Sport
Thursday, 18 January 2018 04:05
Rohr signs another two-year contract
Nigeria Football Federation on Wednesday in Lagos handed a new two-year deal to Super Eagles coach, Mr Gernot Rohr. Rohr took charge of the national team in 2016, after they failed to qualify for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, and has largely turned around the fortunes of the side. Under the German, Eagles emerged as the first African team to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup, with a game to spare, as well as recording a 4-2 victory over Argentina in a friendly in Krasnodar in November. “We gave Gernot Rohr an extension (of his contract) because we don’t…
Thursday, 18 January 2018 04:03
NPFL: Tornadoes, Plateau United stay on top
Niger Tornadoes and Plateau United have taken the early lead on the Nigeria Professional Football League table after Match Day 2 games were concluded across the country on Wednesday. After recording away wins on the opening weekend, Tornadoes and Plateau United followed up with home wins against FC IfeanyiUbah and Rivers United on Wednesday. While Tornadoes were 2-1 winners over their opponents from Nnewi, defending champions, Plateau United beat Garden City’s Rivers United. With the perfect start recorded by these two clubs, they are ahead with six points respectively after two games. It is, however, a different ball game for…
Wednesday, 17 January 2018 03:18
Brazil great Ronaldinho to retire, says brother
Former Brazil and Barcelona midfielder Ronaldinho, who won the World Cup, Champions League, Copa Libertadores and World Player of the Year award, is retiring from the game, his brother and agent Assis said on Tuesday. Ronaldinho has not played a competitive match since 2015 but had avoided calling a definitive halt to his career until now. "He's stopped. It's over," Assis told the Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Globo. "We're going to do something pretty big, something cool, after the World Cup in Russia, probably in August." The events, most likely farewell matches, will take place in Brazil, Europe and…
Monday, 15 January 2018 04:11
Plateau United begin title defence with away win; other NPFL results
Reigning champions of Nigeria Professional Football League, Plateau United on Sunday started their title defence on an impressive note. The Solid Miners secured an away win over Nasarawa United in Lafia to get their season off on the right footing. Raphael Ayagwa was the hero for Plateau United on Sunday getting the all-important winning goal in the 87th minute. There was also another away win in the opening weekend of action in the NPFL as Niger Tornadoes stunned newly-promoted Kwara United 2-0 in Ilorin. Tornadoes scored a goal in each half through Eric Frimpong in the 11th minute and Ibrahim…
Sunday, 14 January 2018 04:09
Kane at the double as Spurs rout Everton; Chelsea only draw
Harry Kane continued his rich scoring streak by netting twice in Tottenham Hotspur's 4-0 win over Everton at Wembley as Mauricio Pochettino's side made up ground on third-placed Chelsea who shared a goalless draw with 10-man Leicester City. For a while, it looked as if Kane might be outshone by his team mate Son Heung-min, who scored in a home game for the fifth successive time. Then Kane took over to net in the 47th and 59th minutes to take his season's league tally to 20, the fourth consecutive campaign he has reached the landmark. Christian Eriksen rounded off a…
Saturday, 13 January 2018 03:13
Saudi stadiums open for women in a first to watch soccer
Saudi women were allowed into a sports stadium for the first time Friday to watch a soccer match between two local teams - though they were segregated in the stands from the male-only crowd with designated seating in the so-called "family section." The move was the first of Saudi Arabia's social reforms planned for this year to ease restrictions on women, spearheaded by the kingdom's 32-year-old crown prince. The kingdom has also announced that starting in June women will be allowed to drive, lifting the world's only ban on female drivers. More than just an incremental step toward greater rights,…
Saturday, 13 January 2018 03:12
WBC heavyweight champ Wilder to face unbeaten Ortiz
WBC heavyweight championship Deontay Wilder is set to meet unbeaten Luis Ortiz on March 3 at Barclays Center. Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) is coming off a first-round knockout of Bermane Stiverne in November. He and Ortiz were initially supposed to fight on that card, but the Cuban was scratched because of a positive drug test. This will be Wilder's seventh title defense. Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs) is being billed as his toughest opponent. Wilder has had impressive wins at Barlays, including the knockout of Stiverne and a 2016 knockout of Artur Szpilka. Before the first scheduled bout, Ortiz was found…
Thursday, 11 January 2018 03:10
England to play Nigeria, Costa Rica in World Cup warm-ups
England will prepare for the World Cup with friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica before flying to Russia. Gareth Southgate's side will play Nigeria at Wembley Stadium on June 2 and head to northern England to take on Costa Rica five days later. Southgate says a 0-0 draw against Brazil in a November friendly "acted as a reminder that we need to challenge ourselves in different ways as a team." England opens its World Cup campaign on June 18 against Tunisia in Volgograd and also plays Panama and Belgium in the group stage. Southgate says "we want to expose the…
Wednesday, 10 January 2018 02:47
Twitter, Snapchat tie up with Fox to provide coverage of FIFA World Cup
Twenty First Century Fox Inc's Fox Sports is partnering with Twitter Inc to stream a live show and Snap Inc's Snapchat to showcase stories with matchday highlights on the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament to be hosted in Russia later this year. Fox Sports would produce the show, which will be streamed from Moscow's Red Square on each match day and provide previews, recaps and near real-time video highlights for each game, the company said. Fox said the coverage of the tournament, taking place from June 14 to July 15, will be available in the United States and can be…
Monday, 08 January 2018 04:04
Holders Arsenal crash out of FA Cup to Nottingham Forest
FA Cup holders Arsenal suffered their first third-round defeat for 22 years as they crashed to a 4-2 defeat by second-tier Nottingham Forest in a sizzling City Ground clash on Sunday. The Gunners, fielding a much-changed side from the one that drew with Chelsea in midweek and with manager Arsene Wenger watching from the stands because of a touchline ban, trailed 2-1 at halftime after Eric Lichaj scored twice.Penalties by Ben Brereton and Kieran Dowell sealed victory for Forest who sacked manager Mark Warburton a week ago. Per Mertesacker had equalised for Arsenal in the first half and Danny Welbeck…
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Saturday, 06 January 2018 04:40
Wenger invited to Weah's inauguration as Liberia's president
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he has been invited to former footballer George Weah's inauguration as Liberia's president. But Wenger, who signed Weah when he was Monaco coach in 1988, expects to be too busy to make the trip from London for the Jan. 22 ceremony. Weah, a former FIFA World Player of the Year, was elected president last week in Liberia's first democratic transfer of power in more than 70 years. Wenger says "it's down to the fact that one thing that was common in George's attitude is being strong mentally, absolutely unbelievably convinced that he has a mission."…
Friday, 05 January 2018 05:02
Egypt's Mohamed Salah wins African Player of the Year
Mohamed Salah won African Player of the Year on Thursday, a reward for success on all fronts in 2017 for the Egypt forward after he inspired his country to a long-awaited World Cup place and had a phenomenal start to his career at Liverpool. Salah won ahead of Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Borussia Dortmund and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the other finalists at the Confederation of African Football awards ceremony in Accra, Ghana. The 25-year-old Salah had a memorable year, first as part of the Egypt team that made the African Cup of Nations final in February.…
Wednesday, 03 January 2018 03:32
One-legged Egyptian soccer players aim for a league of their own
A group of Egyptian soccer players have formed a team for one-legged players, hoping to start league for disabled players in the country. "The Miracle Team," consists of twenty-five players from across Egypt who meet twice a week to train on a pitch in Cairo. While the team began training in freestyle soccer - a non-competitive art where players perform tricks with a ball - they soon decided to aim higher. "I started bringing the people in and coach Yousry, the team coach, called me to start training me on freestyle football," team captain Mahmoud Ibrahim Tawfik, who lost a…
Wednesday, 03 January 2018 03:30
Normal service resumed as Man City move 15 points clear
Manchester City returned to winning ways and restored their Premier League lead to 15 points with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Watford at their Etihad Stadium stronghold on Tuesday. As Tottenham Hotspur moved back into fifth, leapfrogging London rivals Arsenal with a 2-0 victory at bottom club Swansea City, Manchester City marched on as in-form Raheem Sterling set up their win with a goal after 38 seconds. Swansea's plight under new manager Carlos Carvalhal looked as precarious as that now also facing West Bromwich Albion's Alan Pardew, as Andy Carroll scored twice in West Ham United's 2-1 comeback win over…