Author: Enitan Obadina
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…
The Flamingos became the second Nigerian women’s side to beat the United States in a game after sealing a 4-3 penalty shootout win at the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup. Edafe, who scored Nigeria’s first goal from the spot in regulation time, sent the favourites, the US out with the last kick in the sudden death round of the penalty shootout. Also, this is the first time Nigeria will make the semi-final stage of the Under 17 Women’s World Cup, pipping the USA after a full-time 1-1 draw. FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup: The Numbers Victory means a…
Nigeria women’s U17 team, flamingos lost the opening game of the FIFA U17 world cup 2-1 against European champions Germany. The display of the Nigerian team can be summarized, as a game of two halves, with tactics and physicality deciding the direction. There was a bit of coaching in their play, but the coaching team had no answer to the physical approach of the Germans in the second half. First Things First Half Nigeria tactically stood up to the high press in the first half. The plan almost led to a goal after Ajakaye got to a stray pass and…
The events leading to Nigeria’s Qatar 2022 failure shares similar patterns to the Spain 1982 world cup miss. History may not repeat itself but it rhymes when people take similar steps. The Green Eagles of Nigeria were just one step away from qualifying for the 1982 World Cup in Spain when the then NFA Chairman, retd Col.Mike Okwechime (deceased), took a strange decision. He demanded that they invite Christian Chukwu and Thompson Usiyen (deceased) back to the team. It was almost two years after Chukwu retired from the Green Eagles immediately after winning the 1980 AFCON. While the U.S.-based Usiyen…
Finidi George finally turned a corner in solving Enyimba’s inability to score more than two goals in over a year, but it came at a price. The Aba elephants will not get a league route to the continent for the first time in five seasons. Finishing seventh on the league table means a win in the FA cup is the only chance to play continental football. A Bright Start and A blunt Middle The Finidi Numbers and Stats The 4-0 win means Enyimba FC kept clean sheets in 2+ consecutive continental matches for the first time since September 2019. They…
The weekend was both good and bad for Nigerian clubs on the continent, with three out of four teams reaching the 1st round of the CAF club competitions. But will that be where it ends? Nigerian clubs faced teams they should have beaten home and away, but all qualified three struggled on the road. AS Douanes of Niger, Watanga of Liberia, and AS Mandji of Gabon are traditional also-rans even in their countries, with two making their debuts. The results of Rivers Utd, Plateau Utd and Kwara Utd are good but not great. Plateau Utd struggling in Abuja and Rivers…
Bought at £28 million with so many questions hanging over the fee, Alex Iwobi is now providing answers on the field with world-class performances. Iwobi is thriving in his new midfield role, covering an impressive 10.7km per 90 minutes, and galloping forward in rhythmic strides. He delivers complete performances in the heart of Everton’s midfield every matchday, and ex-Nigerian international Sunday Oliseh thinks he is on another level. But that was not always the story in his Everton career. Halfway through last season, Iwobi was not good enough to inspire the club up the table and save them from relegation.…
The arrival of Calvin Bassey at Ajax points to a fresh start for the defender and the continuation of a Nigerian tradition of excellence. For a player signed on a compensation fee from Leicester City to become a club record transfer, Calvin Bassey is on a career path many can only wish for. The Glasgow Rangers Record Transfer and UCL Factor Calvin Bassey joins Ajax on a permanent deal from Rangers for a €22m fixed fee plus add-ons and a sell-on clause. That figure blows away Rangers’ previous record sale, currently set at the £11m the Scots sold Nathan Patterson…