Nathaniel Ezekiel says he is frustrated with his third-place finish in the 400 hurdles at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships, missing a silver medal by one-hundredth of a second.

The Nigerian was sure of mounting the podium as 2023 NCAA 400m hurdles champion and join Miles Ukaoma as the second Nigerian to win the title but he stumbled at the crucial moment in the race.

‘When I came off the ninth hurdle, I kind of lost my balance a little bit. I tried to recover, but the other guy (Robinson) came through,’ the Nigerian told his school, Baylor University’s website.

Coming off the final curve, Ezekiel had the lead and was clean through the eighth hurdle. But that mistake over hurdle No. 9 was too much to overcome.

Nathaniel says his goal was to join two-time NCAA 400-meter hurdles champion and Hall of Famer Bayano Kamani (1999 and 2001) at the top of the podium.

‘The goal was to win, because I feel like I’m stronger than anyone, without a doubt. I just know that I’m stronger than them. I tried my best to win, it just
didn’t happen.’

Alabama’s duo of Chris Robinson and Corde Long went 1-2 at 48.12 and 48.53, respectively, with Ezekiel third in 48.54.

It has been confirmed that a new team will represent Nigeria in the upcoming WAFU B Women’s CAF Champions League qualifier this year after Delta Queens defeated Bayelsa Queens on Sunday.

The final of the Nigeria Women’s Football League was held on Sunday at the Stephen Keshi International Stadium and it was Delta Queens that emerged victorious with a 2-1 win.

Defending champions Bayelsa Queens silenced the home crowd in the 14th minute after Henry Chisom scored an own goal.

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Delta Queens proved to be the better side, especially in the second half and the home crowd gave them all needed support from the sideline.

Chinaza Agoh netted the leveller in the 67th minute through an acrobatic kick and she finally sealed up the game in the 86th minute and handed Delta Queens a well-deserved win.

The victory ensured WAFU B ticket for the team and also an N10 million naira cash prize while Bayelsa Queens get N5 million naira for finishing second.

Rivers United was the first to represent the country in the maiden edition of the CAF Champions League, while Bayelsa Queens represented the country in 2022.

In the latest update by German-based footballing statistic website, Transfermarkt, Nigerian forward Gift Orban is the most valuable player in the Jupiler Pro League with a market value of €20m.

The 20-year-old has been nothing short of exceptional following his €3.5m transfer from Norwegian club Stabaek to Gent in January.

The energetic forward holds the record for the fastest hat trick ever witnessed in a UEFA club competition after scoring three goals within the space of just 205 seconds against Istanbul Basaksehir in March.

Orban’s outstanding display has seen him score 20 goals and registered two assists in 22 appearances for Gent, helping them to the league’s playoffs where he found the back of the net on six occasions in six games.

His impressive statistics in front of goals have seen Barcelona linked with the young striker.

Just six months since making the switch to Gent for a miserly €3.5m, the forward’s fine performance has seen his value rise astronomically to €20m, the highest in the whole of Belgium.

Following the Nigerian on the list of the most valuable players is Royal Antwerp’s defensive midfielder,  Arthur Vermeeren, who is valued at €17m.

Genk’s Mike Trésor and Club Brugge’s Noa Lang are joint third with a market value of €15m.

Completing the top 5 is Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge) with a market value of €14m.

Meanwhile, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise striker Victor Boniface is joint-seventh in the ranking of most valuable players in Belgium with a valuation of €12m, along with Genk’s Joseph Paintsil.

A drop in the value of Club Brugge Raphael Onyedika saw the Nigerian ranked 23rd in the Belgium league with a value of €9m.

Following a difficult 2022/23 season, with Ligue 1 side, Nantes, according to famous French sports daily, L’Equipe, Super Eagles forward, Moses Simon may have made his last appearance for the club as talks to part ways with the Green and Yellows is ongoing.

By his standards, Simon produced his worst performance as The Canaries manage to survive relegation thanks to the victory against Angers on the last day of the championship.

The 27-year-old joined Nantes in 2020 and has a year left on his running contract.

Despite efforts to tie the Nigerian to a long-term contract, Simon had declined offers from the Canaries as he wished to ply his trade elsewhere next season.

L’Equipe, however, reported that the exit of the winger had been agreed upon by all parties involved and permission had been given for the player to discuss terms with other clubs.

“According to information from the sports daily, four players would no longer be part of FC Nantes’ plans for next season,” Tribunenantaise quoted L’Equipe as saying.

“Moses Simon will not be retained.

“Moses Simon, a major player in the beautiful 2021/22 season of the Canaries, has been in difficulty this season. The Nigerian failed to be so hard-hitting in duels on his left side. Nantes number 27 has not found the net in the league since November 13  (2-2 against AC Ajaccio).”

Meanwhile, another French outlet, Ouest, reported that fellow Ligue 1 side, Nice, who have been interested in the Nigerian since last summer, have reignited their interest in the player.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his team’s maiden Champions League title was “written in the stars” after their final victory over Inter Milan on Saturday.Rodri’s 68th-minute strike proved enough for City to finally get their hands on club football’s biggest trophy, despite having to ride their luck as Inter missed several second-half chances.

“It’s so difficult to win it,” Guardiola told BT Sport after the nervy 1-0 win.

“They (his players) are really good. Be patient, I said at half-time. You have to be lucky. (Goalkeeper) Ederson or they miss it, they could draw. This competition is a coin.

“It was written in the stars. It belongs to us.”

Guardiola has now won the trophy three times after his previous triumphs with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

ity’s victory also clinched a treble following their Premier League and FA Cup successes this season.

“After the World Cup the team made a step forward and we were there,” added Guardiola.

“We’re going to celebrate in the hotel with family and friends. Monday the parade is in Manchester. With this competition, the treble is so difficult.”

City had suffered several near-misses in the Champions League since being taken over by their Abu Dhabi backers in 2008, including a defeat by Chelsea in the final two years ago.

Manchester City won their first Uefa Champions League on Saturday night beating Internationale Milan 1-0 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey.

Rodri’s well-taken goal in the 68th was enough to see Citizens become just the second English team to win The Treble after Manchester United in 1999.

City manager Pep Guardiola also claimed his third Champions League trophy and becomes the first manager to win the Treble with two different clubs.

Here are seven other facts behind the game as provided by Opta.
1. Manchester City become the first team since rivals Manchester United in 2007/08 to go a full Champions League campaign unbeaten.

2. The last four Champions League finals have now all ended 1-0, more than the previous 27 finals combined.

3. City striker Julian Alvarez became just the third player this century to win both the World Cup and the Champions League in the same season.

4. Erling Haaland finishes the season as the Champions League top scorer with 12 goals. The Norwegian star also becomes just the fourth player in history to both finishes as both Premier League and UCL top scorer in the same season after Dwight Yorke (1998/99), Ruud Van Nistlerooy (2002/03) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08).

5. Rodri also became the first central midfielder to score in the Champions League final since Real Madrid’s Casemiro back in 2017.

6. That strike meant that all seven goals scored in the Champions League finals at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium had all come at the same end of the pitch.

7. Manchester City have scored 100+ goals more than they’ve conceded in three of the last five seasons (18-19, 21-22, 22-23) – prior to Pep Guardiola’s arrival, no English top-flight side had ever scored 100+ more than they had conceded in a single campaign.

Pep Guardiola won his 35th trophy as a manager after Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final on Saturday.

• Guardiola became only the second manager to win the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies after Alex Ferguson with Manchester United (1998-99).
• The treble with City is the second of Guardiola’s career after his Barcelona side won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in his debut season (2008-09).
•  Guardiola became only the fourth manager to win the European Cup at least three times after Carlo Ancelotti (four titles – two each with AC Milan and Real Madrid), Bob Paisley (Liverpool) and Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid).

The following are the trophies the 52-year-old Spaniard won with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.

Barcelona (14 trophies between 2008 and 2012)

* LaLiga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

* Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11

* Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12

* Spanish Supercup: 2009, 2010, 2011

* UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011

* FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011

Bayern Munich (7 trophies from 2013 to 2016)

* Bundesliga: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16

* DFB Pokal: 2013–14, 2015–16

* UEFA Super Cup: 2013

* FIFA Club World Cup: 2013

Manchester City (14 trophies since 2016)

* Premier League: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23

* FA Cup: 2018–19, 2022–23

* Champions League: 2022-23

* League Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21

* Community Shield: 2018, 2019

List of European Cup/Champions League winners since the competition began in 1955-56 after Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Saturday’s final in Istanbul:

• Date  Venue   Winners Runners-up
• 1956  Paris Real Madrid 4 Stade Reims 3
• 1957  Madrid Real Madrid 2 Fiorentina 0
• 1958 Brussels Real Madrid 3 AC Milan 2*
• 1959  Stuttgart Real Madrid 2 Stade Reims 0
• 1960  Glasgow Real Madrid 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 3
• 1961  Berne Benfica 3 Barcelona 2
• 1962 Amsterdam Benfica 5 Real Madrid 3
• 1963  London AC Milan 2 Benfica 1
• 1964 Vienna Inter Milan 3 Real Madrid 1
• 1965 Milan Inter Milan 1 Benfica 0
• 1966  Brussels Real Madrid 2 Partizan Belgrade 1
• 1967  Lisbon Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1
• 1968  London Man United 4 Benfica 1*
• 1969  Madrid AC Milan 4 Ajax Amsterdam 1
• 1970 Milan Feyenoord 2 Celtic 1*
• 1971  London Ajax  2   Panathinaikos 0
• 1972 Rotterdam Ajax  2 Inter Milan 0
• 1973  Belgrade Ajax 1 Juventus 0
• 1974  Brussels Bayern  4 Atletico Madrid 0  (in replay after 1-1 draw)
• 1975  Paris  Bayern  2   Leeds United 0
• 1976  Glasgow  Bayern Munich 1  St Etienne 0
• 1977  Rome Liverpool 3 B Moenchengladbach 1
• 1978  London Liverpool 1 Club Bruges 0
• 1979  Munich Nottingham Forest 1 Malmo FF 0
• 1980  Madrid Nottingham Forest 1 Hamburg SV 0
• 1981  Paris Liverpool 1 Real Madrid 0
• 1982  Rotterdam Aston Villa 1 Bayern Munich 0
• 1983  Athens Hamburg SV 1 Juventus 0
• 1984 Rome Liverpool 1 AS Roma 1 (Liverpool won 4-2 on penalties)
• 1985  Brussels Juventus 1 Liverpool 0
• 1986  Seville Steaua Bucharest 0 Barcelona 0 (Steaua won 2-0 on penalties)
• 1987  Vienna Porto 2 Bayern Munich 1
• 1988  Stuttgart PSV Eindhoven 0 Benfica 0 (PSV won 6-5 on penalties)
• 1989  Barcelona AC Milan 4 Steaua Bucharest 0
• 1990  Vienna AC Milan 1 Benfica 0
• 1991  Bari Red Star Belgrade 0 Olympique Marseille 0 (Red Star won 5-3 on penalties)
• 1992  London Barcelona 1 Sampdoria 0*
• 1993  Munich Olympique Marseille 1 AC Milan 0
• 1994  Athens AC Milan 4 Barcelona 0
• 1995  Vienna Ajax Amsterdam 1 AC Milan 0
• 1996  Rome Juventus 1 Ajax Amsterdam 1 (Juventus won 4-2 on penalties)
• 1997  Munich Borussia Dortmund 3 Juventus 1
• 1998  Amsterdam Real Madrid 1 Juventus 0
• 1999  Barcelona Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1
• 2000  Paris Real Madrid 3 Valencia 0
• 2001  Milan Bayern Munich 1 Valencia 1 (Bayern won 5-4 on penalties)
• 2002  Glasgow Real Madrid 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1
• 2003  Manchester AC Milan 0 Juventus 0 (AC Milan won 3-2 on penalties)
• 2004  Gelsenkirchen Porto 3 Monaco 0
• 2005  Istanbul Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties)
• 2006  Paris Barcelona 2 Arsenal 1
• 2007  Athens AC Milan 2 Liverpool 1
• 2008  Moscow Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1 (Manchester United won 6-5 on penalties)
• 2009  Rome Barcelona 2 Manchester United 0
• 2010  Madrid Inter Milan 2 Bayern Munich 0
• 2011  London Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1
• 2012  Munich Chelsea 1 Bayern Munich 1 (Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties)
• 2013  London Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Dortmund 1
• 2014  Lisbon Real Madrid 4 Atletico Madrid 1* 2015 Berlin Barcelona 3 Juventus 1
• 2016  Milan Real Madrid 1 Atletico Madrid 1* (Real Madrid won 5-3 on penalties)
• 2017  Cardiff Real Madrid 4 Juventus 1
• 2018  Kyiv Real Madrid 3 Liverpool 1
• 2019 Madrid Liverpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0
• 2020  Lisbon Bayern Munich 1 Paris St Germain 0
• 2021  Porto  Chelsea 1 Manchester City 0
• 2022  Paris Real Madrid 1 Liverpool 0
• 2023  Istanbul Manchester City 1 Inter Milan 0

* Denotes after extra time

– –

The following clubs have won the European Cup:

• 14 – Real Madrid
• 7 – AC Milan
• 6 – Bayern Munich, Liverpool
• 5 – Barcelona
• 4 – Ajax Amsterdam
• 3 – Manchester United, Inter Milan
• 2 – Benfica, Juventus, Nottingham Forest, Porto, Chelsea
• 1 – Celtic, Hamburg SV, Steaua Bucharest, Olympique, Marseille, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Red Star Belgrade, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City

The European Cup became the Champions League in 1992.

The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 will kick off on 13 January 2024 with the first match scheduled to be played at Stade Olympic Alassane Ouattara. 

On the significance of the identity, General Secretary of CAF, Veron Mosengo-Omba said:“The unveiling of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 identity marks an exciting milestone in our journey towards the tournament in 2024. We are aware that we are getting nearer and nearer to the big moment in January next year.”

The new identity is inspired by the vibrant tapestry of African heritage, the official identity captures the spirit and energy of African football. 

At its core lies the majestic elephant tusk, which holds dual meaning; the symbol conveys the strong representation of Cote d’Ivoire, symbolizing the nation’s rich footballing history and its vital role in hosting this prestigious tournament The six tusks represent the six groups that will compete in the competition, embodying the diversity and unity that Africa exudes. 

The fluid shape of the tusks come alive, gracefully capturing the dynamic energy and movement that defines African football. The identity also features five balls, elegantly showcased to symbolise the African Cup of Nations trophy. These spheres signify the pinnacle of achievement, the ultimate prize that awaits the victorious team at the culmination of their relentless pursuit of glory.

A colour palette carefully chosen from the flexible hues of Côte d’Ivoire adds a visual spectacle to the logo. The vibrant shades encapsulates the vivacity and diversity of the host nation, captures the captivating allure of the host nation and the cultural richness that permeates every aspect of Côte d’Ivoire.

Amidst cheers and chants of excitement, Africans and sport observers across the world, celebrated the highly symbolic logo, as all continue to countdown to Africa’s biggest football tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.