Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Korede James Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika has expressed confidence that Club Brugge can overturn their UEFA Champions League first leg round of 16 defeat to Aston Villa. After recovering from injury Onyedika was named in Club Brugge’s starting line-up but could not prevent them from going down to a 3-1 home defeat on Tuesday. That was only the second time Aston Villa would beat a Belgian team in UEFA competition, with the previous win a 1-0 semi-final defeat of Anderlecht on their road to 1982 European Cup (now Champions League) glory. Reflecting on the home defeat, Onyedika told…
By Korede James Legendary Galatasaray forward Tanju Colak has claimed that the Turkish giants would be struggling in the Super Lig table if not for Victor Osimhen’s contributions this season. Super Eagles striker Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli last summer, has been impressive for the Turks, the 26-year-old contributing 16 goals and four assists in 20 league appearances for the leaders. Osimhen’s contributions have kept Galatasaray on top of the league, four points clear of rivals Fenerbahce. Speaking in an interview with Ekol TV, Colak, who played for Galatasaray from 1987 to 1991, scoring 116 goals in…
Rangers have confirmed that one of their supporters has died in Istanbul ahead of their UEFA Europa League clash with Fenerbahce on Thursday night. The Scottish giants, the club of Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers, are due to take on their Turkish opponents after qualifying automatically for the last-16 back in January. However, the club has received devastating news just hours before the first leg of the knockout tie. On Thursday morning, Rangers announced that a fan tragically passed overnight after being involved in a ‘road traffic accident’. A club statement read: “We are devastated to have learned of the passing of one…
By Nurudeen Obalola The Super Falcons of Nigeria have kept their 36th position in the latest FIFA women’s world ranking released on Thursday. The nine-time African champions have been in the 36th spot since March 2024, retaining the same position in June, August and December. This is the first ranking of 2025, and the Super Falcons have clung to that same spot, even keeping their 1622 points. They also remain the top-ranked team in Africa, followed by Women’s Africa Cup of Nations holders South Africa (54th in the world), Morocco (60th), Zambia (64th) and Ghana (65th). Nigeria’s 2024 WAFCON (to…
Liverpool completed a big smash and grab in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night to come away from their round of 16 first leg contest against Paris St-Germain with a 1-0 victory in Paris. PSG totally dominated the match, with 27 shots, and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had to make nine saves, the most he has ever made in a single game for the Reds. The Brazil shot-stopper was fittingly named man of the match after repeatedly thwarting the fleet-footed hosts led by Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The one time PSG beat Alisson, in the 20th minute, Kvaratskhelia was…
FIFA has announced that the prize money for this year’s Club World Cup will be a staggering $1 billion. The tournament, expanded to 32 teams, will be held in the United States of America between June 14 and July 13. With $2 billion expected in revenues, FIFA reserves will remain untouched and some of the money generated will also be dedicated to club football around the world, FIFA president Gianni Infantino added in a statement on Wednesday. “The FIFA Club World Cup will not only be the pinnacle of club football, but also a vivid demonstration of solidarity that will…
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the 2026 men’s World Cup final, hosted in the United States, will include a half-time show for the very first time. The US, Canada and Mexico are set to co-host next year’s tournament, with the final set to be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026. Never in the history of the tournament – from the inaugural competition in 1930 to now – has there been a halftime show, but Infantino confirmed the break of tradition after speaking at a World Cup event in Dallas. “I can confirm…
Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has urged England head coach Thomas Tuchel to give Ethan Nwaneri a call-up to the Three Lions for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. Cole posited the 17-year-old should go straight into Tuchel’s first England squad following his record-breaking performance for Arsenal in their 7-1 thumping of PSV Eindhoven in Tuesday’s Champions League fixture. Nwaneri, born in England to Nigerian parents, became the third-youngest player – after Bojan Krkic and Jude Bellingham – to score a Champions League knockout stage goal when he struck in the win against PSV. His goal was…
By Korede James Former Nigeria international Etim Esin has questioned the size of the Super Eagles’ 39-man provisional squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle released the long list of invited players on Monday for the fixtures against Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 and Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later. Among the players invited for the key clashes are Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Moses Simon, African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Stanley Nwabali, Samuel Chukwueze, Calvin Bassey, William Troost-Ekong and Ola Aina,…
Jamie Carragher has addressed a tidal wave of criticism he got after he described the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as not a ‘major tournament’. The former England and Liverpool defender was discussing his old club’s best player, Mohamed Salah, when he dismissed the competition while weighing up his Ballon d’Or chances. Both Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge stood up for AFCON as Carragher waved them off, but soon after he would have been well aware that they weren’t the only ones who disagreed. A flood of African greats slammed the comments, as did Carragher’s former England teammate Rio Ferdinand,…