Author: Timi-Zacchaeus Oluwaferanmi

As the 35th Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco on 21 December, anticipation is building across the continent. With the final set for 18 January in Rabat, millions of fans are gearing up for a month of fierce competition, electrifying talent and rising stars hoping to etch their names into African football history. Morocco, hosting the tournament for the first time since 1988, enter with enormous expectations. The Atlas Lions haven’t lifted the trophy since 1976, and with home support behind them, the pressure is immense. Meanwhile, Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah arrives with a point to prove, looking…

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is preparing for crunch talks with Mohamed Salah on Friday as tensions between the club and their long-serving forward dominate the build-up to Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton at Anfield. With speculation mounting about Salah’s future and the forward set to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, this latest chapter has added significant strain to an already unsettled week for the Reds. The situation escalated after Liverpool’s 2–2 draw at Leeds, where Salah, speaking in the mixed zone, claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” and insisted he had “earned his…

The Football Association is under mounting pressure to intervene after supporters’ groups condemned the “scandalous” ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) and Football Supporters Europe (FSE) have jointly called for an immediate suspension of ticket sales while they seek urgent talks with Fifa. Fifa’s newly released pricing structure has sparked widespread anger among fans, particularly in England and Scotland, where loyal travelling supporters say they feel “stabbed in the back”. Prices for the tournament have soared to unprecedented levels, with even the cheapest tickets for marquee group…

Wayne Rooney has opened up about the darkest period of his early career, revealing he and his family received death threats after his move from Everton to Manchester United in 2004. The former England captain, now 39, spoke candidly on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show, describing the emotional turmoil that surrounded his £27m transfer at just 18 years old. Rooney’s switch from his boyhood club came after he rejected a record-breaking contract offer from Everton. The reaction from a section of the fanbase was immediate and severe. “I got death threats,” he said. “My parents’ house was getting spray…

Wilfried Nancy has been Celtic manager for barely a week, yet he already finds himself at the centre of a storm. Two games, two defeats, and a club jolted from the optimism that accompanied Martin O’Neill’s farewell just days earlier — this is the brutal reality Nancy has walked into as he prepares for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren. For Stephen Robinson, the St Mirren manager, the past week has undoubtedly offered encouragement. When O’Neill departed on a wave of gratitude, Celtic looked settled, stable, and assured. Now they appear shaken. Where O’Neill brought pragmatism and calm,…

Ivory Coast have announced their 26-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, marking the dramatic return of Wilfried Zaha while leaving out breakout 2023 star Simon Adingra in one of the headline decisions by head coach Emerse Fae. The Elephants, defending champions after their remarkable triumph on home soil two years ago, will head to Morocco with a blend of experience, Premier League presence and emerging talent. Zaha’s inclusion stands out most—his first call-up in nearly two years. The 33-year-old has rediscovered form this season with Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer while on loan from Turkish giants…

Barcelona returned to Champions League action at the newly reopened Spotify Camp Nou in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 thanks to a second-half brace from defender Jules Kounde. It was the club’s first Champions League match at their iconic home ground in more than three years, and their fourth consecutive victory there since reopening last month. The night began nervously for Hansi Flick’s side, who entered the fixture needing points to stay firmly in contention for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the last 16. Frankfurt, despite recent domestic struggles including a bruising 6–0…

Bayern Munich overturned a second-half deficit to claim a 3–1 victory over Sporting CP in the Champions League, with 17-year-old Lennart Karl once again at the heart of the comeback. The teenager, enjoying a breakthrough season of remarkable confidence and consistency, scored for the third consecutive Champions League match to help steer Bayern level on points with Arsenal at the top of the league phase. Sporting stunned the Allianz Arena shortly after the interval when Bayern’s own Joshua Kimmich inadvertently diverted Ivan Fresneda’s driven cross into his own net. It was a cruel moment for the midfielder, who had tracked…

Liverpool claimed a vital Champions League victory at the San Siro as Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty secured a 1-0 win over Inter Milan on a tense night overshadowed by off-field drama surrounding Mohamed Salah. Arne Slot’s side, bruised by a turbulent fortnight and a run of nine defeats in 12, delivered a dogged and disciplined performance to climb into the top eight of the league phase. Much of the pre-match narrative centred on Salah’s exclusion from the squad. The Egyptian forward remained in Liverpool after publicly accusing the club of having “thrown him under the bus”, adding to the scrutiny…

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has formally requested that FIFA cancel planned LGBTQ+ “Pride Match” celebrations set to take place during Egypt’s 2026 World Cup fixture against Iran in Seattle. The match, scheduled for 26 June at Lumen Field, falls during Seattle’s annual Pride celebrations and two days before the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a landmark event in LGBTQ+ rights history. Seattle’s local organising committee had previously announced that the match would include celebrations highlighting and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. However, these plans were made long before the World Cup draw or the identification of the teams that would…