FIFA Council has approved the Annual Report 2022 , which highlights FIFA’s record‑breaking revenue of USD 7.6 billion during the 2019‑2022 cycle and the USD 11 billion that is expected to be earned during the 2023‑2026 period.

“FIFA’s unprecedented investment in football is the result of our solid financial transparency and stands as a concrete example of how we are aiming to make football truly global,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “The resounding success of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has been key to the organisation’s ability to fulfil its mission in relation to our member associations and the world of football, despite the multiple challenges we faced during the past cycle.

Following the decision taken by the FIFA Council in December 2022 to expand the FIFA Club World Cup from 24 to 32 teams, with the first such edition set to take place in June-July 2025, the Council unanimously approved the respective slot allocation. The decision was taken based on a set of objective metrics and criteria, and the resulting allocation is as follows: AFC: 4, CAF: 4, Concacaf: 4, CONMEBOL: 6, OFC: 1, UEFA: 12 and tournament host: 1.

In relation to the FIFA Club World Cup 2023™, which is due to be played under the current format with seven clubs, the FIFA Council unanimously appointed the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as tournament hosts from 12 to 22 December 2023.

In addition, the FIFA Council confirmed that, in line with the long‑standing tradition of having all hosts competing at the FIFA World Cup™, as well as sporting and operational considerations, the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, namely Canada, Mexico and the USA, will qualify automatically for the final round of the competition, with their slots therefore being deducted from the overall allocation of six assigned to Concacaf. Details will follow in due course regarding the preliminary competitions in all confederations for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The FIFA Council were also updated on the appointment of the following tournaments by the FIFA Congress as per the following dates: FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ in Q2 2024 (with bid regulations for approval in March 2023), FIFA World Cup 2030™ in Q3 2024 (with bid regulations for approval in June 2023) and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2031™ in Q2 2025 (with bid regulations for approval in Q2 2024).

The FIFA Council was updated on preparations for the 73rd FIFA Congress, which will take place on Thursday, 16 March 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda, the agenda for which will be published in due course.

Super Eagles will take on the Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau in a Day 3 match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Friday, 24th March.

The Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau is yet to pick a date for the second match, which could be either 27th or 28th March in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, as Guinea Bissau does not have a CAF-approved playing turf in the country of slightly over two million people.

On the first day of the qualifying series, the Super Eagles fought back from a ferocious start to the game, and an 11th minute goal by Jonathan Morsay, to defeat the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone 2-1 in Abuja, after Alex Iwobi and Victor Osimhen hit back hard at the visitors.

On Day 2, away in the Moroccan city of Agadir and in only the second competitive match for Coach José Santos Peseiro, the Eagles set a new international win-record, defeating Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 with four of the goals by Osimhen. Terem Moffi (with a brace), Moses Simon, Oghenekaro Etebo, Ademola Lookman and Emmanuel Dennis completed the carnage.

Former Super Eagles handler, Gernot Rohr is set to be named new head coach of the Benin Republic national team.

According to reports emanating from the West African country, the Benin Football Federation (FBF) met on Tuesday to ratify the appointment of the Franco-German.

Rohr will take over from former Benin international Moussa Latoundji, who has been in temporary charge of the Squirrels since last year.

The 69-year-old was sacked by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in December 2021 despite guiding the Super Eagles to 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification and the playoff round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Rohr’s first game in charge of the Squirrels will be the 2023 AFCON qualifier against Rwanda next month.

Benin are bottom of Group L after losing their opening two games against Senegal and Mozambique.

AC Milan’s Spanish midfielder Brahim Diaz celebrates after opening the scoring during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, first leg football match between AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur on February 14, 2023 at the San Siro stadium in Milan.

Brahim Diaz shot AC Milan to a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday which gave the seven-time European kings control of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Diaz bundled in the only goal of the game in the seventh minute at a packed San Siro to give Milan the advantage before next month’s second leg in London.

The Spaniard’s strike was the first and one of very few real chances of a scrappy game which highlighted the far from sparkling form of both teams heading into match.

Milan came into their first knockout in the competition since 2014 with their season in the balance after a horrible run of results in the past month which left their Serie A title defence in tatters.

But the hosts have a decent chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 after restricting injury-hit Spurs to very little on Antonio Conte’s return to Milan.

Conte, in the Spurs dugout two weeks after undergoing gallbladder surgery, handed the midfield reins to youngsters Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr after losing Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma to injury last week.

And his team failed to supply their record scorer Harry Kane with any service, Milan having great chances to extend their aggregate lead in quick succession which were fluffed by Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw in the closing stages

Nine-time African champions, Nigeria, arrived in Leon, State of Guanajuato, Mexico on Monday ahead of the four-nation women’s Revelation Cup tournament holding from today to February 21 in that city.

Hosts Mexico, Nigeria, Costa Rica and Colombia are the participating teams at the tournament, which has the objective of preparing the contestants for the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand this summer. All four participating teams are headed for the finals Down Under.
 
The Super Falcons will play their first game of the tournament against hosts, Mexico, from at 4.00 p.m. Mexico time (10pm Nigeria time) today, three hours after the opening match between Costa Rica and Colombia.
 
On Saturday, the Falcons will be up against Colombia at 1.00 p.m. Mexico time (7pm Nigeria time), before Costa Rica squares up against the host nation.
 
Costa Rica will be Nigeria’s last opponents, both teams locking horns from 5.00 p.m. Mexico time (11.00 p.m. Nigeria time) on February 21, before hosts Mexico and Colombia draw the curtain on the tourney.

Nigeria will be up against co-hosts Australia, Olympic champions, Canada and debutants, Republic of Ireland, at what will be the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup finals ever, as it welcomes 32 teams – the same number as the men’s finals.

The players in the squad are goalkeepers Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France) and Yewande Balogun (AS Saint-Etienne, France). The defenders are Onome Ebi (Levante Las Planas (Spain); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Glory Ogbonna (ALG Spor, Turkey); Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France) and Akudo Ogbonna (Rivers Angels).
 
Also in the team are midfielders Halimatu Ayinde (FC Rosengard, Sweden); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna United, Sweden); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Jennifer Echegini (Florida State University, USA) and Regina Otu (AS Saint-Etienne, France).
 
The attack is led by Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona Femenin, Spain); Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint-Etienne, France); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Chinwendu Ihezuo (Rayadas Monterrey, Mexico); Francisca Ordega (CSKA Moscow, Russia) and Uchenna Kanu (Tigres Femenil, Mexico).

Enugu Rangers’ Naziru Auwalu (left) and Bidemi Owoku of Doma United in a midfield battle during their Week Six NPFL game…at the weekend.

Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) followers expect the game between Enyimba and Shooting Stars of Ibadan in Aba to be as exciting as their pedigree suggests.

Enyimba are serial winners of the NPFL, while Shooting Stars, who were the first Nigerian team to win a continental laurel, have been on the rise since returning to the elite class of the country’s game.

Both teams are within touching distance of Group A leaders, Bendel Insurance, and, therefore, will go for the victory that will take them closer to qualification for the championship playoff later in the year.

Group A’s midweek games continue in Benin City, where struggling Nasarawa United will try to do the almost impossible, beat Bendel Insurance at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.

Insurance have not lost any game out of their six games to keep a stranglehold on top of the table, and so, it will be a tough ask to expect Nasarawa United to beat them in Benin. But this is football in which anything can happen.

In other Group A games, Akwa United will host Gombe United at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, while El Kanemi Warriors will travel to Plateau United. In Group B, Rivers United will host another struggling giant, Enugu Rangers, at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, while Bayelsa United are away to Niger Tornadoes at the Bako Kontagora Stadium, Minna.

Other Group B matches are Dakkada FC versus Sunshine Stars of Akure in Uyo, Wikki Tourists against Lobi Stars of Markurdi, Doma United will welcome Abia Warriors at the Pantami Stadium, Gombe.

Bayern Munich’s French forward Kingsley Coman (L) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and FC Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on February 14, 2023. 

Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game as Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe denied a late equaliser by VAR.

Mbappe was the victim of a marginal offside call after he came on as a substitute on his return from injury.

The unmarked Coman swept in an Alphonso Davies cross eight minutes into the second half at the Parc des Princes, just as Mbappe was preparing to enter the fray after PSG had appeared devoid of ideas without their top scorer.

Mbappe, and the entire stadium, thought he had equalised with eight minutes remaining when he turned in a Nuno Mendes cutback, but the goal was ruled out because the Portuguese full-back was just ahead of the last defender at the start of the move.

Bayern ended the game with 10 men after Benjamin Pavard was sent off, but it was a frustrating ending for PSG, who looked much better in the latter stages with Mbappe on the field but also needed a couple of fine saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma to prevent a bigger deficit.

PSG must now hope they can turn the tie around in the second leg in Munich on March 8.

Coman, who started his career in Paris, did not celebrate his goal but it was a case of history repeating itself — he had been the matchwinner when Bayern beat the Qatar-owned club in the 2020 final in Lisbon to become European champions for the sixth time.

The fitness of Mbappe had dominated the build-up to the game, with the France superstar initially ruled out because of a thigh injury before making a faster-than-expected return to training over the weekend and being named in the squad.

He was named among the substitutes, while Warren Zaire-Emery, at 16 years and 343 days old, became the youngest player ever to start a Champions League knockout game.

But Bayern had little to be afraid of in the first half as Mbappe –- scorer of seven goals in six games in the group stage –- watched on, with Lionel Messi and Neymar badly missing his presence.

Messi, Neymar struggle to make impact 

Instead Bayern, playing with a three-man central defence, controlled the game and restricted PSG to just one attempt on goal in the first half.

Yet the Bundesliga leaders, who are still without Sadio Mane as he recovers from injury, did little to trouble Donnarumma apart from a Joshua Kimmich shot that was easily saved.

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann took off Joao Cancelo at half-time and replaced him with Canadian international Davies, a change that saw Coman move from the left flank to the right.

PSG also made a change, surprisingly replacing Achraf Hakimi with France centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, but the biggest cheer of the night had been reserved for Mbappe when he came out to warm up during the break.

The 24-year-old was preparing to come on when Bayern opened the scoring as Davies crossed from the left to the far post where the unmarked Coman applied a first-time finish.

Mbappe promptly replaced Carlos Soler but the French champions needed Donnarumma to keep them in the game, and perhaps the tie, as he produced a fingertip save to touch an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting effort from a Jamal Musiala cutback onto the woodwork.

From the corner that followed, Donnarumma made another fine save from Pavard’s header.

PSG needed to find a way to get the ball to Mbappe and they eventually did so in the 73rd minute, a Fabian Ruiz ball over the top sending the forward bounding towards goal.

Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer rushed out to block Mbappe’s shot with his face before Neymar was denied from the follow-up.

Then Mbappe did put the ball in the net, only for the celebrations to be cut short, and Bayern held on even after Pavard was shown a second yellow for scything down Messi.