P R T Nigeria rugby team to camp in UK for 2024 Olympic qualifiers

By Amaechi Agbo

Nigeria Rugby Football Federation will camp the senior men national team fondly called Black Stallions in the United Kingdom for the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers.

The Black Stallions are to participate in Rugby Afrique Olympic qualifiers slated for Mauritius on June 24 and 25, 2023.

Speaking ahead of the preparation, the President NRFF, Dr Ademola Are said the first phase of camping has kicked off

“We have started the first phase of camping for players based in the UK and some other parts of Europe. We hope to use that to select some good players that will later join the home lads for next phase of camping before the final team will be selected,” he said

Mr Are who was recently appointed as a member of Africa Rugby Audit and Risk Committee, said that the federation’s target is the ticket for the Paris 2024 Games.

“Our target is to qualify for the Olympics and if we can have the bulk of our players playing outside the shores of this country turning up for the camp, then we stand a good chance of picking the ticket,”

Nigeria is placed in Pool A with Ghana, Burundi and DR Congo.

Other countries participating in the qualifiers are Mauritius, Cote D’ Ivoire, Botswana, Cameroon, Algeria, Lesotho, Senegal and Egypt.

Paris, France capital, will host the 33rd Olympic Games from Friday, July 26, to Sunday, August 11, 2024

Flying Eagle’s arrive Argentina for U-20 World Cup

By Amaechi Agbo

Ahead of the commencement of the 2023 U-20 World Cup on Saturday next week, Nigeria

U-20 male team, the Flying Eagles have arrived the host nation, Argentina.

The delegation of two-time runners-up Nigeria have arrived in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina for a 10-day camping programme ahead of this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals.

A contingent of 20 players and 10 officials departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Saturday night aboard a Turkish Airline flight and travelled through Istanbul before heading to the “land of the Pampas”.

With a record of having finished with the silver medals in 1989 and 2005, and with the bronze medals in 1985, the Flying Eagles are hoping to break the duck and collect the top prize in their 13th appearance at a tournament they first graced in Mexico 40 years ago.

That year, they stunned then Soviet Union 1-0 through a welltaken goal by Tarila Okorowanta in Monterrey, but then lost 0-3 to Brazil in their second game in Guadalajara. Needing victory to reach the knock-out round, the Flying Eagles could only draw with The Netherlands in their final group game in Monterrey.

Nigeria has been slotted in Group D for this year’s championship and will play the

Dominican Republic, Italy and Brazil in that order in the group phase.

Their first two games will hold in Mendoza, in the far west of Argentina, against the Dominican Republic on 21 May and against Italy on 24 May, before they fly to La Plata to play Brazil on 27 May.

Guatemala and New Zealand will square up in the opening match on Saturday, 20th May at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero.

PSG Suspends Lionel Messi For Two Weeks Over

Unapproved Trip

French Ligue 1 champions, Paris Saint-Germain has slammed a two-week suspension on its attacker and World Cup winner, Lionel Messi for embarking on on a trip to Saudi Arabia without authorisation

The Ligue 1 leaders handed Messi a club ban and a fine after the star made a midseason trip to Saudi Arabia last week

The 35-year-old took a trip to Saudi Arabia after PSG’s Ligue 1 defeat to Lorient. The move was reportedly not approved by manager Christophe Galtier, with the club having since taken action.

The Argentina international will miss fixtures against Troyes this weekend and Ajaccio on May 13, with PSG five points clear at the top of the table.

Messi, who is set to leave the club in the summer at the expiration of the two-year contract he signed in 2021, has been linked with a move to the Middle East.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was spotted at Riyadh airport as part of a visit relating to his role as a tourism ambassador in the country, the dat after their defeat against Lorient on Monday.

Messi received a backlash following the trip, with teammates said to have been left shocked. The Argentina international, a World Cup winner with his country in 2022, is a tourism ambassador for the Middle East nation but was not given permission by Galtier to take the trip. Messi received a backlash following the trip, with team-mates said to have been left shocked. The Argentina international, a World Cup w take the trip.