
SPORTS
World record holder in the Women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, claimed her fourth Nigerian title at the ongoing Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s National Trials at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin-City, Edo State, on Monday.
She powered through to the finish line at a time of 12.78s ahead of Adaobi Tabugbo, who finished second in 13.33s.
The event, which ends this Tuesday, will be used by the AFN to pick athletes for the Paris Olympics, the Africa Championships to be held later this month in Cameroon, and the World U-20 Championship in Lima, Peru, from August 27 to 31.
Although Amusan had qualified for the Olympics, she executed her race smoothly in Benin-City to defend her title.
The 27-year-old has recorded some triumphs this season, including a world lead at the Jamaican Invitational in May and before then set the African 60m hurdles (indoor) record twice in January and February.
In what will be her third appearance at the Olympics, Amusan is looking to reach the podium in Paris, where the Games hold from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
The three-time (consecutive) Diamond League winner, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, two-time African champion and three-time African Games gold medalist, has participated in two Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020).
She didn’t make it beyond the heats on her debut appearance in 2016 and finished fourth at the last edition in Tokyo, marginally missing out on the podium.
However, the Nigerian champion has said she is not under pressure to win gold at the Paris Games.
“No pressure, just having fun. One day at a time, one race at a time, no pressure on. When it’s time for Paris, we’ll definitely show up in Paris,” Amusan said in May during the Atlanta City Games.
[Leadership]
Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen would rather join one of his Premier League suitors that moved to PSG League, as the 25-year-old is set to leave Napoli this summer.
Arsenal and Chelsea have emerged as frontrunners for his signature, and the former Lille striker is eagerly awaiting calls from the duo, according to reports in Itlay.
PSG initially earmarked him as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, who is on his way to Real Madrid, but according to Monday’s Corriere dello Sport, Osimhen is not interested in joining the French giants, being unconvinced about playing in Ligue 1. Instead, he considers the Premier League his dream destination, making Arsenal and Chelsea the favourites to land him ahead of the 2024–25 season.
Osimhen, who won the Serie A Golden Boot award in the 2022–23 season, signed a new contract with Napoli in December, which has a release clause reportedly set at €120–€130 million (£101 million).
Sevilla FC have completed the signing of Nigerian forward Chidera Ejuke.
The 26-year-old joins the Spanish club as a free agent, having successfully completed his medical examination and agreed to a three-year contract.
The announcement was made on the same day the Spanish side revealed Sergio Ramos would depart the club after a year following a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023.
Ejuke is Sevilla’s first acquisition of the summer under head coach García Pimienta.
The club, which struggled in La Liga last season, is aiming to bolster its squad with quality players to improve its performance in the upcoming season.
Primarily a left winger, Ejuke is versatile and can play on both flanks.
He will face competition for a spot in the starting lineup and is expected to make an immediate impact.
Before joining Sevilla, Ejuke made 65 appearances and recorded 18 goal involvements for his previous Russian club, CSKA Moscow.
He spent the last two seasons on loan at Hertha Berlin and Royal Antwerp.
Chidera Ejuke was part of the Nigerian national team squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where he featured in two matches.
Ejuke’s last appearance for the Super Eagles was in 2022 during an international friendly against Algeria.
Israel Adesanya has confirmed his highly anticipated UFC comeback, with the former champion scheduled to face his arch-rival in Perth.
The 34-year-old announced a hiatus from mixed martial arts following his surprising defeat by Sean Strickland in Sydney last September.
His return to the Octagon has been widely anticipated, with Adesanya strongly considered for the headline slot at UFC 300, but his fierce rival Dricus du Plessis was unable to confirm his availability for the date.
The two fighters had exchanged taunts before, with the South African asserting that he would embody a true African champion, living, training, and breathing in Africa, unlike Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria before relocating to New Zealand.
Posting a mocked-up image of himself donning the UFC’s brand new golden glove, Adesnaya, in a post on X, on Monday, appears to announce he will return to the ring later on August 17.
He wrote: “The SUN of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet.
“The SUN will set and will rise again until you walk into it. The SUN, enjoy while it shines. Darkness falls when it’s gone.”
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☀️??
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) June 17, 2024
The SUN of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet.
The SUN will set and will rise again until you walk into it. ?
The SUN, enjoy while it shines. Darkness falls when it’s gone. pic.twitter.com/u5Swlzr6TW
Romelu Lukaku endured a frustrating night as Slovakia stunned favourites, Belgium 1-0 on Monday night in the second game of Group E.
Romania opened the group with a 3-0 win over Ukraine to go top of the table.
The first upset of the competition was recorded at the Deutsche Bank Park when the less-fancied Slovakia earned a shock win over Belgium.
It was an unforgettable evening for Chelsea striker, Romelu Lukaku who missed three big chances in the first half before his goal was ruled out for Luis Openda’s handball in the second half.
Ivan Schranz took advantage of a terrible Jeremy Doku’s pass to stab home the opener in the seventh minute.
Belgium dominated the game with over 70 per cent possession and seven shots in the first half but they failed to find the back of the net coupled with Lukaku’s wasteful showing.
Just after the restart, Lukaku thought he had scored the equaliser but his effort was ruled out for offside.
48th placed ranked Slovakia held on for a record-breaking win over the third best team in the world according to the latest FIFA rankings.
It was the first defeat for Belgium against a team outside the top 45 of the Fifa world rankings for the first time since 2010.
The Red Devils will hope to bounce back in their second game when they take on Romania on Saturday, while Slovakia will be seeking a place in the next round with a win over Ukraine.
Tobi Amusan has claimed her fourth consecutive national title in the women’s 100 metres hurdles event.
The 27-year-old dipped at 12.78 seconds and was way ahead of her competitors in a one-sided final of the event on Monday at the national Olympic trials in Benin, Edo state.
The victory was Amusan’s fourth national title in a row, having swept to victory at the Olympic trials in Lagos in 2021 before winning twice in Benin in the last two years.
In the women’s 100 meters, Favour Ofili clinched the national title and booked an automatic qualification for the Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old clocked a season-best of 11.06 seconds to finish ahead of Olayinka Olajide, who came second in 11.37 seconds, and Justina Eyakpobeyan in third.
Kanyinsola Ajayi won the men’s 100-meter crown with a blistering 10.14 seconds.
He defeated Alaba Akintola, who clocked 10.16 seconds, and Usheoritse Itsekiri, who finished second and third.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi won his fourth consecutive men’s shot put national title. He only needed three attempts to his 21.37 meters mark which was insurmountable by his opponents.
Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has overtaken Tyson Fury in the latest WBC heavyweight rankings.
Anthony Joshua has now moved to number one in the WBC heavyweight rankings, while Tyson Fury has dropped from the first spot to the second spot.
The current undisputed heavyweight title holder, Oleksandr Usyk, is ranked the winner of the rankings.
Fury dropped one spot after losing his WBC heavyweight title to Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in May 2024.
While Fury suffered a massive defeat to the Ukrainian boxer, Anthony Joshua recorded successive victories against Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin.
These two victories have qualified Joshua to contest for the vacant IBF title against Daniel Dubois in September.
Agit Kabayel who recently beat Frank Sanchez during one of the under-cards on the Fury vs Usyk bill in May, takes the third spot in the WBC rankings.
Zhilei Zhang who stunned Deontay Wilder with a knockout win earlier this year is the fourth-highest-ranked boxer in the world according to the WBC.
Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Efe Ajagba completes the top five list thanks to the WBC ‘silver’ trinket belt he is currently holding.
Jared Anderson is ranked 6th, Martin Bakole is ranked 7th, Sanchez 8th, Joe Joyce 9th, and Bakhodir Jalolov is ranked 10th in the WBC rankings.
Former Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George has opened up on why he resigned from the position.
Finidi submitted his resignation letter to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on Saturday.
The 53-year-old took the decision after the NFF announced it would hire a foreign technical adviser to tinker the team.
In a video posted on social media hours later, a former media officer of the Eagles, Colin Udoh, confirmed he had spoken to Finidi after his decision.
“Finidi confirmed to me that he resigned his position indeed,” Udoh said.
“The reason being that he met with the NFF on Thursday, and they had a very good conversation.
“They spoke about the things they need to do going forward and he (Finidi) asked if he will be back.
“At no point during that meeting did anyone tell him they were going to appoint a foreign technical adviser.
“The NFF board had met on Wednesday and made that decision. But it was when Findi landed in Port Harcourt after that meeting that someone called him and informed him. He (Finidi) had to park his car and read the link to see that it actually was true.
“So he waited for two days to see if anyone would contact him but nobody spoke to him. So he (Finidi) felt they didn’t want him anymore and so he decided to turn in his resignation.”
Former Super Eagles coach, Finidi George, on Sunday, reacted to the viral video of Victor Osimhen on social media, where he denied accusations of faking an injury to avoid participation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Naija News had earlier reported that Osimhen, on Saturday, in an Instagram Live, disclosed that the claims about him staging an injury to skip national team duties were false.
In the video, Osimhen addressed some rumours linked to Finidi George, claiming that the former Enyimba gaffer said that he won’t beg him [Osimhen] to play for the Super Eagles.
Osimhen attacked the former Super Eagles coach, stating that he has lost respect for him.
The controversy prompted Nigerian sports journalist, Colin Udoh to seek clarification from both the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and Finidi George.
Udoh reached out to senior NFF officials, who confirmed that Finidi never accused Osimhen of feigning an injury.
Udoh also revealed that he reached out to Finidi, who refuted ever making such a statement and expected Osimhen to have handled the situation differently.
Udoh said on Instagram, “So I called a couple of people who were at that meeting between Finidi, the NFF, and the minister to find out if what is alleged to have been said was actually said, and so these people are usually very, very senior and reliable people and I was told categorically that Finidi did not say the things he’s alleged to have said.
“He did not say he wasn’t going to beg Osimhen. He did not say that Osimhem was not committed. in fact, he did confirm when he was asked about Osimhen’s absence that he called him from Germany, and that’s why he was excused.
“It was when the issue of player’s commitment was raised; that’s why he said he would not beg anybody to play for the Super Eagles, but he did not mention any player by name, specifically.
“And so, I also called Finidi himself to ask him if that was the case and he also confirmed to me that he never said any of those things.
“In fact, he corroborated what the other gentleman had told me and that he would have no reason to call out any player, whether in public or in private, and that he would address issues with the players themselves if there were any issues.
“And then, as soon as the video was brought to his attention, he said he reached out to Osimhen and let him know that one, he never said those things, and two, even if he had, Osimhen should have reached out to him first to find out if he did say, what he was alleged to have said, rather than going, public with such disrespect.”
Rwanda head coach, Thorsten Frannk Splitter, says he will be relying on Gernot Rohr for essential information to claim the scalp of the Super Eagles in their 2026 World Cup CAF Qualifying Group C match day 5 fixture on March 17, 2025, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
After four rounds of matches, Rwanda are surprisingly topping the group with seven points, the same as South Africa in second place due to an inferior goal difference, and the East Africans can now fancy their chances at maiden World Cup qualification by adding Nigeria to their conquest list.
Rohr led Benin to a historic 2-1 win over Nigeria at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, on June 10, and Splitter feels the Franco-German, who coached Nigeria for almost six years before being appointed by Benin, is the right man to advise him on how to beat Nigeria.
“I am very sure we (me and Gernot Rohr) will have a phone call before; it may be two or three, and if he can tell me something, I will be stupid not to take it. For that, we will try to be in contact; if possible, we can help each other; for sure, we will do it,” the Belgian tactician told Brila FM on Saturday.
Rohr was carried shoulder-high by Cheetahs players after Jodel Dossou scored on 37 minutes to cancel out Raphael Onyedika’s 27th-minute opener for Nigeria, and Steve Mounié scored the decider three minutes into added time of the first half to give Benin their first victory against their illustrious neighbours in Ivory Coast.
Nigeria are stuck in fifth spot on the log with miserly three points in for matches, and the three-time African champions will look to revive qualification hopes when the series resumes early next year, which will see them host Zimbabwe on March 24 on the back of the Rwanda trip.
This will be under a new coach following the resignation of Finidi George on Saturday, June 15, shortly after the Nigeria Football Federation announced its decision to hire an expatriate technical adviser to boss him.
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VIDEO: ‘Eni kure, Ogun kill anyone who doubts my commitment’ - Victor Osimhen fumes over non-appearance for Super Eagles
AFOLABISuper Eagles and Napoli forward Victor Osimhen has fired back at former Super Eagles manager, Finidi George, and individuals doubting his commitment to the Super Eagles.
Osimhen was ruled out of the Super Eagles games against South Africa and Benin Republic.
However, in a live Instagram video on Saturday, Osimhen reacted angrily to some comments attributed to Finidi, stating that he wanted to stay with the players in camp.
He said, “I knew things like these would happen and that’s why I have the videos and screenshots of when I called Finidi while I was with the doctor in Germany.
“I got injured in our (Napoli’s) last game against Lecce and I went to the MRI scan. And I called Finidi there for him to listen to the doctor too.
“I asked Finidi George to allow me stay with the players in the camp, but Finidi asked me not to bother that I should stay with my family.
“I’m not addressing anything, everybody knows I play my heart out whenever I’m playing for the club or national team. I’ll share the screenshot and videos of my conversation with Finidi for the sake of those believing what Finidi said.
“I’ve lost respect for that man because before I disrespect anybody, I always respect them.
“Now after two bad games, everybody is now blaming me.
“I know how many injuries I’ve played with for Nigeria and I played my heart out but after two bad games, everybody is attacking me.”
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VIDEO: 'Eni kure, Ogun kill anyone who doubts my commitment', Victor Osimhen fumes over non-appearance for Super Eagles
— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) June 15, 2024
Credit:X //MUDIAGA pic.twitter.com/9m6ZGFWVi8
Ex-Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has died aged 54, his former clubs Arsenal and Everton announced on Saturday.
Campbell, who died after a short illness, holds the record for most Premier League goals, 83, by a player never to win an international cap.
“Everyone at Arsenal Football is devastated to hear of the death of our much-loved former player Kevin Campbell,” said Arsenal.
Campbell joined the Gunners as a schoolboy in 1985, making his first-team debut in 1988. He went on to play 228 times for Arsenal scoring 59 goals and winning a league title, an FA Cup, a European Cup Winners Cup and a League Cup.
“To actually play for the team I supported was a dream come true,” he said.
In 164 games for Everton he scored 51 goals, including nine in five games which saved them from relegation in 1999.
“Everyone at Everton Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the Club’s most popular and much-loved former strikers, Kevin Campbell,” they said on their website.
Campbell, who also played for Leicester, Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest, Trabzonspor, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff, said one of his favourite memories in football was scoring the winner in the 2000 Merseyside derby, Everton’s last victory at Anfield for 22 years
“It was at the Kop End and my view, which will live with me until the day I die, is the Blues in the Kop going crazy,” he said.
In January 2001, manager Walter Smith made Campbell Everton’s first black captain.
“He made me the first black captain of Everton, which is something that I’m so proud of,” Campbell said.
Campbell moved to West Brom in January 2005 and was part of their “great escape”, as they became the first club bottom of the Premier League at Christmas to survive.
His son, Tyrese Campbell, is a striker who has just been released by Championship side Stoke City after seven seasons at the club.
Nigeria Super Eagles’ coach, Finidi George has resigned from his post as Super Eagles’ coach, two days after the Nigeria Football Federation announced it was going to employ a foreign technical adviser.
A source close to Finidi told Sports Village Square that Finidi sent his resignation letter to Ibrahim Gusau “3o minutes ago.”
Finidi was said to be livid that the NFF leadership met with the sports minister two days ago, but failed to mention that players reported late to the camp and that they didi nothing to mobilise Nigerians in Cote d’Ivoire to come out to support the Super Eagles in last Monday’s match with Benin Republic.
“He complained that the NFF heaped all the blames on him”, said the source.
Calls to NFF officials to verify the information were not answered.
[sportsvillagesquare]
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has identified Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, as one of the smartest players he has coached in his career.
Guardiola coached the Germany international at Man City before the player left for Barca.
They both won several trophies, including the Champions League and the Premier League.
“İlkay didn’t talk much, but when he did, everyone listened to him, including me as a coach,” Guardiola said (via Barca Blaugranes).
“It was clear and direct. He is a very intelligent player, one of the smartest I have ever coached. He was the key to our success.”
[DailyPost]