Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers has been named among the nominees for Rangers Player of the Month award for March. Dessers is up against Nico Raskin, Mohamed Diomande, Vaclav Cerny and John Souttar for the prize. Commenting on the Nigeria international, Rangers wrote: “Cyriel capped off his 100th appearance for the Light Blues with a dramatic stoppage time winner against Dundee on Saturday evening. “The Nigerian forward also contributed heavily to the side’s victory in Istanbul (against Fenerbahce) and he is certainly a player who is enjoying a purple patch in front of goal under Barry Ferguson.”…
None of the four Real Madrid players investigated by UEFA will miss next week’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Arsenal. Stars Antonio Rudiger and Kylian Mbappe have received suspended one-match bans on top of fines, while team-mate Dani Ceballos has got off with just a fine after the trio ‘violated the basic rules of decent conduct’. Ex-Chelsea defender Rudiger was accused of making a throat-slitting gesture towards Atletico Madrid supporters in the aftermath of last month’s dramatic round-of-16 second leg. Vinicius Junior was also probed by UEFA but has escaped punishment. Real controversially won the tie on penalties after local rivals Atletico had a goal in the shootout cancelled by VAR. Images and videos of the four players’…
Bruno Fernandes has been named the English Premier League Player of the Month for March following a stellar month for Manchester United. Portuguese midfielder Fernandes was involved in all four goals as Manchester United enjoyed an unbeaten March. He started the month with a sensational free-kick goal as the Red Devils held second-placed Arsenal to a 1-1 draw. He followed up with two assists – taking him to 50 Premier League assists in total – and another goal in a 3-0 victory at Leicester City. It is the fifth occasion Fernandes has won the EA SPORTS Player of the Month…
Kevin de Bruyne has announced that he will leave Manchester City when his contract with the club expires at the end of the season. The 33-year-old Belgium midfielder released a statement on social media on Friday to confirm the decision to quit the English Premier League club he joined from Wolfsburg in 2015. De Bruyne has won 16 trophies since his move to City, including six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2023 as well as two FA Cups and five League Cups. He has scored 106 goals in 413 appearances in all competitions for City, but…
Favour Ashe of Delta State won the highest-profile gold medal at the Niger Delta Sports Festival in Uyo on Thursday, claiming the men’s 100m title in athletics. The 22-year-old sprint star, who represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics and reached the 100m semi-finals, eased to gold in the final in Uyo in a time of 10.16 seconds. Ashe was well clear of the pack, with Bayelsa State pair of Lucky Daje (10.45s) and Augustine Ezuruike (10.48s) earning silver and bronze respectively. “This is my first race of the season since August. These past seven months have been very difficult…
By Korede James Chelsea continued their push for a UEFA Champions League spot by defeating London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in their English Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. The Blues have now recorded a fourth consecutive win over Spurs as they reclaim fourth place in the table with eight rounds of fixtures remaining, while Spurs are 14th. Chelsea, who won the reverse fixture 4-3 in December, went 1-0 up just after half-time when Enzo Fernandez headed home from a Cole Palmer pass, the England forward’s first assist since December 1. Moises Caicedo thought he had made…
By Korede James Turkish giants Besiktas will make a summer bid to Southampton for Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu, according to reports. Onuachu joined another Turkish club Trabzonspor on loan during the 2023/2024 season, where he scored 17 goals in all competitions. He was a bit-part player under previous Southampton boss Russell Martin, but he is featuring regularly under Ivan Juric. The Nigeria international is set to enter the final year of his contract with Southampton but the struggling English Premier League side are yet to offer him a new deal. Southampton are set to be relegated to the Championship,…
By Korede James Team Delta got their outing in the women’s basketball event at the 2025 Niger Delta Sports Festival in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, off to a perfect start as they edged out Team Cross River on Thursday. At the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre, after a tightly contested encounter, Team Delta triumphed 44-39 to open their campaign with a win. In the other fixture that was billed for the same venue, Team Bayelsa walked over Team Abia who withdrew due to logistical setbacks. Despite suffering defeat in their opening fixture, coach of Team Cross River Eteta Eta praised his players’…
The headline fixture of the round of 16 of the 2025 President Federation Cup is between traditional heavyweights Bendel Insurance and Enugu Rangers, the Nigeria Football Federation has announced. The fixtures were released on Thursday, pitting the two 2023 finalists against each other, while Enyimba will be up against Abakaliki FC of neighbouring Ebonyi State. In that 2023 final, Bendel Insurance saw off Enugu Rangers 1-0 to secure their first FA Cup triumph since 1980. Incidentally, Rangers defeated Insurance 2-0 in the 1981 final to avenge a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of the Benin Arsenal in the 1978 decider.…
Galatasaray have accused Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho of “physically attacking” their manager Okan Buruk after he appeared to grab his nose following a fiery derby in the Turkish Cup. The incident occurred after the final whistle at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, when both managers were interacting with the match officials in the centre circle. Mourinho approached Buruk from behind and appeared to pinch his nose, causing the Galatasaray manager to fall to the floor with his hands covering his face. “Our manager Okan and Mourinho congratulated the referees. After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked…