SportsNews
Super Eagles Drop Eight Places In FIFA Rankings After Poor World Cup Qualifiers

Published
8 months agoon
By
Ekwutos Blog
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have slipped eight places to 38th in the latest FIFA rankings, following a disappointing performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
This drop comes after a historic loss to the Benin Republic and a draw against South Africa, leaving their qualification hopes in jeopardy.
The latest rankings, released on Thursday, place Nigeria fifth in Africa, down two positions on the continental ladder.
Morocco now leads the African rankings, moving up to 12th globally, followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (36th), and Cote d’Ivoire (37th).
Globally, the top five positions are held by Argentina, France, Belgium, Brazil, and England.
Despite their fall in the rankings, the Super Eagles remain ahead of their main qualifying rivals, South Africa, who are ranked 59th globally and 10th in Africa.
They also rank higher than Cameroon (49th) and Ghana (64th), as well as nations like Scotland, Chile, and Norway.
The Super Eagles will look to regain form in their next competitive matches during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this year.
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SportsNews
Transfer: Atletico Madrid line up move for Ndidi

Published
18 hours agoon
February 17, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
LaLiga giants, Atletico Madrid are still interested in Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi.
Leicester City rejected offers for the Nigerian during the winter transfer window in order to fight for their survival in the Premier League.
According to Caught Offside, Atletico Madrid will move for Ndidi again at the end of the season.
Another Spanish club, Real Betis and Ligue 1 side, AS Monaco also have interest in the player.
Ndidi recently returned to action for Leicester City after spending around two months on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.
Ekwutosblog recalls, the 28-year-old joined Leicester City from Belgian Pro League outfit, KRC Genk in January 2016.
He signed a new three-year contract with the former Premier League champions last summer.
SportsNews
Martin will “definitely” race in MotoGP’s Thailand GP

Published
2 days agoon
February 16, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin is set to return to action in the Thailand Grand Prix after missing almost all of pre-season testing, Motorsport.com understands.
This Saturday marks one week since Aprilia’s new star rider was discharged by doctors following surgery on the right hand he broke at the start of the Sepang test.
Over the past week, the Spaniard has been resting at home, waiting for the fractures on his right hand and left foot (which did not require an operation) to heal.
Martin is expected to travel to Buriram later this month to contest the opening round of the season, scheduled on 28 February – 2 March.
“Jorge is doing well, progressing, and is planning to start training next week to be in better physical shape for Thailand,” said a person closer to the rider.
“He will definitely be at the first race, confirmed. Let’s see if he can prepare a little better physically before travelling. He has a medical appointment this [coming] week to check the progress of the fractures and determine if he can start training.”

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing
© Autosport.com
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
With less than two weeks remaining until the Thai race, and his medical check-up expected on Monday or Tuesday, Martin will have only six-seven days remaining to get physically ready for the new season.
Apart from his own progress, Martin is believed to be excited about Aprilia’s results in the Buriram test, where team-mate Marco Bezzecchi set the third-quickest time and also showed strong pace on long runs.
“The best thing about Jorge is that he wants to know everything. Obviously, he regrets not being able to attend the tests, but we’ve been in constant contact minute-by-minute,” said Pablo Bonora, Aprilia’s technical director.
“Most of all, he wants to know our feedback on the parts we’ve tested, and it’s very interesting to listen to him because he has incredible energy.
“What we’ve focused on most is making a more manageable bike, and a lot of the improvement comes from the new 2025 engine, which has given us great feedback.”
When asked whether Aprilia was closing in on Ducati, Bonora said: “No, no, I don’t talk about others. Let’s skip that question [laughs].”
In the absence of Martin, Aprilia turned to its test rider Lorenzo Savadori to grab valuable mileage it would have otherwise lost.
“We’re happy with the test; we were clearly working for Jorge, with whom we’ve been in constant contact,” explained Savadori. “He wants to know everything, he asks about everything, everything.
“We’ve been working on a set-up that will allow Jorge to quickly get on the bike when he’s back here, at this same Thai track.”
While Aprilia is pleased with Bezzecchi’s work in pre-season testing, it is eager for Martin to get back at work.
“We’re waiting for Jorge because we need his confirmation, that’s for sure. For the first races, we will give him the base set-up we found during the winter,” Bonora said.
“Right now, his medical recovery plan is completely under control, and his sensations are improving day by day, so we can’t wait to have him with us as soon as possible.
“We hope that in these first races, he’ll quickly find confidence with the bike.
“To be honest, we’ll consider the first four races (Thailand, Argentina, Austin, and Qatar) as a test for Jorge. He lost the opportunity to test in Sepang and Buriram, and in MotoGP, when you switch from one bike [Ducati] to another [Aprilia], you need to find confidence.
“It won’t be easy, but we’ll do everything we can to help him. We saw that Marco quickly found confidence in Buriram, and that gives us confidence that we can provide Jorge with a good bike.”
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SportsNews
FA Cup: 14 teams qualify for fifth round [Full list]

Published
1 week agoon
February 10, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Three more teams have qualified for the FA Cup fifth round following the completion of ties on Sunday.
In the first game, Wolves defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park.
Joao Gomes and Matheus Cunha scored within two first-half minutes, to seal the win for Victor Pereira’s side.
Plymouth recorded the shock result of the round, sending Premier League leaders, Liverpool out, with a narrow 1-0 win at Home Park.
Ryan Hardie stepped up eight minutes into the second half to drill home a penalty kick in emphatic fashion.
Aston Villa held on to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. The Midlands club had taken a two-goal lead, thanks to Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers. But new boy Mathys Tel pulled one back late in the game.
FULL LIST OF TEAMS IN FIFTH ROUND:
Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Cardiff City, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Manchester City, Manchester United, Millwall, Newcastle United, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Wolves

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