Author: Nurudeen Obalola
English Premier League clubs have voted to approve changes to rules governing commercial deals. At a meeting in London on Friday, clubs took under 30 minutes to approve the changes to Associated Party Transaction regulations (APTs). Clubs voted 16 in favour and four against. Those voting against included Manchester City and Aston Villa, who had both written to clubs before the meeting seeking support. For changes to be approved, a minimum of 14 Premier League clubs needed to vote in favour. Friday’s vote came after an independent panel found aspects of the Premier League’s rules to be unlawful earlier this year,…
Manchester City have confirmed reports that Pep Guardiola has signed a deal to extend his stay at the club. The English Premier League champions, who have won the title an unprecedented four times in a row, announced the new contract on Thursday. “It’s the news that every Manchester City fan has been wanting to hear – Pep Guardiola is staying at the Etihad Stadium for two more years,” the club said on their official website. “The manager has today signed a contract extension taking him through to the summer of 2027, by which time he will have spent 11 years as…
The Super Falcons of Nigeria will know their opponents for the group phase of the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations when the draw is held at the Technic Centre of the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Sale, outside Rabat, Morocco on Friday. The 12 qualified teams will be drawn into three groups of four each, with the top two teams in each group, as well as the best two third-placed teams, advancing to the quarter-finals of the competition scheduled for Morocco. Of the 12 previous tournaments held since Nigeria hosted the inaugural competition in 1998, the Super Falcons have…
By Nurudeen Obalola Benin Republic players and officials have spoken out after being treated badly by their hosts Libya during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, similar to the experience of Nigeria’s Super Eagles. The West Africans were in Libya for their final 2025 AFCON qualifying match, which ended 0-0 on Monday, with Gernot Rohr’s side finishing second in the group and securing a ticket along with Nigeria, while Libya finished bottom. The players and their head coach Rohr, who used to handle the Super Eagles, narrated how they were assaulted by Libyan security operatives and fans after the…
By Nurudeen Obalola Super Falcons of Nigeria stars Rasheedat Ajibade and Chiamaka Nnadozie have been nominated for the 2024 CAF Awards Women’s Player of the Year prize. Several other Nigerians and teams from the country are also nominated in various other categories of the awards. The Confederation of African Football released the list of nominees for the women’s categories of the awards on Wednesday night. The 2024 CAF Awards will be held on December 16, in Marrakech, Morocco. Atletico Madrid forward Ajibade and Paris FC goalkeeper Nnadozie are among the 10 players shortlisted for the coveted CAF Women’s Player of…
Lagos sports writers mourn as veteran journalist Dapo Sotuminu dies The Lagos State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Lagos SWAN) was left mourning again on Wednesday following the tragic passing of one of its most active members, Dapo Sotuminu. The veteran sports writer, who has reported for several national publications and headed numerous sports desks, died on Wednesday morning after a brief illness, just weeks after the untimely death of Eko FM’s Adeyinka Adebayo. “This is a loss that strikes the heart of the association and serves as a painful reminder of the toll taken on the…
Genoa have appointed Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira as their new head coach. The Serie A strugglers confirmed the appointment of the former Gunners captain on Wednesday. Genoa said Frenchman Vieira would take charge of his first training session Wednesday afternoon after signing his contract at the club’s headquarters in Villa Rostan. The club sacked their coach, Alberto Gilardino, on Tuesday, just five days before a key Serie A match against direct rivals Cagliari. A former France midfielder of legendary status who won the 1998 World Cup with his country, Vieira started his coaching career at Manchester City with the Elite Development Squad and…
A Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test has revealed that Vinicius Jr., the Brazil and Real Madrid forward, has ancestral roots in Cameroon. The test conducted by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) in partnership with AfricanAncestry.com on Tuesday at Fonte Nova revealed that the player’s ancestry is rooted in the Tikar tribe of Cameroon. A certificate recognising Vinicius Jr’s Cameroonian heritage was issued, along with a video highlighting the legacy of his Tikar forebears, a prominent tribe in Cameroon. The initiative is part of the CBF’s ‘Roots of Gold’ campaign, which honours the history and pride of the Afro-Brazilian community, with a…
Rafael Nadal said farewell to tennis and his fans saluted their retiring hero in a bittersweet and emotional ceremony at a sold-out Malaga arena following his last professional match in Spain’s 2-1 Davis Cup defeat to the Netherlands on Tuesday. Holding back tears as he tried to compose himself, Nadal gave a near 15-minute speech that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday. The 22-times Grand Slam champion had earlier lost 6-4, 6-4 to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, ending a 29-match singles winning streak in the Davis Cup and bringing the curtain down on his glittering career. “What I have…
By Nurudeen Obalola Edo Queens were knocked out of contention for the CAF Women’s Champions League title on Tuesday night following a 3-1 defeat to Congo Democratic Republic’s TP Mazembe in the semi-final in Casablanca, Morocco. The Nigerian champions scored first but TP Mazembe netted a late equaliser to force extra-time, during which they added two more goals. Edo Queens, who defeated two-time champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the group stage, had the final within touching distance when they took the lead in the 64th minute through Emem Essien with her third goal of the competition. But TP Mazembe fought back…