Sports

Rabiu Ibrahim and three other players have been dropped by Super Eagles handler, Stephen Keshi ahead of the AFCON this month in South Africa. The other players axed are Kano Pillars defender Papa Idris, Henry Uche of Enyimba and Turkey-based striker Uc...

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has dropped midfielder Andre Ayew from his squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations. The French-based star got a hamstring injury in training last week and failed to meet Saturday’s deadline for players to repor...

Reigning African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure is currently receiving treatment for cough and fever at a clinic in Abu Dhabi where Ivory Coast are fine tuning for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The Ivorian delegation arrived in the United Arab...

Team Nigeria at the West and Central Africa junior tennis tournament holing in Togo, Benin Republic have started in bright note. Ten out of the eleven starlets slugging it out at the tournament won their opening matches with Rotimi Adetunji the only pl...

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has again won the world best player award. Messi made history last night when he collected the fourth consecutive title of best player in the world. The FIFA Ballon d’Or award took place in Zurich. United States player Abby Wambach claimed her first FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala held at the Zurich Kongresshaus this evening.

Vicente del Bosque, the Spanish national team coach, and Sweden’s new women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage (former USA coach) were the winners of the FIFA World Coach of the Year awards for men’s and women’s football, respectively.

Aged 25, Messi concluded 2012 by scoring over 90 goals. He also finished top scorer in the UEFA Champions League 2011-2012 season with 14 goals. Meanwhile, Vicente del Bosque added the European title to his 2010 FIFA World Cup crown when leading Spain to victory at EURO 2012.

In women’s football, 2012 was the US national team’s year. Sundhage and Wambach led the US to its second Olympic gold medal in London after defeating the Japanese team in the final and thus exacting revenge for the FIFA Women’s World Cup final the previous year, which Japan won for the first time in their history.

These awards were decided after a poll in which the captains and head coaches of the men’s (for the two men’s awards) and women’s (for the two women’s awards) national teams, as well as international media representatives selected by French football magazine France Football, voted for candidates in each of the four categories. Each group’s votes represented one third of the final result.

It was an unforgettable night, with many former and current football stars on stage and on the red carpet. The international audience was entertained with a flavour of Brazil as we look to the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, as well as by Scottish singer Amy MacDonald.

The FIFA Ballon d’Or was awarded for the third time following the amalgamation of the FIFA World Player of the Year award with the France Football Ballon d’Or in 2010. Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or after polling 41.60% of the votes, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo on 23.68% and Andrés Iniesta on 10.91%.

Eagles captain Joseph Yobo will equal a six-AFCON finals appearance record held by Nwankwo Kanu at the tournament in South Africa. Yobo has already eclipsed Kanu’s record as the most capped Nigeria star with 89 caps and he could add to this tally...

Nigeria international, John Obi Mikel is now aware that he faces a battle for a starting place at Chelsea. Mikel’s acknowledgment stems from the conversion of centre-back David Luiz to a defensive midfielder by Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez in r...

Super Eagles right full back, Chibuzor Okonkwo is positive his side will have a good game against the Catalonian selected side in Wednesday’s friendly in Spain. Okonkwo missed the friendly tie no thanks to non-possession of valid Shengen Visa. Th...

Victor Obinna Nsofor has explained that moving to Eastern Europe may have hurt his chance of making Nigeria’s Afcon provisional squad. The Nigerian striker joined Russian Premier League club, Lokomotiv Moscow from Inter Milan in June 2011 but now...

Warri Wolves’ goalkeeper, Chigozie Agbim, will be between the sticks for Nigeria in Tuesday’s pre-AFCON game against Catalonia. Reports in the local media this week had suggested that overseas goalkeepers, Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide, ...