SPORTS

World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has presented his IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO titles to President Muhammadu Buhari. The 30-year-old celebrated his recent victory with President Buhari on Saturday in London when the Nigerian leader met with some Nigerians living in the United Kingdom. Excited Joshua, a British-Nigerian, could not hide his feelings as he prostrated to pay homage to …

The Senegalese has finished in the award's top three for the last three years, and has long targeted the prize in order to emulate the achievement of one of his heroes, former Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf, who won it in 2002.

The World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday banned Russia from global sporting events including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after accusing Moscow of falsifying data from an anti-doping laboratory. “The full list of recommendations have been unanimously accepted,” said WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald, speaking at a meeting of the body’s executive committee in Lausanne. “WADA’s executive …

While his fans worldwide rejoice over his thrashing of Andy Ruiz Jr. on Saturday to reclaim his three championship belts, Anthony Joshua has tweeted what his victory’s lesson is. “My hope is that someone sees my page and decides not to give up. Clean hearts win,” the British-Nigerian boxer tweeted on Sunday. AJ, as he’s fondly called by his fans, …

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia will host what is regarded as one of the biggest sporting events to ever be staged in the Middle East, the highly-anticipated Heavyweight World Championship fight dubbed ‘Clash on the Dunes’. The hype before the bout has reached crescendo level. Anthony Joshua said at a joint pre-fight press conference on Wednesday he would not celebrate if …

The purpose-built venue for Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is ready the biggest boxing fight of the year. Work on the 15,000-seat Diriyah Arena only began two months before the fight, which holds on 7 December. Briton Joshua is seeking to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles after June’s shocking defeat by …

Anthony Joshua has arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr on 7 December and the British-Nigerian is promising to produce a performance to remember in the ring. Joshua, who was handed his first professional defeat by Ruiz Jr earlier this year at Madison Square Garden in New York, is fighting to reclaim the WBA, IBF, …

It’s a double victory for Ethiopia in the German capital city on Sunday as the country swept both the Men’s and Women’s titles at the 46th BMW Berlin-Marathon in a race that has been described by journalists as one of the craziest in the history of the sport. Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele has won his second Berlin Marathon’s Men race, crossing …

Enthusiasts are hoping that it will be a history-making event as the fastest marathoners on earth line up to race the 45th BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, 29 September. Last year, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won  the Men’s race in two hours, one minute and 39 seconds,  smashing the world record in the process by a staggering 78 seconds, while his …

This year’s The Best FIFA Football Awards™ ceremony took centre stage at Milan’s historic Teatro alla Scala on Monday’s evening and crowned two household names as the players of the season: Megan Rapinoe and Lionel Messi. The Argentina and FC Barcelona star was recognised by FIFA as the Player of the Year for the sixth time in his career − …

After five exciting weekends of quality football and the accompanying tension and fun, Sierra Leone beat Cameroon 5:4 to become winners of the 13th African Football Cup in Bremen on Sunday (11 August). It was however not easy for the Sierra Leoneans as they achieved their hard-won victory after a penalty shoot-out. Senegal had it easier at the third-place match …

A total of 16 national teams, representing their countries of origin in Africa, have been battling in Bremen since 7 July for the 13th African Football Cup laurels. Now the die is cast! Four teams have emerged from the preliminary rounds and the quarter and semi finals to play at the grand final on Sunday, 11 August. Cameroon and Sierra …

Algeria scored early to beat Senegal to lift their second African Cup of Nations at the grand final of the continental football festival. Baghdad Bounedjah’s early goal propelled Algeria to a first Africa Cup of Nations title in 29 years after a fiery 1-0 victory over Sadio Mane’s Senegal in Friday’s (July 20) final in Cairo. Bounedjah gave Algeria a …

German football enthusiast Maximilian Lütgens, reporting exclusively for The African Courier, writes on his trip to Egypt to watch this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, revealing not only the actions in the stadiums but also the thrill outside of them at the continental football fiesta. Enjoy! From 25 June to 2 July, I travelled to Egypt for a week of …

All roads lead to the city of Bremen on 7 July when the 13th African Football Cup 2019 kicks off. A total of 16 national teams representing their countries of origin in Africa will lock horns for the prestigious trophy over five Sundays. The participants in the tournament, organised by the Pan-Afrikanischer Kulturverein e.V. (Pan-African Cultural Association), represent members of …

It’s a double win for Egypt on Tuesday, which had made headlines earlier in the day for securing the hosting rights for the Africa Nations Cup 2019, as its star forward Mohamed Salah was voted the African Footballer of the Year for the second successive year. Salah beat fellow nominees, Liverpool team mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang …

Anthony Joshua, world heavyweight boxing champion, has been presented with an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to sport. The British-Nigerian received the honour from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The investiture marks the latest accolade Joshua has collected after he was also given an MBE in 2013. …

Côte d’Ivoire and Chelsea great striker Didier Drogba has formally announced his retirement from football after a 20-year career. The 40-year-old scored 164 goals in 381 appearances for Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League, while he is also Côte d’Ivoire’s all-time record goalscorer with 65. Drogba spent the last 18 months of …

Former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi has announced that he would be heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to appeal against a decision by FIFA to ban him for life. FIFA handed a life-ban from all football activities to Nyantakyi on Tuesday for various violations of their ethics code, including bribery and corruption. He was also …

Kenyan superstar runner Eliud Kipchoge has been named as the UN Person of the Year by the United Nations team in Kenya. Kipchoge, 33, is regarded as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era. He set a new marathon record in September with a time of two hours one minute 39 seconds in Berlin. Kipchoge burst onto the international …