Sports Groove

By Maxwell Kumoye        Matchday 29 of the Nigeria Premier Football League delivered plenty of goals and decisive results across several centres, with some traditional powerhouses asserting dominance while others suffered costly defeats in the race for points and survival. At the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, former champions Rangers International produced one of the standout performances of the round, thrashing Remo Stars 4–1. Rangers were clinical in attack and controlled proceedings for long spells, handing the visitors a heavy defeat that could affect their push near the top of the table. In Jos, Plateau United cruised to a comfortable 3–0 victory over Niger Tornadoes. Plateau United dominated from start to finish, converting their chances while keeping a disciplined defensive shape to secure all three points. There was also a significant result in Port Harcourt where Rivers United defeated Bendel Insurance 3–1 in an entertaining encounter.  ...

      Former Ghana Premier League coach, Ignatius Osei-Fosu has urged Andre Ayew to step aside from the Ghana national football team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the veteran forward may no longer be needed in the squad as the country looks to build for the future. Osei-Fosu made the remarks in response to comments by Ghana’s Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Adams, who recently said he would not be surprised if Ayew is included in the Black Stars squad for the tournament scheduled for June. But the former Ghana Premier League coach, who currently serves as assistant coach of the Sudan national team, believes the time has come for the 34-year-old to bow out of international football and allow younger players to take center stage. Speaking in an interview with Luv FM, Osei-Fosu questioned whether the experienced attacker still fits into the team’s current plans. “He might be a very, very good player,” he said. “But you ask yourself in this curr...

By Trust Ittai        The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon stepped up preparations with an intense second training session held behind closed doors on Saturday at the Military Stadium Yaoundé. All 30 players invited to camp were present as the team continued fine-tuning strategies under the watchful eyes of the technical crew.  The session, which lasted nearly two hours, saw players led by Jules Armand Kooh put through a series of demanding drills aimed at sharpening their overall performance. Saturday’s programme featured a mix of technical and tactical exercises, with particular emphasis on quick transitions and speed in build-up play. Small-sided scrimmages were also introduced to recreate real match scenarios, allowing the coaching staff to closely evaluate the players’ movement, decision-making and cohesion on the pitch. Head coach David Pagou used the session to assess the squad in detail as preparations continue to gather momentum. The exercises ...

By Maxwell Kumoye      Celebrations are set to continue in Edo State as Governor Monday Okpebholo prepares to host the victorious Team Edo following their historic success at the second edition of the Niger Delta Games. According to a correspondence from Government House in Benin City, the state’s athletes will be honoured at a grand reception scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, 2026, at the new Festival Hall inside Government House, starting from 12 noon.  The Edo contingent will attend the event alongside sports stakeholders and supporters who are expected to arrive at the venue an hour earlier. Team Edo stormed to overall victory at the regional multi-sport event, topping the medal table with an impressive haul of 52 gold, 34 silver and 25 bronze medals for a total of 111 medals.  The dominant performance saw the hosts finish ahead of traditional powerhouses Delta State and defending champions Bayelsa State in a keenly contested week-long competition...

Former world 100m champion Fred Kerley has been banned for two years for anti-doping whereabouts failures. A tribunal found Kerley was "negligent and, to a certain extent, reckless" in not adhering to anti-doping regulations, after the American recorded three whereabouts failures between 11 May and 6 December 2024. Kerley was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in August last year and missed September's World Championships in Tokyo. The 30-year-old's period of ineligibility will run until 11 August 2027 and his competitive results between 6 December 2024 and 12 August 2025 have been disqualified, including prize money, prizes and titles. Kerley has also been ordered to pay World Athletics £3,000 in legal fees and other expenses. The World Anti-Doping Code states an athlete cannot miss three anti-doping tests and/or filing failures within a 12-month period. The AIU said a Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal did not consider a fourth ...

Keely Hodgkinson will lead Great Britain's gold medal hopes at the World Athletics Indoor Championships when a strong squad travels to Poland later this month. Four weeks after breaking the long-standing women's indoor 800m world record, Olympic champion Hodgkinson is aiming to win the world indoor title on her first appearance at the event. The 24-year-old, a three-time world medallist outdoors, could also be considered for the 4x400m relay team after running a personal best 51.49 seconds over the shorter distance at the start of March. The World Athletics Indoor Championships take place from 20 to 22 March in Torun, Poland. Jeremiah Azu will seek to retain his men's 60m title, while world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt is joined by British record holder Dina Asher-Smith - competing at the world indoors for the first time since 2016 - in the women's 60m. Josh Kerr, the 2023 world champion and 2024 Olympic silver medallist over 1500m, will attempt to regain ...

A marathon training block is tough enough. Fasting while preparing to take on the world's best over 26.2 miles is harder still. Mahamed Mahamed is among a talented generation of British male distance runners closing in on Mohamed Farah's national record over the marathon distance. But, as he builds towards this year's London Marathon, the 28-year-old is currently finishing his sessions as late as 1am as he attempts to balance the demands of training at altitude with observing Ramadan. Mahamed, fourth on the UK all-time list, has ignored advice to postpone his fasting while training to improve his personal best of two hours seven minutes and five seconds. "Some people think I shouldn't [fast while training]," Mahamed told the Press Association. "Especially now, because I've got a competition coming up, they think I should focus on training for now and then maybe fast. "But I'm used to it. It became my routine. I am grateful for tha...

Three athletes who were led off course when leading the US half marathon championship will receive compensation after ultimately finishing well outside the top three. Organisers of the event in Atlanta said that police assigned to mark out the route had to respond to an emergency call, which led to confusion from the lead vehicle. Jess McClain, who was comfortably leading the women's race, was taken off the main course, along with her closest challengers Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley. The race was won by Molly Born, who had been more than a minute behind, while McClain finished ninth, with Hurley coming 12th and Kurgat in 13th. The Atlanta Track Club said on Tuesday it will award first-place prize money to McClain while Hurley and Kurgat will split the combined winnings for second and third place as they were shoulder-to-shoulder when they left the route. "We are responsible for the integrity of these championships," the club said in a statement. "We regre...

         With the World Cup this summer fast approaching, Europe’s biggest clubs are sensing an opportunity to push their brands in the US. Bundesliga giants, FC Bayern Munich, last weekend held their first-ever Texas Fest in Houston. The event blending fan culture with commercial muscle, and aligned with the launch of the Freekicks Soccer Program, spearheaded as part of the 2026 Houston Host Committee’s legacy programme. The initiative aims to renovate/build 23 local pitches and provide more than 1,200 youth scholarships across the Houston area. Almost 1,000 supporters came out for the community-driven Bayern event, which centered around a live broadcast watch party of last week’s Klassiker versus Dortmund. European clubs recognise what 2026 represents, and the branding battle is already underway. Texas Fest was built around an immersive fan experience, providing coaching sessions run by Bayern academy staff, an EA FC gaming lounge, and sponsor-bran...