Author: Vincent Osuwo

Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen has returned to team training with Galatasaray after healing from the ankle injury he suffered while on international duty two weeks ago. The 26-year-old took part in training exercises with his teammates on Sunday before Galatasaray’s Super Lig game against Konyaspor at Rams Park on Monday, but he did not play in the match. Osimhen has been out of action since sustaining an ankle injury in Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Rwanda on 6 September, where he had to exit in the 35th minute following a challenge by Claude Niyomugabo. The injury turned…

Barcelona Femenin star Aitana Bonmatí became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or Féminin three times with her current victory. The Spanish midfielder had won the previous two individual titles after dominating with Barcelona and Spain, and she completed her hat trick during Monday’s event. Lionel Messi was the last player to win three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards, winning four between 2009 and 2012. Michel Platini, a former French midfielder, is the only other player to have won the prestigious award in three consecutive seasons (1983-85). Bonmatí’s victory as the reigning champion was expected, although he did not receive…

Arsenal has been named the Women’s Team of the Year at the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards held in Paris France. Arsenal won the accolade following their successful 2024/2025 UEFA Champions League run. The North London side defeated defending Champions Barcelona 1-0 in  the UEFA Champions League. The winning goal was scored by substitute Stina Blackstenius in the 74th minute, securing Arsenal’s second European title 18 years after their first. Arsenal manager Renee Slegers, speaking on stage after the European champions were named women’s club of the year, said, “Wow. Thank you so much. It’s a true honor for Arsenal to…

England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman, has been selected as women’s coach of the year at the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards for leading the Lionesses to their second consecutive European Championship triumph. Wiegman, 55, beat out four other coaches for the honor, including Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor and Arsenal’s Renee Slegers. England won Euro 2025 in Switzerland with a 3-1 penalty shootout victory over Spain after the final ended 1-1 after extra time, retaining the championship they won at home in 2021. “What an honor to get this award after an insane summer,” Wiegman said at the ceremony in Paris. “I would like…

The Presidency has denied claims by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai that President Bola Tinubu is seeking to make himself a “life president,” insisting that the President has no plan to remain in office beyond 2031 if re-elected. El-Rufai, speaking over the weekend, asked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to unite Nigerians against Tinubu in 2027, accusing the current administration of concentrating authority rather than devolving it to lesser levels. “If we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya, to be president for life. All the signs are…

Israel will not attend an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Gaza scheduled for Tuesday due to the Jewish New Year, according to its UN representative, calling the timing “regrettable.” As a country directly touched by the UN’s highest security body’s deliberations, the Middle-East nation was asked to speak at the Council’s debate of the tragic conflict in Gaza during the UN’s high-level week. The country’s troops are launching a major ground offensive to take Gaza’s largest metropolitan center, with AFP film showing plumes of smoke rising over Gaza City on Monday as Palestinians carrying their belongings fled southward. “I…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s denial of seeking a third term in office has been vehemently challenged by political activist and civil society leader Dr. Usman Bugaje, who claims that the ex-president “did everything within his power” to extend his tenure. Obasanjo, while addressing his audience at a democracy dialogue held by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Ghana last week, rejected the long-running third-term debate, saying, “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I would know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him…

Paris Saint-Germain talisman Ousmane Dembele is tipped to beat Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal and win the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, while Aitana Bonmati is expected to win a third consecutive women’s prize. The world of football will convene for a lavish event at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet to determine who will be the next winners of an award previously dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. From 2008 until 2023, the duo won the Ballon d’Or 13 times together. Rodri, a Manchester City midfielder, won the accolade, the most prestigious individual prize in football, last year after leading Spain…

The UK’s Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch, has fiercely criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognize the State of Palestine, describing it as “absolutely disastrous” and a move that rewards terrorism without addressing the plight of hostages in Gaza or the suffering of civilians caught in the conflict. In a statement on her X page on Sunday, Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, accused Starmer of lacking a coherent plan for the country and instead pandering to “the hobbyhorses of the Labour left” to maintain power. “Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas leaves…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that there would be no Palestinian state, in a message addressed to the leaders of Britain, Australia, and Canada after they recognized Palestinian statehood. He said, “I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7: you are granting a huge reward to terror. “I have another message for you: it will not happen. No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River. Recognition will endanger our existence and serve as an absurd reward for terrorism.’’ The UK government, along with…