Sports

D’Tigers suffered their second straight defeat in the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers after South Sudan beat them 82-79 on Friday, August 28. The Bright Stars held off a late D’Tigers fightback to claim the three-point win at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia, leaving Nigeria with a difficult task in their push for a place at the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. South Sudan dominated the opening stages and produced a 9-0 run late in the first quarter. The burst turned a 15-14 deficit into a 25-15 lead before they ended the quarter 30-19 in front. D’Tigers gradually found their rhythm and mounted a strong comeback. Caleb Agada inspired a 7-0 run towards the end of the second quarter and into the third, helping D’Tigers turn a...

Nigeria ends its 11-year partnership with Nike and return to adidas after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) agreed a new equipment deal worth $8.5 million annually. Former NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, who resigned alongside the federation’s executive committee on Thursday, disclosed the agreement at a news conference in Abuja. Under the deal, adidas will pay the NFF $4.5 million annually in cash and provide equipment worth another $4 million for Nigeria’s national teams. The agreement also gives the NFF a 20 per cent royalty on merchandise sales, potentially taking its overall value beyond the guaranteed $8.5 million yearly package. “It is about the highest kit sponsorship in Africa. No other country in Africa has that kind of sponsorship,” Gusau told reporters. “Adidas ...

AC Milan and Juventus have discovered their opponents for the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase following Friday’s draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo. The two Italian giants, both placed in Pot One, will each play eight league-phase matches, four at home and four away, between September 2026 and January 2027. Juventus will host Real Sociedad, Rennes, Omonia Nicosia and NEC, while travelling to AZ Alkmaar, Ferencvaros, Celta Vigo and Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Milan will welcome Benfica, Ferencvaros, Sunderland and Ararat Armenia to the San Siro, with Olympiacos, Red Bull Salzburg, Bournemouth and Levski Sofia awaiting the Rossoneri away from home. The draw has handed Sunderland a historic trip to Milan as the Black Cats prepare for their first European campaign ...

Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme has been appointed to oversee the Nigeria Football Federation secretariat as interim General Secretary following the resignation of key federation officials, including NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi.  GeographicReference Dr Ademola Olajire, previously the NFF’s Director of Media and Communications, moves into the role of interim Deputy General Secretary. The National Sports Commission has suspended all processes related to the NFF Elective Congress previously scheduled for September 27. A new electoral timeline will be established after comprehensive reforms are developed in consultation with FIFA and CAF. Administrators across the national leagues, including the NPFL, NNL, NWFL, and NLO, have been instru...

Liverpool have reached an agreement in principle with Paris Saint-Germain to sign France international Bradley Barcola in a deal worth up to £120 million. The proposed package is understood to include more than £100 million in guaranteed payments, with performance-related add-ons taking the overall value to around £120 million. The club made a breakthrough with Paris Saint-Germain overnight after weeks of negotiations to try to bring down the European champions’ valuation, which started at £145m. Barcola, 23, has been the top target for several months as Liverpool look to replace Mohamed Salah after his move to Trabzonspor. They previously targeted – and had a bid rejected for – Yan Diomande, who ended up at Real Madrid. Negotiations have been led by sporting director R...

Sergei Indeikin, an operations manager at the International Chess Federation, has reportedly died of malaria at age 36. Russian media reported that Indeykin d!ed of malaria, which he may have contracted after being bitten by an infected mosquito during a business trip to Nigeria.  NigerianState Updates After leaving Africa, Indeykin traveled to Uzbekistan for work, where symptoms of the illness reportedly began to appear. His condition worsened after he returned to Russia. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Perm, but doctors were unable to save him. Indeykin had worked at FIDE events since 2021 and was involved in organizing major international chess tournaments. FIDE announced his d3ath on social media on Sunday, April 22, 2026, describing it as the result o...

Victor Osimhen has dropped to fifth in Africa’s most valuable footballers ranking, according to Transfermarkt data, after previously occupying the top position in 2023. The Super Eagles striker is currently valued at €75 million, putting him behind Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande (€90m), Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi (€80m), Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo (€80m) and Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi (€80m). Osimhen is level with Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo, who completes the top six. The drop in ranking comes despite the Nigerian’s impressive start to the 2026/27 season with Turkish champions Galatasaray. The 27-year-old has scored four goals and provided one assist in his first two matches.  DownloadingInteractive Geographic Maps Osimhen has ...

Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes has been crowned the men's PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, as Manchester City's Bunny Shaw won the women's award for a second time.   The Playmaker broke the all-time record for Premier League assists during an outstanding 2025-26 campaign, setting up 21 goals as he surpassed Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.   The 31-year-old also scored nine times as United overcame a shaky first half of the campaign to finish third in the Premier League under Michael Carrick and earn a Champions League return. Fernandes was pleased to have been voted the winner by his fellow professionals.   He said: "It is obviously a very proud moment. They are the ones you go on the pitch against and it's probably not easy ...

Cameroon Football Federation president, and former international star, Samuel Eto’o has thrown his support behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino, insisting that the FIFA chief has “not done anything wrong” despite growing criticism of his leadership. “I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong,” Eto’o said in an exclusive interview with CNN. The former Cameroon captain attributed much of the criticism surrounding Infantino to the upcoming FIFA presidential election. “All of this is happening because there is an election coming up. That’s all there is,” Eto’o said. Infantino has faced mounting scrutiny over his leadership, including controversy surrounding the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, a plan designed to attract private investment around FIFA’...