Sports
FIFA Rankings: Super Eagles Fall Eight Places After Dismal World Cup Qualifiers
The Super Eagles have fallen by eight places in the latest FIFA rankings, moving to 38th globally following a dismal outing in the race for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria lost to the Benin Republic for the first time and had before then drawn South Africa – all games in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for Africa – leaving their hopes of reaching the competition hanging in the balance.
In FIFA’s latest ranking released on Thursday, the Super Eagles are now 5th in Africa, falling two steps behind on the continental pecking order.
Morocco moved up one place as the best team in Africa, placing 12th globally. They are followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (36th), and Cote d’Ivoire (37th) in second, third, and fourth respectively on the continental rankings.
Argentina, France, Belgium, Brazil, and England in that order occupy the first five positions globally.
Eagles In Crisis
The Super Eagles’ poor World Cup qualification run has seen them manage only three points from four games, four points below leaders Rwanda in the Group C race.
Following the dismal showing, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said it would hire a technical adviser for the team in the coming weeks.
Days after the move, Finidi George resigned as the head coach of the team, less than two months after he was appointed to lead the Super Eagles.
Finidi’s resignation came at the time that star forward Victor Osimhen fired back at him over a comment he (Finidi) allegedly made accusing the Napoli player of non-commitment to the national team.
The NFF has yet to officially comment on Finidi’s resignation or Osimhen’s outburst. The Super Eagles’ next competitive game will be later in the year when the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers begin.
The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has announced venues and dates for the quater-final of the President Federation Cup.
Plateau United and Rangers will clash at the Area 3 Stadium in Abuja.
The encounter between Akwa United and Kwara United will be played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.
Abakaliki FC abd Nasarawa United will lock horns at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, while Wikki Tourists and Ikorodu City clash is billed for the Bwari Stadium in Abuja.
All the matches will kick-off at 4pm on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025.
The winner of the competition will represent Nigeria in the CAF Confederation Cup next year.
Sports
U-20 AFCON: Flying Eagles Coach Unveils 24- Man Squad
The team is scheduled to play a series of warm-up matches in Egypt before their group opener against Tunisia on May 1.
Head coach of the U-20 national team, Flying Eagles, Aliy Zubairu, has unveiled a 24-man squad for the upcoming U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2025 U-20 AFCON will take place from April 27 to May 18.
Zubairu named first-choice goalkeeper, Ifeanyi Harcourt, defender and captain, Daniel Bameyi, midfielder Sulaiman Alabi, and forward Kparobo Arierhi in the squad.
The squad is a blend of home-based and foreign players who have intensified training in Abuja ahead of the tournament.
Some of the top foreign-based players invited include: Emmanuel Chukwu, Precious Benjamin, all of German outfit TSG Hoffenheim and Kparobo Arierhi (Lillestrom SK, Norway).
The Flying Eagles, who are seven-time African champions and two-time FIFA Under-20 World Cup runners-up, will depart Nigeria on Sunday for Cairo in a bid to clinch an eighth continental title.
The team is scheduled to play a series of warm-up matches in Egypt before their group opener against Tunisia on May 1.
They will then face Morocco on May 4, followed by a clash against Kenya on May 7 to wrap up the group games.
Sports
Ex-Man Utd star Bastian Schweinsteiger ‘splits from wife’
It was reported that the two are frequently separated by thousands of kilometers, with Ivanovic staying in Serbia with her kids while Schweinsteiger travels the world, and while this situation persists, their relationship kept straining from all angles.
Ex-Manchester United and Bayern Munchen star, Bastien Schweinsteiger and wife Ana Ivanovic are now separated from their union.
German outlet, Blunte, reports that the couples, having married for nine years, have now being separated since two months ago.
The couple has three kids between them.
It was reported that the two are frequently separated by thousands of kilometers, with Ivanovic staying in Serbia with her kids while Schweinsteiger travels the world, and while this situation persists, their relationship kept straining from all angles.
In addition, the reports says that while the couple’s last Instagram post together was in December 2024, they haven’t been spotted together for months despite getting married in Venice nine years ago.
It now remains to be seen whether both couples can eventually reconcile and work things out as the former midfielder is currently in Jakarta, Indonesia, leaving Ivanovic, a tennis ace who won the 2008 French Open, to rely on the support of her parents and brother who also live in Serbia.
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