Sports
Club Owners Threaten Withdrawal From Aiteo Cup
There has been a massive reaction following the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF’s decision to list Nigerian Professional Football League club, Kwara United, as one of the country’s representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup .
The Confederation of Africa Football on Sunday confirmed Kwara United as Nigeria’s second representatives in the competition, ahead of the draw billed for yesterday in Egypt.
Remo Stars are the other team representing Nigeria in the Confederation Cup, while Rivers United and Plateau United file out in the CAF Champions League.
Kwara finished fourth in the NPFL last season, missing out on a chance to play on the continent. They also crashed out the in the round of 32 of the ongoing Aiteo Cup competition after losing 4-3 on penalties to Wikki Tourists, after a hard-fought 90 minutes ended 1-1.
Usually, the third-place NPFL side, as well as winners of the Aiteo Cup represented the country in the CAF Confederation Cup but Kwara announced on their Twitter handle Monday that the NFF had entered their name for the competition.
“Jubilation as Kwara United will play in the CAF Confederations Cup for finishing fourth in #NPFL22 Season. CAF released participating clubs on Sunday night. @thenff picked @KwaraUnited FC due to the CAF registration deadline as Aiteo Cup is still ongoing. The draw is on Tuesday in Egypt,” the Afonja Warriors tweeted.
However, the news caused uproar in the football sector, with fans taking to social media to question the NFF’s decision.
It was learnt that clubs competing in the Aiteo Cup, which is in its quarter-final stage may pull out of the competition.
The remaining clubs are Niger Tornadoes, Lobi Stars, Wikki Tourists, Nasarawa United, Heartland, Katsina United, Kogi United and Kano Pillars.
President of the NPFL Club Owners Association, Issac Danladi, said they had contacted the NFF following the shocking decision.
“We are expecting their response, otherwise the eight clubs in the quarter-finals will have no other option than to stop further participation and withdraw from the Aiteo Cup.
“In view of the circumstances, we urge clubs affected by this development to remain calm and await further necessary action as our decision is premised on the doctrines of justice, equity and fair play as injustice to one is an injustice to all.”
When our correspondent contacted the Federation’s General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, he declined to comment on the issue.
“I don’t know anything about that. I am not in the country,” Sanusi said.
Sports
New Eagles Squad Excites WizKids
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.
Sports
NLO Tasks Clubs To Complete Players’ Facial Registration
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.
Sports
Aruna Up For $275k WTT Chennai
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.”
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