Sports

Nigeria Look To Dominate Burundi,’ Morrow

Published

7 years ago

June 21, 2019

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will look for a dominant performance in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group B opener against rookies, Burundi, tomorrow.
The match is set for the Alexandria Stadium, with kick-off at 7.00pm.
Nigeria has been absent from the last two editions of the AFCON, but under German Manager Gernot Rohr, they have secured a return to the top table of African football.
The Super Eagles finished top of Group E in the preliminaries (ahead of South Africa, Libya and the Seychelles) and entered the 2019 finals as one of the favourites for the title.
The West African heavyweights won their third Nations Cup title in their last appearance in 2013, though only veterans John Obi Mikel, Ahmed Musa and Kenneth Omeruo remain from that victorious squad.
Such is Nigeria’s strength that they have been able to leave out Kelechi Iheanacho due to relative lack of game time at his club Leicester City, while Victor Moses was not even available after retiring from international football.
Their opponents Burundi are something of an unknown quantity at this level, with the 2019 AFCON marking their major tournament debut.
The Swallows secured qualification by finishing as runners-up to Mali in Group C of the preliminaries. The East Africans boast stars such as Gael Bigirimana and Saido Berahino, while they will also play in honour of the late Papy Faty, who passed away earlier this year.
In head-to-head stats, Nigeria and Burundi have met in just one previous match: an AFCON qualifier in January 1999 which the Super Eagles won 2-0 at home. The match was later annulled when Nigeria was awarded the hosting rights (alongside Ghana) for the 2000 finals and withdrew from the preliminaries.

Sports

Keves Football Competition Opens Registration, Increases Prize Money

Published

4 minutes ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The registration has opened for participation in the Keves Global football competition in Rivers State, and the deadline for submission of entries will be Wednesday, 16th July 2026.

Speaking in a media briefing at the Rivers State Football Association (RSFA) office, NUJ Moscow Road premises on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the sponsor of the competition, Chief Ikenna Okafor, said sponsoring sports competitions was part of the company’s social responsibilities.

Chief Okafor, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Keves Global Leasing Limited, said one of the priorities of the company is building on human capacity development.

According to Chief Okafor, who was represented by the company’s head of Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (QHSSE), Donald Elijah, said in this fourth edition, the prize has increased to a total record of N7 million for the amateur and All-Stars categories, excluding the individual prizes.

He stated that sponsoring sporting competitions and tournaments like football, swimming, golf, tennis, and table tennis was with the view to take youths away from the streets and catch them young.

“One of the ways we are taking youths from the streets and empowering them is through sports, not only football but also other sports. This is not the first edition; it is the fourth edition of this championship.

“So the company loves sports so much; we see sports as one of the key social responsibilities of bringing people together.

“We sponsored golf tournaments that brought over 14 international sportsmen from within and outside Africa. We equally sponsored swimming classics, tennis, and table tennis.

“We are here this year to have a better football championship so that at the end of the competition we are going to have the Ronaldos and Messis.

“This is an investment aimed at youth development and strengthening the sports ecosystem in Rivers State,” Chief Okafor said.

Also speaking, the vice chairman of the Rivers State Football Association (RSFA), Akubo Benjamin, said that he has received assurance from Chief Ikenna Okafor that the Keves Global Football Competition will be staged annually.

He explained that the funding of the competition has grown steadily since inception, adding that the total prize has risen from ?3.5 million in 2022 to ?7 million in 2026, making it a 100% increase over three editions.

“In the amateur clubs category, the winners will go home with ?2,000,000, the 1st runner-up with ?1,400,000, and the 2nd runner-up with ?1,000,000.

Meanwhile, in the All Stars category, the winner will receive ?1,000,000, the second position ?600,000, and the third position will receive ?400,000.

Also, there will be individual awards to outstanding players in different categories during the tournament.

A total of 32 clubs will compete in the amateur clubs category, while eight teams will feature in the All-Stars category.

“And the venue of the competition will be Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt,” Benjamin said.

Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Super Eagles Ranks 2nd Among W’Cup Absentees

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are the second-highest-ranked team not participating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as they remained 26th in the latest FIFA men’s World Ranking.

Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.

“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.

“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.

Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.

Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.

Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.

Sports

NCF picks Squad For Namibia Tour Tri-Series

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.

Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.

The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.

Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.

The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.

The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.

Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.

Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.

The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.

The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.