All sports stories from Naija – Latest from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigerian Super Eagles and Super Falcons preparations for the FIFA World Cups, and the Nigeria athletes compete at the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and the IAAF World Championships.
19 May 2011 Nigeria Premier League (NPL)kings Enyimba thrashed title contenders Sunshine Stars 4-0 to continue their steady rise to the top of the table Wednesday. Enyimba have thus climbed three spots to sixth place in the standings with 35 points from 22 matches, while Sunshine remain in second place on 42 points. Striker Victor Barnabas opned scoring for his…
19 May 2011 West Bromwich Albion star striker Osaze Odemwingie has been dropped from Nigerias two top matches against Argentina and Ethiopia next month with coach Samson Siasia insisting the player is not bigger than Nigeria. Siasia has brought the big hammer down on Osaze after he walked out on the Eagles ahead of a friendly against Kenya in March.…
19 May 2011 The fourth of our series looking at best African performers in Europe. Following on from our look at the best Africans in England, Spain and Italy this season, we turn our attention to the French Ligue 1. 5. Modibo Maga (Sochaux/Mali) Appearances/goals: 34/14 The Mali forward joined Sochaux at the start of the season from le Mans…
18 May 2011 Benfica could block the much-publicised transfer of Nigeria international Taye Taiwo to Italian champions AC Milan as he has signed a pre-contract with the top Portuguese club. Taiwo, 26, is a free agent in the summer after he refused to renew his contract with French club Olympique Marseille, but MTNFootball.com has now been told that Benfica had…
17 May 2011 Lille will virtually wrap up the French Ligue 1 title on Wednesday evening if they defeat Sochaux at the Stade Lille-Metropole. Victory for Les Dogues would open up a six-point lead over second-placed Olympique Marseille with just two rounds of the league season left to play, meaning Lille would need just a draw from one of their…
17 May 2011 Following on from last weeks look at the best Africans in England and Spain this season, we turn our attention to the Italian Serie A. 5. Mehdi Benatia (Udinese/ Morocco) Appearances/goals: 33/3 The Moroccan defender is in his first season in Italy following a summer move from French Ligue 2 side Clermont and has been a revelation…
17 May 2011 A record African entry for the 2014 World Cup finals has been announced and the qualification process will begin before the end of this year, the Confederation of African Football said. Only Mauritania has failed to enter from Africas 53-member countries, who will each be attempting to fill one of the five places reserved for the continent…
15 May 2011 Portuguese goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo equalled the all-time league record of 38 goals with a brace in Real Madrid's 3-1 victory at Villarreal on Sunday. Ronaldo made it nine goals in his last three games with a 22nd minute free-kick and a last minute strike to stay on course to pick up the Pichichi trophy for the…
16 May 2011 Nigeria international Victor Nsofor will not go down with relegated West Ham and hopes to stay up in the English top flight with either Fulham or Aston Villa. The 24-year-old striker has already told MTNFootball.com exclusively that he will be a free agent at the end of the season after Italian club Inter Milan failed to evoke…
16 May 2011 The draw for the 2011 African Champions League group stages has set up some intriguing ties in a competition that is once again dominated by north Africa. In fact, Group B of this years competitions looks likely to be an all-north African affair as Mouloudia Alger (Algeria), Al Ahly (Egypt) and Esperance (Tunisia) will be joined by…
16 May 2011 Injured striker Emmanuel Emenike and Chibuzor Okonkwo, who is nursing an ankle injury, are in the Eagles squad for next months top games. MTNFootball.com has again scooped that despite their injury problems both Emenike and Heartland defender Okonkwo remain very much a big part of coach Samson Siasias plans for the double-header against Argentina and Ethiopia in…
15 May 2011 Togo have dethroned Nigeria as champions of the sub-regional WAFU Cup winning 3-2 and so doing, halted Samson Siasias winning streak as Eagles coach. Since taking charge of Nigeria in December, Siasia has won his first six games, but Togo stopped this impressive run Saturday afternoon. The Hawks of Togo thus pocked the cash prize of $25,000.…
14 May 2011 Wayne Rooney scored the goal that gave Manchester United a record 19th English title in a 1-1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday. United needed just a point from this game to regain the Premier League title from Chelsea and they got it when England striker Rooney scored from the penalty spot 17…
14 May 2011 Holders TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been thrown out of the African Champions League for fielding an ineligible player in the early rounds of this years competition, the Confederation of African Football said on Saturday. Mazembe, who this year were seeking an unprecedented third successive continental title, were found guilty of fraud…
12 May 2011 Top African FIFA officials Issa Hayatou from Cameroon and Jacques Anouma from the Ivory Coast on Thursday denied accusations of corruption levelled against them before a British Parliamentary Committee concerning the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and Ivorian federation president Anouma, issued their denials in…