Sports
Nigerian Stars To Watch At The Paris Olympics
The Olympics is a big deal for Nigerian sports. The country’s first major sports medal came at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where Nojeem Maiyegun won a bronze medal in the men’s light middleweight boxing category.
Nigeria’s greatest football achievement to date came at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, where the Dream Team shocked the football world by defeating Brazil and Argentina en route to winning the gold medal. Chioma Ajunwa also clinched a gold medal in the female long jump event in Atlanta to become the first and only individual athlete in Nigeria to win an Olympic gold medal.
The 2024 Paris Olympics flags off on July 26, with Nigeria participating in 11 events, including football, basketball, long jump, and weightlifting. DStv and GOtv will bring the action live across six dedicated Olympic channels from the opening ceremony till the finale on August 11. The games will also be open to customers on DStv Access and Govt Jolli packages. A total of 82 athletes will represent Nigeria at games, and here is a list of the top stars to look out for:
Tobi Amusan: Nigeria will have one of the most in-form athletes in the world leading her quest for gold in the track events at Paris. Amusan is the 100m hurdles world record holder and with her, Nigeria stands a good chance of adding to the three Olympic gold medals accrued since the country’s first participation in 1964.
Ese Brume: Born the year Nigeria won her first Olympic gold medal, the 28-year-old hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ajunwa by winning gold at the long jump event in Paris. Brume is the current Commonwealth champion and a three-time African senior champion. She currently holds the Commonwealth Games record and African long jump record.
Chukwuebuka Enekwech: Nigeria has a medal chance in the shot put event with Enekwech, who will return to the Olympics as an African champion. Can the 31-year-old end up on the medals podium for Nigeria?
Favour Ashe: The 22-year-old recently set the record for best timing by a Nigerian in a 100m race. Ashe stormed to a new personal best of 9.94s in the men’s 100m at the NCAA East Prelims, which is the fastest time in the NCAA in 2024 and the second fastest in the world this year. In Ashe, Nigeria has a prospect that can shock the world in Paris. You can watch all Nigerian track and field athletes at the Olympics live on SuperSport on DStv and GOtv.
Asisat Oshoala: After the disappointment of the penalty-shootout loss to England at the World Cup, the Falcons have another opportunity to make Nigeria proud at the Olympics, starting with their first group match against Brazil on July 25. The current African Footballer of the Year is one of the names Nigerians will look out for when the Super Falcons take to the pitch. All Super Falcons matches at the Olympics will be live on DStv and GOtv
Rasheedat Ajibade: As captain of the team, Ajibade has been the difference maker on the pitch in recent years. She would again lead the Falcons at the Olympics and is expected to provide the magic when push comes to shove in Paris.
Michelle Alozie: The charming Alozie is the darling of Nigerian football fans due to her skills and happy-go-lucky demeanour on the pitch. Her exploit at the World Cup is still fresh in memory, and many Nigerians look forward to seeing her shine again in Paris.
D’Tigress: Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress have been paired in a challenging group with Australia, Canada, and France. The African champions, led by the amiable coach, Rena Wakama, will be out to make it out Of the group stage for the first time at the Olympics.
You can watch events involving Nigerian athletes at the Paris Olympics live on SuperSport channels available on DStv and GOtv by downloading the MyDStv/MyGOtv app or dialling *288#. You can also watch every action on the go by downloading the DStv Stream/GOtv Stream app.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
At least for the next four seasons, DStv and GOtv subscribers are guaranteed access to all UEFA men’s club matches on SuperSport.
This is because CANAL+, the parent company of MultiChoice, which owns DStv and GOtv, has secured the exclusive broadcast rights to all UEFA men’s club competitions across Sub-Saharan Africa through 2031, ensuring SuperSport will continue to broadcast the UEFA Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues live to DStv and GOtv subscribers.
The four-season agreement, which begins with the 2027/28 campaign, covers more than 40 countries across the region and includes exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
In English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, SuperSport will continue as the exclusive broadcaster of UEFA club competitions, bringing the continent’s biggest European club matches to DStv and GOtv subscribers. The agreement also restores full UEFA Champions League coverage on CANAL+ Sport channels in French-speaking Africa, alongside the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
The rights deal further strengthens CANAL+’s sports portfolio, which already includes major football competitions such as the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Ligue 1, the Betway Premiership and the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026.
The agreement ensures football fans across Sub-Saharan Africa will continue to enjoy live coverage of Europe’s premier club competitions on SuperSport when the new rights cycle begins in 2027.
“We are very proud of this new partnership, which gives us exclusive rights to all UEFA Men’s Club competitions across more than 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“For four seasons, until 2031, our subscribers will enjoy the thrill of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League’s biggest matches. Today, CANAL+ offers the most attractive sports line-up across Sub-Saharan Africa, and the acquisition of these rights is a perfect illustration of that.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to UC3 and to the teams at Relevent for once again placing their trust in CANAL+, following our recent agreements in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Austria,” the chief executive of CANAL+, Mr Maxime Saada, stated.
The start of a football season always tricks people a little. Everything looks fresh. New shirts, new signings, clean tables, confident managers, fans talking themselves into hope again. Then the first few matches arrive, and half the predictions start wobbling. That is what makes early-season betting interesting. It is not tidy yet. Manchester City may still be Manchester City, but that does not mean they are sharp from the first whistle. Arsenal might look strong on paper and still need time to settle. Chelsea can have another summer full of noise and still leave bettors guessing. Real Madrid might have the stars, but even stars need minutes together. The first weeks are not about certainty. They are about spotting who is ready before the market fully catches up.
New Signings Need Time
Transfer excitement can make people rush. A new striker arrives at Arsenal and suddenly every goals market feels tempting. Manchester United sign a defender and people start talking about clean sheets. Chelsea add another expensive player and the same old question comes back: does this actually fix the team, or just add another name? Sometimes a signing changes everything quickly. More often, there is an awkward stage first. A forward needs to learn where the passes come from. A midfielder needs to understand the press. A centre-back needs to build trust with the goalkeeper and full-backs. That is why early-season betting after the Betway app download should not treat a new signing like a finished answer. The name matters, but the fit matters more.
World Cup Legs Will Matter
This season also carries the weight of the World Cup. Some players will come back flying. Some will come back flat. Some may start the season with managed minutes because their clubs cannot afford to burn them out early. That can change player markets fast. A bettor looking through the betway app before a weekend card should not only check the famous names in the lineup. Look at who played deep into the World Cup, who missed pre-season, who came back late, and who is being protected by the manager. A star on the pitch is not always a star at full speed.
Early Tables Can Lie
The first league table always looks more dramatic than it is. One big club drops points, and everyone starts asking if there is a crisis. One promoted side wins at home, and suddenly people talk about momentum. A striker scores twice, and the golden boot conversations begin before anyone has really learned anything. That noise can be useful, but only if bettors do not get swallowed by it. Early results need context. Did the team actually play well, or just finish two chances? Did they control the game, or survive pressure? Was the opponent missing key players? Did the manager rotate because of fitness?
Patience Beats The Big Prediction
The new season will settle. The strong teams will usually rise, the weaker squads will get exposed, and the table will start to make more sense. But the opening weeks are different. They are full of strange fitness levels, overhyped signings, tired stars and teams that are still trying to remember what they are meant to be. That is why betting on the upcoming season should start slowly. Do not fall in love with last season’s form. Do not trust every transfer story. Do not assume every World Cup star is ready to carry club football straight away. The value is often hiding in the messy part, before everyone else agrees what the season really looks like.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federation of the International Football Association (FIFA) will not proceed with its proposal to sell a piece of its business operations to outside investors after the project was met with fierce resistance from some of its member associations.
FIFA’s plan was to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling about a 20 per cent stake in a new unit that would run FIFA events, including the World Cup, valuing it at $20 billion.
The proposal was strongly opposed by the Union of the European Football Associations (UEFA), European football’s governing body, which voted on Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions. There was also opposition from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the English FA.
In a statement, UEFA said that it was “irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret”.
The Switzerland-based organisation’s statement also accused FIFA of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement announcing the cancellation.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
UEFA welcomed the decision to scrap it but said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s current leadership, while AFC, while welcoming the decision, said that it expected any initiative of such magnitude to be discussed with its members in a “timely, transparent and meaningful manner”.
Mr Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro had resigned with immediate effect, calling the plan “a bad deal for football”.
FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said staff were “deceived” by Mr Infantino, describing the proposal as a “project of one person”.
The development has now raised eyebrows against the FIFA President, especially his relationship with US President Donald Trump.
The planned FIFA private investment scheme involved Mr Joshua Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital, who would lead the proposed venture capital group via a fund called Thrive Eternal. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump.
Mr Infantino said in April he would seek a fourth term as FIFA president, with the election scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18 next year.
The deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members is November 18.
Observers now wonder if there will be fresh competition to the Swiss’ ambition to lead the world’s football authority for another
