Sports

Berlin, Feb. 17, 2020 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi were declared joint winners of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in Berlin on Monday. The voting was ending in a tie for the first time in the awards’ 20-year history. Mercedes driver …

London, Feb. 18, 2020 Headed goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire earned Manchester United a 2-0 win at Chelsea on Monday. The win put them back in the hunt for a top four 2019/2020 English Premier League (EPL) finish. In a high tempo, if often scrappy game, Ole Gunnar …

Madrid, Feb. 17, 2020 Real Madrid’s La Liga title bid took a dent after Zinedine Zidane’s leaders were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday. They were denied all three points by a late strike from Santi Mina. Mina latched on to a classy through …

Porto (Portugal), Feb. 16, 2020 FC Porto striker Moussa Marega left the pitch in protest at being subjected to racist insults during his side’s 2-1 win away to Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal’s Primeira Liga on Sunday. The 28-year-old Mali forward scored what proved to be the winning goal in the …

Norwich (UK), Feb. 16, 2020 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said he had sympathy for his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola in the wake of the English champions’ two-year ban from European football. The ban was dished out by UEFA for the club’s alleged breaching of Financial Fair Play rules. Manchester …

 Paris, Feb. 16, 2020 A second-string side by Paris St-Germain (PSG) were held to a 4-4 draw at struggling Amiens in Ligue 1 on Saturday. After erasing a three-goal deficit, they then went on to concede a stoppage time-equaliser. The result left PSG 13 points clear of second-placed Olympique de …

Manchester (U.K), Feb. 14, 2020 English champions Manchester City have been banned from European competition for the next two seasons. The club has also been fined 30 million euros (£25 million) by European soccer’s governing body UEFA after an investigation into alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. UEFA …

Paris, Feb. 13, 2020 Paris St Germain’s Pablo Sarabia scored twice as they swept past Dijon and into the semi-finals of the French Cup with a 6-1 win on Wednesday. Lying in 17th position in Ligue 1, hosts Dijon were facing an uphill struggle when Wesley Lautoa turned the ball …

Ruth Yarnap, Bauchi Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State has reiterated his government’s commitment to ensure that the state contingent to the 2020 National Sports Festival slated for Edo State takes its rightful position in the competition. The Governor Bala said this while receiving the Unity Torch for the 20th …

President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Nigeria’s female Basket Ball team, D’Tigress, for qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, urging them to remain focused, determined and energized for a good outing at the tournament. President Buhari, in a statement by Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser (Media & Publicity) commended the sportsmanship and …

 By Nicholas Obisike  Enugu, Feb. 2, 2020 Rangers International FC of Enugu on Sunday held visiting Al-Masry of Egypt to a 1-1 draw in the Confederation Cup Match Day Six. Al-Masry opened scores through Mahmoud Wadi in the 5th minute of the match played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, …

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said he approved the resuscitation of the state annual sports festival as part of his belief in productive engagement of the youths to attain their full potential. The state is currently engrossed with excitement as contingents from across its 16 local governments participate in …

Bournemouth (U.K), Jan. 27, 2020 Arsenal teenager, Bukayo Saka, scored one goal and set up another as the Londoners sealed a place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Monday. Left-back Saka and striker Eddie Nketiah netted inside 26 minutes …

London, Jan. 25, 2020 Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is in talks to buy English football club Newcastle United for about 340 million pounds (about N156.4 billion), a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. The revelation confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal earlier on Saturday. British billionaire …

Rome, Jan. 21, 2020 Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne has apologised to a nine-year-old fan after the team’s dismal performance in a 2-0 home defeat by Fiorentina on Saturday made the boy burst into tears. The image of the tearful fan with a Napoli scarf appeared during the broadcast of the …

Berlin, Jan. 21, 2020 Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are after Real Madrid right-back Alvaro Odriozola to bolster their defence, according to news reports in Germany and Spain. The Bild daily and sports paper Marca said Bayern Munich were eyeing a loan transfer of the 24-year-old who came to Real Madrid …

London, Jan. 21, 2020 Manchester United were charged by the Football Association (FA) in England on Tuesday for failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion” in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. The charge refers to Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and a group of his …

Liverpool (UK), Jan. 19, 2020 Liverpool came through a high-octane tussle with old rivals Manchester United to win 2-0 at Anfield and move 16 points clear at the top of the table on Sunday. The win sparked a chorus of “we are going to win the league” from their now-expectant …

By Olanrewaju Akojede Lagos, Jan. 18, 2020 The Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, on Saturday said physical fitness was very crucial to workers’ well-being towards attainment of optimal performance. Kyari, while speaking after the closing ceremony of the 12th NNPC Sports Fiesta in …

Jeddah, Jan. 9, 2020 Atletico Madrid pulled off a stunning turnaround to beat FC Barcelona 3-2 in an enthralling Spanish Super Cup tie in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday. They thus booked their place in the final of the revamped competition where they will face Real Madrid on Sunday. Argentine …

Manchester (UK), Jan. 9, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola needed only 15 minutes in training to get the tactical changes which led to Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Manchester United, playmaker Kevin De Bruyne said. The 3-1 win was in the League Cup semi-finals on Tuesday. Guardiola opted to …

By Victor Okoye Abuja, Jan. 8, 2020 Liverpool and Senegal star Sadio Mane and Nigeria and FC Barcelona Women forward Asisat Oshoala have picked up the top awards for African Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year respectively. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that both players were crowned …

London, Jan. 5, 2020 Crystal Palace skipper Luka Milivojevic became the first player in an English match to be sent off as a result of a referee reviewing an incident on a pitch-side monitor. This had occurred during his side’s 1-0 defeat by Derby County in the FA Cup third …

Liverpool (UK), Jan. 6, 2020 A stunning strike from 18-year-old Curtis Jones gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton in their FA Cup third round tie at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp made nine changes to his side, giving starts to three teenagers, while his Italian counterpart Carlo …