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AFCON qualifier: Super Eagles camp bubbles as 20 players hit camp

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About 20 invited Super Eagles players have arrived the Ikot Ekpene camp ofthe team, ahead of Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign clash with Madagascar.

Nigeria opened camp in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday, as players began arriving at the team’s base ahead of the opening Group C qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

The team’s first training session commenced on Tuesday, September 22, with the opening 15 minutes to be made available to members of the media.

The 20 players currently in camp are Simon Moses, Akor Adams, Taiwo Awoniyi, Isaac James, Emmanuel Fernandez, Benjamin Fredericks, Moses Uzor, George Ilenikhena, Arthur Okonkwo, Alex Iwobi, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Chibuike Nwaiwu, Tolu Arokodare, Bruno Onyemaechi, Raphael Onyedika and Frank Onyeka.

However, goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Maduka Okoye are yet to arrive in camp.

Head coach Eric Chelle named a 24-man squad for Nigeria’s opening AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with Nottingham Forest striker Awoniyi drafted into the squad to replace injured captain and talisman Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen’s absence will leave Chelle with a different set of attacking options as the coach prepares his team for the start of the qualifying campaign.

Madagascar have also arrived in Nigeria, touching down on Monday afternoon as the Barea stepped up preparations for Friday’s encounter.

The Super Eagles will be hoping to begin their campaign with a positive result when they face Madagascar in Uyo before turning their attention to their next qualifying fixture against Guinea-Bissau.

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Argentina president describes UN as “useless organisation”

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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.

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Anthony Joshua Vs Tyson Fury fight now moved to Cardiff 

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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.

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25 years after, FIFA lists first Nigerian center ref for World cup

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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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