SPORTS

Côte d’Ivoire have failed to qualify for next year’s competition after losing 2-0 to Morocco on Saturday in Abidjan. Morocco needed only a draw in their last group game to finish top of the table ahead of the Ivorians, who had to win at home to make a fourth straight appearance at the World Cup. The Ivorians have reached the …

Anthony Joshua stopped a resilient Carlos Takam in the 10th round to successfully defend his IBF and WBA heavyweight world titles in Cardiff on Saturday. Takam is Joshua’s 20th consecutive knockout victim in a fourth defence of his IBF belt and first of his WBA title. Joshua, a British-Nigerian, had injured his nose from a headbutt from the Cameroon-born boxer …

Real Madrid’s Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the best soccer player in the world for the second year running at FIFA’s The Best awards gala on Monday. The  four-time Ballon d‘Or winner won a La Liga and Champions League double with the Madrid club this year. He stroke twice against Juventus in the European Cup final to help Real …

Morocco has replaced Kenya as hosts of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Sunday. The Emergency Committee of the body chaired by its president, Ahmad Ahmad, met on Saturday in Lagos, Nigeria, and unanimously decided to grant the organization of the fifth edition of the football competition to the Royal Moroccan Football …

Manchester City star Yaya Touré has announced his support for the Football People action weeks and the thousands across Europe and beyond that during the period unite to tackle discrimination in football and promote social inclusion. Speaking in a short film produced to support the campaign, which runs until 19 October, Touré said: “I have been abused by racism and …

Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, have become the first African country to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia after taking an unassailable lead atop Group B. The team beat Zambia’s Chipolopolo in the city of Uyo, southern Nigeria, to secure their qualification. The only goal of the game was scored by Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi. He came on …

Kolo Toure has been appointed as an assistant coach to the Cote d’Ivoire national team. The former Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City defender will work under ex-Belgium coach Marc Wilmots, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) has announced. He was already an assistant manager at the last club he played for, Celtic. He hung his boot earlier in September 2017 after …

Some members of the Ugandan rugby national team have gone missing in Germany at the end of a three-day 12-nation tournament which the Rugby Cranes finished 10th. The three players – Ramathan Govule, Brian Kikaawa and Fred Odur – were not found at the team’s hotel on Monday (2 October) when they were preparing to leave the country, local media …

It wasn’t the race that anybody anticipated and the world record of 2:02:57 still stands, but Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge came away from the 2017 Berlin Marathon on Sunday with the win in 2:03:32—and he faced some unanticipated late-race competition from a newcomer to the distance. Although the pre-race hype focused on a battle between the “big three” of Kipchoge, Wilson …

It should be a history-making event as three of the fastest marathoners on earth line up to race the 44th BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, 24 September. Running for the world record are Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele and Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Wilson Kipsang, who will summon near-super human strength, speed and endurance developed over years of dedicated training. The time …

Because they couldn’t sit at home doing nothing, 15-year-old Precious and Promise Idiaru took to sports many years ago. They started with football and later switched to basketball, in which the tall brothers have proved to be very good. They have now been nominated for Germany’s Under-15 national team which will take part in the 4-nation North Sea Development Cup …

The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday passed a resolution to increase the number of participating teams in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from 16 to 24. The change will take effect from 2019 when Cameroon hosts it. The, tournament which has traditionally been held in January and February, will also be staged in …

According to a new report of the Daily Mail, a London newspaper, German tennis legend Boris Becker became bankrupt due to a failed investment he made in a Nigerian oil company. Becker, who was declared bankrupt last month, is reported to have made the investment, which has now ‘plunged in value’, in 2013. The three-time Wimbledon winner lost a huge …

A team representing Nigerians living in the Bavarian city of Würzburg has emerged winners of the second edition of the Nigerian Ambassador’s Cup Germany. The football tournament, which took place on Saturday (14 July) in Berlin, was contested by the chapters of the Nigerian Community Germany (NCG) e.V. – the umbrella organisation of Nigerian associations in the country. This year …

Germany jumped over Brazil and Argentina to move back to the top of the FIFA rankings released Wednesday (6 July), thanks to the team winning the Confederations Cup last week. The world champions beat Chile 1-0 in the Russian city of St Petersburg, a year to the 2018 World Cup, to ensure a first return to the top of the …

Reigning football’s world champions, Germany, beat Chile on Sunday to win the Confederations Cup just two days after claiming the European Under-21 title. Lars Stindl scored the only goal into an empty net in the 20th minute of a pulsating, bad-tempered final in the Russian city of St Petersburg. The dramatic game featured missed chances, defensive howlers, scuffles and two …

MoneyGram, one of the world’s leading providers of international money transfer and a multicultural company with employees from all across the world, is organizing the Europe-wide MoneyGram Cup of Nations 2017. The football tournament is designed for young footballers aged 16-17 years of all nationalities and backgrounds living in eight European countries. As sport brings people closer, the goal of MoneyGram …

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of German first division side Borussia Dortmund has won the “kicker Cannon” after scoring his 30th and 31st goals of the season against Bremen on Saturday. The 27-year-old Gabon forward is the fifth Borussian player to win the award for the top goal scorer of the Bundesliga. And he becomes the second African to clinch the prestigeous title after …

Despite winning record-breaking 18 million euros for beating Wladimir Klitschko, world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has moved back into his mother’s 2-bedroon ex-council flat in North London. The humble boxer had been staying in a plush villa in St John’s Wood, north-west London, for which he reportedly paid 100,000 euros per month, before his Wembley mega-fight. But he is refusing …

A Supreme Court judge of Ghana, Justice Anin Yeboah, has been named the new head of FIFA’s disciplinary committee (DC). The position will span the next four years and the new DC members are to take office immediately. He takes over from Swiss Sulser Claudio who last headed the DC. Anin was voted to head the body in a landslide …