Category: Sports

The Super Falcons of Nigeria dropped in FIFA’s women’s national team ranking but retained their number one spot in African women’s football.

The Super Falcons recently qualified for the last phase of the 2024 Olympics qualifiers after beating the Cameroon women’s national team in Abuja, following a 1-1 draw in Cameroon.

But that has not positively influenced their position in the world ranking according to the recent ratings FIFA released on Saturday, March 16, 2024.

Based on the world football governing body’s latest ranking, the Super Falcons moved two steps backward, from the 32nd spot to the 34th spot.

While in Africa, the Super Falcons are comfortably occupying the first spot in the FIFA ranking meaning they remain the best women’s national team on the continent.

The Nigerian side are closely followed by the reigning African women’s champions, South Africa who will face the Super Falcons in the last phase of the 2024 Olympics qualifiers.

Despite being second in Africa, the Bayana Bayana are sitting outside the top 50 in the world ranking. They are currently occupying the 51st spot in the world.

Morocco are currently occupying the third spot in Africa and sitting in the 58th spot in the world. Ghana are currently fourth, and 65th globally, while Zambia complete the top five in Africa.

Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali, and Equatorial Guinea make up the top 10 in the African national team ranking.

Note that Spain remain the highest-ranked women’s national team in the world followed by England, France, and the United States.

The post Super Falcons Of Nigeria Drop In FIFA World Ranking appeared first on Naija News.

It’s hard not to look at Rogers Place as the OK Corral of a showdown Saturday between a couple of

The 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw has produced some mouth-watering fixtures for football enthusiasts.

Premier League current table-toppers, Arsenal have been paired to start their quarter-final campaign at home against German Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich.

Harry Kane who left Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern last summer will be in the spotlight in the two-legged affairs as he makes a return to London against the Gunners in the first leg.

German Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund will start their quarter-final campaign away in Spain against Atletico Madrid.

FC Barcelona who have been struggling in the Spanish La Liga have been paired to face French Ligue 1 table-toppers, Paris Saint Germain who are being coached by Barca’s former manager, Luis Enrique.

The biggest fixture in the quarter-final round is the game between Real Madrid and Manchester City. The first leg is in Spain on April 9, while the reigning UEFA Champions League winners will host the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on April 16.

Full Draw for the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals:

All the games are scheduled to take place on April 9. The kick-off time is yet to be determined at the time of writing:

Paris Saint Germain Vs FC Barcelona

Atlético Madrid Vs Borussia Dortmund

Arsenal Vs Bayern Munich

Real Madrid Vs Manchester City

The post UEFA Champions League Draw: Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Get Tough Opponents (See Full Draw) appeared first on Naija News.

Arsenal defender, Ben White has snubbed a call-up from England ahead of their March international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

Ben White who has been in superb form at Arsenal so far this season recently signed a contract extension with the Gunners.

Due to his form, the Three Lions of England coach attempted to invite the defender to the March friendly games but the right-back turned down the invite.

Reports claimed that the 26-year-old defender is still not happy with Southgate for failing to select him for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Also, reports claimed that Ben White has vowed not to play for England until Southgate is no longer in charge of the team.

“I spoke to him post-Qatar and there was reticence from his side. I don’t know why that is,” Southgate told reporters on Thursday, March 14.

“There is no issue between us at all and there’s also no issue with Steve, which has been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.

“I have to accept things are false about me, but I’m not prepared for that to happen to my coaching team. That is not the reason Ben is not with us.”

Ben White has made just four appearances since he made his international debut for England on June 2, 2021. He didn’t kick a ball for the Three Lions of England throughout 2023.

Southgate said: “[White] would be in this squad but he’s not available to us and I have to focus on who can help us.

“Clearly on form. I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be in.

“It is a great shame. He is a player we took to the Euros, a player we took to the World Cup and I spoke to him post-Qatar because I wanted to pick him.

“People have given me a lot of stick for not picking players in the past who haven’t made themselves available. But I’ve always been able to keep them out of that story.

“On this occasion, because of the circumstances around the number of injuries and his decision to come off the long list I’ve got to be more transparent.”

Below is England’s full squad for their friendly games against Brazil at 8 p.m. on March 23 and against Belgium at 8:45 p.m. on March 26:

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Man City).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Man City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Man United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

The post Arsenal Star Snubs England Call-up, Southgate Calls It “Great Shame” appeared first on Naija News.

Netherlands is set to request Quincy Promes’ extradition from Dubai after being sentenced to six years in prison.

The post Former Ajax Star Quincy Promes Arrested In Dubai Following Cocaine Smuggling Conviction appeared first on Arise News.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Ibrahim Gusau, has urged the Flying Eagles to qualify for the semi-final stage of the African Games football event.

The Flying Eagles, who reached the final of the last edition of the African Games in Morocco, have not been at their best in the ongoing edition of the tournament.

In their opening group stage game, coach Ladan Bosso and his boys suffered an unexpected 2-1 defeat at the hands of a lowly-rated Uganda.

The Flying Eagles managed to beat South Sudan 1-0 courtesy of a late-minute penalty scored by Isiyaka Sadiq.

To qualify for the semi-final stage of the African Games and stand a chance of winning their 8th gold medal in the event’s history, they must beat Senegal in their last group stage game on Friday, March 14.

A not-too-happy NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, has told reporters that he has not been impressed by the performance of the Flying Eagles as he urged them to beat Senegal on Friday.

“Nigeria has a high pedigree in youth football across the globe and that is a fact that should ring loud in the minds of every player wearing the green-white-green at that level. We did not fare well against Uganda and I gave the boys a piece of my mind”, he said.

“Against South Sudan, we should have done more and taken the three points quickly but had to struggle. I believe the players have the potential to do far more and they should start by showing their stuff against Senegal on Friday. It is a match we have to win to reach the semi-finals.”

The post African Games: NFF President Mandates Flying Eagles To Beat Senegal appeared first on Naija News.

The 2023-2024 Premier League season has reached an advanced stage and the clear title contenders – Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City – have been confirmed.

There are just ten more games for the 2023-2024 Premier League season to end, and the race for the title is getting as intense as expected.

Presently, Arsenal are topping the table with 64 points in 28 games, seven goals above second-placed Liverpool who have the same number of points as the Gunners.

Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, who are aiming to win a record 4 league title in a row, are currently placed third, with just a point below first and second-placed Arsenal and Liverpool.

Among the remaining 10 Premier League games left for Arsenal, their most tricky fixture is against their London rivals, Chelsea, which will take place on a yet-to-be-determined date.

The Gunners must win all their remaining games but the game they are expected to do all it takes to win is against their title rivals, Manchester City on March 31. They must use the game to prove their title credential this season.

Arsenal’s last 10 matches for the 2023/2024 Premier League season:

Chelsea
Manchester City
Luton Town
Brighton and Hove Albion
Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tottenham Hotspur
Bournemouth
Manchester United
Everton

As for Liverpool, they have three tricky games which are against Manchester United, Brighton, and Tottenham. Their meetings against these three teams are always difficult to predict. Hence, if they can win those games, they will remain in contention for the title until the season ends.

Liverpool’s last 10 matches for the 2023/2024 Premier League season:

Everton
Brighton and Hove Albion
Sheffield United
Manchester United
Crystal Palace
Fulham
West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manchester City have shown that they are very beatable this season after recording three defeats in 28 games. Interestingly, the only traditional top 6 Premier League team they have defeated this season is Manchester United.

Hence, they have to step up against Arsenal on March 31 if they want to remain in contention for the title until the last day of the season.

Manchester City’s last 10 Premier League matches for the 2023/2024 season:

Brighton and Hove Albion
Arsenal
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace
Luton Town
Tottenham Hotspur
Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fulham
West Ham United

The post EPL: Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal Last Ten Premier League Fixtures appeared first on Naija News.

The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) club, Rivers United have gotten their opponents for the quarter-final stage of the 2023-2024 CAF Confederations Cup.

Rivers United who are yet to win a continental title in their history will have to go through the Algerian club, USMA, in their quest to reach the next stage of the Confederation Cup.

The 2022 NPFL champions will host the first leg of the encounter on March 29 at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, their adopted home.

The second leg of the tie will take place in Algeria on April 7, 2024.

Note that Rivers United went as far as this stage last season where they were knocked out by lowly ranked Young Africans of Tanzania.

Interestingly, the Port-Harcourt-based side are the only Nigerian side still involved in continental football so far this season.

Note that no Nigerian team has ever won the CAF Confederation Cup. If Rivers United manages to win this year’s edition of the tournament, they will be the first Nigerian club to achieve the feat.

Below is the full 2023-2024 CAF Confederation Cup Quarter-finals draw:

Rivers United of Nigeria Vs USMA of Algeria

Libya’s Abu Salem Vs RS Berkane of Morocco

Egypt’s Modern Future Vs Zamalek of Egypt.

Dreams of Ghana vs Stade Malien of Mali

The post CAF Confederation Cup Quarter-Finals Draw: Rivers United Get Algerian Club appeared first on Naija News.

Super Falconets of Nigeria head coach, Chris Danjuma, has expressed delight after his team humiliated Senegal in their second game at the ongoing 2024 All African Games.

The Super Falconets have their eyes set on the gold medal as their emphatic victory over Senegal booked them a place in the semi-final stage.

After beating Morocco 2-0 in their opening game at the tournament, they needed a win to guarantee themselves a place in the next round and they got it in style.

During their second game at the tournament which was against Senegal, Loveth Edeh scored the match opener in the 13th minute.

Motunrayo Ezekiel, Aisha Kales (own goal), and Chioma Olise sealed the 4-0 win over the Senegalese Under-20 women’s team.

The win leaves Nigerian women at the top of Group B and qualifies them to the next round automatically.

“Our mentality coming into this game was to improve on the Morocco game by three times. We needed to keep going till it was beyond their reach,” Chris Danjuma told CAFonline.

The Super Falconets will now play the second-placed team in Group A in the semi-final stage of the event.

Meanwhile, Senegal’s head coach, Mbayang Thiam has argued that her side had a great game against the Nigerian women and didn’t deserve such an emphatic defeat.

“We didn’t see this heavy defeat coming. The results don’t reflect the game,” Thiam said according to CAFonline.

Senegal still stand a chance of qualifying for the next round of the competition but they must beat Morocco on Friday to achieve that.

The post 2024 African Games: Senegal, Nigeria Coaches React After Super Falconets’ Big Win appeared first on Naija News.

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