Sports

‘You showed great maturity’ — sports minister receives Super Eagles at Abuja airport

Published

2 weeks ago

October 15, 2024

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John Enoh, minister of sports development, has commended the Super Eagles for their composure “in spite the provocations” in Libya.

The Super Eagles players were held at the Al Abaq Airport since Sunday evening upon arrival in Libya for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match, following their 1-0 victory in Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Friday.

After over 16 hours of delay, the team departed Libya and arrived at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano on Monday evening, and flew to Abuja.

Receiving the team at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the minister expressed his admiration for their calm response.

“The entire country is aware of all you’ve gone through. The entire country has been awake since last night praying that you come back safely. What was important to us is your safe return to the country; nothing else mattered,” Enoh said.

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“Let me thank all of you for the great show of maturity in spite of what took place — in spite of the provocations.

“We’ve seen all the pictures — the manner in which you were treated and how you tried to see whether you could even find some rest in the airport. How you were stopped from even leaving the airport.

“In spite of all of that, you remained calm and mature. That is the spirit that is typically Nigerian.”

The minister also revealed that discussions had been held with officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the situation.

“We’ve had discussions with the various levels and leaders of CAF in terms of what has happened and what took place,” he added.

Earlier, President Bola Tinubu condemned the “inhumane treatment” of the Nigerian team by Libyan authorities, while calling on CAF to take action and prevent future occurrence.

READ VIDEO: Super Eagles 'sneak' into Nigeria in dead of night

The Federal Government has also summoned the Libyan envoy to Nigeria over the matter.

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, confirmed the development on Monday at the State House.

Meanwhile, CAF has revealed that it has launched an investigation into the “disturbing” incident.

Related Topics:CAF John Enoh LIBYA SUPER EAGLES

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Sports

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.

READ Finidi George unveiled as Super Eagles’ head coach

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.

READ #BuhariMustGo protesters block Abuja Airport road

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