International Football
Nigerian-born Balogun’s strike helps USA to Nations League title
Nigerian-born Arsenal player, Folarin Balogun scored his first goal for the United States as they clinched the CONCACAF Nations League with a 2-0 win over Canada at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal striker Balogun, making just his second appearance since switching his national team allegiance from England, grabbed the second goal for the US after Chris Richards had headed them in front in the 12th minute.
The US have won both of the Nations League tournaments held in the CONCACAF region and will now look for a regional double in the Gold Cup later this month.
Both goals were created by midfielder Gio Reyna, a player who found himself involved in the off-the field sagas surrounding head coach Gregg Berhalter, who was re-appointed on Friday.
Reyna’s perfectly floated corner was firmly headed in by Richards, who arrived at the back post with little close attention from the Canadian defence.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder then set up Balogun’s maiden goal for his new team, bursting out of midfield before slipping the ball through the defence and into the path of the striker who confidently drove home.
It was a natural striker’s finish, with Balogun taking the ball in his stride and drilling home first-time from an angle.
Balogun spent last season on loan from Arsenal to French Ligue 1 club Reims where hs scored 21 goals and while his club future remains uncertain, he looks set to be a firm part of the American squad heading into the 2026 World Cup which they will co-host with Canada and Mexico.
The New York-born forward, who moved to England when he was a two-year-old, was part of the England Under-21 team before switching to the US in May.
He made his debut in the 3-0 semi-final win over Mexico and on Sunday’s final he struck up a strong understanding with wingers Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic in what now looks a very promising U.S forward line.
“I’m just over the moon we were able to win tonight,” said Balogun.
“It’s going to take time to build relationships with my team-mates. I’m just delighted that (the goal) helped us to win this game. I’ve only been here a short time, but I feel like I’m part of something big And it’s a great feeling,” he added.
Despite their midfield being weakened by the absence of first choices Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, the Americans were dominant for large stretches.
Reyna had to go off at the interval with an ankle injury and the US looked less fluent without him but they showed plenty of spirit to neutralise Canada.
“We got the result tonight and we put in a top performance once again. We fought, we battled,” said captain Pulisic.
“It’s another step in the right direction. It’s just going to be about these knockout games come those big tournaments – Copa America, World Cup – when times get tough we’ve got to step up, score the goals when it counts and keep them out of our goal. We did a good job of that tonight,” he said.
The US, being led by interim coach B.J Callaghan ahead of Berhalter’s return to the team, gave few opportunities to a Canada team who remain without a trophy in 23 years.
The best chance for John Herdman’s team fell to Cyle Larin in the 67th minute but after his drive was blocked, he put his second attempt high over the bar.
Alphonso Davies, the Bayern Munich winger who is so often the danger man for Canada, was kept quiet for much of the game with the US doubling up their marking on him.
Davies’ chances only came in the final stages when some desperate blocks from the Americans kept him out.
Mexico claimed third place in the tournament after beating Panama 1-0 thanks to a fourth minute goal from Jesus Gallardo.
-AFP
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
NPFL at 36: Why Nigeria’s League Top Scorers Rarely Become Super Eagles Legends
NPFL at 36: Between Proud History and Lingering Questions Over Quality
Thirty-Six Years After Professionalism, NPFL Still Battles Old Challenges
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- Boxing1 week ago
Usyk backs Joshua to beat Fury ahead of heavyweight showdown
- World Cup4 days ago
FIFA Plans Three Opening Ceremonies in All Host Nations for 2026 World Cup
- World Cup3 days ago
United States Unveils Hollywood-Style FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony
- World Cup3 days ago
Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
- World Cup4 days ago
Burna Boy Joins Shakira for Official 2026 World Cup Song ‘Dai Dai’
- World Cup7 days ago
Despite 2026 Absence, Nigeria Still Leads Africa’s World Cup Winners’ Chart
- Nigerian Football4 days ago
Sporting Lagos Crowned 2026 NNL Champions After Dramatic Super Four Finale
- Premier League4 days ago
Man United’s Fernandes and City’s Shaw win FWA Footballer of the Year awards