Sports
…Kefas Secures Long Distance Double
Williams Kefas of the Nigeria Police won the men’s 5,000 metres event to secure a long distance double at the 21st Nigeria/Mobil/NNPC Track and Field Championships.
Kefas, who had on Thursday at the opening won the 10,000 metres event with a time of 30 minutes 48.28 seconds, clinched his double after running 15 minutes 52.59 seconds.
Kefas beat an eight-man field that also had defending champion John Bulus of the Civil Defence Academy (CDA) and last year’s runner-up, Danjuma Kopkuddi.
Emmanuel Gyang of Plateau came second with a time of 16.04.57, ahead of Bulus, who came third with a time of 16.04.66.
In the race, Bulus had led after the first two laps with Kefas taking over by the halfway mark and Bulus dropping to second position with Gyang and Taiwo Osuolale of Ondo State following closely behind.
But as the race gained momentum after 4,000 m, Kefas maintained his lead, with Gyang firmly steadying his place and surging to second place behind him.
Bulus briefly kept the spectators on their feet when he surged forward to overtake Gyang with about 200 metres to go, but the 17-year-old athlete regained his position with about 15 metres to the finishing line.
Osuolale finished fourth with 16.35.78 while Ben Emmanuel of Kaduna State and Michael Haruna of Adamawa State finished fifth and sixth with a time of 16.42.48 and 17.35.65 respectively.
John Long of Oyo State, who finished last in the race with 19.03.10, however, got the event’s biggest applause as he arrived at the finishing line.
Danjuma Kopkuddi of the Nigerian Immigration Service had earlier dropped out of the race.
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CAFCL : Rivers United Arrives DR Congo
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
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FIFA rankings: S’Eagles drop Position, remain sixth in Africa
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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