Sports

Brighton manager, Fabian Hürzeler has slammed Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, saying he will never be his type of coach. Hurzeler criticised his counterpart after Arsenal defeated his side 1-0 to open a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table on Wednesday. Arsenal’s title rivals, Manchester City, played out a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad. The Gunners’ goal came from the boots of Bukayo Saka who forced home a low effort in the first half. Mikel Arteta’s men managed to hold on for all three points. Addressing the press after the game, Hurzeler said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, “There was only one team who tried to play football today. “I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way”.

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, is expected to make a pronouncement on the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in the next 48 hours. Morocco is scheduled to host the tournament later this month. There are speculations that the WAFCON 2026 finals will be postponed. CAF Communications Director, Luxolo September, posted on X today that the continent’s soccer governing body is giving the WAFCON situation “urgent and high-level attention.” Morocco also hosted the delayed 2024 edition of the competition. This edition of the tournament will run from March 17 and end on April 3, 2026. The semifinalists will advance to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA has ended the Super Eagles’ dreams of playing at the 2026 World Cup, after confirming the final line-up for this month’s inter-confederation play-off tournament. The world football governing body has picked DR Congo as Africa’s representative. This was contained in an accreditation notice circulated to the media on Wednesday. In the notice, FIFA provided details of the tournament format and listed the six countries that would be involved. DR Congo’s inclusion leaves no room for Nigeria, whose football federation had challenged the result of their defeat in the CAF play-offs in November 2025. The Nigeria Football Federation lodged a formal protest, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the decisive tie, which ended 1-1 and went to penalties, where Nige...

Supporters of Galatasaray S.K. will not be permitted to attend their Champions League round of 16 second-leg fixture against Liverpool F.C. at Anfield after UEFA upheld disciplinary sanctions stemming from crowd disturbances in Turin. European football’s governing body announced that the Turkish champions are prohibited from selling tickets to away fans for the March 18 encounter on Merseyside and have also been fined €40,000. The sanctions relate to incidents during the second leg of their play-off tie against Juventus F.C. on February 25. UEFA stated that visiting supporters threw objects and ignited fireworks during the match in Turin. Italian media reported that a man and his daughter were injured after a firework was allegedly directed toward home supporters. Despite a 3-2 de...

FC Barcelona will be without defenders Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde for their Champions League round of 16 clash against Newcastle United after both players sustained hamstring injuries on March 4. The duo were substituted during Tuesday’s 3-0 Copa del Rey semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid. Despite the win on the night, Barcelona were eliminated from the competition following a 4-3 aggregate defeat. In a statement, the club confirmed that Balde is expected to be sidelined for four weeks. No official recovery timeline was provided for Kounde, though reports in Spain indicate he could face a similar spell out. Their injuries rule them out of the crucial European encounter with Newcastle, as well as important La Liga fixtures against Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla FC, and Rayo Va...

Francis Uzoho has been reinstated as the first-choice goalkeeper of the Super Eagles by head coach Eric Chelle, following the current inactivity of Stanley Nwabali. Uzoho plays as a goalkeeper for Cypriot First Division club Omonia Nwabali is presently without a club after ending his deal with Chippa United, creating uncertainty ahead of the national team’s return to action later this month. With preparations underway, Chelle moved quickly to name Uzoho as his preferred option between the posts. Uzoho previously served as second-choice goalkeeper during the last Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria secured a third-place finish. Meanwhile, Chelle appears unconvinced about Maduka Okoye, who reportedly declined a call-up for the tournament after being informed he would not be gu...

Super Eagles forward, Tolu Arokodare, has admitted that adapting to life in the Premier League has been tougher than he expected. Arokodare moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers from Belgian outfit KRC Genk last summer after an impressive goal-scoring campaign in Belgium. However, instead of competing at the top end of the table, he has found himself battling relegation. Wolves are currently rooted to the bottom of the league standings with 16 points from 30 games, securing only three victories so far this season — including a 2-1 triumph over Liverpool FC on Tuesday night, March 3. In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, the 23-year-old spoke candidly about the difficulty of the transition. “The two leagues are similar — physical, intense, and fast-paced. But in the Premier League, yo...

Manchester United head coach, Michael Carrick, has claimed they could make a late surge for the Premier League title. United came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Sunday, which put them in third place in the league, behind Arsenal and Manchester City. The Red Devils’ next game is at Newcastle and they are currently 13 points off first place. Despite an impressive run of six wins and one draw, Carrick has admitted that they must be “realistic”. “You cannot rule anything out in football, but we have to be realistic,” Carrick said. “Above us now there are two fantastic teams. “Of course, I’m being realistic about it. We have to win a lot of football matches for that to happen.”

United States President, Donald Trump, has stated that he is unconcerned about whether Iran competes at the 2026 World Cup, despite mounting tensions in the Middle East. The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Iran secured qualification for the tournament prior to the recent escalation of tensions in the region. Responding to questions about Iran’s involvement, Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.” His comments follow a series of US and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliatory actions by Tehran targeting US-allied Gulf states. The conflict has intensified in recent weeks, raising concerns over the stability of several global e...

Nigeria’s Nigeria women's national football team bounced back in style on Tuesday night, defeating the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon 3-1 in Yaounde to level their two-match friendly series. Three days after suffering a slim loss at the Military Stadium, the nine-time African champions returned to the same venue with renewed intensity and purpose. Cameroon once again drew first blood, netting in the seventh minute to briefly raise fears of a repeat outcome. However, Nigeria responded with composure and authority. In the 32nd minute, Chinwendu Ihezuo restored parity, rising above the defence to head home a precise delivery from Rinsola Babajide. The equaliser steadied the Falcons and swung momentum in their favour. Babajide then turned scorer just before halftime, capitalisin...