Sports

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, produced a stunning second-half comeback to defeat the Philippines 101–84 on Saturday, securing their second victory in three games at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Lyon. The emphatic win saw the African champions surpass the 100-point mark for the first time in seven years, ending a long wait for a century game on the international stage. After a difficult outing against South Korea on Thursday, where they suffered a 77–60 defeat, Coach Rena Wakama’s side looked shaky in the opening half against the Philippines. The Asian team capitalised on defensive lapses, taking the first quarter 26–21 and the second 25–21 to establish a 51–42 halftime lead. However, D’Tigress emerged from the break with r...

Nigeria’s football community has been thrown into mourning following the de@th of former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu. He was 62. Nigerian Travel Guide His de@th was confirmed on Saturday morning, March 14, by former teammate and 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner Segun Odegbami. According to Odegbami, the former midfielder d!ed in the early hours of Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital after spending several days in intensive care. “Henry Nwosu passes on!, “After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 am this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been in intensive care since Wednesday. “It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the c...

Global football governing body FIFA has approved a series of significant amendments to the Laws of the Game, including an expanded role for Video Assistant Referee (VAR), as part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The decision followed the 140th Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board held in Wales, where football lawmakers agreed on reforms aimed at reducing time-wasting, improving refereeing accuracy and ensuring smoother match flow. The changes are expected to be implemented before the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will feature an expanded tournament format of 48 teams. Faster Substitutions To Prevent Time-Wasting One of the key rule changes targets delays during substitutions. Und...

Manchester United coach Michael Carrick has insisted that he was not offended by Paul Scholes' criticism of his side. This comes after Scholes appeared to take a personal dig at Carrick on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast after United were beaten by Newcastle United last week. Writing on Instagram, the ex-United midfielder wrote: "Michael has definitely got something about him...cos United have been crap last 4 games...night." It came after 10-man Newcastle scored late to claim a 2-1 win at St James' Park and condemn Carrick to his first defeat since taking over as interim boss in January. Scholes later clarified that he hadn’t meant to be offensive towards his ex-teammate and that he had messaged Carrick to clear the air. He said: "It was in no way intended to b...

Reece James has pledged his long-term future to Chelsea F.C. after signing a new six-year contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2032. The 26-year-old England national football team international, who rose through Chelsea’s academy ranks, made his senior debut in September 2019 and has since become one of the club’s most influential players. His previous contract was set to expire in 2028, but the club moved early to secure an extension. According to The Athletic, the new agreement retains an incentive-based structure tied to both individual and team performances. James is already the club’s highest-paid player, reportedly earning about £250,000 per week. Since breaking into the first team, James has made 225 appearances for Chelsea and has remained a key figure this...

] Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has urged the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to resign following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Nigeria’s absence from the global tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer, has triggered renewed criticism of the country’s football administration. Mikel described the situation as a major setback for a nation with a massive football fan base. Speaking during an interview on talkSPORT, the former Chelsea F.C. midfielder expressed strong disappointment over the development. According to him, “It is a hammer blow. I have said many times that when you have a country as big as ours, with over 300 million people — the largest in Africa — and we fai...

“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual or country,” the team said. Soccer Iran has insisted that no country has the power to exclude it from the upcoming FIFA World Cup, responding sharply to comments by Donald Trump suggesting the team’s “life and safety” could be at risk in the United States. In a social media post on Thursday, the Iran national football team said the global football tournament is governed by FIFA and not by any individual country. “The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual or country,” the team said. Iran also argued that the United States should not host the tournament if it cannot guarantee the safety of participating teams. ...

Aston Villa F.C. manager Unai Emery has reached a major milestone at Villa Park after securing his 100th victory as head coach, becoming the fastest manager in the club’s history to achieve the feat. According to BBC Sport, the landmark was achieved when Aston Villa defeated Lille OSC in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie in the UEFA Europa League. The Spanish tactician recorded his 100th win in just 181 matches, giving him an impressive 55.2 percent win rate — the highest of any manager in Aston Villa’s history. This comfortably surpasses the previous record held by former manager Ron Saunders. Saunders took four seasons to reach the same milestone. He remains one of the club’s most celebrated managers after leading Villa back to the top division, winning two League Cups, and...

The United States, US, President Donald Trump, has warned Iran’s football team that their lives and safety could be in danger if they joined the next World Cup in North America. Trump’s remarks came just two days after he told FIFA chief Gianni Infantino that Iranian players would be welcome despite the Middle East war. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to participate in the World Cup, but I truly don’t believe it is appropriate for them to be there, considering their own lives and safety.” The war, started by US and Israeli attacks on February 28, has made it unclear whether Iran will take part in the men’s football World Cup this summer, which is being held by Canada, Mexico, and the United States together. Infantino,...

Chelsea head coach, Liam Rosenior, has emphasised that the club will look into the circumstances surrounding the leak of their lineup prior to the recent 5-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. Earlier on Wednesday, the Blues suffered a disheartening loss in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg match against PSG. They allowed three goals in the last 16 minutes, putting their chances of continuing in the tournament at risk. Bradley Barcola initiated the scoring in the 10th minute, but Malo Gusto equalized 18 minutes later. The hosts regained the lead through reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele in the 40th minute. In the second half, Enzo Fernandez netted Chelsea’s second equalizer in the 57th minute. However, a mistake by Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen led to...