Sports
Could LA Move Help Troost-Ekong Lead Super Eagles into Successful New Era?
Plenty has been written about Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and many heads are still being scratched as to what exactly went wrong during qualifying.
Some of those questions have been answered with the sacking of Augustine Eguavoen and his coaching staff, and so the Nigerian Football Federation will now need to oversee a rebuilding operation that gets the right head coach in.
Of course, the players have to take some responsibility for the failure to qualify for Qatar too, and nobody has shouldered that burden more than the captain, William Troost-Ekong, who has apologised for the Super Eagles’ dismal efforts.
The 28-year-old’s own future in club football has come under scrutiny after it was reported that Los Angeles Galaxy was interested in signing the defender from his current employer, the English Premier League side Watford.
Would that be a wise career choice for him? There are critics of Major League Soccer (MLS), who claim it is of low quality or sees it as a footballing retirement home for faded stars. But in LA, Troost-Ekong could join the likes of Mexico international Javier Hernandez and former Bayern Munich and Juventus attacker Douglas Costa, to name just a few.
And so it would be wrong to suggest that his game would suffer, especially as so many of the successful United States and Canada national teams – both of whom have qualified for the World Cup – play their club football in the MLS. The leading betting sites, such as bet365, give the US odds of 100/1 to win in Qatar, which is roughly the same as the likes of Switzerland, Senegal, and Serbia. But these bookmakers also offer prices on each team to qualify from their group, and they believe that the United States is an even-money shot to make it out of Group B.
Once the Premier League season is over, Troost-Ekong will have to decide on what his future holds – will he stay at Watford, who are likely to be relegated from the Premier League, or pack his bags and try his luck in America?
If he opts for the latter, don’t write the Super Eagles captain off – the standard of play in the MLS is improving with every passing year.
Out of the Hornets Nest?
Troost-Ekong is just one of three Nigerians to ply their trade at Watford, with Peter Etebo and Emmanuel Dennis also flying the Super Eagles flag with the Hornets.
Like their international captain, both will have big decisions to make if/when Watford are relegated to the Championship, and in Dennis’ case in particular you suspect there will be no shortage of interest in his signature.
The 24-year-old has contributed ten goals and five assists in 30 Premier League outings so far this season, and that is a tremendous effort given just how badly the Hornets have struggled.
What’s more, he has achieved those attacking feats despite featuring in the starting eleven of two defence-minded coaches – first Claudio Ranieri, and then Roy Hodgson when the former was sacked back in January.
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— DENNIS BLESSED (@dennisblessed42) March 28, 2022
Dennis, who was born in Yola and played his junior football at the Kwara Football Academy in Kwara State, would be one of the most saleable assets at Watford should they decide to balance the books following relegation – it has been reported that the club could be as much as £139 millionin debt, a situation exacerbated by being demoted to the second tier.
The striker only cost the Hornets an estimated £3.5 million when he joined Club Bruges in the summer of 2021. Dennis had already scored goals in the Champions League against Real Madrid, so he clearly has the ability to play in football’s top tier.
But current club Watford is unlikely to be able to offer him that chance in the 2022/23 season, so is a move away now a formality?
A transfer to a higher quality team could not only improve the 24-year-old’s game but also help Nigeria in the future, and as the Super Eagles look to begin their rebuild it is Dennis who they could and perhaps should use as the lynchpin for the next generation.
Team Nigeria finished sixth on the overall medals table at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, falling short of the National Sports Commission’s ambitious target after ending the competition with 23 medals, comprising 10 gold, seven silver and six bronze
The tally represents a shortfall against the lofty expectations set before the Games.
Director General of the Commission, Bukola Olopade, had projected that Nigeria could surpass the 18-gold target set by the Elite Athletes Podium Finish initiative to win as many as 22 gold medals, citing structural reforms under NSC chairman Shehu Dikko and backing from President Bola Tinubu.
Nigeria’s confidence had been rooted in its performance at the 2022 Birmingham Games, where the country recorded its most successful outing with 35medals, comprising 12 gold, nine silver and 14 bronze, to finish seventh overall.
While the final gold count of 10 fell well short of the 22 projected and even the eighteen baseline target, and the overall medal haul of 23 was down on the 35 won in Birmingham, Team Nigeria’s campaign in Glasgow nonetheless produced several standout moments across a broader spread of disciplines than in previous editions, with medals arriving from athletics, judo, weightlifting, para athletics, para powerlifting and swimming.
Samuel Ogazi delivered Nigeria’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s 400m, powering to victory in 44.25 seconds, while Ezekiel Nathaniel added another gold in the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.47 seconds. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi became the first Nigerian to win the men’s shot put title at the Games with a throw of 21.07m, and further medals came from Ella Onojuvwevwo, who claimed bronze in the women’s 400m to end a wait dating back to 1994, Ruth Usoro, who won silver in the long jump, Udodi Onwuzurike, who took silver in the men’s 200m, and Kayinsola Ajayi, whose bronze in the men’s 100m ended a twenty-year wait for Nigeria in the event. The men’s 4x100m relay team and the mixed 4x400m relay quartet both closed out the athletics programme with bronze medals, while the women’s 4x100m team finished sixth.
Beyond the track, Enku Ekuta ended a 24-year wait for a Nigerian judo medal at the Commonwealth Games with bronze in the women’s -63kg category, a result hailed as one of the most symbolic achievements of the campaign given the sport’s long struggle to convert domestic talent into podium finishes.
The Commission had sought to keep morale high throughout the Games with an enhanced welfare package.
NSC chairman Shehu Dikko had announced an upward review of bonuses partway through the competition, raising the reward for gold medallists to 10,000 dollars, comprising 5,000 dollars in instant cash and 5,000 dollars paid directly into their accounts, up from an initial structure of 8,000 dollars. Silver medallists received 5,000 dollars, made up of 2,000 dollars in instant cash and 3,000 dollars paid into their accounts, while bronze medallists received 3,000 dollars, comprising 1,000 dollars in instant cash and 2,000 dollars paid into their accounts.
Coaches whose athletes won gold were also entitled to a 5,000-dollar incentive, on top of daily allowances of 200 dollars for athletes and 250 dollars for coaches.
Despite the increased incentives and the individual milestones recorded across several disciplines, Team Nigeria’s sixth-place finish and gold medal count leave the Commission short of the record-breaking outing it had targeted before the Games, setting up questions for officials over preparation and investment as the country looks ahead to future global multi-sport events.
Nigerian professional wrestler, Oba Femi, defeated former UFC and WWE champion, Brock Lesnar, in a brutal Hell in a Cell match at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday night, earning one of the biggest victories of his career.
The contest, held at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saw the Lagos-born wrestler overcome Lesnar in his first-ever Hell in a Cell appearance.
Femi took the fight to Lesnar from the opening bell, surviving multiple German suplexes, a Tombstone onto exposed wooden boards beneath the ring and several attacks with steel steps before countering with two chokeslams.
The match reached its climax after Lesnar attempted to use a steel chair, but Femi knocked it from his grip with a stiff right hand before delivering his signature Fall From Grace to secure the victory.
Following the bout, Lesnar embraced Femi, took a microphone and publicly endorsed the Nigerian star.
Declaring himself the past and Femi the future of WWE, Lesnar praised his opponent in front of the SummerSlam crowd.
Reacting to the moment, Femi admitted he did not expect the show of respect from his longtime rival.
“The hug and public endorsement was definitely a shock, and I didn’t see that coming.
“I know that deep down, Brock has always respected me, and he knows that deep down, I respect him as well,” Femi said.
The victory continues an impressive breakthrough year for the Nigerian wrestler, who defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 in April before winning the 2026 King of the Ring tournament in June.
Their SummerSlam clash was the culmination of a months-long rivalry that saw Lesnar return from an apparent retirement to attack Femi before defeating him in a rematch at Clash in Italy.
South Africa national team head coach Hugo Broos has left his position after five years in charge, with South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan confirming the Belgian’s departure at the weekend.
Broos’ contract officially expired last Friday, bringing an end to his tenure, which began in May 2021 after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The 74-year-old coach leaves behind a period that included several notable achievements for South Africa.
Under Broos, Bafana Bafana finished third at the 2023 AFCON, which was eventually staged in early 2024 in Ivory Coast after being postponed.
He also guided the team to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, marking South Africa’s first appearance beyond the group stage at the tournament.
The qualification itself ended a 24-year wait for Bafana Bafana, who had last featured at the World Cup in 2010 as hosts. Their 2026 appearance was their first since that tournament.
Broos had previously indicated that his departure from the national team was settled.
Speaking to the media after the World Cup, Broos said his decision to leave the Bafana Bafana job was irreversible, citing his desire to spend more time with his family. However, he also
expressed a willingness to take up another position within SAFA.
His comments sparked uncertainty, with SAFA initially releasing a statement denying that Broos had already stepped down.
Further speculation followed when reports emerged that the coach had been offered a one-year contract extension. SAFA subsequently issued another statement insisting that no extension had been finalised.