Sports

‘We faced similar issues in Nigeria’ — Libyan FA opens up

Published

3 weeks ago

October 14, 2024

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The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has addressed the recent flight diversion of the Nigerian national team, saying “it was not intentional”.

In a statement released on Monday, LFF rejected claims of “foul play or sabotage”.

The federation alleged that their team faced similar travel difficulties during their visit to Nigeria for the first leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

“It is important to highlight that just last week, our own national team faced significant challenges upon our arrival in Nigeria for the third match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification,” the statement reads.

“Despite the difficulties we encountered, we did not make public accusations nor question the integrity of the Nigerian authorities.

“Football, in its essence, unites nations, and we are committed to upholding the spirit of fairness and mutual respect both on and off the field.”

The Nigerian team has been stranded in Libya. The Super Eagles players have been held at the airport for over 14 hours upon arrival in Libya on Sunday for the second leg of their qualifying series, following their 1-0 victory in Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Friday.

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The NFF earlier revealed it was planning to fly the team back home after players resolved not to play the match any longer.

CAF has yet to release an official statement about the situation in Libya.

Related Topics:LIBYA FA NIGERIA SUPER EAGLES

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Ballon d’Or: Lookman ranked 14th best male footballer in the world

Published

4 days ago

October 28, 2024

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Ademola Lookman, Super Eagles winger, has been named the 14th best male footballer in the world.

The 27-year-old was named among the 15 best players in the world on Monday at the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, France.

The winger is the only African to make the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or prize. He is the second Nigerian to be nominated for the prize in two years.

In 2023, Victor Osimhen became the first Nigerian to break into the top 10 of the award — finishing eighth overall.

Before that, Kanu Nwankwo was the last Super Eagles player to crack the top 15 of the coveted individual prize, ranking 11th in 1996.

Lookman placed ahead of Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba on the 2024 Ballon d’Or ranking.

The winger scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season for Atalanta, which retained its status as one of the best in Serie A.

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He scored a hattrick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, winning Atalanta’s first-ever European title.

Lookman was one of Nigeria’s best players at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire. He scored three goals as the Eagles won silver at the tournament. He was also named in the competition’s best XI alongside captain Willian Troost-Ekong.

Sports

UPDATED: Man United sack Ten Hag, name Van Nistelrooy as interim coach

Published

4 days ago

October 28, 2024

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Manchester United have fired Erik ten Hag as the club’s head coach following an uninspiring tenure at the helm of affairs.

In a statement on the club’s website, United said Ruud van Nistelrooy will take over as the team’s interim manager.

Ten Hag’s dismissal comes just a day after a 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Sunday. The loss was the United’s fourth in the English Premier League (EPL) this season, and they slipped to 14th place on the log.

The team also remain winless in the Europa League with three draws from as many games. They are rooted in the 21st position of 36 teams in the Europa League log.

Ten Hag was appointed as United manager in April 2022. He replaced Ralf Rangnick, who had been working at United in an interim capacity after the club sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021.

Although Ten Hag’s tenure in the United dugout was fraught with inconsistent results in the EPL, the Dutchman led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

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Van Nistelrooy will take over on an interim basis alongside the remaining departing coach’s technical team members until a permanent manager is recruited.