Author: Nurudeen Obalola
Super Eagles defender, Ola Aina, has hinted he could stay at Nottingham Forest beyond this season, amid reports the club are planning to offer him a fresh deal. Aina is having an impressive start to the 2023/2024 English Premier League season, starting all the matches for Forest so far. The Nigeria international was brilliant for club in their 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield last weekend. According to Nottingham Post on Friday, BBC Radio Nottinghamshire asked the versatile defender whether negotiations are ongoing between him and Forest following reports of an offer. “All I can say is I am really…
By Kayode John Rivers United will hope to stay unbeaten in these early stages of the season as they face a tough test away to Lobi Stars in a Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash on Saturday. Under new head coach, former Super Eagles boss Finidi George, Rivers United have managed one win and a draw in their first two NPFL matches so far. The Pride of Rivers played 0-0 against Bendel Insurance on matchday 1, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, and recorded a 3-1 victory over Heartland at home last week. Their hosts, Lobi Stars, will…
By Kayode John Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has suggested that Kevin de Bruyne could be fit for the club’s English Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday. De Bruyne did not return to the pitch for the second half of City’s 0-0 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday in their first UEFA Champions League fixture of the season at the Etihad. The Belgium midfielder appeared to have suffered a groin injury, and there were fears he would miss Sunday’s high-profile clash. Guardiola had promised to provide an update on De Bruyne’s condition, and he did on Friday during his…
By Kayode John After making his debut in the UEFA Champions League on Thursday night, Super Eagles striker, Victor Boniface, has recalled how he paid N30 to watch the competition back in Nigeria as a football fan. Boniface was in action for 62 minutes in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 win against Feyenoord at De Kuip in Holland. The 23-year-old, however, missed the opportunity of joining the exclusive list of Nigerians who marked their first game in the top European club competition with a goal. After the game, the Nigeria international expressed delight over how far he has come. “From paying 30…
Nigerian-British boxer, Anthony Joshua, has admitted that the pain he has experienced in his career has fuelled his desire to seek improvement. The 34-year-old two-time world heavyweight champion is facing 27-year-old Daniel Dubois in an International Boxing Federation world title fight at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Joshua is looking to join an elite group of fighters in becoming a three-time heavyweight champion in the all-British bout against the much younger Dubois. “I’ve worked hard and been through a lot of pain, and I’ve worked hard to get better,” he told BBC Sport after Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. “Hopefully those…
By Kayode John Former Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Obi has hailed Ademola Lookman for his decision to switch his allegiance to Nigeria early. FIFA approved Lookman’s application to represent Nigeria in 2022, after playing for England’s U-19s, U-20s and U-21s respectively. He made his debut for the Super Eagles in March 2022, in the World Cup playoffs against the Black Stars of Ghana at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi. “Players have to wait for a while before they decide to represent their African roots. I genuinely don’t think it should be that way,” Mikel said on beIN Sports in…
Nigerian striker, George Ilenikhena, scored a historic goal for Monaco as they produced a 2-1 UEFA Champions League upset victory over 10-man Barcelona at Stade Louis II on Thursday night. The 18-year-old substitute raced on to Vanderson’s long ball over the top of the defence in the 71st minute and blasted his shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Consequently, he broke the record previously held by Kylian Mbappé, who was Monaco’s youngest scorer in the UEFA Champions League. Mbappe scored in a match against Manchester City in 2017 at the age of 18 years and 63 days. Man-of-the-match Ilenikhena, who also…
Nottingham Forest are ready to offer Super Eagles full-back Ola Aina a new contract, according to reports. Forest triggered the optional 12-month extension in his contract in the summer to keep him at the club for this campaign, following an impressive debut season. However, it is now being reported that the Reds want to tie him down to a longer contract at the City Ground, after a brilliant start to the 2024/2025 Premier League season. Aina has started all of Forest’s opening four matches in the top flight this term, helping the club to an unbeaten start so far. The…
The Lagos State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Lagos SWAN) has expressed deep shock and sadness following the death of one of its members, Adeyinka Adebayo, the head of sports desk at Eko FM/Radio Lagos until his death. “The news of his death as announced on Tuesday night, has left the association and the wider sports journalism community in shock and mourning,” the association said in a statement on Wednesday issued by its acting secretary Oni Afolabi. “Until his passing, Adeyinka Adebayo was a Director at the Lagos State Ministry of Information and an unwavering member of…
By Kayode John Former Super Eagles defender, Godfrey Oboabona, believes interim head coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has what it takes to lead the national team as the substantive coach. Eguavoen took charge of the Super Eagles for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) against the Republic of Benin and Rwanda. Nigeria recorded a 3-0 victory over the Cheetahs at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, but the team was forced to a 0-0 draw by the Amavubi in Kigali. The assertion by Oboabona, who won the 2013 AFCON with the Super Eagles in South Africa, comes hours after the…