Sports
NSF: Edo Expresses Readiness To Host S’South Zonal Elimination For Ball Games Sunday

Edo State is set to host states in the South South region in the Eight Ball Games zonal elimination ahead of the National Sports Festival billed for Ogun state in May this year.
The Eight Ball Games zonal elimination competition is scheduled to begin on Sunday, February 23 and end on Friday, February 28 in Benin.
The Executive chairman, Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, expressed the state’s readiness to play host to the rest participating states in the zone.
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According to the Edo State Sports Commission boss, “everything is already in place to ensure a hitch free elimination games in Benin.
“Edo is known for its hospitality, and we are home for sports.The facilities in the designated centres, including the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in the state are in good shape. So, we are ready as usual,” Enabulele emphasized.
Teams from Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states are expected to arrive in Benin on Sunday, February 23.
READ Edo Sports Commission Boss, Enabulele, Inducted Into Cricket Family
The eight ball games for male and female include Football, Abula, Handball, Cricket, Basketball, Beach volleyball and Volleyball.
The Competition is in Round Robin Format; whereby teams will be playing each other once.
The top teams from the round-robin stage will advance to the knockout stage, leading to semifinals and finals.
The winners and runners-up of each sport will qualify to represent the South-South zone at the National Sports Festival. scheduled to hold in Ogun State from May 16th to 30th, 2025.
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.
Sports
I Don’t Hate Ronaldo, Messi Is A Better Player – Wayne Rooney

Former England striker, Wayne Rooney, has insisted he does not hate Al Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, he insisted that Lionel Messi is a better footballer.
Rooney and Ronaldo were at United together between 2004 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League.
READ ALSO:Messi Ruled Out Of Miami’s MLS Clash With Orlando
“I absolutely love Messi, love watching him play and that was the only reason because I think Messi had a little bit more in terms of how he played and taking players on and whatever,” Rooney said.
“Ronaldo’s a killer and people think because I’ve said Messi is better than Ronaldo, I don’t like him or speak down on him.”
Rooney played in the United team that lost two Champions League finals against Messi’s Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.
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