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Category: Sports

  • CAF CC: USM Alger win first continental title (With Photos)

    CAF CC: USM Alger win first continental title (With Photos)

    USM Alger created history by clinching their first-ever continental title as they edged out Tanzania’s Young Africans (Yanga) on the away goals rule in a thrilling finale of the 2022-23 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

    Despite a 1-0 defeat at home in front of a packed Stade du 5 Juillet in Algiers on Saturday night, USM Alger’s 2-2 aggregate score, courtesy of their 2-1 first-leg victory in Dar es Salaam, secured them the coveted trophy.

    Although the loss may have dampened the celebration, it couldn’t diminish the euphoria of becoming the first Algerian side to win the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

    Yanga, appearing in their maiden continental final, came tantalizingly close to their own momentous achievement after Djuma Shabani’s first-half penalty.

    However, they were unable to find a crucial second goal to swing the tie in their favor and claim the crown on enemy territory.

    USM Alger’s captain Zineddine Belaid had a second-half penalty saved, but his disappointment was forgotten as the Algerian side held on to a 1-0 defeat at the final whistle, securing their place in history.

    Yanga faced a daunting task, needing to win by a margin of more than two goals. They got off to a perfect start when they were awarded a penalty just seven minutes into the match after Saadi Radouani’s challenge on Kennedy Musonda.

    Shabani confidently converted the spot-kick, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and giving Yanga an early lead.

    The early goal was precisely what the Tanzanian side needed to fuel their pursuit of victory, and they continued to apply pressure on USM Alger.

    In the 30th minute, Alger came agonizingly close to equalizing when Aimen Mahious rose to meet a cross from Khaled Bousseliou, but his header narrowly missed the target.

    Yanga’s Fiston Mayele, who was tightly marked, had a glimpse at goal when he expertly controlled a lofted pass from Musonda, but he failed to find the target with his subsequent touch.

  • NFF, Tingo seal partnership agreement on Federation Cup

    NFF President (third from left), with GS (second from left), Dr. Ikpeme (second from right); Tingo’s Owokolo (third from right), Tingo’s Sanni (left) and Mr. Kadiri (right).

    The country’s oldest football championship, known presently as Federation Cup, secured another title sponsor on Thursday as the Nigeria Football Federation and Tingo signed a partnership agreement on the prestigious competition.

    At a modest but colourful ceremony inside the NFF Secretariat, President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau declared that the first partnership agreement in the life of the new NFF administration had taken some months to seal because his team places more premium on integrity and credibility of partnerships and relationships than the number of such relationships.

    “We took our time to conduct due diligence on the company and we found them to be upright and credible. For us, it is about credibility and integrity. A number of corporates have approached us for partnerships but we are taking our time to evaluate things.

    “I congratulate Tingo for their steadfastness to ensure the actualization of this relationship. We believe it is the beginning of great things that will happen between the company and the NFF going forward.”

    GS (fourth from left), Sadiq (left), Owokolo (third from right), Sanni (second left), Olajire (1st right) and Alizor (second right)  

    NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi added that the Federation is delighted to secure sponsorship for the oldest and most glamorous football championship in the land, and would go extra mile to ensure that Tingo derives the appropriate mileage from the title sponsorship.

    Chief Operating Officer of Tingo, Mr. Peter Owokolo commended the NFF for the opportunity given to the company to engage Nigeria Football at such a high level, and promised to explore areas of further positive contributions to the Nigeria game.

    “We are honoured to be here and to be able to take the title sponsorship of such a prestigious competition as the Federation Cup. It is a privilege. We are committed to promoting and positively projecting Nigeria Football in every way we can.”

    The Federation Cup began as the Governor’s Cup in 1945, and has been addressed variously as the Challenge Cup and the Football Association (FA) Cup over the decades. It became Federation Cup in 2008, when the Nigeria Football Association became Nigeria Football Federation following the approval of its Congress in Makurdi, Benue State.

    Also at the event were Tingo’s Project Coordinator, Dr. Segun Sanni; the Chairman/CEO of Skills and Dribbles Marketing Company (facilitators of the agreement), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq; NFF Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme; Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. E. C. Kadiri; Director of Communications, Mr. Ademola Olajire; Director of Legal, Barr. Okey Obi; Director of Audit, Mr. Yohanna Mathias; Head of Marketing and Sponsorship, Mr. Alizor Chuks; Head of Protocol, Mr. Barnabas Joro; Head of International Competitions, Mr. Enebi Achor and; Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Women Football League, Ms Modupe Shabi.    

  • U20 W/Cup: Nigeria Coaches hail Bosso, Flying Eagles for beating Argentina

    The Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA) has commended the Chief Coach of the Flying Eagles, Isah Ladan Bosso, his lads, the Flying Eagles, and the backroom staff over their emphatic 2-0 victory against host nation Argentina in the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup.

    In a statement signed by the association’s Public Relations Officer, Etta Egbe, the Acting President of the Association, Dr. Isiaka Salami, praised the leadership, technical and tactical efficiency of Coach Isah Ladan Bosso against Argentina, which were rated as favourites to win the 2023 Under 20 World Cup.

    He was full of praises for the boys, the Flying Eagles, who gave their best that made Nigeria to record this rare achievement against Argentina.

    Dr. Salami admonished the team to work towards taking the next three important steps to winning the Under 20 World Cup, by maintaining that spirit of determination to win and hard work.

    He advised the team to celebrate less, be focused and prepare more for the task ahead.

    He stated that apart from the members of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association who are solidly behind the Flying Eagles, the entire country stands behind them.

    This is the time Nigeria needs the U20 World Cup the most. “We pray for you to succeed”, he added.

  • U20 W/Cup: F’Eagles stun hosts Argentina 2-0 to berth quarterfinals

    Nigeria’ Flying Eagles eliminated host nation Argentina as goals from Ibrahim Muhammad and Rilwanu Haliru Sarki sent the six-time champions out of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday night.

    On an incredible night in western Argentina, the Flying Eagles pulled out every trick in the book to defend in numbers and then score two goals through quick counter-attacks.

    The performance in this round of 16 match had the Albiceleste Sub-20, who had won all their three matches in the group phase, stunned as they crashed out of the tournament.

    Nigeria Head Coach Ladan Bosso had promised that his boys would give as much as they got, and they did that and more with clear intent from the ninth minute.

    That was when a snapshot by Ibrahim Muhammad on the edge of the penalty box went narrowly off.

    There were even exchanges afterwards, and the South Americans came close with a header in the 39th minute.

    But the Flying Eagles returned with more stamina and guile in the second half and completely dominated the hosts in front of nearly 30,000 fans in San Juan.

    Goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso had saved from Barco in the 51st minute and Jude Sunday’s shot was held by the opposition goalie.

    Thereafter the two-time silver medallists struck the underside of the bar with an intelligent shot from the edge of the box by Tochukwu Nnadi in the 58th minute.

    The hosts did escape there, but would not be that lucky three minutes later, when from a long Aniagboso ball out, substitute Emmanuel Umeh found an onrushing Muhammad.

    He stretched beyond the attention of two defenders and pushed the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper into the net.

    Two minutes later, Umeh could have turned goalscorer when he ran powerfully down the left and planted himself in a good position, but dragged his shot a little too wide. 

    Carboni saw his shot held by the calm Aniagboso and then headed wide, before Umeh again came close only to be foiled with the goalkeeper beaten.

    The nifty Romero hit the upright with a deceptive shot in the 83rd minute.

    Also, Abel Ogwuche cleared the ball as two Argentines were set to pull the trigger in the 85th minute with things becoming really anxious.

    The hosts, who are under the tutelage of the legendary Javier Mascherano, poured forward in search of the equaliser, and were then open to a sucker punch.

    AC Milan’s Victor Eletu showed tenacity to hold on to another long Aniagboso ball out of defence.

    He then lifted for Haliru Sarki to nod into the net with aplomb for Nigeria’s second with one minute into added time.

    The victory somewhat atoned for Argentina’s 2-1 defeat of Nigeria in the final of the 2005 edition of the competition in The Netherlands.

    That was when Lionel Messi scored twice from the penalty kick spot to deny the African champions.

    Victory took the Flying Eagles to the quarter-finals, where they meet the winners of the Ecuador/South Korea Round of 16 duel to be decided on Thursday.

  • WAFU U20 Women Tourney: Falconets trounce Benin Republic 3-0 to reach Final

    Nigeria strolled to a 3-0 win over Benin Republic in the second semi-final of the WAFU B U20 Women Championship in Kumasi on Wednesday, easily picking their ticket to the Final match to be decided on Saturday at the same Baba Yara Stadium.

    Expectedly, the World Cup quarter-finalists didn’t have to break much sweat on the night, with Amina Omowunmi Bello putting them in front in the 23rd minute of the game.

    Precocious attacking midfielder Esther Onyenezide hit a brace, scoring first in the 34th and then in the 52nd minute to put daylight between both teams in Ghana’s second city.

    Nigeria’s Chinyere Kalu was selected as Most Valuable Player of the Match.

    Hosts Ghana won the first semi final match, defeating Burkina Faso’s Dames 3-1 to reach the final on Saturday.

    Saturday’s final jangles the bell of the interesting rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria at all levels of the game, and the hosts would wish they could stop the 19-goal Falconets who are already looking like champions-in-waiting.

    Tournament top scorer Opeyemi Ajakaye did not add to her tally on Wednesday night, but Saturday’s final is a great opportunity for her to raise her total haul for the championship.    

  • U-20 W/Cup: F’ Eagles will not be intimidated by Argentina crowd – Bosso

    Hosts and six-time champions, Argentina will fancy being the favourites in their FIFA U20 World Cup Round of 16 duel with Nigeria in San Juan on Wednesday night, but Head Coach Ladan Bosso says his team will not be intimidated by the physicality of the opponents and the capacity crowd expected at the venue.

    The indigenes of the Land of Pampas barnstormed through their group stage, winning all their three matches against Uzbekistan, Guatemala and New Zealand, scoring 10 goals and conceding only one. They are already among the favourites for the title, by both pedigree and current form.

    Despite winning their first two matches, including beating early ravemakers Italy in commanding fashion, the Flying Eagles lost to Brazil 2-0 in La Plata on Saturday and some bookmakers think they stand no chance against the pumped-up home team.

    Bosso said on Tuesday, as his boys prepared for their official training session at match time (6pm Argentine time and 10pm Nigeria) that his Africa Cup of Nations bronze medallists will be ready to give as much as they receive in Wednesday’s encounter.

    “This is the World Cup and it is wrong to under-rate any team. We won two of our three matches and had the same number of points in our group as Brazil and Italy. We are no pushovers in this campaign.

    “It is going to be an interesting game. We want the quarter-final ticket and the Argentines also want the quarter-final ticket. We will go in there and dig our feet into the ground.”

    ALL THE QUARTER-FINAL MATCHES

    Brazil Vs Tunisia

    USA Vs New Zealand

    Uzbekistan Vs Israel

    Colombia Vs Slovakia

    Argentina Vs Nigeria

    England Vs Italy

    Gambia Vs Uruguay

    Ecuador Vs South Korea

  • Juventus reject €50m offer from Bayern for Vlahovic 

    Juventus Football Club have refused a 50-million-euros (53.45-million dollars) offer from Bayern Munich for forward Dusan Vlahovic.

    Vlahovic moved to Juventus from Fiorentina last summer for a sum of 80 million euros and has a contract until June 2026.

    In spite of a weak season, in which he scored 14 goals in 42 games, Vlahovic is still seen as a future talent.

    According to the report, Juventus expect better offers for the forward to consider starting negotiations.

    Due to a 10-point deduction for irregularities in the club’s accounting, Juventus are set to miss the UEFA Champions League next season.

    Vlahovic’s sale could help the team compensate for the financial losses. 

  • Sunshine Stars target double glory in FA Cup, Super Six

    Chairman of Sunshine Stars FC of Akure, Babatunde Ogunja has said the club is gunning for double glory this session.

    Ogunja said this in an interview in Awka ahead of Sunday’s FA Quarter Final clash against Bendel Insurance at the Awka township stadium.

    He said the Akure-based side were prepared and set to shock Insurance with their first defeat this season.

    He attributed the good run of his club to hard work, discipline, focus on set goals. and motivation of players.

    The chairman thanked the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, for his immense support to the club.

    According to Ogunja, “we want the two honours, the Federation Cup and the Super Six. We are up to the task that is why we are where we are today.

    “On our quarterfinal match with Bendel Insurance, the Benin-based team will ‘swallow a bitter pill’ on Sunday. We are going to give them their first defeat this season,” he said.

    Ogunja criticised the abridged league system used for the just-ended 2022/2023 NPFL season but commended the standard of officiating which, according to him, has improved significantly.

  • CBN Tennis Open: Edwards edges closer to 3rd straight title

    Nigeria’s number one ranked female tennis player, Marylove Edwards, is gradually closing in on her third straight women’s singles tennis open championship title in Abuja.

    The country’s top-ranked female player had won both the 2023 VEMP Open as well as the DavNotch Tennis Open Championship titles, respectively in Abuja.

    The number one seed has so far shown no signs of fatigue as she raced through her first and second rounds as well as her quarter-final fixtures of the ongoing CBN Tennis Open Championships.

    Edwards strolled past number 39 ranked Ronke Akingbade 6-3, 6-1 in the first round and followed it up with another 6-3, 6-1 thrashing of number 12 ranked Favour Moses 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.

    She then defeated number 19 ranked Khadijat Mohammed 6-4, 6-1 in the quarter-final on Thursday.

    The defending champion next faces number 19 ranked Rebecca Ekpenyong in the semi-final on Friday for a shot at a possible third straight title in Abuja.

    She told newsmen that she was looking to carry the momentum from her title victory in the last two championships in Abuja into the CBN Tennis Open final.

    “We have reached the business end of the championship and so it’s a time to stay disciplined and focused like never before.

    “It’s not the moment to stop and disconnect your mind.

    “It’s the moment to stay focused and to keep holding that good momentum after winning 13 matches in a row here.

    “My eyes are totally fixed on the prize to ensure I defend my title once again and make it three championship wins in a row here,” she said.

    In other quarter-final matches decided on Thursday, number one ranked player, Uche Oparaoji, kept his hope of a second title alive after he defeated number 18 ranked player, Sylvanus Ayang, 6-4, 6-4.

    Number 12 ranked player, Usman Kushimo, knocked out former champion Thomas Otu, 6-3, 6-3, while number four seed, Peter Lawal, beat Canice Abua 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the semi-final of the men’s singles event.

    Also, number 24th ranked Musa Mohammed caused an upset as he stunned number eight seed, Ikechukwu Iloputa, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 at the end of a pulsating encounter to claim the final ‘top eight’ spot.

    The 45th CBN Tennis Open Championships, which served off on Monday, is expected to end on Sunday at the National Tennis Centre, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Package B.

  • Sports sector to get N80bn under National Development Plan – Minister

    Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, says the sports sector will receive N80 billion in the next four years, under the Federal Government’s National Development Plan (NDP).

    Dare said this in Abuja while receiving the “Outstanding Youth and Sports Minister” award, presented to him by the Executive Board of Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), led by its President, Habu Gumel.

    The award was presented to the minister for his contributions to sports development in Nigeria and the Olympic movement.

    Dare said that a percentage of the NDP fund for sports sector would go directly to sports federations since they were the main propellers of athletes’ success, which had now been attributed to him.

    “I salute the resilience of the sports federations. Their sacrifices and work in developing sports in Nigeria deserve commendation.

    “In spite of the challenges of funding, they still turn up for international competitions, thereby giving the athletes the needed exposure and training required to compete at the elite level.

    “We all know that without these athletes, nothing is possible in sports, while there will be no achievements,” he said.

    The minister also identified funding as one of the biggest challenges of sports development in Nigeria, a problem, he said that the newly-approved National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP) would alleviate.

    “The incentives outlined in the Sports as Business Policy have been approved and will be announced soon.

    “The technical committee has put finishing touches to the document and it will become fully operational soon.

    “This will drive private sector support for sports and there will be a massive turnaround, as the funding issue will be confronted headlong.

    “In the last four years, the sports ministry had moved from being a third tier ministry to being a first tier one.

    “Just a few weeks back, the Federal Government approved N2.4 billon for a High Performance Centre to be established inside the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

    “Before then, there was the Anti-Doping Centre to be established in Nsukka, Enugu State,” he said.

    Dare commended NOC for offering scholarships to many Nigerian athletes and combining its participation in sports with education.

    Earlier, Gumel commended the minister for his numerous achievements, some of which, he said, included: the emergence of the National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP) and the ‘Adopt Initiative’.

    Other achievements, he said, were the revamping of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), payment of monthly stipends to the families of departed sports icons as well as provision of financial support to ailing former and active athletes.

    According to the NOC president, another remarkable legacy is the delivery of the headquarters and secretariat of Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) by the federal government.

    He recalled that the ANOCA secretariat was inaugurated by the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr Thomas Bach.

    Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, thanked the minister for his ‘wonderful’ performance in office.

    Abubakar, while wishing Dare well in his future endeavours, called for stronger cooperation between the ministry and the Olympic family.