Sports

Jose Peseiro resigns as Super Eagles coach

Published

2 months ago

March 1, 2024

Portuguese coach, Jose Peseiro, has resigned from his position as the head coach of the Nigerian football national team, Super Eagles, three weeks after guiding the Eagles to the final of the 2023 African Cup of Nations where Nigeria lost 2-1 to host Ivory Coast.

After weeks of speculations on whether the Nigerian Football Federation would extend his contract, Peseiro pulled the plug on Friday by announcing his departure in a statement on his X account.

The 63-year-old thus ends a fractious tenure as coach of the Eagles as he was not fully accepted and appreciated by a section of Nigerian football fans, especially the sporting media due to a string of poor results and a not too convincing playing style.

During his tenure, Peseiro was also vilified for his preference of foreign based players as against giving the players playing in the Nigerian league.

Shortly after the AFCON where pulled a surprise by changing his tactics and leading the Eagles to the final with some sterling brand of defensive and attacking football, Peseiro became a subject of diverse debate with many Nigerians clamouring for an extension of his contract.

There were also rumours that the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) had contacted Peseiro and was ready to hand him a contract to coach their national team following the resignation of Djamel Behmadi.

However, the rumour died down with the FAF naming former Switzerland coach, Vladimir Petkovic, as the new coach of the Desert Foxes.

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Sports

Al Ahly, Esperance to clash in CAF Champions League final

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Two of Africa’s club giants, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunisia, will do battle next month over two legs for the right to be crowned champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Title-holders Al Ahly and their long-standing rivals Esperance both booked their places in the final with dramatic semi-final victories over DR Congo”s TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa respectively on Friday night.

While Al Ahly, winners of five of the last seven editions of the continent’s top draw tournament, with a record 11 in total, overcame TP Mazembe with a 3-0 aggregate victory in the semi-final second leg after a goalless first leg last Saturday, Esperance surprised Sundowns with a 1-0 victory in Pretoria to wrap up a 2-0 aggregate win.

The two-legged final will mark the third encounter between Ahly and Esperance in the Champions League final, with the Egyptians winning in 2012 and the Tunisians triumphing in 2018.

In 2023, the two clubs clashed in the semi-finals with Ahly emerging victorious home and away, securing a 4-0 aggregate triumph.

Esperance who are aiming for a fifth Champions League title, will host the first leg in Rades on May 18, with the return fixture scheduled in Cairo seven days later.

Sports

Former Zambian captain Rainford Kalaba discharged from hospital after near-fatal accident

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Former Zambian national team captain, Rainford Kalaba, has been discharged from hospital weeks after he was involved in a near-fatal accident where he sustained serious injuries.

The accident which involved a head-on collision between a Mercedes-Benz car in which Kalaba was in, and a truck, had initially sparked fears for his life and has since been in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zambian University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

The good news on the footballer’s progress was released by the UTH Public Relations Officer, Nzeba Chanda, who informed that the Chipolopolo legend has been discharged after showing positive signs of recovery.

“Mr. Rainford Kalaba has been discharged from the UTH-Adult where he was admitted after being involved in a road traffic accident two weeks ago,” Chanda said, adding that Kalaba will continue his recovery at his family home.

According to local media reports, the 37-year-old was a passenger in a Mercedes Benz when it collided with an oncoming truck in the south-eastern Zambian town of Kafue a week and five days ago.

In his active playing days, Kalaba spent the majority of his club career at TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, winning the CAF Champions League with the club in 2015 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2016.

He also had a spell with clubsides in Portugal including FC Braga, and was a major part of the Zambian squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 under Frenchman, Herve Renard.