Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Kayode John An official of the Libyan Football Federation has threatened a lawsuit against Tunisian pilot Abdellatif Merchergui over his damning testimony to the disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football, regarding the Libya-Nigeria fiasco in the recent 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Merchergui was the pilot of the ValueJet plane which the Super Eagles flew in to Libya for the return leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying double-header in Benghazi on October 13. However, the Libyan authorities redirected the plane to a remote airport in Al Abraq, about three hours drive from…
Former England international Glen Johnson has urged Chelsea to go all out to sign Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen. Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in the summer after he failed to secure a permanent move from the Italian club. The 25-year-old was linked with Chelsea and Al Ahli in the later part of the transfer window but neither of the clubs were able to reach an agreement with the Italian club on a fee. The Premier League club are reportedly still interested in signing the reigning African Player of the Year and monitoring his progress at Galatasaray. Johnson,…
Paris Saint-Germain will refuse to comply with an order by the league to pay Kylian Mbappe 55 million euros ($59.5 million) in back pay, a source close to the case told AFP on Friday. A French league appeals committee has attempted to mediate in the increasingly bitter row between Real Madrid forward Mbappe and the club he left this year. Mbappe has demanded the figure which he says is made up of the final three months of his salary plus several bonuses. But Qatar-owned PSG argue that the 25-year-old had agreed to waive the sum in August 2023. With PSG…
By Kayode John Super Eagles midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru provided an assist in Lazio’s 2-0 victory over FC Twente in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, to make it two assists and one goal for him in three matches in the competition. The 23-year-old Nigeria international featured in the game for 90 minutes and set up Gustav Isaksen for the club’s second goal in the 87th minute. Hosts Twente were reduced to 10 men after just 11 minutes into the game when goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall was given his marching orders for bringing down Boulaye Dia. Nigeria defender Bright Osayi-Samuel impressed…
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria recovered from a goal down to beat Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 in Lome, Togo on Thursday to advance to the semi-finals of this year’s WAFU B U-20 Championship. Burkina Faso’s Young Etalons were therefore eliminated on inferior goals scored against those of the Flying Eagles and the Young Elephants. Nigeria scored two goals and conceded two, same for the Ivorians, with all three teams in Group B finishing with three points each. The Burkinabes scored one and conceded one, in beating Nigeria and losing to the Ivorians by the same 1-0 score. Victory handed Aliyu Zubair’s…
By Kayode John Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has been shortlisted for the African Goalkeeper of the Year category of the 2024 CAF Awards. Nwabali was one of the best players at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Cote d’Ivoire in January and February this year, where he made his competitive debut for Nigeria. The 28-year-old will vie for the award alongside Manchester United and Cameroon goalkeeper, Andre Onana, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams. Other nominees are Munir El Kajoui (Morocco), Amanallah Memmiche (Tunisia), Yahia Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire), Lionel Mpasi (DR Congo), Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt), Djigui Diarra…
By Kayode John Super Eagles stars Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong have been nominated for the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award. Lookman and Troost-Ekong are among the 10-man shortlist released by the Confederation of African Football on Thursday. However, Victor Boniface, who had been tipped to be among the contenders, was missing on the list. The other nominees are Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire), Ronwen Williams (South Africa), Amine Gouiri (Algeria), Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo) and Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco). CAF had earlier on Thursday announced that the 2024…
Anthony Joshua will definitely face either Daniel Dubois or Tyson Fury next, says the Nigerian-British heavyweight boxer’s promoter Eddie Hearn. Joshua, 35, suffered a fourth career defeat when he was stopped by IBF world champion Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September. Fury, who has long been linked with a super-fight with Joshua, will face unified champion Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 after losing to the Ukrainian in May. “It’s weird saying it after a knockout defeat but AJ is actually in a really good position,” Matchroom boss Hearn told BBC Sport. “We’re going to fight Dubois or Fury next. That’s…
By Kayode John The Confederation of African Football has announced that the 2024 CAF Awards will be held in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 16. It is the third time in a row Morocco is hosting the ceremony, following successful editions in 2022 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex and in 2023 at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech. While the venue for the 2024 ceremony has not been disclosed, the decision to award hosting rights to Morocco was made by the CAF Executive Committee. The awards will recognise outstanding achievements in both club and national team competitions during the period…
By Nurudeen Obalola The Super Eagles have moved up in the latest FIFA ranking despite their boycott of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Libya after maltreatment by the North Africans last week. The Nigerian team rose three places from 39th in the world to 36th, according to the ranking released on Thursday by the global ruling body. The three-time African champions also gained five ranking points, going from 1,498 to 1,503. During the ranking period, based on the last international window, the Super Eagles defeated Libya 1-0 in Uyo on October 11 but were unable to complete…