Sports

Nigeria’s D’Tigress on Monday, arrived Villeurbanne, Lyon for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, DAILY POST reports. The tournament is scheduled to run from March 11 to 17. Head coach, Rena Wakama, his assistants and the 12 selected players are all gearing up for the competition. The players have already started preparations for the tournament following their arrival in Lyon. The African champions will face France, Germany, Colombia, South Korea, and the Philippines during the competition. Promise Amukamara, Ezinne Kalu, Amy Okonkwo, and Sarah Ogoke are expected to play key their roles for the D’Tigress in Lyon.

Manchester City will take on Liverpool FC in the standout tie of the quarter-finals of the FA Cup following Monday’s draw for the last eight. The clash between the Premier League rivals is widely seen as the headline fixture of the round. Meanwhile, Arsenal FC will travel to face Southampton FC, while Chelsea FC will host Port Vale FC. City, managed by Pep Guardiola, have already beaten Liverpool twice this season—recording a 3–0 win in Manchester in November and a 2–1 victory at Anfield in February. The upcoming match will mark the two clubs’ first FA Cup meeting since 2022, when Liverpool edged City 3–2 in the semi-finals. Liverpool reached the quarter-finals after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 in the fifth round. The club has won the FA Cup eight times, most recently...

Speculation about the future of Éric Chelle has been dismissed by the Super Eagles camp, with the team’s media officer, Promise Efoghe, rejecting reports linking the coach to Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca. The rumours began after a report by Moroccan television outlet Le7TV claimed that the Malian tactician was close to finalising a deal with the club and was set to replace current manager Amine Benhachem. Efoghe, however, dismissed the claim, describing it as false and stressing that Chelle remains fully committed to his role with the Nigerian national team. “Good day friends and colleagues. Kindly ignore this story. It is fake news,” the media officer wrote in the Super Eagles’ official media WhatsApp group on March 9. The 48-year-old coach has drawn interest from clubs and ...

Cruzeiro were crowned champions of the Campeonato Mineiro after defeating rivals Atletico Mineiro 1–0 in a heated final that later saw 23 players sent off following a mass brawl. Kaio Jorge scored the decisive goal in Belo Horizonte as Cruzeiro, managed by former Brazil national football team coach Tite, secured their first Minas Gerais state title since 2019. However, the match ended in chaos during the final moments when a violent confrontation broke out between players from both sides. The incident began when Atletico goalkeeper Everson pushed Cruzeiro midfielder Christian to the ground and placed his knee on the player’s chest after a collision while chasing a loose ball. Christian’s teammates quickly rushed to confront Everson, shoving the goalkeeper into the goalpost. Th...

Members of the Iranian women's national football team could face severe consequences back home after losing a recent international football match, with growing fears that some players may be subjected to harsh punishment under the strict political climate in Iran. The women’s team suffered a 2-0 defeat against the Philippines at the stadium on the Gold Coast on Sunday night, March 8. The defeat ended their Women’s Asian Cup campaign, which was marked by controversy after they refused to sing the Iranian national anthem on Monday. Foreign Minister Penny Wong declared Australia “stands in solidarity” with the Iranian women’s soccer team amid fears the women could be jailed or killed if they return to their country. Thousands of Australians are urging the Albanese Government to ac...

Nigeria has unveiled a 10-member boxing team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after the completion of national open trials held at the Brai Ayonote Boxing Complex, National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. The four-day tournament, organised by the Nigeria Boxing Federation, featured 148 fighters—121 men and 27 women—competing across 10 weight categories. Champions in each division secured automatic qualification to represent Nigeria at the Games. One of the standout athletes at the trials was UK-based boxer Patricia Mbata, who won gold in the women’s 70kg category to book her place on the national team. The 2023 African Games champion achieved the feat just days after receiving a motivational video message from former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua encouraging her to ...

Former England striker, Gary Lineker has hinted at a possible personal rift behind Paul Scholes’ recent criticism of former Manchester United teammate Michael Carrick. Since Carrick stepped in as interim manager following Ruben Amorim’s departure last November, some former players appear to have opposed his appointment, despite his strong start in the United dugout. Carrick’s early success has sparked debate over whether he should be considered for the permanent role. However, figures like Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and Scholes have repeatedly suggested that United should look elsewhere for their next manager. While some of the criticism is framed as a footballing argument, it has occasionally turned personal. Keane, for instance, has involved Carrick’s family in his comments an...

FIFA has announced that all 48 qualified national teams must submit their final squads for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by May 30, 2026. The football governing body confirmed that the tournament will revert to the traditional 23-player squad format, moving away from the expanded 26-man lists that were temporarily used during the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to unusual scheduling challenges in the global football calendar. With the squad size reduced again, national team coaches and technical staff are expected to face difficult choices as they narrow their provisional player lists to meet the final requirement. After the May 30 deadline, only players included in the official 23-man squad will be eligible to participate in the tournament. The 2026 World Cup will be historic for several reaso...

VfL Wolfsburg have parted ways with head coach Daniel Bauer as the Bundesliga club struggles to escape the relegation zone. The club confirmed the decision on Sunday, a day after a 2–1 home loss to Hamburger SV left Wolfsburg sitting second from bottom in the Bundesliga standings. Wolfsburg also announced the departure of sporting managing director Peter Christiansen. Currently 17th on the table, Wolfsburg are two points behind Werder Bremen, who occupy the relegation play-off position and are scheduled to face Union Berlin later on Sunday. Sporting director Pirmin Schwegler described the decision as a difficult one. “This was not an easy choice for us,” Schwegler said. “We had hoped to improve our situation together, but after carefully reviewing everything, we felt the tea...

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, will serve a two-match ban following his yellow card against Newcastle United in the FA Cup on Saturday. It was the sixth time Guardiola has been booked this season. The incident happened after the Spaniard was involved in an argument with the fourth official, Lewis Smith after Kieran Trippier fouled City’s Jeremy Doku. Guardiola also appeared to applaud sarcastically after Omar Marmoush scored to make it 3-1 at St James Park. He will now be absent on the touchline when City travel to West Ham in the Premier League next Saturday and their FA Cup quarter-final in April. However, the rules don’t apply to the Champions League and Cup finals, so Guardiola will be allowed in the dugout against Real Madrid and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup fina...