Sports
Troost-Ekong named AFCON Player of the Tournament
William Troost-Ekong has been named the best player of the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Super Eagles captain scored a powerful header in the final as Nigeria lost 2-1 to Cote d’Ivoire.
Troost-Ekong is the highest-scoring defender in the competition, scoring three goals as Nigeria made the AFCON final for the first time since 2013.
He was the backbone of a stingy Nigerian defence that conceded just one goal from open play en route to the final.
🌟 William Ekong 🌟
— CAF (@CAF_Online) February 11, 2024
Ladies & gentlemen, we present you the TotalEnergies 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! 🇳🇬
Incredible run with his nation concludes with the silver medal! 🥈 #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/c6qyxP6Em1
South Africa’s Ronwen Williams was adjudged the best goalkeeper in the tournament. The Mamelodi Sundown shot-stopper saved four penalties in a quarter-final against Cape Verde.
Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue finished as the competition’s top goal scorer with five strikes despite crashing out in the second round.
Gelson Dala of Angola and Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed won the silver and bronze boots, respectively.
The 22-year-old Simon Adingra was also named best young player of the tournament. He provided two assists in the final match.
Emerse Faé, the interim coach of Cote d’Ivoire, was also named the best coach in the tournament.
Sports
AFCON qualifiers: CAF awards 3-0 win to Nigeria, fines Libya $50k over airport incident
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded Nigeria a win and the full three points in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier with Libya that was postponed this month.
The African football governing body announced the verdict in a statement on Saturday.
The Super Eagles and Libya were originally scheduled to clash at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Benghazi on October 15, in matchday four of the AFCON qualification series.
Sports
FIFA rankings: Eagles climb three spots globally, now fourth in Africa
The Super Eagles of Nigeria moved three spots upward in the latest FIFA men’s rankings released on Thursday.
The October rankings released by the world football governing body saw Nigeria gain 5.27 points and move from 39th to 36th worldwide.
The Super Eagles also moved two spots in the continental ranking, with the managerless national team now fourth-best in Africa.
The rankings followed a 1-0 win over Libya in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying game this month.
Argentina, however, remains the first-ranked nation globally, while the top six have not changed. Morocco is the highest-ranked nation in Africa. Comoros were the biggest climbers, gaining 10 places, while Tunisia suffered the worst drop globally, losing 11 places.
Also, Botswana gained the most points, while Cape Verde dropped the most points by a country in the latest rankings.
In the women’s ranking, the Super Falcons remain in the 36th spot globally, and first in Africa.
The next FIFA rankings will be released on November 28, 2024.
Sports
Onakoya unveils chess innovation hub in Lagos to nurture young talent
Tunde Onakoya has launched the first chess innovation hub in Lagos to nurture young talent in Nigeria.
Onakoya, who is the founder of Chess In Slums, recently took to Instagram to share footage from the unveiling ceremony.
The chess master expressed excitement about the hub’s potential, adding that it will empower underprivileged children through innovative education.
Onakoya said the hub would provide young talent free access to tech-related programmes (coding, robotics, AI/machine learning), design, advanced chess training, and a book reading club.
“I have always believed that every child, no matter their background, deserves the opportunity to develop their full potential. This hub will be a sanctuary where dreams are nurtured and where we’ll inspire children to have faith in their own ideas,” he wrote.
“As promised, the hub will be free and accessible to children in Makoko, as well as homeless children in Yaba, Ebutte Metta, and Surulere axis. We will focus on creating programs that teach Coding, Robotics, AI/Machine Learning, design, advanced chess training and a book reading club.
“This is where we reimagine education for children who may have fallen through the cracks of society and help them unleash the power of their minds in creative ways.”
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