The sports world is buzzing! This week debates about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)’s pedigree raged on, and Liverpool took a giant step to winning the Premier League title.
Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri also suffered a huge blow earlier in the week.
First 11, takes you through the biggest sports stories that made headlines in the last seven days!
AFCON Under Scrutiny
Let’s kick off from the home front where debates about the AFCON dominated the headlines.
It all began when a former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher claimed that Mohamed Salah’s inability to win a major competition – World Cup, Euros, or Copa America – puts the Egyptian at a disadvantage in the Ballon d’Or race.
Salah who features for Liverpool has led the Merseyside’s charge for the Premier League, Champions League, and the League Cup. Despite his form, Carragher argued that the player stands no chance of landing one of football’s most coveted prizes owing to a lack of laurel on the international scene.
He dismissed the AFCON as a major tournament. But that comment triggered what would later be one of the most intense debates in the football world. Several African players and former continental footballers came for the Englishman’s head in their defense of Africa’s most celebrated football competition.
Liverpool: EPL Champions-Elect?
The debates about the AFCON owed partly to Liverpool’s form in the English Premier League. The Reds are inches away from securing the title. They took a bold step to making that possible after beating Newcastle 2-0 in a league tie on Wednesday, a win that sent them 13 points ahead in the race with just 10 matches to go – although they have played a game more.
Salah is driving that league title charge. He has netted 25 goals this season in the EPL. The former Chelsea star also has 17 assists. Can he win the Ballon d’Or this year?
D’Tigers’ Afrobasket Berth
You can’t have AfroBasket without NIGERIA!
Qualified once again!! We’re going to Angola! pic.twitter.com/vuKs66nJZM
— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) February 23, 2025
In the basketball court, Nigeria’s D’Tigers qualified for the Afrobasket tournament. They were on the brink of missing out on the competition for the first time in 32 after a poor performance in the last qualification window. But in the last run of qualifiers, they defeated hosts Libya, Uganda, and Cape Verde to seal a spot for the competition set to be held later this year.
No Sixth Star: Quadri Halted
It was yet another banger in Omar and Aruna’s long-standing rivalry. pic.twitter.com/R39dRvkLN3
— ITTF-Africa (@ITTFAfrica) February 27, 2025
As the D’Tigers secured the ticket for the event, it was a sour story for Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri who lost the Africa Cup final to Egypt’s Omar Assar. He was beaten 4-3, stopping him from securing a sixth title. Quadri, however, will take solace in that reaching the semi-final means he will be part of those playing at the 225 ITTF World Cup in China.
A Super Bowl Winner’s Homage
Following his Superbowl triumph, Nigeria-born NFL star Moro Ojomo paid homage to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Ojomo made history as part of the Philadelphia Eagles team that won the Super Bowl LIX.
Tinubu told the 23-year-old of Nigeria’s pride in him having displayed the national flag after the Super Bowl victory.
“With the kind of focus that you have, you can mentor many youths and develop our culture,” The Nigerian leader said.
F1 Engines To Roar In Africa?
Three decades after Formula One engines last roared on African tarmac, South Africa is mounting a bid to organise a new Grand Prix and bring the world championship back to the continent.
The competition to host the high-octane spectacle is between two tracks: a street circuit in Cape Town and the less picturesque but historic Kyalami race track outside of Johannesburg. The last grand prix on African soil was held in 1993, the year before South Africa’s first democratic elections that ended apartheid. It was won by Alain Prost in a Williams.
South Africa’s bid to host F1 can count on the support of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who has long advocated for an African Grand Prix. Rwanda is also gunning for the hosting rights. But their F1 bid could though be hampered by its involvement in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rusty Medals
Over 200 damaged Paris Olympics and Paralympics medals to be replaced
The mint in France responsible for producing medals for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics has received 220 requests to replace ones won at the Games.
Some athletes have complained their medals have been discoloured or chipped, sometimes within weeks of the Games ending last year. The mint, the Monnaie de Paris, said the replacement medals would be identical to the originals but a protective varnish would be added to increase their durability.
Hoopers ‘BALling’ Opponents
We have been drawn in the Kalahari Conference
FUS Rabat
Al Ittihad
Stade Malien
Rivers HoopersMark your calendars April 5-13 in Rabat, Morocco #TheBAL#BAL5 #TheKingsMen pic.twitter.com/Zk1X6R0lUq
— Rivers Hoopers (@RiversHoopers) February 28, 2025
Meanwhile, Rivers Hoopers have been drawn in the Kalahari Conference of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the 2025 season.
The Nigerian side were the bronze medalist in last season’s competition. Rivers Hoopers will battle it out against FUS Rabat of Morocco, Egypt’s Al Ittihad, and Stade Malien of Mali for honours this season. The season will run from April 5 to 13 in Morocco.
Duplantis Ascension To New Heights
In pole vault, Swedish Olympic champion Armand Duplantis broke his world record on Friday at the All-Star Pole Vault in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and then promoted another type of record. After securing victory in the competition by clearing a bar at 6.07m, Duplantis then aimed for the world record, raising the bar to 6.27 metres and clearing it on the first attempt.
Mourinho’s Touchline Troubles
Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho was handed a four-match ban and fined more than 40,000 euros by the Turkish football federation on Thursday for comments he made after an explosive Istanbul derby against Galatasaray.
After Monday’s game ended in a 0-0 stalemate, the 62-year-old Mourinho said the home bench had been “jumping like monkeys”. He also reportedly repeated his criticism of Turkish referees. Fenerbahce said that Mourinho’s comments were taken out of context.
On Thursday the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) disciplinary council handed down a two-match suspension for his comments against the fourth referee and two additional matches for his blast at the Galatasaray bench.
David’s Double Dose
In football, European football’s governing body UEFA has banned disgraced ex-Premier League referee David Coote from any officiating activity until June 2026. Coote, 42, was sacked by Premier League Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) in December after a video emerged showing him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club’s former manager Jurgen Klopp.
NPFL Battle Royale
Returning home to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), there are matches this weekend across the country.
The following games are lined up in the NPFL:
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Sunshine Stars v Kwara United
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Abia Warriors v Nasarawa United
Kano Pillars v Rangers
Bayelsa United v Bendel Insurance
Niger Tornadoes v Enyimba
Remo Stars v Plateau United
Monday, March 3, 2025
El-Kanemi Warriors v Lobi stars
Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) v Rivers United
Akwa United v Katsina United
First 11 is a weekly recap of some of the biggest and most interesting sports stories for the week.
