IN NIGERIA
Former Nigerian international Etim Esin has advised the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to stick with Augustine Eguavoen as head coach of the Super Eagles and forget about hiring a foreign coach.
Esin made this known on the backdrop of his impressive outing with the senior national team at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where the team defeated Benin three-nil before playing out a one-all draw against Rwanda.
Esin stated that Eguavoen should be allowed to remain with the Super Eagles and continue with the good work he has started.
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Former Nigerian international Joseph Yobo has called on the Nigeria Football Federation to change the way they treat indigenous coaches whenever they are in charge of the Super Eagles.
Yobo, who captained the senior national team to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations under late coach Stephen Keshi, stated that he has not shut the door on coaching.
The former Everton star also said he has learnt a lot from Gernot Rohr, but mostly under Augustine Eguavoen during their time with the Super Eagles.
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Libya has opted to host Group D leaders Nigeria at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Matchday 4 encounter.
Both countries will do a Matchday 3 battle at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on 11th October, before the clash in the city at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea on 15th October.
While the match in Uyo will kick off at 5pm, the battle in Benina will commence at 8pm Nigeria time.
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Sunshine Stars head coach, Kennedy Boboye has expressed disappointment with the outcome of his team’s matchday three encounter against Abia Warriors.
The Akure club were held to a goalless draw by Imama Amapakabo’s side at the Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu Ode.
Boboye said the plan was for his side to claim maximum points in the encounter.
The former Plateau United gaffer however said they would fight to regain the lost points in subsequent games.
The result placed Sunshine Stars on fourth position on the table.
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Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin coach, Tunde Sanni has blamed his players for the team’s barren draw against visiting Ikorodu City Football Club.
Sanni, who expressed disappointment at the result, said his players could have worked as a team more upfront to get goals.
Meanwhile, Ikorodu City Coach Bright Ozebagbe, said the draw was a good development after a previous heavy defeat away in their match against Kano Pillars.
He said he intends to take every game as it comes, saying no two games are the same.
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Super Eagles goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye who plays for Udinese, says the team will bounce back stronger from the disappointing three-nil defeat to Roma.
It was the first time Okoye conceded three goals in a league game this season.
The Nigeria international stated that it was important for the team to move on from the defeat.
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University of Lagos (UNILAG) defeated Ukumba University of Uganda 2-1 in the football event of the ongoing 11th All Africa University Games (FASU) in Lagos.
Chisom Odilli opened scoring in the seventh minute of the game to put host UNILAG ahead on Monday.
As the game ended 1-0 in the first half, the boys from Uganda came back strong in the second half to equalise through Henri Mukasa in the 52nd minute.
Team Uganda, knowing that a draw would see them through,employed delay tactics, which did not deter UNILAG, who were desperately looking for the winning goal.
Université Général Lansana Conté (UGLC) Sonfonia Conakry, Guinea ,on Monday defeated host,University of Lagos (UNILAG) 67-66 in Day 2 match of the ongoing 11th All African University Games( FASU Games) in the basketball event.
The ongoing 11th FASU Games, tagged Lagos 2024, is co-hosted by UNILAG and Lagos State University(LASU), Ojo.
UNILAG was leading in the first quarter of the game before Team UGLC rallied back in the second quarter, winning the last quarter just by a point to finish 67-66.
Nigeria’s women U-19 team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, began their 2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers with a flying start, beating Tanzania by four wickets on Sunday in Kigali, Rwanda.
Lillian Ude was the biggest performer for Nigeria, grabbing five wickets to power Nigeria to a confidence boosting win in their group.
Nigeria captain Lucky Piety lost the toss and the Tanzanians elected to bat first but that was the only win the East Africans would claim as Nigeria ran the show in the first innings with some spectacular bowling.
One of Tazania’s opening batter, Jenipher Kimaro, proved difficult in the crease for Nigeria until she was undone by Ude after making 64 runs off 60 balls.
The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, AVM Abidemi Marquis, says no fewer than 1,600 athletics will compete in the forthcoming Armed Forces Games, 2024.
Marquis said this while addressing a briefing regarding the games which would begin from 23th to 27th of September in Kaduna.
The theme of the fiesta is: “Enhancing Military Professionalism Through Sports”. The sporting activities to be competed for in the Armed Forces Games 2024 include volleyball and basketball.
Others are lawn tennis, golf, track and field, combat swimming, obstacle crossing, taekwondo and kick boxing, among others.
ENGLAND
Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland will not face any retrospective punishment after throwing the match ball at Gabriel Magalhaes’ head just moments after Manchester City’s last-gasp equaliser against Arsenal at the Etihad.
Inspired by his teammate’s late equalizer, Haaland sprinted to retrieve the ball from the net and tossed it directly at Gabriel, who was hiding his face in his shirt out of disappointment.
The Football Association said it would not take any further action over any of the incidents at Etihad Stadium, including a heated exchange between the players at the final whistle.
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Former Arsenal striker, Ian Wright says Erling Haaland throwing the ball at the back of Gabriel’s head after Manchester City’s late equaliser against Arsenal was a coward’s move.
Meanwhile, the duo of Manchester City stars, Kyle Walker and John Stones accused Arsenal of employing the ‘dark arts’ as the Gunners tried to see out Sunday’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash with ten men.
City manager Pep Guardiola labelled his side, who snatched a point with a 98th-minute equaliser from substitute Stones, an honest team, while boss Mikel Arteta described their rearguard display as a miracle.
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Newcastle’s Carabao Cup third-round tie away at AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday has been postponed because of flooding at the League Two club’s stadium.
AFC Wimbledon say heavy overnight rain caused extensive flooding of the River Wandle and surrounding areas.
AFC Wimbledon beat Bromley and Premier League side Ipswich on penalties to reach the third round.
Newcastle, finalists in 2023, entered at the second-round stage and also needed spot-kicks to beat Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.
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Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Ben Chilwell will be in the squad to face Barrow in the Carabao Cup third round after returning to the first-team set-up.
The English full-back was banished to the ‘bomb squad’ in the summer as he looked set to leave the Blues after four years at the club.
After a move from Stamford Bridge failed to materialise, Chilwell stayed with Chelsea and was invited to return to first-team training last week.
The former Blues vice-captain is yet to feature under Maresca this season but could get his first minutes of the season, among a host of others, when Chelsea host League Two side Barrow on Tuesday.
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The Friedkin Group has reached an agreement to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority ninety-four percent stake in Everton.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval from the Premier League, the Football Association and the Financial Conduct Authority.
Chairman Dan Friedkin, who also owns Serie A side Roma, has a net worth of five point seven billion pounds.
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Former Crystal Palace defender, Tony Popovic has been named Australia’s head coach following the resignation of Graham Arnold.
Arnold stepped down after six years in the role following a shock one-nil home defeat against Bahrain and a draw against Indonesia in World Cup qualifying earlier in September.
The results left Australia fifth in the Asia standings, with only the top two teams automatically qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Popovic, who played fifty-eight times for the Socceroos, signed a two-year deal.
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Preston North End forward Milutin Osmajic will face a lengthy ban after allegedly biting Owen Beck during their Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers.
The Football Association confirmed on Monday they were aware of the incident and would be looking into it.
Beck, on loan from Liverpool, was sent off in the 89th minute of the goalless draw at Deepdale after kicking out at Preston’s Duane Holmes.
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A new three-year agreement has been reached with Barclays to remain the title sponsor of the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship.
The deal is understood to be in the region of fifteen million pounds a year, including investment and marketing, double the previous arrangement which runs out at the end of this season.
It is the first major contract secured by the WSL’s new takeover company, Women’s Professional Leagues Limited.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Rangers interim chairman, John Gilligan has called on major shareholder Dave King to cease public criticism of the way the club is being run.
South Africa-based King aired his views in the media over the past week, saying Rangers have no leadership and are in crisis.
He called for an extraordinary general meeting and wants to return as chairman, a position he held when Rangers last won the Scottish Premiership in 2021.
Gilligan, who was part of a consortium with King that took charge at Ibrox in 2015, has returned to the club in the wake of John Bennett’s exit as chairman on health grounds.
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Juventus are plotting a move for Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen in January.
The Old Lady lost confidence in Dusan Vlahovic to develop into a frontline striker.
The Nigerian international joined Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal from Napoli.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Basketball; The new EuroCup season starts on Tuesday, and there is much curiosity about who the new stars of Europe’s second-biggest competition will be.
Despite losing important teams like Paris, which moved up to the EuroLeague, and London, which will not compete this season due to difficulties with 777 Partners, the EuroCup will still feature prominent clubs. Valencia, a key team, returns to the competition.
Additionally, there will be an all-Israeli derby between Hapoel Tel Aviv, a regular participant, and Hapoel Jerusalem, which joins after its experience in the Basketball Champions League (BCL).
British Professional Boxer Anthony Joshua has insisted he can come back to become a world champion once again.
In a video on his Instagram account on Monday, the British heavyweight reiterated that he would not be retiring from professional boxing after he was knocked out in the fifth round by Dubois in front of a record ninety-six thousand spectators at Wembley.
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Boxing promoter Frank Warren, says IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois has all the tools to take over the division.
Following his stunning five-round world title demolition of fellow Briton Anthony Joshua on Saturday, Warren wants Dubois to face WBO, WBA and WBC champion Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch next.
Dubois fought Usyk in August 2023, with the Ukrainian winning via a ninth-round stoppage.
Dubois was elevated to IBF champion after Usyk vacated the belt in June, just weeks after beating Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in twenty-five years.
Usyk was ringside at Wembley, taking a brief break from his training camp as he prepares for a rematch with Fury on 21st December.
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In Tennis, Emma Raducanu has pulled out of this week’s China Open in Beijing because of a foot injury.
The 21-year-old Briton had to retire injured from her Korea Open quarter-final in Seoul on Saturday because of the issue.
Raducanu’s name appeared in the Beijing draw when it was released on Monday before she withdrew shortly afterwards.
The world number 54 was due to face a qualifier in the first round, with Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen potentially waiting in the next round.
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In Rugby, Ireland have returned to the top of the World Rugby rankings after South Africa’s defeat by Argentina at the weekend.
The Springboks were beaten 29-28 by the Pumas in the penultimate round of the Rugby Championship.
The loss in Santiago cost the back-to-back world champions 1.81 ranking points and they now trail Andy Farrell’s men by 0.35 points.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Fiji have taken ninth place from Australia after their win over Japan in the Pacific Nations Cup.
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In Cricket, England women captain Heather Knight has admitted a charge over a social media post in 2012 when she was pictured in blackface.
Knight, who was 21 at the time, was attending an end-of-season fancy dress party at a cricket club in Kent.
A picture of Knight in blackface was posted to the Facebook account of another individual.
She has been reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission and fined £1,000, which is suspended for two years.
Knight has been England captain since 2016 and will continue to lead the team at the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates next month.
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In Cycling, Great Britain has missed out on Para-cycling medals on the third day of action at the Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland.
Chris McDonald and pilot Adam Duggleby placed fifth in the men’s B individual time trial – two minutes 09.33 seconds behind Dutch champions Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos, and 1:18.22 off the podium places.
Paralympic medallist Archie Atkinson was sixth in the men’s C4 individual time trial, 1:25.07 behind bronze, while Will Bjergfelt missed out on the medals by 1:01.07 in sixth in the C5 event.
Meanwhile, Ben Wiggins – the 19-year-old son of 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley, placed 18th in the men’s Under-23 individual time trial.
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TODAY’S FIXTURE
CARABAO CUP – THIRD ROUND
Chelsea vs Barrow
Manchester City vs Watford
Walsall vs Leicester City
Wycombe Wanderers vs Aston Villa
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Sevilla vs Real Valladolid
Valencia vs Osasuna
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alavés
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IN COPPA ITALIA – SECOND ROUND
Lecce vs Sassuolo
Cagliari vs Cremonese
Torino vs Empoli
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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