Nigeria Premier League

Europe’s giants kick off UCL with Man City at home to Red Star, PSG facing Dortmund

Manchester City begin their title defence of the Champions League at home to Red Star Belgrade to kick off the European club season in earnest tonight.

Following a busy summer of football with the Women’s World Cup taking centre stage and domestic seasons returning back to action, memories of City’s first-ever Champions League win – a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in a tedious final in Istanbul – may seem distant, but Pep Guardiola’s mind on Tuesday will no doubt flashback to that June night when his club at long last lifted the European Cup.

With an insatiable desire for victory, the Spaniard is confident that City have what it takes to retain their title, a feat last achieved by Real Madrid in 2018.

“It’ll be easier,” said Guardiola, who will be without the injured John Stones, Jack Grealish, Mateo Kovacic and Kevin de Bruyne for their home opener against Red Star. “The most difficult to win is the first one. It is incredible for us but it is just one. It’s important the players don’t feel relaxed.”

“For our club to win the Champions League is incredible but in perspective how many (clubs have) won one Champions League? A lot. We haven’t done anything special with just one, but we are incredibly proud.”

Top of the Premier League table, City will be favourites to reach the final at Wembley with other traditional powerhouses like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich currently lagging well behind, both in terms of match performance and resources. It will be the first Champions League season without Lionel Messi, who is stateside, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in Saudi Arabia, though making waves in the Asian Champions League tonight in Iran.

Owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle United return to Europe’s premier competition for the first time since the 2002/03 season. They kick off their campaign against AC Milan at the San Siro.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Dortmund is another standout fixture on Tuesday. Since Qatar Sports Investment took over the Parisian club in 2011, PSG have won nine Ligue 1 titles, but the Champions League trophy remains elusive. They reached the 2021 final but succumbed to Bayern Munich 1-0. Instead, City, last season, became the first state-backed club to win the competition.

“When a club is obsessed with something, it’s never a good sign,” said PSG manager Luis Enrique.

“You have to have ambition but obsession doesn’t work in any area of life. You have to wait and see how the competition goes, football is a wonderful sport, any result is possible. You can play an incredible game and lose, play badly and win. As a club, we play all competitions to win them, that’s the objective. It’s very ambitious but it’s necessary.”

This will be the last season of the existing 32-team format in the group phase before the competition moves to a Swiss model featuring 36 clubs in the group stages in a league model.

Nigeria Premier League

Eunisell Gears Up For 2025 Boot Awards Amid Tight Scoring Race

As the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League season nears its thrilling conclusion, on Sunday, May 25, Eunisell Limited, Africa’s leading specialty chemicals and oil production solutions company, is proud to announce its readiness for the prestigious Eunisell Boot Awards.

This year’s event, scheduled for June in Lagos, marks a major milestone—a decade of Eunisell’s steadfast commitment to celebrating excellence and supporting domestic football development in Nigerian football.

The Eunisell Boot Award, is an annual ceremony honouring the NPFL’s highest goal scorer, spotlighting individual brilliance and inspiring the next generation of football
talent.

Since inception, the initiative has become one of the most respected individual
accolades in Nigerian football.

With one match day to go this season, the race for the 2025 Eunisell Boot is intensifying.

Nasarawa United’s currently leads the race to grab the Eunisell Boots with 18 goals.

Yusuf took his tally to 18 goals in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Enyimba.

The trio of Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars) Anthony De Souza Ijoma (Abia Warriors) and Shola Adelani (Ikorodu City) have 12 goals each.

Beyond the Boot Awards, Eunisell currently sponsors Abia Warriors, a prominent club in the NPFL, further demonstrating its active support for domestic football development and grassroots talent.

Ken Okeiyi, CEO of Eunisell, emphasized the company’s dedication to the sport and its role in uplifting communities.

Over the years, Eunisell Boot Award has stood as a symbol of recognition, reward, and belief in the power of local talent.

As the NPFL season wraps up, we are once again reminded of the skill, determination, and passion that define Nigerian football.

Eunisell is proud to continue investing in the future of the sport by celebrating those who inspire on and off the pitch.

Eunisell’s involvement in Nigerian football—through both its individual player recognition and club sponsorship—reflects its broader vision to foster excellence, empower youth and promote national pride.

Details of the 2025 Eunisell Boot Awards ceremony, including final date and venue, will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Nigeria Premier League

Abiodun Celebrates The NPFL’s New Era As Remo Stars Clinch The 2024/25 Trophy

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has expressed delight at the steady transformation of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), commending the league’s organizers for aligning its calendar with international standards.

Governor Abiodun made the remarks in Abeokuta while receiving a delegation from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), led by its President, Ibrahim Gusau, and the Chairman of the NPFL, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye.

The officials visited to congratulate the Governor following the official presentation of the 2024/25 NPFL trophy to Remo Stars—champions of this season.

Speaking on the sidelines of the visit, the Governor praised the NPFL’s decision to synchronize its season with global leagues, many of which conclude by May or early June.

“While the champions, our own Remo Stars from Ogun State, were crowned on Sunday, there is just one more game to conclude the season—meaning the NPFL will wrap up in May, just like most European leagues. This is commendable,” he said.

Abiodun, who attended the trophy presentation in Ikenne, also applauded the NPFL board for conducting a smooth and rancor-free season.

“It is to the credit of the NPFL Board, led by my brother, Elegbeleye, that we had this beautiful celebration today. All stakeholders agree that Remo Stars are worthy champions,” the Governor stated.

Present at the reception were several NFF Board members, including Ganiyu, Aisha Falode, and Silas Agara.

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Nigeria Premier League

NPFL Drama: Late Spot-kick Seals Shooting Stars’ Win Over Sunshine Stars

Sunshine Stars narrowly lost 0-1 to Shooting Stars in a tightly contested Matchday 36 fixture of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.

The decisive goal came in the 84th minute after the referee awarded a late penalty to the home side, following a scramble in the box.

Just two minutes earlier, Sunshine Stars were reduced to ten men when defender Yusuf Olowoshile received a red card.

Shooting Stars capitalized on the advantage, converting the penalty with composure to secure all three points.

Despite the defeat, Sunshine Stars displayed grit and determination, going toe-to-toe with their hosts and creating several scoring opportunities.

Goalkeeper Emma Offori was a standout performer, making several key saves to keep the Owena Whales in the contest.

Speaking after the match, Shooting Stars head coach Gbenga Ogunbote praised Sunshine Stars for their resilience, labeling their current league standing as “unfortunate.”

On his part, Sunshine Stars coach Bobola Akinfolarin expressed frustration with the result, particularly the timing of the penalty. Nevertheless, he stressed that the team must now shift focus to their final two games of the season.

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