Author: Peter Noah KC

FINIDI George’s assistant coach at Enyimba, Yemi Olanrewaju, will step into the new Super Eagles coach’s role as head coach of Enyimba for the remainder of the season, following the exit of the ex-international from the helm of the reigning Nigeria Premier Football League champions. Olanrewaju’s appointment was confirmed by the club in a statement on Thursday, one week after Finidi was unveiled as the Super Eagles coach by the Nigeria Football Federation. “In light of coach George’s departure, Enyimba FC is pleased to announce the promotion of assistant coach Olanrewaju Yemi Daniel ‘Yema’ to the position of head coach…

WORLD football governing body, FIFA, has made changes to the officiating team of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Benin Republic and Nigeria which is scheduled for the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Ivory Coast on Monday, June 10. The changes have sent packing Ethiopian official Bamlak Tessema Weyesa, who was originally designated as referee for the encounter scheduled to kick off at 4pm. In his place, Gabonese official Pierre Ghislain Atcho will now be the referee. Weyesa’s compatriots Temesgin Samuel Atango and Tigle Gizaw Belachew have been retained as assistant referee 1 and assistant referee 2 respectively. However, another…

THE final of the 2024 Europa League has three Nigerians chasing glory at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin in Ireland on Wednesday (today) when German champions Bayer Leverkusen take on Italian side Atalanta. The Super Eagles stars convene in Dublin, where Leverkusen will try to complete the second leg of an incredible treble, while Atalanta are seeking to win their first-ever European trophy. A fortnight ago, trio Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella all saw their clubs make their way to the final of this year’s Europa League final with high-flying German champions Bayer Leverkusen coming from behind to draw…

THE Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) organisers have revealed the dates for the remaining games of the season, which is scheduled to conclude on June 23 with Matchday 38 fixtures. It will be recalled the current season commenced on 30 September 30, 2023 after initial delays. This season saw the league body entering into a partnership with technology firm GTI Investment, Propel Sports Africa and MTN to sponsor the league, with an exclusive broadcast right that shall cover eight live games every weekend and 300 throughout the season, thus making the NPFL the first African football league to deploy artificial…

AS leagues in Europe and some other parts of the world are coming to an end, Nigerian players are prominent in the permutations with Raphael Onyedika chasing a 19th league title for Club Brugge in Belgium while some other Nigerians were involved in relegation battles on the final day of the EPL in England and others. ENGLAND: Awoniyi, Aina (Nothingham Forest) Taiwo Awoniyi came on as a late substitute for goal scorer Chris Wood while Ola Aina wasn’t listed as Nottingham Forest secured safety in the English Premier League for the second successive season. They needed at least a point…

FOUR players from Nigeria, Cameroon, and Madagascar secured their spots at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after reaching the finals of the African Qualification Tournament taking place at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. Fabio Rakotoarimanana made history in Kigali as he became the first Madagascan to qualify for the Olympic Games by beating Tunisia’s Wassim Essid 4-3 (13-11, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9) in the second semifinal of the men’s singles at the qualifiers. Nigeria’s Offiong Edem was the first to secure her spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after a pulsating 4-3 win over Tunisia’s Fadwa…

VICTOR Osimhen will miss Friday’s Serie A clash with Fiorentina. Osimhen did not participate in training on Wednesday due to a muscular problem, and only had physiotherapy and personalised work in the gym. Piotr Zielinski and Mario Rui also worked separately from the rest of the squad, but Jens Lindstrom is back in with the group. Osimhen scored 15 goals in Serie A this season, but has been affected by numerous injuries and his absence due to the Africa Cup of Nations in January and February. If he doesn’t make it for Friday, then it is likely that Giacomo Raspadori…

SUPER Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi paid a courtesy visit the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, in his office on Wednesday. Accompanied by his manager, Yahaya Atom, and Mr. Yemi Idowu, Ndidi engaged in discussions with the Sports Minister on various matters pertaining to Nigerian football. During the visit, Senator Enoh extended his congratulations to Ndidi on Leicester City’s promotion to the English Premier League, acknowledging the midfielder’s contributions to the team’s success. He also took the opportunity to discuss the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches, scheduled to commence early next month. The minister emphasized the importance of…

THE Union for Professional Football Players (UNFP) has crowned Super Falcons’ Chiamaka Nnadozie as the best goalkeeper for the 2023/24 season in the French Division 1 Feminine League. Nnadozie scooped the prize at the UNFP Trophies gala in Paris, the French capital, on Monday night. The 23-year-old has been impressive throughout the campaign, helping her side Paris FC to finish third in the regular season and also make the playoffs. The UNFP is the major union for professional footballers in France. After scooping the award, Chiamaka took to social media to express his excitement, saying she is “incredibly grateful and…

THE Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has officially unveiled Finidi George as the new head coach of the Nigerian men national team, the Super Eagles. The Minister unveiled the former Super Eagles forward at an event in Abuja attended by the leaders of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) at the Media Centre of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Monday morning. “Any country I find an indigenous coach sitting on the bench, I always feel very proud and I am glad that we have an opportunity that have a Nigerian coach, Finidi George, as football men national…

BRITAIN’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are in Lagos, where the Duke of Sussex will take part in a basketball event and a fundraiser later today. The Royal couple is on a three-day visit to Nigeria to promote his Invictus Games and support mental health for young people affected by conflicts. Both arrived at the Federal Capital Territory on Friday, Prince Harry played a seated volleyball match with army veterans, most wounded in battle against the country’s Islamist insurgency on Saturday.. At an officer’s mess complex in Abuja, Harry’s team dressed in yellow played off in an exhibition against…

RETIRED footballer, Ibrahim Babangida, a member of the 1993 U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eaglets squad, who died in a ghastly accident along the Kano-Zaria Road on Thursday, was buried on Friday according to Muslim rites. Babangida died while travelling with his older sibling and Atlanta 1996 Olympics gold medallist Tijjani Babangida, his wife, his one and a half-year-old son, and a maid, who survived and are currently receiving treatment at Shika Hospital in Zaria. A chieftain of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, Harrison Jalla, said officials of the players body were in Kaduna to pay their last respect to…

ATLANTA 1996 Olympic Games gold medallist and President of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, Tijjani Babangida, was on Thursday involved in a car accident that claimed the life of his younger brother Ibrahim Babangida. Former teammate, Emmanuel Babayaro, the General Secretary, PFAN, announced the incident in a statement. Though the details of the accident remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report, our correspondent learnt that the accident happened along the Kaduna-Zaria Road. “Comrades! Let us be in prayers for our president, Tijjani Babangida, who just had a ghastly motor accident along the Kaduna-Zaria Road. “Ibrahim Babangida,…

SUPER Eagles forward Ademola Lookman is still basking in the euphoria of his first Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, with the Atalanta forward saying his second goal against Cameroon still gives him goose bumps. The 26-year-old scored three goals at the continental showpiece with two of them against Cameroon in the round of 16 as Nigeria booked a place in the quarter-finals against Angola. In the 36th minute of the encounter, Lookman was played through by Victor Osimhen and his shot squeezed through goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who was chosen ahead of Manchester United’s Andre Onana. In stoppage time,…

THE Nigeria Football Federation has said new Super Eagles manager, Finidi George’s impressive record as coach handed him the job. After leading Nigeria in two international friendlies in March, the Glass House named Finidi as substantive coach of the team. He beat compatriot, Emmanuel Amuneke and others to the job. Revealing what stood out for the ex-Ajax winger, NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, stated that his experience working as an assistant coach to Portuguese manager, Jose Peseiro was crucial “I’m not a member of the Technical Committee but I can also look at a lot of positives around Finidi…

ENUGU Rangers coach Fidelis Ilechukwu, 3SC coach Gbenga Ogunbote, Stanley Eguma of Rivers United and Niger Tornadoes gaffer Majin Mohammed have been nominated for the League Bloggers April Manager of The Month Award in the Nigeria Premier Football League. The League Bloggers Award is an initiative of MatchRoom Sports & Media Ltd and has since 2009, been a platform where the efforts of top performers in Nigerian top flight are recognised. In the month under review, Eguma led the table toppers to three wins in five matches against Sunshine Stars, Plateau United and Abia Warriors, scoring 10 goals in the…

FORMER Super Eagles players and football enthusiasts on Saturday paid tribute to Nigeria’s all-time top scorer, Rashidi Yekini, 12 years after he passed on at 48 after a protracted illness. The late Yekini was reportedly kidnapped shortly before he passed away, and the cause of his death is still unclear. Despite his sad ending over a decade ago, there is pride in the achievements of the 1993 African Footballer of the Year, yet sadness at his death and anger at the way he had been treated by the government and football authorities. Super Eagles coach George Finidi, who made an…

SOME football stakeholders have tasked the Nigeria Football Federation to release the details contained in the contract of newly appointed Super Eagles coach, George Finidi, following his appointment on Monday. The NFF Board approved the appointment of the former Ajax and Betis player following the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old. However, details about Finidi’s contract have become a subject of discussion among a lot of football faithful. The football governing body in a statement released on Monday which announced the appointment of the Enyimba gaffer did not specify the coach’s…

BAYERN Munich midfielder, Jamal Musiala, has spoken of his admiration for Nigerian culture while also declaring his love for African delicacy ‘fufu’. Musiala, a guest on the popular show ‘How Hungry Are You’ by Chef Serge Ibaka, admitted that he had never been to Nigeria, the country of his father, but said he grew up knowing a lot about Nigeria and African cultures. “I’ve never been to Africa before even though I always wanted to but we’ve never really had the time to go over there,” he said. “My dad is from Nigeria and he always tells me about the…

FORMER Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has extolled Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman following his impressive performances for the Italian club. Lookman has emerged as an important figure since moving to Atalanta from RB Leipzig in 2022 for €9.35m. After not having much success in previous spells with Everton, Leipzig, Fulham, and Leicester City, the 26-year-old has quickly adjusted to life in Italy to become one of the best players in the league since his arrival. In his debut season, Lookman scored 15 goals and registered eight assists in 33 appearances across all competitions and he has not shown any sign…