Sports Groove

...Unity Cup, designed to create real opportunities for Edo youth – Senator Imasuen By Maxwell Kumoye      Day Two of the Benin Unity Cup served up everything from heart-stopping drama to anticlimax, as fans at the Crescent Sports Club watched one match explode into late excitement while the other ended without a ball being kicked. Ikpoba-Okha Local Government were the headline act on Friday, snatching a 90th-minute equaliser to deny high-scoring Egor LG a consecutive victory in what was easily the most gripping contest of the tournament so far. After a cagey first half where both sides cancelled each other out, Egor—who smashed Uhunmwode 5–1 on match day one—hit stride early in the second period. In the 48th minute, Towo Eventus finished off a slick move to put Egor ahead, with the favourites looking firmly in control. But Ikpoba-Okha refused to go quietly. With spectators already preparing for full time and Egor seemingly cruising, Emeka Nwaneda produced the...

By Maxwell Kumoye      Rivers United fell to a gut-wrenching defeat on Sunday night, conceding twice in stoppage time as Moroccan giants RS Berkane snatched a dramatic 2–1 comeback win at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, a result that once again underlines Nigeria’s alarming struggles on the continental stage. For 90 minutes, the Pride of Rivers looked set to deliver the kind of statement victory Nigerian clubs so desperately need. Instead, what unfolded in added time was a collapse symbolic of a recurring Nigerian nightmare in African football: promise, pressure… then heartbreak. Berkane, champions of Morocco and serial winners on the continent, started brightly. Camara and Khairi probed from deep, firing warning shots from a distance.  Rivers United responded with grit, and moments of daring, Bello Martins’ 30-yard free-kick barely drifting wide, and Nnaji’s wicked corner forcing goalkeeper Munir into a frantic punch. The breakthrough ...

By Maxwell Kumoye        In a thunderous statement that reshapes Nigeria’s sporting future, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has unveiled Bayelsa and Kaduna as the next powerhouses to host the 2028 and 2030 National Sports Festivals and the excitement is already electric. For the first time in history, the festival will storm the creeks of Bayelsa in 2028, taking the nation’s biggest multi-sport event to the heart of the Niger Delta. Then in 2030, the festival returns to familiar territory, Kaduna, the Crocodile State, marking its third time after memorable editions in 1977 and 2009. The announcement didn’t just land; it sent a message. Director General of the NSC, Honourable Bukola Olopade, declared that both states have shown “unmistakable readiness” to host, signalling a new era where states are now jostling, not hesitating, to stage the games. Olopade didn’t mince words as he contrasted this new energy with the past. “This is a departure from the ...

     Rivers United will not be walking alone today (Friday) as the group stage of the CAF Champions League enters Day 2.  With their CAF Champions League hopes on the line, the Pride of Rivers are set for a fierce Group Stage clash against Moroccan giants RS Berkane at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium and the Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club (ANFASSC) has ensured the stadium will roar in their favour. In a massive show of solidarity, hundreds of ANFASSC members swept into Akwa Ibom in a colourful, thunderous convoy, turning Uyo into a rallying point for Nigerian club football. Drums, trumpets, flags and unflinching belief, all deployed to power Rivers United’s continental charge. ANFASSC National President, Prince Abayomi Ogunjimi, saluted Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Chris Green, for what he called “exceptional coordination and support” in the club’s quest to revive their Champions League run after a tough o...

By Maxwell Kumoye    The Edo Cricket League is heading into its final round with the title race boiling over, and two giants, Invictus Cricket Club and No Limit Cricket Club — locked neck-and-neck at the top with 10 points each. With just a single weekend left to fight, the margins are razor-thin and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Since the league launched on November 8, 2025, the battle has been fierce. Now, three teams remain in the hunt for the crown: Invictus CC, No Limit CC and the stealth contenders UNIBEN CC, who sit just behind with 8 points. But all eyes remain on Invictus, who enter the final stretch as the team most likely to snatch the title. The decisive weekend kicks off on Saturday, November 29, with UNIBEN CC tackling Integrity Force CC at 10:30 AM. Later in the day, Invictus CC faces Delta Force CC in a high-stakes showdown at 2:00 PM, a match that could either cement their dominance or open the door for drama. Sunday will provide pure cricket thea...

By Maxwell Kumoye         As the countdown to the Africa Cup of Nations begins, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rolled out a hard-hitting anti-doping plan aimed at keeping the continent’s biggest tournament clean, fair, and uncompromised. With AFCON kicking off December 21 across six Moroccan cities, CAF has declared zero tolerance for performance-enhancing drugs and the message is unmistakable. Under the new regime, every single match will see two players from each team tested, either randomly or hand-picked by CAF’s anti-doping officers. The moment the final whistle goes, selected players must report directly to the testing room, shadowed by CAF chaperones and accompanied by team officials, preferably the team doctor. And the checks won’t stop at the stadium. CAF confirmed players may be tested anytime, anywhere during the tournament, whether at hotels, training grounds, or airports, as part of an expanded effort to eliminate doping...

...Consummate sports administrator Mrs. Chikere named in the LOC headed Lekan Alabi ...The committee was assembled to deliver a befitting, world-class event – NSC DG Olopade  By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye in Lagos     Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 Africa School Games kicked into top gear on Thursday as the National Sports Commission (NSC) unveiled a star-studded 21-man Local Organizing Committee (LOC). Among the headline appointments is one of Edo State’s most respected sports technocrats, Mrs. Sabina Chikere, Executive Director of Sports Development at the Edo State Sports Commission. The Games, billed for Abuja, promise to be Africa’s biggest youth sports gathering, and the NSC is leaving nothing to chance. Director General of the Commission, Honourable Bukola Olopade, said the committee was assembled to deliver a “befitting, world-class event” that will surpass the last edition in Algeria. “Our athletes delivered spectacular podium performances...

  By Maxwell Kumoye      The Edo Cricket League is heading into its final round with the title race boiling over, and two giants, Invictus Cricket Club and No Limit Cricket Club — locked neck-and-neck at the top with 10 points each. With just a single weekend left to fight, the margins are razor-thin and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Since the league launched on November 8, 2025, the battle has been fierce. Now, three teams remain in the hunt for the crown: Invictus CC, No Limit CC and the stealth contenders UNIBEN CC, who sit just behind with 8 points. But all eyes remain on Invictus, who enter the final stretch as the team most likely to snatch the title. The decisive weekend kicks off on Saturday, November 29, with UNIBEN CC tackling Integrity Force CC at 10:30 AM. Later in the day, Invictus CC faces Delta Force CC in a high-stakes showdown at 2:00 PM, a match that could either cement their dominance or open the door for drama. Sunday will provide pur...

…Promises big support for national teams By Maxwell Kumoye    Nigeria’s dominance of global Scrabble has once again been stamped in bold ink and one of the sport’s biggest admirers, Charles Oshanugor, is leading the applause. Oshanugor, a respected Match Commissioner with the Nigeria Soccer Federation USA (NSF-USA), hailed Team Nigeria’s historic performance at the 2025 World English Scrabble Players Association Championship (WESPAC) in Accra, where the Green Locusts outclassed 26 nations, including long-time giants, the United States. Team Nigeria didn’t just win. They raided Accra. With 350 wins, a massive +8975 spread, and a dominant 54.7% win rate, the team stormed to the Best Country Crown, leaving hosts Ghana and perennial rivals Kenya trailing far behind in what has been described as the best-organized WESPAC in history. “For Nigeria to wrestle the crown from the USA and the rest of the world is simply monumental,” Oshanugor said, his voice bursting with pri...

By Trust Ittai        Morocco’s women’s futsal team punched their ticket to the World Cup quarter-finals with a gritty, nerve-wracking 1–0 victory over Poland in Pasig City — a match where everything was on the line and nothing was guaranteed. Fresh off their crucial 3–2 win over hosts Philippines, the Atlas Lionesses entered the clash knowing the equation was brutally simple: win and advance, draw or lose and go home. Poland set up in a defensive shell from the opening whistle, parking bodies behind the ball and looking to strike only when Morocco slipped.  When Jasmine Demraoui thought she had given Morocco the perfect start in the 4th minute, VAR crushed the celebrations, spotting a handball in the build-up and wiping the goal off. The warning shot came from Poland in the 16th minute when Izabella Tracz rattled the crossbar with a thunderous effort, but the first half closed goalless despite Morocco’s superior attacking waves. The breakthrough fin...

By Maxwell Kumoye        The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the full roster of 73 referees, assistant referees and VAR officials for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and Nigeria, Africa’s supposed football giant, did not make the cut. Not one referee. Not one assistant. Not one VAR official. Zero. For a country that boasts one of the continent’s biggest leagues, richest football history, and a national team tipped among the favourites for the AFCON title, the omission is more than an embarrassment — it's a brutal reminder of a broken refereeing system that has refused to evolve. While smaller football nations like Eswatini, Niger, Djibouti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Benin, and even Sao Tome & Principe proudly earned representation, Nigeria, the self-proclaimed “giant of Africa”, sat outside the door, uninvited. This is not a curse. We are the cause. For years, the NPFL has battled credibility crises: • Inconsistent officiating • ...

...Anas Yusuf fires, Mangut rules By Maxwell Kumoye      Nasarawa United didn’t just win at the weekend—they owned Match-day 14 of the Nigeria Premier Football League honours. Rampaging forward Anas Yusuf headlined the NPFL Team of the Week after tearing El-Kanemi Warriors apart with a ruthless brace in United’s 3-0 beatdown in Lafia.  The in-form striker pushed his tally to six goals this season, while youngster Garba Mohammed added the third with an ice-cold finish from a tight angle. At the back, centre-half Utake Emmanuel made the cut with a dominant, brick-wall performance that left El-Kanemi attackers running out of ideas and into dead ends. His leadership at the rear was as fierce as it was flawless. Ageless Rabiu Ali of Kano Pillars, anchors the midfield that include Victor Adeoye and Kenechukwu Agu.  Uche Collins, Ubong Williams, Insurance of Benin's Joshua Baba, Lekan Gabriel also made the cut along with Remo Stars' Victor Mbaoma and Justic...

By Maxwell Kumoye      Egyptian football star Ramadan Sobhi’s career has plunged into its darkest chapter yet, as the Pyramids FC winger prepares an emergency appeal to the Swiss Federal Court after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) slammed him with a four-year doping ban. Sobhi’s lawyer confirmed on Thursday that the defence team is “preparing an appeal” and “has new grounds” to challenge the CAS ruling that overturned an earlier decision clearing the 28-year-old. The winger was first provisionally suspended in May 2024 after “atypical findings” were detected by a Barcelona lab. But the Egyptian Doping Organization (EGY-NADO) later absolved him, citing insufficient proof of violations related to banned substances or tampering. WADA refused to let the case die. The global anti-doping body escalated the matter to CAS — and won. The verdict has now sidelined Sobhi until 2028, a hammer blow for a player once hailed as Egypt’s next great football ambassador...

...Hail exceptional Team Nigeria Scrabble feat in the World  By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye who was at the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0 in Lagos      When the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0 wrapped up on Monday at Villa Angelia Hotel — hall packed, administrators on their feet — one man towered over the rest — Honourable, Bukola Olopade, Director-General of National Sports Commission (NSC), his words echoed like a rallying cry. With steely confidence and unshakeable resolve, Olopade declared that Nigerian sports is finally on the right track and heading toward greatness. Under the leadership of NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko and guided by the mandate from President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he said, they are “rewriting the face of Nigerian sports,” aiming to set a standard across Africa. “Well it's the first edition of the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0, I believe there were a lot of takeaways for all stakeholders present, I'm particularly glad that this event gave Mallam Shehu D...

      Liverpool manager Arne Slot must find a way to arrest the team's slide even as the pressure mounts on him, former skipper Steven Gerrard said after the Merseyside club were thrashed 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday. The humbling defeat was Liverpool's ninth in their last 12 games in all competitions, their worst 12-game stretch since the 1953-54 season and the third successive game in which they have lost by three goals. Slot helped Liverpool win the Premier League in his first season in charge and while they now languish in 12th, and 13th in the Champions League, Gerrard dismissed talk of a crisis. "Crisis is a strong word, and disrespectful to some of the players that have delivered for this club, and for the manager that's delivered three months ago," Gerrard, who made 710 appearances for Liverpool, told TNT Sports. "But you cannot deny the team is struggling massively, they're on a terrible run, confidence is...

By Maxwell Kumoye    Nigeria’s sports economy just smashed through a major milestone and Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), says the best is still ahead. Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Monday, Dikko announced that the sports sector is now contributing “almost more than one percent” to Nigeria’s GDP, a figure that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. The revelation came after the NSC conducted a deep-dive analysis of newly collected economic data for Q4 2025, the first time the country has ever had structured, verifiable figures measuring the financial weight of sports. It's noteworthy to state that this claim by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko has not been verified by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics. “THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS DATA AND WE’VE FIXED IT” In a blunt assessment, Dikko said Nigeria’s biggest obstacle to unlocking the sports economy has been the absence of reliable data. “...

    Former Ghana national team coach Chris Hughton has declared Mohammed Kudus the signing of the summer, insisting Tottenham Hotspur struck gold when they snapped up the Ghanaian star in a £55 million deal that is already looking like a bargain. Spurs brought in seven new faces during the window, but none have hit the ground running like Kudus, who has not only settled instantly in North London but has muscled his way into WhoScored’s Team of the Season so far. Hughton, speaking to Flashscore, couldn’t hide his admiration for the move—both on the pitch and in the boardroom. “I think it was an excellent signing. The deal made a lot of sense financially. Tottenham needed a player of his profile. It’s a big stadium, a big stage, and he’s started his Tottenham career very well. He fits seamlessly into a system that favours crosses into the box.” Kudus arrived after a mixed spell at West Ham, where an explosive start fizzled into inconsistency. But under Thomas Frank a...

...Rescue Nigerian football now, he urges NSC  By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye and Maxwell Kumoye      Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board member and current Rivers State Sports Commissioner, Barrister Chris Green, has delivered a scathing verdict on the state of Nigerian football development. Green says the country’s talent pipeline is collapsing due to poor supervision of the domestic game. Green, known for calling issues by their names, said national team coaches are “struggling to find genuine top-level talent” in the Nigeria Premier Football League because the league and its feeder system are adrift and unregulated. According to him, the problem begins at the roots, football academies scattered across Nigeria operate without proper monitoring, licensing, or technical oversight, leaving coaches to sift through raw, unpolished, and often improperly trained players. Green fumed. “Until the NFF steps up and properly regulates and supervis...

By Maxwell Kumoye     The race to AFCON 2025 just got hotter and trickier, as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially approved an expanded 28-man squad list, a major shift from the traditional 23. The decision, announced on Tuesday, gives national teams more depth and tactical security for the expanded tournament. But there’s a catch. CAF will fully bankroll travel, accommodation, and logistics for only 23 players, leaving national football federations to decide whether the extra five slots are worth the added cost. For nations battling financial constraints, it’s now a strategic choice: pay more for squad flexibility or stick to the basics. Teams will also be allowed 17 backroom staff members, covering technical, medical, and administrative roles, a move expected to streamline operations and ensure peak performance standards. With coaches eager for competition-ready squads and federations weighing the financial implications, AFCON 2025 is a...

The first edition of the Renewed Hope Ikeja Federal Constituency Basketball Championship tipped off Monday, at the basketball court of Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, featuring 18 teams drawn from the eighteen political wards of the Ikeja Federal Constituency. The basketball tournament which is sponsored by the Olawale Fadare, the Personal Assistant on General Duties to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and ably supported by a group of young professionals under the aegis of Young Professionals For Tinubu (YP4T), is aimed at gainfully engaging and empowering the youths in the Ikeja Federal Constituency, through sports particularly, at this auspicious moments of the nation’s life. Hon. Francis Nkwo, Leader of the House Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area ( LCDA), while addressing players and officials during the official representation of jerseys to all the participating teams, admonished them to imbibe the spirit of play fairplay and be disciplined during and after the championsh...

By Maxwell Kumoye with additional report by MJO    Ghana’s sports revolution gained fresh momentum on Tuesday as legendary Black Stars icon Abedi Ayew “Pele” was unveiled as a member of a newly constituted Ministerial Advisory Board, a high-powered think tank set to shape the future of sports and recreation across the nation. The nine-member board, inaugurated by Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams, signals Ghana’s most ambitious push yet to overhaul its sports sector, deepen accountability, and unlock the full potential of its youth and athletes. The board blends government technocrats, private-sector innovators and civil society voices, featuring: • Honourable Kofi Iddie Adams (MP) – Minister/Chairman • Mrs. Wilhelmina Asamoah – Chief Director, Sports Ministry • Ambassador Alexander Grant Ntrakwa – Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Mr. Stephen Kwaku Owusu – Ministry of Education • Ms. Amerley Nuno-Amarteifio – Ministry of Finance • Mr. Tsonam Cleanse Akpeloo – ...

By Maxwell Kumoye      World football received a seismic financial jolt on Monday as FIFA and the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) unveiled a $1 billion stadium-financing scheme aimed at transforming football infrastructure across developing countries. In a joint statement, both parties announced that the subsidized loans will be made available to member associations specifically to build or upgrade stadiums, a move FIFA says will reshape football’s footprint in regions that have long struggled with inadequate facilities. FIFA president Gianni Infantino hailed the deal as a “crucial step” in truly globalizing the sport. “Developing and building infrastructure is extremely, extremely important… This partnership makes it possible,” Infantino said at the unveiling ceremony in Zurich, before extending special thanks to the SFD team for backing the ambitious project. SFD CEO Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad framed the initiative as an investment in people as much ...

...Opens doors for fresh talent and new ideas  By Maxwell Kumoye    The world governing body for English-language Scrabble has hit the reset button.  In a bold move signaling a fresh chapter for the mind sport, the newly constituted WESPA Executive Committee has dissolved all existing subcommittees, clearing the decks for what it calls “a new era” of governance, structure, and global collaboration. In a statement signed by WESPA Secretary Chris Lipe, the federation thanked outgoing committee members for years of service before throwing the doors wide open for new blood. The message to the global Scrabble community is loud and clear, WESPA wants credible, committed, and capable individuals to help shape the future of the game. And the portfolios now up for grabs are some of the most influential in the sport. MAJOR SUBCOMMITTEES UP FOR RENEWAL From managing the global tournament calendar to shaping the ethical backbone of competitive play, WESPA has announc...

...Super Eagles star hits ninth goal ahead of looming AFCON list  By Maxwell Kumoye    Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu has picked the perfect moment to turn red-hot. The towering forward was on target once again on Monday, firing home in Trabzonspor’s wild 4–3 victory over ten-man Başakşehir in the Turkish Super Lig. Onuachu’s latest strike, his ninth of the season, keeps him joint-top of the league’s scorers’ chart alongside Eldor Shomurodov and, more importantly, tightens the spotlight on Nigeria’s camp as the AFCON roster is set to be made public at any moment. With the clock ticking toward Nigeria’s squad announcement for Morocco 2025, Onuachu has timed his form with sniper precision.  His consistency, movement, and clinical finishing are strengthening his case as one of the Super Eagles’ in-form weapons, at a time when every goal counts in the battle for a spot in the final 23. While fans debate names, surprises, and possible omissions, Onuachu is ...

By Trust Ittai   The Football Kenya Federation has moved into full damage-control mode after Harambee Stars’ humiliating 8–0 defeat to Senegal, summoning head coach Benni McCarthy and his entire technical bench for an emergency review session earlier today. In a no-nonsense meeting, FKF officials pored over recent performances, dissecting worrying trends and highlighting glaring weaknesses that can no longer be ignored.  According to insiders, the discussions were “frank, intense, and long overdue,” with clear demands for urgent improvement. McCarthy and his staff were tasked with presenting concrete corrective measures as the country reels from one of the darkest scorelines in its football history, a result that has ignited public outrage and amplified calls for immediate action. With Kenya’s football reputation on the line, FKF insists the team’s direction must change, and fast. The message from the federation was unmistakable: Another collapse like Senegal, and ...

...NSC DG rallies journalists to join the push for a new sporting era By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye, who was at the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0          The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Chief Bukola Olopade, on Monday delivered a powerful charge to Nigerian sports journalists, describing the media as the “lifeblood and backbone” of sports development in the country. Addressing a hall packed with powerbrokers at the Big Sports Dialogue 1.0 in Ikoyi, Lagos, Olopade left no room for doubt: Nigerian sports cannot rise without the full weight of the press behind it. In a stirring message, he warned federations and associations against sidelining the media, insisting such neglect is a direct threat to their survival. “The media are the unsung heroes — the silent gears that keep every federation running. Any association that ignores the press is signing its own stagnation,” he declared to rousing nods. Olopade...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye and Maxwell Kumoye in Lagos  Nigeria’s sports community gathered in Lagos on Monday and delivered one message with thunderous clarity, If Nigeria wants to compete with the world, it must get its sports right and get it right now. At the Villa Dome in Ikoyi, the maiden Big Sports Dialogue 0.1 united the country’s top sports thinkers, policy makers, administrators, marketers, private sector leaders and media heavyweights.  For hours, they dissected the rot, the mistakes, the missed chances and then set their sights on a bold rebuild. It was not a ceremony. It was a wake-up call that was audible for even the deaf to hear. “SPEAK TRUTH TO THE POWER AND LEARN WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT” Organizing Committee Chairman Osaze Ebueku set the tone early. “This dialogue became necessary to speak truth to power. Nigerian sports have strayed too far. Today begins the journey back.” Convener Aron Akeredola echoed the same urgency, insisting the meeti...

...Urges more youths to embrace the gentleman's game By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye             The Executive Director of Sports Development and Operations, Edo State Sports Commission, (ESSC), Mrs. Sabina Ekhaisomi Chikere, has described the Edo Men's Cricket League as the wheels of the chariot that accelerate youth development. Mrs. Chikere made this submission on Tuesday in a chat with FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG's Senior Correspondent and head of operation, Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye. The soft spoken sports administrator stated that the League will help unearth the abundant talent spread across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state. “The Cricket League is a multi purpose vehicle for sports and economic development, while it offers the young talents the opportunity to grow, it also provides a source of income to the coaches and support team of the participating clubs,” Mrs. Sabina Chikere said. She went on to state that Cr...