Mario Stroeykens’ hopes of making his DR Congo debut at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have been dashed after he sustained a knee injury just eight days before kick-off in Morocco.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder, who represented Belgium at youth level, was granted approval to switch his allegiance to the Leopards on November 14 after being called up for their 2026 World Cup playoff tie against Nigeria.
Stroeykens was an unused substitute as Sebastien Desabre’s side beat the Super Eagles 4-3 on penalties in the CAF qualifying final, although he still made the 26-man squad for the African showpiece.
However, the Anderlecht youngster has now been ruled out of AFCON as a result of the injury he picked up in the 2-1 win over Sint-Truiden on Saturday.
The Belgian giants announced that Stroeykens will be sidelined for “four to six weeks”, leading to his withdrawal from Desabre’s squad and Gael Kakuta has subsequently been called up as his replacement.
The Victor Ikpeba 5-A-Side Football Challenge kicked off as scheduled in Warri on Thursday, December 18.
The start came with a bang as the total prize money increased from N1m to N1.5m just as the first shot was being taken.
The organizer of the competition, and former Super Eagles attacker Victor Ikpeba, said he was able to increase the prize money because of the support he received from High Chief Peter Esievo, the Managing Director of Global Services Limited.
Ikpeba said, “I say thank you to Chief Esievo from the depths of my heart. His support that has come through Global Services Limited has made a lot of difference for us in the pursuit of better organization and results for this community-based competition.
The mini-football tournament being held at 3 Battalion Army Barracks, Effurun, got into the quarter-final stage on Thursday following a knockout play that saw 24 teams battle fiercely for a place closer to the trophy.
Ariya Networks have secured the rights to broadcast in Nigeria the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which holds in Morocco between December 21 and January .
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, December 18, the Chief Executive Officer of Ariya Networks, Dr Idris Olagoke Badmus, said the AFCON broadcast aligns with the company’s broader vision of building a global, African-owned media platform.
“Ariya Networks globally launched this month in New York City. We are a registered broadcasting corporation with a license to broadcast globally and our holding company, Amni Corporation, has been operating in the United States for the past 11 years,” Badmus said.
He noted that the network was conceived to address long-standing gaps in global media representation for people of African descent. According to him, despite being over 1.6 billion globally, Black communities remain underrepresented and misrepresented in international media narratives.
“We are 1.6 billion Black people in the world, yet the world treats us like a minority,” he said. “There are only six major global news organizations, and Ariya Networks is the sixth. The difference is that we are not here to follow the same political template that was handed down to us. That is not our news.”
Badmus explained that while most global news platforms focus heavily on politics, Ariya Networks prioritises social economy, culture, innovation and inter-African collaboration.
Badmus said AFCON provided a strategic entry point for Ariya Networks to introduce its mission to a wider African audience. He announced that the tournament, which kicks off on December 21, will be broadcast live on two Ariya Sports channels, with on-demand streaming also available for viewers who miss matches or wish to rewatch highlights and analyses.
“AFCON came as an opportunity for us to introduce our intention,” he said. “From December 21, we will broadcast all matches on two of our channels. Beyond live games, viewers will be able to stream matches afterward, replay goals and access our in-depth analysis.”
He described Ariya Networks as a hybrid platform combining live television and on-demand streaming, with six live TV channels and over 300 titles currently available.
“We are a combination of Netflix, Amazon Prime and live broadcasting. That is what makes us unique,” Badmus said.
Meanwhile, the CEO has announced plans to launch the Ariya Boxing Classic in June 2026, featuring boxers from eight West African countries competing in a structured, televised tournament designed to produce world champions within five years.
“We are not talking about European leagues. We are talking about African leagues,” he said. “The difference between African sports and European sports is not talent; it is direction and intention. Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone – the talent is there. What we lack is investment and platforms.”
Badmus argued that Africa’s heavy consumption of European and American sports content has contributed to the underdevelopment of local leagues. “If we spend half the energy we use watching European football on our own continent, we will develop ourselves,” he said.
On pricing, Ariya Networks announced a three-tier subscription model for Nigerian viewers, Free, Basic and Premium which have been made affordable.
He added that Ariya Networks is available on smart TVs and mobile devices, including Android and Apple platforms, and is accessible on major app stores alongside established global streaming services. The AFCON broadcast license covers 32 markets in Nigeria, a limitation he attributed to channel capacity rather than content restrictions, assuring viewers they would not miss key matches.
Nigerian-British heavyweight Anthony Joshua on Saturday knocked out American boxer Jake Paul in a heavyweight bout in Miami, United States.
The contest, scheduled for eight three-minute rounds—shorter than a standard heavyweight fight—ended in the sixth round when Joshua floored Paul for the fourth time with a crushing right hand to claim his 26th career knockout.
Paul, 28, a social media influencer-turned-boxer with seven knockouts, exceeded pre-fight expectations by surviving into the second half of the contest. He showed resilience under pressure but struggled to contain Joshua’s power and experience.
Joshua asserted full control in a dramatic fifth round, dropping Paul twice before closing the fight in the sixth with a sustained barrage of heavy punches.
Speaking after the bout, Joshua admitted the performance was not flawless but said the result was decisive. “It wasn’t the best performance. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination,” he said.
He praised Paul’s courage and determination, noting his ability to repeatedly beat the count. “Jake did well tonight. He got up time and time again. It takes a man to keep trying in there, and he deserves respect for that,” Joshua added.
Joshua said the fight marked a successful return after a 15-month layoff and signalled his readiness for bigger challenges ahead. He called on Tyson Fury to step into the ring next, saying the heavyweight division needed a genuine test.
Paul, who revealed that he suffered a broken jaw during the fight, declined to name his next opponent. He said he would take time away from boxing following his second professional defeat.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola dismissed speculation over his future at the club, insisting contract talks are not on the agenda despite rumours he could leave at the end of the season, but added his side were not yet good enough to win the title.
While Guardiola’s team, who host lowly West Ham United on Saturday, could overtake Arsenal for top spot in the Premier League this weekend, the Spaniard’s job status was the hot topic at his pre-game press conference.
“I always get asked this question, so sooner or later I will quit Manchester City,” Guardiola told reporters. “I have 18 months, so I’m so happy with the development of the team. That question is there every single season at some point. Whatever is going to happen will happen.
“They are not discussions. End of the subject. I will not be here forever. What is going to happen will happen. The club must be prepared but that subject is not on the table right now.”
Reports linked Enzo Maresca as a potential successor, although the Chelsea manager dismissed them earlier.
Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane says he’s “in the prime” of his career as he bids for more silverware with the Bundesliga leaders this season. In a wide-ranging interview with the Bundesliga, the 32-year-old talks about Christmas in the Kane household, the art of scoring goals, the impact of Lennart Karl on Bayern this term, and plenty more besides.
Plans for Christmas
To be a good dad and bring the fun. I’m always busy with football in this period and we have a lot of games, so it’s hard to really do a lot with the kids. I try to just be there and have fun, and we go away for Christmas all the time. It will be a mixture of things because I have two older girls and two younger boys, so it will be a mixture of activities for sure. Ultimately, Christmas for me is about making the kids happy and seeing the smile on their faces and spending as much time as I can with them. I’m looking forward to it.
Sharing hat-trick balls to his kids
Not any more, no. I don’t get away with that one since I’ve been here. The kids still have them, but they’re putting more pressure on me now. I brought another Bundesliga one home recently, the Stuttgart one, and my son said he wanted the one with the stars on it, so he wants a Champions League one. There’s more pressure on me to get different types of balls now, but they still use them and they kick them around the house. They’re excited when I bring one back, but they don’t fully count as Christmas presents, so I can’t get away with that one.
Setting scoring targets
I’d say so. During the season, I don’t get too caught up in it and I try to give myself small targets of a certain amount of goals in a small block of games. I think you know yourself when you are playing well or not, and even if you are not playing well and still scoring, you know that it’s not going to last forever and you still need to improve in moments. Sometimes you’re playing amazingly and not scoring, so you can’t get too down on it. There are highs and lows throughout any season, but this season has been consistently pretty good from a goalscoring point of view, even though there are still performances where I could’ve done better. Ultimately, it’s just about knowing where you are as a player rather than just the numbers, and that’s what I like to look at.
It’s hard to pick one person. I would probably go back to my youth team days and to John McDermott, who was the head of the academy back then and who is now working with the England team and the FA. He was amazing for my development at that age from 13 all the way up to the youth team. Without him in that role, I don’t know if I would be the player that I am now. As I got older, Tim Sherwood gave me my first Premier League chance and I was able to take that. He always believed in me from when he was at the reserves to when he got the main job, and he always believed I could do it at the highest level. That then takes me into Mauricio Pochettino, who developed me from there and turned me into a different type of player. He made me a lot stronger physically and made me understand what it’s like to be a Premier League player. I’ve obviously named three there, but I can name so many. I look back at my whole career and there are so many people who helped me, but those are a few that had a big impact for sure.”
Point in football career
Good question. I’m 32 now and sometimes you get to an age where people just assume you are going to start slowing down and assume it’s coming to an end. But I feel like I’m in the prime of my career, and I just touched on the numbers I’m putting up and physically how I feel. Even if I look at the running data from this season, I’m running as much as I’ve ever run before, so it’s hard to say. I feel like I could play for many more years and I feel like I’m right in the prime of what I want to do, and hopefully that lasts for another few years. As we know in football, things can change pretty quickly, so we will see. Right now, I feel really good.
England bid for 2026 World Cup
I think we are at that stage now where only a win is going to satisfy us and the country. We had that a little bit in the last Euros because we got to the final and there was still a lot of negative noise around us. We knew that unless we won it, that noise was going to continue and it did, and that’s part of it. We’ve been building on the success from 2018 onwards, from the semi-final of the World Cup to the final, quarter-final, and then final. We’ve been knocking on the door and we’ve consistently been one of the best teams in the world, so there is an expectation going into this tournament. We’re fourth in world rankings and people see us as one of the favourites, so we have to acknowledge that and take that into the tournament and be able to handle that pressure. We’ve had a lot of good moments in the last eight years as a national team, but ultimately, it’s about winning now. We want to win the biggest trophies and we definitely have the quality to do it, now it’s just about handling those moments. I’m looking forward to that challenge and whenever a major tournament comes around, it’s the peak of your career and the peak of the pressure and expectation and excitement that you feel. I’m excited to see how I and the team handle that.”
The Nigeria domestic league has entered a new financial milestone following a mouth-watering investment deal signed with both the Nigeria National League (NNL) and the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).
According to founder of Toptier Sports Management (TSM) Chichi Nwoko, the partnership will be a 10-year strategic investment that will transform the face of domestic football in Nigeria .
It would be noted that both the NNL and NWFL have signed the deal for the first five years.
Nwoko emphasised that this investment which runs into billions of naira was made possible because of the new wave of trust and confidence the private sector is beginning to have in the sports sector because of the quality of people currently at the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as well as the domestic leagues.
“When you have a system that is seemingly devoid of crises and with people with integrity piloting its affairs, such a system will attract the Private sector, which is what we are beginning to see in the Sports sector in Nigeria in the last one year, “Nwoko said. “This is why I must specially thank the Director General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Hon Bukola Olopade, who strongly believe in the Public Private Partnership ( PPP)”.
Nwoke disclosed that TSM would in the next 10 years pump well over 40 billion naira into the NNL and NWFL starting with a N200m deal for both leagues in the first year.
She stated that the partnership will aim to make the leagues more attractive as it comes with top notch television production package that would gulp over N800 million every season.
“I have no doubt that the pathway of transformation that we all crave to see in our domestic football in terms of structure, organisation and financial stability is finally on the way with this new deal for the Nigeria Women’s football league and the Nigeria second tier league, the Nigeria National league”, she concluded.
Hon Bukola Olopade said: ” This is the Renewed Hope in Sports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, promised Nigerians and the enabling environment the President has provided is the reason for the trust that corporate Nigeria is beginning to have in Nigerian Sports.”
President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau who was represented by the General Secretary Dr Ibrahim Sanusi at the signing ceremony in Abuja on Friday, lauded both the NNL and NWFL for attracting the private sector to the domestic league.
Gusau noted that the leagues are getting better every season even as he stressed that TSM’s investment would further improve the NNL and NWFL.
An elated Chairman of the Nigeria National league, George Aluo, stated: “The domestic league in Nigeria is about to take its rightful place with this landmark partnership with Toptier Sports Management and I want to assure Nigerians and the Private sector that we are determined to improve on this new milestone.”
The 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), kicks off tomorrow in Morocco, ushering in three weeks of continental football rivalries at the game’s biggest continental showpiece.
The opening match will see the hosts, Morocco; face Comoros at 8:00pm. Monday’s fixtures continue the build-up, with Mali taking on Zambia at 3:00pm, South Africa meeting Angola at 6:00pm, and seven-time champions, Egypt, beginning their campaign against Zimbabwe in the late game at 9:00pm.
Tuesday is expected to draw major attention from Nigerian fans as the Super Eagles open their AFCON 2025 journey against Tanzania at 6:30pm. The day’s action begins earlier with DR Congo facing Benin at 1:30pm, followed by defending champions, Senegal, against Botswana at 4:00pm, before Tunisia and Uganda round off the night at 9:00pm.
Nigeria’s fixture stands out as a key early test, with supporters eager to see a confident start in a group widely viewed as favourable.
The first round concludes on Wednesday, December 24, with Burkina Faso facing Equatorial Guinea at 1:30pm, Algeria taking on Sudan at 4:00pm, Cote d’Ivoire meeting Mozambique at 6:30pm, and Cameroon clashing with Gabon in the final fixture at 9:00pm.
The Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club (ANFASSC) has reaffimed its unwavering support for the Super Eagles of Nigeria ahead of the 2025 African Cup of Nation. The body stated this while acknowledging the recent communication from the Interim Management Committee (IMC) concerning the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) position on supporters’ participation for the Super Eagles in Morocco.
ANFASSC also deems it necessary to clarify the long-standing matter of supporters’ collaboration within Nigerian football. The initial vision for unifying supporters was altered at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) level, disrupting the original framework for effective collaboration. Since then, the process has seen limited progress under the IMC, largely due to ongoing concerns around transparency, fairness, inclusivity, and meaningful stakeholder engagement—issues ANFASSC has consistently raised in a constructive manner. These challenges have hindered the continuity and coordination required to establish a cohesive and credible supporters’ structure.
Despite these setbacks, ANFASSC recognises and commends the National Sports Commission for its proactive, results-oriented support for Nigerian football in recent times. The Commission facilitated a chartered flight for supporters to Rwanda for the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifier, supported timely visa processing for the South Africa qualifier, and provided comprehensive backing for the World Cup qualifier playoff matches in Morocco, including assistance with visas, flight logistics, and supporters’ welfare, among other critical interventions. These actions underscore the Commission’s commitment to professionalism, preparedness, and the overall wellbeing of Nigeria’s national teams.
In line with this progressive outlook, ANFASSC aligns with the NSC’s position that unity among supporters does not require the dissolution or merger of existing organisations. Rather, unity can be achieved through coordinated stadium support, unified chants, and mutual respect during national team engagements, while preserving established structures. This approach reflects global best practices and promotes inclusivity within the supporters’ ecosystem.
ANFASSC has consistently upheld this principle in its operations, including during the Unity Cup, where the club independently mobilised, coordinated, and supported the national team in an organised and responsible manner.
As preparations continue for AFCON 2025, ANFASSC reassures Nigerians, football authorities, and the Super Eagles that our presence and support will remain steadfast. We will continue to engage constructively with relevant institutions and stakeholders to ensure Nigeria is positively represented, both on and off the pitch.
Olympique Lagos Football Academy on Friday held a free scouting tryout session at the Alade Stadium, Alagbado, Lagos, as part of its grassroots development drive aimed at identifying and grooming young football talents across the state.
The exercise, which attracted hundreds of aspiring footballers, focused on players between the ages of 14 and 16, offering them a platform to showcase their skills before local and international scouts.
According to the academy’s president, Segun Oduwole, the initiative was designed to discover talents early and place them on a structured development pathway.
“This is a tryout program to scout for grassroots talent in Lagos,” Oduwole said. “The reason for this is to catch young talent at their prime, at a youthful age, within 14, 15 and 16 years. At this stage, we are looking at prospects who can grow into superstars, even though growth is never guaranteed. Our goal is to groom young players who can fly the Nigerian flag both at home and abroad.”
Oduwole noted that several promising players were identified during the session, stressing that talent alone was not enough to succeed at the highest level. He urged the selected players to remain focused and committed to personal development.
“Nothing good comes easy,” he added. “At times, talent is not everything; working hard and smart is. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are great not just because of talent, but because of dedication, discipline and lifestyle. Ronaldo at 40 is still playing great football. For these young players, they need to work three times harder to get to that stage.”
Also present at the tryouts was Oluwagbenga Adewunmi Adetona, popularly known as Schimchi, founder and chairman of Schimchi Football Academy, who highlighted the depth of talent on display despite the limited number of players that could be selected.
“This tryout is good. We have a lot of talent, but we can’t pick everybody,” Adetona said. “We had about 500 players here today, and we can only select around 15. They are all good, but we go for the best.”
Adetona emphasised discipline as a critical factor in a footballer’s success, both on and off the pitch, warning young players against distractions that could derail their careers.
“In football, if you are hardworking and skilful but you don’t have discipline, you can’t go anywhere,” he said. “Discipline comes first. If you want to play football, you must give everything to football. Lack of discipline has ruined the careers of many players who ended up being banned or sent back home from abroad.”
He further called on government authorities to invest more in grassroots sports development, particularly in infrastructure.
“Nigeria has more talent than any other country in Africa, but we lack facilities,” Adetona said. “In Ghana, there are pitches and parks for young players. Here, we don’t have enough fields. If each local government can provide at least two standard pitches, it will make a huge difference. Talent is not our problem; facilities are.”
Adding an international perspective to the event was Serbian scout Aleksa Masic, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of players observed during the tryouts. Masic disclosed that 17 players had already been selected to join the Olympique Lagos Football Academy.
“Our idea is to set up a European standard in this academy,” Masic said. “I am very satisfied with what I saw today. After this, we will travel to Delta State to find more players who can join the academy.”
He explained that the academy’s long-term vision was focused on structured development and eventual exposure to European football.
“We want to see good development, and after two or three years of hard work, we expect to move some of these players to European clubs,” Masic said. “That is the idea of this academy, and we hope to do it the right way.”
The successful turnout and quality of talent at the Alagbado tryouts reinforced the growing belief that with proper structure, discipline and investment, grassroots football in Nigeria can continue to produce players capable of competing at the highest levels of the global game.
