IN NIGERIA
Nigeria’s D’Tigers has crashed out of this year’s FIBA men’s AfroBasket after losing to Senegal in the quarter-finals.
In the last eight encounter, D’Tigers suffered a 91 – 75 defeat to exit the tournament.
D’Tigers took the first quarter by 24-23 before Senegal emerged tops in the second and third quarters, 39-18 and 23-13.
D’Tigers won the fourth quarter 20-15 but it was not enough as the Senegalese had already done enough to scale through to the semis.
In a bid to strengthen, nurture and improve basketball development in the metropolitan city of Lagos, the state government has forged a partnership with Nigerian hierarchy of the National Basketball Association, following a productive meeting.
The NBA Nigeria team paid a visit to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as they outlined plans for the strategic growth of the sport in Lagos.
Amongst the high-powered delegation include former Nigerian-American player and current ESPN basketball analyst, Chiney Ogwumike.
It was a productive engagement that reaffirmed the important role sports play in youth development and community building.
Former Super forward Brown Ideye has announced his retirement from professional football.
The 36-year-old made the announcement on social media.
Ideye last played for nine-time Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, champions Enyimba.
The forward came into limelight after representing Nigeria’s Flying Eagles at the 2007 FIFA Under-twenty World Cup in Canada.
Ideye went on to make twenty-eight appearances for the Super Eagles with six goals to his name.
He played for clubs in England, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and France.
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Sporting Lagos Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt has made history following home-based Super Eagles’ two-nil victory over Congo at the 2024 African Nations Championship.
The goalkeeper was named in the starting line-up by head coach Eric Chelle for the Group D encounter.
Harcourt made history as the youngest player to play for the Super Eagles.
The 15-year-old also marked the occasion with a clean sheet.
Harcourt is currently Nigeria’s Under-twenty side, Flying Eagles first-choice goalkeeper.
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Super Falcons defender Oluwatosin Demehin has signed a new contract with
Galatasaray.
The 23-year-old joined Galatasaray on a free transfer in September 2024.
Demehin played for French D’Arkema outfit Reims for two years before moving to the Istanbul giants.
Galatasaray opted to renew the centre-back’s contract instead of allowing her leave on a free transfer.
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Akwa United has announced the appointment of Paul Offor as their new head coach.
Offor guided Sporting Lagos to Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, promotion in the 2023/24 season.
The young tactician will be assisted by Tosin Adekugbe, Okechukwu Promise, and Akarandut Orok.
Bassey Akpan will take up the role of goalkeeper trainer.
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Former Super Eagles defender and current Abia Warriors FC Sporting Director, Emeka Ifejiagwa, has backed the idea of the introduction of Video Assistant Referee technology in the NPFL.
Ifejiagwa said its materialisation would always ensure the emergence of true champions in the Nigerian top-flight football league.
The 47-year-old spoke ahead of Abia Warriors’ 2025/2026 NPFL season opener against Kano Pillars FC on 22nd August 2025, and their maiden campaign in the CAF Confederation Cup, where they will face Malian giants Djoliba FC.
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Former Belgium midfielder, Steven Defour has advised Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare to put behind him his transfer drama and focus on scoring goals for Genk.
The Nigerian international has been linked with a move out of the club this summer after last season’s impressive goal-scoring feat.
Arokodare, who has been playing second fiddle to South Korean forward Hyeon-gyu Oh in Genk this ongoing season, has been advised by Defour to focus on scoring goals.
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Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen is on the verge of sealing a move to Serie A club AC Milan.
The striker was an unused substitute in Leverkusen’s DFB Pokal victory over Sonnenhof GroBaspach last weekend.
The move will see the former Union Saint-Gillloise player unite with compatriot Samuel Chukwueze.
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Former England striker Matt Le Tissier has described Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers as a decent goal scorer.
He made this known after the Nigerian international was denied the Scottish Premiership’s Player of the Year award last season despite winning the top scorer award.
Tissier stated that Dessers should have been named the Scottish Premiership’s Player of the Year.
Dessers who netted twenty-nine goals in fifty-five appearances across all competitions for Rangers last season, scored fifty-two goals in one hundred and fifteen appearances since joining the team.
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IN ENGLAND
Crystal Palace boss, Oliver Glasner says Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi will start the Uefa Conference League play-off tie against Fredrikstad as they remain committed to the team.
Liverpool and Palace have held talks about a possible thirty-five million pounds deal for England defender Guehi, to go to Anfield before the transfer deadline.
Meanwhile, Tottenham wants to sign Palace’s England forward Eze, before the 1st September transfer deadline.
Both players started the goalless draw at Chelsea last Sunday and will feature again when Norwegian side Fredrikstad visit Selhurst Park on Thursday.
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Arsenal has launched a move for Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze.
Arsenal will offer around sixty million pounds for the England forward, who is also wanted by Tottenham.
The Gunners have concerns over a knee injury sustained by forward Kai Havertz and Eze would offer Mikel Arteta an option in that area of the field.
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Chelsea has agreed to sell defender Renato Veiga to Villarreal for a fee rising to twenty-six million pounds, taking total player sales to over two hundred and fifty million pounds for the Blues this summer.
Veiga is expected to sign a seven-year contract and complete a medical in Spain on Thursday after the Spanish club agreed to pay close to their transfer record.
The Portugal international was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Enzo Maresca and was training in the so-called ‘bomb squad’.
Chelsea remain interested in adding Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons before the transfer window closes on 1st September.
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Brentford has turned down Newcastle’s improved bid of forty million pounds for striker Yoane Wissa.
The Magpies were proposing a thirty-five million pounds initial fee plus a further five million pounds in add-ons.
The Magpies’ previous bid for the 28-year-old was worth up to thirty million pounds.
The Democratic Republic of Congo forward wants to join Newcastle but so far Brentford has refused to sanction his exit.
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Aston Villa star, Leon Bailey has completed a loan move from the team to Italian club Roma.
The Jamaica winger has joined the Italian side for the 2025-26 season and the deal includes an option to buy.
The 28-year-old made a twenty-five million pounds move to Villa from German club Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 and went on to score twenty-two goals in one hundred and forty-four appearances.
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England women forward, Lauren James is set for a period on the sidelines with the ankle injury she suffered playing for England at Euro 2025.
Chelsea has not given any details of how long the 23-year-old will be out, stressing that she would undergo a period of rehabilitation with the club.
James came off injured in the first half of the final against Spain last month as England won the tournament on penalties.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Fluminense says Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel has broken the record held by former England international Peter Shilton for most competitive appearances in world football.
The 44-year-old made his one thousand, three hundred and ninety-one appearance in the last sixteen of the Copa Sudamericana, the South American equivalent of the Europa League, beating America de Cali two-nil at the Maracana.
Fabio made his professional debut in 1997 and has spent his entire career in Brazil, representing Uniao Bandeirante, Atletico Paranaense, Vasco da Gama, Cruzeiro and Fluminense.
His record-breaking outing on Tuesday was his two hundred and thirty-five match for Fluminense.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Boxing, Ricky Hatton says Moses Itauma is a brilliant heavyweight but urged his team not to push for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk next.
Itauma’s quick knockout of Dillian Whyte last Saturday ramped up speculation the 20-year-old could be ready for a world title shot.
Hatton, a multiple-weight world champion, heaped praise on Itauma, but called for caution as the Briton continues to build his career.
Usyk holds all four of the major world titles but could be forced to vacate his WBO belt if he doesn’t fight mandatory challenger Joseph Parker next.
Algerian boxer and Olympic champion Imane Khelif on Wednesday denied claims made by her former manager that she was putting her career on hold.
Khelif was at the centre of a gender row at the Paris Games where she won gold in the women’s 66kg category.
She accused her former manager, Nasser Yesfah, of “betraying (her) trust and (her) country with his false and malicious statements”.
In Tennis, Persistent rain wiped out almost the entire day of US Open qualifying as organisers cut their losses early.
Only fourteen of the sixty-four second round qualifying matches were able to start on Wednesday before the decision to cancel play for the day.
The weather will not affect the climax of the new-look mixed doubles, with the semi-finals and final protected by the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
British men’s number one Jack Draper and his American partner Jessica Pegula are among the four teams aiming for the title on Thursday.
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The Welsh Rugby Union has insisted cutting the number of professional clubs from four to two is the radical step needed to save the game in Wales.
The governing body has unveiled its controversial plan for the future of the elite game that puts Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets at risk.
Among four models being considered is the optimal choice of halving the number of professional teams, but with no detail on where they would play.
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In Athletics, Keely Hodgkinson has produced another statement performance before next month’s World Championships as she made it back-to-back victories since returning from injury.
Hodgkinson clocked one minute 55.69 seconds to set a meeting record despite miserable conditions at the Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland.
It comes just four days after Hodgkinson ended a 376-day wait to compete for the first time since winning gold at Paris 2024, following a season decimated by injury.
Training partner Georgia Hunter Bell was third in 1:57.55, behind Switzerland’s Audrey Werro.
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