Sports
Chelsea Sign Brazilian Joao Pedro From Brighton

Chelsea signed Brazil striker Joao Pedro from Brighton in a deal worth a reported £60 million ($79 million) on Wednesday.
Pedro jetted to the United States, where Chelsea are playing in the Club World Cup, on Sunday after the terms of his eight-year contract were agreed.
With the transfer now confirmed following a medical, Pedro is available to play for Enzo Maresca’s side in their Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
FIFA has given clubs involved in the Club World Cup knockout phase until July 3 to register new players for the tournament.
READ ALSO:FULL LIST: Nigeria, Host Nation In Group A Of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Draw
“Everyone knows this is a big club with a great history,” Pedro said.
“They had brilliant players in the past and have brilliant players now, so I am excited to join and you know when you are a Chelsea player you must think one thing – win.”
Pedro, who joined Brighton for £30 million from Watford two years ago, scored 30 goals in 70 appearances for the Seagulls and has been capped three times by Brazil.
The 23-year-old missed Brighton’s final two matches of the season after being dropped due to a training ground altercation with team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke.
READ ALSO:FULL LIST: Nigeria, Host Nation In Group A Of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Draw
Pedro is the fourth player Chelsea have signed from Brighton in recent years after Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea, who qualified for next season’s Champions League, have already splashed out on striker Liam Delap, midfielder Dario Essugo and defender Mamadou Sarr since the end of last term.
Brazilian rising star Estevao Willian, 18, will join the Blues after his Club World Cup campaign with Palmeiras.
Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens could also be a Chelsea player soon after a deal worth up to a reported 65 million euros ($76 million) was agreed for the 20-year-old on Saturday.
AFP
Sports
Flying Eagles Arrive Chile’s Talca For FIFA U20 World Cup Campaign

The Flying Eagles arrived in the Chilean city of Talca on Thursday afternoon ahead of their participation in the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.
Nigeria is placed in Group F alongside Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia, with all group matches scheduled to be played in Talca.
Upon arrival, the two-time U20 World Cup finalists were warmly received by officials from FIFA, the Local Organising Committee, and hotel staff.
The team later held its first training session in the evening to begin final preparations for the tournament.
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According to The PUNCH, the Head coach of Nigeria’s U-20 national team, Ali Zubair, said the Flying Eagles have corrected the mistakes that cost them at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and are now better prepared for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The Flying Eagles are lodged at Hotel Diego de Almagro in Talca. The team wrapped up a 12-day training camp in Santiago, where they played host nation Chile and Australia as part of the build-up to the FIFA U20 World Cup.
Nigeria opens its campaign for honours in this year’s edition with a game against Norway on Monday, 29th September at Estadio Fiscal de Talca, before other games against Saudi Arabia and Colombia.
READ ALSO:Christian Chukwu’s 1980 Green Eagles Teammate, Charles Bassey, Is Dead
Nigeria’s national under-20 men’s football team is one of the most successful youth teams in Africa. The team has a rich history in the FIFA U20 World Cup, having participated in multiple editions since its debut in 1983.
Notably, the Flying Eagles have been runners-up twice — in 1989 (losing to Portugal) and 2005 (losing to Argentina, led by Lionel Messi).
They have also reached the semifinals on several occasions and are known for producing future Super Eagles stars such as Mikel Obi, Taye Taiwo, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Victor Osimhen.
Sports
FULL LIST: Nigerian Boxer Efe Ajagba Breaks Into World’s Top 10 Heavyweights

Nigerian heavyweight boxer Efe Ajagba has been ranked among the top 10 fighters in the world by The Ring magazine.
In its latest rankings updated on Thursday, Ajagba secured the No. 10 spot in the prestigious list, widely regarded as the sport’s most respected independent ratings.
The 30-year-old, who holds a professional record of 20 wins, one loss, and one draw with 14 knockouts, joins an elite lineup.
READ ALSO:Two Japanese Boxers Die From Brain Injuries At Same Event
The heavyweight division is currently led by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the champion’s position, with Britain’s Tyson Fury ranked first among contenders.
New Zealand’s Joseph Parker and Germany’s Agit Kabayel occupy the top three positions.
Ajagba’s inclusion comes after a string of impressive performances that have reignited his world title ambitions.
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His most recent victory solidified his status as one of the leading contenders from Africa in the heavyweight division.
The Ring magazine, founded in 1922, updates its ratings monthly based on results, performance, and track record, with input from boxing journalists and historians worldwide.
The development makes Ajagba the only Nigerian currently ranked in the heavyweight top 10.
Below is the full updated heavyweight ranking by The Ring:
Sports
SWAN Orders Nationwide Boycott Of NFF Activities

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, has announced a nationwide boycott of all activities related to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, including the Federation’s upcoming Annual General Assembly, AGA, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The directive, issued on Wednesday by the leadership of the association, follows what SWAN described as the NFF’s “deliberate and persistent exclusion” of the Association from the Congress, the Federation’s highest decision-making body.
In a statement jointly signed by the SWAN President, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, and the Secretary-General, Ambassador Ikenna Okonkwo, the Association condemned the NFF’s actions as “unacceptable, retrogressive, and an affront to the sporting media’s role in national football development.”
“The media is a critical tripod in the growth of sports globally. SWAN, as the professional body coordinating sports journalism in Nigeria, has consistently engaged with the NFF on the need to restore our rightful place in its Congress. Yet, while the Federation claims to be expanding its Congress, it continues to sideline us—a move that is both short-sighted and detrimental to Nigerian football,” the statement read.
READ ALSO:Edo SWAN Felicitates Deputy Governor On Birth Anniversary
SWAN accused the NFF leadership of adopting a divisive approach to football administration, warning that the continued decline in the nation’s football fortunes is a reflection of ongoing maladministration.
“Despite enormous financial and institutional support from the Federal Government, state governments, and private sponsors, Nigeria’s football continues to nosedive.
“It is time to put a decisive end to this dangerous trend. Nigeria cannot afford to watch its most cherished sport deteriorate under avoidable circumstances,” the statement read.
Effective immediately, all SWAN members across the country are instructed to cease coverage and promotion of any NFF-related activity.
READ ALSO:WAFCON: Ihezuo Strikes Late As Nigeria Edge Botswana To Reach Quarter-finals
“A task force will be set up to ensure strict enforcement of this directive. Simultaneously, the Association will begin a thorough investigation and public exposure of the maladministration and backward practices now synonymous with the Federation’s operations practices that have contributed to Nigeria’s repeated World Cup qualification failures,” the statement added.
SWAN reaffirmed its position as a critical stakeholder in Nigerian football and vowed to resist any attempt to marginalize the sporting media.
“The exclusion of SWAN from the NFF Congress is no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated. We stand resolute in defending the integrity and rightful role of the sporting media in the Nigerian football ecosystem,” the statement concluded.
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