Author: Nurudeen Obalola
Real Madrid’s Croatian midfielder Luka Modric said Thursday he would leave the Spanish giants after the Club World Cup this summer. “Everything in life has a start and an end… on Saturday I will play my last match at the Santiago Bernabeu,” said Modric, 39, in a post on Instagram, as he reaches the end of his contract with Los Blancos. “I’m leaving with a full heart, filled with pride, gratitude and unforgettable memories. “And even though, after the Club World Cup, I’m no longer going to wear this shirt on the pitch, I will always be a Madrid fan.”…
Bayelsa State has maintained its lead in the medal table of the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun. As at Thursday morning, Bayelsa has secured 19 gold, nine silver and six bronze medals four days into the festival. The official medal table released by the technical team of the NSF tagged ‘Gateway Games 2024’ showed that Delta is now second with 16 gold, five silver and nine bronze medals. The table also shows that Rivers is third with six gold medals, three silver and seven bronze medals. Team Osun, second on day three, currently occupies the fourth position with…
New President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone B, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, has promised to bring positive change to the regional body. Gusau was installed on Monday as the head of the organisation following the resignation of Ghana’s Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, who took up a new position at the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) emphasised on the need to develop the game through the grassroots by focusing on youth competitions, articulating an aggressive marketing strategy to get corporates to support the game, and espousing on the need for commitment to the ideals of…
Tottenham Hotspur ended their 17-year wait for a trophy as Brennan Johnson’s first-half goal was enough to beat Manchester United 1-0 in the UEFA League final in Bilbao on Wednesday night. Victory means under-fire head coach Ange Postecoglou has fulfilled a promise to deliver silverware in his second season at Spurs. Postecoglou, who said he would “never be a clown” in his pre-match address, brought smiles and unbridled joy to the faces of the 15,000 official, and many unofficial, Tottenham fans in the San Mames stadium in Bilbao. Victory may not save Postecoglou from a Spurs exit in the coming…
Manny Pacquiao has announced his return to the ring aged 46 and almost four years after his last fight. The Filipino says he will face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on 19 July in Las Vegas. Pacquiao is now aiming to become boxing’s oldest welterweight world champion. “I’m back,” Pacquiao said on social media. “Let’s make history.” Pacquiao currently holds the record for the oldest welterweight champion, when he beat Keith Thurman in 2019 to claim the WBA (Super) world title aged 40. The WBC controversially reinstated Pacquiao into their rankings at number five last week as speculation about his return…
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has selected two strong squads for the Unity Cup tournament and the friendly match against Russia, with regulars like Stanley Nwabali, Wilfred Ndidi, Ola Aina and Simon Moses included, and Ahmed Musa making a return. However, key players including Victor Osimhen, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi are left out of the squads. Chelle invited 25 players for the Unity Cup tournament in London, which will involve Ghana, Jamaica as well as Trinidad and Tobago. “We’re looking forward to taking part in the Unity Cup as it will give us the chance to try…
Victory in the UEFA Europa League final would not be enough to redeem Manchester United’s disappointing season, manager Ruben Amorim said on Tuesday. The once mighty United are currently a lowly 16th in the English Premier League, making Wednesday night’s final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao their only chance to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League. “Maybe people will look at our team in a different way because winning a European title is really important. It would help us to finish the season in a good note. “But nothing is going to change our season. Players know it,…
Kevin de Bruyne signed off from his last home game for Manchester City on a high, as they beat Bournemouth 3-1 in their English Premier League clash on Tuesday night to close in on a place in the UEFA Champions League next season – and both sides finished with 10 men. City were stunned by Crystal Palace in Saturday’s FA Cup final and desperately needed victory against the Cherries to help ensure they finish in the Premier League’s top five in an otherwise miserable season. Pep Guardiola’s men are now third, in a strong position heading into Sunday’s last fixture of…
Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu has invited 23 players, including captain Rasheedat Ajibade, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Michelle Alozie, midfielder Toni Payne and forward Rinsola Babajide, for the upcoming two friendly matches against the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon. However, six-time Women’s African Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala is not included in the squad, which was announced by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday. Defenders Osinachi Ohale, Oluwatosin Demehin and Shukurat Oladipo, midfielders Deborah Abiodun and Jennifer Echegini, and forwards Ifeoma Onumonu and Francisca Ordega are also in the squad. The Super Falcons and the Lionesses will face…
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has announced that it has disqualified six athletes from participating in the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged ‘Gateway Games’. NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade noted on Tuesday in Abeokuta that the disqualification was related to anti-doping issues. He maintained that registered athletes caught using performance enhancing substances cannot compete for medals at the Games. The athletes affected include Marcus Okon of Akwa Ibom (para athletics), Ayabeke Opeyemi of Bayelsa (gymnastics), and Shukurat Kareem of Lagos (kickboxing). The others are Omole Dolapo Joshua of Bayelsa (kickboxing), Ogunsemilore Cynthia of Bayelsa (kickboxing), and Animashaun Sofia of Lagos…