Sport

Sunday, 29 April 2018 04:24

Young athletes from Africa are lured to soccer teams in Europe with the promise of fame, but ... - Matthew Hall

Young athletes from African countries are lured to soccer teams in Europe with the promise of fame — at a high cost.For many young soccer players around the world, a professional career under the bright lights of Europe’s famous stadiums is what dreams are made of.However, some sports agents are luring in players with promises of a professional career in Europe, fame, and more — that is, after the families pay a large fee upfront. The problem? The fees are typically never required when following a legitimate professional pathway — plus there's no guarantee the players will make it pro.…

Friday, 27 April 2018 05:09

Trump tweets threat to opponents of U.S. 2026 World Cup bid

United States president Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted his support for the North American bid for the 2026 soccer World Cup and issued a veiled threat to nations that might oppose it. Morocco is the only rival to a joint bid to stage the event from the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the FIFA Congress due to choose the hosts in Moscow on June 13. "The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup," Trump tweeted. "It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against…

Wednesday, 25 April 2018 05:17

Why Vincent Enyeama has been axed

Christophe Galtier has revealed that Vincent Enyeama’s sustained absence from the LOSC Lille team is due to a problem between the player and the club’s owners. The current Lille boss was filmed during an impromptu exchange with the club’s fans this weekend, and, in footage shared by France Football, reveals why the Nigeria keeper has been isolated this term. “It’s a problem between Enyeama and the club, that’s the bottom line,” Galtier began, when questioned about the keeper’s continuing absence. “It’s a problem between the club management and Enyeama.” The coach refused to elaborate on the exact nature of the…

Monday, 23 April 2018 04:49

Hundreds of South African soccer fans riot at game

Hundreds of South African soccer fans disgruntled at the performance of their team rioted at a game on Saturday night. They assaulted at least one security guard on the field, attacked others with chairs, set parts of the stadium on fire and caused extensive damage. They were shocking scenes in a country that has hosted the World Cup and prides itself on having the best-run soccer league in Africa. Police said Sunday that two people had been arrested and more arrests were imminent following the mayhem at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the east coast city of Durban. It followed…

Monday, 23 April 2018 04:47

Salah wins English PFA Player of the Year award

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named Player of the Year by England's Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) on Sunday, becoming the first Egyptian to receive the award. Salah was rewarded for his performances which have yielded 41 goals in all competitions since joining from AS Roma last year, helping Liverpool reach the Champions League semi-finals and secure a likely top-four finish in the Premier League. The 25-year-old came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams, that also included league title winners in Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne,…

Saturday, 21 April 2018 04:11

Wenger to step down after two decades in charge at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to stand down at the end of the season after a reign of almost 22 years during which he redefined the Premier League club and became their most successful boss. The longest-serving current manager in English soccer, with 1228 games in charge, had faced increasing criticism from fans, however, for the Gunners' failure to sustain a serious title challenge in recent seasons. "After careful consideration and following discussions with the club, I feel it is the right time for me to step down at the end of the season," the 68-year-old Frenchman said in a…

Friday, 20 April 2018 05:13

Victor Moses strike gives Chelsea win

Victor Moses struck a 69th-minute winner for Chelsea to give Antonio Conte's side a 2-1 Premier League victory over Burnley at Turf Moor on Thursday, closing the gap on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea trail Spurs by five points with just four games remaining but the win kept alive their slim hopes of a late push for the final Champions League slot. "It won't be easy because there is a five-point gap to Tottenham and in the past we missed great chances to stay closer to them," said Conte. "Now the only way is to try to get three points in…

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 04:05

CAF Confederation Cup: Nigeria League champions, Plateau United, crash out

Reining Nigeria Professional Football League champions, Plateau United, have been dumped out of CAF Confederation Cup following their 4-0 defeat away to USM Alger of Algeria on Tuesday. Plateau United had won the first leg 2-1 in Lagos but Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat meant they were edged out on a 5-2 aggregate scoreline. USM Alger scored two goals in each half of Tuesday’s second leg game to book their place in the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup. Plateau United had started out in the Champions League before dropping to the second-tier Confed Cup. But the Nigerian league champions could…

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 04:03

Plan for 48-team World Cup impossible, say European Leagues

A proposal to increase the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams is impossible to carry out and does not make sense, according to the head of the umbrella organisation representing Europe's biggest domestic soccer leagues. European Leagues (EPFL) chief Lars-Christer Olsson told Reuters on Tuesday he was surprised the proposal was made at the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) Congress in Buenos Aires last week without being put to other stakeholders. Olsson said a larger tournament would last several days longer, increasing the break in the domestic club season which the leagues had only agreed to reluctantly in…

Monday, 16 April 2018 04:17

El Kanemi humiliate Heartland in Maiduguri; other NPFL Matchday 17 results

El-Kanemi Warriors secured the biggest win of Nigeria Professional Football League Match Day 17 games played on Sunday across the country as they pummeled Heartland FC 3-0 in Maiduguri. Two goals from striker Anthony Yeful and another from Bello Koformata gave the Warriors the commanding victory. In Port Harcourt, Nasarawa United’s struggles on the road continued as they were beaten 1-0 by Rivers United at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium. Sochima Elum was the hero, scoring the winning goal for the home team as early as the 3rd minute. Also, Sunshine Stars boosted their stuttering campaign with a 2-1 win over…

More...

Monday, 16 April 2018 04:16

Manchester City confirmed as champions as rivals United lose

A week later than they would have preferred Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions on Sunday as second-placed Manchester United suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by bottom club West Bromwich Albion. United had to at least draw to keep the title race mathematically alive but they were stunned at Old Trafford when Jay Rodriguez headed home after the break. City manager Pep Guardiola might have missed one of the proudest moments of his career, however, after admitting on Saturday that he had a round of golf booked with his son and was not planning to watch United's game.…

Monday, 16 April 2018 04:14

How PSG's 5th league title in 6 seasons was a procession

PSG's league title win with five games to spare was a procession, one which started from the moment Monaco sold the spine of its title-winning side last summer. While Monaco made a small fortune selling for 360 million euros ($440 million), PSG broke the world record by signing Neymar from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($260 million) and further weakened Monaco by signing its teen star Kylian Mbappe in a deal worth $180 million ($216 million). Selling Mbappe to its chief rival merely underlined how Monaco fought so little to keep its title, seemingly favoring making a huge profit over…

Friday, 13 April 2018 04:03

Nigeria moves 5 places up in FIFA rankings

Nigeria has moved five places up, now 47th in the world and sixth in Africa with 635 points in the April FIFA/Coca Cola rankings released on Thursday. In the previous rankings, Nigeria was on 52nd position with 609 points. Meanwhile, Tunisia is the highest ranked African team at 14th place with Senegal and DR Congo on 28 and 38 positions respectively. Germany still retains first place with Brazil following closely while Belgium who was fifth in the March rankings is now third. The next rankings will be published on May 17, 2018. (NAN)

Monday, 09 April 2018 04:22

Lobi Stars beat El-Kanemi to stay top; other NPFL Matchday 16 results

Lobi Stars of Makurdi now enjoy a five-point cushion at the summit of Nigeria Professional Football League table. This follows their 1-0 win against El-Kanemi Warriors on Sunday at Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi. Samad Kadiri scored what was Lobi Stars’ winning goal from the penalty spot in the 66th minute. It was the former Sunshine Stars forward’s sixth goal of the campaign. Lobi now have 30 points, five more than second-placed Kano Pillars. At New Jos Stadium, Kano Pillars held their hosts Wikki Tourists to a 1-1 draw. Nafiu Kabuga gave Wikki the lead from the penalty spot in…

Page 21 of 38

Sport

More...

Search

Most Read

Editorial

News

Business

Politics

Opinion

Features

Strangely

Crime

Wars

SCIENCE & TECH

SPECIAL REPORTS

Sports

VIDEOS