Sports

By Andy Hunter Liverpool have had a £110million bid for Alexander Isak rejected by Newcastle and do not intend to submit a second offer for the striker in this transfer window. Despite long-held interest in the Sweden international and his desire to move to Merseyside, Liverpool’s first formal offer came in under the £120million suggested when Richard Hughes, sporting director at Anfield, made an informal enquiry over Isak’s availability a fortnight ago. Newcastle value their prized asset at £150million, a British transfer-record sum, but are reluctant to sell the 25-year-old, who was the second highest goalscorer in the Premier League…

*'I Sacrificed Cow, Spent Huge Sums To Destroy My Teammate' A bit of the dark practices perpetrated by some African footballers came to light as former Ghanaian footballer Awudu Issaka revealed that he turned to spiritual means in an attempt to secure regular playing time during his stint with German club 1860 Munich. Speaking in a radio interview with Accra-based Sporty FM , Issaka disclosed that he was often benched while competing for a starting spot with German legend Thomas Häßler. Frustrated by his limited opportunities, Issaka admitted to using black magic—commonly referred to locally as juju—against his teammate, even…

By Osasu Obayuwana, in Rabat Eyebrows were raised when Justine Madugu was appointed as the new Nigeria coach in September last year, having had no head coach experience in international football before taking on the role. On Saturday the “gamble” – if you call it that – paid off when the Super Falcons came from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). The team had not impressed during the group stage, leading to criticism back home that the team were disjointed and…

By Sam Tyav, Makurdi Benue State Government has ordered immediate dissolution and reconstitution of boards of sports associations under the State Sports Council. State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Creativity Terkimbi Ikyange, gave the approval today in a statement by the Acting Director of Sports, Anthony Torbundeh. According to the statement, the Commissioner stated that the dissolution be made expedient to enable the State Sports Council align with the subsequent National Sports Commission/ Federation elective congress' timelines. The Commissioner and Sports Council management thanked all the Chairmen and members of the various sports associations "for their enormous contributions towards the…

*Tinubu Shows Appreciation From Aso Rock, Nigeria's seat of power, came a downpour of cash and honours for the Super Falcons, who won the Women's African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Saturday in far away Rabat, Morocco. In a dramatic turnaround, the Super Falcons came from behind, at 0-2 down in the first half, to score three unreplied goals in the second half to win the hosts and lift the coveted trophy for a tenth time. For their efforts, President Bola Tinubu showered each of the 24 players with about N150million (or $100,000) and about N75million (or $50,000) for each…

By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu Former Director-General (DG), Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be held liable for mortgaging the future of Nigeria and not the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Okechukwu said this while answering questions from newsmen in Enugu on Monday, July 28, on the allegations by opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) of "fiscal vandalism" by APC and President Bola Tinubu. Recall that ADC had on Sunday accused President Tinubu's administration of "fiscal vandalism", following the National Assembly's approval of £21 billion in foreign loans. The party said that…

*Hosts Morocco Thought It Was Over After 2-0 First Half Lead *Nigerian Resilience Pays Off The Super Falcons came back from two goals down at halftime on Saturday, July 26, to claim a 3-2 victory over the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco in the final of the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Having lost to South Africa in the last final, also on home soil, it’s heartbreak for Morocco once again. The Atlas Lionesses’ wait for their first WAFCON title goes on. The match was played at Stade Olympique de Rabat. Given the quality of football that both teams had…

Former Banyana Banyana captain Portia Modise believes the team paid the price for not having Thembi Kgatlana in the squad for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco. Banyana failed to defend the title they won in Morocco in 2022 after they lost 1-2 to Nigeria in the semifinal on Tuesday, becoming the first team to fail to defend the title. Kgatlana was not selected for the WAFCON squad due to “personal reasons” and Modise is of the view that Banyana would have done far better if she were part of the team. “First, leaving home without Thembi…

*Again Becomes Undisputed Champion *Blow-By-Blow Account By Donald McRae,at Wembley, and other reports The mighty Oleksandr Usyk is, yet again, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world as he decisively defeated Daniel Dubois in the fifth round after a display as clinical as it was brutal. At the age of 38, Usyk outclassed and outfought his British rival, who is 11 years his junior, to establish himself definitively as the best heavyweight, so far, of the 21st century. At stake was a record fight purse of $203 million (about N310billion), Usyk raised his arms high as Dubois managed the slow,…