Saudi Club Al-Hilal Lures Victor Osimhen

Al-Hilal have made a contract offer to in-demand striker Victor Osimhen. The forward, lit up the Super Lig at Galatasaray last season, scoring 25 goals and providing five assists in 29 games for the Turkish giants. Osimhen, who has previously been discussed by Manchester United and Chelsea, is currently on loan from Napoli and is set to return to the Italian club this summer, where his contract expires in 2026. The 26-year-old scored 31 goals in all competitions as he fired Napoli to a first Serie A title in 33 years in the 2022-23 season, and has since been rated as one of Europe’s elite frontmen. However, he was forced to desperately search for a new club in last summer’s transfer window after Napoli boss Antonio Conte signed Romelu Lukaku and left Osimhen out of his squad. Despite reports of a potential move to Chelsea and a host of Saudi sides, no move permanent move materialised. Last summer, Chelsea legends John Obi Mikel and Didier Drogba reached out to the forward to try and talk him into a Stamford Bridge switch. ‘I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority,’ said Mikel. ‘But it seems like he loves the club and wants to come to Chelsea. I’m sure he has all the big clubs wanting to sign him. I think if we can secure his signature it would be fantastic for the club. ‘Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his own ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club. If it happens, it happens. It’s a huge transfer fee, but if we can match it and get him to the club that would be absolutely fantastic.’

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Chelsea Signs Delap From Ipswich Town

Chelsea have completed the signing of striker Liam Delap from Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old arrives at Stamford Bridge on a six-year deal following an impressive Premier League campaign in which he finished as Ipswich’s top scorer with 12 goals and two assists from 37 appearances. “I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach,” Delap told Chelsea’s official website. “It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies.” Delap will add to the existing forward options available to head coach Enzo Maresca, including Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu, Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja. The transfer means Delap is reunited with Maresca, who worked with him at Manchester City’s Academy. Ahead of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Ipswich in December 2024, Maresca praised the young striker, describing him as a “fantastic player.” “We spent one year [at City] and he scored 24 goals,” Maresca added. “He’s working hard off the ball. On the ball, he understands the game. He can be an important player for England.” Delap will also reconnect with two former team-mates from City’s Academy, Romeo Lavia and Cole Palmer. Delap joined Derby County’s Academy at the age of six and he spent a decade there before moving to Man City in 2019. He signed for Ipswich from City in July 2024, quickly establishing himself as a key player in their first season back in the Premier League. One of Delap’s standout performances came against Chelsea at Portman Road where, he scored a penalty and provided an assist for Omari Hutchinson in what proved to be Ipswich’s only home league win of the campaign. Internationally, Delap has represented England at Under-21 level, scoring on his debut in a 3–0 win over Luxembourg in a 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier. He also remains eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland at senior level.

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Basketball: Rivers Hoopers To Face US Monastir In BAL Season 5 Seeding Game

2024 Basketball Africa League [BAL] bronze-medallists Rivers Hoopers will face Union Sportive Monastirienne at the placement tie on Saturday, June 7, ahead of the quarter-finals in Pretoria, South Africa. According to the Playoffs Team Ranking, the six-time Nigerian League Champions who sealed consecutive Playoffs appearances by finishing second in the Kalahari Conference with a 4-2 mark, were ranked fourth overall on the rankings. While nine-time Tunisian champions, US Monastir who topped the Sahara Conference standings, were ranked third overall. Both teams finished with identical records for four wins and two losses from their respective conferences. This will be the fifth meeting between Rivers Hoopers and US Monastir in BAL history, with the previous four meetings evenly split at two wins apiece. En route to finishing third at BAL Season 4, Rivers Hoopers and US Monastir met three times; twice in the Sahara Conference where both teams won one game each, before the KingsMen knocked out the 2022 champions in an electrifying quarter-final showdown. Monastir had earlier beaten Rivers Hoopers in their first ever meeting during the Group phase of the inaugural BAL season. The fifth installment of what has grown to be one of the oldest and fiercest BAL rivalries is billed to take place on Saturday, 7th June, 2025. Meanwhile, top two teams from each of the three conferences (Sahara, Nile, and Kalahari) qualified for the playoffs, along with the top two third-place teams across the three conferences. In the Basketball Africa League (BAL), seeding games are played before the playoffs to determine the playoff bracket matchups and seeding for the single-elimination playoffs. The placement ties will feature the following matchups:1st – 2nd seed: Al Ahli vs Al Ittihad3rd – 4th seed: US Monastir vs Rivers Hoopers5th – 6th seed: Petro de Luanda vs APR7th – 8th seed: Kriol Star vs FUS Rabat The outcome of these matches will determine the final seeding for the quarter-finals. The BAL Season 5 Playoffs will run from 6th-14th June, 2025, starting with the seeding games on Friday, 6th June. All games will be played at the SunBet Arena, Pretoria, South Africa.

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FIFA U-17 World Cup: Nigeria Draws Canada, France and Samoa

Nigeria’s Flamingoes have been drawn in Group D with Canada, France and newcomer Samoa at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. The expanded 24-country competition, up from 16 teams, runs Oct. 17 to Nov. 8 in Rabat. It will mark the first time an African country has hosted the women’s U-17 tournament. Nigeria is making its African-record eighth trip to the tournament, finishing third in 2022 and reaching the quarterfinals on four other occasions. France, which qualified by reaching the UEFA semifinals in qualifying play, won the U-17 World Cup in 2012 but has only qualified twice since. Samoa is making its first-ever appearance at a FIFA championship. Canada’s women are also headed to their eighth U-17 World Cup, missing out only in 2024 when CONCACAF only sent two teams to the FIFA championship, with the federation’s Dominican Republic hosting the tournament. Canada finished third in qualifying after losing 2-1 to Mexico after extra time in the semifinal. The U.S. also qualified, finished third at the 2024 FIFA tournament. Canada’s best showing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup was fourth in 2018. It made the quarterfinals in 2008, 2012 and 2014. FIFA U1-7 Women’s World Cup Draw Group A: Brazil, Costa Rica, Italy, Morocco Group B: Cameroon, North Korea, Mexico, Netherlands. Group C: China, Ecuador, Norway, U.S. Group D: Canada, France, Nigeria, Samoa. Group E: Colombia, Ivory Coast, South Korea, Spain. Group F: Japan, New Zealand, Paraguay, Zambia.

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Nigerian Boxing Legend Obisia Nwankpa Is Dead

Obisia Nwankpa, the iconic boxer and former national coach fondly known as “Golden Gloves,” is dead. He passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, 3 June, at the age of 75. President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C,) Dr. Rafiu Ladipo told PREMIUM TIMES that the late boxer is deserving of a place in the country’s Sports Hall of Fame. According to Ladipo, Obisia’s death is another big loss to the Boxing fraternity in Nigeria and beyond. “This is another big blow for us… Obisia deserves to be immortalised in this country because he gave his all to boxing,” Ladipo stated. While reports suggest Obisia’s body has since been moved to a mortuary pending when further details on funeral arrangements will be disclosed, Ladipo assured that the NBB of C will be glad to work withthe family and offer support in the best way possible. “The family has not gotten across to us, but if they get across to us, we will do what is expected of us,” Ladipo assured.

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NFF Commends Gov Abiodun on Monetary Gifts to Falcons, Lionesses

The Nigeria Football Federation has given kudos to His Excellency, Governor Adedapo Abiodun of Ogun State for showering players and officials of the senior women national teams of Nigeria and Cameroon with monetary gifts following the two teams’ international friendly match in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Tuesday. Nine-time African champions Nigeria swept past the Lionesses in the encounter with a brace by captain Rasheedat Ajibade, in the 28th minute from the penalty spot and in added time of the first half from a flowing team move that saw Rinsola Babajide find her illustrious leader in the opposition’s eighteen-yard box. After the match, a delighted Governor Abiodun showered the Super Falcons with the sum of N20 million, while gifting the visitors the sum of N10 million. NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, praised the Ogun State number one man for the gesture, remarking that such incentives constitute gestures of encouragement that propel athletes in various sports to give their very best and perform better in subsequent outings. “The NFF expresses sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Governor Abiodun for the monetary gifts to the Super Falcons and the Indomitable Lionesses. His gesture is an act of kindness and magnanimity that will never be forgotten. “The financial incentive has been well-received by the team and I believe this is an added psychological boost apart from the victory over the Cameroonians in the match. The NFF will do everything it can to ensure the players and their officials have their pre-WAFCON final camping programme in a very conducive environment.” Nigeria will play in group B of the 12-team Women Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, 5th – 26th July, alongside Tunisia, Botswana and Algeria. The Super Falcons will play all their matches in Casablanca, starting with the Tunisians on 6th July, before Botswana on 10th July and Algeria on 13th July.

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Rivers Hoopers’ Odaudu Set Priorities Ahead Of BAL Playoffs

Rivers Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu has announced that the team has made additions to its squad to address defensive issues ahead of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs in Pretoria, South Africa. According to Odaudu, the team’s defensive problems were a major concern after finishing the Kalahari Conference with two losses to Al Ittihad Alexandria. To address this issue, the team has brought in Ahmed Doumbia, a defensive-minded players from the French League and Chingka Garba a Nigerian who plays in Rwanda. “We wanted to address that [defensive problems], so we wanted to bring someone who will address that issue,” Odaudu said. When asked about the addition of Ahmed Doumbia and Garba Chingka, Odaudu replied: “We needed to address the deficiency in defence. “Of course, Ahmed plays in the French League. [He is] very defensive minded and, of course, he is a beast on the offense. We needed someone to assist Kelvin [Amayo] in defensive duties in the back court, so we brought him [Doumbia] here.” Preparation has been all plain sailing for Odaudu, with Nigeria forward Chingka joining the fold to stack up the quality of the team. “Also, we brought in another player, Odaudu said. “We were almost playing Peter [[Olisemeka] to the ground. We needed someone who could do that, too that was why we brought in Garba Chingka. The KingsMen will face US Monastir in the seeding game on Saturday, June 7, a side they had played four times previously and won as much as they had lost (twice).

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UEFA Nations League Semi-Finals to Air Live on GOtv

The UEFA Nations League semi-finals will hold this week, with Germany facing Portugal and Spain playing against France. Both matches will air this Wednesday and Thursday respectively at 8:00pm and will be broadcast live on SS Football (Ch. 61) on GOtv. Germany’s journey to the semi-finals has been one of tactical discipline and attacking flair. Under the youthful and energetic leadership of coach Julian Nagelsmann, the Germans topped their group with ease, showcasing dominance on both ends of the pitch. Germany secured a 2-1 victory in Italy in the quarter finals first leg and in the second leg, a thrilling 3-3 draw at home ensured a 5-4 aggregate win for Germany. Under coach Julian Nagelsmann, the team has blended experienced players with emerging talents like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. With the semi-final being played on home turf, Germany will look to ride the momentum and the energy of their fans as they aim for their first Nations League title. Portugal, champions of the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019, have once again proven they are made for knockout football. Managed by Roberto Martínez, the Portuguese side had to dig deep in the quarter-finals, overturning a tricky first-leg result against Denmark to win 5-3 on aggregate after extra time. Germany has had the upper hand in recent meetings with Portugal, winning their last five matchups. However, both teams come into this game in strong form, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Meanwhile, Spain and France will go head-to-head in the other semi-final match on Thursday. Spain, known for their slick passing and possession based football, breezed through the group stage and edged past Netherlands in the quarter-finals. They will be banking on the brilliance of Pedri, Ferran Torres and Álvaro Morata to take on the French side. France boasts an array of exciting talent at the heart of their campaign. Their quarter-final win over Croatia on penalties was a tactical masterclass, setting up a mouthwatering clash with Spain for a spot in the final. The winners of the semi-finals will meet in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday, June 8. The two losing teams will play in the third-place playoff, also scheduled for the same weekend.

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