Sport
Wednesday, 03 May 2023 02:52
Zambia 2023: Nigeria wins eight more gold, as officials tip South Africa to top table
Unless a miracle happens, Team Nigeria may lose the battle to win the ongoing 2023 African U-18 and U-20 Athletics Championships in Ndola, Zambia, to South Africa. Team Nigeria won eight more gold medals yesterday, but they may not be enough to beat the South Africans to the number one spot. Nigerian athletes were everywhere, yesterday, winning eight more gold medals to take their total medals haul, so far, to 12 gold medals. Two more finals were yet to be concluded as at press time yesterday. Tima Godbless earned gold in the U-20 women’s 200m, while Grace Oshiokpu won the…
Tuesday, 02 May 2023 03:59
Golden Shoe 2022-23: European football’s top scorers
The race is on once more to be crowned the continent’s leading marksman, with some of the most prolific forwards on the planet set to lead the way While various Golden Boots are up for grabs within the leading divisions across Europe, there is only one Golden Shoe that can be acquired in any given season by the continent’s most prolific marksman. The race to claim that prestigious prize is up and running once more, with some iconic forwards set to lead the charge for an individual accolade that marks them out as being superior to all of their fellow…
Sunday, 02 April 2023 03:06
Anthony Joshua wins again after string of losses
British-Nigerian fighter, Anthony Joshua, has returned to the path of victory, beating Jermaine Franklin to stage a comeback after string of losses. AJ made his return to the ring for the first time since his back-to-back loss to Ukrainian war hero, Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua had vowed to go into retirement if he lost to Franklin in one of the most important matches of his career. This is his first win since December 2020 when he was stopped by Kubrat Pulev. Franklin previously held an unbeaten start to his career, winning on his first 20 outings. But he lost against Dillian…
Friday, 17 March 2023 03:13
FIFA President Infantino wins re-election
Gianni Infantino has been re-elected unopposed as FIFA President for another four-year term in office. This new term would run from 2023 to 2027. The election took place at the FIFA Congress held in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday, and Infantino won by acclamation since no formal vote was required as there were no opposing candidates. During his campaign, Infantino highlighted the financial successes achieved under his leadership and suggested a need to keep the successful FIFA leadership in place. The 211 member federations saw their basic annual funding from FIFA rise from $250,000 to $2 million since Infantino took over…
Friday, 27 January 2023 05:51
FIFA defeats ex-Nigeria coach's appeal over match-fixing ban
Soccer's world governing body FIFA prevailed in a U.S. appeals court over a former Nigeria national team coach seeking to overturn his lifetime ban, later reduced to five years, for fixing matches. In a 3-0 decision on Thursday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Samson Siasia did not show why a trial court in New York had jurisdiction over his case. FIFA had in 2019 imposed the lifetime ban, saying Siasia violated its code of ethics over a bribery scheme for Australian matches. The ban prevented Siasia from using his U.S. Soccer Federation coaching license. Siasia,…
Monday, 02 January 2023 05:56
Pele’s 100-year-old mum still doesn’t know football legend is dead
Pele’s mum, Celeste Nascimento, is unaware the soccer legend has died, his sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, revealed, yesterday. Maria looks after their mother, Celeste, who has just turned 100 and whose home is said to be on the route funeral organisers have planned before the football star is laid to rest in the world’s tallest cemetery. Overnight it emerged Pele’s only surviving sibling has yet to tell the matriarch her famous son has lost his fight against colon cancer. She said in an interview in her homeland: “We talk but she doesn’t know the situation. She’s in her own…
Thursday, 29 December 2022 19:30
Soccer legend, standard-bearer of ‘the beautiful game’, Pele, is dead
Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. The medical center where he had been hospitalized for the last month said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer. “All that we are is thanks to you,” his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram. “We love you endlessly. Rest in peace.” His agent, Joe Fraga, confirmed his death: “The…
Monday, 19 December 2022 05:53
‘We needed this, we needed this for all the things we’re going through’, Argentines erupt in joy after epic World Cup final
Argentines let loose on Sunday and streets across the country became places of celebration after an epic World Cup final in which the national team beat France on penalties. It was the country’s third World Cup title, and the first since 1986. “I’m very happy, we really deserved this. The team suffered quite a bit, but it recovered as time went on,” said Josefina Villalba, a 55-year-old nanny who joined hundreds of fans at one of the many public plazas where giant screens were set up to watch the long-awaited match. Millions of Argentines cried, yelled and hugged as they…
Sunday, 18 December 2022 05:49
Croatia beat Morocco in World Cup third-place playoff match
It took Croatia just seven minutes to open the scoring through a header from Joško Gvardiol, before Achraf Dari equalized two minutes later. In an open and exciting game, Croatia retook the lead through a brilliant finish from Mislav Oršić on the stroke of half-time. Despite its best efforts, Morocco could not find another equalizer, finishing the tournament in fourth place to cap off a memorable few weeks in Qatar where Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals. Croatia's third-placed finish is its second at a World Cup, having finished third in 1998. In Russia…
Thursday, 15 December 2022 05:46
France celebrates team getting into World Cup final, fans cheer ‘gallant’ Morocco
Crowds in Paris and other French cities erupted in shouts of joy as France advanced to the World Cup final Wednesday, while disappointed Morocco fans mingled with the exuberant supporters of the winning team, paying tribute to the African country’s unprecedented achievement. Football fans streamed to the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, shooting off firecrackers and red flares, to an unending chorus of honking cars. On the famous avenue, many were brandishing French flags and singing “we are in the final.” Some Moroccan fans, wrapped in the North African country’s flag, also cheered their team in the streets of the French…
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Wednesday, 14 December 2022 05:59
‘Messi, Messi, Messi’, Argentina erupts in joy after team breaks into World Cup final
The streets of Argentina turned into a party Tuesday as the national team beat Croatia by a comfortable 3-0 and earned this soccer-crazed South American country a spot in the World Cup final. Fans poured onto the streets of the capital of Buenos Aires as soon as the match ended, with people waving Argentina flags out of their cars while others jumped and sang in joy amid a sea of wearing the national team’s jersey. Earlier, Buenos Aires had come to a standstill on what was a scorching summer afternoon as fans packed cafes, restaurants and public plazas, where giant…
Sunday, 11 December 2022 05:42
Morocco make history as first African team in World Cup semifinal
The Atlas Lions of Morocco continued their fairy tale run in the 2022 World Cup on Saturday as they beat Portugal 1-0 to qualify for the semi-final stage of the Mundial after a thrilling encounter at the Al Thumama Stadium. Youssef En-Yesri’s towering header in the 42nd minute proved to be the tie-breaker as Morocco became the first African team ever to qualify for the semi-final of the World Cup. Though Cristiano Ronaldo was brought in early in the second half, the 37-year-old was unable to rescue his team as his quest for the elusive World Cup trophy went up…
Sunday, 27 November 2022 06:07
Goalless draws at World Cup result of cautious approach by teams - Analysts
A cautious approach from many teams in the opening round of the World Cup was behind a record-approaching number of goalless draws at the tournament in Qatar, FIFAs technical study group said on Saturday. But they predicted the games would get more expansive, and goals begin to flow, once teams had a chance to qualify for the knockout stages or were facing the prospect of an early exit. There were four goalless games in the opening 16 matches – an unprecedented 25% return in the first round of group games – and a fifth on Friday as England and the…
Friday, 25 November 2022 06:05
Dance and screams as Kizz Daniel entertains with ‘Buga’ at World Cup
Nigerian singer, Kizz Daniel, thrilled the crowd at the World Cup Fans Festival in Qatar on Wednesday Singing his hit song ‘Buga’, the excited crowd could be seen dancing and screaming in the video posted on social media on Wednesday night. Kizz Daniel had tweeted hours before his performance that he would unite the world with his music. The tweet read, “I will be live on FIFA stage 7pm Naija time ( 9pm AST ) uniting the world with music and football.” Another Nigerian artiste billed to perform during the ongoing 2022 World Cup is Patoranking. The tournament which started…