IN NIGERIA
The Super Eagles will face Venezuela in a friendly on Friday, 14th November.
The encounter will hold at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, United States.
Nigeria last played at the venue on 31st May, 2013 when they battled to a two-all draw with Mexico in a friendly.
Venezuela returns to Houston for the first time since 24th March, 2024, when they played Guatemala to a scoreless draw in an international friendly.
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Former Nigerian International, Mikel Obi has called for the disbandment of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Mikel stated this after Nigeria played out a one-all draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein, leaving the team’s 2026 World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
Reacting to how the NFF has managed the Super Eagles’ qualifying campaign, the former Chelsea star, called for the disbandment of the football body.
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Legendary Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha has denied rumours that he is nursing the ambition of becoming the president of the Nigeria Football Federation.
After Tuesday’s disappointing one-all draw between the Super Eagles and South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, there were calls for the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF board to resign
Following the calls for the board to step aside, there were rumours that Okocha expressed interest in running for the office of the NFF president.
The 1994 AFCON winner has dismissed the rumours, while begging those behind it to stop.
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Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey who plays for Fulham has expressed his delight after scoring in Nigeria’s one-all draw with Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
It was Bassey’s first-ever goal for the three-time African champions.
The 25-year-old nodded home Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s cross in the 45th minute.
The versatile defender took to the social media to celebrate his maiden strike for the Super Eagles.
Bassey is also rooting for the Super Eagles to earn a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite their poor run in the qualifiers
The centre-back has made thirty-two appearances for the Super Eagles.
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Nottingham Forest manager, Ange Postecoglou has revealed Super Eagles star Ola Aina returned from international duty with an injury.
Aina copped a hamstring injury in the Super Eagles one-all draw with Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
Postecoglou, who took charge at the City Ground this week provided an injury update on Aina ahead of the game.
Nottingham Forest will travel to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to keep a date with Arsenal.
Ademola Lookman has returned to Atalanta team training after a transfer standoff, ending weeks of uncertainty over his future in Serie A, while Juventus have identified the Nigerian as their top target to replace Dusan Vlahovic in 2026.
According to Sport Mediaset, Lookman has officially rejoined training with Atalanta after weeks in limbo due to his push for a transfer to Inter Milan.
The Nigeria international had trained separately following his dramatic fallout with the club in August, even deleting Atalanta pictures from his social media.
Nigerian defender, Samuel Isife has joined Czech First League club Slavia Prague.
Isife is moving to Eden Arena from another Czech club, Dukla.
The right-back signed a contract with Slavia Prague until December, 2029.
The 21-year-old will remain with Dukla until December before joining Slavia at the start of the new year.
The young defender is already looking forward to the challenge of playing for Slavia.
Super Falcons forward Rinsola Babajide has revealed that her desire to win trophies was the motivating factor behind her summer move to Italian outfit AS Roma Femminile, ahead of their 2025/26 UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying fixture against Sporting CP on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Nigerian international, who signed a two-year deal with the Rome based outfit following her departure from Spanish Liga F side UDG Tenerife in July, will be involved in her team’s third qualification round first-leg clash against the Portuguese side at home, as they look to reach the group phase of the annual competition.
French Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco has signed 16-year-old Danish-born Nigerian striker Ekene Chukwuani from Bröndby IF.
Monaco announced the signing of Chukwuani alongside two other players Matthias Wamu and Daryl Leunga Leunga, who are both from Belgium
With less than 24 hours to the 2025 World Athletics Championships scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, the National Sports Commission has thrown its weight behind Team Nigeria athletes, as they prepare to don the country’s flag in the Far East.
The 15-athlete contingent will be led by former world champion and current record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, as they get set to compete against other elite athletes across various disciplines.
Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, assured Nigeria’s representatives at the event that the Commission would provide the required backing and support, and he charged the athletes to give their all in a bid to bring pride to the nation.
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The Nigeria Judo Federation has re-elected Musa Oshodi as president for a second term.
Oshodi was returned unopposed on Thursday at the federation’s 2025 Elective Congress in Abuja, after securing the 31 votes up for grabs.
He told newsmen after his election that his new administration will concentrate more on organising constant grassroots competitions.
Ahead of the 2025 U-18 African Handball Championship set to take place in Oran, Algeria, this weekend, the Handball Federation of Nigeria has released the final squad list for the Nigerian team.
The team, which will be led by head coach John Uzor and his assistant, Bukola Duru, comprises 14 players who will fly the country’s flag at the biennial competition in North Africa.
Preparations for the tournament had been ongoing at the Rowe Park Sports Centre in Yaba, Lagos, with 19 players initially invited.
Topping the list of players selected for the tournament are goalkeepers Aisha Jamilu of Rima Queens and Okonkwo Sharon of Edo Dynamos.
The duo of Oluwalade Phoebe and Momodu Veronica of the Ekiti Queens handball team have been selected to represent Nigeria at the 2025 African Women’s Youth Handball Championship.
Media Officer of the Handball Association in Ekiti, Ayodeji Ogunsakin, disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti.
Ogunsakin said the championship is scheduled to take place in Oran, Algeria, from 14th to 21st September
He said the two players were selected based on their outstanding skills and performance in Handball competitions.
IN ENGLAND
Chelsea has been charged by the Football Association with seventy-four alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022.
The charges are primarily focused on transfers between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons.
Three deals that form part of the investigation involved Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those players.
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Nottingham Forest manager, Ange Postecoglou says he does not have to prove anything to anyone as he starts his reign as the team’s new boss.
Postecoglou was appointed, with the club sacking Nuno Espirito Santo after twenty-one months in charge at the City Ground.
The Australian returns to management three months after he was sacked by Tottenham following a dismal Premier League season, in which they finished 17th.
He joked that he would find out who the true Ange believers are as he makes the switch from Spurs to Forest.
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Newcastle United has cancelled tickets purchased by a school nearly two hundred miles away for the Champions League home game against Barcelona.
Forty-five tickets for the group match at St James’ Park on 18th September were bought by the High School of Dundee days after one hundred and ten thousand fans had been in an online queue for the remaining seats.
Newcastle said the tickets would be made available to Newcastle United supporters through the club’s existing ticket sale process.
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Manchester United keeper, Andre Onana has joined Trabzonspor on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.
The move has taken place before the transfer window in Turkey closes on Friday and follows the Cameroon international not playing in United’s opening three Premier League games.
Onana’s only appearance for Ruben Amorim’s side this season came in their shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two Grimsby.
Amorim, whose side visit Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, now has Lammens, Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton as his goalkeeping options.
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Manchester United women frustrated by Brann goalkeeper Selma Panengstuen after dominating first leg of qualifier
Ingrid Stenevik heads 76th-minute winner against the run of play
Second leg at Leigh Sports Village on 18th September, with winner progressing to Champions League main draw
Manchester United will have to come from behind to reach the main draw of the Women’s Champions League after being upset by SK Brann in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie in Bergen.
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Former Arsenal goalkeeper, Graham Stack says Max Dowman’s playing style reminds him of Paul Gascoigne.
Dowman has shot to fame over the past few months after making his Arsenal debut aged just fifteen.
Stack revealed that he believes the teenager has a very bright future and could be compared to an England legend.
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Former Burnley captain, Josh Brownhill has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab.
Premier League sides Brentford, Wolves and West Ham and Championship club Leicester were all keen on the 29-year-old, who scored eighteen goals last season as Burnley secured promotion back to the top flight.
The midfielder left at the end of the campaign after five years at Turf Moor, making two hundred and eleven appearances in total and scoring thirty-two goals overall.
He will join Belgium international Yannick Carrasco and former Southampton and Watford defender Wesley Hoedt at Al-Shabab.
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Former Leicester striker, Jamie Vardy says age is just a number as he opens a new chapter of his career with Italian side Cremonese.
The 38-year-old, who is regarded among Leicester’s greatest players, left the club at the end of last season, calling time on a 13-year spell at the club where he scored two hundred goals in five hundred appearances.
He notched twenty-four of those in their Premier League title-winning 2015-16 season.
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Former Premier League referee, David Coote has pleaded not guilty to a charge of making an indecent image of a child.
The 43-year-old was charged on 12th August following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.
Ex-official Coote, of Woodhill Road in Collingham, Nottinghamshire, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and enter his plea during the 18-minute hearing.
Coote was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 9th October.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Madrid will host the 2027 men’s Champions League final with Warsaw to stage the women’s final.
Atletico Madrid’s seventy thousand-capacity Estadio Metropolitano has been awarded the men’s showpiece after Milan’s San Siro was stripped of the honour.
Uefa decided to reopen bidding for the event amid concerns about refurbishment plans at the San Siro and the match will now take place in the Spanish capital.
Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano last hosted the Champions League final in 2019, when Liverpool beat Tottenham.
The women’s final will be staged in Poland’s capital, at Warsaw’s Stadion Narodowy.
Uefa also announced that the Super Cup match in 2026 will take place in Salzburg, Austria.
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Athletic Bilbao has signed Spain defender Aymeric Laporte from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr after Fifa changed its initial decision and approved the transfer.
The La Liga club originally tried to bring in the 31-year-old on 1st September but the move was not completed before the transfer deadline.
The Spanish football federation then asked the world governing body to make an exception to its rules to allow a move to go through but the request was denied.
Laporte spent five years at City, winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League, before moving to Al-Nassr in 2023.
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Celtic fans will continue to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the club’s board with a late entry protest at Kilmarnock on Sunday.
A substantial section of supporters remain angry about a lack of significant summer signings and failure to reach the Champions League has heightened pressure on those in charge at Celtic Park.
A lengthy club statement explaining recent recruitment was met with widespread derision and prompted an open letter from fans groups demanding answers for repeated failures in transfer dealings.
Those groups have since released a joint communication saying their concerns have still to be addressed despite the open letter representing tens of thousands of Celtic fans.
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OTHER SPORTS
In Basketball; The NCAA announced Thursday that 13 men’s basketball players from six schools are being investigated for gambling conspiracies that allegedly included betting against their teams.
The schools: Arizona State, Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, and Temple.
They all also allegedly violated NCAA rules by sharing insider information, conspiring to manipulate player prop bets, and refusing to participate in the ensuing inquests.
In Boxing; The World Boxing Championships continue on Friday, 12 September in Liverpool, with Great Britain having already matched their best performance at the event.
More than 40 male and female boxers from Great Britain and Ireland have competed in the tournament so far, which started on Thursday, 4 September.
Four medals have already been confirmed for Great Britain, with more potentially on the way as the quarter-final action concludes on Friday.
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In Tennis, Two British sixteen-year-old girls who made their main draw debut at Wimbledon this summer say it is time to step into the senior ranks.
Hannah Klugman has just risen to a career-high junior ranking of two, having reached the French Open final, the semi-finals of the US Open and the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
Mika Stojsavljevic is already a junior Grand Slam champion, while she fell at the semi-final hurdle in New York last week in defence of her US Open title.
Both made their professional debut at the age of fourteen and now feel ready to start climbing the ladder to the WTA Tour.
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In Cricket, Captain Litton Das hit a 33-ball half-century to guide Bangladesh to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in the Asia Cup.
Having restricted Hong Kong to 143-7, Bangladesh led by Das’ fifty-nine from 39 balls knocked off the runs with fourteen balls to spare.
The Tigers opted to field first in Abu Dhabi and struck twice during the powerplay, and despite Nizakat Khan leading a recovery, top-scoring with forty-two from forty, Hong Kong were never able to get away from their Test-playing opponents.
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In Cycling, Italy’s Filippo Ganna won a shortened individual time trial on stage eighteen of the Vuelta a Espana as Britain’s Tom Pidcock retained his third place in the overall standings.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Joao Almeida, who is second in the general classification, took ten seconds off the advantage of overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard.
The stage was reduced from twenty-seven point two kilometres to twelve points two kilometres to ensure greater protection” for riders because of security concerns resulting from a series of pro-Palestinian protests during the three-week race.
Police numbers were also ramped up, with hundreds of protestors waving flags along the route and whistling riders from Israel-Premier Tech.
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In Golf, Matt Fitzpatrick believes his ball was stolen during a weather-affected first round at the BMW PGA Championship – but said it was a good result that may have helped him to a six-under-par 66.
The Englishman said the incident occurred after he went right off the tee on the 18th hole at Wentworth just as play was suspended for more than ninety minutes because of thunder and lightning.
Fitzpatrick is two strokes behind his playing partner Ludvig Aberg, who is tied for the lead with France’s Tom Vaillant.
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SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
IN NIGERIA PREMIER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
Bendel Insurance vs Niger Tornadoes
ON SUNDAY
Kun Khalifat vs El Kanemi Warriors
Warri Wolves FC vs Kwara United
Ikorodu City vs Barau
Nasarawa United vs Wikki Tourist
Kano Pillars vs Enugu Rangers
Plateau United vs Remo Stars
Bayelsa United vs Enyimba
Rivers United FC vs Shooting Stars
Abia Warriors vs Katsina United
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IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth vs Brighton
Crystal Palace vs Sunderland
Everton vs Aston Villa
Fulham vs Leeds United
Newcastle United vs Wolves
West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Brentford vs Chelsea
ON SUNDAY
Burnley vs Liverpool
Manchester City vs Manchester United
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ON SATURDAY
IN SPANISH LA LIGA
Getafe vs Real Oviedo
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid
Athletic Club vs Alavés
Atlético de Madrid vs Villarreal
ON SUNDAY
Celta Vigo vs Girona
Levante vs Real Betis
Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano
Barcelona vs Valencia
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IN ITALIAN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Cagliari vs Parma
Juventus vs Inter Milan
Fiorentina vs Napoli
ON SUNDAY
Roma vs Torino
Atalanta vs Lecce
Pisa vs Udinese
Sassuolo vs Lazio
AC Milan vs Bologna
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Winners never quit and quitters never win….words from Vince Lombardi.
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