THE Nigeria Football Federation has stepped down 14 referees from the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League over poor officiating. This was made known in a letter issued from the federation’s Referees Development Committee/Unit on Monday to the NPFL’s Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi. The referees suspended are Bawa Buhari, Chukwuka Jahlove, Akinwale Tomiwa, Saeed Abdulaziz, Jimmy Aimugbonrie, Brown Ebenezer and Atuwho Morrison. Others are Imamu Maliki, Sunday Azi and the four match officials involved in a matchday six clash between Sunshine Stars and Abia Warriors. The NFF’s refereeing development unit also requested video footage of the games in which these…
Author: Peter Noah KC
SEVEN-TIME champions Enugu Rangers have returned to the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table following a 2-0 win over a winless Heartland in the Oriental Derby, just as Doma United also thrashed Gombe United 3-0 in the Savannah Derby on Sunday. Playing their home matches at the Awka Township Stadium, Rangers, led by Fidelis Ilechukwu, continue to enjoy a smooth campaign in the league with their fourth win in six matches while they also have a game at hand. The Flying Antelopes stormed into an early lead in the fixture against Heartland courtesy of Kazeem Ogunleye before Kenneth…
PORTUGUESE football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has tried to convince Israel Adesanya to make an early return from his UFC break when both athletes met in Saudi. The former two-time middleweight champion confirmed plans for a lengthy break from active competition until potentially 2027 at the earliest following his September title loss. However, on Saturday, Adesanya appeared to have his interested piqued by a planned UFC debut in Saudi Arabia in March of next year and hinted at a potential comeback. The Nigerian-born fighter was part of the hosts of celebrities and high-profile athletes hosted by the Saudi Arabian organisers and…
AT least eight clubs are expected to compete at the inaugural edition of the Yucateco Boxing League scheduled to begin November 6 at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. Chairman of Yucateco Boxing Promotions, Omole Imadu, revealed this during a press conference at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Thursday. “More than 80 boxers, registered under 8 clubs will be battling for the prize money and the inaugural YBL trophy after the three-month-long league, “Every participant in the YBL will be well rewarded and we are looking forward to making the league bigger and better each season,” Imadu said. Technical Director…
EDO Queens on Wednesday defeated Bayelsa Queens 4-3 on penalty shootout after one all draw in regulation time at the final of the third edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT). The match was played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. Bayelsa Queens took the lead in the 12th minute, with Edo Queens equalising 40 minutes into the first half of the game. In the second half of the game, Suliat Abideen missed a penalty during added time, pushing the game into penalties which Edo Queens won 4 goals to 3. Performing the ceremonial kick off…
NIGERIA star Victor Osimhen is among 30 nominees named on Wednesday for the 2022-2023 men’s African Player of the Year award. The prolific Napoli forward was the leading scorer in Serie A last season with 26 goals and in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying with 10, including four in one match. Stars from the Morocco squad that made history in Qatar last December by becoming the first World Cup semi-finalists from Africa are also contenders. They include goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, defender Achraf Hakimi, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, winger Hakim Ziyech and forward Youssef en Nesyri. Sadio Mane of Senegal and…
NIGERIA’s Victor Osimhen was ranked number 8 in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award which was held in Paris, France on Monday night. He thus becomes the first Nigerian to make the top ten of the Ballon d’Or. The Napoli forward became one of the few Nigerians to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or and went a step further by making the top ten. Osimhen was in impressive form for the Italian side as they clinched the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years. He won the Pichichi – the highest goalscorer prize – last season as the…
ARGENTINA and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has won the Men’s Ballon d’Or for an eighth time. The 36-year-old was recognised at the ceremony in Paris after helping his country win the World Cup in Qatar last year. England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the world’s best player aged under 21. Messi won his record-extending Ballon d’Or award ahead of Manchester City forward Erling Haaland. The Norway international scored a record-breaking 36 goals in 35 league games and hit 52 in all competitions as City won the Treble of Premier League, Champions League and…
GENERAL Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Muhammad Sanusi, has charged the Super Falcons to work as a team and bring their best game to Tuesday’s 2024 Olympics second round, second leg qualifier against Ethiopia at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. Sanusi made this assertion after watching the nine-time African champions train at the Turf Arena in the Federal Capital and also reminded players and officials that Nigeria had been absent from the past three Women Olympic Football Tournaments and this certainly does no credit to the country’s rating as a leading global power in women’s football. The Falcons played…
FORMER Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi, has heaped plaudits on Spartak Moscow forward Victor Moses, adding that he is the best player he ever played with at the national team. Both players also played together at Chelsea from 2012 to 2016. Just a year on from his debut for Nigeria in 2012, the former England U-21 international became an African champion. Despite battling injury throughout the tournament in South Africa, Moses scored twice against Ethiopia in the last group game to ensure Nigeria’s progress and in the semi-final against Mali the winger tormented the opposing defence. He was also named…
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury claimed a controversial split decision victory over former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou, 37, put Fury on the canvas in round three after connecting with a left hook. But while one judge scored it 95-94 in favour of Ngannou, two gave it to Fury at 96-93 and 95-94. Fury’s WBC heavyweight belt was not on the line. “That definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury told TNT Sports. “I got caught round the back of the head [for the knockdown]. I wasn’t hurt. I got up and got back to my boxing. “He’s…
NIGERIAN sprinter, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha has been banned for three years for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Friday, October 27. Nwokocha who won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, tested positive for Ostarine and Ligandrol in a sample collected on 3 August 2022. She has reportedly admitted to the doping violation and accepted the sanction of a three-year ban. She has also been stripped of her gold medal from the Commonwealth Games. The statement by the AIU reads: “The AIU, the Athlete and the World Anti-Doping Agency (“the Parties”) subsequently entered into a…
IT has been billed as the most anticipated fight of the month involving two powerhouses, Tyson Fury, who has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title since 2020 and Francis Ngannou, the previous Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Heavyweight Champion. What started as an online feud has finally become a showdown of different combat sports. The origins of this fight date back over a year ago when Ngannou entered the boxing ring and faced off with Fury following the latter’s knockout victory over Dillian Whyte at Wembley. The world watched as these two formidable fighters exchanged fiery exchanges and intense…
A WOEFUL international season for Nigerian club Enyimba ended on Thursday with a 3-0 hiding at Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the inaugural African Football League (AFL). Defenders Ayoub el Amloud, Jamal Harkass and Yahia Attiyat Allah scored before half-time as Wydad completed a 4-0 overall triumph having won the quarter-final first leg 1-0 last Sunday. Enyimba, the only Nigerian team to win the CAF Champions League, had high hopes of making an impact this season with former stars Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George in key positions. Kanu is the chairman and George the coach of a club based in…
THE Super Eagles of Nigeria will begin their quest to be one of Africa’s representatives at the FIFA World Cup scheduled for the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026. The Nigerian national team will host the Crocodiles of Lesotho for their first game of the qualifiers at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on November 17, 2023. The three-time African champions will then travel to Rwanda where they will be hosted by the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on November 20, 2023. The schedules for the first two games of the World…
STAKEHOLDERS have called for sanctions on reigning champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Enyimba, following the handwritten jersey number worn by Innocent Gabriel during their clash against Wydad FC in the African Football League in Uyo on Sunday. The nine-time NPFL champions played host to the Moroccans at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in the first leg of the quarter-finals in the African Football League. Defender Gabriel’s jersey No.3 was handwritten instead of it printed, which sparked criticisms. A top official of the club played down the anomaly, saying it was as a result of a mixup between continental body…
LEICESTER City’s Wilfred Ndidi and Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi have donated facilities to the new-look Maracana Stadium in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State. Ndidi made this known in a post on his Instagram handle on Sunday, expressing joy to be part of the journey of transforming the Maracana Stadium famed for producing many stars who have gone ahead to represent Nigeria at different levels. The Super Eagles midfielder disclosed that he and Nigerian-born Adeyemi, who plays for Germany, donated two residential buildings named after them, 96 fully air-conditioned beds, 24-hour power and solar backup, treated water supply, top-notch shower, and…
RECENTLY debuted Super Eagles defender, Jordan Torunarigha, has set a target of winning next year’s Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria while also helping the team qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The Eagles will begin their quest for a fourth AFCON title against Ivory Coast having been paired in the same group with the hosts alongside Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau in Group A. Torunarigha, who made his first appearance for Nigeria in an international friendly against Mozambique in Portugal, told Transfermarkt that he was ready to give everything for the country. “I have two big goals with Nigeria:…
SUPER Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho has apologised to fans over his social media outburst in the wake of Nigeria’s friendly games a few days ago. The Omonia Nicosia man had a harrowing time in Nigeria’s recent friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique. His performances in both games had triggered criticisms from Nigerians with many calling for his ouster from the team. The development resulted in Uzoho blasting the fans on Snapchat. But about a day after the outburst, the goalkeeper took to X (Twitter), asking Nigerians to forgive him. “It has come to my attention that my recent Snapchat has…
THE Super Eagles – without hitman Victor Osimhen – defeated Mozambique 3-2 on Monday, marking the Nigerian team’s first victory in a friendly game in five years. Mozambique had taken the lead seven minutes into the game via Geny Catamo, raising fresh fears that Nigeria’s winless run in a friendly game may continue. But OGC Nice’s Terem Moffi shot from close range 13 minutes later to restore parity for the Super Eagles at the Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, Albufeira in Portugal. While Nigeria continued to dictate most of the play, it was no surprise as they took the lead. Brentford’s…