Connect with us

Sports

U-17 W/Cup: Flamingoes Return After Woeful Outing

Published

on

The journey of Nigeria’s
Flamingoes at the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 was cut short at the weekend by their counterparts from North Korea, who beat them 3-0 at the Amman International Stadium to take top spot in Group C and move on to the knockout round.
With only one point and a minus one goal difference, Nigeria just needed to defeat North Korea by a two-goal margin to secure a place in the quarter-final. But in spite of a promising start to the game, Bala Nikyu’s girls conceded two more goals than they had in their previous two games.
They had lost 1-0 to Brazil in their first game before playing out a goalless draw against England in their second group game.
“In football you must have a winner and a loser and, in the spirit of the game, if you lose, you take it,” an obviously upset, Coach Bala Nikyu stated at the post match press conference.
“Football is like that. In this same World Cup some teams have conceded five, six goals. If you conceded goals, you conceded goals. The Journey has been cut short for many teams. Many teams are leaving Jordan”
This abysmal outing of the Flamingoes, especially without a single goal to show is Nigeria’s worst since the inception of the age grade tournament in 2008. They have reached the quarter-finals in the last three editions.
However, coach Nikyu is more particular about the experience his girls have granted in the few days they spent in Jordan.
“For us, it’s not about feeling bad. We have taken part in the World Cup and that is a wonderful experience. For most of the players, this was a new experience for them. A new and great experience. Next time, they can be better.”
The Flamingoes returned to the country on Monday, while Nigerians will start looking forward to the Falconets doing the country proud at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup next month in Papua New Guinea.
Uruguay will host the 6th edition of the FIFA U 17 Women’s World Cup in 2018.

Continue Reading

Sports

New Eagles Squad Excites WizKids

Published

on

Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has expressed his satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ preparation ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in Kigali.
The team, now under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Eric Chelle, held its first training session on Tuesday afternoon.
Reacting to the new squad, Wizkid took to his X handle on Wednesday, writing, “New Super Eagles team! (I) love the energy,” he wrote.
The crucial qualifier is set to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda on Friday, March 21, with kickoff scheduled for 5 pm Nigerian time.
Following the match, Nigeria will return home to face Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles must secure maximum points from both fixtures to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria’s current squad features several in-form players, including Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Genk’s Tolu Arokodare and Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
The match against Rwanda will be Chelle’s first game in charge of the three-time African champions, who are desperate for a positive result to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive.
The Super Eagles last played at the Amahoro Stadium in September 2024, where they were held to a goalless draw by Rwanda.

Continue Reading

Sports

NLO Tasks Clubs To Complete Players’ Facial Registration

Published

on

The Nationwide League One (NLO) has mandated the clubs that make up the Division One and U19 Youth League to complete their players’ facial verification process.
The Secretariat of the nation’s third-tier league regulatory body via its media department gave reasons on the essence of exercise as the March 30th players’ registration deadline draws near.
According to the NLO, clubs must complete facial verification for each player during registration to prevent duplicate registrations.
As regards players that have already been registered, the NLO explained that if a player fails verification (already registered with another club), the holding club must release the player. The NLO Admin will confirm the release and allow the verification of such a player for the new club.
The NLO stressed the importance of the release documentation and Registration Window Closure.
Releasing clubs must upload the player’s release document. This document will be reviewed and verified by the NLO Admin.
After the registration window closes, clubs cannot sign new players.
With the introduction of the new facial recognition technology, all clubs must register both their existing and new players.
These updates ensure a fair and transparent registration system. For assistance, clubs should contact NLO support.

Continue Reading

Sports

Aruna Up For $275k WTT Chennai

Published

on

Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, will contest in the maiden WTT Contender Chennai in India after he was picked as a replacement for German star, Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The WTT Contender Chennai is the fifth WTT event of the year and marks the first staging of the series in the City.
The event which has a prize purse of $270,000 will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, India from March 25 to 30.
Aruna and nine other players have been confirmed for the men’s singles including his African rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar.3.
Other players confirmed so far include Denmark’s Jonathan Groth (17), Hugo Calderano of Brazil (6) and world number four Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.
The 36-year-old has played in two WTT events this year.
In January, he made it as far as the semi-finals in the WTT Star Contender in Doha where he lost in straight sets to Japanese sensation Tomokazu Harimoto.
Last Wednesday, the world number 19 crashed out of the WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 after suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to world number two Wang Chuqin of China in their round of 32 clash.
Aruna will hope to put up a more commanding show in India, as he has been tipped to shine by the world body.
“Stay tuned. There’s more to come from Quadri Aruna in India,” WTT captioned Aruna’s video on Monday after announcing his participation.
WTT Executive Director of Events Mounir Bessah also said the competition is a bold step forward as they expect Aruna and other players to deliver a memorable spectacle.
“Chennai’s inclusion in the WTT Series calendar underscores our mission to expand the reach of table tennis globally while honouring the sport’s passionate fanbase in India. With a venue like the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the support of Tamil Nadu’s government, we are ready to deliver an unforgettable spectacle for players and fans.”

Continue Reading

Trending