SportsNews
Rwanda vs Nigeria: Chelle revives Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup hopes in Kigali
Eric Chelle officially became the first non-Nigerian coach from Africa to manage the Super Eagles on Friday.
The Malian took charge of his first game – a 2-0 win in Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifying fixture.
Chelle was appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on January 7 as permanent replacement for Finidi George and took over from the interim, Augustine Eguavoen.
Since then, he has spent three months travelling around Nigeria, watching domestic league matches, and communicating with his Europe-based players.
But his first team sheet was still confusing.
Chelle picked a heavily attacking line-up in Kigali, that seemed imbalanced on paper.
Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon all started in attack, while Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi manned the midfield.
“Well, I had two feelings. First, knowing that Eric Chelle managed Mali with a 4-3-1-2 set-up, I was very surprised with the team selection,” Ope Adebari, a sports analyst, reporter and producer with News Central tells Ekwutosblog.
“However, it is well known that some of our best players are wingers, so them playing is inevitable.
“Nevertheless, I did not agree with the team selection or formation as it has been tried in the past under Jose Peseiro and it did not work.”
That 4-3-1-2 at times morphed into a 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 formation depending on the state of play.
Although the Eagles showed their unfamiliarity with Chelle’s new ideas, they managed to outplay their hosts and go two goals up in the first, thanks to the in-form Victor Osimhen.
“This is the best I have seen this current squad play in a while,” Adebari admitted.
“It is clear that the players tried their best to execute the tactics of the manager while making sure that they secured the vital three points needed.”
One of the tasks Chelle has been saddled with, is to dig Nigeria out of the 2026 World Cup qualifying hole they find themselves in.
After four games and two coaches, the three-time African champions had recorded three draws and one loss, sitting in fifth spot in Group C.
“Mathematically, it is safe to say that the World Cup qualification is back on track,” Adebari said.
“Also, judging by the team spirit shown by the Super Eagles, it is clear that the boys are motivated to secure a ticket to be at the 2026 World Cup.”
This victory took them one position up into fourth, ahead of Tuesday’s home fixture against Zimbabwe.
Although the early signs were good, Chelle still has a lot of work to do with the squad, as he continues to mould them in his image.
“I’m sure he saw how flat and non-existent the midfield looked many times before the introduction of Raphael Onyedika.
“Also, Samuel Chukwueze clearly could not make an impact with the new role he was given.
“I believe Eric Chelle knows that we need to improve in the midfield aspect if we want to win convincingly against Zimbabwe and any other opponent going forward,” Adebari added.
SportsNews
EPL: Fulham must move on from defeat to Manchester City — Iwobi
Alex Iwobi says Fulham must stay positive despite their 5-4 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.
Marco Silva’s side put up a spirited display in the encounter, and were unlucky not to get at least one point.
Iwobi started the fight back by scoring the second goal for Fulham early in the second half.
The versatile midfielder’s compatriot, Samuel Chukwueze then rose from the bench to score two more goals for the Cottagers.
Manchester City, however, held on to go home with maximum points.
Iwobi stated that they deserved more from the game.
“I feel disappointed because we didn’t get anything out of the fighting spirit that we showed, but I think we have to take the positivity from the game,” Iwobi told the club’s official website.
Fulham will be away to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Sunday.
SportsNews
EPL: Guardiola names team that impresses him everyday
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has named the Premier League club that has impressed him so much this season.
The Spaniard said that Enzo Maresca’s side have really impressed him with the improvement they make everyday.
Speaking after Manchester City beat Fulham 5-4 in the Premier League on Tuesday night, Guardiola pointed out that a team must remain consistent to win the title.
Pep Guardiola’s side closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to just two points behind Arsenal with the victory over Fulham, but the Gunners could maintain their five points lead with a win over Brentford on Wednesday night.
“Chelsea impresses me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long,” he told reporters after the win.
“Premier League is so long, many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we in December, January or February we were behind.
“The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows during the months and this is what we try to do. No injuries, it’s so long.
“But at the same time, if we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better, the emotions and we will see what happens.”
SportsNews
Outrage As ‘Biological Male’ Wins World’s Strongest Woman Event in Texas (Photos)
The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final has sparked outrage after an alleged transgender athlete won gold.
American Jammie Booker, who is accused of being a biological male, beat Great Britain’s Andrea Thompson to victory at the event in Arlington, Texas.
According to Mail Online, Thompson walked off the podium, appearing to say ‘this is bulls***,’ while Booker celebrated. The Brit has since been crowned the ‘true World’s Strongest Woman’ by her coach and some of her peers.

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time winner of World’s Strongest Woman, has sensationally claimed that no one – not even the organizers – knew about Booker’s background.
Details on the American are not clear, but the publication sighted a YouTube video – uploaded to what appears to be Booker’s YouTube channel in September 2017, with Booker saying: ‘Everyone is dying to tell their own story and I am obviously no exception to that.
‘I’m 21-year-old trans woman with a history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents.’
On Monday night, Roberts posted a picture on Instagram that read ‘Protect Women’s Sports.’ She wrote alongside the picture: ‘I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to live their truth.

But I cannot stay silent about something that threatens the fairness and future of women’s strength sports. Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category.
This isn’t about identity. It isn’t about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear, and that matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason, and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.
‘What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew. Not even the organisers knew. And when fairness is taken by surprise, trust in the sport begins to crack.
‘My message is simple. Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only.
‘I love this sport. I have given my life to it. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025’
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