IN NIGERIA
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Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle believes his team can still earn a berth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite failing to defeat Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

Chelle declared that they would not give up in their fight to qualify for the World Cup.

The Super Eagles remain in third position in Group C with eleven points from eight games, six points behind leaders South Africa.

The Super Eagles will be back for matchday nine and ten in October where they will take on Lesotho and Benin Republic.
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Former Super Eagles left-back, Ben Iroha, has lamented that Nigeria now faces an uphill battle to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Iroha, expressed concern that the result might have left Nigeria’s qualification chances outside their control.
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Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has weighed on the controversial goal that saw Calvin Bassey equalised for Nigeria against Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

Akpeyi insisted that the angle made it extremely difficult for the referee to see the handball.
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Award-winning Nigerian musician Odumodublvck and other fans have launched scathing attacks on the Nigeria Football Federation following the Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw with South Africa that left the country on the brink of missing back-to-back World Cups for the first time in their history.

The musician, whose real name is Tochukwu Ojogwu, led the chorus of criticism on social media platform X, describing the NFF as “a terrible organisation” after Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes faded dramatically following Tuesday’s result in Bloemfontein.
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The Nigeria Football Federation, has dismissed reports suggesting FIFA has cleared South Africa of any wrongdoing in the ongoing player ineligibility saga involving Teboho Mokoena.

Its Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, stated that it had not received any official communication from FIFA on the matter.

South Africa’s Bafana Bafana risk FIFA sanctions after their midfielder, Mokoena was fielded against Lesotho in a World Cup qualifier, after receiving two yellow cards, earlier in the campaign.
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has distanced itself from a post-match statement that criticised some Super Eagles players following the team’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The statement, issued by the NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, singled out forward Cyriel Dessers and captain William Troost-Ekong for criticism.

It accused Dessers of being sluggish and faulted Ekong for the own goal that gave Bafana Bafana the lead.

However, NFF General Secretary,  Mohammed Sanusi, said on Wednesday that the statement did not represent the official position of the Federation.
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Some football enthusiasts have expressed concern over Nigeria’s FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign after failing to beat South Africa for maximum points.

A Data Analyst and football fan, Damilola Idris, described the one-all draw against South Africa as disappointing, stressing it has greatly weakened Nigeria’s qualifying prospects.

Idris added that while qualification remained possible, it would now require extraordinary outcomes.

Similarly, Alex Iheanacho, another football enthusiast, admitted that Nigeria’s last result placed the team in a very difficult position.
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Former Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan believes Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen faked his injury against Rwanda to protect himself for Galatasaray’s Champions League campaign.

Gyan stated that the former Napoli star was never injured against Rwanda.
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Kano Pillars star Ahmed Musa has returned to training with the team following a short injury layoff.

The former Super Eagles captain sustained an injury in Sai Masu Gida’s Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, matchday two encounter with Wikki Tourists.

The injury forced Musa to miss Evan Ogenyi’s side one-nil defeat to Katsina United at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium last weekend.

Kano Pillars will host Rangers at the Sani Abacha Stadium, this weekend.
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No fewer than 100 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights will feature in this year’s AFC World Series Championships, scheduled for 11th to 14th September in Lagos.

The championship, sanctioned by the Nigerian MMA Federation, marks a historic milestone for the sport’s growth in Nigeria.

Founded by entrepreneur Raad Aswani, the AFC World Series is the first private African promotion officially recognised as a continental ranking and scoring platform for MMA.

The fights are endorsed by the Nigerian MMA Federation (NMMAF), National Sports Commission (NSC), Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) and the African MMA Confederation (AMMAC).
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Four Nigerian cricket coaches, including Female Yellow Greens head coach Leke Oyede and his U-19 counterparts Theophilus Ibodeme, Sarah Bakhita and Blessing Etim-Ajala, were in Windhoek, Namibia, for the International Cricket Council Level 2 coaching course.

The three-day course, was attended by 12 participants from Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Kenya.

The course forms part of the ICC Legacy Program, which focuses on empowerment, skills development, and long-term impact in the game of cricket.
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Nigeria’s U-18 women’s handball team will be departing the country on Thursday, ahead of the 2025 African Women’s Youth Handball Championship, which will take place in Oran, Algeria, from 14th to 21st September.

The team, which had been preparing for the biennial competition at the Rowe Park Sports Centre in Yaba, Lagos, will be led by head coach John Uzor as they look to finish on the podium and pick up a ticket to the World Championships for next year.
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Three Nigerian female boxers have expressed deep disappointment after being excluded from the World Boxing Championship in Liverpool due to delayed gender test results.

Blessing Oraekwe, Mistura Idowu, and Zainab Adeshina were barred from competing despite travelling to the UK for the championship, leaving them devastated after months of preparation.
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Anthony Joshua has set his sights on a blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury for his ring return, launching a scathing attack on his heavyweight rival while expressing his desire to get back into action.

The former two-time world champion took to Instagram to voice his frustration with Fury, calling The Gypsy King a ‘dippy mate’ whilst praising Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley for their willingness to fight each other rather than wait around for opportunities.

Joshua posted a message on his Instagram story in which he said he was proud of Parker for being a competitor and not waiting around for unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
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IN ENGLAND
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Manchester City will be without Omar Marmoush for Sunday’s Manchester derby after the Egypt forward suffered a knee injury on international duty.

The 26-year-old was substituted in the ninth minute of his country’s World Cup qualifier with Burkina Faso which finished as a goalless draw in Ouagadougou.

Marmoush, who joined City from Eintracht Frankfurt for fifty-nine million pounds in January, was hurt following a robust fourth-minute challenge.

City said initial scans in Egypt indicated Marmoush would miss Manchester United’s visit to Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The club confirmed Marmoush would now return to Manchester for more assessment and to begin his rehabilitation.
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Former Chelsea star Michael Ballack says Florian Wirtz’s decision to join Liverpool was because the Bundesliga is no longer attractive.

Ballack stated that the Germany international move to Liverpool was because the Bundesliga was slowly going downhill.
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A research group says Liverpool is most likely to be crowned Premier League champions this season.

Arne Slot led the Reds to the 2024-25 title in his first season in charge as they finished 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.

The International Centre for Sports Studies Football Observatory, said Liverpool has the highest probability of lifting the trophy again, with a twenty-eight point nine percent chance.

Arsenal is given an eighteen point eight percent chance of winning the title, while Chelsea sixteen points two percent rank third ahead of Manchester City on fourteen point four percent.

Manchester United, the most successful team in Premier League history, are given a two point six percent chance of winning their first crown since the 2012-13 season.
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The Key Match Incidents panel says the video assistant referee made two mistakes in the most recent round of Premier League fixtures.

Josh King’s goal for Fulham in the loss at Chelsea was ruled out and Wolves were not awarded a penalty in their defeat by Everton, both on 30th August.

The panel, which reviews the big refereeing decisions in the Premier League each week, agreed that VAR Michael Salisbury was wrong to intervene and referee Rob Jones was wrong to subsequently disallow the goal.
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Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making an indecent image of a child.

The 43-year-old, who was sacked last year over comments made in a video about former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, was charged following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.

The force said the charge related to a video file recovered by officers in February.

Coote, from Collingham in Nottinghamshire, was charged on 12th August and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
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The chair of the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust says it stings that dozens of tickets for the Champions League home game against Barcelona were bought by a school based nearly two hundred miles away.

Such was the demand, there were over one hundred and ten thousand users in an online queue as remaining seats for next week’s hotly anticipated opening group match at St James’ Park went on sale.

It has emerged that forty-five tickets for the 18th September fixture had already been claimed by the High School of Dundee, which purchased them after being approached by an approved provider.
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Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out, says English football is at risk of losing a generation of coaches from a black, Asian or mixed heritage background.

Kick It Out chief executive Samuel Okafor, stated that Nuno Espirito Santo’s dismissal by Nottingham Forest this week has resulted in the absence of any Black manager currently leading a Premier League club.

The last time the Premier League was without a black manager was between March and August 2023, following Patrick Vieira’s departure at Crystal Palace and before Vincent Kompany’s promotion to the top flight with Burnley.
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West Ham has re-signed goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski until the end of the season.

The 40-year-old former Poland international was released by the club in June when his contract ended, after originally joining from Swansea in the summer of 2018.

He made two hundred and sixteen appearances in his first spell at West Ham and was part of the squad which won the Europa Conference League in 2023.

West Ham signed Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen for about twenty million pounds in August and has started their three Premier League games this season, losing two and winning one.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has debunked reports circulating in the media that the club have plan to sign Inter Miami star Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona legend’s contract at Inter Miami is due to expire at the end of the calendar year.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Boxing; Canelo Alvarez will take on Terence Crawford this weekend in a generational clash, with Tim Bradley offering up his assessments of the mega fight.
Alvarez vs. Crawford goes down on 13th September, with the latter vying for super middleweight glory as the former enters the ring as the undisputed champion at 168 pounds.
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In Basketball; The NCAA banned three Division I college basketball players by permanently revoking their eligibility on Wednesday, saying they had bet on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State and were able to share thousands of dollars in payouts.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an enforcement investigation that uncovered violations by Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver.

The NCAA said the three bet on one another’s games and/or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season; two of them manipulated their performances to ensure certain bets were won.
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In Tennis, Australia’s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has received a two-week ban and fined fourteen thousand, six hundred pounds after being found guilty of pushing a doping control official.

Hewitt pushed a 60-year-old volunteer anti-doping chaperone after Australia’s Davis Cup semi-final defeat by Italy last November in Malaga, Spain.

He denied the charge which was brought by the International Tennis Integrity Agency following a review of video evidence, witness statements and interviews and cited self-defence.

The Agency confirmed that an independent tribunal upheld the charge and said the 44-year-old’s actions did not meet the requirements of self-defence and the push was too strong or forceful and was excessive or disproportionate.

Hewitt will be banned from taking part in all tennis-related activities from 24th September until 7th October.
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Olympic swimmer Ben Proud has become the first British athlete to join the controversial Enhanced Games but insists what he is doing is not undermining clean’ sport.

Proud is a world and European champion at fifty metres freestyle, and won silver at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

He has now committed to an event that allows athletes to take banned performance-enhancing drugs.

By taking part he will be barred from international competition.

UK Sport said it is working with Aquatics GB as a matter of urgency to determine Ben Proud’s suitability to receive public funds and that any breach of anti-doping rules contravenes policies athletes must comply with to receive UK Sport funding.
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In Cycling, Italy’s Giulio Pellizzari won stage seventeen of the Vuelta a Espana, with Britain’s Tom Pidcock in second as Jonas Vingegaard extended his overall race lead.

Pellizzari’s Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe team-mate Jai Hindley in third.

Vingegaard was fourth, two seconds ahead of his main rival Joao Almeida, who is now fifty seconds adrift of the Dane in the GC race.

Thursday’s 18th stage is a twenty-seven point two kilometres individual time trial around Valladolid, with the race finishing on Sunday in Madrid.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

Luck? Sure. But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure…words from Golf, Basketball, Track and Field Athlete, Babe Didrikson Zaharias.