Lobi Stars Football Club’s Technical Adviser, Coach Bala Mohammed, was suspended today by the club Interim Management Committee.

The management cited poor performance as the reason for the suspension, having played six games, earned only seven points out of a possible 18, and placed sixth out of eight clubs

The suspension, according to a statement issued on Monday by the club’s Director of Media and Communications, Emmanuel Ujah, followed an emergency meeting of the Committee on Monday in Makurdi.

In the statement, Ujah advised the coach to immediately hand over responsibilities to the Chief Coach of the club, John Onuh.

Bala Mohammed was appointed Technical Adviser in August this year ahead of the new season of the Nigeria Nationwide League.

At the time of his appointment, he had promised to lead the team, which had been relegated from the Premier League after several seasons, back to the top-flight league.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have opened a training camp in Cairo, Egypt, and commenced preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The camp, opened yesterday , is situated at the Renaissance Hotels, marking the start of what is expected to be an intensive build-up toward the continental showpiece.

All members of the coaching crew and backroom staff are already in camp, ensuring that administrative, technical, and logistical arrangements are fully in place ahead of the players’ arrival.

The early presence of the officials underlines the seriousness of the team’s preparations and the determination to hit the ground running.

Goalkeeper Francis Uzoho was the first player to report to camp., he arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The experienced shot-stopper touched down shortly after 2:00 a.m. local time, setting the tone for punctuality and commitment among the squad.

Not long after, Stanley Nwabali became the second player to check in, arriving just minutes after Uzoho.

The presence of the two goalkeepers as the earliest arrivals offers the technical crew an immediate opportunity to begin focused work, especially in a department that will be crucial to Nigeria’s AFCON ambitions.

Cover image: Security personnel try to control the crowd as Inter Miami’s Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi departs from the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13, 2025. Thousands of fans packed into a stadium in eastern India on December 13 to cheer on Lionel Messi as the football legend unveiled a 21-metre (70-foot) statue of himself. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP).

Angry spectators broke down barricades and stormed the pitch at a stadium in India after football star Lionel Messi, who is on a three-day tour of the country, abruptly left the arena.

AFP reported that as part of the so-called GOAT Tour, the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar touched down in the eastern state of West Bengal early Saturday, greeted by a chorus of exuberant fans chanting his name.

Hours later, thousands of fans wearing Messi jerseys and waving the Argentine flag packed Salt Lake Stadium in the state capital, Kolkata, but heavy security around the footballer left many struggling to catch a glimpse of him.

Messi walked around the pitch, waved to fans and left the stadium earlier than expected.

Frustrated supporters, many of whom had paid more than $100 for tickets, ripped out stadium seats and hurled water bottles onto the track.Others stormed the pitch and vandalised banners and tents.

“For me, to watch Messi is a pleasure, a dream. But I have missed the chance to have a glimpse because of the mismanagement in the stadium,” businessman Nabin Chatterjee, 37, told AFP.

Before the chaos erupted, Messi unveiled a 21-metre (70-foot) statue depicting him holding aloft the World Cup.

He was also expected to play a short exhibition match at the stadium.

Another angry fan told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that people had spent “a month’s salary” to see Messi.