IN NIGERIA
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Former Nigeria international striker, Emmanuel Osigwe, has been named the new Head Coach of Kun Khalifat FC, Owerri.
The CAF B Coaching Licence holder stated that he would work with Chinedu Okonkwo as his assistant.
Osigwe, a former Rangers International forward, will take charge as the Pride of Imolites travel to Warri Wolves for Sunday’s matchday 14 clash.
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Brighton women has celebrated Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie feat at the 2025 CAF Awards.
Nnadozie was crowned the continent’s women’s best goalkeeper at the award ceremony in Rabat, Morocco.
The 24-year-old claimed the award for the third consecutive time.
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Super agent George Gardi says Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is happy at Galatasaray and will not be leaving the Turkish Super Lig champions any time soon.
Osimhen has recently been linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.
The Blaugurana have reportedly listed him among the potential alternatives to replace Poland international Robert Lewandowski.
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Atalanta head coach, Raffaele Palladino has expressed his desire to keep Ademola Lookman at the club.
Lookman has been linked with a January exit from the Bergamo club.
Tops clubs like Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Atletico Madrid, and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly circling around the player.
Palladino, who was recently appointed head coach of the former UEFA Europa League champions insisted that Lookman remain an integral part of the team.
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Hull City and Derby County are among several English sides set for a January confrontation over Nigerian forward Rafiu Durosinmi.
According to Football Insider, both clubs are monitoring the Nigerian ahead of the winter window.
Derby County enter the break in strong form after five consecutive wins lifted them to tenth in the Championship, while Hull City sit fifth following an encouraging start to the season.
Former Black Stars of Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has named the Super Eagles among the favourites to win the title at 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles will be looking to win a fourth title in Morocco in December.
Gyan believed they could claim the title this time around.
The Super Eagles are drawn in Group C with Tanzania, Tunisia and Tanzania, and Uganda.
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The Democratic Republic of Congo Will face New Caledonia or Jamaica in the final of the intercontinental playoffs.
The intercontinental playoff draw for the 2026 World Cup took place in Zurich.
Meanwhile, Iraq, also a seeded team, will take on the winner of Bolivia vs Suriname.
The tournament will be held in Mexico, between Guadalajara and Monterrey, from 23rd to 31st March 2026, with a straightforward format: semi-finals, followed by decisive finals.
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The Nigerian American Football Association has officially opened the national finals of the Nigerian Secondary School Flag Football League Season 4, marking another milestone in the sport’s rapid expansion across the country.
Its Vice President, Oluwaseye Obatolu, said the league has grown into a national, data-driven development platform leveraging sport to empower young Nigerians.
Obatolu said participation has expanded from a handful of schools to a nationwide competition, with 11 states competing in the preliminaries and seven states qualifying for the 2025 AKITI Bowl III finals.
The finalists; Oyo, Ondo, Kwara, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and the FCT will present both male and female teams, a structure Obatolu described as evidence of a deeper talent pool and rising nationwide enthusiasm.
Quadri Aruna’s campaign at the 2025 Muscat Contender came to an abrupt end on Thursday as he was defeated 3-2 by Romania’s Eduard Ionescu in a pulsating round of 32 encounter at the Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex.
Seeded ninth, Aruna received a bye in the round of 64 and entered the round of 32 with expectations of progressing further.
However, the 27th-ranked Nigerian could not overcome the 21-year-old Ionescu, ranked 44th in the world, who displayed remarkable composure in the decisive fifth game to secure a 12-10 victory.
British boxing icon Carl Froch has credited Anthony Joshua with bringing boxing back to the forefront and filling stadiums, acknowledging the former heavyweight champion’s role in captivating mainstream audiences, even as he insists Joshua’s best days are behind him.
Despite his criticism of Joshua’s future prospects, Froch was unequivocal about the British-Nigerian boxer’s impact on the sport’s popularity, particularly his ability to transform boxing into must-see entertainment for casual fans.
The clash between Joshua and Jake Paul is scheduled for December 19 in Miami, Florida, featuring eight three-minute rounds with both competitors using 10oz gloves.
The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation has named a 42-man provisional squad for the forthcoming Heritage Cup meeting with Ghana, confirming its intention to field an entirely home-based Stallions XV for the contest in Accra on 29th November.
The fixture will take place at the University of Ghana Rugby Stadium and has been billed as a grudge match between two long-standing rivals.
The federation said the squad will open camp in Lagos on 22nd November, with players expected to report at Ojez Hotel on Jones Street in Ebutte Metta.
IN ENGLAND
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Arsenal star Eberechi Eze has disclosed that former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne remains the toughest opponent he has ever faced in the Premier League.
The England international described De Bruyne as a high level thinker.
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An expert panel has ruled that Liverpool’s controversial disallowed goal at Manchester City was correctly not overturned by a video assistant review.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel, which reviews the big refereeing decisions each week, was split on the decision.
The five-person panel voted three to two that the on-field decision to disallow the goal was incorrect but also found that VAR was correct not to intervene.
Referee Chris Kavanagh and his assistant Stuart Burt disallowed the goal, ruling that Andy Robertson had committed an offside offence by ducking under the ball on its way to goal.
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Referees’ chief Howard Webb has denied a former staff member lost her position as an international football referee because she complained a coach manhandled her.
Lisa Benn alleged she was grabbed and threatened by an assistant referee coach and unfairly lost her position on Fifa’s international officials list because she lodged a grievance with the organisation responsible for managing and training professional football referees and match officials in England.
After the incident Benn went from fifth to sixth in the Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s PGMOL nominations to world football’s governing body.
At an employment tribunal on Thursday, Webb who is the PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer said the Women’s Super League official received a lower ranking because she was outperformed by others.
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Former England striker Ian Wright does not think some people are ready for a black superstar following the media treatment of Jude Bellingham.
The Real Madrid midfielder has drawn criticism in some quarters following his reaction to being substituted during the Three Lions’ World Cup qualifying win against Albania last weekend.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel, who apologised to Bellingham earlier this year for describing his on-field behaviour as repulsive, said he would review the midfielder’s reaction.
Wright believes the coverage of the 22-year-old who made his international debut at seventeen, is influenced by the colour of his skin and he frightens certain people.
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Birmingham City has unveiled its new sixty-two thousand-capacity stadium, the centrepiece of a multi-billion pound redevelopment in the city.
The club chairman Tom Wagner
said the Birmingham City Powerhouse in Bordesley Green would be visible from forty miles away and become a beacon for excellence for Birmingham.
Twelve chimneys will surround the ground which will also host different sporting and entertainment events with a retractable roof and moveable pitch.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Wales will host Bosnia-Herzegovina while Northern Ireland travel to Italy in the World Cup play-off semi-finals.
The winners will meet in the final for a place at next year’s World Cup, with the winners of Wales’ match at home.
The Republic of Ireland travel to the Czech Republic, with a potential home final against Denmark or North Macedonia.
The semi-finals will take place on 26th March and the finals on 31st March.
All matches are one-legged.
Sixteen teams are competing for four spots at the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
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Wales captain Aaron Ramsey says it will be the icing on the cake if he were to make next summer’s World Cup.
Ramsey, who has scored twenty-one goals in eighty-six appearances for Wales, has not featured for Craig Bellamy’s side in fourteen months due to injury.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Basketball; The Philadelphia 76ers expect to have Paul George in the lineup again, but the Milwaukee Bucks won’t be as lucky with Giannis Antetokounmpo when the clubs meet for the first time this season in Milwaukee.
Coming off knee surgery and playing for the first time since March 4, George started but was limited to 21 minutes in a 110-108 home win over one of his former teams, the Los Angeles Clippers.
He shot just 2-for-9 from the field but added seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
In Tennis, Spain brushed aside the absence of Carlos Alcaraz to beat the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup quarter-finals and move one step closer to a first title in six years.
Alcaraz pulled out of Spain’s squad for the Finals after the new world number one was advised not to compete in Bologna because of swelling in his right hamstring.
Without their talisman, the Spanish team were forced to come from behind against the Czechs after the big-serving Jakub Mensik with twenty aces defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-4 in the opening singles rubber.
Jaume Munar, with his first singles win at the Davis Cup, took the tie to the deciding doubles with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory over US Open quarter-finalist and world number seventeen Jiri Lehecka.
Czech captain Tomas Berdych switched Mensik in for the doubles but to no avail as he and Tomas Machac both singles specialists fell 7-6, 7-6 to Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez.
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Also, Britain’s Katie Boulter says she feels she has to choose between her body and her ranking as the scramble continues for a place in January’s Australian Open main draw.
While the regular WTA Tour season is over, there are still ranking points to be won in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and France.
The women’s entry list for the first Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be based on the world rankings of 8th December, which could cause a dilemma for players close to the cut.
Although 104 players will receive direct entry into the Melbourne draw, that includes those with protected rankings, meaning Boulter who sustained a hip injury in October could miss out despite currently occupying the 100th spot.
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In Formula one, Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa can continue part of his legal action over the ‘Crashgate’ scandal at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, but has had other elements of his case dismissed by the High Court.
A court ruling said Massa can try to recover damages in regards to the controversy, but rejected his claim for a declaration he should have won the 2008 drivers’ title.
The Brazilian launched legal action against former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1 and governing body the FIA over an alleged conspiracy he said denied him the title, which was won by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
The 44-year-old is seeking compensation in the region of about sixty-four million pounds.
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In Cricket, Stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith aimed a bizarre swipe at former England spinner Monty Panesar on the eve of the first Ashes Test.
Panesar, who played 50 Tests between 2006 and 2013, said last week England should make Smith feel guilty about his part in the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal of 2018.
Smith was sacked as captain as a result of the ball-tampering episode against South Africa, which is often used by England fans as a taunt to the 36-year-old.
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In Rugby, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell hit back at loaded questions as he defended fly-half Sam Prendergast before Saturday’s Test against world champions South Africa.
Prendergast started last week’s 46-19 win over Australia after Jack Crowley wore the number 10 jersey against New Zealand and Japan.
While Leinster’s Prendergast shone in attack against the Wallabies, the 22-year-old’s weakness in the tackle was exposed when Len Ikitau barged past him to score Australia’s first try.
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Slugger Kazuma Okamoto and right-hander Kona Takahashi became the latest Japanese stars posted for MLB free agency on Thursday.
Both players can negotiate with teams during a 45-day window that opens Friday at 8 a.m. ET. and closes on Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. If either remains unsigned, he would return to his Nippon Professional Baseball club.
Okamoto, 29, was posted by the Yomiuri Giants and Takahashi, 28, by the Saitama Seibu Lions.
SOCCER ACTION CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND
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IN ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
ON SATURDAY
Burnley vs Chelsea
Bournemouth vs West Ham
United
Brighton vs Brentford
Fulham vs Sunderland
Liverpool vs Nottingham
Forest
Wolves vs Crystal Palace
Newcastle United vs Manchester City
ON SUNDAY
Leeds United vs Aston Villa
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
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IN SPANISH LA LIGA
ON SATURDAY
Alavés vs Celta Vigo
Barcelona vs Athletic Club
Osasuna vs Real Sociedad
Villarreal vs Mallorca
ON SUNDAY
Real Oviedo vs Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis vs Girona
Getafe vs Atletico
Madrid
Elche vs Real Madrid
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IN ITALIAN SERIE A
ON SATURDAY
Cagliari vs Genoa
Udinese vs Bologna
Fiorentina vs Juventus
Napoli vs Atalanta
ON SUNDAY
Hellas Verona vs Parma
Cremonese vs Roma
Lazio vs Lecce
Inter Milan vs AC Milan
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
When you have got something to prove, there is nothing greater than a challenge. There is nothing permanent except change. We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are. Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears…words from Terry Brennan.
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