Sports
Fans Commend Eagles’ Commitment
Football fans have said that the Super Eagles 2-1 victory over the Leone Stars on Wednesday showed that the players and their coaches were committed to rebuilding the national team.
The fans said after the encounter at the Tesilm Balogun Stadium that the team exhibited a high team spirit.
“Though the result was slim, I must say that it is a good beginning for the team,” Femi Atolagbe, a banker, said.
“The team spirit must be commended. All the players displayed the commitment and coordination required to rebuild a team that has lost the confidence of fans.
“I want to also commend Coach Samson Siasia for his good leadership role and tactical discipline.
“He has been able to bring Nigerian players together and given all the opportunity to prove themselves.”
Bimbo Akinola, a businessman, said that the team should be given time to mature.
“This is a new team. Nigerians should not judge them with the result of the match because they need time to mature.
“Many of them are playing together for the first time and need to blend over time with continuous playing and understanding of one another.
“I only hope that they will continue to display the high level of commitment and patriotism they showed here which the last Super Eagles lacked,” Akinola said.
He urged the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to organise more friendly matches for the team to avoid woeful performances in major competitions.
Osasu Obayuiwana, Associate Editor of New African Magazine, said that the match was just a friendly encounter which would serve as part of the team’s rebuilding process.
“The team still has a lot of work to do in coordination to understand each other.
“For now there is no cause for me to complain too much since we won the match anyway,” he said.
Fred Edore, a sports journalist, said that the team was going through the process of reconstruction and confidence building.
“This is a new effort in rebuilding our football and all hands must be on deck,’’ he said.
“The technical crew did not limit the players to the already established ones; the home-based were equally given the opportunity to prove themselves, even the reserves played except the goalkeeper.”
On the choice of Sierra Leone, he said it was good for a team that is going through transformation.
Meanwhile, Siasia commended the Lagos fans but blamed the synthetic pitch for the 2-1 score.
“Lagos fans are wonderful, they are one of the best spectators in the world; they cheer you when you are playing well and boo you when you are not playing well.
“For me, playing in Lagos is like playing an away match and I need to play well to get the support of the fans.
“Our problem is not with the fans but with the pitch. Most of the players are playing for the first time on such a pitch which made it a bit difficult for them to express themselves.
“But what is most important for us is that we won; this is part of our preparation for the Nations’ Cup qualifier against Ethiopia which is a must win,” Siasia said.
Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo called on the fans to keep supporting the team to bring back the country’s lost glory in football.
“Considering the time and preparation, the result is not bad for we put in our best to redeem the image of the national team after the poor performance of the World Cup in South Africa.
“The pitch and the limited time we had for preparation were responsible for the slim victory but we urge our fans to keep supporting us because this is a new Super Eagles,” Yobo said.
The proposed blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has been signed and will go ahead, according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.
Fury had suggested on Friday that the long-awaited all-British showdown was unlikely to happen, but Hearn insisted the fight is contractually agreed.
“We’ve signed the contract, we’re waiting for a date,” Hearn told Tidesports source yesterday.
Hearn said neither fighter could simply withdraw from the agreement.
“The fight’s signed. No-one can pull out of the fight. You can’t just pull out of a contract,” he said.
The main issue still to be resolved is where the fight will take place.
The bout had been expected to happen in the United Kingdom in November, but Saudi organisers Sela are pushing for it to be staged in the United States.
Joshua and Fury have separate contracts with Sela, with New York’s Madison Square Garden reportedly among the preferred venues.
The fight is also expected to be broadcast on Netflix.
Hearn said the Joshua camp would prefer the fight to remain in Britain but could consider a move to the United States under the right terms.
“We know everybody and his dog involved in the fight wants to do the fight in America. We don’t,” Hearn said.
The promoter added that discussions with Sela were continuing, but stressed that there was no indication the fight itself was in danger of falling apart.
“We’ve told Sela and the team, ‘If you want to do it in America, these are the terms that we can move forward with. But we’d rather not please,’” he said.
Fury and Joshua have been expected to meet in one of the biggest fights in British boxing history, with the venue and date now the major outstanding details.
Arsenal want Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, to accept a reduction in his wage demands as a condition for completing a move to the Emirates before the summer transfer window closes.
The Gunners remain hopeful of landing the Nigeria international, with manager Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his attacking options after failing to convince Atletico Madrid to sell Julian Alvarez, who is said to prefer a move to Barcelona over a return to the Premier League.
According to sources, Arsenal have held direct talks over a deal for Osimhen but are unwilling to make an excessive contract offer, leaving any potential agreement dependent on the striker’s willingness to compromise on his salary.
The 27-year-old currently earns in excess of €20 million (£17.1m) annually at Galatasaray, a figure Arsenal are said to be unwilling to match. Negotiating a fee could prove another obstacle, with Galatasaray president, Dursun Ozbek, insisting the striker is not for sale, a stance underlined by the club’s rejection of a €130 million (£111m) offer from Saudi Pro League side, Al-Hilal, earlier this month.
Having missed out on Osimhen, Al-Hilal reportedly turned their attention to Aston Villa striker, Ollie Watkins, only for their latest £45 million approach to also be rejected, further highlighting the difficulty clubs are facing in prising top forwards away from their current sides this summer.
Despite the ongoing speculation over his future, Osimhen has enjoyed a strong start to the season in Turkey.
He scored twice and provided an assist in Galatasaray’s 4-0 away win over Erzurumspor on Friday, having also netted twice in a 2-2 draw with Corum FK. The forward is expected to continue leading the line for the Turkish champions as Arsenal await his decision on a possible switch to the Premier League.
Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta ended the club’s 22-year wait for a league title last season – and with a faultless display against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues in their opener, his team reminded the rest of the league why they are favourites to retain the crown.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.
Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta ended the club’s 22-year wait for a league title last season – and with a faultless display against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues in their opener, his team reminded the rest of the league why they are favourites to retain the crown.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.
Port Harcourt has been confirmed as the host city for the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) Playoffs for a fourth straight year, following a slight schedule adjustment by the League Management Committee of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
Originally slated for Aug. 22–29, the Playoffs (Phase 3) will now run from 29 August to 6 September at the Basketball Stadium, 59 Niger Street, Port Harcourt Township, Rivers State.
In a communiqué issued on 21 August 2026 by NBBF Vice-President and League Chairman Babatunde Ogunade alongside Secretary-General Amina Amanchi, the federation commended the qualifying teams for their professionalism and performance thus far.
Per the updated schedule, participating teams are expected to arrive on 29 August for pre-tournament technical meetings, with competitive action running from 30 August through 5 September, while team departures take place a day later.
The eight-team, round-robin tournament features four qualifiers from the Atlantic Conference—Rivers Hoopers, Maktown Flyers, Hoops & Read, and Lagos Raptors—alongside Savannah Conference representatives Aso Sky Hawks, 313 Warriors, Gboko City Chiefs, and Kano Pillars.
The selection of Port Harcourt re-establishes Rivers State as a central venue for elite domestic basketball in Nigeria and once again brings the action closer to the teeming fans, following a successful staging of the playoffs and Final Four at the same venue last year.