Sport
Sunday, 26 September 2021 05:44
Anthony Joshua loses 3 titles at a go as Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk prevails
Oleksandr Usyk has defeated Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision to be crowned the new unified world heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian boxer became the new heavyweight champion after all the three judges scored him 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 over Joshua. The Nigerian-born British boxer was left stunned by Usyk in front of 67,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night. Joshua was defending his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles for the second time since recovering them back from Andy Ruiz Jr two years ago. The first upset was handed by Ruiz Jr in 2019 at the Madison Square Garden in New…
Thursday, 08 April 2021 05:49
National sports festival shuts down as organisers accuse FG of failing to release funds
Organisers of the National Sports Festival have threatened to end the event abruptly over failure of the Federal Government to release funds. They took the decision at the end of a meeting of the Local Organising Committee of the Sports Festival. According to the Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, Ebomhiana Musa, Federal Government has failed to fulfil its promise to make funds available for the festival. “The Local Organising Committee, Edo2020 regrets to announce that it will end the games abruptly today, Thursday, April 8, 2021, for lack of funds,” the statement read. “Rising from an emergency…
Wednesday, 31 March 2021 05:21
AFCON 2022: Super Eagles peck Crocodiles of Lesotho 3-0
Super Eagles marked their return to Lagos with a 3-0 win over Crocodiles of Lesotho on Tuesday evening in their final game of the 2022 AFCON qualifiers. Victor Osimhen, Oghenekaro Etebo, and Paul Onuachu got a goal each as the Super Eagles ended their campaign in grand style. Super Eagles had already booked their place at next year’s AFCON tournament in Cameroon with their 1-0 win over the Benin Republic last Saturday in Porto Novo. Match Gernot Rohr made four changes to the starting 11 from the match against the Benin Republic. Francis Uzoho started his first game for the…
Sunday, 28 March 2021 05:17
Nigeria celebrate Cup of Nations place with Benin Republic win
Nigeria are through to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations - but Group L rivals Benin will have to wait after conceding an injury time goal to the Super Eagles and losing 1-0 in Porto Novo. Nigeria had already been confirmed as having qualified for the tournament in Cameroon next year thanks to a 0-0 draw between Lesotho and Sierra Leone earlier in the day. That result also meant Benin only needed a point from the game at home against Nigeria, and they held out for 93 minutes - until Paul Onuachu scrambled in Nigeria's winner deep into injury time.…
Saturday, 13 March 2021 05:32
CAF elects new president, returns Nigeria’s Pinnick as VP
At the 43rd Confederation of African Football, CAF, General Assembly meeting, March 12 in Rabat, Morocco, Patrice Motsepe was elected as President, while Amaju Pinnick emerged as one of the Vice Presidents. Motsepe, who becomes the seventh person to occupy the position of CAF President, begins his four-year term after being elected unopposed by the Member Associations. Pinnick, Nigeria Football Federation boss, is now the fifth Vice President going by the new arrangement by CAF, which hitherto had three vice presidents. He was CAF First Vice President (September 2018 to July 2019) under former CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad. He lost …
Wednesday, 10 February 2021 04:02
Ex-Super Eagles star Yisa Sofoluwe is dead
Former Super Eagles’ defender Yisa Sofoluwe has died on Tuesday after being in coma for five days. The 53-year-old Sofoluwe was admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) since last Thursday after it was diagnosed that he had mild cerebral atrophy. Ex-footballer Waidi Akanni who has been taking care of the deceased alongside another former footballer, Jide Oguntuase broke the news of Sofoluwe’s death late last night. “Sofoluwe didn’t make it. We tried our best to save his life but unfortunately he has gone to be with the Lord”an emotional Akanni revealed. Sofoluwe won 40 caps and scored one…
Monday, 11 January 2021 06:16
Football legend, Christian Chukwu, debunks death rumour
Former Super Eagles Coach, Christian Chukwu has debunked the news of his death, saying that he is hale and hearty. Chukwu disclosed this on Sunday in an interview at his Trans Ekulu residence, Enugu. The social media have since January 8, been awash with the news of Chukwu’s demise. However, the former Green Eagles captain, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Jan. 4, 2021, said that he was surprised that some people would wish him death. “I am terribly embarrassed with this news that I am dead. Several people have been calling me from across the world since the news…
Sunday, 13 December 2020 05:17
Anthony Joshua knocks out Kubrat Pulev, retains world heavyweight title
Anthony Joshua has beaten his mandatory challenger, Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev, by a knockout in the ninth round to retain his three world heavyweight championship belts — after a year away in a title defence. Joshua regained the WBA, WBO and IBF titles in a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. last December in Saudi Arabia, after being stopped by the Mexican-American in an upset at Madison Square Garden that summer. Joshua, born to Nigerian parents, beat the Bulgarian at the Wembley stadium on Sunday morning, to hand Pulev his second defeat in his professional boxing career. The first round saw both…
Friday, 04 December 2020 05:22
Nigeria ‘struggles to handle its athletic talents’ - Abbas A. Abass
Bahraini athlete Abbas Abubakar Abbas was just 16 years old when he was scouted to swap allegiances from Nigeria, the country of his birth. Now he is one of four Nigeria-born sprinters recruited on unique security force salary schemes who are targeting 4x400m mixed relay gold for Bahrain at next year's postponed Olympics. The 24-year-old, who won bronze at last year's World Athletics Championships in the mixed relay event, has no regrets about his swap. "In Nigeria we have many talents but we don't know how to handle them," he told BBC Sport Africa "Of all the athletes I used…
Friday, 27 November 2020 05:41
‘A genius’: Huge crowds bid farewell to Maradona
Football legend Diego Maradona has been buried in a private ceremony after a day of emotional scenes in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Only around two dozen relatives and close friends attended the final ceremony on Thursday. But earlier huge crowds turned out to pay their respects, with many weeping, blowing kisses and praying as they filed past his coffin. Maradona died of a heart attack on Wednesday aged 60. His death triggered mourning around the world but nowhere was it felt more fiercely than in a country that saw him as a national hero. Maradona's coffin - draped in…
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Thursday, 26 November 2020 04:36
Maradona was a genius on the pitch - but his life outside of it would destroy him
The Argentinian legend, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, passed away at his home in Buenos Aires at the age of 60 on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack having had successful brain surgery earlier in November. Maradona played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Barcelona in and Napoli in, as well as captaining Argentina's national team, leading them to glory at the 1986 World Cup. He was renowned for his tenacious and skilful style of play, scoring the famous 'Hand of God' goal against England in the 1986 quarter-finals, followed…
Tuesday, 24 November 2020 05:41
Suspension of African football boss opens field for new faces
Suspension of Confederation of African Football chief Ahmad Ahmad on Monday has thrown wide open the future leadership of the regional soccer governing body, with his ban from the game coming just months before CAF’s presidential elections. Ahmad had already been endorsed by 46 of the continent’s 54 football associations and looked certain to be re-elected in March 2021 but the five-year ban, announced by FIFA’s Ethics Committee, means there will now be a scramble for power. FIFA said in a statement that Ahmad was found guilty by the independent committee of offering and accepting gifts and other benefits, and…
Wednesday, 18 November 2020 05:46
Nigeria top group, as Mali, Tunisia join list of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
Mali and Tunisia added their names to the list of countries qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals on Tuesday, joining holders Algeria and 2019 runners-up Senegal who had booked their berths over the last two days. Mali made sure of a top two finish in Group A after a 2-1 win in Namibia, where Sekou Koita and Moussa Doumbia scored in the first half, while Tunisia’s 1-1 draw in Tanzania was enough to ensure they will finish in the top two in Group J. Tunisia will go to the finals in Cameroon in 2022 for a 15th…
Saturday, 14 November 2020 05:13
Africa Cup of Nations: Nigeria left stunned by Sierra Leone fightback
Sierra Leone fought back from 4-0 down away to Nigeria to draw 4-4 in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier after a spectacular comeback in Benin City. It was one of six qualifying group fixtures on Friday for the finals which will now take place in Cameroon in 2022. In other matches, Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech struck twice for Morocco as they secured a home victory along with Tunisia, Mali, Niger, and South Africa. Nigeria 4 Sierra Leone 4 The Super Eagles were coasting towards a third win from three in Group L after racing to a 4-0 lead inside…