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Benue FA, State Govt Launch ‘Football for All’ Initiative

A new soccer revolution known as ‘Football for All’ has been officially launched in Benue State.

The initiative designed by the Benue State Football Association (BSFA) is aimed at ensuring that massive footballs are made available and distributed across the state at a low cost.

Launching the initiative in Makurdi, the state capital, Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Creativity, Rt. Hon. Ikyange Terkimbi, commended BSFA leadership, led by the Chairman, Barr. Paul Edeh, for its unpredictable passion and commitment in driving football development at the grassroots.

He said while other sporting groups and associations only send in requests of the things, they want the government to do for them, Benue FA has led the way in pursuing a vigorous footballing system geared towards taking the youth off the street and engaging them meaningfully.

Citing the ongoing FA Cup tournament at all 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the state, the Commissioner who was a Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly reckoned that with the tempo at which football is currently being administered, other sports will take a cue to revive the sector which had gone moribund.

“Really, it’s quite commendable of what the BSFA has done in setting the pace in football development, particularly in the state. The initiative, backed with commiserate action, to crash the price of balls, is highly laudable. The state government will always support your activities because we are partners in progress,” he said.

Earlier, the BSFA Chairman, Barr Edeh while explaining the rationale behind the ‘Football for All’ initiative emphasised that the need to ensure that various football teams in the state and young individuals have access to balls informed the idea.

Recalling how a local FA board member was recently attacked and kidnapped on his way to buy balls, Barr. Edeh said the availability of balls will mitigate against such occurrences in the future.

He also revealed that already some balls have been procured for distribution at a very low cost with more expected to be brought, in later on, courtesy of a partnership with Haggai Sports.

He said, “We intend to flood Benue state with balls. We are starting with 10, 000 of them which will be sold at N6000 each, being the maximum amount. We are even working on getting the balls at a reduced price in the future.

“The idea which is part of our resolve to improve the round-leather game, is also to ensure that young ones who have an interest in playing football have easy access to balls without hindrance. The same goes for the coaches and any other person who is willing to move the game of football forward.”

Some football stakeholders including FA board members, coaches and referees’ chairmen, among others were present at the launch.

Top officials of the ministry were also at the event, which witnessed the signing and presentation of balls to and by the Commissioner.

News

King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”