AFCON: Nigeria cleared as CAF sanctions Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal

Published

1 year ago

February 19, 2024

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Sunday cleared Nigeria and Super Eagles players of any wrongdoing during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles impressed at the AFCON as they reached the final of the tournament, losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast.

However, CAF’s investigations did not find any infractions on the part of Nigeria and Super Eagles players.

Contrastingly, AFCON winners Ivory Coast, Senegal and Mali were sanctioned by the CAF Disciplinary Board.

The Board convened to deliberate on different matters and decided to impose sanctions on Ivory Coast and Mali, specifically related to their knockout clash on February 3rd.

Mali faced charges of misconduct because of unsporting behavior of their players towards the match officials.

Hamari Traore, in particular, was found guilty of unsporting conduct and received a four-match suspension, with two matches suspended for one year.

Additionally, Mali incurred a fine of 10,000 US Dollars.

Also, Senegal’s Krepin Diatta was charged with bringing CAF into disrepute following comments made after the match between his team and Ivory Coast played on 29 January 2024.

The Disciplinary Board found Diatta guilty and suspended him four matches, two of which are suspended for a period of one year.

He was also fined 10,000 US Dollars, while Senegal was also charged with team’s misconduct and fined 5,000 US Dollars.

This was disclosed in a post via CAF’s official website.

Osimhen nets hat-trick, tops Turkish Süper Lig scoring charts

Published

20 hours ago

March 15, 2025

Seyi Babalola

Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen netted a hat-trick as Galatasaray secured a decisive 4-0 win against Antalyaspor on Friday night.

Álvaro Morata added a goal from the penalty spot to complete the dominant victory.

Osimhen opened the scoring at Rams Park, converting an assist from Morata in the 30th minute.

Morata doubled the lead with a penalty in the 45th minute and three minutes into the injury time of the first half, Osimhen struck again, assisted by B. Yılmaz.

The Nigerian striker completed his hat-trick, with Y. Akgün providing the assist in the 52nd minute.

This hat trick elevates Osimhen’s season tally to 20 league goals in 22 appearances, making him the top scorer in the Turkish Süper Lig.

Since joining Galatasaray on loan from Napoli after the fourth game of the season, Osimhen has amassed 26 goals and 5 assists across all competitions in 30 appearances.

Galatasaray’s dominant display reinforces their position at the summit of the Süper Lig.

Prior to this match, they led the standings with 68 points from 26 matches, maintaining an unbeaten record with 21 wins and 5 draws.

Their closest rivals, Fenerbahçe, have accumulated 61 points from 25 matches.

With this victory, Galatasaray extends their lead to 71 points, bolstering their pursuit of the league title.

He’s getting closer – Arteta updates on Saka’s return

Published

20 hours ago

March 15, 2025

Seyi Babalola

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided the latest update on Bukayo Saka ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Chelsea this weekend.

Saka has been sidelined for over two months due to a hamstring injury.

The England winger has missed several matches for Arteta’s side, including their draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Speaking in his pre-match interview ahead of Sunday’s clash, Arteta said Saka is getting closer to returning to action for the Gunners.

“He [Saka] is getting closer,” Arteta said.

“He’s stepping up and making very good progress. Let’s see when we decide to throw him in, how he reacts, and how quickly he can regain full fitness.”

Arsenal currently sit second in the Premier League table, behind leaders Liverpool.

UEFA adds two Arsenal, Barcelona players to Champions League team [Full list]

Published

1 week ago

March 7, 2025

Seyi Babalola

UEFA on Thursday revealed the Champions League Team of the Week following the conclusion of the Round of 16 first-leg fixtures on Wednesday.

In a post via their official website on Thursday, UEFA included the likes of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Arsenal’s Jurriën Timber, and Inter Milan’s Benjamin Pavard, among others, in the team.

All the aforementioned players were impressive for their respective clubs in the first-leg ties of the last 16 in midweek.

Meanwhile, the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg fixtures will take place next week.

Here is the list of players in the Team of the Week after the Champions League Round of 16 first-leg ties:

Alisson Becker (Liverpool)

Jurriën Timber (Arsenal)

Benjamin Pavard (Inter)

Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund)

Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)

Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)

Pedri (Barcelona)

Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Rodrygo (Real Madrid)