The sporting world witnessed the unusual, exciting, shocking, and saddening this week. Fans across the world experienced a mixed bag of emotions, depending on which side they fell on.
In football, attention shifted to the Spanish Copa del Rey, the U-17 AFCON, and actions in the CAF Confederation Cup and Champions League. But the week had one of the saddest stories in boxing, this time involving a Nigerian.
These and more are all stacked up in this week’s edition of First 11, the recap of some of the most talked-about headlines in the sporting world!
Boxer Slumps
Charity, they say, begins at home, but this time, it is not good news, especially for Nigerians and boxing fans. The week began on a sad note for the sporting tribe with the shocking death of boxer Segun ‘Success’ Olanrewaju.
The Nigerian slumped during a boxing bout with Jon Mbanugu at Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League at Bukom Boxing Arena.
A video of the former National and West African light-heavyweight champion boxer slumping onto the ring went viral on social media, throwing fans and well-wishers into mourning. An autopsy is being conducted in the wake of the tragic incident. May his soul rest in peace!
Arsenal’s Setback
Heading to the football pitch! Arsenal suffered a major setback ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid after a hamstring injury ruled out defender Gabriel Magalhaes for the season.
The 27-year-old Brazilian has been a major stay in the heart of Arsenal’s defence this season, but will now require surgery on the hamstring injury he suffered during the club’s 2-1 Premier League win against Fulham on Tuesday. The Gunners will host Real Madrid in the opening leg of the clash at the Emirates next week Tuesday before the return game the following week.
Real Madrid Get Breather
Real Madrid, however, received a major boost ahead of the showdown after the trio of Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, and Dani Ceballos escaped a ban for violating “basic rules of decent conduct” during their Champions League last 16 second-leg win over Atletico Madrid. France forward Mbappe was fined 30,000 euros ($33,000), German defender Rudiger got a 40,000-euro fine, and midfielder Ceballos was fined 20,000 euros.
Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior was not punished after UEFA opened an investigation targeting the four players last week.
An El Clásico Showdown
Earlier, the Spanish giants defeated Real Sociedad in a thrilling 5-4 win to book a showdown with Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey.
The El Clásico final will take place later in the month in Seville as Carlo Ancelotti’s men continue their chase of a sextuplet this campaign.
Super Eagles Fly Higher
In Africa, the Super Eagles moved up the global ladder in the latest rankings released by the football world governing body, FIFA. Coach Eric Chelle’s charges moved up to 43rd, despite drawing one and winning one game in the last batch of World Cup qualifiers.
However, Nigeria slipped one place on the continental scene, placing 6th in Africa.
Niger Delta’s Best In Uyo
Still in Nigeria, the town of Uyo in Akwa Ibom came alive this week as the inaugural Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) was opened on Wednesday.
It was an exhilarating exhibition of beauty, enchantment and the wealth of cultural diversity in the Niger Delta region at the Uyo Township Stadium during the opening ceremony.
U-17 AFCON: Africa’s Starlets Converge
Age-grade football also got the fans’ attention in Africa this week. That’s thanks to the U-17 AFCON, which kicked off on Wednesday in Morocco. More matches are expected this weekend in the 16-nation tournament. However, Nigeria is not part of the competition, which serves as a qualifier for the U-17 FIFA World Cup.
Haaland’s Setback, De Bruyne’s Farewell To Man City
In the Premier League, Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club at the end of the season.
De Bruyne, 33, has won 14 major trophies since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023.
The development came after Erling Haaland was ruled out of action for up to seven weeks with an ankle injury. The prolific 24-year-old Norwegian was injured in Sunday’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win at Bournemouth. Having just scored his 30th goal of the season to level the tie, he was hurt in a challenge with Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook. However, City said they expected the forward would be fit in time to play before the end of the season, including the FIFA Club World Cup.
Müller: An Icon’s Exit
Talking about more goodbyes, Bayern Munich’s icon, Thomas Müller, will leave the Bavarians at the end of the season after a 25-year stint with his childhood club. Müller scooped 33 titles with the German club and leaves following a mutual understanding with Bayern.
64-Team World Cup: A ‘Bad Idea’?
Still on football, but this time with the UEFA president, Aleksander Čeferin, who says a 64-team expansion for the FIFA World Cup would be “a bad idea” for the 2030 tournament.
The 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will already see the format increase from 32 teams to 48. However, the head of the Uruguayan Football Federation, Ignacio Alonso, suggested expanding the tournament at the last FIFA Council meeting in March. However, that suggestion is not going well with Ceferin.
Feisty Battle for Continental Glory
Lastly, actions were taken in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup within the week—the last eight competitions.
The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals saw things get feisty between Mamelodi Sundowns and ES Tunis following fans’ violence, which broke out in the game. The South Africans won the encounter 1-0.
Al-Hilal S.C. lost 1-0 away to Ah Ahly of Egypt, MC Algiers succumbed by the same margin to Orlando Pirates. Pyramids smashed AS Far 4-1 in the other match in the last eight. The Confederation Cup saw two narrow wins and two draws. RSB Berkane piped ASEC one-nil; Al Masry beat Simba 2-0; CS Constantine and USM Alger ended 1-1. Stellenbosch and Egyptian giants Zamalek produced no goals.
The return leg of matches in the competitions gets underway next week! First 11 will also return next week!
Have a ‘sporting’ weekend ahead!
