Sports
We Fought a Good Fight But Lost to Bad Officiating – Equavoen
Super Eagles interim coach Augustine Eguavoen on Sunday said his team did not deserve to lose against Tunisia in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 game.
Nigeria crashed out of the AFCON on Sunday in Garoua, Cameroon after a 0-1 loss to Tunisia.
The North Africans now advance to the competition’s quarter-finals where they will take on the Stallions of Burkina Faso on the same Stade Roumde Adjia pitch in Garoua.
Eguavoen, while speaking at the post-match press conference, blamed bad officiating for his team’s ouster from the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.
He added that his players fought a good fight.
“We tried to come back after the Tunisia goal, and we chased the game. But then we got a red card.
“It was clear that the officiating wasn’t fair,” the coach said.
He however disclosed that he had told the players to quickly put the loss behind them and face the job at hand in March.
”I have told the players to pick up and ensure they qualify Nigeria for the World Cup,” Eguavoen said.
He however pointed out that it was always very difficult when you play against a tactical side like Tunisia, especially when the officiating was not fair.
“I won’t criticise the referee because they are masters of the game, but Alex Iwobi’s red card wasn’t fair. The foul wasn’t an intentional one,” the coach added.
The Super Eagles will now look forward to the 2022 FIFA World Cup African Zone playoffs in March against Ghana.
Sports
CAF Crowns Ademola Lookman As African Footballer of the Year
Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, has been named the CAF Footballer of the Year for the past year.
Lookman was announced as the winner at an elaborate event in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday night.
The Atalanta star won the prize ahead of Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
It has been an incredible year for Lookman, who became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League/UEFA Cup final since 1975, netting the three goals within 26 minutes against Bayer Leverkusen.
Lookman was included in the Team of the Year for the Europa League, and ended the season having had a direct hand in 18 top flight goals for La Dea.
The 27-year-old was ranked the 14th best player during the Ballon d’Or gala on October 28.
Sports
Panel Clears Mbappe of Rape Allegation
The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced today that the inquiry into rape allegations against French footballer Kylian Mbappé has been closed due to a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed.
This is according to multiple reports on Thursday morning.
The allegations had drawn international attention, casting a shadow over the football star’s career.
Mbappé, who had consistently denied the allegations, has yet to make an official statement regarding the decision
His legal team had previously emphasised his commitment to due process.
Mbappe was “linked to rape investigation in Sweden” and that he intended to reserve any explanations for the Swedish justice system “if necessary,” according to his lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard.
“He prioritises providing his explanations, if required, to the Swedish judiciary,” Canu-Bernard told AFP, while strongly condemning “media allegations suggesting that Kylian Mbappé had commented on the events of his trip to Stockholm.”
The case, which began earlier this year, involved accusations stemming from an alleged incident in Stockholm. The prosecutor’s decision not to press charges marks the end of months of scrutiny and speculation.
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