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…
Author: Peter Noah KC
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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…
THE result of a scan to determine the extent of a hamstring injury Victor Osimhen suffered in Friday’s friendly against Saudi Arabia will be known on Sunday (today), Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has revealed. The Napoli striker walked out of the game in the 55th minute without any help after he suffered an hamstring injury in his right leg. Peseiro expressed his disappointment at Osimhen’s injury and is contemplating sending Osimhen back to Napoli for further evaluation of the injury, stating the importance of the player to both club and country. “He wasn’t at his best, we’ll evaluate whether…
NIGERIA have been drawn against hosts Cote d’Ivoire in Group A of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). The draw was held at the Parc Des Expositions in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday. Other teams in the Super Eagles group for the competition are Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. Nigeria were placed in Pot 2 ahead of the draw event attended by representatives of the participating teams including the continent’s football legends like Mikel Obi, Taribo West, and Yaya Toure. The Super Eagles had lost to Guinea-Bissau in the qualification race for the competition but topped the group standing. They…
THE Handball Federation Of Nigeria (HFN) has confirmed that the second phase of the Ardova Premier League for 2023 will hold next month in Lagos. The Secretary General of the federation, Umar Lambu, said the second phase of the elite division is scheduled for November 13th-26th. He added that the indoor hall of the National Institute of Sports in Surulere and Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe park in Yaba, will stage the competition. The overall winners of the Ardova Premier League would be decided at the conclusion of the second phase. Niger United currently lead the men’s category while Safety…
THE Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to unveil himself to Nigerians. He is speaking in light of what has transpired recently where a US court ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release the President’s academic records at the request of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi asked President Tinubu to again, tell Nigerians the schools he attended, if he participated in the one-year National Youth Service Corps scheme. He also asked him to clarify…
THE Super Eagles camp for the international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique will open in Portugal on Tuesday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Jose Peseiro’s side will take on the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia in the city of Portimão, Portugal on Friday, before dueling with the Mambas of Mozambique in the same city three days later. The Eagles go into the Saudi Arabia game with a winning streak of three games after qualifying for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Peseiro had earlier named a 25-man squad for the encounter, recalling defenders Kenneth Omeruo and…