By Ijeoma Okigbo

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

To qualify, the Super Falcons defeated the Bayana Bayana of South Africa 1-0 on aggregate in the two-legged encounter to seal qualification for the first time in 16 years.

The nine-time African champions had defeated their South African rivals 1-0 in the first leg at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Friday before settling for a goalless draw in the return leg in South Africa, on Tuesday.

The game played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria saw both sides attempt very few scoring chances, but it was Nigeria’s defence and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie who kept the hosts at bay.

Efforts by captain Thembi Kgatlana to open scoring for the hosts in the second half proved abortive as Nigeria’s wall stood tall to defend their aggregate lead on the day.

The result meant Nigeria secured the continent’s spot for the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Nigeria would be playing in Group C alongside World Cup champions Spain, Japan and Brazil in the Olympics scheduled to hold from July 26 to Aug. 11 in France. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Joseph Edeh

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface will be back in the squad for Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final against Fortuna Dusseldorf following a three-month injury absence, coach Xabi Alonso said on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Super Eagles forward underwent surgery on an adductor muscle injury in January after being injured while preparing with Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.

“We are in a super situation. We have no injuries and a full squad. Boni (Boniface) is also back in the squad,” Alonso told a press conference, with the Bundesliga leaders in the hunt for three trophies this season.

Asked how long Boniface could play in the game, Alonso said: “Not 90 minutes. 45 maybe not. But maybe 30. He has done a good recovery and has trained well.

“He has a strong mentality to come back. He can’t wait to get back.”

Boniface had scored 10 goals and set up another seven in the Bundesliga before his injury.

Leverkusen are on course for a first ever Bundesliga title with a 13-point lead over second-placed Bayern Munich and seven games remaining.

They are also through to the Europa League quarter-finals having gone 39 matches unbeaten across all competitions this season.

“We have to take it one game at a time. That’s the way we have done it until now and we will not change that,” said the Spaniard, who confirmed last week he would be staying at Leverkusen despite interest from major European clubs.

“We have done a lot but have won nothing so far. We still have a lot of work to do. We have done a few things well to get here but we should not speak too early.”

“We have to remain focused and that is the message I give my players and they know it,” he said.

Saarbruecken face Kaiserslautern in the other semi-final on Tuesday. (Reuters/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh

By Victor Nwachukwu

Nigeria’s Female fighting sensation Cpl Juliet Ukah of Police College, Ikeja, on Sunday night in Enugu defeated Eunice Akello of Uganda, to extend her unbeaten run in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ukah, who is the lead in the African Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) is fighting in Nigeria for the first time in her MMA career at the Enugu Mega Cage Fight.

The 26-year old came into the fight with an impressive record of 4-0-0 (i.e. four wins, no loss and no draw) and was looking to defeat her opponent, a police officer from Uganda, to better her MMA record.

She ensured it was a sweet victory for her on home soil as she overpowered her opponent and dominated the three-round encounter to emerge winner by a unanimous decision in the 66kg featherweight class bout.

The win for Ukah also known as “Golden Bone” ensured she extended her unbeaten record at 5-0-0 (i.e. five wins, no loss and no draw).

Her next challenge is set for April 23, as number one contender in Africa EFC in preparation for the straw weight title fight in June.

NAN also reports that earlier, PC Njoku Chika , also of the Nigeria Police defeated fellow compatriot Ozioma Orji, by a unanimous decision at the end of a three-round pulsating encounter.

A total of 10 fighters slugged it out for honours on the night at the end of five explosive bouts in the championship, which included a Kenyan in the cards.

The Mega Cage fight event was in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Warrior Sports Championship.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ifeyinwa Omowole

Manchester City goal poacher, Erling Haaland, has said that his team can still win the English Premier League (EPL) title in spite of their goalless draw with title contenders Arsenal on Sunday.

The encounter which took place at the Etihad Stadium saw Manchester City and Arsenal handing Liverpool the advantage in the Premier League title race.

Liverpool are now top of the table, two points clear of Arsenal and three ahead of City, after they came from behind to beat Brighton at Anfield.

It was a delight for Liverpool seeing their two closest rivals cancelling each other out.

But Haaland took to his Instagram page after the game against Arsenal to confidently claim that City can come from behind to win the title, just like they did last season.

“We’ve done it once, we can do it again,” he wrote!

The Norway international is undoubtedly the best striker in the Premier League and perhaps in the world.

He has scored 29 goals with six assists in 35 games, which is a phenomenal return.

However, against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes on Sunday, Haaland struggled and had zero shots on target.

It was a poor performance that Roy Keane even compared him to a League Two striker.

The draw against Arsenal means Manchester City are still third in the Premier League table and are now three points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have a better goal difference as well, which makes them the favourites to win the Premier League title this season. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Isaiah Eka

Rivers United FC of Nigeria on Sunday secured a narrow 1-0 victory over the USM Alger in the Totalenergies CAF Confederation Cup match in Uyo.

The encounter against the visitors played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium is the first leg quarter-finals match.

The Garden City darling team took the match to their opponents from the start and scored their only goal in the eight minute through Okejepha Augustine.

They, however, failed to increase the tally as they missed several scoring chances due to poor finishing.

Speaking during the post match briefing, Coach Stanley Eguma of Rivers United, said the scoreline did not reflect the standard exhibited by his boys during the game.

Eguma also attributed the low scoreline to over-anxiety by his players, adding that though they played well, they got lost at the vital point of scoring goals.

“We had a very good game at the beginning of the match and we scored within the first 10 minutes of the game.

“We played with high intensity to ensure that we pressed them down, which yielded the early goal in the game.

“One would have expected that the boys will continue that way because we had a lot of scoring chances early in the game, unfortunately, we could not convert our chances.

”We rightly outclassed them in the game because we had a lot of ball possession. We matched them on counter-attacks to increase the tally but, unfortunately, we could not.

“The scoreline did not reflect the standard of the game we played today.

“The players created a lot of chances but over-anxiety affected them. They lost their heads when they got to the vital point and that made us to have a very low scoreline today,” he said.

According to Eguma, the team will go to Algiers with the determination to put more efforts to win the game in their second leg, irrespective of the strength of USM Alger.

Similarly, the Coach of USM Alger, Juan Fernandez, said that though his boys played good football, they could not perform very well due to the Ramadan fast.

He said the time of the match (1400hours) was also not conducive for the players due to high humidity.

“Today, as expected, it was a very difficult match because of the quality of our opponent, we respect them a lot.

”They played a good match and scored one goal, I congratulate them.

“We played the game during Ramadan, where we neither eat nor drink and of course, the condition of play today was not favourable to us,” he said.

He said the players would play their return match with more determination to win and move to the next level of the competition. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Dianabasi Effiong

By Victor Okoye

It was a tension-soaked Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight night in Abuja on Saturday, as Cameroon’s Octave Ayinde defeated Nigeria’s Vincent Ebenezer in the event’s main card.

This was after Nigeria’s Yahaya Yahuza had defeated Christopher Moly of DR Congo in the -84kg weight class.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 16 fighters slugged it out for honours in eight blockbuster bouts at the Mo Arena, Abuja.

The Abuja Mixed Martial Arts Fight night was organised by Akala Spirit of the Warrior in collaboration with the Nigerian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (NMMAF).

Cameroon’s Ayinde wasted no time to assert his dominance as he quickly grappled and wrestled Nigeria’s Ebenezer to the ground, unloading a torrent of elbows to the head to secure the finish.

The effect of the strikes made blood gush out from the head of Ebenezer as the referee had to intervene and calling the attention of the medics.

The referee subsequently awarded a Technical Knockout (TKO) decision in favour of the Cameroonian, barely three minutes into the first round of the -77kg weight class encounter.

It was, however, joy for Nigeria in the 84kg weight class as Yahuza remained unbeaten in his MMA career, forcing erstwhile undefeated DR Congo’s Moly to submit early in the first half of a pulsating encounter.

Moly was quite energetic at the onset as he looked for an early take down, using his wrestling and his physicality to get the better of Yahuza.

But, in a quick turn of events, the Congolese found himself being beaten to his own game when Yahuza wriggled free and tried to execute the Brazilian jujitsu technique as he went in search of the winner.

He flipped his opponent backwards to the canvas and then timed a well executed rear-naked choke which forced the Congolese to tap out with less than one minute left in the very first round

The co-main event of the evening also saw Nigeria’s undefeated female sensation, Terlumun Gertrude, aka “the woman king,” successfully defended her belt in the Bantam weight category.

Gertrude had earlier dispatched compatriot Immaculata Nelson, with a successful takedown before landing some devastating strikes to her head.

The referee had to intervene and eventually awarded a TKO decision to Gertrude early in the first round as Nelson continued to defend and receive a lot of punishment without any response.

Results of other bouts saw Ephraim Onwuania defeat Ernest Ugwuanyi in a boring one-sided encounter by way of TKO in the middle weight class.

Peter Onuh defeated Dilli Ohabuire by TKO in the -71kg weight class, while Jeb Philemon humbled Osoba Peleja by split decision in the -75kg weight class.

Stanford Ebere defeated Felix Ncheta by a split decision in the Bantam weight class, while Swande Christopher also defeated David Ezekiel by a split decision in the -65kg weight class

NAN also reports that some dignitaries at the event include James Christoff, the Canadian Ambassador to Nigeria, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 7, Ogundele Ayodeji who was represented by CSP Kalu Chijioke, Chairman, Police Mixed Martial Arts Association.

Others at the event were Ebere Benard, the Youth Director, NMMAF and CEO, Akala Spirit of the Warrior, as well as Chris Nwokolo, the Vice President, Akala Spirit of the Warrior.

Also present at the event were Faridah Wada, the wife to the former Governor of Kogi State, Israel Inwang, the Secretary General, NMMAF, as well as some members of the diplomatic corps. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Victor Okoye

The Nigerian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (NMMAF) says it is organising an International Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event to promote peace and unity in the country.

Ebere Benard, the Youth Director of NMMAF, said the event was geared towards promoting peace and safety of lives and property in the country through sports, dialogue and entertainment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event will witness 16 professional martial artists trading blows and kicking against each other in eight intense bouts on Saturday at the Mo Arena in Abuja.

Benard who doubles as the CEO, Akalaka Spirit of the Warrior, an MMA Organisation and sponsors of the event said the Abuja MMA Fight Night tagged “The Battle of Paikokun Mountain” was inspired by one of the mountains located in the FCT.

He noted that recent happenings in the country in the last few months have not been pleasant, ranging from one issue of insecurity to the other.

“So, as an organisation, we thought of how best to reach out to the public and send out a positive message in spite of all the challenges being faced by Nigerians.

“It happens that Abuja is surrounded by a lot of fortresses and mountains, one of which is the Paikokun Mountain.

“Historical narrative has it that the first settlers in the Bwari area of the FCT were warriors and hunters who came from Maiduguri and found peace and refuge at the Paikokun Mountain.

“But due to civilisation, they now live on the plain lands. So, our goal is to re-echo and invoke the spirits of our ancestors to ensure that peace permeates the whole of Abuja and its environs.

“The event thus has a hastag #a safer Abuja together and last week as a build up to this event, we organised a hiking exercise that featured over 500 participants,” he said.

He thanked all the major hiking groups in the FCT who participated in the exercise, as well as the Police whom he noted played a vital role.

He also commended the IG of Police, Kayode Egbetokun as well as AIG Zone 7, Ogundele Ayodeji who received the group in his office and promised to be a special guest of honour at the Abuja Fight Night.

“Indeed his presence will really add colour to the event as combating crime is a collective effort. Everybody has to be involved and whatever you see you report.

“That is why the event taking place tomorrow is very important to every well meaning and peace-loving Nigerian, not just in the FCT alone, but across the country,” he said.

He added that the Ministry of Sports had been very supportive of the organisation’s activities, noting that just last year the Minister granted recognition to MMA as a Federation.

He also said that MMA featured at the just concluded African Games in Ghana with the Nigerian contingent giving a good account of themselves.

Agamaye Rowland, President, Apex Fighting Championship (AFC) and a consultant for the event, said the female fighters were not left out, as two of the best fighters in the country were in the event’s cards.

He said the event was coincidentally taking place in the month of March which is dedicated to celebrate the women internationally and to advocate for more inclusiveness as well as equal pay.

He added that the organisers have ensured that the female fighters would receive equal pay equivalent to those of their male counterparts.

Chuma Mencity, the Public Relations consultant for the event said that the Fight Night would feature two international bouts pitting Nigeria against Cameroon and DR Congo.

He explained that the idea behind involving other African countries was to showcase Nigeria as a strong MMA powerhouse.

He stressed that the goal was also to send a strong message to the rest of Africa that we are ready to take the lead and drive the game in the continent.

NAN also reports that the main and co-main events of the evening will see Nigeria’s Vincent Ebenezer a.k.a “the Iron Fist” do battle against Octave Ayinde of Cameroon, in the -77kg weight class

Nigeria’s Yahaya Yahuza will engage Christopher Molly of DR Congo in the -84kg weight class. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Victor Okoye

The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) through its Women Commission, has urged women to be more involved in sports and other walks of life to inspire the next generation leaders.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was the message at the body’s celebration of the 2024 International Women’s Day on Friday in Abuja.

The theme of this year’s event was “Inspire Inclusion.” #Strong women, strong world.

The president of NOC, Habu Gumel, said the event was very significant to the NOC, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and the entire Olympic movement in the whole world.

He said that the month of March was always dedicated to the celebration of Women’s Day and not just March 8 alone.

“So today here in Abuja, we are celebrating the Women’s Day, and you can see the large number of gatherings of women that are here with us to celebrate.

“They are so important to us. We want as many as possible, as we cannot do without them.

“In the IOC, we always advocate for gender-balance because we believe that whatever the men can do, the women can do it also.

“The ratio of men to women in the IOC now is about 60:40, and it will even be about 50:50 with time.

“Likewise, in the NOC, we are doing our best to make sure that we have a lot of women in our schools, in our board, and everywhere else.

“Most of our programmes are tailored toward encouraging women as athletes, coaches, administrators and technical officials,” he said

Gumel said the leadership of NOC would continue to encourage and support the participation of women to come on board and take leadership positions.

The Chairperson, NOC Women’s Commission, Prof. Florence Adeyanju harped on the roles of women in making the sports industry and other sectors better.

Adeyanju who was represented by Olubunmi Oluode, the Vice Chairperson of the Commission, said that the role of the women in sports cannot be over emphasised.

“We are celebrating women, we are celebrating inclusion and we are celebrating the fact that women are still achieving, that we are breaking barriers and stereotypes.

“We have women all across the sports industry that are doing well and that is the essence of bringing out every other woman to take part in this event.

“If you look at Nigeria’s participation at the just concluded African Games, you will see that our women achieved even more than our male athletes.

“So, my message today is for more women to be included not just in sports, but also in the educational, military, health and other sectors of human endeavours,” she said.

Kemi Obidahunsi, Secretary, NOC Women Commission, said that the role of the commission was to cater for the welfare of women in sports, including athletes, coaches, officials and sports administrators.

She said that for the first time the IOC was celebrating a 50/50 representation of both male and female athletes and officials in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“So, we are celebrating that the women are rising up to the task in the sporting industry, and we are also celebrating ourselves as women and the strength we possess.

“When we talk about women inclusion, we are not saying we want to compete with our male counterparts or rub shoulders with them.

“All we are saying is that where men are, the women can also be there. So it doesn’t have to be competition,” she said.

NAN also reports that the celebration began with a 2km walk which started off from the Ministry of Finance and ended at the Eagles Square. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Joseph Edeh