The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has named Quadri Aruna, Offiong Edem, Olajide Omotayo and Fatimo Bello as Nigeria’s flagbearers at the 2024 ITTF African Cup and Olympics Qualification Tournament taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 12 to 18.

According to the prospectus of the tournament, each country is expected to present two men and two women for the African Cup while Egypt as the defending champions in men and women will present three players each. Rwanda will present four men and four women as the host country.

In the list of participants released by the continental table tennis ruling body, African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Omar Assar of Egypt as the men’s singles defending champion will be joined by her compatriot – Hana Goda who will also be defending her title in the women’s singles.

Aruna as finalists at the 2022 edition held in Lagos, Nigeria, suffered an injury in the final to forfeit the match to Assar after coming back from the brink of defeat to level up. He led in the seventh game, but a thigh injury forced him to surrender the title to the Egyptian in front of the supporting Lagos fans.


The Nigerian who had dropped in the ITTF ranking to 19th place is hoping to use the tournament to climb his way back to the top of the world rating will again be facing a Herculean task against the Egyptian trio of Assar, Mohamed El-Beiali and Youssef Abdel-Aziz.

Omotayo who is yet to show why he was crowned the 2019 African Games champion will be looking forward to another showdown against some of the finest African stars in Kigali.

Edem who spearheaded Nigeria’s silver medal at the 13th African Games will be looking forward to a repeat of her Accra’s superlative performance in Kigali.

Bello, a finalist at the 2022 edition must have put her below-par performance in Ghana behind her with the hope of reenacting her 2022 form in Rwanda.

At the Olympics Qualification Tournament, Aruna will be eyeing her fourth Olympic Games appearance when the event kicks off on May 16 at the BK Arena in Kigali as Egypt will not be competing as they had already picked their tickets at the 2023 African Championships in Tunisia.

The President of the Confederation of African Football Patrice Motsepe has declared the 2023 African Cup of Nations remained the most profitable.

The football supremo made the declaration while speaking with France 24 and further stated that they are still targeting more improvement.

For the first time in the history of the competition, more viewers were generated to the tune of over 2 billions.

“The AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire has been the most profitable ever. We’ve made over USD 80 million. That’s the profit.

If we look at previous editions, we made around USD 4 million. So we’ve jumped to USD $80″, he said.

Morocco will stage the next edition of the competition and more profit is expected.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has released the fixtures for the President Federation Cup Round of 32 matches.

The NFF confirmed the fixtures for the games via a letter sent to all the qualified teams and state FA secretaries.

The dates and venues of the games are yet to be announced by the organizers.

The standout fixture will be between Nigeria Premier Football League side Lobi Stars and Gbenga Ogunbote’s Shooting Stars as well as Doma United versus Kano Pillars respectively.

Holders Bendel Insurance will lock horns with Wikki Tourists.

Plateau United and Sunshine Stars will be at each other’s jugular, while ambitious FC One Rocket will take their chances against two-time African champions Enyimba FC.

Super Eagles forward Cyriel Dessers has been nominated for Rangers’ Player of the Month for April.

The 29-year-old ended the month strongly with three goals and an assist for the Gers.

Having returned from the international break in late March, where he scored in Nigeria’s 2-1 win against West African rivals Ghana, Dessers carried his excellent form into the Scottish Premier League.

The 27-year-old kicked off April in impressive fashion when he provided an assist in Rangers’ hard-fought 3-3 draw with rivals Celtic – a result which ensured Philippe Clement’s side remained in the title race.

He was, however, unable to repeat his heroics in the club’s next two matches, drawing blanks against Ross County and Dundee United, as Rangers suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the former while settling for a draw against the latter.

The final two weeks of the month, however, saw Dessers return to form to help Rangers fight on two fronts. The former Cremonese forward netted a sensational double on April 21 when the Gers beat Hearts 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup to book their place in the final.

A week later, on April 28, Dessers was once again on the score sheet, this time scoring a late winner as Rangers recorded an important 2-1 victory over St. Mirren in the league to keep their title hopes alive.

For his impressive displays in the month, Dessers has been shortlisted for Rangers’ Player of the Month award, alongside four of his teammates. The Nigerian is in contention against goalkeeper Jack Butland, midfielder Mohamed Diomande, Rangers captain James Tavernier and midfielder Todd Cantwell.

Jack Butland – The goalkeeper scooped the Men’s Player of the Year and Rangers Players’ Player of the Year at the club’s annual awards ceremony on Sunday evening.

Backed up further by a PFA Scotland Men’s Player of the Year nomination, the 31-year-old produced another stellar month of heroics between the posts, neatly underlined by a terrific stop to deny James Bolton of St. Mirren from close range last weekend.

Cyriel Dessers – The Nigerian ended the month of April with three goals in his last two games, nodding home the winner in Paisley on Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, the highlight of the forward’s month arrived at the national stadium when his brace powered Philippe Clement’s side to a 2-0 victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Mohamed Diomande – The 22-year-old was absent for the clashes against Ross County and Dundee in April, with his return to the side being keenly felt in recent victories over Hearts and St. Mirren.

The midfielder continues to grow from strength to strength in the engine room for the Light Blues, with his blend of strength and guile bewitching opposing midfielders.

James Tavernier – It’s been another productive month for the Gers captain as he popped up with several important goal contributions.

Indeed, it was his spot-kick which led Rangers’ fightback in the 3-3 Old Firm draw, while the 32-year-old also grabbed a goal against Ross County and an assist in the away win over St. Mirren.

Todd Cantwell – The midfielder produced an impressive display at Hampden to lift the Light Blues into the Scottish Cup final.

Teeing up Cyriel Dessers’ opener at the national stadium, the 26-year-old was a consistent performer across the month of April.

Meanwhile, Dessers is currently enjoying one of his most prolific campaigns as a striker, having contributed 20 goals and eight assists in all competitions this term. His goals have helped Rangers keep in touch with Celtic in the title race and also qualify for the final of the Scottish Cup, where yet another Old Firm derby awaits on May 25.

Despite his impressive numbers, Dessers missed out on Rangers’ end-of-season awards which were held last Sunday. The Nigeria international was beaten to the men’s top goalscorer award by Tavenier, who has 24 goals this season.

Rabbi Matondo’s strike against Celtic was also voted as the goal of the season.

Dessers, however, looks set to continue as the club’s first-choice striker beyond the current season after delivering the goods in his debut campaign in the Scottish topflight. The Nigerian could also end the season with two trophies, with Rangers currently just three points behind Celtic and also in the final of the Scottish Cup.

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has revealed why it deducted two points from Enyimba football club of Aba.

Finidi George tutored side suffered points deduction due to an incident in their NPFL game against Doma United at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba on March 10, 2024.

During the said game, Enyimba and their visitors played a goalless draw in the first half until the 88th minute. In the 89th minute, Victor Mbaoma scored the match-winner, to the excitement of the home fans.

Before he scored the match-winner, the assistant referee had raised his flag for offside. After the referee consulted the assistant referee, who raised his flag for offside, he agreed that the goal was scored in an offside position.

However, there was unrest because the referee used unconventional methods to review the goal. He allegedly called a broadcast van stationed outside the stadium for the review. Hence, the goal stood as Enyimba recorded a 1-0 win over Doma United, a decision seen as a way to calm the tension at the stadium.

Since then, the outcome of the game has been before the NFF disciplinary committee, which has ruled that the game was disrupted at 0-0 and that the goal was offside. Hence, the match is recorded as a 0-0 draw for the two clubs.

Enyimba will now have 53 points in 32 games instead of 55. They are on the same points as third-placed Remo Stars, who have a game in hand. In the meantime, Enyimba will remain second because they currently have a superior goal difference.

Note that the Aba Elephants are expected to appeal this decision before the end of this season.

Nigeria Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie has expressed excitement to be crowned the Best Goalkeeper in the French D1 Arkema League.

The competition for this award was fierce, with top goalkeepers from prominent clubs like PSG, Lyon, Le Havre, and Fleury vying for the top spot. However, Nnadozie’s outstanding skills and hard work set her apart from the rest.

She saw off competition from experienced goalkeepers like Constance Picaud (PSG), Christiane Endler (Lyon), Laetitia Phiippe (Le Havre), and Manon Hail (Fleury).

She said: “A big thanks to everyone who voted for me and also a special appreciation to my coaches and teammates for all the support and encouragement, to amazing family and Nigeria fans, you all are too much.”

Nnadozie has consistently demonstrated her exceptional goalkeeping abilities for Paris FC, making crucial saves and leading her team to several victories throughout the season.

The board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint Finidi George as the 27th Head Coach of the Super Eagles.

George, who spent 20 months as assistant to coach José Santos Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post following the accomplishment of the Africa Cup of Nations runner-up position at Cote d’Ivoire 2023, took charge of the squad in an interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.


His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in the USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, who made a scoring debut for the fatherland in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on 27th July 1991, also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe.

He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.

George had scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.

The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has shed light on the fate of the 15th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) slated for Morocco in 2024 amidst uncertainties looming over this year’s event.

Mr. Luxolo September, Head of Television and Broadcasting (Commercial) at CAF, unveiled this development during a recent appearance on a South African cable television show, ‘Soccer Africa’ as per Blueprint.

In his statement, Mr. September indicated that despite the tumultuous football landscape in 2024, the WAFCON 2024 in Morocco remains on course.

He emphasized that while football schedules worldwide have been cramped, CAF is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the tournament holds this year.

Mr. September pointed out the clash between the originally earmarked January slot for WAFCON, which was eventually dominated by the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast. The tournament will also not be held in the upcoming FIFA window in July/August as that coincides with the Paris Olympics.

However, Mr. September exudes optimism, revealing the behind-the-scenes efforts to salvage the situation.

He disclosed ongoing discussions between CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe and European club authorities to secure the release of African players for the WAFCON when a date is scheduled.

South Africa is the current holder of the WAFCON title after beating hosts Morocco in the 2022 final to claim the country’s maiden honor.

Nigeria, however, remains the most successful national team on the continent, with the Super Falcons boasting nine WAFCON titles.


After edging the Banyana Banyana to the qualifying ticket for the Paris Olympic Games, the Super Falcons will be confident of wrestling the continental crown from the grips of the South Africans at WAFCON 2024.

Former Super Falcons legend, Desire Oparanozie has called out the President of Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau for failing to visit injured Super Falcons players.

It would be recall that the NFF supremo visited some players of the Super Eagles who are recuperating from injuries in their club sides.

Gusau had visited William Ekong in Thessaloniki, Greece, Moses Simon in Nantes, France and Zaidu Sanusi in Porto, Portugal.

According to Oparanozie, the duo of Oluwatosin Demehin and Ashleigh Plumptre, who are nursing injuries deserve to be visited and encouraged by the NFF President.

She said: “It will be more nice if this is extended to the women too. Oluwatosin Demehin is currently injured and is in the same country as Simon. AshleighPlumptre is injured too.”

The Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, has announced dates for the backlog of fixtures involving Rivers United.

The NPFL also announced that the league would embark on a temporary break to allow the one-time NPFL champions to complete all their outstanding fixtures.

The league will be paused after this weekend’s matchday 32 games.

It will resume with matchday 33 games on the weekend of May 25-26.

The rearranged fixtures involving Rivers United, according to the NPFL, have been made to ease the logistics of travel as game dates have been fixed based on the regional proximity of venues.

Rivers United currently have five outstanding matches due to their continental engagement. The Port Harcourt based side were eliminated from the CAF Confederation following a 2-1 aggregate defeat against USM Algiers in the quarter.finals.

Thus, Rivers United’s away fixtures of matchday 21, 23 and 27 against Remo Stars, Kwara United and Sunshine Stars respectively will be played on May 5, May 8 and May 11.

Stanley Eguma’s side would then proceed to Umuahia for their matchday 29 game with Abia Warriors and rounding off with a home fixture against Niger Tornadoes which is a matchday 22 tie.

Should they win all their outstanding five matches, they will dethrone Rangers on the apex of the log.

Kwara United has appealed the fine imposed on the club by the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL.

The Harmony Boys were fined N6 million for the disruption of the live broadcast of their matchday 31 fixture against Akwa United last weekend.

“We have already appealed the fine by the NPFL,” Kwara United media officer, Jimoh Bashir stated.

“We await a response from the league body.”

Kwara United were also charged for allegedly providing false information which led to the adjustment of the date for their clash against Bayelsa United.

The Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, has imposed a N6 million fine on Kwara United for the disruption of live broadcast of their matchday 31 clash against Akwa United.

Kwara United were also charged for providing false information which led to a fixture adjustment.

The Harmony Boys requested that their game against Akwa United be moved from Saturday, April 20 to Sunday, April 21, citing a letter claiming that the state government had planned an event at the stadium.

The fine was contained in a memo sent to the club.

The statements reads: “You are in breach of Rule C1.1 of the Frameworks and Rules of the NPFL, in that on Thursday 18 April 2024, prior to your Match Day 31 Fixture: Kwara United FC vs. Akwa United FC, you brought a late application for the rearrangement of the fixture outside of the prescribed time for making such applications, basing your application on a lie and relying on falsified documents, an act capable of bringing the game to disrepute.

“You are in breach of Rule B6.23 of the Frameworks and Rules of the Nigeria Premier Football League, in that on Thursday 18 April 2024, prior to your Match Day 31 Fixture: Kwara United FC vs. Akwa United FC, you disrupted the live broadcast of a game by making false claims about the unavailability of your home ground.”

Kwara United however has 48 hours to appeal the verdict.

African champions, Morocco will be joined by Angola and Libya as the three representatives of Africa at the upcoming FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan set to take place between 14 September – 06 October this year.

Morocco were crowned champions on home soil after a commanding 5-1 victory over Angola in Rabat in the final that was attended by CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe who was with FIFA President, Gianni Infantino on Sunday, 21 April.

After being quarter-finalists in Lithuania during the 2021 edition, Morocco will be looking to go even further with the status of being three-time African champions. This will be Morocco’s fourth FIFA Futsal World Cup appearance.

Runners-up, Angola is also making a return to the global showpiece for the second time following their 2021 appearance that saw them exit the competition at the group stages.

African bronze-medalists, Libya who stunned Egypt to secure their ticket to the global showpiece will be hoping to continue their impressive run.

The Mediterranean Knights were in fine form in Morocco and showed resilience in reversing a 2-0 lead to draw with tournament favorites, Egypt before edging them on penalties for a podium finish that sees them through to the global showpiece later this year.

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The Nigeria Football Federation has prioritised pre-camping MRI scans for all players to ensure only those within the right age bracket represent the country at the U17 men’s national team, the Golden Eaglets.

According to the team media officer, Francis Achi, the football body is leaving no margin for errors in order to avoid extensive decimation of the team due to failed MRI tests as in the past.

“NFF is very serious about selecting players within the age bracket, not only to ensure that many of the selected players come true to ranks but also to avoid previous situations whereby teams got severely depleted after players who had passed the screening exercise were dropped after failing the MRI test,” Achi told newsmen.

“To this end, every player scouted is mandated to have an MRI scan at designated hospitals approved by the NFF. After that has been done and the player has passed Grades 1–4, he can be allowed to join up with the rest of the team. Even NFF is not accepting Grade 5 because the player will exceed the required age before the FIFA U17 World Cup,” he added.

It would be recalled that in February 2023, three key players who were in Ghana for the WAFU qualifiers failed the age test despite an initial order for all the players in camp to do their own private MRI tests before an official one conducted later by the NFF.

Also in 2013, six players—a goalkeeper, three defenders, and two strikers—failed the test conducted by the Nigerian authority to verify the age of the boys ahead of the FIFA U17 Cup in the UAE. This became imperative for the body in order to avoid the embarrassment witnessed before the African Championship when some players were sent home after an MRI scan revealed they were older than 17.

In 2021, eight key players missed a chance to be part of the team after they failed MRI tests ahead of the U-17 Africa Nations Cup in Morocco.

Meanwhile, the Golden Eaglets, under the tutelage of Manu Garba, are training daily at the FIFA Goal Project pitch at Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, preparatory to their WAFU Zone B title defence in Ghana from May 15–29, 2024.

The record five-time world champions have been drawn in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo following the draw conducted on Friday, which also pitches host Ghana against Benin Republic and Cote d’Ivoire in Group A.

The Golden Eaglets in their first warm up game on Saturday beat Ramsaky Football Club 4-2 at the FIFA Goal Project, MKO Abiola Stadium Abuja.

The WAFU B U17 champions scored the first goal before Ramsaky FC responded with two goals to find their way back into the game taking a 2-1 advantage into the break.

However, changes were made before the commencement of the second half, the changes saw the Eaglets labored very hard to break the stubborn backline of the opponents and bounce back to 2-2. The pressure continued, and that resulted in another two goals leading to a 4-2 scoreline.

Coach Manu tutored side are in the early stages of the preparations and will still have many warm up games before leaving Nigeria for Ghana, the venue of the 2024 WAFU B U-17 competition.

The five times FIFA U17 World Cup champions Nigeria is in Group B and will confront Burkina Faso, Togo, and Niger Republic.

The WAFUB U-17 tournament is slated for Ghana holding between May 15 – 29.