Sports
Angels Back To Winning Ways
Rivers Angels of Port
Harcourt got back to winning ways with a 1-2 victory over COD Ladies of Lagos in a week 7 encounter of the Nigeria Women Football League played at the Onikan Stadium in Lagos. It was a game that produced two red cards.
COD Ladies had the first shot on target but Adeshola Opeyemi’s goal inside the first minute was ruled offside almost immediately after kick off.
A match well dominated by the Edwin Okon tutored side saw Mabel Effiom volley in an Ngozi Ebere’s corner kick in the 10th minute to give the visitors a 0-1 lead.
In the 29th minute, Ayila Loveth came close to sending in a second from an Ebere’s cross but her shot went off target.
Then in the 39th minute, right back defender, Ugo Njoku sent in the second goal with Amarachi Ojinma assisting
Few minutes before half, the home team came close to putting one in through Okpe Blessing but Uju Joseph rushed to clear from goal line after goalkeeper Christy Ohiaeriaku missed her touch.
In the 66th minute Rivers Angels were reduced to ten players as Ayila Loveth was shown a straight red after she brought down Agams Nkechi.
Four minutes later, Dike Patience got a second yellow after she elbowed Juliet Bassey and was sent off to reduce the home team to 10 players as well.
However a goal scramble in the 86th minute made it 1-2 as Ikechukwu Vivian slotted in a set piece cross from Okpe Blessing.
Despite the 2-1 victory, head coach of Rivers Angels Edwin Okon said his team conceded a cheap goal
“Well I thank the players from Rivers Angels and I think it is a very good fight, very serious fight but at that level we just want to go back home and then see how we can correct some of the mistakes, you can as well see the goal we conceded, too cheap for a team like Rivers Angels and my take is just to go back to the drawing board and see how to correct those mistakes so that we can as well go back to where we supposed to be” said Okon.
On his part, head coach of COD Ladies, Alabi Kazeem said his side played against a national team.
“If you look at ball possession, in times of ball possession we’re better than them, keep our balls on the ground and that is what we’re teaching them and look at my players they’re very young, we’re playing against the national team, we have about ten of them from the Falcons, so if my girls can hold them like this it means their future is so so bright so am okay with the performance, I think they will do better in their next match” Kazeem said.
“We had an appeal for penalty more than three occasions which you can see so she never gave it, so me I don’t take my blame or fault to referee” he added.
Sports
Gyokeres Situation, Transfer Under Cloud At Sporting

Sporting have not received an offer for striker Viktor Gyokeres and there is no gentleman’s agreement for him to leave for £59million, says club president Frederico Varandas.
Sweden international Gyokeres, 27, has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Arsenal after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal.
He has a 100m euro (£85m) release clause in his contract.
It has been widely reported that, after staying at Sporting last summer, Gyokeres and Sporting agreed he could leave for 70m euros (£59m) this summer.
However, Varandas said the club’s only promise to Gyokeres was that they would not demand his full release clause.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.
“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.”
Gyokeres spent three seasons with Coventry City in the Championship before joining Sporting under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana was sporting director at Sporting last summer, when Gyokeres’ agent sought assurances about his leaving if a suitable offer arrived.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.
“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.
“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m eurors or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100 million euros.’”
Sports
Concacaf Opposes 64-Team W’Cup Plans

Concacaf President Victor Montagliani has criticised a proposal to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64 teams.
The plans, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, have also drawn opposition from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The tournament will be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, after the opening matches are held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The 2026 World Cup, which will take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada, has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
But Conmebol said it wanted to add more participants to mark the competition’s 100-year anniversary.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told Tidesports source
“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
Concacaf is the governing body of football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams was taken in 2017 following a unanimous vote at a Fifa congress.
Fifa’s 75th congress will be held in Paraguay on 15 May, when Conmebol’s proposal could be discussed.
If the proposal is accepted, the 2030 edition would consist of 128 matches, double the number played under the 64-game format used from 1998 and 2022.
In March, Ceferin described the proposal as a “bad idea” while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said it would cause “chaos”.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman.
“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
Sports
Brazil Edge Paraguay, Book W’Cup Spot

Brazil qualified for the 2026 World Cup this week with a 1-0 win against Paraguay in South American qualifying to give Carlo Ancelotti his first win as manager.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jnr scored from close range in the second half, finishing after fine work from Manchester United-bound playmaker Matheus Cunha.
The victory, Ancelotti’s first after a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on his debut last week, means Brazil has now qualified for every edition of the World Cup.
“We needed to win and qualify for the World Cup,” said Vinicius Jr.
“Now the coach will have more time to work. Of course today wasn’t one of our best performances, but the important thing is always to win.
“Now it’s time to celebrate qualifying.”
Elsewhere, World Cup holders Argentina played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Colombia in Buenos Aires.
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine individual goal, dancing through three defenders before finishing past Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina was reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining when Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a high-boot challenge on Colombia’s Kevin Castano.
But Lionel Messi’s side found an equaliser nine minutes from the end through Lyon’s Thiago Almada, leaving Colombia four points clear of seventh-placed Venezuela.
Ecuador, Argentina’s nearest challengers, booked their spot at next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States after a 0-0 draw away at Peru.
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