Sports
Nigeria Set for African Youth Scrabble Champs
The Nigeria Scrabble Federation has named Sufyan Olojoku as captain of Team Nigeria for the Pan African Youth Scrabble Championship, scheduled to take place in Kenya later this month.
The 10-man Nigerian contingent is set to compete against approximately 150 players from 11 countries at the continental competition.
He will compete in the U-19 category at this year’s championship, which will run from August 14 to 17 at Brighton International School in Syokimau, Machakos County, Kenya.
The Nigerian contingent will depart for the championship on Monday aboard Asky Airlines from Lagos, with strong governmental backing across multiple states.
Four players are sponsored by the Kwara State government, whilst Bayelsa State is backing two others. Lagos, Edo, Niger, and Akwa Ibom States are each sponsoring one player.
The team includes Sophia Ekeruche, Joy Eberechukwu Nwabuzor, and Eliana Igbe in the female category, whilst the male category features Saviour Onazi, Hassan Olojoku, Sufyan Olojoku, Abdulqudus Aliu, Khalid Olosun, Prestige Archibong, and Damilola Adeleke.
The African Youth Scrabble Championship, organised by the Pan African Scrabble Association, is a premier continental competition for young talents featuring U-15 and U-19 categories.
The inaugural edition was held in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 2023, hosted by Chrisland School, Lekki. That tournament featured participants from Nigeria, Kenya, Liberia, Ghana, and Uganda, with Nigeria’s David Ojih and Prestige Archibong winning the U-19 and U-15 titles, respectively.
In a statement signed by NSF spokesperson Maxwell Kumoye on Friday in Lagos, the federation explained that Olojoku’s appointment was based on his calm disposition, wealth of experience, and his ability to relate well with other members of the squad.
The Kwara State representative has been competing since 2021, when he won a silver medal at the National Youth Games. He followed this up with two gold medals and one silver in 2023.
On the international stage, Olojoku has represented Nigeria at the World Youth Scrabble Championship in 2024 and at the African Youth Scrabble Championship, where he finished fifth overall.
Currently seeking admission into Kwara State University to study Medical Laboratory Science, Olojoku completed his secondary education at Government Day Secondary School, Adewole, in 2021.
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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