Nigeria Premier League

Messi inspires Miami into another final against Cincinnati in US Open Cup

Lionel Messi 'Set To Sign New Contract' In Clearest 2026 World Cup Race

Lionel Messi inspired Inter Miami to come back from 2-0 down to beat Cincinnati on penalties after their thrilling US Open Cup semi-final ended 3-3 after extra time in Ohio.

Miami, who won the Leagues Cup on penalties against Nashville on Saturday, are now one win away from their second trophy since Messi joined the club last month.

The US Open Cup is American soccer’s oldest and most important knockout competition, dating back more than a century to 1914 and is similar to England’s FA Cup or Spain’s Copa del Rey.

Miami will host the Houston Dynamo in the final on September 27 after the Texan side beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 after extra time.

A month ago Cincinnati, who are top of Major League Soccer’s standings while Miami are bottom, would have been clear favourites. But the Florida team is now a very different side to the one that was winless in their 11 league games before the arrival of the Argentine.

In the intense heat, with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) at kick-off, Miami’s unbeaten run since the signing of Messi and Spanish pair Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba looked to be coming to an end.

Inter trailed 2-0 with 22 minutes remaining before the Argentine delivered two perfect assists to striker Leonardo Campana to take the game into extra-time.

Messi’s compatriot Luciano Acosta had put Cincinnati ahead in the 18th minute and American striker Brandon Vazquez doubled the home side’s lead with a fine strike from the edge of the box in the 53rd minute.

In the 68th minute, Messi whipped in a free-kick from the left which was headed home by Campana to breathe some life into what had been a tired display from Gerardo Martino’s side.

Cincinnati thought that they had made it 3-1 but Yuga Kubo’s effort was ruled out for handball.

In the seventh minute of stoppage time Messi, from deep on the left, swung in a ball to Campana at the back post and again the Ecuadoran forward found the net to force extra time.

Miami went ahead in the first period with Benjamin Cremaschi sliding an excellent pass into the path of Josef Martinez and the Venezuelan made no mistake with a precise finish.

But Cincinnati bounced back in the second period with Japanese winger Kubo firing a right-foot shot into the far corner past the diving Drake Callender.

The teams were at 4-4 in the shoot-out when Callender saved Nick Hagglund’s penalty for Cincinnati and Cremaschi converted the next to book Miami’s place in the final.

The 18-year-old Miami-born Cremaschi, whose parents are Argentine, was congratulated by Messi after his match-winning spot-kick.

“I’m living a huge dream,” he told CBS Sports, “Sometimes I sit down and really think about the position that I’m in and it’s incredible, I never believed I was going to be in the spot I am in now,” he said.

There was a more sober view from Martino, whose team must now begin their 12-game attempt to climb from last in the Eastern Conference to the playoff positions.

Martino suggested he may be forced to rest some of his players, including Messi, after an intense eight-game spell.

“Both Leo and many other players are reaching an important physical limit and from today we will evaluate how we approach the next three matches,” he said.

“The fatigue is overcome with all the enthusiasm … I hope the team in the future could play better, but it’s very difficult to do that when you almost can’t rest”

Houston took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Mexican international Hector Herrera but Salt Lake levelled with a Julio Anderson goal in the 64th.

Panamanian midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla fired in a fine solo goal in extra-time before Luis Caicedo wrapped up the win at the death.

Nigeria Premier League

Akwa Ibom Commissioner Dissolves State Football Club Boards

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, has announced the immediate dissolution of the management teams of the four state-owned football clubs following the conclusion of the 2024/25 Nigeria Football League season.

The affected clubs are Akwa United FC, Dakkada FC, Ibom Angels FC, and Ibom Youth FC—all fully funded by the Akwa Ibom State Government.

Elder Bassey made the announcement during a meeting held in Uyo with representatives of the four clubs.

He directed the chairmen and secretaries of each club to submit their handover notes to the Ministry of Sports within two weeks.

According to the commissioner, the decision is in line with the state’s broader plan to reposition sports and elevate performance levels across all sporting fronts, in alignment with Governor Umo Eno’s Arise Agenda.

“A new management structure will be announced soon to commence preparations for the upcoming football season,” Bassey stated, adding that the dissolution marks the beginning of a renewed vision for sports excellence in the state.

He expressed appreciation to the outgoing officials for their service and contributions to the growth of football in the state, wishing them well in their future endeavours.

In his reaction, the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, Mr. Samuel Umoh, acknowledged that the just concluded football season was challenging for all four teams. He applauded the commissioner’s decision as a timely move to reposition the clubs for future success.

Representatives of the clubs—Elder Omon Bassey (Akwa United), Coach Aniedi Dickson (Dakkada), Coach Edwin Okon (Ibom Angels), and Coach Lawrence Iquaibom (Ibom Youth)—thanked the commissioner for the opportunity to serve and pledged their continued support for football and sports development in Akwa Ibom State.

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Nigeria Premier League

Commissioner Inspects Lafia Stadium, Assures NPFL Standards

In a decisive move to ensure compliance with Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) requirements ahead of the 2025/26 season, the Nasarawa State Government, on Monday, commenced a comprehensive inspection and evaluation of facilities at the Lafia City Stadium.

Led by the State’s Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Kwanta Yakubu, a high-powered delegation comprising government officials, engineers, and stadium experts assessed the readiness of the stadium, which serves as home ground to Nasarawa United and Nasarawa Amazons.

The inspection comes on the heels of the NPFL Board’s June 3rd directive mandating all participating clubs to upgrade stadium facilities to meet modern football standards. Among the key requirements are the installation of standard LED floodlights for night matches, a functional backup generator, perimeter fencing, improved changing rooms, emergency exit routes, and a quality-approved playing turf.

Speaking after the facility tour, Hon. Yakubu reiterated the commitment of Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration to meeting the NPFL’s expectations before the new season kicks off on August 22, 2025.

> “We’ve identified key areas for immediate improvement,” said Yakubu. “We’ll begin installing new floodlights, refurbishing changing rooms, replacing damaged turf, and improving emergency response infrastructure. Governor Sule’s passion for sports is unwavering, and we won’t let our teams play home matches away from Lafia again.”

Nasarawa United FC Chairman, Solomon Babanjah, lauded the state government’s swift response, describing the move as a significant morale booster for both Nasarawa United and the Nasarawa Amazons.

> “This will change the psychology of our teams,” Babanjah said. “Playing at home, in front of our fans, on a well-equipped pitch, gives us the confidence and environment we need to compete at the highest level.”

The inspection also holds strategic importance as Lafia is set to host the prestigious Gusau/Ahlan Cup Preseason Tournament, a major curtain-raiser for the Nigerian football calendar.

Key stakeholders on the inspection team included Permanent Secretary Dr. Ibrahim Adamu Alhassan, Director of Facilities Ahmad Yusuf, and Nasarawa FA Chairman Salisu Galadima ‘Basira’.

With the 2025/26 season fast approaching, and Nasarawa United aiming to build on their 12th-place finish in the just-concluded season—highlighted by striker Anas Yusuf finishing as league top scorer with 18 goals—the state’s infrastructural push may well be the game-changer the club needs.

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Nigeria Premier League

Remo Stars Can Conquer Africa With Better Pitch – Egbe

Winners of this season’s contest in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), Remo Stars FC of Ikenne have been tipped as credible contenders to become Africa’s next club champions, once their home stadium’s pitch is upgraded to continental standards.

This verdict was passed by the chief executive of Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction Limited, Ebi Egbe, who told Sports247 that his own contribution to ensure that the Ogun State-based outfit owned by Honourable Kunle Soname win the next CAF Champions League is to help them upgrade their home ground in Ikenne.

While many Nigerian football fans already adjudge Remo Stars Stadium as best in the country at present, Egbe pointed out that some upgrades have to be made at the arena in order to make it meet up to both African and global standards.

Egbe added duting an exclusive interview with Sports247 in Abuja: “We are trying to upgrade the Remo Stadium pitch to meet CAF standard, because we all know they have a continental run coming up; and we have just few months to get it ready for them.

“So, we are already discussing and looking at the World Cup standards in Abuja; to see how we can work on the floodlights and stuff like that.”

Egbe then pointed at some high standards that have already been set in the NPFL and gave applause to the league board’s chairman, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye, for ensuring that most clubs now have television friendly venues.

He added, “Let me thank Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye. He’s a great guy who’s setting standards. One of them is that if you do not have a good playing surface, they’ll move your team to a different venue.

“It’s all about TV friendly pitches; but facility owners have to understand that Gbenga cannot do it alone. They, too, have a part to play.

“It’s also important for them to understand that the playing surface is the most important part of a stadium … followed by the ancillary facilities.

“If we want to talk about growing our league, let facilities owners support Gbenga Elegbeleye by making sure all venues meet the correct standard for our local league.”

He concluded by stating that another factor which should propel Remo Stars far in the CAF Champions League is because they emerged as credible winners of a well-organised and highly competitive domestic contest in the NPFL’s immediate past term.

Egbe posited: “The league management board is doing a great job. Big thanks too to GTI for all their support to the league. That’s why this last season’s run was very good.

“We were all excited, and we saw the real champions emerge. That’s why I can tell you that Remo Stars is going to go far in the Champions League. They have all the facilities and they have all the boys to make it happen.”

The pitch installation expert equally predicted that the new wave of upgrade for sports facilities across Nigeria will help the country get better performances from the national teams in all their forthcoming international engagements.

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