Sports
Fans Hail Quality Of 2012 Nations’ Cup
Soccer enthusiasts in Lagos have commended the high standard of football exhibited by the participating countries in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Technical Director of the Lagos Junior League (LJL), Tunde Disu, told newsmen that the tournament had shown high quality of play from less recognised football countries.
Disu said the absence of football giants such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt and South Africa, had exposed the quality of play of smaller countries in football at the championship.
He said: “ because the so called big names in African football are not around, the smaller nations have been able to shine well.
“The 2013 edition will definitely be a tough one; there will hardly be an underdog, every group will be a group of death,” the former Flying Eagles coach said.
According to Disu, it will be difficult to predict which country will lift the trophy after assessing the level of technicality displayed by each country in the semi-finals.
“ Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali and Zambia have shown to be strong technical teams displaying a lot of quality in play; it will be difficult to predict the winner of this tournament,” he said.
The LJL chief expressed satisfaction at the rate in which African football had improved and hoped that Africa would soon be a contender with other European and south American countries at the world cup.
Chris Eseka, a veteran journalist, said inefficiency in the organisation of the tournament had resulted in the low turnout of spectators.
Eseka had tipped Mali and Ghana for the final before the semi final matches, having shown a great deal of character in previous matches.
“Big names in African football are not present hence the little interest in the tournament from people.
“However for football lovers like myself, I believe Mali and Ghana will be at the finals,” Eseka had said. However, Zambia upset Ghana while Ivory Coast beat Mali in semi finals decided on Wednesday.
The proposed blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has been signed and will go ahead, according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.
Fury had suggested on Friday that the long-awaited all-British showdown was unlikely to happen, but Hearn insisted the fight is contractually agreed.
“We’ve signed the contract, we’re waiting for a date,” Hearn told Tidesports source yesterday.
Hearn said neither fighter could simply withdraw from the agreement.
“The fight’s signed. No-one can pull out of the fight. You can’t just pull out of a contract,” he said.
The main issue still to be resolved is where the fight will take place.
The bout had been expected to happen in the United Kingdom in November, but Saudi organisers Sela are pushing for it to be staged in the United States.
Joshua and Fury have separate contracts with Sela, with New York’s Madison Square Garden reportedly among the preferred venues.
The fight is also expected to be broadcast on Netflix.
Hearn said the Joshua camp would prefer the fight to remain in Britain but could consider a move to the United States under the right terms.
“We know everybody and his dog involved in the fight wants to do the fight in America. We don’t,” Hearn said.
The promoter added that discussions with Sela were continuing, but stressed that there was no indication the fight itself was in danger of falling apart.
“We’ve told Sela and the team, ‘If you want to do it in America, these are the terms that we can move forward with. But we’d rather not please,’” he said.
Fury and Joshua have been expected to meet in one of the biggest fights in British boxing history, with the venue and date now the major outstanding details.
Arsenal want Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, to accept a reduction in his wage demands as a condition for completing a move to the Emirates before the summer transfer window closes.
The Gunners remain hopeful of landing the Nigeria international, with manager Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his attacking options after failing to convince Atletico Madrid to sell Julian Alvarez, who is said to prefer a move to Barcelona over a return to the Premier League.
According to sources, Arsenal have held direct talks over a deal for Osimhen but are unwilling to make an excessive contract offer, leaving any potential agreement dependent on the striker’s willingness to compromise on his salary.
The 27-year-old currently earns in excess of €20 million (£17.1m) annually at Galatasaray, a figure Arsenal are said to be unwilling to match. Negotiating a fee could prove another obstacle, with Galatasaray president, Dursun Ozbek, insisting the striker is not for sale, a stance underlined by the club’s rejection of a €130 million (£111m) offer from Saudi Pro League side, Al-Hilal, earlier this month.
Having missed out on Osimhen, Al-Hilal reportedly turned their attention to Aston Villa striker, Ollie Watkins, only for their latest £45 million approach to also be rejected, further highlighting the difficulty clubs are facing in prising top forwards away from their current sides this summer.
Despite the ongoing speculation over his future, Osimhen has enjoyed a strong start to the season in Turkey.
He scored twice and provided an assist in Galatasaray’s 4-0 away win over Erzurumspor on Friday, having also netted twice in a 2-2 draw with Corum FK. The forward is expected to continue leading the line for the Turkish champions as Arsenal await his decision on a possible switch to the Premier League.
Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta ended the club’s 22-year wait for a league title last season – and with a faultless display against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues in their opener, his team reminded the rest of the league why they are favourites to retain the crown.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.
Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta ended the club’s 22-year wait for a league title last season – and with a faultless display against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues in their opener, his team reminded the rest of the league why they are favourites to retain the crown.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.
Port Harcourt has been confirmed as the host city for the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) Playoffs for a fourth straight year, following a slight schedule adjustment by the League Management Committee of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
Originally slated for Aug. 22–29, the Playoffs (Phase 3) will now run from 29 August to 6 September at the Basketball Stadium, 59 Niger Street, Port Harcourt Township, Rivers State.
In a communiqué issued on 21 August 2026 by NBBF Vice-President and League Chairman Babatunde Ogunade alongside Secretary-General Amina Amanchi, the federation commended the qualifying teams for their professionalism and performance thus far.
Per the updated schedule, participating teams are expected to arrive on 29 August for pre-tournament technical meetings, with competitive action running from 30 August through 5 September, while team departures take place a day later.
The eight-team, round-robin tournament features four qualifiers from the Atlantic Conference—Rivers Hoopers, Maktown Flyers, Hoops & Read, and Lagos Raptors—alongside Savannah Conference representatives Aso Sky Hawks, 313 Warriors, Gboko City Chiefs, and Kano Pillars.
The selection of Port Harcourt re-establishes Rivers State as a central venue for elite domestic basketball in Nigeria and once again brings the action closer to the teeming fans, following a successful staging of the playoffs and Final Four at the same venue last year.