Author: Peter Noah KC

A CLIP showing former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai explaining before his death how he became known as Dodo Mayana has gone viral. In an interview with The Popular Side, a podcast, Rufai said the word ‘Dodo’ from the nickname Dodo Mayana was given to him by the late goalkeeper Peter Fregene, while the other half Mayana was picked up during training in Portugal. His words, “While in a room with Peter Fregene, he calls me Dodo, that generation of 1980, 1981, 1982, I joined the camp in 1981. So from that moment, I was lucky to fall into the…

THE world is set to experience the best of women’s football on display from Africa as the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) kicks off in Morocco on Saturday, July 5th. Postponed from last year, the 2024 WAFCON is a show of African football excellence, and it’s clear that the continent is buzzing with excitement. Morocco hosted the last edition, but this installment marks a new era in women’s football on the continent, building on the momentum of the previous tournament. A fresh look for Olympic Stadium in Rabat. ️ The prize money for the tournament has been jacked up…

AHMADU Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has emerged champions of the inaugural Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate 3×3 Basketball Championship after a commanding 21–15 victory over Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, in the final held in Lagos. The two-day basketball tournament featured six top collegiate teams, and ABU once again underlined their basketball pedigree, lifting the title with skill, grit, and team cohesion. Reacting to the triumph, ABU team captain Bem Agbatar described the win as a massive morale booster for the team. “It’s great to win this championship. It was a tough competition, and it feels good to emerge as…

SUPER Eagles and Fenerbahçe defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, has expressed optimism that Nigeria’s Super Eagles will secure a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite facing tough hurdles in the qualifying rounds The defender remains confident that a turnaround is possible. Osayi-Samuel said this on Tuesday while fielding questions from Sports Journalists at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, Edo State. “In terms of Super Eagles Qualifiers, I believe we will qualify for the World Cup. The aim is just to win every single game. “Of course, it will be difficult, but for us and the team, I think we…

THE Nigerian Women’s beach volleyball team has qualified for the 2025 World Championship in Adelaide, Australia, scheduled to hold from November 14 to 23. The pair of Esther Mbah and Pamela Bawa beat Egypt 2-1 (21-14, 20-22, 15-9) to finish in third place at the just concluded CAVB Continental Championship in Morocco. Head Coach of the team, Kayode Ajilore told the News Agency of Nigeria that the players showed class and brilliance in delivering their jobs. Ajilore said the result in Morocco was an indication of hard work and determination from the entire team. He acknowledged the efforts of Musa…

THE Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, has renamed two key institutions in the state in honour of its 22 athletes who died in a motor accident while returning from the National Sports Festival in May. Yusuf made the announcement on Sunday in Kano, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammed. It would be recalled that the accident occurred within 5 kilometres of Kano, as the state contingent returned to the state from Ogun. He said that the state would forever remember the athletes. The statement read, “The athletes made the state proud and will be…

NIGERIA’s Super Falcons cruised to a commanding 3-1 victory over long-time rivals, the Black Queens of Ghana, in an international friendly played in Casablanca on Sunday. The Ghanaians had the first real chance of the game in the 17th minute, but Doris Boaduwaa’s low effort drifted off target. Nigeria broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Chiwendu Ihezuo’s shot took a deflection and beat the Ghanaian goalkeeper. Just before halftime, the Super Falcons were awarded a penalty which Asisat Oshoala calmly dispatched to double the lead. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade made it 3-0 with a composed finish five minutes after…

SOUTHAMPTON have announced the permanent transfer of Super Eagles forward Paul Onuachu to Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor. The saints confirmed the transfer Friday in a statement on their website. “Southampton Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed with Trabzonspor for the transfer of striker Paul Onuachu,” the club said. “The 31-year-old is set to leave St Mary’s after a two-and-a-half-year spell, in which he scored four goals in 40 appearances, to join the Turkish side, who he was also loaned to during the 2023/24 season. “We thank Paul for his efforts during his time as a Saints…

DESPITE a disappointing start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali remains confident that Nigeria can still secure a place at the tournament. Nigeria currently sit fourth in Group C with seven points from six games: one win, four draws, and a defeat, leaving them six points behind group leaders South Africa, who have amassed 13 points. Rwanda and Benin, both on eight points, occupy the second and third positions, respectively. With only four matches remaining, the margin for error has narrowed significantly. However, Nwabali, who has featured in all six qualifiers so far,…

THE Federal Government has finally fulfilled its three-decade-old promise of house allocations to members of the 1994 Super Eagles squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. This was disclosed in a statement posted on the ministry’s website on Wednesday. One of the beneficiaries, former striker Efan Ekoku, was presented with an allocation letter for a house in Abuja. He was represented at the brief ceremony by his niece, Lisa Jenifer Nwagbogun. The Director and Head of Department, Public Building and Housing Development, Pemi Temitope, presented the letter on behalf of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development.…

THE governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has appointed Super Eagles and Udinese of Italy goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, as an ambassador of the Southeastern state. Okoye, who hails from Enugu State, is currently spending time at home after a long season with his Italian club, which he helped finish 12th in Serie A. Governor Mbah also promised to provide land for the football academy which Okoye wants to establish in Enugu. The governor made this known in a post on his X handle following a meeting with the player on Tuesday in Enugu. He wrote, “Today, I had the pleasure…

THE Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has stated that the reports alleging that Olympic sprinter Favour Ofili has switched her allegiance to Turkey are disheartening. It, however, emphasised that she remains a beacon of hope in the country’s athletics. “Just like every other sports-loving person in Nigeria, on the continent and beyond that, he and his newly elected board read and heard her desire to change nationality from the media,” a statement signed by the President of AFN, Chief Tonobok Okowa, on Sunday, read. “If this is true, it is sad, disheartening and painful, but we have yet to get…

NIGERIAN sprint star and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Favour Ofili has reportedly filed to switch her nationality to Turkey, months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. According to Jamaican journalist Kayon Raynor, the 22-year-old’s switch took effect from May 31, 2025, following a formal request to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). Ofili, who holds the world record in the rarely run 150m with a time of 15.85 seconds, reportedly decided due to long-standing frustrations with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). Sources told TVJ News Centre that Ofili’s decision arose from repeated administrative failings by Nigerian officials. She…

IN what appears a true confession, the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has declared that the absence of Nigerian referees at international tournaments gives him sleepless nights. “Most times, when FIFA or CAF release the list of referees for international tournaments without the inclusion of any Nigerian referee, I suffer sleepless nights,” he said. “I keep wondering why Nigeria, with thousands of referees, cannot make the final cut. “It is embarrassing, and we at the NFF have vowed to change the narrative positively,” Gusau said at the monthly awards ceremony of Nigeria’s second-tier league, the Nigeria National…

SUPER Falcons’ star striker Asisat Oshoala and experienced defender Ashley Plumptre are part of the list of players named by coach Justin Madugu for the 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations. The list released on Friday also has captain Rasheedat Ajibade, with 11 players set to make their debuts at the tournament which will take place in Morocco from July 5 to 26, 2024. Three players from the local league are also included in the team, and will be hoping to make their mark and repay the coach’s confidence in them. Goalkeeper Rachael Unachukwu and defenders Sikiratu Isah and Miracle…

SUPER Eagles star forward Victor Osimhen has spoken candidly about his early years in Lagos, recounting the odd jobs he took on to support himself before beginning his professional career. In a recently released interview with broadcaster Daddy Freeze, Osimhen detailed how he performed various small tasks—including fetching water and cleaning gutters—for minimal pay while growing up in the densely populated Olusosun area of Lagos. Speaking in the interview, the Galatassaray Loanee described a time when he earned between N30 and N80 for cleaning household gutters or fetching water for tenants in a nearby apartment block. “There was a building…

PLAYERS and officials of the Super Eagles will meet with the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) this weekend to plan the successful execution of the country’s remaining 2026 World Cup qualifiers in September. An official of the federation told The Guardian yesterday that the planned meeting will be held in Lagos during or before Skipper William Troost-Ekong’s celebrity charity game billed to be held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, on Saturday. With the theme “Play for Purpose,” the Troost-Ekong Foundation (TEF) show will bring together some of Africa’s biggest names in sports and entertainment to raise awareness…

THE Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the combined Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) U-18/U-20 Championships billed to hold in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has rolled out various sub-committees that will oversee the smooth running of the Games. The championships will run from July 16 to 20. The LOC, headed by Bukola Olapade, who is also the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), reiterated its commitment to delivering a championships that Nigerians and Africans would be proud of. “The little time for preparations notwithstanding, we are committed to delivering a hitch-free CAA U-18/U-20 Championships,” he said. “Members of the committees…

A FORMER Super Eagles player, Sunday Oliseh, has explained the reason for his disapproval of a foreigner taking over the reins of the senior Nigerian national team. Oliseh spoke on Channels Sports on Sunday monitored by News Point Nigeria, where he insisted there were worthy home-based coaches capable of doing a better job. ”I am totally against having that role not being handed over to a Nigerian because we have qualified Nigerians who can do that job,” he said. In January, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) appointed Eric Chelle, a French-born former Mali international, to succeed Augustine Eguavoen, who had…

SOUTH Africa’s Manager, Hugo Broos, is still confident that Bafana Bafana will make the 2026 World Cup from Group C despite the threat of a FIFA three-point sanction hanging over his team. South Africa leads Group C with 13 points with Rwanda and the Benin Republic on eight points each, while Nigeria, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe are on seven, six, and four points respectively. Nigeria must win its remaining matches in the group to retain hopes of overtaking the South Africans, who host the Super Eagles on September 8. That game in Pretoria would have been seen as inconsequential if the…