Category: Sports

Sport News

AFCON 2019: Rohr Wary Of Libya Threat

Akinwale Kasali

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr believes the sudden resignation of Libya coach Adel Amrouche could motivate their rivals even more ahead of a crucial 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday. Amrouche quit as Libya coach just days before the clash in Uyo, southern Nigeria, over unpaid wages. But German handler Rohr has warned over complacency. “The coach can change, but the players and his assistants are still there, so it won’t be an easy game because they changed the coach,” Rohr said. “Sometimes it’s even more difficult when a…

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Barcelona FC Boss Says Vidal Lacks Respect

Akinwale Kasali

Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal “lacked respect” for his teammates by  complaining on social media about not playing enough, the club’s sporting director Pep Segura said Thursday. Chilean international Vidal has started only two games for the Catalan giants since his summer move to the Nou Camp from Bayern Munich. The former Juventus man is up against Croatia’s Ivan Rakitic and Brazilian trio Philippe Coutinho, Arthur and Rafinha for places in a quality-packed Barca midfield. He recently took his frustration out by posting messages on his Instagram account featuring angry or…

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Rohr Releases 24-Man List For Libya Clash

Akinwale Kasali

Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has invited Ahmed Musa and 23 other players for this month’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Libya. According to the Nigeria Football Federation website, Rohr called up Alex Iwobi, William Ekong and Olaoluwa Aina. All three players missed the 3-0 win over Seychelles in Mahe last month due to injury. Nigeria will host the first leg at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, 13th October with the return leg scheduled for the 18,000–capacity Stade Taïeb Mhiri in the city of Sfax, Tunisia on…

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Modric Ends Ronaldo, Messi Dominance, Wins FIFA World Footballer Award

Akinwale Kasali

Luka Modric ended Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s decade-long domination of football’s individual awards by being crowned FIFA’s Best Player of the Year on Monday, AFP reports. The Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder starred for both club and country as Real  won a third straight Champions League, and he inspired Croatia to reach the World Cup final for the first time. He beat Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Egypt’s  Mohamed Salah to the prize. Modric’s success means Ronaldo remains tied with Messi having won FIFA’s award in different guises five times each. At 33,…

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Berahino Welcomes Three Children In Six Weeks

Akinwale Kasali

Saido Berahino is at the centre of a legal battle over claims he has fathered a hat-trick of children in less than two months, The Sun reports. The Stoke  City striker is named on birth certificates as the father of two of the babies — born on May 30 and July 17. His lawyers are in talks with a friend who claims he is dad of her tot born on July 15. A month later, Berahino, 25, finally found the net after 913 days — but he’s still fathered more…

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NFF Election: Infantino Congratulates Pinnick

Akinwale Kasali

Gianni Infantino, President of World Football ruling body, FIFA has sent a congratulatory message to Amaju Pinnick on his re-election as the President of the Nigeria Football Federation. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in the polls conducted by the NFF Electoral Committee in Katsina, Pinnick swept aside three other contestants, polling 34 votes. Other contestants, Aminu Maigari got eight votes, with former international, Taiwo Ogunjobi getting only two votes, while there was no votes for club owner Chinedu Okoye. In the letter addressed to the NFF and copied to the…

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Aubameyang’s Father Named Gabonese Coach

Akinwale Kasali

Former captains Pierre Aubame and Daniel Cousin have been named as co-coaches of Gabon after the dismissal last week of Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho, the country’s football federation said. Aubame is the father of Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while Cousin, who was a forward at Rangers and Hull City, previously acted as team manager in charge of logistics. Francois Amegasse, another former national team skipper, takes over Cousin’s role. “We hope these three former captains will transmit their experience to the players,” said a statement from the federation.” Camacho, a…

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Corruption: FIFA Bans Three Officials

Akinwale Kasali

FIFA has given three officials who pleaded guilty to corruption in a US court, life bans from all football-related activities for corruption, the sport’s governing body announced on Wednesday. The adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee banned former chairman of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Aaron Davidson, former CONCACAF official Costas Takkas and Colombian ex-FIFA match agent Miguel Trujillo for bribery and corruption. Takkas was an advisor to former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, who was banned from football by the FIFA ethics committee in 2015. The trio will all…

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Ibrahimovic Calls Self ‘god of Goals’

Akinwale Kasali

Zlatan Ibrahimovic proclaimed himself the ‘God of Goals’ after scoring for the 500th time in his professional career, Daily Mail reports The veteran Swedish striker achieved the milestone with an outrageous roundhouse kick volley but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Los Angeles Galaxy losing 5-3 at Toronto on yesterday. And Ibrahimovic took to Twitter afterwards to celebrate, posting a film poster style graphic that read ‘Zlatan: God of Goals’ along with the caption ‘500’. “Obviously it’s not good to lose… but I’m happy for Toronto because they’ll be remembered…

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FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: NBBF Thanks Nigerians

Akinwale Kasali

The Nigeria Basketball Federation under the leadership of Musa Kida, has expressed gratitude to basketball fans for coming out in large numbers to support the senior national men’s team, D’Tigers at the ongoing qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup in China. D’Tigers outclassed their archrival, Senegal, 89-61 to confirm their dominance in the FIBA World Cup series, recording nine straight victories. Kida told the News Agency of Nigeria after the match at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium on Sunday in Lagos that he was thrilled by the massive…

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