Author: Promise Oluwarotimi
Four Nigerians made the shortlist for the 2024 Best FIFA Football Awards. Leading Nigeria’s nominations is Ademola Lookman who made the shortlist for the Best Men’s Player of the Year award category. Also, Ademola Lookman is in the running for the CAF African Player of the Year award. Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong is on the shortlist for the Best FIFA 11 award. The Best FIFA Football Awards recognizes the leading lights in women’s and men’s football at both club and national team levels. Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu was nominated for the Puskas Award for Goal of the…
Super Eagles midfielder Nathan Tella is ready for a return to the Nigerian national team, six months after his last appearance. Born in Stevenage, England, Tella opted to represent the three-time African champions ahead of his birth country. Tella Ready For Nigeria Return Following a stellar performance for Bayer Leverkusen during the 2023/24 season, Tella received his international call-up and made his debut for Nigeria during the World Cup qualifier fixture between the Eagles and Zimbabwe on November 19, 2023. Surprisingly, he missed out for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast where Nigeria finished second after losing to…
Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika is living his Champions League dream and he wants more with Club Brugge this season. Onyedika, who played the full 90 minutes against Celtic has a desire to help Club Brugge go as far as possible in the competition. “Playing in the Champions League is a dream come true,” Onyedika said. “It’s a competition almost every player wants to play in, and I feel privileged to be a part of it, although, sometimes somethings you cannot control happens.” The UEFA champions League is for the big teams and Onyedika is sure that Club Brugge…
Nigeria international Sadiq Umar has expressed frustration over his limited playing time at Real Sociedad, stressing his need for continuity to prove his worth. So far this season, Sadiq has made only six appearances for the Spanish side, starting just two of those games and coming in as a substitute on four occasions. The 27-year-old has only managed to play a total of 205 minutes of action from a possible 1,260 minutes. Reacting to his lack of playing time that has seen him yet to score a goal so far this season, the Roma Academy graduate said he needed…
The second phase of the 2024 Ardova Premier Handball League kicked off on Wednesday, with Safety Babes and Niger United recording impressive wins. Leaders of the league, Safety Babes, defeated Rivers Queens 36-27 in a thrilling encounter. Despite a strong challenge from the Angels from Port Harcourt, Safety Babes’ dominance ultimately paid off. The Safety Babes were the better team in the encounter but the Angels from Port Harcourt also had their moments in the games, giving the champions a run for their money. For Safety Babes, it was about consolidating their dominance with the win as they eye…
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has ordered Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole to face Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba for the right to become the mandatory challenger for its heavyweight title. The matchup pits two hard-hitting heavyweights against each other, with Bakole (21-1-0, 16KOs) ranked No. 4 in the IBF standings, and Ajagba (20-1-0, 14KOs) occupying the No. 7 spot. The IBF decision came as a result of Agit Kabayel and Zhilei Zhang’s withdrawal from the fight against Bakole, paving the way for Ajagba to step in. Ranked No. 4 in the IBF standings, Bakole has been on a dominant run, with…
Nigeria’s male senior cricket team, the Yellow Greens, has booked a place in the final series of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup qualifiers with one game to spare. Steve Tikolo’s men sealed their spot in the final phase of the qualifiers after beating Sierra Leone by 29 runs for their fourth straight win at the Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Abuja on Wednesday. Nigeria Cricket Secure Finals Spot Joining the Yellow Greens is Botswana who got the second automatic qualifying spot from the group after beating Eswatini by nine wickets. The two teams now join Tanzania, Malawi (from Qualifier…
Zambia and Orlando Pride striker, Barbra Banda has been named BBC Award Women’s Footballer of the Year 2024. Barbra Banda is already a global superstar after playing for Zambia at two Olympic Games and at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. However, her profile has hit new heights since signing for Orlando Pride in March. Banda dazzled on the Olympic stage this summer. Scoring four goals at Paris 2024, including a hat-trick against Australia. Also, she became Africa’s all-time top scorer in Olympic football history with 10 goals. Banda had previously played for Zambia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.…
Super Falcons interim head coach Justine Madugu has revealed that Asisat Oshoala was left out of the squad for the upcoming international friendly against France due to a documentation problem. Oshoala was omitted from the 20-player squad released by Madugu on Sunday for the Super Falcons’ upcoming international friendly against France. The Bay FC striker was also not called for the team’s double header friendly against Algeria last month. Madugu has however revealed that the 30-year-old was left out of the game against France due to a documentation problem. “Asisat Oshoala is still an integral member of the Super…
Manchester United have set their sights on Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface as a potential alternative to Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyökeres, according to transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg. The 23-year-old Nigeria international has been in sensational form in the Bundesliga, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in 11 starts this season. However, a muscle injury sustained while on international duty with the Super Eagles has ruled Boniface out until January 2025, temporarily halting his impressive campaign under Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso. United’s interest in Boniface comes as they assess options to bolster their attack following underwhelming performances from Rasmus…