Sports
Nigerian fans on Tuesday attacked Ghanaian players after they knocked out Super Eagles from the 2022 World Cup finals, Punch has reported.
The angry fans also invaded the Moshood Abiola Stadium’s pitch, destroying equipment.
Smoke was seen on the pitch as the fans pelted objects at Black Stars of Ghana.
It could not be ascertained if any player was injured as of the time of filing this report.
The Nigerian players had left the pitch after failing to qualify when the incident happened.
The Ghanaian players citing the angry fans ran into the dressing room.
“Two fans first jumped into the pitch and others followed. Before then, the fans attacked the Ghana players with bottles.
They also threw planks and other objects at them,” a spectator said.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after drawing Ghana 1-1 on Tuesday.
A battling performance came short of earning the 2022 FIFA World Cup ticket for Nigeria as the Super Eagles drew 1-1 with Ghana’s Black Stars in their playoff final battle at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Both teams had fought to a 0-0 draw in Kumasi on Friday.
The Super Eagles set out with zest and belief in front of a full house at the 60,491–capacity stadium, and Emmanuel Dennis shaded three defenders only to overhit his cross in the eighth minute.
Ghana shocked the 60,000 cheering spectators when Thomas Partey unleased a shot from 20 yards that surprisingly went past goalkeeper Francis Uzoho into the net for the first goal of the fixture.
Victor Osimhen came close to equalizing a minute after but dragged his shot too wide, and in the 19th minute, a fierce tussle in the Ghanaian box ended with Tunisian referee Selmi Sadok awarding a penalty kick to Nigeria.
William Ekong stepped up to send goalkeeper Joseph Wollacott the wrong way.
In the 34th minute, Nigeria thought they had taken the lead when Victor Osimhen ran hard on a floated ball from Oghenekaro Etebo and got past Wollacott to slot into the net, but a VAR check by referee Sadok ruled out the strike.
On the stroke of half time, a cut back by Dennis was safely dealt with by Wollacott.
The Eagles struggled to create many chances in the second half.
A floater by Ademola Lookman in the 50th minute was caught by Wollacott.
Joseph Ayodele-Aribo, and Osimhen on two occasions, missed narrowly as the Eagles failed to get the goal they needed to turn the table.
Ghana qualified for the showpiece in Qatar on the away goal rule.
Super Eagles of Nigeria overcame Egypt 1-0 in their opening match at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Estadio Roumde Adjia in Cameroon on Tuesday evening.
Kelechi Iheanacho scored the only goal of the match as the Super Eagles outclassed the Pharaohs and took charge of group D.
The Pharaohs, who paraded Mo Salah, Ramadan Sobhi, Mohammed Elneny and Trezeguet, struggled to find their groove in a game that the Super Eagles dominated, most especially in the first half.
Iheanacho put the Eagles ahead in the 30th-minute with a stunning, long-range shot.
The England-based striker, who played behind Taiwo Awoniyi, beat Mohammed El Shenawy, Egypt’s goalkeeper, from a tight angle with his right-footed shot to hand Nigeria the lead.
During the thrilling encounter, the Pharaohs also found it difficult to break down the Super Eagles defence with Kenneth Omeruo and William Troost-Ekong dealing well with long balls from the opposition.
In the second half, the Eagles continued to push for the second goal but Iheanacho couldn’t punish Egypt after they committed a blunder in their box.
Both teams launched attacks with neither side happy to sit back and invite pressure. Salah’s effort was well saved by Maduka Okoye while Chidera Ejuke’s powerful low shot was blocked by El Shenawy.
Egypt looked adventurous as the likes of Sobhi and Salah became a threat in the final third.
A cross from the flank was met by Salah but his strike was blocked by Kenneth Omeruo.
The Super Eagles were however dealt a deadly blow when Kenneth Omeruo was stretched off due to injury.
The match ended 1-0 in favour of Nigeria.
The Nigerian senior national side will face Sudan on Saturday in their second group match as the team seeks to secure safe passage to the round of 16.
The Cable
Incredibly, five of the wealthiest sports stars aged 30 or under on the planet all play football at Old Trafford.
According to the Times, Pogba is worth a staggering £50million thanks to his £290,000 per week pay-packet at United.
That's good for third, behind boxer Anthony Joshua (£107m), the only non-footballer on the list, in second.
AJ's wealth shot up in the past 12 months, leaping by £58m, as he pocketed an estimated £60m for his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia in December.
But Pogba doesn't even come close to the most-wealthy young sports star and top footballer - Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, worth an incredible £114m.
The Welsh star pockets a staggering £350,000 a week AFTER tax at the Bernabeu.
De Gea sits level fourth alongside Manchester rival Kevin De Bruyne on £34m.
United forward Martial comes in 11th on £20m, while Shaw (£19m) and Ighalo (£18m) come in at 14th and 15th respectively.
Some surprising names make the list too, with Daniel Sturridge - currently without a club - in ninth, worth £22m.
Forever-injured duo Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere also crack the top 20, sitting joint-15th on £18m.
Just one Chelsea star makes the list, N'Golo Kante ranking seventh, worst £25m - £1m ahead of Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
The Sun, UK
Tackling will be banned, pitches disinfected and players restricted to groups of five when the Premier League starts a first phase of team training. Official protocols sent to players and managers on Tuesday and obtained by the BBC reveal that social distancing must be “strictly observed”.
Corner-flags, balls, cones, goalposts and even playing surfaces will be disinfected after each session. League bosses hope training can begin on Monday, restricted to 75 minutes. Ongoing surveillance measures included in further guidance include twice-weekly testing, and a daily pre-training questionnaire and temperature check.
Under a section titled ‘health screening’, players are also told a central register of Covid-19 test results (subject to their consent and Professional Footballers’ Association agreement) will need to be maintained.
They are also informed that “although Covid-19 will lead to minor illness in the majority, there are additional aspects of this infection that must be considered prior to players resuming high-intensity or high-volume exercise”.
Tagged under
Taribo West, former Super Eagles defender, has revealed that some of his 1998 World Cup teammates sneaked women into their hotel rooms a night before their round of 16 clash against Denmark in France.
Taribo blamed his teammates’ actions for their lackluster performance and exit from the tournament.
The team had topped their group with six points from three games, ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria.
They were then paired against Denmark, group C runners-up in the round of 16, where they were eventually knocked out after a 4-1 defeat at Stade de France.
Tijani Babangida scored Nigeria’s only goal which was not enough to inspire a comeback for the squad.
“But what I know is that some players sneaked women into camp, I saw that,” West told the PUNCH.
“I read reports about Eagles visiting nightclubs and driving limousines during the World Cup in France, honestly, I don’t know about that.
“The women were Africans who came to watch the tournament and fell in love with our team, because of the way we played in the group stage. So, it was easy for these players to woo them to their rooms.
“That is why on match day, you could see a lot of the players didn’t have the strength to curtail the Danish players.
“They were tired after overworking themselves the night before with the women. I was yelling at them on the pitch, I was very angry with them.
“They did all these because they thought we were going to beat Denmark.”
The Eagles were the only African country to progress to the knockout stage of the tournament in France.
Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins is on the verge of a return to Shanghai Shenhua, Chinese media have reported, increasing the likelihood Odion Ighalo will make his stay at Manchester United a permanent one this summer.
Ighalo has made an impressive start to life at United, scoring four times in eight games since signing on loan until 31 Mayfrom the Chinese Super League club.
Martins, who was previously contracted to Shenhua from 2016 until the end of the 2018 season, was reported by Titan Sports to have arrived in China on Tuesday and was being lined up to replace Ighalo ahead of the Chinese Super League season.
China’s domestic league has yet to start the 2020 season after kick-off was delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak but speculation is mounting that the campaign will begin in late April or early May.
England’s Premier League has been suspended due to the pandemic and will not resume before 30 April.
Legendary NBA player Kobe Bryant has died in a California helicopter crash, reports said Sunday.
He was 41.
Bryant was among at least four people traveling in his private helicopter over Calabasas when a fire broke out, sending the chopper spiraling from the sky, according to TMZ Sports.
The crash occurred around 10 a.m. local time amid foggy conditions in the hills overlooking Calabasas, with the chopper sparking a brush fire on impact that hampered initial rescue efforts, according to The Los Angeles Times.
There were no survivors, and the cause of the crash is under investigation, according to TMZ. Authorities investigating the crash confirmed to KTLA – Channel 5 that at least five people were killed in the crash, but did not identify the victims by name.
Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, was not among those aboard the chopper, according to reports.
He is also survived by the couple’s four daughters, with the youngest born just last June.
Bryant starred for two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships and making 18 All-Star Games before hanging up his basketball shoes following the 2016 season.
The stunning death of the sweet-shooting guard came just hours after he toasted fellow NBA icon and current Laker LeBron James for passing him for third place on the league’s all-time scoring list.
“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames,” wrote Bryant on Saturday night in what would prove to be his final tweet.
“Much respect my brother.” Bryant concluded the message with an emoji of a bicep flexing, and the hashtag “#33644,” one point more than he scored in his illustrious career.
Bryant was considered a lock to be among the next class inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, set to be announced next month.
New York Post
Crowd at the women’s World Cup final booed FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and French president Emmanuel Macron as United States fans demanded equal pay for the players after their team claimed a fourth global title by beating the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday.
Macron and Infantino, head of soccer’s world governing body, were turned on by the supporters as they approached the ceremony podium - a sharp contrast with the hero-like reception given to player of the match Megan Rapinoe by the 57,900 crowd.
Despite a recent rebound, Macron’s popularity was last at 38 percent in an Ifop poll, up 15 points since a low in December at the peak of the anti-government yellow-vest crisis.
U.S. captain Rapinoe, the leading voice for equal pay in a sport where men are far better paid than women, scored the opening goal with a VAR-awarded penalty in the 61st minute at the sold-out Groupama Stadium.
Rose Lavelle rounded off the victory eight minutes later as the Americans added to their 1991, 1999 and 2015 world titles.
After the game Rapinoe told reporters: “I think everyone is ready for this conversation and move to the next step. I think we’re done with: ‘Are we worth it? Should we have equal pay?’.”
Earlier this year, members of the U.S. squad were named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the national soccer federation alleging gender discrimination. It was filed in federal court last month and says the women are not paid the same as their male counterparts.
On Saturday, Rapinoe launched a scathing attack on FIFA, saying the organisation did not respect the women’s game.
Rapinoe said FIFA’s decision to allow the men’s Copa America final and Gold Cup showpiece to take place on the same day as the women’s final was “unbelievable”.
Rapinoe shook Infantino and Macron’s hands as she received her medal.
“It’s unbelievable to know all the people who put in so much in this group,” she said.
“We have all our families and friends here. It’s surreal. I don’t know how to feel right now. It’s ridiculous.”
Reuters
Former Nigeria international Taribo West says he will not put his money on the Super Eagles winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
In an interview with The PUNCH, the former Auxerre and Inter Milan strong man insisted that based on his assessment of some of the countries going to the tournament, it would be difficult to place his bet on the Eagles claiming a fourth African title in Egypt.
The Eagles face debutants Madagascar, Burundi and Guinea in Group B of the tournament with Nigerians opening their campaign against Burundi in Alexandria on June 22.
“It’s going to be a difficult Nations Cup, one that will spring lots of surprises. When it comes to the group stage, I see Nigeria qualifying with ease, the country has a good team but I can’t vouch for them winning the Africa Cup of Nations,” Taribo stated.
“It’s possible to win the Nations Cup but there are no more minnows in football. Countries like Madagascar, Tanzania, and Burundi will always want to prove a point because if you watch their qualifying series, you will see that you have to up your game to beat any team.”
Hosts Egypt will be hoping to win the tournament on home soil after failing to clinch the trophy at the 2017 edition in Gabon, where they lost to Cameroon in the final. And Taribo believes that the Egyptians’ over-reliance on their star man Mohammed Salah might hurt them at home.
He said, “The advantage for Egypt is that they are playing at home, so they will have a lot of support and encouragement.
“Secondly, Salah is currently one of the best players in the world. He has been consistent for some years now especially since moving to the English Premier League.
“I think Egypt will depend on him too much and his skills and creativity will come to play in helping them progress but in all, they are beatable. I think they are going to do well, but I don’t see them winning the trophy on home soil.”
Punch
Andy Ruiz has become the first Mexican heavyweight champion after he defeated Anthony Joshua via a technical knockout.
ANTHONY JOSHUA was demolished by 19st no-hoper Andy Ruiz Jr in one of the biggest shocks in boxing history.
The WBA, IBF and WBO king was dethroned after being dropped a staggering four times and being pulled out by the referee Mike Griffin before the end of the seventh.
Anthony Joshua was floored twice in the third round in sensational scenes. AJ suffered one of the biggest shocks ever in heavyweight boxing as he lost his world titles. It ranks alongside 33/1 shot Buster Douglas’s stunning KO victory against Mike Tyson back in 1990 which shocked the boxing world.
California-based 29-year-old Ruiz took the fight on short notice, after a handful of dimwitted potential rivals turned it down, and pulled off the most amazing of upsets.
He was a 25/1 shot to dethrone WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO champ Joshua – but he pulled off what most believed was the impossible. Ruiz said: “I just want to thank God for the victory. This is what I have been dreaming about and working hard for.”
Exactly as AJ predicted, Ruiz’s first action was to try to jab at his six pack but it bounced off his rock-hard abs.
The fight was waved off by Mike Griffin in a sensational victory for Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua started the fight with his lead left hand swinging low, by his waist, a risky tactic that Ruiz warned him against with a couple of early digs that had the crowd concerned.
The British hero enjoyed his first scoring punches in the last 50 seconds of the second round when he landed twice with a short left hook and a stiff jab
And in round three he raced through the gears and dropped Ruiz with a murderous uppercut.
ROUND ACTION
Round One
An expected cagey start, but Ruiz Jr landed cleaner and probably sneaked it.
Round Two
Joshua evened it up but his head and foot movement wasn’t too impressive.
Round Three
Ruiz floored and people in the crowd expected the finish. But the Mexican bit down and ended up spectacularly dropping Joshua twice.
Round Four
Joshua was all over the place and his legs looked as though they still hadn’t recovered from the knockdowns.
Round Five
Only five rounds in and AJ appeared out on his feet. Tellingly asked his corner what round it is at the end.
Round Six
Many in the crowd could now sense that one of boxing’s biggest ever upsets could be on. AJ asked corner why he doesn’t feel good as he slumped to his stool.
Round Seven
The unbelievable became reality. Ruiz floored Joshua to make it four in total before the referee waves it off as the dethroned champ slumped onto the ropes. But Ruiz shocked the world seconds later by dropping Joshua in sensational style and he was saved by the bell moments later when he hit the deck for a second time and took another eight count.
The left hook that AJ is infamously susceptible to clipped his temple first and rendered him senseless, a zombie, and a right sent him down.
Joshua beat the count but was stumbling around the ring with a vacant grin, all his dreams and hard work hanging by a thread.
Andy Ruiz was also felled in the third round of the explosive fight in New York Anthony Joshua was massively off form as he lost his four belts And Ruiz pounced to batter him to the ground once again, terrifying the one-sided crowd backing their 2012 Olympic icon before the bell saved him.
Trainer Rob McCracken had to somehow save his man from one of the biggest embarrassments in sport and the fourth round looked an improvement when he tagged the challenger.
Fans broke into their booming “oh Anthony Joshua” chant but it suddenly sounded very desperate and didn’t reverberate for long.
But a roar echoed around Madison Square Garden when AJ connected with a left hook and Ruiz’s spit and sweat flew through the New York air and the fat on his back rippled in the slow motion replay.
Joshua admitted to hating fighting shorter men because they were able to tuck up and dodge shots and Ruiz, four inches below him, did exactly that.
Not once was Joshua able to test how the Mexican’s stomach ‘muscles’ would hold up under fire. Instead it was Ruiz winning the round, clipping Joshua twice more as the Englishman toddled around on the backfoot looking dazed and confused.
The Sun UK
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The main actors in the IAAF’s ‘missing’ $135, 000 saga yesterday revealed how the money was ‘spent’ by the sports ministry and some key officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
The IAAF in 2017 erroneously sent $150,000 to the AFN instead of the annual $15,000 it usually gives to its affiliates.
On discovering the error, the world athletics body wrote to the AFN demanding the return of $135,000, which is the excess amount it paid the Nigerian body. However, after two years, the AFN has not refunded the money, prompting the IAAF to threaten to sanction the country.
On Tuesday, Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung and 11 AFN board members held a marathon meeting in Abuja to among other things, find ways of avoiding the possible IAAF sanctions.
A source at the meeting told The Guardian yesterday that the sports minister was angry with two top officials of the AFN, claiming that he was the main target in the IAAF ‘missing’ $135,000 debacle.
“The minister was really angry because he felt the AFN deliberately leaked IAAF’s letter to the media to ensure he did not return as minister. He said that he approved N39.9 million (about $108,000) from the IAAF money for the AFN to procure kits.
The minister said that when the AFN requested for money to purchase the kits, he told Ibrahim Gusau that the only money available in the ministry was the IAAF money, which he approved. He was angry that Gusau did not carry other board members of the AFN along.
“The minister also stated that he approved N13 million to the AFN for Nigeria’s participation at the last African U18/U20 Athletics Championship in Cote d’Ivoire. You can see how two persons in the AFN board have been operating like a secret cult,” the source stated.
Several calls made by The Guardian to the AFN President, Gusau, yesterday were not answered. He also did not respond to a test message sent to his mobile phone.
However, the Technical Director of the AFN, Sunday Adeleye, told The Guardian that the issue of how the IAAF money was spent was never discussed at the meeting on Tuesday.
He said: “There was never a time the minister told anybody at that meeting how IAAF money was spent. We actually asked for money to purchase kits for Team Nigeria about eight days to Asaba 2018 African Senior Athletics Championship. Don’t forget that the IAAF money transaction was done in 2017. So, how come the money was still there in 2018?
“When it was obvious that our athletes would face an international embarrassment due to lack of kits, we approached the Permanent Secretary for money. He said we should put our request in writing, which we did. Then, the AFN Secretary General Amaechi Akawo was already in Asaba working with the LOC for the championship.
“But when the file got to the table of Tayo Oreweme (Director, Federation of Elite Athletes Department (FEAD) in the Sports ministry), she insisted that such requests should be made by the AFN secretary.
So Akawo had to come down to Abuja to apply for the money. I was in Europe for the kits, and that was what saved us from international embarrassment. But I must say that it is not true for anybody to say that we used the IAAF money to buy kits. No, it is not true. And it is not also true that we got N13 million for the trip to Abidjan. The issue of the IAAF money is receiving attention. It will be taken care of soon,” Adeleye stated.
The Guardian learnt that two board members, Rosa Collins and Dare Esan were deliberately excluded from Tuesday’s meeting in Abuja. No reason has been given for their exclusion
TheGuardian
Recovering former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu was today visited by Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola and NFF chairman Amaju Pinnick.
They paid him a visit at the Wellington Hospital, Circus Road, St John’s Woods London where he’s receiving treatment and recuperating.
Christian Chukwu arrived in London with his wife earlier this month for an appointment with a renowned cardiologist and upon his arrival in London, Chukwu was quoted as saying: “It is waist pain and stomach upset that I keep feeling. The doctors in Nigeria have treated the stomach upset and it remains the waist pain, but I am confident that I will come back to Nigeria having regained sound health,”
His trip to the UK was bankrolled by billionaire mogul Femi Otedola with the donation of $50,000 to the ailing football legend.
European International Boxing Federation champion, Larry Ekundayo has vowed to continue putting Nigeria in good light in the boxing world by winning more laurels.
The boxer, who defeating John Thain in London in a fight that lasted 12 rounds to win the European International Boxing Federation title on 13 July this year, is presently on a six-day tour of Nigeria.
“I don’t just believe; I know I will still go very far, if there is someone like Bernard Hopkins, who at almost 50 was beating young prospects, then I can do better,” he said while speaking in Lagos on arrival.
Ekundayo shot into the limelight when he won the African Boxing Union Welterweight, ABU title in 2015 but he recounted that it was a tough period in his life and needed to dig deep to become a Champion.
“I remember trying to go to the Olympics back then for Nigeria but it didn’t work out. As a pro, I am making up for all the disappointments as an amateur,” he said.
The 36-year-old boxer stressed that: “I think I was out of action for like two years but I came back strong to do what I have to do. That is my message for the youth that they should not be deterred by any situation they find themselves but make the champion in them come out.”
The Lagos-born boxer said he already has his plans at helping the glory days of boxing return to Nigeria. Ekundayo disclosed that he will set up boxing academies in Nigeria and London where he can groom fighters to fight across the world.
Thisday
Manchester City would have to wait for a week or two to be crowned Premier League champions, after they were beaten 3-2 by second-placed Manchester United on Saturday at The Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s men needed an outright win and began the match in fine fashion.
Vincent Kompany headed City in front, before Ilkay Gundogan rounded off a fine team move to make it 2-0.
However, United fought back in the second half, with Paul Pogba scoring a two-minute brace to level the match.
Chris Smalling then side-footed Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick past Ederson to claim all three points for Jose Mourinho’s men.
With the victory, the Red Devils have now cut City’s lead at the top to 13 points, with six matches left.
DP