Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Kayode John Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has described compatriot Victor Boniface as a world-class player. Boniface has been under scrutiny over his inability to score for the national team as he does at Bayer Leverkusen. He has six goals in nine matches for his German club this season but has not found the net in any competitive game for Nigeria as well as in his last six matches, including in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda last month. The Eagles will take on Libya on Matchday 3 of the qualifying campaign…
Chelsea pair Cole Palmer and Enzo Maresca have been voted English Premier League Player of the Month and Manager of the Month respectively for September. England international Palmer led the Premier League for both goals and goal involvements in September, scoring five goals and making one assist in four appearances. Four of his goals came in one devastating 21-minute period against Brighton, as he became the first player in history to score four times in the first half of a Premier League match. Palmer has won the Player of the Month award for a second time, with his first coming in April 2024,…
By Kayode John Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has said the team must do everything possible to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco. The three-time African champions are set to face the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in back-to-back fixtures in the 2025 AFCON qualification series. The Super Eagles, who are on top of Group D on four points from two games, will host bottom side Libya at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Friday, with the return leg scheduled for Tuesday in Benina, Benghazi. During a chat with reporters on Thursday at the team’s…
By Kayode John Chidera Ejuke has expressed delight over his return to the Super Eagles. The Sevilla winger last featured for the Super Eagles at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon. However, he is back into the reckoning once again, following his impressive performances for Sevilla this season, earning a place in Austin Eguavoen’ 23-man squad for the 2025 AFCON qualifying double-header against Libya. “I’m just happy to be here, I’m really excited to be back. It’s always like a good feeling to get the opportunity to represent your country and also to see some of the…
The legendary Segun Odegbami has provided an update on the condition of fellow great Peter Fregene, who has been battling with illness for some time. Fregene, a goalkeeping great with the national team in the 1960s through to the 1980s, is lying critically ill in Sapele, Delta State and Odegbami is soliciting for help for the former footballer, who is in his late 70s. In a heartfelt post shared widely on social media this week, Odegbami, who is a broadcaster and syndicated columnist, provided details of Fregene’s current condition and the efforts to find healing. The post is reproduced below:…
By Kayode John Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, Fatima Bello and Ajoke Ojomu have been listed in a 10-member squad by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) for the 2024 ITTF African Championships. The competition is scheduled for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 12 to October 19. Joining the seasoned players are promising young talents such as Matthew Kuti, Muiz Adegoke, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Aishat Rabiu, Hope Udoaka, and Aziza Sezuo. Aruna, Omotayo and Bello all represented Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France but none of them made it beyond the first round of the singles categories. Matthew Kuti,…
The sports writers earlier kidnapped on Thursday on their way to cover the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Libya in Uyo have been released. The journalists, whose names are withheld, were abducted somewhere in Imo State on their way to the assignment by a yet-to-named group of gunmen. The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) announced on Thursday afternoon that the journalists had been released. In a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Ikenna Okonkwo, and made available to SportingTimes.ng, SWAN said: “We want to inform our teeming members across Nigeria and beyond that some of the…
Manchester United full-back Noussair Mazraoui has undergone a minor corrective heart procedure after experiencing palpitations. He is expected to be available to play in the next few weeks, according to reports. Mazraoui withdrew on Monday from the Morocco squad for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Central African Republic scheduled for Saturday and Tuesday. The 26-year-old joined United from Bayern Munich in August and has started all seven of his new club’s English Premier League games this season and nine of the 10 matches he has been available for since then. However, he was taken off at half-time…
The Nigeria Football Federation has rejected claims of poor treatment on arrival in the country by Libya captain Faisal Al-Badri. The NFF has insisted that the Libyan Football Federation created chaos for their own team with their shoddy arrangements. NFF’s Assistant Director (Protocol), Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, said the Libya federation only informed their Nigerian counterparts that their team was landing in Port Harcourt, and not Uyo, only three hours to the team’s arrival on Tuesday. “I spoke to the General Secretary of LFF, at length, on Monday, 7th October and he never hinted that his team would be arriving on Tuesday…
By Kayode John Libya captain Faisal Al-Badri has alleged poor treatment by Nigerian authorities ahead of Friday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Uyo between the two countries. According to Libyan news outlet, Addresslibya, Al-Badri claimed on his Facebook page that Nigerian authorities frustrated what should have been a smooth travelling experience for his team. “We left the hotel at six in the morning, and the plane took off at nine. The flight took four hours, and thus we arrived in Nigeria at one in the afternoon, Libyan time,” he was quoted as saying. “Our luggage was searched inside the…