Sports

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has revealed two different squads for Nigeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures and an international friendly against Russia. NigerianBusiness Directory The Nigeria Football Federation released the selections on Thursday, September 17, with Nigeria scheduled to play Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau four days later on September 29. The team will then take on Russia in an international friendly on October 6. For the two AFCON qualifiers, Chelle named Arthur Okonkwo, Maduka Okoye and Stanley Nwabali as the goalkeeping options. The defensive line includes Bruno Onyemaechi, Calvin Bassey, Olaoluwa Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel, while Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika were selected in midfield. ...

Al-Nassr icon, Fahad Al-Harifi has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo and called for his expulsion from the club.  Al-Harifi made the call following the Knights of Najd’s devastating 4-0 defeat to Al-Ain in their AFC Champions League Elite encounter on Tuesday.  Al-Nassr was thoroughly dominated throughout the match as Al-Ain demonstrated superior performance across the full 90 minutes.  Rahimi capitalised on a mistake by Saad Al-Nasser in the 25th minute to score the opening goal, before adding a second with a precise finish in the 63rd minute.  Soufiane Rahimi scored again in the 72nd minute, while Georgios Giakoumakis added another goal in the 85th minute to secure all three points for the home side.  Cristiano Ronaldo failed to exert significant influence...

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has seen his net worth rise to $51 billion following the official kickoff of the Dangote Refinery Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX). According to Forbes data, the net worth revaluation places Africa's richest man as the 36th-richest person globally. The refinery's public offer raised ₦1.5 trillion within its first six hours of opening on the NGX. The company aims to raise a total of ₦2.15 trillion to support its ongoing expansion plans. The offer comprises 4.1 billion ordinary shares targeting 10 million Nigerian investors, with each share carrying a nominal value of $0.000013 and an offer price of ₦525.  https://youtu.be/QmACxtD_MIU?si=ANTfwFoVSsOC7mKh

Kenya has been awarded the right to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships after winning the bid against competition from the United Kingdom. The decision was announced during the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting held in Budapest, marking a historic milestone for African athletics. The 2029 championships will mark the first time the global flagship athletics event is staged on the African continent. Nairobi had previously submitted a bid to host the 2025 edition, which was ultimately awarded to Tokyo.  However, the Kenyan capital has hosted major international track events in recent years, including the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe commended Nairobi's bid, describing it as compell...

FIFA has officially clarified that no final decision has been made regarding the venue for the 2030 FIFA World Cup final. Co-hosts Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have actively campaigned to host the marquee fixture, with Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu and the proposed 115,000-seat Grand Hassan II Stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca, positioned as the primary candidates The governing body's clarification comes after public comments by Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), who claimed during a political rally in Rabat that Morocco had secured the final for the Benslimane venue. “The city of Benslimane will host the World Cup final. Hate it or love it, and if anyone wants to talk on top of that, let them talk,” Lekjaa stated. “The city is Benslim...

The heavyweight grudge match between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium following venue disputes surrounding the proposed United States location.  While New York’s Madison Square Garden had been highlighted as a potential destination for the November 20 bout, Joshua’s contract contains a specific clause requiring the fight to be staged in the United Kingdom.  Efforts by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh and broadcaster Netflix to host the event in the U.S. have met pushback from Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, who maintains that the contractual terms must be respected. Hearn recently threatened legal action against TKO Group Holdings—the parent company of UFC and Zuffa Boxing—over attempts to move the fight to American soil.&nb...

Nigerian winger, David Akintola has departed Hull City following the mutual termination of his contract, ending his tenure at the English club without making an appearance in the Premier League.  The 30-year-old winger has completed a permanent transfer to Cypriot club Omonoia FC after reaching an agreement with Hull City to rescind his contract.  Akintola joined Hull City in August 2025 from Turkish outfit Çaykur Rizespor, securing a move to English football after career stints in Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, and Turkey.  During his debut campaign with the club, Akintola recorded 20 appearances in the EFL Championship, primarily as a substitute, contributing one goal and two assists. His single goal arrived in October 2025, securing a 1-0 victory against Sheffield Unit...

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, 6 October.   NigerianBusiness Directory The encounter will hold exactly a week after the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations matchday two qualifying match between the Super Eagles and Guinea-Bissau’s Wild Dogs, slated for Bissau on Tuesday, 29 September. Head coach Eric Chelle’s side will begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign with a home fixture against the Barea of Madagascar on Friday, 25 September.  Nigeria and Russia previously played out a 1-1 draw in another friendly at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on 6 June, 2025. An own goal by defender Semi Ajayi in the first half put the hosts in front before Nigeria leveled in the second half through Tolu Arokodar...

Legendary footballers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will line up for the same team for the first time ever later this year. The world superstars have gone head to head over the years while at the top of the game with Barcelona and Real Madrid.  With Messi now plying his trade in the United States with Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo playing in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr, fans might be able to see them play together. The two players are expected to share a dressing room as Tevez, a former teammate of both players, plans to invite them to his testimonial match in December.  'Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be there,' promised Tevez. 'I'll go pick them myself if I have to. I have both of them on WhatsApp.'  Tevez hung up his boots b...

Serena and Venus Williams’ return to the US Open women’s doubles ended in heartbreak after the legendary sisters surrendered a 5–0 lead in the deciding match tiebreak before losing to 14th seeds Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint. The match ended 6–3, 6–7 (6), 7–6 (10–7) in favor of Chan and Joint. The Williams sisters managed to win the second set, and in the third they fought back from 1–4 to take the match to a deciding 10-point tiebreak. There, the sisters won the first five points in a row, but were unable to hold on to their advantage. Both committed double faults, and their opponents eventually snatched victory. For Serena and Venus, this was their first joint match at the US Open since 2022. The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and 3 Olympic gold medals...