Building on their recent success at the African Games in Ghana, Nigerian wrestlers continued their dominance at the African Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

Oborududu claims 14th African title

Blessing Oborududu cemented her place in wrestling history by winning a record-extending 14th African title.

She dominated the 63kg category, defeating home favourite Osman Badran of Egypt by a convincing 12-2 score. This victory comes just one week after Oborududu claimed gold at the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana.

More titles for Nigerian wrestlers

Returning to the competition after a one-year absence, Odunayo Adekuoroye showcased her talents once again. She pinned Chaimaa Aouissi of Egypt to win her eighth African title and secure valuable ranking points in the 57kg category.

Christianah Ogunsanya continued the winning streak, capitalising on her powerful performance at the African Games by defeating Chahrazed Ayachi of Tunisia 10-0 in the 53kg category to claim the gold medal.

Esther Kolawole also replicated her success at the African Games by defeating Farah Hussein of Egypt 11-0 in the 62kg weight class, securing her second African senior title.

The first day of the championships concluded with mixed results. Military world champion Hannah Reuben fell short in the 76kg category, losing to Tunisian Zainab Sghair 12-2 and settling for a silver medal.

Olympic qualifiers

The focus will soon shift to the Olympic qualifiers, taking place just two days after the completion of the African Championships from 22 to 24 March in Alexandria, Egypt.

Nigeria’s six female and five male wrestlers, who dominated at the African Games, will aim to secure their spots in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

The top two finishers in each of the 18 Olympic weight categories will qualify for the Olympics.

Nigeria has already secured one Olympic berth through Odunayo Adekuoroye.

However, Daniel Igali, President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, remains optimistic about the team’s chances at“Our main focus is getting our wrestlers to Alexandria,” Igali acknowledged, highlighting funding limitations. “But if you’re looking at the top federations that can deliver medals for Nigeria at the Olympics, wrestling is definitely one of them.”

With their impressive performances at the African Games and Championships, the Nigerian wrestlers have momentum as they head into the crucial qualifiers.

 the qualifiers

25-year-old Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plu,ptre has been making waves with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, capturing attention again.

Plumptre showcased her prowess on the field as Al-Ittihad triumphed over Al Riyadh with an impressive scoreline of 13-2 in a Saudi Women’s Premier League fixture on Saturday, March 16, 2024.

In the match, Plumptre herself contributed to the victory by scoring a goal, executing a powerful header in the 58th minute. The game concluded with a dominant performance by Al-Ittihad.

The goalscorers for Al Riyadh were Rafinha and Carla Gomez, while Al-Ittihad’s 13 goals came from Leighanne Robe, Asrar Jamal Abdulaziz Mohammed, Joury Tariq Mohammed Ismail, Plumptre, Lili Iskandar, Wojood Hasan Abed Harthi, Mariam Al-Tamimi, Nor Mustafa, and a penalty by Raheem Fauzi Hamdan Al Sharif.

Plumptre’s impactful presence on the field has continued to garner attention, especially after her recent explanation regarding her decision to join Al-Ittihad.

Her stellar performance highlights her importance to both her club and the Super Falcons, earning admiration from fans and followers alike.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have gathered again – for the first time since clinching silver at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast.

This time, the Eagles are gathering to the welcome of a new interim head coach – new role but a familiar face.

Finidi George who was one of Jose Peseiro’s assistants at the 2023 AFCON will lead the team for the international friendly games in March.

These friendly games mark the Super Eagles’ first matches since their defeat to Cote d’Ivoire in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final back in January. The team is scheduled to face Ghana on March 22, followed by a match against Mali four days later.

In anticipation of these fixtures, the Nigeria Football Federation initially invited 26 players to the squad, with Enyimba coach Finidi George taking charge following the departure of Jose Peseiro. However, four players, including Victor Osimhen, Gabriel Osho, Tyrone Ebuehi, and Taiwo Awoniyi, have unfortunately withdrawn from the squad with injury.

As the news of Kylian Mbappe’s imminent departure from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the end of the season reverberates, former PSG player David Ginola has put forth Victor Osimhen as an ideal replacement for the departing star.

Mbappe, who joined PSG in 2017 initially on loan before sealing a permanent deal, has informed PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi of his intentions to leave the club.

The 25-year-old forward, a World Cup winner, has enjoyed immense success at PSG, clinching five league titles with the Parisian giants and poised for a sixth this season.

With Mbappe’s exit looming, PSG is already contemplating life without their talisman. Manager Luis Enrique has gradually reduced Mbappe’s playing time, signaling the need for a successor.

One name repeatedly mentioned in discussions is Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, who is also expected to depart the Italian club despite recently signing a contract extension.

Ginola, who had a successful stint at PSG between 1992 and 1995, believes Osimhen possesses the qualities necessary to fill Mbappe’s shoes.

Speaking to French TV channel Canal Plus Sport, the 57-year-old highlighted Osimhen’s athleticism, pace, and scoring ability, endorsing him as the best Nigerian forward and a suitable candidate for PSG.

“He would be a good choice. He is a player that isn’t set up in the same way at all [compared to Mbappe]. He is more athletic, he has pace, but less than Mbappe,” Ginola remarked, emphasising Osimhen’s potential to thrive at PSG.

Despite PSG’s interest, competition for Osimhen’s signature is expected to be fierce, with Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United also eyeing the Nigerian striker.

Osimhen’s reported €110 million release clause in his new Napoli deal could facilitate a move to PSG, making the transfer financially feasible for the French giants.

Nigeria Super Eagles’ kit provider, Nike has released the home and away kits for the African vice champions. The Nike Nigeria 2024 home & away jerseys are available to buy from Thursday 21 March 2024

The Nike Nigeria 2024 home football shirt is predominantly white with green and red detailing.

The most unusual feature of the Nike Nigeria 2024 home shirt is that Nike have used the words ‘NAIJA’ on the front of the shirt instead of the Nigerian football crest. It’s quite weird that Nike uses a square collar for the Nike Nigeria 2024 home jersey.

Nike combines the Nigeria 2024 home football shirt with white shorts and socks.

The Nike Nigeria 2024 away football shirt has a first in the country’s history. The Nike Nigeria 2024 away kit is mainly black, combined with a green graphic design.The green pattern of the Nigeria 2024 away jersey is inspired by the famous Nigerian rainforest.

Nigeria 2024 Away Kit

This picture shows the new Nike Nigeria away football shirt for 2024.

 Serie A champions Napoli have confirmed that Super Eagles star, Victor Osimhen, will not be going on international duty with Nigeria for the upcoming friendlies against Ghana and Mali due to injury

The striker was on the bench throughout Napoli’s 1-1 draw with Inter at San Siro on Sunday and barely trained in the days before the match.

Manager Francesco Calzona confirmed it was due to an inflammation of the scar from an old injury and it seems as if he has still not fully recovered, because Osimhen is not on the list of players Napoli released on international duty.

He is not the only Napoli player out as Hamed Junior Traore will not join the Ivory Coast squad and Jesper Lindstrom is not teaming up with Denmark.

For the Super Eagles, Taiwo Awoniyi, Tyronne Ebuehi and Gabriel Osho have also been ruled out of the friendlies due to injuries.

The national team also confirmed that 22 call-ups have already reported to training camp in Marrakesh, Morocco for both games, including Cyriel Dessers, Nathan Tella, Jamilu Collins and Sadiq Umar, who have all been recalled after missing out on the recent AFCON.

Fenerbahce defender Bright Osayi-Samuel is the only player due in Morocco on Wednesday (today).

Finidi George will lead the Super Eagles in an interim capacity against Ghana and Mali.

The Super Eagles will take on Ghana at the Grand de Stade Marrakech on Friday, March 22. The three-time African champions will face Mali four days later at the same venue.

The phrase ‘what men can do, women can do better’ is often used as a rallying cry for gender equality, intended to encourage and empower women.

However, for Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, it is not in the interest of promoting equality and fairness, it is literally a statement of fact when it comes to penalty-saving in football.

The Nigerian women’s national team goalkeeper has established herself as the leading penalty specialist in Europe, boasting the highest number of saves from the spot among elite goalkeepers in the men and women’s top leagues since the start of the 2023/24 season.

Against Guingamp on Saturday, Nnadozie showcased her prowess once again by making her seventh penalty save of the season for Paris FC in their 4-0 win over the visitors in France’s Division 1 Women’s League.

Saturday’s save was the second time she would save a spot kick in the league, having earlier stopped five other penalties in the Women’s UEFA Champions League.

Last December, Nnadozie denied HB Hacken’s Rosa Kafaji from 12 yards in the 21st minute in what was her fifth spot-kick save in just eight matches in the Women’s Champions League.

The shot stopper proved to be the decisive difference maker as the French side held their hosts to keep Paris FC’s UEFA Women’s Champions League hopes alive.

She  also made a crucial penalty save and several other outstanding stops as Paris FC defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in a UEFA Women’s Champions League game played at the Stade Robert-Bobin.

Prior to the penalty save against Real Madrid Women, the Nigerian had saved two penalty kicks against English giants, Arsenal, and one against Wolfsburg, as Paris FC knocked out both favourites from the competition’s qualifiers.

With her total seven penalty saves, it is noteworthy that Nndozie is currently the best goalkeeper in Europe when it comes to saving penalties.

Of the seven kicks she saved, she stopped two out of three in the French topflight league and five out of eight penalties in the Champions League.

Nnadozie, who has earned herself the tag ‘penalty expert’, did not just start her journey of saving shots from the spot kick.

At the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, she saved a penalty against the hosts before the referee asked that the penalty be taken again, insisting the Nigerian keeper moved out of her line before the kick was taken by French captain Wendie Renard.

She, however, couldn’t save the retaken kick but was widely hailed for her impressive first attempt.

Nnadozie did it again at last year’s World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The keeper saved Canadian legend Christine Sinclair’s penalty in the 50th minute of their goalless draw at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in their opening group game.

The 23-year-old’s penalty heroics also played a key role in helping the Falcons qualify for the last edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, at the expense of Ivory Coast.

The Falcons defeated the Ivoirians 2-0 in Abuja in the first leg but in the 34th minute of the reverse fixture at the Stade Robert Champroux, Nnadozie saved a penalty after defender Ashleigh Plumptre was adjudged to have tripped an Ivorian striker in the Nigerian box.

At club level, her exceptional ability to stop penalties has been instrumental in bolstering Paris FC’s defensive resilience and securing crucial points for her team.

Her remarkable consistency and composure under pressure have undoubtedly made her a vital asset for both club and country, earning her admiration and recognition among fans, rival fans and teammates alike.