Sports Archives - Freedom Online

Osimhen reclaims crown as Nigeria’s ‘King of the Pitch’

Kunle Mudasiru — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:20:05 +0000

Galatasaray FC of Türkiye forward, Victor Osimhen, on Tuesday reclaimed his crown as Nigeria’s ‘King of the Pitch’ after surrendering it to his Super Eagles teammate, Ademola Lookman, in the 2025 edition. Osimhen emerged winner of the ‘King of the Pitch’ award, while Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, was crowned ‘Queen of the Pitch’. The […]

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UEFA Champions League: Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool, Man City in dicey draw

Freedom Online — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:43:07 +0000

Arsenal host Real Madrid, Aston Villa play holders Paris Saint-Germain, while Manchester United will mark their Champions League return against Bayern Munich as the league phase draw was revealed in Thursday. Premier League champions Arsenal, runners-up to PSG last season, will also visit Bayern Munich, host Borussia Dortmund and travel to Napoli in their campaign. […]

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NPFL Gets $7.5m Boost as Euromatch Becomes League Title Sponsor

Robert Imoh — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:10:16 +0000

European sports entertainment company Euromatch has announced a $7.5 million investment to sponsor the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) over a three-year period. The partnership, which will see Euromatch provide $2.5 million annually, was unveiled during a ceremony in Abuja where the company was officially introduced as the title sponsor of the league. Group Chairman […]

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WAFCON: Algeria defeat Morocco on penalties to win bronze

Freedom Online — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 06:40:27 +0000

Algeria secured the bronze medal at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after beating hosts Morocco 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the third-place match. Morocco took the lead through Kautar Azraf, whose first-half goal gave the Atlas Lionesses a 1-0 advantage at the break. Morocco appeared to have doubled their […]

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What makes football academies like La Masia and Ajax so successful?

Freedom Reporter — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:20:42 +0000

There are few sights in football more revealing than a teenager stepping onto a great stadium pitch and looking entirely at home. The shirt may be oversized, the opponent intimidating and the occasion unforgiving, yet the player behaves as though he has been there before. At Barcelona and Ajax, that feeling is rarely an accident. […]

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Messi’s father, Jorge, dies at 68

Kunle Mudasiru — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:09:13 +0000

Lionel Messi has lost his father, Jorge Messi, who reportedly died in Rosario, Argentina, at the age of 68 after a prolonged illness. Jorge, who served as his son’s representative for many years, was a major figure during the early stages of the Argentine superstar’s career and helped guide several important decisions that shaped his […]

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FFE: Infantino’s proposal to sell chunks of World Cup to private investors collapses

Freedom Online — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:04:29 +0000

*UEFA, others step up search for candidates to run against FIFA President in 2027 Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell chunks of the World Cup to private investors has sensationally collapsed, with the FIFA president admitting the project “has created divisions of a nature that are no longer in the interest of the objective”, amid widespread […]

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Italian football legend, Franco Baresi, dies at 66

Kunle Mudasiru — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:41:03 +0000

Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, with AC Milan saying their former captain’s “example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s DNA”. Baresi spent his entire 20-year playing career with the club from 1977 until he retired in 1997, winning six Serie A titles and three European Cups/Champions Leagues. Regarded […]

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Joshua dedicates comeback victory to late friends, eyes Fury showdown

Kunle Mudasiru — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 19:36:24 +0000

Nigerian-British born heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has dedicated his victory over Kristian Prenga to his late friends and trainers, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, after overcoming knockdowns to secure a second-round knockout win. The bout watched online, marked Joshua’s first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December claimed the lives of Ghami, […]

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Guardiola turns down Italy manager job

Kunle Mudasiru — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:15:01 +0000

Pep Guardiola has turned down the chance to coach the Italian national side. Earlier this week, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago said talks had been held with Guardiola, who left Manchester City this summer after 10 years, and that “exceptions” could be made for his salary. On Thursday, FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini […]

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2026 Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria begins medal haul

Kunle Mudasiru — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:08:06 +0000

Team Nigeria has opened its medal account at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, with Paralympic champion Roland Ezuruike powering to a silver medal in the Men’s Lightweight Para Powerlifting competition at the SEC Armadillo. Ezuruike lifted an impressive 153.9kg, matching the effort of England’s Mark Swan, who was awarded the gold medal on countback, while […]

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Iheanacho to earn £23,000 per week

Kunle Mudasiru — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:02:31 +0000

Kelechi Iheanacho has revealed reasons behind turning his back on the prospect of playing in the UEFA league with Celtic. He says he “asked my agent to make sure he does everything possible to make sure I come to Bursaspor” despite being offered a new contract by Celtic. The 29-year-old Nigerian striker had signed a […]

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FIFA World Cup 2026 statistics: Spain $50m, Argentina $33m, England $29m; 48 teams share $655m

Kunle Mudasiru — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:22:10 +0000

*First time France conceded six goals in 118 years *Mbappe records 22 goals to top all-time highest scorer chat Spain, the champions, earned $50m in prize money, while runner-up Argentina received $33m. England secured $29 million by beating France 6-4 in Saturday’s third-place match, while France will receive $27 million for finishing fourth. FIFA says […]

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: Spain outclass Argentina 1-0 to lift second title, sweep awards; Messi weeps

Kunle Mudasiru — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 23:48:04 +0000

Ferran Torres’ goal in the 106th minute delivered Spain its second World Cup title on Sunday in a win over Argentina that was tense but one-sided. The shot was Spain’s 12th on goal, all while defending champion Argentina had produced zero. Yet for how often Spain peppered Argentina’s defence with shots, its brilliant goalkeeper Emiliano […]

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FIFA World Cup Final: Shakira, Burna Boy, Ghetto Kids Prepare Halftime Show

Robert Imoh — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:56:27 +0000

Colombian music star Shakira, Grammy-winning Nigerian Afrobeats artiste Burna Boy and Uganda’s Ghetto Kids have begun rehearsals for their performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The artistes are expected to perform during the tournament’s final halftime show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States. Videos circulating on social media showed Shakira and […]

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