Football
Onome Ebi: Why players hardly earn 100 caps for Nigeria
Super Falcons experience defender Onome Ebi has explained why it is difficult for players to make 100 caps for Nigeria. Only Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama, and former Super Falcons assistant coach Maureen Madu are the only players who have played more than 100 games for the country. Ebi believes lack of proper structure and academy in the country is one of the major challenges. The Chinese base defender opined that Nigeria needs to learn from other countries and establish enough academies that will produce young talents for the country. “I will say in Nigeria we catch talents old, while other countries catch them young, in other countries that I’ve played, there are plenty academy and most players moved to national from 15, 16 years of age.” “It’s difficult in Nigeria, no academy, you have ...
Alex Iwobi reveals happiest moments of his career in national team shirt
Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi has revealed helping Nigeria reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup is the happiest moment of his career. Iwobi scored the winning goal against Zambia to help Nigeria qualify 2the FIFA World Cup for the sixth time, two years after switching allegiance to the West African Nation. While speaking to sports bibe on Instagram live session, the former Arsenal forward said the feat remains the best of his career, despite winning bronze at the African cup of Nations in Egypt and English FA Cup with Arsenal. “I’ve had a lot of happy moments in my career but for me, I will say when I scored against Zambia to send my national team to the World Cup because my parents were there,” he said. “That’s a special moment, I almost shed a tear on the pitch.” He said. Iwobi went on to rep...
FIFA to pick 2023 Women’s World Cup host in June
World governing football body, FIFA, will pick a host for the 2023 Women’s World Cup on June 25. The host will be selected by FIFA’s ruling council and it is a contest between Brazil, Japan, Colombia, and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand. According to reports, the selection will be done in an open vote of the 37-member FIFA Council and the result of each round of balloting and each voter’s choice will be made open. “FIFA is now finalizing the evaluation report, which will be published in early June,” FIFA said in a statement on Friday. Newsmen report that FIFA inspection teams had initially visited the four bid candidates in January and February before international travel was restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2023 World Cup will be the first to feature 32 teams. Th...
Coronavirus: African football must wait – CAF chief
CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad, has stated that African football must wait till the coronavirus pandemic is over. He said health comes first before football and as such, it is better that the pandemic is managed and curtailed before football resumes in the continent. He said: “As we see the ratio of tests that have been carried out in these countries, it is always alarming because we lack visibility in the management of this pandemic. “There is a lack of visibility. We must wait. As president, I invite everyone to be very careful and wait for the situation to normalize. But beyond that, I do not want football to be a source of destabilization for the precautionary measures taken by the various governments to deal with the pandemic. “The whole world is facing a very important health crisis, and...
UEFA clarify comments on teams from abandoned leagues pre-qualifying for Champions League
UEFA has made clear a statement which implied that teams from abandoned leagues would need to pre-qualify for next season’s Champions League. European football’s governing body had issued confusing comments which implied that teams such as Paris Saint-Germain would need to enter the competition in the first qualifying round. PSG, who remain in this season’s Champions League, were awarded the Ligue 1 title as the season was cancelled last month. But UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin appeared to warn that clubs from abandoned leagues – such as in France, Holland and Belgium – would need to enter European competition at the preliminary stages. UEFA have now clarified their comments, confirming that only teams in the positions normally needing to pre-qualify will need to be ready to compete in...
Casemiro: Football can prove a return to normal is possible
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro says it is “important” that football can return in Spain and that if it does, it will demonstrate that society can eventually return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic. Football fans had their first top-level live games to watch on Saturday with the return of the Bundesliga and, while the situation around the game was far from normal, the games were a source of entertainment and comfort to plenty. Spanish football is hoping to get the green light to resume as well, with La Liga chief Javier Tebas currently aiming for June 12 as the date when games can go on. “It’s a really significant step, not just for football but for society too, to show people that it is possible,” Casemiro told Real Madrid TV. “It’s not just about playing football, it’s about peop...
Odion Ighalo would like to end his career at Manchester United – trainer
According to Odion Ighalo’s personal trainer, the former Super Eagles of Nigeria star would like to remain at Manchester United for the rest of his career. The striker’s future is an uncertain one: he is officially on loan at United until May 31, but the Red Devils are keen to extend this period to allow him to feature if and when the season resumes in the coming weeks. However, Igahlo’s parent club, Shanghai Shenhua, want the player to return to their stable for the start of the next Chinese Super League season. United are also not seeking a permanent deal for the former Super Eagles spearhead. Despite being in this awkward situation, Ighalo’s has remained focused on keeping himself fight and ready for action while under lockdown in Lagos. “He’s a wonderful athlete, I’ve never seen someon...
Club Brugge finally crowned Belgian league champions
Emmanuel Dennis’ Club Brugge have been finally crowned Belgian champions, with Gent joining them in the Champions League, while Charleroi, Antwerp and Standard Liege go into the Europa League. Waasland-Beveren are relegated to the second tier, while Beerschot VA and OH Leuven will play for promotion to the top flight in a playoff. If the playoff is not fulfilled before the start of 20-21 then KVC Westerlo will replace Waasland-Beveren as they already have a valid licence to play in the Pro League. Meanwhile in Germany, Werder Bremen, have announced just one day before the Bundesliga resumes that one of their players were quarantined. As per a club tweet, it comes as the result of ‘somebody in their personal circle’ testing positive for coronavirus. However, unlike the now-scrapped Italian ...
German Bundesliga restarts with ‘ghost’ derby
Borussia Dortmund host Schalke 04 in Germany’s fiercest derby on Saturday but no more than 300 people will be in and around the 80,000 capacity arena due to COVID-19 restrictions as the Bundesliga gets back to business after a two-month break. The Bundesliga is the first major sports league to resume since world sport was brought to a standstill by the pandemic, and players will have to abide by a strict set of health guidelines aimed at minimizing the risk of infection. Fans will not be able to attend the matches as part of the safety regulations, leaving it up to the players to provide the spark for what are being called “ghost” games. “It will most certainly be the most unusual derby in history,” Dortmund’s head of pro players Sebastian Kehl said this week. “This game lives off fans, th...
Farah feels Tokyo delay could help 10,000m title defence
Multiple Olympic champion Mo Farah says the postponement of the Tokyo Games to 2021 could work to his advantage as the Briton will now have around 20 months to train for the defence of his 10,000m title having switched his focus back to the track. The 37-year-old retired from track athletics in 2017 to focus on road marathons but announced in November last year that he was returning for one more tilt at 10,000m gold. The target then was only a matter of months away but the year’s postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything. Farah, who must still qualify, will be 38 by the time of the Games in July and August next year but is looking on the bright side. “Having postponed it actually helps me a bit more,” he told Reuters while training in isolation in London’s Richmon...
Premier League players ‘offered incentives’ by clubs
Premier League stars feel that their clubs are trying to influence them with unethical behaviour as teams gear up for the crucial Project Restart vote next week. Top-flight chiefs have desperately been trying to find a way to return to action, despite hundreds of people still being killed by coronavirus every day in the United Kingdom. And according to the Mail, Premier League stars are growing increasingly “wary of their employers’ motives”. This is a crucial week for the league, as it tries desperately to get the show back on the road in order to avoid devastating financial consequences. But while Premier League officials are all hoping to get things back up and running, not every club feels the same way. In fact, different clubs appear to hold different party lines, with a divide openin...
Tottenham’s Dele Alli injured in knifepoint robbery
Tottenham star Dele Alli was held at knifepoint during a robbery at his London home in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The property in north London has been housing the England international and his brother along with their partners and another friend throughout isolation. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the house was broken into just after midnight on Wednesday by two thieves wielding knives. Alli sustained ‘minor facial injuries’ after a scuffle broke out, having been punched several times in the face. The story states that the culprits made off with watches and various other items of jewellery before making their escape. Given that the house in Barnet has CCTV footage, that has now been passed on to the police, although no arrests have been made as yet. The local authorit...
