Trendbrio.com

News and Entertainment Update

Live
World
US Offers $10 Million Reward For Information On Iran’s New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei 01
02
News
Shi’ite Group Stages Pro-Palestine Quds Day Protest In Bauchi, Backs Iran Amid Rising Tensions
03
News
Dangote Refinery Raises Petrol Ex-Depot Price To ₦1,175 Per Litre
04
News
NDPC Warns Content Creators Over Filming Nigerians Without Consent For Social Media Content
05
Soccer
Sports
Pep Guardiola Wins Barclays Manager Of The Month For February, 12th Career Honor

Category: Soccer

Eric Chelle Claims DR Congo Used “Voodoo” During Penalty Shootout That Eliminated Nigeria From 2026 World Cup

Wale busari02 mins

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has alleged that the Democratic Republic of Congo used “voodoo” during the penalty shootout that knocked Nigeria out of the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff final in Morocco. Chelle spoke to reporters on Sunday after Nigeria’s 1–1 draw with DR Congo, which went to penalties. Nigeria took an early lead in the third minute through Frank Onyeka’s deflected strike, but Meschak Elia equalized later in the first half. With neither team scoring in extra time, DR Congo clinched victory in the shootout. Tensions flared after Chancel Mbemba converted the decisive penalty, prompting Chelle to storm the DR Congo technical area and confront staff, including head coach Sébastien Desabre, before being restrained by Nigerian officials. Desabre later downplayed the incident, describing it as “not an issue.” Chelle, however, maintained that members of the Congolese bench engaged in ritualistic actions during the penalties. “During all the penalty sessions, the guy from Congo did some voodoo,” Chelle said. “Every time, so this is why I was a little nervous after him.” Asked to clarify, he added: “Yeah, something like, I don’t know if it’s water or something like that [he was spraying it up].” The loss continues Nigeria’s World Cup struggles. The Super Eagles also missed the 2022 tournament, marking the first time they have failed to qualify for consecutive World Cups since their debut in 1994.

Read More

Victor Osimhen and Rasheedat Ajibade Among Finalists For 2025 CAF Player of the Year Awards

Wale busari03 mins

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Rasheedat Ajibade have been named among the finalists for the 2025 CAF Player of the Year awards, with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and Bayelsa Queens forward Shakirat Moshood also earning recognition in their respective categories. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the final shortlist on Sunday ahead of the gala ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, in Rabat, Morocco. The awards honour the continent’s top performers for the period between January 6 and October 15, 2025. On the men’s side, Osimhen, who has been in impressive form at Galatasaray, joins Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain as finalists for the CAF African Player of the Year award. Osimhen’s inclusion continues Nigeria’s strong presence in the men’s category, following Ademola Lookman in 2024 and Osimhen himself in 2023. In the Women’s Player of the Year category, Rasheedat Ajibade, who played a pivotal role for Paris Saint-Germain and led the Super Falcons to their 10th WAFCON title, is shortlisted alongside Morocco’s Ghizlaine Chebbak of Al Hilal and Sanaa Mssoudy of AS FAR. CAF praised the finalists for their exceptional performances for both club and country throughout the season. The 2025 CAF Awards will celebrate individual excellence as well as the achievements of clubs and national teams, shining a spotlight on players and coaches who have made a significant impact on African football over the past year. Nigeria’s strong representation across multiple categories underscores the country’s growing influence and the depth of its talent on the continental stage.

Read More

Nigeria Crash Out Of 2026 World Cup Race After Penalty Defeat To DR Congo

Wale busari02 mins

Nigeria’s bid to return to the World Cup stage has ended in heartbreak after a tense playoff defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rabat brought their 2026 campaign to a close. The Super Eagles, who had hoped to bounce back after failing to qualify in 2022, were pushed to the limit in a gritty battle that stretched into a penalty shootout. DR Congo held their nerve when it mattered most, edging Nigeria and sealing the West African giants’ elimination from the qualifiers. The loss means Nigeria will miss the World Cup for a second consecutive edition, a rare setback for a nation that had reached six of the previous seven tournaments. While Nigeria’s journey ends, DR Congo’s remarkable run continues. The Leopards have advanced to the inter-confederation playoff, where six teams will compete for the final two tickets to the 2026 World Cup. Their surge has been described as a Cinderella story, with the team now just one step away from returning to the global stage for the first time since 1974, when they qualified as Zaire for the tournament in West Germany.

Read More

World Cup Playoff Final: Chelle Unleashes Osimhen, Lookman on DR Congo

Fola Badmus01 mins

  By BUNMI OGUNYALE   Super Eagles manager, Eric Chelle has named the duo of Ademola Lookman and red-hot striker Victor Osimhen to the lead team’s assault in tonight’s 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff against DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco. Both players are expected to bring their experience to bear as the immediate past and the current African Footballers of the Year against the Congolese. Stanley Nwabali retained his place in goal and he will get cover from Benjamin Fredrick, Saidu Sanusi, Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey. Stand-in Captain Wilfred Ndidi will marshal the midfield along with Frank Onyeka, Samuel Chukwueze and Alex Iwobi. The substitutes for tonight’s tie are; Maduka Okoye, William Troost-Ekong, Chidera Ejuke, Akor Adams, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Tolulope Arokodare, Bruno Onyemaechi, Alhassan Abdullahi, Amas Obasogie, Adike and Chidozie Awaziem. The tie is slated to kick off at 8pm Nigeria time.

Read More

World Cup Playoff: Ndidi Eligible for DR Congo Showdown

Fola Badmus01 mins

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has stated that Super Eagles Stand-in Captain, Wilfred Ndidi is eligible for 2026 FIFA World Cup Playoff final against DR Congo on Sunday. Super Eagles twitter handle confirmed the development on her page on Saturday. “CAF has confirmed that Wilfred Ndidi is eligible to feature for the Super Eagles in Sunday’s playoff clash against DR Congo. “Cautions accumulated during the World Cup qualifiers do not carry over into the playoffs; only confirmed suspensions apply,” Super Eagles twitter tweeted.

Read More

NWFL Launches Mandatory Digital Registration and Licensing Portal for 2025/26 Premiership Season

Fola Badmus03 mins

The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has launched a compulsory digital portal for player registration and club licensing ahead of the 2025/26 season. The initiative was announced in a statement issued on Friday, November 14, by the league’s Media Director, Samuel Ahmadu, as part of ongoing efforts to modernise administrative processes and strengthen regulatory compliance across the league. Confirming the development, Chief Operating Officer Modupe Shabi said the digital platform represents a significant advancement in the NWFL’s governance standards. “This platform is designed to eliminate manual delays, minimise documentation errors, and provide real-time oversight of all registration activities. It is an important step toward making the NWFL more efficient and globally competitive,” she said. Shabi noted that the portal’s verification features will play a critical role in reducing common infractions such as age falsification, dual registration, and irregular player movement. “The system gives the league the ability to authenticate submitted documents instantly. It strengthens integrity, ensures accountability, and aligns us with international best practices,” she added. The NWFL COO also disclosed that the initiative received strong endorsement from club representatives during the recent Congress in Port Harcourt, where stakeholders approved the digital migration as essential to improving organisational efficiency and strengthening league structures. Under the updated NWFL Registration and Club Licensing Regulations, all clubs are required to complete their player registration exclusively through the new portal from November 14 to 21, 2025. Required documentation includes national identification, passport photographs, verified age records, academic credentials, medical fitness reports, and digitally signed player contracts. Licensing submissions also mandate coaching licences, stadium certification, audited financial statements, ownership documents, and evidence of youth development structures. According to the NWFL secretariat, the digital portal is also a strategic tool to enhance the marketability of the league by improving transparency, data integrity, and administrative professionalism, key requirements for attracting sponsors, commercial partners, and international collaborations.  

Read More

World Cup Play-off Final: Ekong says Eagles Will Be Up to Leopards’ Challenge

Wale busari05 mins

Nigeria’s captain William Ekong has admitted that the Leopards of Democratic Republic of Congo will be a mountain to climb in Sunday’s Final of the FIFA World Cup Africa Playoff Tournament, but assured that the Super Eagles have the ammunition to prevail at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay El Hassan. Both countries, who share five African titles between them, clash in a high-stakes game that will produce Africa’s representative at the Intercontinental Playoffs for two more slots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. That tournament will take place in Mexico in four months. “There is no doubt that the Congolese will be a big challenge. They got here because they are tough and ambitious, and also want to go to the World Cup. “However, we have a large group of players here, 24 of them, out of which only about four of us have been to the World Cup (in 2018). There is that adrenalin flowing in their system to go to the World Cup and I see it as a big motivation for us to conquer on Sunday.” Ekong, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi and Chidozie Awaziem are the only members of the present squad who were part of the squad to Russia 2018. Coach Éric Chelle’s ensemble must beware of a number of predators in the Congo squad, including Spain-based Cédric Bakambu, France-based Nathaniel Mbuku, former Russia U21 star Theo Bongonda and Pyramid of Egypt’s Fiston Mayele. English Premiership’s Noah Sadiki and Spain-based Charles Pickel are to hold in midfield, while the attack-minded Aaron Wan-Bissaka leads a compact defence that also includes captain Chancel Mbemba, who is looking forward to his 101st cap. Chelle has all his 24 players available for selection, including Iwobi who will be winning his 91st cap and Simon Moses who will collect his 87th, and Ekong said on Saturday afternoon that the entire group is focused on emerging victorious on Sunday evening. “We would have preferred to have taken the automatic ticket but it didn’t work out. Now, we are here and we have a second chance and we do not intend to bungle it.” Sunday’s match will kick off at 8pm. SUPER EAGLES, LEOPARDS IN HISTORY 13 Dec 1969: DR Congo 5-0 Nigeria (Friendly: Kinshasa) 01 March 1976: DR Congo 2-4 Nigeria (AFCON finals: Dire Dawa) 19 Jan 1992: DR Congo 0-1 Nigeria (AFCON finals: Ziguinchor) 02 Apr 1994: DR Congo 0-2 Nigeria (AFCON finals: Tunis) 03 Mar 2010: Nigeria 5-0 DR Congo (Friendly: Abuja) 08 Oct 2015: DR Congo 2-0 Nigeria (Friendly: Visé) 27 May 2018: Nigeria 1-1 DR Congo (Friendly: Port Harcourt) . Between 1971-1997, DR Congo was known as Zaire ÉRIC SÉKOU CHELLE’S SUPER EAGLES DIARY 21 Mar 2025: Rwanda 0-2 Nigeria (FIFA World Cup Q: Kigali) 25 Mar 2025: Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe (FIFA World Cup Q: Uyo) 28 May 2025: Nigeria 2-1 Ghana (Unity Cup: London) 31 May 2025: Jamaica 2-2 Nigeria (Unity Cup: London) . Nigeria win 5-4 on penalties to retain the trophy 06 Jun 2025: Russia 1-1 Nigeria (Friendly: Moscow) 06 Sep 2025: Nigeria 1-0 Rwanda (FIFA World Cup Q: Uyo) 09 Sep 2025: South Africa 1-1 Nigeria (FIFA World Cup Q: Bloemfontein) 10 Oct 2025: Lesotho 1-2 Nigeria (FIFA World Cup Q: Polokwane) 14 Oct 2025: Nigeria 4-0 Bénin Republic (FIFA World Cup Q: Uyo) 13 Nov 2025: Gabon 1-4 Nigeria (FIFA World Cup Playoff: Rabat)

Read More

Wahid Enitan Oshodi Re-Elected as ITTF Executive Vice President

Wale busari03 mins

Nigeria’s Wahid Enitan Oshodi has been re-elected as Executive Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) during the continuation of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held online on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Additionally, Olabanji Oladapo, the former Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), has been confirmed as a member of the ITTF Council following the ratification of the Council Members. Oshodi, who also serves as President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), secured his re-election in the first round of voting contested by 15 candidates worldwide. He emerged among the top seven, alongside representatives from the United States, China, Turkey, Australia, Ecuador, Romania, and Jordan. Of the three African candidates; Oshodi, Egypt’s Alaa Meshref, and South Africa’s Hajera Kajee, Oshodi was the only one elected to the eight-member Vice President team. Oshodi and China’s Liu Guoliang are the only returning members from the outgoing executive board, while six newly elected officials will join the board for the first time. Oshodi will serve another four-year term (2025–2029) alongside ITTF President Petra Sörling, continuing to champion Africa’s representation at the global level. A seasoned sports administrator, legal practitioner, and civil engineer, Oshodi has held several leadership roles in Nigerian and African sports. He served as Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports, and Social Development from 2011, organising the 2012 National Sports Festival and overseeing infrastructure development. As President of the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation from 2013, he promoted youth development and international competitiveness, hosting ITTF Challenger tournaments. Oshodi’s rise in continental leadership began in 2016 when he was elected Vice President of ITTF Africa (Western Region). He became Deputy President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) in 2021 and was elected President in 2024, with a focus on expanding access and participation in table tennis across Africa. With his re-election, Oshodi will continue to play a pivotal role in advancing the sport globally while strengthening Africa’s presence within the ITTF.

Read More