Ademola Lookman, Super Eagles winger, has been named the 14th best male footballer in the world.
The 27-year-old was named among the 15 best players in the world on Monday at the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
The winger is the only African to make the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or prize. He is the second Nigerian to be nominated for the prize in two years.
Erik ten Hag has been sacked as Manchester United manager.
The Dutchman was informed on Monday morning and leaves Old Trafford after two and a half years in charge with his final game proving to be the Premier League defeat to West Ham United on Sunday.
That result left the club 14th in the table, seven points off the Champions League qualification places, after just three league wins from nine games and only four in 14 in all competitions.
Arsenal and Liverpool drew 2-2 at the Emirates in a tense clash at the top of the Premier League.
The Gunners made the perfect start to a vitally important match as Bukayo Saka latched on to Ben White’s long ball before cutting inside Andy Robertson and rifling a high effort past Kelleher at the near post.
Liverpool were soon back on level terms as Virgil van Dijk nodded in from Alexander-Arnold’s set-piece, but from there Arsenal dominated the rest of the opening 45 minutes, and were ahead once more as Mikel Merino powered a header in from Declan rice’s free-kick.
The second half started with bad news for Arsenal, as Gabriel was forced off with injury. It was then the away side’s turn to dominate, and their attacking paid off as Alexander-Arnold played a lovely pass into the path of Darwin Nunez, who squared it to Mohamed Salah to net the equaliser.
The Hammers picked up their third win of the campaign by beating United 2-1, with all the goals coming late on.
Crysencio Summerville slid in the opener at the far post for the hosts, before Casemiro looked to have won a point for United when he headed in from close range at the other end.
But Matthijs de Ligt was then adjudged to have fouled Danny Ings in the box in stoppage time and Jarrod Bowen buried the resulting penalty to give the Hammers victory late on.
Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha scored the goals as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico at the Bernabeu.
The win moves Hansi Flick’s side six points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.
Barcelona now hold a record of played 11, won 10 and drawn one in Liga this season.
CAF has concluded their investigation on the Libya – Nigeria case and they have awarded 3 points and 3 goals to Nigeria, with additional $50K fine to Libya.
More to follow…
Don Jazzy, the head honcho of Mavin Records, and D’banj, the singer, have both launched new football clubs.
In a recent Instagram post, Lagos Liga, Nigeria’s premier private football league, unveiled Jazzy’s ‘Supremos FC’ and D’banj’s ‘Koko FC’.
Both clubs have been registered to compete in the league, which is scheduled to kick off in December.
Supremos FC and Koko FC will join ten other teams in a league that promises to be a venue for non-professional players and football veterans to compete in high-stakes matches.
The organisers of Lagos Liga announced that N50 million prize is up for grabs.
The development comes after Burna Boy, the Afrofusion star, launched his football academy for boys aged 4 to 21.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the list of 10 nominees for the men’s categories of the 2024 CAF Awards, set to take place on December 16, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco.
Among the nominees for the 2024 CAF Awards are two Super Eagles stars comprising of Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman and Al Kholood defender William Troost-Ekong, recognised as part of the top African players for 2023.
Other notable names on the list include Brighton & Hove Albion’s Simon Adingra, who played a crucial role in Ivory Coast’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) success, Bayer Leverkusen’s defensive powerhouse Edmond Tapsoba, and Algeria’s forward Amine Gouiri.
Manchester United drew 1-1 with Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The hosts made a fast start but it was United who took the lead thanks to a fine finish from Christian Eriksen.
Andre Onana made a fabulous double save to protect United’s lead shortly before half-time but he couldn’t stop Youssef En-Nesyri’s header that drew Fenerbahce level early in the second half.
Neither side found a winner as the game ended 1-1. United have now drawn all three of their Europa League games this season.
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suffered an injury to his left adductor days before El Clasico, the club announced in an official statement.
It is expected that Courtois will miss the match against Barcelona, and according to Mario Cortegana, will be out for two to three weeks. Here is what the club put out in their statement:
“Following tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois by Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the adductor muscle of his left leg. Pending development.”
Andriy Lunin is expected to play against Barcelona now, and even though the Ukrainian international is an excellent goalkeeper, seeing Courtois in such fine form this season makes it seem like a loss.
Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon as Arne Slot’s side returned to the top of the Premier League table.
An end-to-end first half failed to create any real chances of note before Curtis Jones produced a brilliant block on Cole Palmer, and then raced into the Chelsea box to win a penalty.
Salah converted from the spot and Liverpool were in the ascendancy from there, with Cody Gakpo having a goal ruled out before half-time.
The second half started in a similarly frantic fashion, though Chelsea landed the first blow, equakising quickly after Nicolas Jackson latched onto a brilliant through ball from Moises Caicedo.
But parity was short-lived, as Curtis Jones got to the end of a Salah cross to poke past Sanchez for 2-1 in the 51st minute.
The rest of the half was far less eventful, with neither side managing to fashion a chance of note before the game came to an end.
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Victor Osimhen has backed his incredible strike in Galatasaray’s win against Antalyaspor to win the Puskas Award.
Osimhen scored a superb overhead kick goal in the closing stages of the game.
Asked whether his goal deserved a Puskás nomination, the reigning African Men’s Player of the Year didn’t hide his feelings.
“Of course it could be. It was an incredible goal. It’s a classy goal, why not, it could be,” he told the club’s official website.
Osimhen also stressed further that he’s committed to Galatasaray, saying, “I want to score as many goals as I can for this team. Whenever I get the chance, I will fight for the team and also provide assists.”
The 25-year-old has scored three goals for the Turkish Super Lig champions this season.
Osimhen joined the Yellow and Reds on loan from Napoli this summer.
Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund got on the scoresheet as Manchester United bounced back after conceding a controversial goal to beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford for their first victory in more than a month.
The win meant United climbed to 10th in the standings on 11 points after eight matches, and eased some of the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, whose job has been the subject of media speculation.
Brentford are 12th on 10 points.
The NFF said Bruno Labbadia’s appointment as Super Eagles was withdrawn over issues to do with tax payments, but the German coach has insisted this was not the case.
Labbadia has now come out to explain in details the reason his deal with the Super Eagles failed to go through.
“I wanted to go abroad. The basic requirement for me was: I have to go to Nigeria to see everything on site. And that was no longer possible after it was announced,” Labbadia stated in an interview with Martin Harnik via Bild.
“It was no longer about the pay. There were various organisational things that were problematic. And then things got tighter and tighter, so that I didn’t have two days left for the meeting with the national team.
“Then I pulled the ripcord because the feeling was getting worse and worse.”
I wanted to be there for four or five days before the team arrived to take a look at the conditions,” he continued
“They were great conversations. And what’s important to me: It was solely due to my feeling that I didn’t have the time I wanted to give 100 percent. That’s why I declined.”
Labbadia has thus revealed that the issues were not financially inclined, but more of his lack of time, and organisational issues in the NFF.
Labbadia also expressed his pleasure with the Super Eagles attack, stating it is second to none.
Former Premier League and South Korean footballer Hwang Ui-Jo is reportedly facing four years in prison after illegally filming himself ‘working out’ without the consent of his partners.
According to prosecutors in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the 31-year-old striker filmed encounters on four different occasions between June & September in 2022.
French outlet L’Equipe reports that the case against the forward emerged after his sister-in-law in fact posted the footage on social media. Hwang then sought to remove the videos & sued the sister-in-law for blackmail, with that suit successful & resulting in a sentence of 3 years.
On Wednesday he made his first appearance in court apologising for ‘disappointment’ caused by his actions. “I will not do anything wrong in the future & will do my best as a footballer.
I sincerely apologise to the victims who have been affected by my actions & I am deeply sorry for the disappointment I have caused to all those who have cared & supported me,” he told the court.
The Senate has urgently requested that the Libyan government apologize to Nigeria for the inhumane treatment the Super Eagles received upon their arrival for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Senate on Tuesday, October 15, strongly condemned the actions of Libyan officials and authorities, stating that they’re a clear violation of human dignity and international standards.
Additionally, the Upper Chamber has called for a comprehensive investigation into this unfortunate incident.
The resolution of the Senate was sequel to a point of Order raised by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Sumaila Kawu, NNPP, Kano South who came under Order 42 of the Senate Standing rules on personal explanation.
In his remarks, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, said: we call on the ambassador and whoever is concerned and the authorities to come out and apologise for what they have done to our national team.”
Nigeria’s senior male football team is currently stranded in Libya where it is to play the second leg of the AFCON 2025 Qualifier.
Following Libya’s 1-0 loss to Nigeria in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Friday, both teams were expected to face off in Benina.
The Super Eagles had departed for Libya on Sunday but according to reports from the camp of NFF, an hour to landing at Benghazi, their destination the Nigerian aircraft was diverted to Al Abraq, a city which is more than 2 hours drive from Benghazi.
The players & officials will now travel by road to Benghazi, the location for the return fixture. Videos released by the NFF on Sunday night showed Nigerian players & officials trying to resolve the issue at a Libyan airport.
The Libyan authorities failed to provide transportation for the Super Eagles to get to their destination, forcing the NFF to make alternative plan, which was reportedly frustrated by their host. The airport gate was said to have been locked to prevent the from entering.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru came from the bench to earn Nigeria a 1-0 win over Libya in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Uyo on Friday after the Mediterranean Knights spent most of the game in their half defending.
The win puts the Super Eagles at the top of Group D with 7 points ahead of Benin Republic (6), Rwanda (2) and Libya (1).
Dele-Bashiru, who replaced Alex Iwobi in the 74th minute, scored in the 86th minute after connecting well with a low cross from Moses Simon.
United earn a point at Villa Park in an absorbing game without many clear-cut chances.
Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick which cannoned back off the bar in the second half was United’s best chance, while Philogene spurned a great late opportunity for the hosts.
This doesn’t exactly lift the pressure on Erik ten Hag but does earn him a reprieve ahead of the international break.
From private jets to life lessons: Former Nigerian striker Jonathan Akpoborie warns young footballers about the cost of living large.
Former Nigerian striker, Jonathan Akpoborie, has cautioned young footballers against living lavish lifestyles.
Speaking in an interview with Elegbete TV Sports, the 55-year-old said: “I grew up in Ajegunle. I saw everywhere before I travelled from Nigeria. There is always a difference, you know, when you close your eyes.
As I’m here now, in the evening, my friends might call me and I am in Ajegunle. Sometimes, I am coming back from America, I drop my bag at home here, and I am in Ajegunle.
That difference — you close your eyes & you are in Ajegunle. If you cannot learn from that, there is nothing that will be able to teach you. The problem when you have money, it pushes you to do a lot of things.
If you don’t get control, you will lose it & when you lose it, it is a deep fall. That is why I am praying for these young ones that are playing now that they should be very wise.
The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to probe the abysmal performance of team Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics, to forestall future occurrences.
According to the resolution passed on Thursday, the House expressed worry that none of the 82 athletes who represented the country, returned with a medal.
The lawmakers decried the huge budget of over ₦12bn for the event which yielded nothing.
The House also urged President Bola Tinubu to establish a commission of enquiry on sports arbitration in Nigeria.