Argentina forward, Lionel Messi, has been banned from their next four competitive internationals starting with Tuesday’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier away to Bolivia. FIFA, the world football governing body, said on Tuesday that Messi was banned for “directing insulting words at an assistant referee” during Argentina’s 1-0 win over Chile on Friday. FIFA said […]
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Nigeria’s women have moved up one place on the monthly FIFA world rankings to 34, retaining their place as the top-ranked African side. The rankings released on Friday showed Nigeria as having amassed 1613 points to maintain their status as African champions, with Ghana its nearest African side on the rankings at 45th. Cameroon, which […]
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World football governing body FIFA on Friday in Zurich said all of Mali’s football clubs have been suspended from international competitions, after the country’s government interfered in the national association. The football body took action after Mali’s sports minister, Housseini Amion Guindo, decided to replace the executive body of the Malian Football Association FEMAFOOT with a […]
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Former Argentina captain Diego Maradona has been handed an ambassadorial role by the game’s global governing body FIFA. “Now it’s official,” the 1986 World Cup winner said on his Facebook page on Thursday. “Finally I can fulfil one of the lifelong dreams; to work for a clean and transparent FIFA alongside people who really love […]
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The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has been appointed by the world football ruling body, FIFA, into its Organising Committee for Competitions. NFF’s spokesman Ademola Olajire disclosed this in a statement in Lagos. “Hitherto, the world body has different committees for organisation of its several competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, […]
Continue ReadingThe Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), on Monday upheld the six-year ban imposed on former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, for ethics violations, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Monday. CAS ruled that Blatter had authorised payments to Michel Platini, then the European football body’s president, worth over $2 million which amounted […]
Continue ReadingNigeria is now ranked 50th in the world, in the latest FIFA ranking of footballing nations. The new ranking released saw Nigeria jump 10 places to be placed 50th, from its 60th position in October. At 50th, Nigeria is tied with Burkina Faso, which has one of the significant movements, from 67th last October. Senegal […]
Continue ReadingA wolf named Zabivaka has been unveiled as the Official Mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. There could have been no better choice as the wolf’s name means “the one who scores” in Russian. The wolf is said to radiate fun, charm and confidence and was chosen by the Russian public via […]
Continue ReadingFive Nigerian male football referees have failed the FIFA Physical Fitness Test held at the main bowl of the National stadium Abuja on Saturday.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match officials are among the 16 ungraded FIFA referees invited by the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) for a possible upgrade. Seven male and […]
Continue ReadingRussian Sports Minister, Vitaly Mutko, has disclosed the country’s willingness to invite former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini to the 2018 World Cup finals. Messrs Blatter and Platini were banned by football governing body FIFA for eight years in December over a spate of corruption scandals under their watch. This offence, […]
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