Sports

Like Super Falcons, Tinubu gifts each D’Tigress player $100k

Published

2 months ago

Tinubu gives D’Tigress $100,000 each, flats, national honour

President Bola Tinubu has celebrated Nigeria’s national women’s basketball team, known as D’Tigress, with a generous reward package.

This includes $100,000 for each player and $50,000 for every member of the 11-man coaching and technical staff, according to a report from The Punch. Additionally, all team members and staff will receive a three-bedroom flat at the Renewed Hope Estate.

Moreover, the President bestowed upon the players and their coaching crew the esteemed national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger. This announcement was made by Vice President Kashim Shettima during a presidential reception held in their honor at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.

The victorious D’Tigress, along with their officials, were warmly welcomed by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and the Vice President’s wife, Nana Shettima, at the New Banquet Hall in the Presidential Villa at 5:05 PM. Representing President Bola Tinubu, Shettima received the team to acknowledge their remarkable achievement.

Also present at the reception were Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports Development, Garba Maidoki; and Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Kabiru Amadou. The D’Tigress arrived home after winning their historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, defeating Mali 78–64 in the final held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. This victory marks their seventh overall championship, solidifying their dominance in African women’s basketball.

Tinubu also rewarded all team members and staff with a three-bedroom flat at the Renewed Hope Estate.

In addition, the President conferred on the players and their technical crew the prestigious national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger.

This was announced by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the presidential reception in their honour at the State House Banquet hall, Abuja.

The triumphant D’Tigress alongside their officials, were warmly welcomed by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, supported by the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, at the New Banquet Hall in the Presidential Villa at 5:05 pm.

On behalf of President Bola Tinubu, Shettima received the team in recognition of their outstanding achievement.

Also in attendance at the reception were Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports Development, Garba Maidoki; and Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Kabiru Amadou.

The D’Tigress arrived after clinching their historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, outplaying Mali 78–64 in the final held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

This win marks their seventh overall championship, reinforcing their supremacy in African women’s basketball.

The ceremony at the Presidential Villa mirrors a similar reception President Tinubu hosted a week earlier for the national female football team, the Super Falcons, who recently secured their tenth WAFCON title in Rabat, Morocco.

Tinubu’s remarks, delivered by Shettima at the reception noted, “Beyond being ambassadors of our nation and symbols of excellence, you have reminded us all of the power of sports to unite a diverse nation. Your victory is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together. You have brought home not just a trophy, but valuable lessons for all Nigerians.

“It is a great honour, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, to welcome our formidable D’Tigress to the State House. Once again, you are continental champions and now the top African team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup pre-qualifying tournament. You conquered Africa with a score of 78 to 64—showcasing not just tactical skill, but remarkable determination and resilience. The entire nation stands behind you with pride and support.

“My dear daughters, you faced challenges bravely, especially in the final quarter, responding not with panic but with poise. When you wore the green and white, it was more than just a uniform—you wore it with purpose, and now you wear the crown of African basketball for the fifth consecutive time.”

The President hailed Rena Wakama’s strength and inspiring young girls in the country.

“Coach Rena Wakama, you embody the evolution of leadership in Nigerian sports. Your quiet strength and remarkable achievements have shattered ceilings and inspired countless young girls across Nigeria. You truly deserve your accolades as the best coach in Africa and beyond.

“To Amy Okonkwo, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and Ezinne Kalu, the top scorer in the final, your brilliance lifted the whole team, but most importantly, you played for Nigeria and made us all proud.

“Let us reflect on one profound truth: Nigerian women have never failed the nation in sports. From the Super Falcons on the world stage, to record-breakers on the track, and now a basketball dynasty, our women have consistently been a source of pride and have proven that where preparation meets opportunity, Nigerian excellence prevails.”

Tinubu said the administration is prioritizing sports as a crucial driver of national development and economic growth, viewing it as more than entertainment but also infrastructure, education, diplomacy, and a tool for youth employment and transformation.

He also recognised the National Sports Commission, led by Mallam Alabi, for its efforts in athlete welfare, institutional reform, grassroots support, and performance-driven development, with visible positive results.

“Special appreciation goes to the National Sports Commission, under Mallam Alabi, for renewed focus on athlete welfare, institutional reform, grassroots support, and performance-based development. The results are evident, and we are proud of you. The Nigerian Basketball Federation, led by Malam Ahmadu Musa Kida, also deserves recognition for consistent team development and dedication to Nigeria’s sporting glory.

“Our government will ensure that D’Tigress, their technical team, and sports leadership in Nigeria are appropriately recognized and rewarded. You have made us proud, and we will stand by you as you prepare for the global stage.

“To all Nigerian youth, let the story of D’Tigress inspire you. Greatness stems from hard work, discipline, and belief. Nigeria belongs to those who dare to dream and are willing to give their all to realize those dreams.

“D’Tigress: you are champions, role models, pathfinders, and true daughters of this land. It is my honor and privilege, on behalf of President Tinubu, to announce national honors for the team, coach, and technical staff; $100,000 for each player; $50,000 for the coach and technical team; and more rewards to come.

“This is true leadership—recognizing and rewarding those who have excelled for our nation. May God bless you all, may God bless Nigerian sports, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he concluded.

Sports

BREAKING: 5 Sure Betting Odds To Win Today (SEE TEAMS TO PLAY)

Published

4 days ago

David Moore, News Editor

As the UEFA Champions League season intensifies, elite football clubs are fiercely competing for the coveted trophy.

Recent matches have been filled with surprising upsets that have left fans astonished and speculating about future outcomes. Football enthusiasts, particularly those who enjoy betting on games, are closely analyzing the most promising fixtures.

Our team of football analysts has meticulously identified several matchups that present excellent wagering opportunities for today’s Champions League games.

With insights drawn from team form, player conditions, and historical performance, we aim to provide valuable recommendations that betting fans will find hard to resist.

See teams below 👇

Arsenal VS Olympiacos = Home Win
Barcelona VS PSG = Home Win Or Draw, 1x
Bayern Leverkusen VS PSV = Over 1.5
Dortmund VS Atletic Bilbao = Home Win
Napoli VS Sporting = Over 2.5 Yellow Card
Villarreal VS Juventus = Over 2.5 Yellow Card
Union Gilloise VS Newcastle United = Over 7.5 Corners

Sports

Mbappe Makes Fresh History As Real Madrid Beats Kairat 5-0

Published

4 days ago

David Moore, News Editor

Real Madrid emphatically defeated Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Despite being huge underdogs, Kairat Almaty almost took a shocking lead inside the first 15 seconds of the match.

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe made more UEFA Champions League history on Tuesday, using a hat trick to become just the seventh player in tournament history to score 60 goals.

The 26-year-old Mbappe joins Ruud van Nistelrooy on 60 goals and trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, and Raul.

The most successful team in the history of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, made a rare trip to southeastern Kazakhstan for the win, as Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz also scored in the win.

Real improve to 2-0-0 with a plus-6 goal differential as they bid to cruise through this season’s league phase. Kairat fall to 0-0-2 with a minus-8 goal differential.

Sports

Mourinho: How Avram Grant Destroyed Chelsea – New Details On Why Special One QUIT Stamford Bridge Emerges

Published

4 days ago

David Moore, News Editor

Chelsea’s former chief executive Peter Kenyon has opened up on Jose Mourinho’s first departure from Stamford Bridge amid the club’s period of unprecedented success – as ‘the Special One’ prepares to return to west London.

Mourinho was appointed on the heels of Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the Premier League side in 2003, joining the following summer from Champions League winners Porto.

The Portuguese head coach immediately made an impact in the English media with his introductory press conference, referring to himself as ‘a top manager’ and ‘a special one’ – gifting journalists his new moniker.

Mourinho quickly proved his worth, securing back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004-05 and 2006-07, as well as two League Cups and one FA Cup.

But ahead of his third season in the capital, relations began to sour within the club’s hierarchy – with Mourinho taking particular issue with the appointment of Avram Grant as a director at Chelsea.

In a new interview with Telegraph Sport, Kenyon admitted that Grant’s move into the tight-knit set-up was a ‘problem’, and even dubbed it ‘a mistake’ in light of events that followed.

‘Jose used to describe us as a “Holy Trinity”, Roman, him and myself, and we sat down, we discussed things and we got it done,’ Kenyon explained. ‘Each one of us knew our place.

‘You introduce a third party and that changes the dynamic. And that exacerbated this distance that had started between Roman and him, and the outcome – because of what he is – that just made it more and more uncomfortable for everybody.’

Discussing how Mourinho had come to leave the club in September 2007, Kenyon shared that the decision had been made so quickly, it almost caught him off-guard.

The trio had been preparing to attend a premiere for behind-the-scenes film about the club, with Kenyon and Mourinho set to meet at health club near Stamford Bridge beforehand.

‘I was there early and Jose came in and said straight away “Pete, can you get me out?” I said “it’s a three-line whip, everybody’s going”, and he said “no, out the club”,’ Kenyon recalled.

“We had a chat about it and it was quite obvious that he wanted to go there and then. Now, I also knew the other side and Roman wanted him to go, we’d reached that point. So I said “go to the film premiere, come back here and I will have sorted it all by then”. Which we did.

‘He went to the film premiere and he came back and I said “it’s all sorted, that’s the deal”. It was honouring everything we had talked about. That side of it got dealt with easily.’

Grant later stepped in as the new manager in Mourinho’s place, but Kenyon revealed that the players had been far from happy about the changing of the guard.

‘That was one of the hardest conversations I’ve had,’ Kenyon continued. ‘Telling the players that a) Jose’s gone and b) that Avram’s taking over.

‘I don’t think I’ve seen as many football stars go ashen all at the same time. They were dumbstruck. There were two people in tears, people you wouldn’t think were capable of crying. There was a general feeling like we’d popped a balloon.

‘It disrupted us for a period. It didn’t stop us because the team kept going. We got to the Champions League final and that was about the team, not Avram. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I’m being honest. I’m really confident that had Jose been there, we’d have won the Champions League final in 2008.’

Mourinho would later return to Chelsea for a second stint in 2013, winning another Premier League title the following season, and one more League Cup.

As such, the 62-year-old remains a venerated figure at Stamford Bridge, despite his move to rivals including Real Madrid and Manchester United – and his second exit.

But Blues fans are unlikely to hope he has a happy return to west London with his new club Benfica, with the hosts keen to restart their Champions League campaign after a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in their opening tie.

Sports

SAD Day In South Africa as FIFA Removes Three Points From Bafana Bafana

Published

5 days ago

David Moore, News Editor

Tension and distress have risen among football fans across South Africa following a significant decision made by the sport’s governing body regarding their hopes of participating in the 2026 World Cup. FIFA has faced criticism for neglecting complaints after South Africa fielded an ineligible player during World Cup qualifiers. Click link to continue reading.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for its violation, specifically for playing Teboho Mokoena in a match against Lesotho on March 21, 2025, as part of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition.

This breach violates Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.

As a result, FIFA has declared that South Africa forfeits the match, with a final score of 3-0 in favor of Lesotho. Additionally, SAFA has been fined CHF 10,000, and Teboho Mokoena has received a warning.
All parties involved have been informed of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision.

According to the relevant provisions of the Disciplinary Code, they have ten days to request a motivated decision. If such a request is made, the decision will be published on legal.fifa.com. The forfeiture decision is also subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

Sports

BREAKING: Man United Sack Ruben Amorim? Fact Emerges

Published

5 days ago

David Moore, News Editor

Tension is mounting at Manchester United’s Old Trafford following a disappointing performance by the team over the weekend.

The Red Devils find themselves in 14th place in the Premier League standings, indicating the possibility of another challenging season for their supporters. Click link to continue reading.

Their most recent defeat came against Brentford, a side that has also faced difficulties this season. As a result, there is increasing pressure on manager Amorim to turn the team’s fortunes around.

Amorim is under pressure after a disappointing start to the season, and Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive GIVEMESPORT newsletter, has suggested that he’s not 100% safe for now, with the Manchester club considering the whole situation.

Amorim arrived during the 2024/2025 campaign, and he was given time to turn things around, with INEOS patiently waiting for the Portuguese coach to have a full pre-season and transfer window. Unfortunately for them, he’s not delivered so far this season, but it’s still early days, and they’ll be hoping he can eventually get a tune out of his squad.

Writing in his exclusive GIVEMESPORT newsletter, Romano has confirmed that there and no movements in terms of relieving Amorim of his duties, but he’s not 100% safe for now. The respected journalist says that the club is considering the whole situation, but there is nothing concrete as it stands…

“No movements on that now. We will see in the next weeks but nothing concrete into it now. For sure, he’s not 100% safe and the club is considering the whole situation.”

BBC reporter Simon Stone recently confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is backing Amorim to turn things around as it stands, but it will be interesting to see what happens if the poor results continue. An international break is just around the corner, which is usually an ideal time to change the manager, and the Red Devils face Premier League champions Liverpool in a few weeks time.

United’s next game is a home fixture against newly promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford, who have impressed in the early stages of the campaign. After the international break, they take the short trip to Liverpool, before hosting Brighton to finish off October.

Whether Amorim will last that long remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt he needs to start producing results, with fans already growing frustrated with their disappointing performances during his tenure.

Sports

Counterfeit Kickoff: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting FIFA 2026 Before the First Whistle

Published

1 week ago

David Moore, News Editor

A Check Point Research report reveals the early infrastructure behind a global fraud campaign targeting the world’s most-watched sporting event

As the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, threat actors are already on the field, building digital infrastructure designed to exploit fan excitement, disrupt ticketing, and siphon revenue from one of the world’s largest sporting events.

New research from Check Point Research, the threat intelligence arm of Check Point® Software Technologies, reveals a coordinated campaign to establish thousands of fake domains, botnets, and phishing tools, all masquerading as legitimate FIFA and host city assets.

This isn’t speculation. The campaign has already begun.

The Early Play: Fraud Infrastructure in Motion

Since August 1, 2025, Check Point has identified more than 4,300 newly registered domains spoofing FIFA, “World Cup,” or tournament host cities like Dallas, Miami, Toronto, and Mexico City. These registrations are not organic, they come in synchronised waves, often using identical DNS infrastructure, and are tightly clustered across a handful of bulk-friendly registrars like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Dynadot, and Gname.

Worryingly, many of these domains are designed for long-term use, including references to FIFA 2030 and 2034. This “domain aging” strategy allows fraudsters to build passive credibility over time, a tactic often seen in targeted brand abuse.

Real-Time Risk: Presale Phishing Incoming

FIFA’s first ticketing phase is already underway. Fans who entered the early presale draw (Sept. 9–19) will be notified of their results on September 29, with ticket purchases opening for selected users on October 1.

This window presents an ideal opportunity for fraud.

Threat actors are expected to flood inboxes and search engines with phishing emails, spoofed ticket confirmations, and fake queue portals, all timed to coincide with real FIFA communications. The likelihood of success increases when urgency is high, and expectations are real.

“What we’re seeing isn’t isolated cybercrime. Its infrastructure being built, at scale, to exploit global interest before the World Cup even kicks off,” said Amit Weigman,

Evangelist at Check Point Software Technologies. “Threat actors are not waiting for 2026. They are matching their timeline to FIFA’s.”

What Check Point Research Found

4,300+ FIFA-related domains registered in less than 60 days, with peak activity between August 8–12 and again in early September.
Registrar concentration across GoDaddy, Namecheap, Gname, and Dynadot enables bulk automation and rapid deployment.
Linguistic targeting splits by audience: English for streaming, Spanish and Portuguese for ticketing and merchandise, French for European markets.
Top-level domains include .com, .shop, .store, .online, and .football — often chosen for low cost and low friction.
DNS overlaps suggest centralised control by small numbers of semi-professional operators using scripted fraud kits.
Telegram channels and dark-web forums are already promoting fake tickets, counterfeit gear, and payment fraud toolkits.

Ticketing Disruption & Botnet Abuse

Beyond simple scams, Check Point uncovered evidence of systemic attacks designed to destabilise FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure.

Botnets are being trained to flood pre-sale queues, scoop up high-demand inventory, and manipulate dynamic pricing models. On underground markets, customised toolkits and proxy farms are being sold with FIFA-specific instructions, an echo of tactics used to disrupt major ticketing platforms like Ticketmaster.

The Bigger Threat Landscape

Fans face exposure to phishing, financial fraud, and malware through fake ticket sites and livestreaming scams.
FIFA and sponsors face brand abuse, lost traffic, and counterfeit commerce.
Host cities and venues may see travelers targeted with geo-specific scams tied to accommodation, transport, or hospitality.
The internet ecosystem, including ad networks, registrars, and messaging platforms, risks becoming a distribution layer for fraud.