The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • NFF  suspends many referees to protect game integrity

    NFF  suspends many referees to protect game integrity

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), through its Refereeing Development Committee, has announced the indefinite suspension of several referees and assistant referees across the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL) and Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).

    The decision, communicated last weekend, was taken to curb excesses, address questionable officiating and preserve the integrity of the game.

    In the NPFL Matchday 9 fixture between Barau FC and Kano Pillars FC, referee Anthony Eze and his assistants Peter Ogwu and Aduba Ngbede were found culpable of multiple infractions, including the wrongful award of a penalty and the failure to sanction a clear penalty incident. The Committee ruled that their collective decisions negatively influenced the outcome of the match and brought the game into disrepute, leading to their indefinite suspension from all football activities.

    The Committee also sanctioned officials in several NNL fixtures. Assistant Referee Ekpouko Ubong was suspended for an incorrect offside decision in the Rovers FC versus Sporting Lagos match that denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Referee Nurah Abdullahi was similarly suspended for failing to protect a goalkeeper in the Mighty Jets versus City FC encounter, while Ahmed M. Usman was penalized for awarding an unjustified penalty in the Sporting Supreme versus Bichi FC match.

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    Further disciplinary action followed the NNL Matchday 5 clash between Kada Warriors and Mighty Jets, where referee Michael Adepoju was suspended for awarding a penalty after being deceived by an attacking player, contrary to the Laws of the Game. The Committee held that the decision had no legal basis and unfairly altered the course of the match.

    In contrast, the Committee exonerated officials in the Lobi Stars versus Basira FC match, affirming that the handball penalty awarded complied with the Laws of the Game, while video evidence was inconclusive on an alleged offside goal. Similarly, match officials in the NWFL fixtures involving Ekiti Queens versus Edo Queens were cleared, as camera angles did not provide sufficient evidence to establish any offside infringement.

    Overall, the NFF Refereeing Development Committee reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on poor officiating and stressed that sanctions would continue to be applied where decisions fall outside the Laws of the Game. The body maintained that consistent enforcement of standards remains critical to fair play, credibility and confidence in Nigerian football competitions.

  • Njokanma, Eccli clinch Ikoyi Club Tennis Masters’ titles

    Njokanma, Eccli clinch Ikoyi Club Tennis Masters’ titles

    The Chairman of the Ikoyi Club Tennis section, Diran Famakinwa, has showered praises on the players who took part in the just concluded Tennis Masters competition.

    The 2025 Top 8 Masters involving the best eight male and best eight female smashers started in August.

    Famakinwa stated that he was very happy with the skills and overall standard exhibited by the players in the week long tournament which took place between December 5th and 13th.

    The tennis section boss said: “We started in August, 2025 with over 60 players in the male category and over 22 players in the female category and eventually top 8 qualified and I have to say we had some excellent participants that Nigeria can be proud of.

     “Though we are a recreational club, the players played at professional level in the competition and it has been a great time watching our Nigerian players and international based players who are members of Ikoyi Club 1938 and it has been exciting for a lot of our members as well.”

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    In the finals decided at the weekend, Mirella Eccli defeated Lolia Kienka 6/1, 7/5 at the centre courts of the tennis section. After losing the first set, Lolia was 5-3 up in the second before Mirella caught up to win and seal the title.

    Chiwete Njokanma also defeated Kalada Kienka 7/5, 6/1 to win the male singles title of the tournament powered by Megamound.

    After the exciting final, Famakinwa also spoke about plans for 2026 at the tennis section.

     “We will be improving on our courts. We will be bringing people internationally to come and increase the coaching skills of our in-house coaches. And also, we will now be implementing a youth development scheme. It’s around harnessing the skills of our very young talents. We will create time for the children so that they can grow up to be top stars. We are going to invest in equipment too.

     “We will be talking to a number of sponsors, to collaborate with us so that the prize money we pay can grow.”

  • First Bank finishes  10th  at AWBL 2025

    First Bank finishes  10th  at AWBL 2025

    Nigeria’s flag bearers, First Bank Basketball Club, will conclude their outing at the 2025 Africa Women Basketball League (AWBL) with a 10th-place finish as the championship wraps up on Saturday in Egypt.

    The Lagos-based side, fondly called the Elephant Girls, endured a difficult group-stage campaign, suffering defeats in their opening two matches against Mozambique’s Ferroviario de Maputo and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), results that left them with little margin for error.

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    First Bank, however, showed character in their final group game by edging Cameroon’s FAP to register their lone victory of the tournament. Despite the morale-boosting win, it was not enough to earn a place in the knockout phase.

    In the classification encounter that followed, FAP turned the tables with a 48–42 victory over the Nigerian champions, avenging their earlier loss and confirming First Bank’s 10th-place finish on the final standings.

    Attention now shifts to the championship decider, where defending champions Ferroviario de Maputo will battle host club Al Ahly Sporting Club in the final as the 2025 AWBL comes to a close in Egypt.

  • CNS Spikers, Customs rule CGC Volleyball League Champions

    CNS Spikers, Customs rule CGC Volleyball League Champions

    CNS Spikers and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) emerged champions of the men’s and women’s categories respectively at the 2025 Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Volleyball Premier League, which concluded on Saturday, December 13 in Abuja.

    In the men’s competition, CNS Spikers topped the standings with 60 points, winning 63 sets and losing 18 to finish ahead of a closely trailing Nigeria Customs Service side on 57 points. The Nigeria Correctional Service secured third place, while Kano Pillars, Nigeria Police Force and NSCDC completed the top six.

    COAS Spikers, UCEM VC, Offa VC, Sunshine Spikers, NAF Rockets and Kada Kings filled out the remainder of the 12-team men’s table after a fiercely contested season.

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    The women’s league saw a dominant showing from the Nigeria Customs Service, who finished as runaway winners with 63 points and an outstanding set record of 63–5. CNS Spikers claimed second place, edging COAS Spikers on sets, while NSCDC and NAF Rockets rounded off the top five.

    Life Camp VC, Kada Emeralds, Benue Queens, Anambra Queens and Olalomi Royal Queens followed in the standings, with Wikki Queens and Delta Queens bringing up the rear. The final phase of the league, featuring 12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams, ran from December 1 to 13 at Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

  • AYG 2025: Nigeria bag Beach Volleyball Gold in Angola

    AYG 2025: Nigeria bag Beach Volleyball Gold in Angola

    Team Nigeria produced a commanding display to defeat Egypt 2–0 (21–17, 21–15) and secure the women’s beach volleyball gold medal at the 2025 African Youth Games in Angola yesterday.

    The victory crowned an impressive campaign and reaffirmed Nigeria’s growing dominance in the discipline on the continent.

    President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod, lauded the players for their resilience and composure, describing the triumph as a proud moment for the country. He noted that the gold medal was particularly significant following Nigeria’s absence from two recent World Championships in Qatar and Australia.

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    Nimrod, who also heads the CAVB Beach Volleyball Commission, said the performance further underlined Nigeria’s status as a rising hub for beach volleyball in Africa. He stressed that the Federation remains focused on qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after narrowly missing out in the last two qualification cycles.

    He reserved special praise for gold medallists Pamela Bawa and Joy Lawrence, as well as coach John Iwerima for his technical guidance, while also acknowledging the National Sports Commission for ensuring Nigeria’s participation at the Games. Nimrod expressed confidence that beach volleyball would continue to deliver medals for Nigeria at continental and global events.

  • Guardiola hails Man City’s ‘big statement’ in win at Palace

    Guardiola hails Man City’s ‘big statement’ in win at Palace

    Pep Guardiola claimed Manchester City had made a “big statement” in the Premier League title race with their 3-0 win against Crystal Palace.

    Guardiola’s side struggled to impose themselves for long spells at Selhurst Park but Erling Haaland’s header late in the first half finally broke the deadlock.

    After riding their luck thanks to several missed Palace chances before and after Haaland’s opener, City showed a ruthless streak to kill off the Eagles.

    Phil Foden drilled home from the edge of the area before Haaland added a late third from the penalty spot.

    Second-placed City have now won four in a row in the league and sit just two points behind leaders Arsenal as the title race heats up.

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    Guardiola was especially impressed with the way City dug deep to subdue tenacious Palace just days after their draining 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League.

     “Always when you approach the game, whoever the opponent, on your terms, good things are going to happen. There’s no sense to playing football without being who you are as an individual,” Guardiola said.

     “Still we are not at the top, but we are learning. We will be closer in the future. After playing in the Bernabeu, then we prepared to play the FA Cup winners.”

    It was a sweet victory for Guardiola after he was out-witted by Palace boss Oliver Glasner in last season’s shock FA Cup final defeat at Wembley.

    Palace have been a thorn in the side of champions Liverpool, beating them three times this season, and Guardiola acknowledged the threat posed by the south Londoners.

     “It’s behind a lot of work. Palace are so strong. Every time we play them it’s so difficult,” he said.

    Guardiola conceded City are still a work in progress following his expensive overhaul of the squad since last season.

    But he took heart from their willingness to fight for the win over Palace – a vital characteristic they lacked throughout last season.

     “Many things we have to improve. Madrid gave me a lot of things, that still we are not ready, not in mentality but in how to approach certain games. They are young some of the players. But 3-0 here is a big statement for us,” he said.

     “When you win in the past, you believe the past was perfect, always brilliant, always the red carpet. When we won with 100 points, all the things we achieved, we had a lot of games like today. The resilience was part of that.

     “There are moments that you struggle. Madrid was not the perfect game, but it was a step. We fought unbelievably to achieve that.

     “We are in a better position than last season. We are close in the competitions we are in,” Guardiola added.

  • ‘Golden moment’ as Messi meets Tendulkar, Chhetri on India tour

    ‘Golden moment’ as Messi meets Tendulkar, Chhetri on India tour

    Football icon Lionel Messi’s second day in India passed smoothly Sunday, after a chaotic opening to his three-day tour, as the World Cup winner kicked balls into the crowd and met cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

    Messi greeted excited fans decked out in Argentina football jerseys at a packed Wankhede stadium in India’s financial hub Mumbai, as supporters chanted his name.

    The 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar took centre stage in the presence of India’s sporting royalty including Tendulkar and football star Sunil Chhetri.

    Messi along with his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul are part of a so-called GOAT Tour of a cricket-crazy nation.

    Cricket great Tendulkar presented Messi with his iconic number 10 jersey from India’s 2011 World Cup triumph at the same venue.

     “I have spent some incredible moments here,” said batting star Tendulkar. “Mumbai is a city of dreams and number of dreams has seen the finish line here on this very venue and without your support we could never have seen those golden moments in 2011.

     “And today having all three greats of game here is indeed a golden moment for Mumbai, Mumbaikars and India.”

    Although a cricket powerhouse, the nation of 1.4 billion struggles on the football pitch and are 142nd on the FIFA rankings.

     “Thank you for being here and encouraging youngsters,” said Tendulkar. “I hope football here in India also reaches the heights that we all aspire.”

    The Mumbai event went smoothly compared to Saturday’s in the eastern city of Kolkata where heavy security left fans struggling to catch a glimpse of Messi.

    Frustrated fans, many having paid more than $100 for tickets, broke down barricades and stormed the pitch after the superstar abruptly left the arena.

    Spectators also ripped out stadium seats and hurled water bottles onto the track.

    One person has been arrested for the incident.

    Security personnel try to control the crowd as Lionel Messi left Salt Lake Stadium during his GOAT Tour in Kolkata on December 13, 2025

    Before the chaos erupted, Messi unveiled a 21-metre (70-foot) statue which shows him holding aloft the World Cup in 2022.

    The footballer was in Hyderabad city later on Saturday where he addressed the crowd briefly in Spanish.

    Messi wraps up his India tour today, with a possible meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The footballer won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.

    The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward will spearhead Argentina’s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America.

  • Aina stages dramatic return after four months injury    

    Aina stages dramatic return after four months injury    

    Forty-Eight hours after being left out of Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 squad, Super Eagles defender Ola Aina made a dramatic return, featuring for Nottingham Forest’s academy side in what can only be described as a bittersweet comeback.

    The Super Eagles defender, who hadn’t played since Nigeria’s ill-fated World Cup qualifier against South Africa four months ago, stepped onto the pitch on Friday night as Forest’s academy maintained their impressive Premier League 2 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Millwall.

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    The timing could hardly have been more heartbreaking. Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle had just named his 28-man squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, introducing five new faces including a fresh right-back option. Aina’s name was notably absent from the list.

    Yet if the omission stung, the 29-year-old showed no signs of dwelling on disappointment. Playing for over an hour under the guidance of former Manchester United academy boss Warren Joyce, Aina looked sharp and determined, directly contributing to Forest’s success on the night.

    The match began with intent from the home side. Adam Berry fired Forest ahead after Danny Anisjko was brought down on the edge of the area, with Berry converting the resulting free-kick with precision and beauty.

  • NFF issues AFCON 2025 final ultimatum to Chelle

    NFF issues AFCON 2025 final ultimatum to Chelle

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Gusau has given Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle the ultimatum to guide the team to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Morocco, or the experiment will be deemed a failure.

    Speaking on Eagle FM, as shared on X, Gusau outlined the expectations placed on the Malian tactician, who was handed the reins of Nigerian football amid controversy and scepticism just weeks ago.

    “The mandate given to Eric Chelle is to get to the AFCON final,” Gusau declared, leaving no room for ambiguity about what constitutes success for the 47-year-old coach.

    The appointment of Chelle raised eyebrows across Nigerian football. A relatively unknown quantity on the international stage, the former Mali assistant coach and Djoliba AC manager was chosen over several high-profile candidates who had been linked with the position.

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    Now, with AFCON 2025 on the horizon in Morocco, Gusau has made it crystal clear that anything short of a final appearance will not be acceptable. It’s a bold mandate that reflects both the NFF’s ambition and the immense pressure on a coach still finding his feet with a squad blessed with talent but hungry for silverware.

    Nigeria last reached an AFCON final in 2013, when they defeated Burkina Faso to lift their third continental crown. Since then, the Super Eagles have endured a frustrating run of near-misses and underachievement on the African stage, including a disappointing group-stage exit at AFCON 2021 and a second-place finish in 2023 that ended in heartbreak against Cote d’Ivoire.

  • Palmer returns with goal as Chelsea end winless run

    Palmer returns with goal as Chelsea end winless run

    Cole Palmer scored his first goal since September as Chelsea ended a four-game winless run with a 2-0 victory over in-form Everton at Stamford Bridge.

    The 23-year-old forward, still managing a groin injury that kept him out for more than two months, opened the scoring after 21 minutes in front of England manager Thomas Tuchel.

    Right-back Malo Gusto, who set up Palmer’s goal, added a second just before half-time.

    Everton dominated the opening 20 minutes, with Iliman Ndiaye having two shots on goal and James Garner also going close.

    But the aptly nicknamed ‘Cold’ Palmer calmed Chelsea’s nerves after a poor start to December, which included defeats at Leeds and Atalanta and a draw at Bournemouth.

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    Played in behind Everton’s defence by Gusto, Palmer took a touch before sending goalkeeper Jordan Pickford the wrong way with a finish into the near post.

    Momentum then swung Chelsea’s way. Alejandro Garnacho missed several chances, including shooting wide for an open goal after capitalising on substitute Carlos Alcaraz’s poor back pass, moments after injured Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall came off with an injury against his former club.

    Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and Everton’s Jack Grealish also had opportunities before the home side doubled their lead just before the break, with Gusto reacting quickest to turn in Pedro Neto’s cross.

    In the second half, Garnacho scooped a close-range shot over before being replaced by Jamie Gittens. Grealish had a header saved and volleyed wide – the latter a chance that should have seen him pull one back – while Ndiaye hit a late shot against the post and Trevoh Chalobah blocked another from Alcaraz inside the box.

    Superior finishing proved decisive for Chelsea, who consolidated fourth place in the Premier League, while Everton remain eighth having played a game more than most of their rivals.