Sports

Ighalo Out as Mahrez, Salah, Mane Emerge CAF Award Top Contenders

Published

6 years ago

December 23, 2019

Eric

Super Eagles’ retired striker, Odion Ighalo, who was Nigeria’s only remaining candidate among the five earlier shortlisted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the continent’s Footballer of the Year Awards, has been eliminated from the contest. Instead, Egypt’s Mo Salah, Algeria’s Riyadh Mahrez, and Senegal’s Sadio Mane are the shortlisted stars for the awards, which winner will be made known on January 7 in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.

In the final list of contenders named by CAF yesterday, three Nigerians made the cut in their respective categories.

The nominees were pruned to three following votes from a CAF Technical & Development Committee, a panel of media experts and a select panel of CAF Legends, made up of former winners of the prestigious African Player of the Year award.

In the shortlist for the African Women’s Player of the Year is Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, who will contend with Ajara Nchout of Cameroun and Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa.

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi will battle with two Nigerians, Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen, for the African Youth Player of the Year, while former Super Falcons manager, Thomas Dennerby has South Africa’s Desiree Ellis and Cameroun’s Alain Djeumfa to compete with in the African Women’s Coach of the Year category. Nigeria, Cameroun and South Africa are the top three African Women’s National Team of the Year contenders.

Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez enjoyed a stellar year in 2019, winning a domestic treble with Manchester City and captaining Algeria to glory in the African Cup of Nations in Egypt this summer.

Mohamed Salah is looking to defend the title he secured last year, while Sadio Mane is aiming to take the crown away from Mahrez, who defeated him in the Cup of Nations final.

Mahrez previously won the award in 2016 but the last two honours have been clinched by Salah, with Mane finishing runner-up in each of the last two years.

The final phase of voting for the award will be selected by head coaches/technical directors and captains of senior national teams from CAF member associations.

Sports

Anthony Joshua Defeats Jake Paul in Sixth-round Knockout

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Eric

Former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, delivered a dominant performance on Saturday morning, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul with a sixth-round knockout in their heavyweight bout in Miami.

Although Paul exceeded expectations by lasting beyond the early rounds, Joshua’s superior power and experience proved decisive, according to The Athletic.

The British boxer dropped Paul twice during a chaotic fifth round, setting the stage for the finish.

Joshua sealed the victory in the sixth round, unleashing a sustained combination of heavy punches that left Paul unable to continue, prompting the referee to halt the contest.

Speaking after the fight, Joshua turned his attention to longtime rival Tyson Fury, challenging him to step into the ring.

“Put down (your) Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come and fight me,” he said.

Paul, who later revealed he suffered a broken jaw in the bout, declined to name a future opponent.

Instead, the boxer said he would take a break from boxing following the loss, which marked the second defeat of his professional career.

Paul, who is ranked as the No. 14 cruiserweight with the WBA, has defeated back-to-back former boxing world champions.

He comfortably beat a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024 on Netflix’s boxing debut and most recently outpointed a 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. this past June.

Sports

FirstBank Elephant Girls Win in Zone 3, Qualify for WBLA Final Round

Published

2 weeks ago

December 8, 2025

Eric

FirstBank Basketball Club of Nigeria, popularly known as the “Elephant Girls”, have secured their spot in the final round of the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA), scheduled to hold in Cairo, Egypt from 5-14 December 2025.

The Elephant Girls put up a commanding performance at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, winning all three games. Representing Nigeria as the country’s sole team in the tournament, they overcame fierce competition from Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin Republic, Ghana, and Togo in the Zone. Their undefeated run included a 66–55 upset against home favourites CSA of Côte d’Ivoire and a thrilling 63–59 comeback win against FBA of Côte d’Ivoire, after trailing by 20 points in the second quarter.

The remarkable performance, marked by resilience, discipline skill, and mental strength, earned the team a triumphant return to continental basketball after a six-year absence. Emerging as champions of Zone 3 and the only English-speaking team to advance, the Elephant Girls have reaffirmed FirstBank’s long-standing commitment to promoting women’s sports in Nigeria and across Africa.

Speaking on the qualification, FirstBank’s Group Head, Human Capital Management and Development and Chairman of the Sports Council, Olumuyiwa Olulaja, said: “We are incredibly proud of the Elephant Girls for their outstanding performance. They have once again shown the world the strength, resilience, and excellence that define FirstBank.

“At FirstBank, we are committed to continuing our support for sports in Nigeria and Africa, and this victory is a significant step forward in our mission to promote excellence in sports on the continental and global stage,” he added.

The Elephant Girls had advanced to represent Nigeria at the WBLA Qualifiers for FIBA Africa Zone 3, following an impressive Silver Medal finish at the Zenith Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Women’s Premier League.

With their place secured in Cairo, the Elephant Girls are poised to showcase their talent on the continental stage once again, carrying the pride of Nigeria and the FirstBank brand as they aim to make history in the Final Round of the Women’s Basketball League Africa.

Sports

Morocco’s Hakimi Wins Africa Football Player of the Year Award

Published

1 month ago

November 20, 2025

Eric

Morocco and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi has been crowned the Confederation of African Football Men’s Player of the Year Award for 2025, edging out finalists Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray).

The announcement came on Wednesday during the glittering CAF Awards ceremony in Rabat, Morocco, where Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back, was the only finalist in attendance, adding to the electric atmosphere.

This marks a historic breakthrough for Hakimi, after finishing as runner-up in both 2023 and 2024 (behind Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, respectively), the 27-year-old has finally claimed Africa’s top individual football honour.

It’s also the first win for a Moroccan since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, and only the fourth for a defender in the award’s modern history.