International Football
Video: How Super Eagles beat Liberia 2-0
Two strikes from the penalty spot earned Nigeria all three points against the Lone Star of Liberia at the Grand Stade de Tangier, Morocco on Saturday, and set up a tantalizing FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying Group C finale at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Tuesday.
Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks came back from a goal down at half time to surmount the Wild Beasts of Central African Republic 2-1 in a simultaneous encounter on the island of Mindelo, meaning the Eagles maintain their two-point cushion at the top of the pool and need only a draw on home soil on Tuesday to reach the potentially –explosive final round scheduled for March 2022.
The results in Tangier and Mindelo also meant Liberia and Central African Republic, who play in Tangier on Tuesday, are out of the running and all eyes will be on the game in Lagos to produce the group winner. Nigeria are on 12 points while Cape Verde are on 10.
Victor Osimhen took his tally in the qualifying series to three goals when he slammed home from six yards in the 14th minute, after strike partner Kelechi Iheanacho was scythed in the box as he proceeded to beat goalkeeper Wynney de Souza from a long pass.
Both teams spent much of the time sizing each other up, with the Super Eagles failing to seize on the momentum offered by the first goal to dominate and out-muzzle the ‘hosts’ in front of an empty arena. The Lone Star showed some sparkles and got behind the Eagles rearguard on two occasions only to be denied by an alert Maduka Okoye.
Workhorse Moses Simon toiled at the fore and at the rear throughout to keep the right side of the Super Eagles going. In the 28th minute, the Super Eagles thought they had scored a second when defender Jamilu Collins strung the ball past de Souza, only to be ruled off-side by Tunisian referee Youssef Essrayri.
Osimhen, energetic and vibrant, should have made it two for Nigeria minutes later, but shot into the sky with only de Souza to beat.
In the second half, both teams had chances to score but it was Nigeria that added to their tally in added time when Osimhen got behind de Souza after being sent through by Iheanacho, only to be upended by Souza.
It gave captain Ahmed Musa, who on the day became Nigeria’s senior caps’ record holder by playing his 102nd game, the opportunity to score from the spot.
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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