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A Fan flying Biafra flag in Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium Enugwu



October 2nd, 2016

There was a mild drama in Enugu state on Sunday, October 2, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium as Rangers claimed a seventh Nigerian league title after beating El-Kanemi Warriors in 3 – 0 in their last game of the season. 

The drama started at half-time break after a group of young Biafra youths were moving round with Ogene music when two of them were seen displaying Biafran flag. 

Their action provoked security officers within the stadium who moved towards the young men holding the flag and attempted to snatch it from them. 



However, the security operative’s action was greeted with extreme repugnance from the fans in the stadium which forced them to let the two men walk away with their flags.

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Fans celebrate as Enugu Rangers are crowned Nigeria League champions.



October 2nd, 2016

Rangers FC of Enugu were crowned Nigeria league champions on Sunday, October 2 after defeating El-Kanemi Warriors 4 – 0 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, Enugu state

This feat by the Flying Antelopes have seen them emerge league champions for the seventh time, hence, equalling a record set by former champions Enyimba. 

However, the electrifying atmosphere at Nnamdi Azikiwe was greeted with the presence of top celebrities in various fields as they trooped-in to show their support for the Flying Antelopes. 

Nothing short of joy and jubilation trailed the blast of the final whistle.


Fire works as Enugu Rangers are crowned Nigeria League champions



Fans celebrate as Enugu Rangers are crowned Nigeria League champions.


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Winger's two goals helped City beat West Ham 3-1 and maintain their winning start to the season


Man City 3-1 West Ham

Two goals from Raheem Sterling helped Manchester City maintain their winning start to the Premier League season, as they beat West Ham United 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Sterling slotted in on seven minutes after a slick move, finishing with Nolito’s cutback to the England international, which put Man City level with Chelsea and Manchester United, who they visit on 10 September, at the top of the table.

Fernandinho then headed in from Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick to put City 2-0 up, and they could have added to that with some scintillating football in the first half.

But Michail Antonio scored with a far-post header for the second successive league match to make it 2-1 just before the hour mark.

Sterling then ended any chance of a fightback when he turned past goalkeeper Adrian and prodded in City’s third from a tight angle, earning Pep Guardiola his third straight Premier League win as their head coach.

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Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa makes gesture of protest on marathon finish line in Rio


An Olympic silver medallist from Ethiopia is seeking asylum overseas after making a gesture of protest as he crossed the finishing line in the men’s marathon in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Hundreds of millions of people watched Feyisa Lilesa hold his arms over his head, wrists crossed, in support of members of his Oromo tribe in the east African nation.

“It is a very dangerous situation for the Oromo people in Ethiopia. In nine months more than 1,000 people died in protests,” Lilesa told reporters after the race.


The runner said he now feared detention or death if he returned home. 

“They will kill me. I haven’t another visa. Maybe I stay here. If I can get visa I can go to America,” the 26-year-old said.

Lilesa’s protest prompted an outpouring of support on social media, while a crowdfunded effort to raise money to help him find a home outside Ethiopia had received nearly $40,000 (£30,000) in donations within hours.

Olympic athletes are prohibited from making political statements during the Games, but it appears unlikely Lilesa will face any sanctions from sport authorities.

Ethiopia has long been one of the world’s poorest nations but has experienced rapid industrialisation in the past decade. Authorities have been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses and of discrimination against the Oromo, the country’s largest ethnic group, comprising about 25% of the country’s 100m population.

Plans to allocate land surrounding the capital, Addis Ababa, for development prompted fierce demonstrations from members of the tribe in November. Many of those who would have been displaced by the new scheme were Oromo.

Authorities scrapped the scheme in January, but protests spread and continued for months, in the country’s worst unrest in more than a decade.

Several rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that up to 400 have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters.

In the wake of the violence, the United Nations urged Ethiopia to allow international observers in to the worst hit parts of the country.

“Oromo is my tribe ... Oromo people now protest what is right, for peace, for a place,” Lilesa told reporters after winning his silver medal, adding that he feared his wife and two children might already have been arrested.

“Maybe I move to another country ... you get the freedom if you support only the government. You cannot work without that.”

The government disputes the allegations of human rights violations and says illegal protests by “anti-peace forces” have been brought under control.

In an interview with the Guardian earlier this year, Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, described Ethiopia as an island of stability within the troubled Horn of Africa region.

“We have clearly identified why this protest has come about: unemployment and lack of good governance. Building democratic culture will take some time. But we are on the right track. It’s improving,” Desalegn said.

Any sign of unrest is closely watched in Ethiopia with frequent detentions of alleged dissidents and pressure on the media. Ethiopia is 142nd of 180 in the Press Freedom Index compiled by the Reporters Without Borders campaign group.

In elections last May, Ethiopia’s ruling coalition and allied parties won all 547 seats in the federal parliament and 100% of legislative positions in nine regional councils.

The nation is seen in the west as a key ally in the campaign against Islamic militants from the al-Shabaab movement in neighbouring Somalia and a centre of relative stability in fragile east Africa. Criticism from Washington or European powers of any human rights abuses has been muted.

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday morning upheld Russia’s ban from the upcoming Paralympic Games in Rio. The sanction, handed down by the International Paralympic Committee in early August, came about after a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation found evidence of a state-sponsored doping program in Russia from 2011 to 2015, with the IPC saying via the Associated Press that it had found evidence of manipulated doping tests relating to 44 Russian athletes, including 27 from competitors in eight sports that are part of the Paralympic program.

The Russian Paralympic Committee appealed the ban, but the CAS said Tuesday that the IPC “did not violate any procedural rule” in handing down the punishment.

“[The] decision to ban the [Russian team] was made in accordance with the IPC Rules and was proportionate in the circumstances,” the court said in a statement obtained by the AP.

IPC President Philip Craven issued a statement applauding the CAS ruling:
  • “Today’s decision underlines our strong belief that doping has absolutely no place in Paralympic sport, and further improves our ability to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for all Para athletes around the world.
  • “Although we are pleased with the decision, it is not a day for celebration and we have enormous sympathy for the Russian athletes who will now miss out on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. It is a sad day for the Paralympic Movement, but we hope also a new beginning. We hope this decision acts as a catalyst for change in Russia and we can welcome the Russian Paralympic Committee back as a member safe in the knowledge that it is fulfilling its obligations to ensure fair competition for all.”

The International Olympic Committee had similar evidence of a state-sponsored Russian doping program in its hands ahead of the main Rio Olympics, but it decided to leave the country’s participation up to each sport’s governing body. Russian weightlifters and all but one track and field athlete were prohibited from competing in the Olympics.

This year’s Paralympic Games are Sept. 7-18.

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Speedo said it will end its sponsorship of Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, after he admitted to "exaggerating" his story about being robbed at gunpoint in Brazil. The company says it will donate a $50,000 portion of Lochte's fee to Save The Children, which will benefit kids in Brazil. (Reuters)

U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte’s four commercial sponsors dropped the 12-time Olympic medal winner Monday in response to the incident eight days ago in which he falsely claimed he and three teammates had been held up by armed robbers at a Rio de Janeiro gas station.

The decisions by Speedo, Ralph Lauren, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal came after Lochte admitted to “over-exaggerating” the armed-robbery claim, an assertion that overshadowed much of the second week of the Summer Olympics that concluded Sunday.

Lochte, meanwhile, said he would continue to swim even if sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee for his lack of honesty.

“I’m still going to be swimming,” he told TMZ in Los Angeles on Monday. “I’m swimming for another four years, so however long my suspension is, what the USOC says, I’m going to get back in the water and keep going.”

Lochte’s commercial sponsors announced they are parting ways with the swimmer, who initially claimed he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint early Aug. 14 after a night of partying. Brazilian authorities said the four vandalized a gas station and were told by an armed security guard they had to pay for the damages before they were allowed to leave.

“While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for,” Speedo, the swimwear company, said in a statement released Monday morning. “We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience.”

The company also announced that it would donating $50,000 of Lochte’s fee to the Save the Children charity, which will direct the money toward youngsters in Brazil. Lochte signed a reported 10-year deal with Speedo in 2006, meaning the agreement was near its end.

“I respect Speedo’s decision and am grateful for the opportunities that our partnership has afforded me over the years,” Lochte, 32, said in a statement following the swimwear company’s announcement. “I am proud of the accomplishments that we have achieved together.”



Ralph Lauren followed soon after, with the apparel company announcing in a statement that it would be ending its association with Lochte.

“Ralph Lauren continues to proudly sponsor the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team and the values that its athletes embody,” the statement read. “Ralph Lauren’s endorsement agreement with Ryan Lochte was specifically in support of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the company will not be renewing his contract.”

Syneron-Candela, parent company of Gentle Hair Removal, was the third to cut ties Monday, saying in a statement that it holds its employees “to high standards, and we expect the same of our business partners.”

Airweave, a Japanese mattress manufacturer that had pledged to stand by Lochte, announced late Monday in a tweet that it, too, would drop him “after careful consideration.”

Marketers said many younger Olympic stars emerge with each four-year cycle of the Games. With the competition for endorsements so fierce, it now takes several gold medals — or an unusually compelling personal story — to earn big, multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals. At 32, it may be impossible for Lochte to recover, they said.

“Given his age, he is less likely to be competitive going forward,” David Carter, executive director of the Marshall Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California, said Friday.

Lochte’s brain trust had already begun the rehabilitation process. His team, which includes Creative Artists Agency, has retained public relations specialist Matthew Hiltzik to help the athlete repair his image. Hiltzik declined to comment Friday.

Lochte told TMZ that he has yet to make a decision about whether to seek help for his drinking. In his first televised mea culpa on NBC, he admitted he was “still intoxicated” when he made the initial robbery claim during an appearance on the network Aug. 14.

“It’s definitely something that I’m going to have to be more responsible about,” Lochte told TMZ when asked about his drinking. “Everything that happened in Rio, I’m definitely going to learn from it. We’re human, we learn from our mistakes.

“Right now I need to just see my family and talk with them about what I’m going to do.”

[Ryan Lochte’s apology makes it clear he doesn’t realize what he has done wrong]

U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun on Sunday all but promised that Lochte and teammates Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger would be punished over their roles in the incident.

Lochte left Brazil before authorities there could question him beyond his original assertions. Feigen faced a charge of falsely reporting a crime, though he was allowed to leave the country Friday after making a charitable donation as part of a plea bargain.

“If the USOC says I can’t swim anymore, I think that would be the most hurtful, just because I put so much time and effort into this sport. I mean, that would be heartbreaking,” Lochte said when asked by TMZ about his thoughts on a possible sanction. “My true friends still support me, being behind me 100 percent, so that’s what keeps me going.”

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  • A major confrontation capable of further embarrassing Nigeria at the 2016 Olympic Games appears to be brewing between members of the Dream Team VI and officials of Nigeria Football Federation over a cash gift from a Japanese doctor. The donation, totalling $390,000, came from Katsuya Takasu, a plastic surgeon and football enthusiast, to boost the morale of the Nigerian players who have been bogged down by financial inadequacies.

A major confrontation capable of further embarrassing Nigeria at the 2016 Olympic Games appears to be brewing between members of the Dream Team VI and officials of Nigeria Football Federation over a cash gift from a Japanese doctor.

The donation, totalling $390,000, came from Katsuya Takasu, a plastic surgeon and football enthusiast, to boost the morale of the Nigerian players who have been bogged down by financial inadequacies.
Mr. Takasu informed the Nigerian government through its embassy in Tokyo that he intended to make the donation, adding that he would fly Brazil to personally hand in the funds to the players and also watch Nigerian team’s duel with Honduras played this Saturday.
Nigeria defeated Honduras 3-2, winning bronze at the Olympics, 20 years after it defeated Argentina to clinch gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
Mr. Takasu said the team coach, Samson Siasia, and its captain, Mikel Obi, should each take $200,000 and $190,000, respectively.
But out of the blue on Saturday afternoon, reports emerged that some NFF officials had ‘hijacked’ the process and demanded that Mr. Takasu must hand the money to them for onward disbursement to team members.
Idah Peterside, a sports analyst and former goalkeeper for the Super Eagles, was amongst the first persons to raise the alarm on social media.
“More trouble in the dream team camp….the money from the Japanese man to the dream team has been hijacked by the NFA (he meant NFF),” Mr. Petersaid said. “They want to use the money to pay the coaches as salaries. Bitrus Bewarang was sent to get the money from the Japanese, but the players say it’s their money.”
Mr. Peterside’s alarm elicited immediate response from Nigerians who said the NFF had no business fiddling with the donation because its conditions were clear, and many condemned those responsible for the controversy as greedy and shameless.
“There’s greed. Then, there’s corruption. And there’s that condition of having no capacity for shame whatsoever,” tweeted Gbenga Sesan, a capacity development expert.
But the NFF denied the allegations, saying it took over the process because it wanted the funds to be routed through appropriate channels.
“The NFF has not collected any money from Japanese plastic surgeon, Dr. Katsuya Takasu, as against the misinformation by Mr. Idah,” the NFF said in a post on its Twitter handle Saturday afternoon.
Amaju Pinnick, the NFF president, said since Nigeria is a sovereign nation, it would be out of place to allow an individual make donations directly to individual team members.
“Nigeria is a sovereign nation and such a donation must go through a process. If we get a go-ahead, it will go directly to the team,” Mr. Pinnick said. “To say NFF has ‘hijacked’ the money is outright mischief. The checks must be concluded and we are given a go-ahead to collect by the government.”
A letter from Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires in Tokoya to the sports authorities stated the beneficiaries of Mr. Takasu’s donation as Mr. Siasia and Mr. Obi, but the NFF or any of its officials was not included.
Mr. Takasu said he made the donation to the players after hearing about their financial crisis.
“I read about the financial problems affecting the team and I felt the need to make a big contribution,” Mr. Takasu told the BBC earlier this week.

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Bloggers have been comparing the tracksuits worn by Nigeria's Olympics team at Rio's opening ceremony (L) to the outfits worn for London 2012 (R)


Nigerian athletes in Rio received their Olympic kits only on day 13 of the Games, the BBC has learned.

Most of them had finished competing by the time the outfits arrived.
"We are disappointed and embarrassed. We've been wearing kits from the World Athletics Championships," one athlete, requesting anonymity, told the BBC.

Nigeria's men's football team has its own sponsored kit - but it has been hit by funding problems and players only arrived hours before their first match.

The team plays for bronze on Saturday against Honduras.
Africa's most populous country has so far won no medals at Rio, with only three more days of competition left to go.

The BBC spoke to two athletes who confirmed that they had only received their sports and ceremonial kits on Thursday.


An unnamed Athletics Federation of Nigeria official told Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper that he had never experienced anything like this in all his years in sport.

"Money meant for the Games was held tightly by [sport] ministry officials and they were just releasing money piecemeal," the official is quoted as saying.

The government had budgeted 600m naira ($1.7m; £1.3m) for the Olympics, the Vanguard reported in July.But payment problems appear to have dogged Nigerian Olympians.

Japanese plastic surgeon, Katsuya Takasu, is donating $200,000 to the football team after hearing about its financial difficulties.

The players were held up in the US city of Atlanta because of problems paying for their flight and only landed in Brazil just hours before their opening 5-4 win over Japan.

Mr Takasu has also promised each player a $10,000 bonus if they win bronze.

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Usain Bolt at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Rio de Janeiro - Four years ago, Canut Lawrence made himself a promise.

A track and field enthusiast from Jamaica but living and working in Canada, he traveled to the Olympics in London and watched in awe as Usain Bolt walked away with three gold medals for the second Games in a row.
Lawrence was inspired and swore he would follow the world's fastest man to Brazil, where his compatriot would bid to complete a historic "triple-triple" of sprint titles at Rio 2016.
On a hot, humid night Friday, both men made good on their word.

Day 14: Recap Bolt's historic moment in Rio

As Bolt streaked across the finish line to a thunderous ovation in the men's 4x100-meter relay, Lawrence rejoiced.
"He symbolizes pride, he really symbolizes what Jamaica is all about," Lawrence said. "Growing up in humble circumstances and rising above difficult situations.

"Jamaicans are extremely proud to see a boy of the soil, not somebody who was born into wealth. This is a young man who came from a very small district in Trelawny. To see what he has accomplished, it is phenomenal.

"Just to be here, to see history being made, I can't tell you how that feels."

While Lawrence was lost for words, Bolt summed it up perfectly.
"There you go," he said. "I'm the greatest."
Running the anchor leg, as he had done in the previous Games, Bolt surged away from the Japanese quartet who took a surprise silver medal.

Read more: Is Bolt the greatest athlete of all time?

Taking the baton from Nickel Ashmeade after Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake had made the early running, Bolt charged home to record a time of 37.27.
The USA was third across the line but was later disqualified for what appeared to be a handover violation, with Canada moving up to bronze medal position. The Americans appealed the decision and USA Track and Field tweeted early Saturday that it expected a decision in the morning.


Although he alone goes down in the record books with nine gold medals, Bolt was quick to thank his teammates for their contribution.
"My team came through for me tonight," added Bolt, who turns 30 on Sunday. "As long as we got the baton round, it was never in doubt."
As the final running of perhaps the greatest show on earth was taking place on the track, empty seats were once again visible in the stadium.

Nonetheless, the considerable crowd that had gathered in the stadium once again chanted his name, as the now familiar sounds of Bob Marley signaled another Jamaican sprint triumph.
And for the third time in less than a week, Bolt knelt down and kissed the track. A final gesture to the Games that made him an icon.

"He deserves all of the accolades," Lawrence said. "There will never be another Usain Bolt. He has the talent, the skill, the charisma, he's very playful. And people love that."
Lawrence has never met Bolt, although he did take pictures with his dad in London.
If he did meet the man behind his trip to South America, what would he say?

"Continue being who you are, continue being humble, continue being that being that effervescent person that you are," Lawrence replied. "Don't change for anyone. We're loving the way he is."

And after achieving a feat no Olympian in history has managed, Bolt knows how he wants to celebrate.
"I'm going to stay up late and have fun," he said. "I never knew this would happen when I started out."

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Mariam Usman finishes 8th in the Weightlifting at Rio Olympics


  • – Mariam Usman laments how she was prepared for the Rio Olympics  
  • – She says she would never represent the country at Olympics again  
  • – She finished 8th in her final group in the +75 category and amassed 265 kg 


Nigerian weightlifter Mariam Usman says the manner in which she was prepared for the Rio Olympics will make her never to represent Nigeria at international competitions.

The Commonwealth medallist in the +75kg in weightlifting says she felt better when preparing for the 2012 games but felt  the 2016 games were a no brainier for her. 

“It is painful to come to the Olympics and see people who are your contemporaries perform better than you; not because you lack the ability but because you were not prepared like them,” she said, while speaking to reporters at the Games Village in Rio. 

She added: “For me, it is not just about jumping unto the plane every four years to go to the Olympics. Every athlete you see here wants to step on the podium. If you can’t aim to climb up there, you have no business coming to the Olympics. 

I can only consider going to another Olympics if things change for the better. But if the status quo is maintained, I don’t think I will go to another Olympics again.” 

She lamented how she was never given proper equipment for the games or prepared with modern equipments. 

“Olympic gold medal doesn’t come cheap,” she said. “It is painful that one has to suffer and when competition comes they expect you to win a medal with your blood. 

“The people you have to compete with had everything they needed: training grants, competitions and are exposed to the most modern equipment. I had nothing. You don’t expect such people who have invested so much to lose to one who don’t even train adequately.” 

Comparing the 2012 Olympics to the 2016 edition, she said: “Yes, I feel 2012 was better. I had better training and my result was better. This time nothing was done to better one’s performance.” 

Mariam Usmanwas the only weightlifter that represented Nigeria at the Rio Olympics. She competed in the +75 category and amassed 265 kg. She finished 8th in her group.

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John Mikel Obi scores as Nigeria demolish Denmark 2-0. To play Germany in semi-final.
Nigeria’s Under 23 team at the Rio 2016 Olympics have qualified to the Semi-finals of the tournament and stand a high chance of winning a medal after defeating Denmark 2-0.


Team captain John Mikel Obi continued his sensational display at the tournament with a man of the match performance and scored Nigeria’s first goal in the 16th minute after a cutback pass by Imoh Ezekiel.


In the 27th minute, Nigeria’s goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel saved from point-blank range as Denmark went in search of an equalising goal.

Amuzie’s  shot was shoved off for a corner by the Denmark goalkeeper and the resulting corner kick taken by Mikel Obi was put in the net by Aminu Umar in the 59th minute.



Denmark looked clueless and found it hard to penetrate Nigeria’s defence and coach Samson Siasia will be proud to have kept a clean sheet as the African powerhouse qualified for the Semi-final stage.
Nigeria will now play Germany in the semifinal of Rio 2016.
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JOHN MIKEL OBI
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Players of Colombia celebrate after their Rio 2016 Olympic Games First Round Group B football men’s match Colombia vs Nigeria at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 10, 2016. Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP



Kevin Balanta (R) of Colombia, vies for the ball with Sadiq Umar of Nigeria, during their Rio 2016 Olympic Games First Round Group B football men's match Colombia vs Nigeria at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 10, 2016. Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP




Cristian Borja (R) of Colombia, vies for the ball with Aminu Umar of Nigeria, during their Rio 2016 Olympic Games First Round Group B football men’s match Colombia vs Nigeria at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 10, 2016. Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP




Helibelton Palacios (L) of Colombia, vies for the ball with Oghenekaro Etebo of Nigeria, during their Rio 2016 Olympic Games First Round Group B football men's match Colombia vs Nigeria at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 10, 2016. Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP



Dorlan Pabon (R) of Colombia, celebrates his goal scored by a penalty shot against goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi of Nigeria, during their Rio 2016 Olympic Games First Round Group B football men's match Colombia vs Nigeria at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 10, 2016. Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP

Nigeria’s Dream Team VI still topped Group B of the Rio 2016 Olympics men’s football event in Sao Paulo in spite of a 2-0 loss to Colombia on Wednesday.

Nigeria thus advanced to Saturday’s quarter-finals after six points from three matches, having scored six goals and conceded six, with Colombia picking the runners-up spot with five points.

A first-half strike from captain Teofilo Gutierrez and a second-half penalty kick from Dorlan Pabon ensured the South Americans joined their West African opponents in the quarter-finals.

Needing a win to secure their place in the last eight, it was Colombia who took an early lead through Gutierrez.
Pabon’s fine forward ball from the left flank picked out the unmarked Sporting Lisbon striker at the top of the Nigeria penalty box.

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Nigeria reached the last eight of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament at the ongoing Games in Brazil after Sadiq Umar’s 40th minute goal separated the 1996 champions from European champions Sweden at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus on Sunday.

Four –goal hero against Japan in Nigeria’s opening match, Oghenekaro Etebo remained the African champions’ livewire, and had already created some anxious moments in the Swedish area before side-netting with a fierce shot in the 29th minute.
Seven minutes later, Etebo connected powerfully with a header in the box, which sailed narrowly over the bar, but Umar made good with his own header four minutes later when diving to connect a marvelous cross from defender Stanley Amuzie. Umar had also opened Nigeria’s account in Thursday’s 5-4 defeat of Japan.

At half –time, the domination was somewhat embarrassing, with the Nigeria U23 credited with 62 per cent possession and having played seven corner kicks to their opponents’ none. Skipper Mikel John Obi came close three minutes after the break but his shot was pushed away by the Swedish goalkeeper.
The Swedish keeper had to be even more alert four minutes later, to push an angled shot from Etebo, who had broken into a sizzling run, round the post.

Amuzie and Imoh Ezekiel side –netted, before another heart –thumping Etebo run from the flank was wasted as Sadiq Umar failed to get a leg to the ball, but Nigeria earned all three points even though they wasted more chances in the closing stages and centre –back Sincere Seth had to thwart an opportunity for the Swedes in the 90th minute.

2008 Olympics silver medallists Nigeria next play Colombia at the Arena dos Corinthians in Sao Paulo on Wednesday evening.


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Nigeria’s Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has apologized to players and officials of the country’s Olympic football team for the circumstances that led to the contingent’s late arrival in Brazil for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016.

Dalung, a conspicuous presence in the stands as the 1996 champions pipped Europe’s best team Sweden in Manaus on Sunday night to reach the tournament quarter –finals with a game to spare, tendered his apology in the dressing room after the game at the Arena Amazonia.
After hugging and exchanging pleasantries with players and officials, Barrister Dalung said: "I want to apologize for all the circumstances that led to your late arrival here. I apologize because I am the head and as such I must take responsibility for anything that happens under my watch.

"I’m happy you all have put the unfortunate incident behind you and have shown that you are true heroes by making the country proud with your qualification for the quarter finals. This qualification is unique as you guys are the first team to do so in the football event."

Speaking further, the Sports Minister disclosed: "I want to assure you that we appreciate your efforts, and I want to say that it's when a man faces challenges that his true ability is tested. I am sure we all have learnt our lessons and will take the lessons to heart going forward."

Dalung then assured the players and officials that all bonuses and allowances due to them will be paid, as he recalled that the team faced similar challenges on the way to winning the Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Senegal last year, which qualified Nigeria for the Olympics.

Responding, team captain Mikel John Obi assured Dalung that the team will not lose focus as their target is to win the gold medal for Nigeria. The Sports Minister was in company with Nigeria’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Brazil, Adamu Emozozo and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Chinyeaka Ohaa.


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Sadiq Umar’s header that sealed the day for the Dream Team 

Nigeria progressed to the quarter-finals at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016 after a 1-0 victory over Sweden in Group B thanks to a Sadiq Umar header at the Amazonia Arena in Manaus. 

 For a large part of the match both sides were playing conservatively but Nigeria certainly looked the most threatening in attack. Fresh from scoring four goals last time out, Oghenekaro Etebo attempted several shots in the half—with his right foot, left foot and with his head—but he was unable to get the better of Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Linde.

Nigeria eventually found the opener six minutes from time, when Stanley Amuzie delivered a pinpoint, curling cross in open play from the left wing that found Umar and the Roma man made no mistake, scoring with a diving header.

The Dream Team continued their dominance in the second half, and just three minutes in, captain John Obi Mikel took had a well-driven shot from the top of the area saved by Linde. The Swedish goalkeeper had to be alert four minutes later when Etebo dribbled inside the corner of the penalty box and attempted a curling effort, but once again, Linde saved.

Coach Hakan Ericson did use all three of his substitutes—Ken Sema, Muamer Tankovic and Jacob Une Larsson to try and give his team a new dimension but, in the end, Nigeria’s backline was up to the challenge and held on to all three points.

On Wednesday, Nigeria will close out group play against Colombia in Sao Paulo, while Sweden have a must-win match ahead against Japan in Salvador if they are going to continue their Rio 2016 journey.

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Nigeria’s point guard Ben Uzoh (Bottom) falls next to Argentina’s point guard Facundo Campazzo (R) during a Men’s round Group B basketball match between Nigeria and Argentina at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 7, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON

Perennial medal contenders Argentina eased past Nigeria 94-66 in each team’s Rio Olympic debut as Facundo Campazza scored 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point territory.

Manu Ginobili of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs added 12 points and the Brooklyn Nets’ Luis Scola 18 as the more experienced Argentines proved too much for the sloppy African qualifiers.

Argentina is the only country since 1988 to have won an Olympic basketball gold medal other than the USA.

They won in Athens in 2004 on the strength of their “golden generation” of core players including Ginobili, Scola and Andres Nocioni.
But with Ginobili now 39 and the other two 36 years old, time is running out for that decorated cadre to take home another medal.

Cheered on by a boisterous turnout of fans from their nearby homeland, which borders on Brazil, Argentina jumped out to an 11-0 lead.

They never looked back, using tough defence and superior ball movement to set up eight first-half three-pointers and take a 50-31 halftime lead.

More of the same followed in the second half, with the Argentines cruising to the final buzzer. They finished with 15 three-pointers.

Nigeria was led by Ikechukwu Diogu’s 15 points and 13 rebounds, and 14 points from Ebi Ere.

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has launched a barb at Claudio Ranieri ahead of the Community Shield by declaring he would not swap careers with his Leicester City counterpart.

I have my career, he has his career,” Mourinho said, in comments published by several British newspapers on Sunday.

Ask him if he would change his career with mine. I would not change mine with his but it (winning the Premier League) was an unbelievable achievement.

FA Cup holders United and Premier League champions Leicester are due to meet in the Community Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season, later on Sunday.

Mourinho, 53, and Ranieri, 64, previously clashed during their time in Italy, when the former was in charge of Inter Milan and the latter coached Juventus and Roma.

Ranieri’s 5,000-1 triumph with Leicester last season gave him the first top-flight title of his career.

He has also won the Coppa Italia with Fiorentina and the Copa del Rey with Valencia.

Mourinho, sacked by Chelsea last season, has won eight league titles in four different countries and is a two-time Champions League winner.

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