko himself set to feature for both sides. Team Nigeria boasts an impressive lineup, including Daniel Amokachi, Ahmed Musa, Brown Ideye, Garba Lawal, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Shehu Abdulahi, Samson Siasia, and Victor Ezeji. On the other side, Team Shehu Dikko…
BENDEL Insurance secured a 2-1 victory over Plateau United, while Lobi Stars ended their four-game winless streak with a slim 1-0 win against Kwara United in Saturday’s Nigeria Premier Football League fixtures. At the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Bendel Insurance took an early lead when Uche Collins struck in the seventh minute. However, Plateau United responded swiftly, with Victor Dawa equalising in the 24th minute. The tightly contested match was ultimately decided by Kayode Oke’s well-taken goal in the 66th minute, giving the Benin Arsenals the edge over their opponents. In Lafia, Lobi Stars grabbed a much-needed victory…
THE latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday has Nigeria recording the most significant drop following unimpressive performances in the last international window. In the November rankings, the three-time African champions plummeted from 36th to 44th globally, an 8-place decline. From its previous 1503 total points, the team’s points now stands at 1482.23. Among African teams, Nigeria is ranked 5th behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, and Algeria. The reason for this poor rating cannot be far-fetched, as the Super Eagles lost to 1-2 lowly-rated Rwanda at home in Uyo and only managed a 1-1 draw with Benin Republic in the last phase…
SUPER Eagles’ forward, Sadiq Umar has expressed his frustration at the lack of game time at Real Sociedad, adding that he hopes to prove his worth with regular time on the pitch. So far this season, Sadiq has made only six appearances for the Spanish side, starting just two of those games and coming in as a substitute on four occasions. The 27-year-old has only managed to play a total of 205 minutes of action from a possible 1,260 minutes. Reacting to his lack of playing time that has seen him yet to score a goal so far this season,…
TWO arch rivals with contrasting forms in the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League, Remo Stars and 3SC will go head-to-head in a potentially explosive southwest derby at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Wednesday (today). The fixture comes at a tricky time for both clubs as Remo Stars are second in the table but are currently struggling having won just one of their last five matches. That also included scoring just one goal in their last five games—their last goal dating back to the start of the month. On the other hand, 3SC are trying to bounce back from…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party governors over allegations that it manipulated the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024. INEC had declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner with 291,667 votes, while the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, secured 247,274 votes. Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata came third with 22,761 votes. Rising from its two-day meeting in Jos, Plateau State on Saturday, the PDP Governors Forum maintained its stance, insisting that electoral irregularities denied its candidate victory in Edo and alleging vote-buying in Ondo. The PDP governors alleged…
FORMER champions Rivers United are back to the top of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League table thanks to a 1-0 win over Abia Warriors in Port Harcourt on Sunday, while Remo Stars suffered a 2-0 defeat away at Katsina United. Ndifreke Effiong scored a 58th-minute penalty to help Finidi George’s men see off their stubborn visitors and grab their first win in six matches. Before Sunday’s win, the 2022 champions had struggled for form with their last win coming against 3SC on October 17. Having suffered two losses this season, they however rediscovered their form with a goalless draw…
THE Super Falcons of Nigeria have been drawn against Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana in Group B of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Nigeria, record holders of the competition, will be aiming to extend their impeccable form in the tournament. The draws for the 2025 edition of the women’s tournament were held on Friday. “We have been drawn in Group B alongside Algeria, Tunisia, and Botswana for the Morocco 2024 CAF Women’s African Cup of Nations,” the Super Falcons wrote on their X handle on Friday. “This promises to be an exciting challenge for us as we aim to…
FORMER Super Eagles and Al-Ittihad defender, Chikelue Iloenyosi, has questioned the character and passion of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, insisting that hiring Portuguese coach will not save the team. Iloenyosi made the statement in an interview with Brila.net following the Eagles’ recent disappointing performance during the last phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. While the three-time African champions had already sealed qualification to the AFCON 2025 tournament in Morocco and were not under pressure to perform, they remained under obligation to win their matches and finish the qualifiers strong. However, Austin Eguavoen’s men put up…
THE qualification race for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has ended on Tuesday with all 24 teams for the competition now known. While some teams had qualified earlier, others (like the Benin Republic) left it late to book their tickets for the continental football fiesta. The competition will hold next December in Morocco with the host nation already having an automatic slot. But some heavyweights like Ghana won’t make the competition which is also expected to see some traditional powerhouse nations such as Nigeria (who were stunned by Rwanda), Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, and defending champions Ivory Coast…