Sports

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is counting on a final push to secure qualification for the 2026 World Athletics Relays, with a group of Nigerian athletes set to compete in the United States just days before the deadline. After a modest outing at the recent World Indoor Championships, the federation has shifted its focus to relay qualification and early preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. AFN President Tonobok Okowa stated that qualifying for the World Relays is now the top priority, ahead of other competitions. Nigeria’s women’s 4x400m relay team is currently clinging to a qualification spot, ranked 23rd out of the 24 available slots, leaving little margin for error. The team had earlier recorded a time of 3:31.14 at the Champs Athletics Classics i...

The Guinean Football Federation has denied reports suggesting it lodged an appeal to contest Morocco’s victory at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The clarification comes amid widespread speculation that Guinea had urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award it the 1976 title, citing an alleged walkout by Morocco during the decisive match. The rumours gained momentum following separate claims that CAF’s Appeals Board had stripped Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title and awarded it to Morocco after a protest involving Senegalese players. However, in a statement issued on Sunday, the Guinean FA firmly dismissed the reports, describing them as false and lacking any official backing. “Recent information circulating across various media platforms, especially on soci...

Former Real Madrid and Juventus midfielder, Zinedine Zidane has reached a verbal agreement with the Fédération Française de Football (FFF), to succeed Didier Deschamps as France national team head coach in the summer, ESPN reports. Deschamps is expected to step down from the role after 14 years. Zidane, who has been out of a job since his second stint as Madrid manager in 2021, has long been destined for the role. The 53-year-old Zidane would be officially appointed at the end of Les Bleus’ outing at the 2026 World Cup. The last detail left to thrash out before he puts pen to paper, is over his backroom staff. In an interview with Le Figaro on Sunday, the head of the FFF, Philippe Diallo revealed that he knew who would replace Deschamp. “I know who it is” he said, without...

The Confederation of African Football has officially updated its records to name hosts Morocco as the champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Checks on CAF website by PUNCH Online on Monday show that Morocco are now listed as the winners of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025, with Senegal recorded as runners-up. Nigeria are placed third. The update follows a ruling issued on March 18 by CAF’s Appeals Board, which overturned the on-field result of the January 18 final in Rabat. Senegal had initially defeated Morocco 1-0 in extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring the winner. The West Africans won after a chaotic sequence that included a brief walk-off by the Senegalese players in protest over a controversial stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco. Scuffle among...

LeBron James has broken the NBA record for most regular-season games played, taking the court for his 1,612th in the Los Angeles Lakers last-gasp 105-104 victory against the Orlando Magic. The 41-year-old basketball icon's appearance on Saturday night took him one clear of the mark of 1,611 held by Robert Parish since his retirement in 1997. James was already the record-holder when factoring in his 292 playoff appearances, which brings his total up to 1,904 games. It was a victorious record-breaking game as well, with the Lakers winning 105-104 off a game-winning 3-pointer from Luka Kennard. James finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. James, playing his unprecedented 23rd season, already holds a host of NBA records, including...

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be unavailable for the national team’s upcoming friendlies against Mexico and the United States as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Reports indicate that Ronaldo, 41, flew out of the Middle East amid the Gulf States conflict. Shortly after, his club Al Nassr manager, Jorge Jesus, confirmed that the Portuguese star had traveled to Spain for treatment, missing recent Saudi Pro League matches against Neom and Al Khaleej. Both club and country have agreed that Ronaldo should focus fully on regaining fitness ahead of the World Cup, now only months away. As a result, he will also miss Portugal’s marquee friendly against Mexico on March 28, which marks the reopening of the Estadio Azteca. Ronaldo will not travel to Mexico City, with...

Liverpool F.C. have strongly condemned the racist abuse aimed at Ibrahima Konaté following his challenge on Victor Osimhen during their Champions League victory over Galatasaray. Konaté faced online backlash after a first-half collision with Osimhen in Wednesday’s 4-0 win at Anfield. The Nigerian forward initially continued playing but was substituted at half-time and later diagnosed with a fractured forearm. In response to the abuse, Liverpool issued a firm statement describing the behaviour as “completely unacceptable.” “It is dehumanising, cowardly and rooted in hate,” the club said. “Racism has no place in football, in society, or anywhere—online or offline. Our players are not targets; they are human beings. The continued abuse, often from anonymous accounts, is a stain on...

FIFA has fined the Israeli Football Association 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) for breaching its anti-discrimination rules, following findings that it failed to take adequate action against racist behaviour in domestic football. The decision followed an investigation launched after the Palestine Football Association submitted complaints in 2024 alleging discrimination. FIFA’s disciplinary committee concluded that the IFA did not meet its obligations, particularly in its handling of repeated incidents involving Beitar Jerusalem. According to the report, supporters of the club engaged in persistent racist conduct, including the use of discriminatory slogans and chants targeting Arab players. FIFA said the sanctions previously imposed on the club were “deficient and substantively i...

FIFA has confirmed that the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, officially setting the timeline for the next edition of the competition. The announcement was made on Thursday via FIFA’s official account on X, with the message: “Save the date. This year’s #U17WWC in Morocco will take place from 17 October to 7 November.” The tournament will mark the second time Morocco hosts the expanded 24-team event, following the 2025 edition. This arrangement is part of a multi-year agreement approved by the FIFA Council in March 2024, granting Morocco the rights to stage the tournament annually from 2025 through 2029—making it the first African nation to host the women’s youth global competition on a sustained basis. A total of 24 teams fr...