Author: Enitan Obadina
Coach Ladan Bosso is building a new national U20 team ahead of the 2023 FIFA U20 world cup. The U20 FIFA world cup will hold in Argentina after the previous host lost the rights. The list is not out, but what goes into making a squad list for a U20 team without MRI checks? SportsIntel.ng takes you through the process of Building An U20 team. Building An U20 team: Talent Identification: error by design Firstly, for all the talks about age cheats, the Nigerian football federation uses conventional and unconventional means to check the ages of prospects. Currently, Nigeria runs…
The last set of international friendlies for the Super Falcons has given more than just exposure to the team. The three-nation Invitational in the USA(June 2021) and double-header friendly against Canada gave the coaching crew accidental new players. A logistic nightmare became a chance to unearth new players for the super falcons as the pool enlarges. The opportunity is a welcome development for super falcons coach Randy Waldrum, who enjoys the benefits. “We needed to find some players that could come directly into Canada without a visa.” It’s the same thing that happened last summer when we arrived in the…
A 19-year-old underdog, Philemon Jeb Junior, delivers a knockout against a more experienced rival to highlight the debut of mixed martial at the One Fight Ultimate OFU Fight Night 2. Philemon Jeb Junior claimed a technical knockout victory over Opara Goodluck at Redbar Lagos in Lekki. The 19-year-old was the underdog against Goodluck, the gold medal from the last edition of the National Sports Festival in Delta State, but all that did not matter in the cage as Jeb claimed a first-round TKO in the lightweight bout. It was an electrifying atmosphere as OFU continues its commitment to host a…
The next five to ten years will witness an increase in the remuneration of players and officials coupled with infrastructural development that will guarantee more revenue for the Nigerian league and increased viewership. A strategic partner for the Nigeria Premier League, GTI Capital, has listed these and other interventions in the works for the next ten years. Speaking at a Media Parley organised by its strategic partners, GTI Assets Management & Trust Limited, the Chairman of the IMC, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, revealed that GTI, through Nigeria Football Fund, has already injected the sum of N200 million as a takeoff grant for…
In her first race of the season, Favour Ofili is .01s away from equalling the world-leading time in the 200m. The Commonwealth 4X100m gold medalist beat all comers at the Razorback Invitational athletics meet in Arkansas. Running for the Lousiana State University, LSU, Ofili hit the time of 22.53 to beat Talitha Diggs of Florida to second place at 22.65. Firstly, the top end of the African Record (AR) of 22.46s helps her sail through the competition, overtaking Diggs in the final 50m. Ofili couldn’t make any grounds on Diggs in the first 60(this means Ofili needs to do more…
Head Coach Jose Peseiro has named two new defenders in his 23-man squad to face World Cup-bound Portugal in a friendly encounter. The friendly encounter against the former European champions will hold in Lisbon on Thursday next week. Defenders Bruno Onyemaechi from Boavista, Portugal, and Bright Osayi Samuel of Fenarbache, Turkey is called up for the first time. They will hope to claim a spot on the regular squad in the absence of Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi two regular full-backs for the super eagles. Ola and Zaidu are missing out due to injuries and other reasons. In the battle…
Nigeria, featuring a mix of unknown players and NPFL stars, lost 2-0 to the World Cup-bound Costa Rica in a friendly international on Wednesday. Oscar Duarte’s seventh-minute goal was followed by a second from Kendall Waston in the 73rd minute against a Nigerian team without any of their overseas-based regulars and made up mainly of members of their Under-23 team. Nigeria Vs Costa Rica Positives An impressive and surprising performance from hitherto unknown players who kept the home team at bay and conceded due to early jitters Negatives A shaky defence littered with poor coordination and timing issues. The central…
By Oluwatomiwa Babalola. “My dream is not just to qualify for the Olympics, I want to win medals at the Games, and I know I can achieve that through dedication, hard work, and consistency ” Mati Taiwo. Mati Taiwo, Nigeria’s teenage table tennis sensation, confidently reveals his plans to write his name in the history books in a conversation earlier this week. Taiwo Mati – First Nigerian Global Champion Last December, the 17-year-old won a bronze medal at the World Youth Championship in Portugal. The feat makes him the first Nigerian to win a medal on the global stage at…
The mister nice guy of heavyweight boxing has reached his limits, and only the anger in his display at the end of his loss to Usyk can guarantee him a future, if at all, else it may just be lights out at the top.
Yet another FIFA World Cup is upon us, and the world cannot wait to experience another football spectacle. The various national teams that have qualified for the Mundial have released their official gear for the month-long tournament set to hold in the Middle East(Qatar) for the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup. As expected, fans are queuing up at sports stores (physically and online) to buy theirs and proudly wear the colours of their national teams. This means that the manufacturers of these gears will smile to the bank and benefit from the enormous wealth entrenched…