Sports

Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has defended his decision to introduce several new faces into the national team, saying the move is part of efforts to strengthen the squad and improve overall performance. Chelle handed opportunities to a number of fresh players during the Unity Cup and ahead of the international friendly against Poland. The Malian tactician included eight Nigeria Premier Football League players in his squad for the Unity Cup, while Femi Azeez, Owen Oseni, Arthur Okonkwo and Rafiu Durosinmi all earned their first senior appearances during the tournament. Defender Abdullahi Bewene, who plays for Banik Ostrava, made his Super Eagles debut against Poland, while Genk defender Christian Akpan received a late invitation for the upcoming friendly against Portugal. ...

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has announced its candidates for its end-of-season awards. The PFA is the body to which all professional footballers in England belong, with the players voting for the award winners. The organisation confirmed the six nominees for men’s player of the year on Friday morning, with Arsenal players making up half the list. Goalkeeper David Raya — who won the golden glove award with 19 clean sheets — centre-back Gabriel and midfielder Declan Rice have all been nominated after the north London side won their first league title in 22 years. No Arsenal player has won the award since Robin van Persie in 2012. The Manchester City duo of Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki have also been nominated, with Haaland aiming to win the award for th...

Manchester City are considering legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate claimed he would sign Erling Haaland if elected. Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme, who is contesting against current president Florentino Perez in Sunday’s election, stated during an appearance on Spanish television show El Hormiguero that Haaland has a release clause and wants to move to the Santiago Bernabeu. He also displayed a Real Madrid shirt bearing “Haaland 9” on the back. Riquelme, who also promised to sign Haaland’s City teammate Rodri, said:“If I break my promises regarding either of these players, I’ve signed a guarantee where I’d pay 100 per cent of membership costs for next season. “Haaland has a release clause, and he wants to come to Madrid.” However, Manch...

National football associations are investing heavily in top managerial talent ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti emerging as the tournament’s highest-paid manager. The experienced Italian tactician reportedly earns £8.28 million annually, placing him well ahead of his counterparts. Ancelotti, who previously enjoyed remarkable success at Real Madrid, has been entrusted with guiding Brazil in its quest for a record sixth World Cup title. England manager Thomas Tuchel ranks second, earning £5.06 million per year. The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach was appointed to help England finally end its long wait for a major international trophy. United States coach Mauricio Pochettino occupies third place with an annual salary of £4.53 million as h...

United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has disclosed that the US is working closely with Nigeria in ongoing counterterrorism operations aimed at combating ISIS and other extremist groups operating within the country. Rubio made the revelation on Wednesday during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., while discussing the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal. The US diplomat acknowledged growing concerns in the United States regarding violence against Christians in Nigeria and emphasized that Washington has strengthened its security cooperation with Nigerian authorities to address the threat. According to Rubio, the partnership recently led to a successful joint operation that eliminated a top ISIS commander operating from w...

Poland scored deep into stoppage time to deny Nigeria a hard-fought victory as both sides settled for a thrilling 2-2 draw in an international friendly played on Wednesday, June 3. The Super Eagles started brightly and broke the deadlock in the 25th minute through Moses Simon, who finished off a well-worked move set up by Terem Moffi. Poland responded just before halftime when Kacper Potulski headed home from a Nicola Zalewski delivery in added time to level the score at 1-1. Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle made sweeping changes after the interval, introducing seven substitutes in a bid to inject fresh energy into the team. The changes paid off as the visitors regained momentum and were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute following a VAR review. Paul Onuachu calmly converted from ...

Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, has won the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports. The award was announced on Wednesday by the jury responsible for conferring the award. A statement released by the convener, Princess of Asturias Foundation, said Messi was selected in recognition of a career defined by sustained excellence, sporting achievement and global impact. Born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, Messi rose from Newell’s Old Boys youth system before joining FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the age of 13. He made his first-team debut in 2004 and went on to establish himself as one of the most decorated footballers in history. During more than 15 years at Barcelona, he won 35 trophies, including four UEFA Champions League titles, 10 La Liga titles, seven...

Nigeria’s hurdling sensation, Tobi Amusan delivered her strongest performance of the season, claiming victory in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday. The world record holder powered to a winning time of 12.28 seconds, setting a new meet record and matching the season’s fastest mark she had previously achieved earlier this year. The triumph marked her first Diamond League win of the season after finishing second in the opening meet in Xiamen. Devynne Charlton placed second in 12.40 seconds, while Nadine Visser finished third with a time of 12.47 seconds. Amusan’s winning run now stands as the joint third-fastest performance of her career. Her world-record time of 12.12 seconds, set at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022, remains her personal bes...

Preparations for Nigeria’s upcoming international friendlies intensified on June 2 as more players joined the Super Eagles camp in Warsaw ahead of their clash with Poland. Midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was the latest arrival, increasing the squad size in camp to 19 players. The Lazio midfielder’s arrival was confirmed by team media officer Promise Efoghe as head coach Eric Chelle continues assembling his team for Wednesday’s fixture. The match will be only the second meeting between Nigeria and Poland, with the Super Eagles winning their first encounter 1-0 in 2018 through a Victor Moses penalty under former coach Gernot Rohr. Nigeria will be aiming to maintain momentum, while Poland seek recovery after a 2-0 defeat to Ukraine, which extended their winless run. Following the P...

Premier League club, Liverpool have agreed a deal to appoint Andoni Iraola as their new manager. Iraola, 43,  will succeed axed former boss Arne Slot after settling on personal terms with the Reds. Slot was sacked on Saturday despite leading Liverpool to just their second league title of the Prem era 12 months ago. Reds chiefs quickly identified outgoing Bournemouth boss Iraola as their ideal successor to the Dutchman. SunSport reported on Sunday that talks had gotten underway between the Reds and Iraola. And according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, a deal has been fully agreed upon following 48 hours of talks. The Times add that Iraola wants to bring Bournemouth No2 Tommy Elphick with him to Anfield. Elphick, 38, recently snubbed the Bristol City manager job...