IN NIGERIA
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Super Eagles midfielder, Frank Onyeka says the team must approach every game with the ambition of securing maximum points as they begin their quest for qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Onyeka stressed the importance of starting the qualifiers on a positive note, insisting that the Super Eagles must aim to win every match.
The Coventry City midfielder also warned against taking Madagascar lightly, urging his teammates to remain focused and give their opponents the respect they deserve.
Nigeria will open their qualifying campaign against the Barea of Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday.
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Super Eagles star, Moses Simon is set to receive a special honour from the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, if he makes his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles against Madagascar in Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture.
Simon, who made his international debut in March 2015 against Uganda in a friendly, has established himself as one of Nigeria’s experienced players over the past decade.
The Paris FC winger replaced Anthony Ujah in the 59th minute of that encounter to begin his international career.
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Super Eagles star, George Ilenikhena is relishing the opportunity to represent the Super Eagles and is eager to make his maiden appearance for the three-time African champions.
The 20-year-old Al-Ittihad striker received his first invitation to the national team from head coach Éric Chelle ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
Ilenikhena described his invitation as a great honour and expressed his pride at being part of the national team at this stage of his career.
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Rivers United has moved up to second place on the Nigeria Premier Football League,NPFL, table after recording a convincing five-nil victory over Kun Khalifat FC.
Salman Abubakar scored a brace, while Chijioke Mbaoma, Wasiu Falolu and Ekene Awazie scored a goal each for Rivers United.
The emphatic victory takes Rivers United to second place with ten points from four matches, while Kun Khalifat FC remain 19th with two points from five games.
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Kwara United technical adviser, Ashifat Suleiman, has attributed his side’s two-one victory over Nasarawa United to their defensive resilience and ability to capitalise on their chances.
The Harmony Boys secured all three points in their Matchday Five encounter at the Rashidi Yekini Stadium, Ilorin, on Wednesday.
Suleiman said his players responded well to the pressure and remained disciplined defensively.
Kwara United will travel to Owerri on Sunday for a clash with Kun Khalifat FC.
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IN ENGLAND
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Manchester City star, Erling Haaland has continued his fine form with two goals as Norway secured a three-two victory over Denmark in their opening Uefa Nations League match.
In his first international outing since, Haaland netted his side’s second in Oslo before slotting the winner.
Norway’s third goal was scored by Oscar Bobb, while Denmark’s two goals were scored by Rasmus Hojlund and Mikkel Damsgaard.
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Arsenal forward Kai Havertz and Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey both went off injured as the Netherlands played one-all with Germany in the Nations League.
Both teams were managed by a new high-profile boss with ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in charge of his native Germany and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez taking charge of the Dutch.
Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead from close range in the first half.
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo equalised in injury time when he volleyed in a brilliant cross from Ruben van Bommel.
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Portugal kick-started the defence of their Nations League title with a hard-fought victory over Wales on Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Lisbon.
Joao Felix’s deflected strike proved decisive midway through the first half at Estadio Jose Alvalade where Ronaldo started his professional career with Sporting twenty-four years ago.
Ronaldo missed a glorious chance in addition to having a goal disallowed for offside early on in the second half before being withdrawn as the hosts continued to threaten to add to their lead.
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Israel’s Sayed Abu Farhi was sent off for a goal celebration where he appeared to use the corner flag to mimic shooting a gun in his side’s Nations League defeat by Austria.
The 20-year-old Colorado Rapids player equalised before doing the celebration which earned him a second yellow card.
Football’s laws say a player can be booked for a goal celebration that acts in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory way.
Austria won the game in Linz three-one with a goal from Romano Schmid and late strikes from Phillipp Mwene and Sasa Kalajdzic.
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Uefa believes a clear two-speed system is emerging in the transfer market as a result of the huge spending by Premier League clubs this summer.
In its latest European club talent and competition landscape report, European football’s governing body laid bare just how dominant the transfer activity of English clubs has become.
Uefa’s report said the estimated four billion pounds spend by Premier League clubs is larger than that of the next eight largest European countries combined.
Uefa’s executive director of finance, Andrea Traverso, said that this trend raises concerns.
Traverso said any correction in transfer values or slowdown in buyer demand could have serious implications for any club carrying debt.
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Bradford City have reluctantly given Championship strugglers Preston North End permission to speak to boss Graham Alexander about their managerial vacancy.
Paul Heckingbottom was sacked after two years in charge of North End earlier this month following six defeats in their opening seven league games.
Alexander had two spells at Deepdale as a player and made three hundred and seventy-two league appearances for the club.
He had a five-game spell in caretaker charge in 2011-12 before ending his playing career with the Lilywhites at the end of that season, aged 40.
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Former England striker, Andy Carroll has revealed he was sexually assaulted by a man in 2021.
The 37-year-old, who was automatically granted anonymity as a victim of sexual assault, has made the details public in an autobiography titled ‘Owning it’.
The incident took place at Carroll’s home, during his second spell with his hometown club Newcastle and led to the perpetrator being jailed for three years.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich defender, David Alaba has joined Serie A side Udinese as a free agent.
Alaba is now teammate with Nigeria international and Udinese first choice Maduka Okoye.
The club confirmed the signing on Thursday, after the 34-year-old Austrian defender signed a contract until the end of the 2026-27 season after his five-year deal at Madrid expired in June.
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Senegalese football icon, Sadio Mané has broken ground on SM10 Agro, a self-funded twenty point four million dollas agro-industrial mango processing venture in his hometown of Bambali.
Moving beyond his remarkable exploits on the football pitch, where the Al-Nassr forward has previously funded schools and hospitals in his community, Mané’s latest initiative is designed to tackle structural agricultural challenges in the southern Casamance region.
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OTHER SPORTS
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British professional boxers, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will contest their long-awaited all-British heavyweight fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11th December.
The main event could take place in the early hours of Saturday in the UK, with organisers considering a late start to cater for audiences in the United States.
Joshua and Fury will come face-to-face at a news conference in London on Wednesday, 30th September, as the build-up begins to be one of the most anticipated fights in British boxing history.
The former two-time world champions had already signed contracts for the bout earlier this year, but the date and venue had yet to be confirmed.
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In Formula one, Lando Norris says McLaren was miles off the pace after the first day’s practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The world champion has won two of the past four races, and would likely also have been victorious in the last race in Madrid had it not been for the unfortunate timing of a virtual safety car.
McLaren were hoping for a step forward in Baku after introducing a significant upgrade package to their car.
But Norris was sixth fastest, 1.484 seconds off the pace set by Mercedes driver George Russell, after the first day’s running.
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In Rugby, Simon Massie-Taylor has pulled up outside Newcastle’s Kingston Park stadium, and saw fear.
The unannounced arrival of Prem Rugby’s chief executive at one of the league’s clubs had rarely been a good sign.
Massie-Taylor started the role in January 2022. In the 18 months that followed, Wasps, Worcester and London Irish, with finances stretched out of shape by Covid, had flamed out of the English top flight.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
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IN CAF AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS QUALIFIERS
Nigeria vs Madagascar
Morocco vs Gabon
Egypt vs Angola
Niger vs Lesotho
Burkina Faso vs Benin
Algeria vs Zambia
Mozambique vs Senegal
Sudan vs Ethiopia
Mali vs Cape Verde
Tanzania vs Guinea-Bissau
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IN UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE
Italy vs Belgium
Turkey vs France
Armenia vs Latvia
Hungary vs Ukraine
Poland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina
Sweden vs Romania
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Play for the badge on the front of the shirt and they will remember the name on the back….words from Tony Adams.
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