Sports
Continental challenges: Do Nigeria proud, NFF charges Edo Queens, Rangers, others
Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Emmauel Ikpeme, MON, on Thursday expressed confidence in the capacities of WAFU-B Women’s Champions League finalists Edo Queens and the four Clubs flying Nigeria’s flag in continental competitions this weekend to fight hard for the badge and make the nation proud.
Edo Queens, 2024 winners of the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League, will take on Ampem Darkoa of Ghana in the competition’s final in Ouagadougou (capital of Burkina Faso), with the winner guaranteed a spot in this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals.
In CAF Club competitions, Enugu Rangers and Rivers United FC will begin their campaigns in this year’s Champions League competition with United away to FC San Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan, while Enugu Rangers lock horns with SOBEMAP FC of Benin Republic at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta. Both are first preliminary round, first leg matches.
In the CAF Confederation Cup, Shooting Stars Sports Club are up against CS Sfaxien of Tunisia in another first preliminary round, first leg match at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, while El-Kanemi Warriors confront Deportio Nationale of Guinea at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
“I have no doubt in the capacity of each of the teams flying the country’s flag this weekend to make Nigeria proud. However, it is not going to be picnic-time against their equally well-prepared and ambitious opponents. Edo Queens have done very well to get to the final, and I believe they have enough left in their tank to deliver the goods against their Ghanaian opponents and bring the trophy to Nigeria.
“Rangers and Rivers United have the responsibility to start a new song for Nigeria in the CAF Champions League, which we have not won in the past 22 years. Shooting Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors should also take to the pitch at their different venues with gusto, focus, and positive energy. It is time that we begin the journey for a gradual return to the forefront of African club football competitions.”
Edo Queens hammered AS Garde Nationale of Niger Republic 7-0 and defeated ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire 3-1 before losing 1-2 to Ampem Darkoa in their final group phase game.
On Wednesday, they routed USFA of Burkina Faso 5-1 in their first semi-final, and will again face Ampem Darkoa in Saturday’s final at the Stade August 4.
Sports
Argentina president describes UN as “useless organisation”
Argentine President Javier Milei attacked the UN in a speech to the world body on Wednesday, calling it a “useless organisation” filled with “arrogant parasites.”
The firebrand Milei, one of US President Donald Trump’s closest Latin American allies, has repeatedly used the UN platform to criticize global governance and its “woke” agenda.
He accused the United Nations on Wednesday of having failed in its duty to guarantee collective security and human rights, saying it had instead allowed “chaos, violence and international terrorism” to flourish.
The UN, he said, “has become a useless organization, serving only to feed a caste of fatally arrogant parasites disguised as well-intentioned bureaucrats.”
He accused the organization of “looking the other way” on Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory which Argentines refer to as Las Malvinas and claim as part of their land.
Argentina has accused Britain of flouting a UN resolution ordering both parties to desist from unilateral action in the islands, over which the two countries fought a war in 1982.
“Those who follow the rules receive no reward for doing so, while those who break them face no repercussions whatsoever,” Milei said.
Underscoring Milei’s close ties with Trump, Argentina and the United States on Wednesday announced a joint initiative to improve the Latin American nation’s infrastructure and connect it with “vital economic sectors to major Atlantic ports and Western markets.”
The so-called Andes-Atlantic Corridor aims to facilitate investment in transport, digital infrastructure, minerals and energy including Vaca Muerta, a massive hydrocarbon deposit in southern Argentina, a joint statement said.
Sports
Anthony Joshua Vs Tyson Fury fight now moved to Cardiff
Organisers of the much talked about heavy weight boxing fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have finally settled for Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.
BBC Sport reported on Thursday that the fight will bring together two of Britain’s biggest heavyweight names after both men came through their respective warm-up bouts in July.
Fury, 37, stopped 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in Pattaya, Thailand, in a bout staged before around 1,500 spectators and not broadcast on television.
Joshua, 36, endured a dramatic contest in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, recovering from two first-round knockdowns before stopping Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in the second round.
The first knockdown came just 20 seconds into the fight, but Joshua recovered to secure victory.
The bout was Joshua’s first since surviving a car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
After his victory, Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn had expressed a preference for the fight to take place at Wembley Stadium.
However, Joshua’s agreement with the Saudi organisers financing the event required the contest to be held in Britain, with a move to the United States requiring a renegotiation of the deal.
Hearn has described the Fury fight as hugely significant to Joshua’s career.
Speaking after Pat Brown’s victory over John Hedges on September 19, Hearn said Joshua’s “whole career comes down to this” fight.
“There is a desperation to win this fight and this is why sport is the greatest. I’ve never wanted to win a fight so badly,” Hearn said.
The December clash will finally see the two British heavyweights share the ring after years of negotiations and speculation surrounding a potential meeting.
Sports
25 years after, FIFA lists first Nigerian center ref for World cup
Nigeria’s 34 years old Abiola Kasimu Abdusalam has been listed by World football governing body, FIFA as Nigeria’s first referee to officiate at the U17 world cup, billed for Qatar
Abdusalam’s appointment will end a 25-year wait for a Nigerian centre referee at the FIFA U-17
The 34-year-old is the only Nigerian centre referee on FIFA’s list and one of four referees selected from Africa for the competition.
The appointment was contained in a post on FIFA’s website on Thursday, where the football governing body named 81 officials for the tournament, comprising 27 referees and 54 assistant referees from 36 member associations.
Abdulsalam’s selection marks the first time in 25 years that a Nigerian centr
The official had participated in two CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments as well as several WAFU competitions.
His recent performances have also earned him another major assignment, as he is scheduled to referee the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture between Cameroon and Comoros.
Abdulsalam became a FIFA-listed referee in 2022 and has retained his international badge through the annual assessment process.
He was also the only Nigerian referee selected for the 2025 African Nations Championship.
FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina said the officials selected for the U-17 World Cup were among the organisation’s most promising match officials, adding that the appointments were based not only on the officials’ performances but also on their ability to operate effectively within international teams and cope with the demands of a major tournament.
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