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.
13 May 2011 South Africas Nedbank Cup (the equivalent of Englands FA Cup) enters the semifinal stage this weekend, with Soweto side Orlando Pirates the only recognised giant remaining in contention for the trophy. The Buccaneers will host fellow top flight side Mpumalanga Black Aces who will finish bottom of the PSL and be relegated to the second tier at…
13 May 2011 Pa Salisu Taiwo sat proudly in front of the modest family house at No.1 Taiwo Street in Isheri-Olofin, a poor, densely populated outpost in the sprawling city of Lagos. His soft voice trembled with emotions as he heaped praise after praise on his son, Taye Taiwo, the Nigeria international defender who has made a name for himself…
12 May 2011 Nigeria coach, Samson Siasia, has dismissed as a mere destraction a report that he plans to slap a two-match ban on England-based striker Osaze after a twitter rant against him. I have not known peace since the report came out that I will ban Osaze for our next two games, Siasia told MTNFoootball.com. As far as Im…
10 May 2011 Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to make it an incredible 36 league goals in the current campaign as Real Madrid defeated local rivals Getafe 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday to prevent Barcelona from winning the league title for at least one more day. If Real had failed to win, Barcelona would have been crowned champions…
11 May 2011 Defending champions Enyimba will test the championship credentials of Dolphin of Port Harcourt Wednesday, when the second half of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) begins. Two-time champions Dolphin are top of the table with 43 points from 19 matches and have sat at the summit for most of the first round of the competition. Enyimba, on the…
11 May 2011 Following on from yesterdays look at the best Africans in England this season, we turn our attention to the Spanish La Liga. 5. Romaric (Sevilla/Cote d'Ivoire) Appearances/goals: 24/1 The 27-year-old is in his third season as Sevilla and it is arguably his best as he develops into a magnificent holding midfielder. Full name Christian Koffi Romaric N'Dri,…
9 May 2011 Newly-crowned Italian champions AC Milan confirmed Monday the arrival of two new defenders for next season, Roma's French international Philippe Mexes and Marseille's Nigerian international Taye Taiwo. Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said that 29-year-old Mexes - who has been at AS Roma for seven seasons - and Taiwo, 26, who has spent six years with French champions…
10 May 2011 With a first French Ligue 1 title since 1954 in sight, Lille will be looking to at least retain their four-point advantage over nearest chasers Olympique Marseille in a full set of fixtures this midweek. Les Dogues play away to Saint-Etienne on Tuesday evening and could dial up the pressure on OM with a win that would…
10 May 2011 MTNFootball.com brings you our top five performers from the African continent in the English Premiership this season. 5. Youssouf Mulumbu (West Brom/DR Congo) Appearances/goals: 32/5 The DR Congo international midfielder has been outstanding for West Brom this year in helping them to a respectable mid-table position. Once a French junior international, the 24-year-old has opted to play…
9 May 2011 Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Manchester United's impending coronation as English champions for a record 19th time as a "fantastic achievement". United moved level with Liverpool's tally of 18 titles two years ago and their 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday means they now need one more point to secure their 19th. Ferguson's side are six points ahead…
9 May 2011 Nigerian clubs Enyimba and Sunshine Stars at the weekend shot to the next round of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, respectively. Enyimba pipped hard-fighting Al-Ittihad of Libya 1-0 courtesy of a victor Barnabas penalty goal after 70 minutes to qualify for the money-spinning stage of the Champions League. The two-time African champions thus joined defending…
5 May 2011 Unheralded Sporting Braga edged domestic rivals Benfica 1-0 in a nerve-jangling semi-final second leg on Thursday to set up an all-Portuguese Europa League final with league champions FC Porto. Braga's success saw the club from northern Portugal advance on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw and thwarted neutrals' hopes of a clash between traditional rivals Porto…
6 May 2011 Despite training just once on Wednesday evening, Nigeria B team still managed to beat their Liberian counterparts 1-0 to get the defence of the WAFU Cup in Abeokuta off to a winning start. Eagles drew the first blood in the 20th minute when Ekhigo Ehiosun fired in the opener which drew wide jubilation from the fair crowd…
6 May 2011 Manchester United will go on to secure a record 19th title if they defeat Chelsea in this weekend's Premier League shoot-out, Alex Ferguson said Friday. Speaking at a press conference ahead of United's showdown with Chelsea on Sunday, Ferguson said he was convinced that a win against the reigning champions would guarantee the title. United, who lead…
2 May 2011 Two separate investigations opened on Monday into reports of a controversial alleged plan to introduce quotas for dual-nationality players in the France national football team. France's sports ministry and the French football federation (FFF) will be carrying out separate enquires with their findings expected in the next week, said Patrick Braouezec, president of the Football Foundation, who…