31.9 C
Lagos
Thursday, March 5, 2026
type here...
Home Blog Page 199

Pulisic doubful for crunch tie with Netherlands

Editor
-
0
Pulisic doubful for crunch tie with Netherlands

Slow recovery from soft tissue injury may sideline US top forward in make or mar tie

 

 

 

Christian Pulisic receives medical treatment after scoring their side's first goal against Iran on Nov. 29, 2022, in Doha.

Christian Pulisic receives medical treatment after scoring their side’s first goal against Iran on Nov. 29, 2022, in Doha. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images

 

 

By Rasheed  Adewuyi

 

 

United States of America soccer capital Christian Pulisic is a major doubt ahead of the USA round of sixteen 2022 FIFA World Cup match against the Netherlands on Saturday.
 
 
 
Pulisic was substituted  with an injury picked up after taking  a hefty whack when he gave the USA  the much needed win against Iran last Tuesday. He scored from a close range toward the end of the first half.
 
 
 
The Chelsea FC of England was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with pelvic contusion.
 
 
 
According to Dr. Naseem Abdul, based in Doha,  a pelvic contusion is a soft tissue injury around the pelvic area. Pulisic does not have any fractures around his pelvic bones. Still, musculature in that region makes recovery very slow.
 
 
 
” It takes 3 to 4 weeks for this kind of injury to heal properly,” he said.
 
 
 
Pulisic, as soon as he was discharged from the hospital was seen dancing and recording the celebration with his teammates.
 
 
 
He later tweeted and said, ” I’m proud of you guys. I’ll be back on Saturday.
 
 
 
Sports Joust reliably gathered that Pulisic availability for  Saturdays match against the orange men of Netherlands is subject to a medical clearance by the USA team doctors.
 
 
 
As of the time of filling this report,  there’s no official statement by the US soccer federation on the player’s medical status ahead of Saturday’s game.

Roberto Martinez postpones the evil day

Editor
-
0
Roberto Martinez postpones the evil day

The boss of ‘The Red Devils of Belgium’ won’t say if he will stay or go

 

 

 

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group F - Belgium v Morocco

Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Group F – Belgium v Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar – November 27, 2022, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez reacts REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

 

               

By Rasheed  Adewuyi 

 

 

 
 
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez says this is not the right time to tell the public if he will continue as the coach or resign from the plum job.
 
 
 
Martinez, whose contract expires at the end of the Mundial, told ITV sports that he was not ready to say to the public what he intended to do with his future at the moment his team crashed out of the  FIFA 2022 world cup in Qatar.
 
 
 
Belgium has failed to progress to the knockout stage of the world cup since 1998.
 
 
 
“It is not easy to win games in the world cup. We weren’t ourselves in the first game. We had a deserved defeat in the second match. Today we were ready, we created opportunities, and there are no regrets. We are out, but we can live with our heads high,” he said.
 
 
 
He added, ” We wanted to get through, but other national teams want to qualify, and that makes the competition competitive. We won 3 games in the group stage in the last word cup. We wanted to qualify, but our effort was not enough”.
 
 
 
The former Wigan Athletic FC of  England manager admitted that the young generation of players in the world is changing the way the round leather game is being played, adding that Leicester City Midfielder Youri Tielmans and other young players in  Belgium will take the team to greater heights in the future.
 
 
 
Morocco emerged as the group winner with 7 points from 3 matches. 2018 finalist, Croatia came second with 5 points. Third-placed Belgium has 4 points, while Canada is fourth with zero points.

NFF celebrates Kunle Solaja’s journalistic recognition

Editor
-
0
NFF celebrates Kunle Solaja’s journalistic recognition

As FIFA honors renowned journalists at the World Cup in Qatar

 

 

Kunle Solaja Archives - TheNewsGuru

Kunle Solaja

 

The Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated the foremost journalist, prolific author, and respected diarist, Mr. Kunle Solaja, on the occasion of his being honored by the world football -governing body, FIFA, in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

 

 

Alongside 81 other journalists of repute who have attended and reported at nearly a score of the quadrennial global football fiesta and other glamour tournaments, Solaja, a former Sports Editor of Concord Newspapers and the Guardian Newspapers, was awarded a certificate of achievement and a replica of the World Cup trophy, presented by Brazilian legend Ronaldo.

 

 

Solaja, presently the chief executive of online sports publication, www.sportsvillagesquare.com, was one of only two Africans on the list, the other being South African Mark Gleeson.

 

 

“Today, we are proud to congratulate and celebrate one of our own, Mr. Kunle Solaja, for the honor bestowed on him by FIFA. To attend 10 FIFA World Cup finals is not a joke. Mr. Solaja is a man competent, diligent, and passionate about his trade, and we join FIFA to celebrate him as an illustrious servant of the beautiful game,” NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said in Abuja.

 

 

The certificate of achievement was jointly signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President of AIPS (the global umbrella body for sports writers) Gianni Merlo.

 

 

Star of the simple but memorable ceremony was 88-year-old Enrique Macaya Márquez, an Argentine freelancer who is covering his 17th FIFA World Cup in Qatar and whose tally is one more than Uruguayan Diego Lucero, who, before he died in 1995, had covered every FIFA World Cup tournament between 1930 and 1994.

 

 

Solaja’s illustrious odyssey began in 1986 in Mexico, and he has since attended the World Cup finals in Italy in 1990, the USA in 1994, France in 1998, Korea/Japan in 2002, Germany in 2006, South Africa in 2010, Brazil in 2014 and Russia in 2018, before the ongoing finals in Qatar.

 

 

Apart from his demanding vocation and commitment to writing history in a hurry, which is the lot of the journalist, Solaja has now written four remarkable books on Nigeria football, namely Super Eagles…Through The Ages, Going For Goals…Unfolding Nigerian Football’s Hidden Stories, Super Eagles @70…Soaring on The Wings and TESILIMI ‘THUNDER’ BALOGUN…The Making Of A Legend.

Serbia goal is my best-Abubakar

Editor
-
0
Serbia goal is my best-Abubakar

Cameroon captain says, ‘This one is the one I love most’

 

 

Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar scores a World Cup goal of the tournament contender against Serbia - New York Daily Paper

Vincent Abubakar may have scored the goal of the tournament

 

By Rasheed Adewuyi

 

 

Cameron captain and AL  Nassr  FC of  Saudi Arabia forward Vicent Aboubakar.,  has picked his goal against Serbia in the FIFA 2022  World Cup in Qatar as his best so far.
 
 
Aboubakar scored a superb lob in the game that ended 3-3. Cameroon came from behind twice to level up with their opponents.
 
 
 
The former Besiktas of Turkey striker told Fox sports that he has been scoring goals for Clubs and country, but this one is the one he loves most.
 
 
 
I love the goal. Football is all about creativity.   I had wanted to tuck the ball into the right side of the net but changed my mind because the keeper had covered that angle of the post, so I decided to lob the ball above his head.
 
 
 
He stressed further that he knew he would score because he could see their opponents’ weaknesses while watching the game from the bench and was delighted that he capitalized on all the lapses he observed to achieve a great goal.
 
 
 
” A day before the match,  I told my teammates to let us emulate the Moroccans kind of determination that saw them defeat Belgium. We did a great job, but our few mistakes cost us the 3 points. It is not over until we play our last group match,” he adds.
 
 
 
Cameroon must win against five-time champions Brazil in the last group G  match
On Friday. Switzerland will also take on Serbia in the other group game.
 
 
 
Both matches would be played simultaneously.

Ghana will break Uruguay-Mohammed Kudus

Editor
-
0
Ghana will break Uruguay-Mohammed Kudus

Ghana’s two-goal hero is confident Black Stars will beat Uruguay

 
 
 
Kudus, who struck twice in Black Stars’ 3-2 victory over South Korea this morning, said the game against the South Americans would be tough because the outcome will determine  Ghana’s fate in the 2022 FIFA world cup.
 
 
 
“We are fully confident. We will take them on (Uruguay) with the same mentality against South Korea. I know it will not be easy, but we will do everything within our power to win the maximum points,” he said.
 
 
 
Kudus also showered encomiums on his teammates for stepping up their game and playing the coach Otto Addo’s instruction immediately after the Koreans leveled up in the second half.
 
 
“I want to thank all my teammates, it’s a team game, and they all played a part in my performance—the cross-in from Jordan Ayew and the cut-back from Inaki  Williams. Big UP to everyone because everyone played a  part in the two goals I scored,” he adds.
 
 
 
He continued, ”   it is a good feeling. We wanted the 3  points, and we got them. Everyone was absolutely on top of the game. They came back to 2-2, we had to come up with more energy, and it happened.
 
 
 
Ghana will take on Uruguay, while Portugal will lock horns with South Korea in Friday’s final 2022 FIFA World Cup Group H matches.

CAF boss advises Ghana Black Stars to be frugal

Editor
-
0
CAF boss advises Ghana Black Stars to be frugal

Patrice Motsepe asks Black Stars to save toward retirement

 

CAF President Patrice Motsepe Visits Ghana Camp Ahead of World Cup Group Opener Against Portugal ▷ SportsBrief.com

 

 

By Rasheed Adewuyi 

 

The President of the Confederation of Africa Football ( CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has advised members of the Black Stars of Ghana to be frugal with their spending and save towards retirement.

 

 

Moptsepe, who gave this advice during a morale-boosting visit to the Black Stars hotel ahead of Monday’s match against South Korea, disclosed that it is very important for them to plan for retirement.

 

“This is what I always tell African players because the time will come when they cannot kick the ball again. Football is not a long-term job. You can’t compare yourselves with the Doctors, Lawyers, and other professionals, “he said.

 

He added, ” I love seeing retired African players living quality lives after retirement. It would be nice if you all could work towards this and make life easy for yourselves after football.

 

 

Motsepe urged the Ghanaians to beat South Korea and keep Africa’s hope of having a representative in the second round alive.

 

 

“The people of Ghana are behind you, and all the 54 nations in Africa are also supporting you. You have done it before, and we believe you’ll do it again,” he concluded.

 

 

The CAF president also visited Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, and Cameroon in their 2022 FIFA world cup camps in Qatar.

Defeat by the Saudis has motivated Argentina-Lionel Messi

Editor
-
0
Defeat by the Saudis has motivated Argentina-Lionel Messi

Argentina’s captain blames opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia on too much pressure and poor form

.

 

World Cup: Lionel Messi lifts Argentina's hopes, dashes Mexico's - Los Angeles Times

 

 

By Rasheed Adewuyi 

 

Argentina captain Lionel Messi says the opening group C match defeat against Saudi Arabia motivated his team to beat Mexico this afternoon.

 

Argentina defeated Mexico 2–0 to boost their chances of qualifying t for the knockout stage.

 

In a post-match interview with Fox Sports, Messi said Argentina did what was expected of them today after their dismal outing against Saudi Arabia in the opening game.

 

” The first game was difficult for us because there was too much pressure on the team. We are still trying to blend as a team due to the new young players in our midst. Though, that is not an excuse to lose against Saudi Arabia. We lost because we didn’t play well.” he said.

 

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner also debunked news making the rounds that the ankle injury he sustained before the world cup would prevent him from representing his country in Qatar.

 

” I don’t know why people keep talking about my injury. I only twisted my ankle. It is not a serious injury. I am fine now and ready to play my part for Argentina in this world cup, “he adds.

 

Argentina would have been out of the world cup if they had lost to Mexico.

 

Messi reached another milestone after scoring in his sixth appearance. He has now scored eight goals equalling Diego Maradona’s record and two short of Gabriel Batistuta with ten world cup goals.

 

Poland is leading group C with 4 points from 2 matches, Argentina and Saudi Arabia are second with 3 points from the same number of games, while fourth-placed Mexico has one point.

 

Poland will trade tackles with Argentina, while Saudi Arabia will play against Mexico in the last group matches next Wednesday.

USA was the better team-Kane

Editor
-
0
USA was the better team-Kane

England captain says goalless draw “Isn’t bad for us“

 

 

 
US Frustrates England Again At a World Cup in 0-0 Draw - Bloomberg
US Frustrates England Again At a World Cup in 0-0 Draw/Bloomberg.com
 
 
By Rasheed Adewuyi 
 
 
Harry Kane, England captain, has admitted that the Three Lions played against a better United States of America side in their second  B  group world cup match in Qatar yesterday.
 
 
Kane told  ITV sports that the England team that played against the USA was a  complete contrast to the team that took on Iran in the opening group match. England beat Iran 6-2.
 
 
“They pressed well; they made it difficult for us to execute our game plans. At times we dealt with it well. We respect them. A draw isn’t bad for us.
 
 
We look forward to the next match,” he said.
 
 
The Tottenham FC of England forward said the game would have gone England’s way if they could convert the few chances that came their way in the energy-sapping encounter.
 
 
He added, ” We have good spells with the ball,  but we didn’t quite have the final product. Clean sheet put us in a great position in the group. After our first performance,  people thought we would landslide everything, but it is not the case against a stubborn USA side.
 
 
England is leading the group with 4 points from 2 matches. Iran is currently second with 3 points from the same number of games,  USA currently occupies the third position with 2 points while 4th placed Wales has 1 point.
 
 
England will take on Wales, while the USA will slug it out with Iran in the last group matches. Both games will be played simultaneously next  Tuesday.
 
 

NBBF accused of “Systemically killing Basketball” in Nigeria

Editor
-
0
NBBF accused of “Systemically killing Basketball” in Nigeria

Postponement of the final eight basketball league draws the ire of club officials

 

 

Eight Teams Chase One BAL Ticket as Nigeria Professional Basketball League Jumps Off Today in Lagos - Radio Nigeria Lagos

 

 

By Rasheed Adewuyi

 

 

All the clubs preparing for the 2022 Final Eight Basketball League have been pushed off the cliff after being told by the Nigeria Basketball Federation the competition would no longer hold.

 

 

The NBBF, after months of foot-dragging, had informed the participating clubs that the Final Eight for the Atlantic and Savannah conference would hold at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City starting November 28.

 

 

Just when the clubs are gathering materials and putting their players in a competitive mood, the federation disclosed Friday, the competition would no longer hold, saying a new date would be communicated to the clubs.

 

This threw the players and their coaches off balance, and some have accused the NBBF of systematically killing local league contests by its seeming lack of commitment to keep the game going.

 

 

“This year, the NBBF has not organized any competition on its own,” said a basketball official. “What we have so far are the DK Olukoya, Sam Oguche, and Bullet tournaments, and so what do we have the NBBF for?

 

 

They didn’t give the clubs any reason for the cancellation. “It is from the final eight that Nigeria’s representative for the FIBA Afrique club championships is to emerge; now we don’t have this competition, so what next?”

 

 

When he was called on the phone to give a reason for the cancellation, the NBBF secretary-general Peter Njoku shied away from the question. Prof. Florence Adeyanju, the NBBF Zenith League Committee chairperson, refused to answer repeated calls to her phone.

 

The clubs qualified to compete in the final eight leagues include MFM Lagos, Dolphins Club, First Bank Basketball Club, and Delta Force in the Atlantic Conference. Air Warriors, Nigeria Customs, Black Gold, and Plateau Princesses who are in the Savanah Conference.

 

 

Sports Joust reliably gathered that NBBF’s internal crisis is largely responsible for the cancellation of the competition.

Injured Ghana goalkeeper Jojo Wallacott storms Qatar

Editor
-
0
Injured Ghana goalkeeper Jojo Wallacott storms Qatar

To play the number one fan role in Black Stars’ crunch tie with South Korea on Monday

 

 

Ronaldo Makes World Cup History, Portugal Beats Ghana 3–2

Cristian Ronaldo helps Portugal Beat Ghana 3–2 on Thursday, November 24, 2022

 

 

By Rasheed Adewuyi 

 

 

Injured Black Stars of Ghana goalkeeper Jojo Wallacott has arrived in Qatar to support the team at the ongoing world cup in the oil-rich nation.

 

The England-born goalkeeper, who plays for Charlton Athletic FC Of England, missed out on coach Otto Addo’s 26-man list after he broke his finger three weeks before the world cup.

 

Wallacott said he has no regret that he would not play for Ghana in this world cup but would be very happy to be a fan.

 

“It is every player’s dream to play in the Mundial, but you can not determine what will happen to your fitness before a major competition. Injury is inevitable in football. We have to learn to live with situations like this,” he said.

 

“He added, ” I was disappointed initially. I had to decide whether to continue but later reversed my decision because I didn’t want to jeopardize Ghana’s chances of progressing. It is heartbreaking after you’ve worked hard and the coach says you’re not going to the world cup.

 

Wallacott is optimistic that the Black Stars will still qualify from their group after losing the opening game 2-3 to Portugal yesterday, adding that coach Otto Addo’s tutored side gave the Portuguese a good fight throughout the match.

Wallacott’s rival for the number one shirt Richard Ofori was also ruled out of the Mundial due to a knee injury.

 

 

Ghana will play against South Korea on Monday. The Black Stars need to win the game to avoid an early exit from the competition.

1...198199200...240Page 199 of 240

© 2025 - All rights reserved.
Designed By Aceon Technology

About Us

Popular Category

Editor Picks