Sports

Rome, April 2, 2020 Football will be totally different when it eventually resumes after the coronavirus outbreak, the head of global body FIFA Gianni Infantino said on Thursday. “Football will come back, and when it does, we’ll celebrate coming out of a nightmare together,” he told the Italian news agency …

Bern (Switzerland), March 23, 2020 This season’s Champions League, Europa League and women’s Champions League finals scheduled for May have been formally postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said on Monday. All three competitions are currently suspended along with almost every European domestic league because …

By Muftau Ogunyemi/Polycarp Auta Akure/Jos The Ondo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of two players of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by gunmen on Benin-Akure Expressway on Sunday evening. The players are Dayo Ojo of Enyimba FC and Iluyomade Benjamin of Abia Comets FC.  This is as …

By Monday Ajogun Benin, March 17, 2020 The Edo State Government has announced the postponement of the 20th National Sports Festival scheduled for March 22 to April 1. The Deputy Governor and Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Philip Shaibu, made the announcement while addressing the media on Tuesday in Benin. …

Rome, March 14, 2020 Italian Serie A club Sampdoria on Friday said four of its players have tested positive for coronavirus, one day after forward Manolo Gabbiadini was also confirmed to have caught the virus. Sampdoria said the players —- Norwegian Morten Thorsby, Swede Albin Ekdal, Gambian Omar Colley and …

Linz (Austria), March 12, 2020 Manchester United took a big step towards the Europa League quarter-finals by thrashing Austrian side LASK Linz 5-0 on Thursday in their last 16 first leg tie. The match was played at an empty Linzer Stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic. Striker Odion Ighalo fired …

Santiago, March 12, 2020 World football governing body FIFA has postponed South American qualifying matches for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. This was after a request from the region’s football federation amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus. FIFA said in a letter to the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), …

Liverpool (UK), March 12, 2020 Holders Liverpool crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the last 16 round on Wednesday after Atletico Madrid struck three times in extra time. The Spanish side earned a shock 3-2 victory at Anfield to go through 4-2 on aggregate, after having won the …

Abuja, March 12, 2020 Tiger Woods will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. “I am both honored and humbled,” Woods, a 15-times major winner, said in a statement on Wednesday after receiving the necessary 75 per cent of support from the body’s voting panel. “This …

Milan (Italy), March 13, 2020 Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has become the first Serie A player to test positive for coronavirus, the Turin side said on Wednesday. Juventus said in a statement that the 26-year-old Italy international, who played in matches against Brescia and SPAL in February, had not shown …

London, March 11, 2020 Wednesday’s match between Manchester City and Arsenal has been postponed “as a precautionary measure,” the Premier League said, announcing the first match in the top competition to be called off due to the novel coronavirus. The league said that the decision followed the announcement on Tuesday …

  Turin (Italy), March 9, 2020 A wonderful winning goal from substitute Paulo Dybala sent Juventus back to the top of Serie A with a 2-0 victory over title rivals Inter Milan on Sunday. Juve, who opened the scoring at an empty Allianz Stadium through Aaron Ramsey, lead on 63 …

Asuncion, March 8, 2020 Former Brazilian international Ronaldinho Gaucho was ordered to remain in jail in Paraguay on Saturday after a judge ruled him a flight risk. The ex-FC Barcelona forward was arrested on Friday for attempting to enter Paraguay with a false passport two days earlier. He spent Friday …

London, March 5, 2020 Sergio Aguero’s second-half goal proved enough for holders Manchester City to beat second-tier Sheffield Wednesday 1-0, but they made hard work of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. It looked like a practice game at times for Pep Guardiola’s side at Hillsborough but they struggled …

 London, March 3, 2020 Chelsea completed a torrid few days for Liverpool as goals by Willian and Ross Barkley sealed a 2-0 victory to send them through to the FA Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. Liverpool’s 44-match unbeaten streak in the English Premier League (EPL) ended in stunning fashion with a …

  Madrid, March 2, 2020 Real Madrid showed their character by beating FC Barcelona 2-0 in Sunday’s top-of-the-table “Clasico’’, leapfrogging their rivals at the La Liga summit. The hosts’ win has come after a week in which their pride had taken a beating at home and in Europe. Brazilian teenager …

chelsBournemouth (UK), Feb. 29, 2020 Chelsea stormed back from a goal down to snatch a 2-2 draw away to AFC Bournemouth in their Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. Midfielder Marco Alonso struck twice for the visitors who were in need of the points as much as …

Paris, March 1, 2020 Leaders Paris St-Germain (PSG) cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Dijon in their Ligue 1 clash at the Parc des Princes on Saturday. But it was more than just that, with Kylian Mbappe capping a brilliant individual performance by scoring twice and creating another for …

  Manchester (UK), Feb. 28, 2020 Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers cruised into the Europa League last 16 round with emphatic aggregate wins on Thursday, but while AS Roma squeezed through, Sporting and Porto were eliminated. Manchester United breezed to a 6-1 aggregate win over Club Bruges after a 5-0 …

London, Feb. 25, 2020 Two second half goals in less than three minutes from Serge Gnabry and one from Robert Lewandowski earned Bayern Munich a thumping 3-0 victory at Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League fixture. The last 16 first leg game on Tuesday in London saw the German champions …

 Naples (Italy), Feb. 26, 2020 Antoine Griezmann’s second half equaliser handed FC Barcelona a vital away goal and a 1-1 draw at Napoli in their UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg meeting on Tuesday. A superb curling strike from Dries Mertens put the home side in front in the …

Paris, Feb. 24, 2020 Paris St-Germain (PSG) extended their Ligue 1 lead to 13 points with a 4-3 home victory against Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday. But it was a match in which the French champions were again exposed at the back and had Neymar sent off. A Marquinhos double, …

Las Vegas (U.S.), Feb. 23, 2020 Britain’s Tyson Fury delivered a dominant performance in his heavyweight championship bout with Deontay Wilder on Saturday, overwhelming his opponent to earn a seventh round technical knockout (TKO) victory in Las Vegas. In the highly-anticipated super fight rematch between the two titans, Fury took …

London, Feb. 22, 2020 Jose Mourinho says it will be “incredible” if his Tottenham Hotspur side finish in the top four of the 2019/2020 English Premier League (EPL), claiming it will rival his greatest achievements. Tottenham were languishing in 14th place, 12 points behind third-placed Chelsea and 11 off the …

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 …