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The World's football governing body, FIFA has hammered South Africa for using an ineligible player for the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in March this year. FIFA, in a statement issued on Monday, confirmed the deduction of three points and goals from South Africa for breaching its rules. The statement reads:  Meanwhile, the South African Football Association, SAFA, has rejected the decision by global football governing body FIFA to deduct three points from them in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifying series. The South Africans are challenging the decision, insisting they were not granted the opportunity to present their argument. SAFA also claimed that the decision was made by a single-member panel of the FIFA disciplinary committee, describing the ruling as “unprecedented.” In a statement on Monday, SAFA said the decision was handed down without any explanation or opportunity for the Association to present its legal arguments. The statement read in part: “As SAFA, we a...

The  Flying Eagles  were unlucky to lose 0-1 to Norway in their opening match of the 24 th  FIFA U20 World Cup finals on Monday despite dominating play and creating a hatful of chances, particularly in the second period.   Norway went ahead after they were awarded a contested penalty in the 9 th  minute, but the Flying Eagles fought hard to redeem things, only to be denied penalty awards on two occasions in the second half.   Kparobo Arierhi’s left-footed shot inside the box drifted just wide in the 47 th  minute, with the goalkeeper completely beaten, and in the 63 rd  minute, Tahir Maigana’s left-footed shot inside the box was stopped by the base of the upright.   The two-time silver medallists launched onslaught after onslaught against the Europeans, but Norway had too many players behind the ball in the box and foiled dozens of attempts.   In the 71 st  minute, the crowd rose to cheer the equalizer, but midfielder Nasiru Salihu’...

  Kwara United and Abia Warriors have been bungled out of the CAF Confederation Cup. Both sides lost on aggregate to their opponents on Sunday. Kwara United lost 1-0 at home to Ashanti Kotoko to end up with a 5-3 aggregate loss having lost 4-3 penultimate weekend in Kumasi. It was lost hope for the FA Cup winners having raised the hope of Nigerians after a battling performance in Ghana. Also, Abia Warriors had a slim hope having been held to a 0-0 draw by Djoliba of Mali in the first leg. However, the Abia side lost 2-1 in the return leg of the preliminary round on Sunday. On the contrary, Remo State defeated   Zilimadjou of Comoros 1-0 away on Friday to advance on 5-0 aggregate having won the first leg at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta penultimate weekend. Rivers United also saw off  Les Aigles of DRC Congo 1-0 on Sunday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo to advance on the same aggregate scoreline after the first leg in Kinshasa ended 0-0. Steven Manyo scored the o...

  The Rivers International Film Festival 2025 edition has promised to be another breathtaking edition with free medical services among other side attractions. CEO of RIFF, Kate Ezeigbo, disclosed this during the inauguration of the newly elected executive committee of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, led by Dr Ken Osunwa on Saturday. The event also was the induction and training of new members of the  AGN, held in Port Harcourt. Ezeigbo further said several filmmakers within and outside the country have indicated interest in the 2025 edition. On his part, the Chairman Actors Guild of Nigeria, Rivers State

  Remo Stars got off to a wonderful start in the preliminary round of CAF Champions League. The Ikennne based side thrashed visiting Comoros Island's champions  Zilimadjou FC at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta on Sunday. Abia Warriors of Umuahia, on their part, drew 1-1 against AC Djoliba of Mali at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo in the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round. In Congo, Rivers Utd fought Les Aigles to a 0-0 draw on Saturday while Kwara Utd fell 4-3 to Ghana's Ashanti Kotoko at the Baba Yara Stadium in   Kumasi on Sunday. Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs played host to Saturday's CAF Champions League Clash with FC Les Aigles du Congo

  The just concluded World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, Japan once again displayed the rot in the sporting sector in Nigeria. Not only did Nigeria failed to qualify for the relay events, the country heavily relied on world record holder, Tobi Amusan, for her only medal. It was a continuation of the very poor performance at the Paris Olympics in 2024 where Team Nigeria left with zero medals. Amusan's silver medal in the 100mH was the only bright spark at the event with honourable mentions to Ezekiel Nathaniel, who narrowly missed the podium in the men's 400mH final, and Oyinkansola Ajayi, who missed the final of the men's 100m event. The rest of the 15-man athletics did not make much impact. But stories abound about poor kits. Amusan actually raised alarm with the AFN making a tame reaction to the allegation. Their kits came in batches, they said. We were also told that AFN oficials were more than the athletes in Japan with some allegedly going with girlfriends and concu...

 Nigeria's hopes for another medal at the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, Japan was dashed as Ezekiel Nathaniel narrowly missed the podium after coming fourth in the 400mH final. The Nigerian, who ran the best time of 47.47 in the semi final had to contend with the "big three" but fell short in new blistering time of 47.11. It was still not good enough as American Rai Benjamin won the race in 46.52 while Brazilian Alison Dos Santos came second for the silver medal in 46.84. Abderrahman Samba from Qatar clinched the bronze in 47.06. A brief drama, however, occurred when Benjamin was briefly stripped of the gold medal and Nathaniel upgraded to Bronze for stripping over the hurdle. US eventually protested and had the verdict overturned. That decision effectively ended Nigeria'a quest for any more medals part from the only silver medal won by Tobi Amusan in the 100mH. Nigerian went with 15 athletes with just few of them making it to the final of their vario...

  Remo Stars, Rivers Utd, Kwara Utd and Abia Warriors are all busy this weekend in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. Rivers Utd are already in Congo for the CAF Champions League match against   FC Les Aigles du at  the Stade des Martyrs,  in Kinshasa. The Rivers United contingent left Port Harcourt on Wednesday for Lagos via Value Jet Airliner where they connected to Congo using Ethiopian Airliner on Thursday. The team has since arrived and ready for the match slated for Saturday afternoon. NPFL Champions, Remo Stars will welcome US Zilimadojou to the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta in the CAF Champions League preliminary round match. The club arrived Abeokuta on Thursday. In the CAF Confederation Cup, President Federation Cup winners Kwara United will travel to Accra to face Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, with the return leg slated for September 28 at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena. Debutants Abia Warriors are also...

The Orashi National Congress (ONC) has extended heartfelt congratulations to the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, GSSRS, and the Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Mma Odu, as they officially resume office to continue steering the affairs of the state. In a goodwill message signed by Amb. Emeni Ibe, President General of the Orashi National Congress, the socio-cultural body praised the leadership qualities of Governor Fubara and his deputy, while expressing confidence in their ability to bring purposeful governance, peace, and development to Rivers people. Amb. Ibe described Governor Fubara as a “man of humility, vision, and resilience” and commended the choice of Prof. Ngozi Odu as deputy, noting her proven track record in academics and administration. He assured the government of ONC’s support in initiatives that would foster unity, economic growth, and human capital development in the state. “As you both resume office, the Orashi National Congress and the ent...

  About 100 tech experts from the Silicon Valley in Northern California, US, are expected in Port Harcourt for a three-day Conference on the 10th anniversary of StartUp South. Convener of StartUp South, Uche Aniche, addressing the press in Port Harcourt ahead of the event, noted that big players in the industry, investors, innovators, media and other stakeholders numbering up to 5000 are to be part of the 10th anniversary. Aniche pointed out that the aim was to make the South South and South East regions of Nigeria startup hub. He lamented that many startups from the regions ended up in Lagos and some other parts of the country as they did not have the  supporting ecosystem. He mentioned some particular innovations by Port Harcourt based individuals who had to relocate to make the products world class. He said that trend must end, and that was why the event would bring investors, innovators nd other stakeholders together to harness the resources of the regions. "

  One of the shocking revelation of the ongoing World Athletics Championship is Ditaji Kambundji. The 23-year-old Swiss just won the women's 100m hurdles that had a very strong field, including Nigeria's Tobi Amusan, the world record holder. Her elder sister, Mujinga, wowed the world with her beauty but never reached the height of her 23-year-old younger sister. The 33-year-old is pregnant but her younger sister is carrying the family, and Swiss flag, loftily. She has won the first  athletic gold medal for Switzerland at the WAC. Her fahter is Congolese- Swiss and mother Bernese. "It's gold. I just ran fast and won," says an overjoyed Ditaji Kambundji in an interview with SRF. She knew that any finalist - including herself - could win. She concentrated on herself and ran her race. She could hardly believe it and just screamed, the 23-year-old explained her emotions on the track. "I've never shed so many tears - for such a beautiful reason." When aske...

  World Record holder Tobi Amusan  won Nigeria's first medal at the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, Japan.  Amusan won silver in the 100m  women's hurdles event in a race that was won by Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland in 12.24 seconds. Amusan clocked 12.28 seconds in the race, undone by her slow start. USA's Grace Stark took the bronze medal.  Kanyisola Ajayi was impressive for Nigeria as the rookie ended 6th in the final of the men's 100m. That was Nigeria's first time in the final in 18 years. He had ran an impressive 9.77 seconds in the semifinal. In the men's pole vault, Sweden's Armand Duplantis saw off stiff competition from Emmanouli Karalis to get the gold medal. Duplantis just broke the world record for the 14th time as he jumped 6.30 metres

  As I'm writing this, PBAT is in France on a "working holiday". Whatever that means. Oh, lest I forget, he had a "working lunch" with embattled France President Emmanuel Macron last week in Paris. Many Nigerians have questioned PBAT's penchant for travels to France and UK. They ask: why France or UK for working holiday, why not Obudu or some resort in Nigeria?  How many western leaders visit Nigeria for ten days for working visits? Before I digress, how many times has PBAT run out of the country without proper hand over of power to hi deputy. It seems PBAT is telling us "I'm the law!" After all, his deputy had entered into the cabal's b;ack book for ever nursing any ambition at all. He couldn't be trusted. That Fulani Man. Now to Nigerians. We have been quite unfortunate with leadership. I'm not talking about pre and independence era leaders. At least we knew what Awolowo, Zik and the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello and their cont...

  The Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative has dragged Indorama Nigeria, operators of Indorama Petrochemicals and Indorama Fertiliser and Urea to the National Industrial Court sitting in Port Harcourt over what it called "summary dismissal of one contract staff, Josiah Okpabi, without due process." Pilex Centre in a statement issued on Friday by its Coordinator Courage Nsirimovu, disclosed that Indorama exposed the said contract staff, Josiah to chemicals in the fertiliser plant without any safety tools in place. Nsirimovu alleged that Indorama engaged in unfair labour practices capable of violating right to life and dignity of human person. it also said the chemicals the staff was exposed to could cause cancer, respiratory disease among others. It noted that while Indorama provided tools and allowances for its full time staff but failed to do same for its contract staff. When contacted, the Head Corporate Communications, Indorama Nigeria, Justice Bibiye, declined to c...

The success of Roman Abrahamovic era is coming back to haunt Chelsea as they have been charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022. Chelsea were  charged basically based on events between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons. Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003  and was in control until 2022, before he was forced to sell the club  to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital. The breaches  allegedly committed concerned agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players. Chelsea have until 19 September to respond though it said the club reported those breaches to the relevant authority. There are a wide range of options available to sanction Chelsea, including a fine, transfer embargo and points deduction. However, the Blues' high level of co-operation will be factored in. "During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the pu...

  Who pays for the man hour lost due to Thursdays environmental sanitation? Shops and businesses are forced to lock up to clean the environment. But must one disrupt the other? The other one is the enforced restriction of movement during monthly environmental sanitation exercise. This has been re-introduced in Rivers State, and the Chairman of RIWAMA Board, Samuel Nwanosike, who was to work behind the scenes, has been talking and puffing, as if he were the CEO. He had insisted on restriction on movement despite courts of competent jurisdiction ruling it as unconstitutional. He argued that the ruling had nothing to do with Rivers State. How ignorant. For instance, on our way from Kwara to Rivers State sometime in 2013, we met the exercise in Ekiti State. We were detained until 10am though on a federal road and had no business with the state. It is trite to state that environmental sanitation is good, even encouraged for healthy living. But insisting people must stay at home is an in...

  The Super Eagles of Nigeria are effectively out of the 2026 World Cup to be jointly hosted by three countries for the first time in history. Japan and Korea co-hosted for the first time in 2002 and the trend has continued from then. But this would be the first time three countries would host the world cup. Mexico, USA and Canada- all in North America - will host the event in the summer of next year. And also, 48 nations would be represented at the global showpiece in 16 host cities. When the draws were made for the African qualifiers,  I had my fears about Nigeria. We were drawn in a relatively "cheap" group with Rwanda, Lesotho, Benin, South Africa and Zimbabwe. What a soft group, one would say. But we have found a way to bungle it. Africa has nine + 1 slot but Nigeria would not be there. We narrowly missed the previous edition in 2022 held in Qatar. This was despite the boast of the erstwhile NFF President that Ghana would suffer for it int he final qualifiers. Nigeria ha...

  A whirlwind 24 hours at EPL side Nottingham Forest has seen the sack of Nuno Espirito and the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as the new manager. The Australian manager of Greek origin was sacked by Spurs in the summer after winning the Uefa Europa League title last season. A first trophy in many years. Espirito's exit did not come as a surprise as he announced a strained relationship with owner earlier this season.  The Portuguese qualified Forest to Europa Conference League last season and was later upgraded to UEFA Europa League after Crystal Palace were stripped of a place int he tournament due to ownership issue. He was wildly popular in the dressing room and also among the fans. The straw was the appointment of Edu as the Technical Director of the club. The duo did not get on well, and Nuno criticised the club's recruitment- or lack of it- in the summer. 

In a recent interview, several residents of Port Harcourt expressed growing concern over the increasing number of police checkpoints across the city, describing the situation as alarming. According to the residents, these checkpoints appear to serve purposes beyond their intended function. They allege that instead of maintaining law and order or ensuring public safety, some officers are engaging in activities that deviate from their official mandate. The residents further stated that the conduct of some police personnel suggests a lack of effective oversight, which they find deeply troubling. “It feels like there is no control or accountability, and that is a scary reality,” one resident remarked. In an interview with our correspondent, Joshua Ayah, multiple individuals reported that police officers stationed at these checkpoints are extorting commercial bus drivers, displaying aggressive and authoritarian behavior, and harassing commuters.  They described the environment at many o...

  The Super Eagles will seek to consolidate on their quest for the 2026 World Cup when they later today take on the Bafana Bafana of South aAfrica in Bloemfontein. Nigeria lies in third position with 10 points from seven matches and must win today to have hope of automatic qualification. The Nigerian Contingent arrived South Africa Sunday evening after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rwanda on Saturday.  Notable absentee is Victor Osimhen, who got injured in the 34th minute on Saturday and was replaced by Cyriel Dessers. However, it was second half substitute and towering Tolu Arokodare that broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute with a well taken goal. The Rwandans proved stubborn and the Super Eagles also continued in their poor goal scoring form in this qualifiers. Meanwhile, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle believes Nigerian can win the encounter. also, Captain William Ekong has assured that there will be no diffidence in the Super Eagles’ play when they take on South Africa’s Baf...

 The Return of "Abacha Badge" What we have witnessed in recent times is the return of the dark days of Abacha's regime. At the height of his power then, every who is who in Nigeria- from Daniel Kanu to Daniel Amokachi- wore the Abacha Badge. These also include Army Generals, whose first loyalty to country was conveniently jettisoned to loyalty to a maximum ruler. Abacha denied Nigeria the defense of the AFCON in 1996, a trophy the Super Eagles might have won easily looking at the quality of the squad and that of the oppositions. South Africa won it in Nigeria's absence. That is by the way, pictures of councillors in one local government area of Rivers State went viral last week. The awkwardly looking councillors wore ill-fitting "Tinubu cap" for their swearing in ceremony. The poor councillors have been corraled to put omn the caps, hurriedly obtained m=without measurement to please the god of Aso Rock or his FCT messenger. The point was made. Afterall, the ...

  Alexander Isak is the biggest mover from Newcastle United to Liverpool in a deal that could be worth 130m pounds. The deal was a protracted one that has sullied the relationship between the player and the club. Isak alleged that Newcastle reneged on a promise to allow him go if a good offer came.Liverpool had ealier in the summer made an offer of 110m pounds, which the club promptly rejected. The Sweden international, 25, also went on strike and vowed not to play for the club again. Today's breakthrough brought an end to the saga just like Victor Gyokeres to Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon. Marc Guehi could also end up at Liverpool before the transfer window slams shut by 7pm tonight. Liverpool had so done well in this window.  Arsenal, on the other hand, have only defender  Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen as the incoming, having completed most deals earlier. Eze was the latest edition and had a cameo int he 70th minute as Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on S...

    Rwanda’s delegation to Saturday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria will arrive in Lagos on Tuesday afternoon.   A one-man advance party will be in Lagos on Monday, but the full delegation will make landfall in Lagos on Tuesday aboard a Rwandair Airline flight at 1.15pm, and will proceed to Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State by 4pm of the same day.   The Matchday 7 encounter has become very crucial to both teams as they are both wide away from group leaders South Africa, who have 13 points (prior to FIFA’s decision on their use of an ineligible player in the win over Lesotho in March this year). Rwanda are second in the pool with eight points, same as Benin Republic, with Nigeria in fourth on seven points.   Lesotho have 6 points, with Zimbabwe propping up the table on four points.   While the world still awaits FIFA’s decision, Nigeria and Rwanda will go for each other’s jugular in order to be appropriately-placed to benefit from Bafana...