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Algeria stumbles in Africa Cup of Nations opener

Algeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Angola in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, with a second-half Mabululu penalty denying the 2019 champions a winning start.

Baghdad Bounedjah gave Algeria the lead after 18 minutes in Bouake, Ivory Coast’s second city, and the striker then had a stunning second goal disallowed for a tight offside call soon after.

ALGERIA STUMBLES
Unable to put the game to bed, Riyad Mahrez’s Algeria were pegged back midway through the second half as substitute Mabululu converted from the spot after he had been brought down inside the area.

Algeria, who also won the AFCON in 1990 but limped out of the last edition in the group stage two years ago, follow Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Cameroon among heavyweight nations who have failed to win their opening game at the tournament.

Angola’s Black Antelopes will be pleased with the point, even if the result means they have now failed to win any of their last nine matches at the Cup of Nations, stretching back to 2012.

Djamel Belmadi’s Algeria have a point to prove after they took just one point and scored only one goal in a miserable defence of their title in 2022 in Cameroon.

They got off to a fine start at the Stade de la Paix, with Youcef Belaili providing a superb ball in behind the Angolan defence for Bounedjah to score with a lovely first-time finish with the outside of his right foot.

Prolific forward Bounedjah, who plays his club football in Qatar, thought he had made it 2-0 in the 25th minute when he produced a magnificent piece of skill to control a ball on his chest in the box and score with a thunderous overhead kick.

However, the celebrations were cut short by the offside flag, and the 32-year-old was denied one of the all-time great Cup of Nations goals.

An Algerian team featuring six starters who also lined up in the 2019 final victory over Senegal in Cairo, then saw Angola win a spot-kick in the 65th minute.

Nabil Bentaleb was penalised for bringing down Mabululu, and the Egypt-based striker stepped up to take the penalty, his effort hitting the underside of the bar before bouncing down well over the line.

MAHREZ
With former Manchester City star Mahrez failing to have a major impact on the game, Angola held on through seven minutes of stoppage time to secure a draw.

Burkina Faso and Mauritania meet in the same group on Tuesday, also in Bouake.

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NRFF Participates in the Sports Africa Investment Summit held in Lagos

The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) participated in the inaugural SAIS With the theme “Unleashing Africa’s Potential: Investing in Sports Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future,” SAIS 2025 brought together policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to explore transformative strategies that unlock significant opportunities across Africa’s sports ecosystem..

Led by NRFF COO; Tunde Delu , General Manager; Azeez Ladipo and Wold Rugby Educator (Coaching); Wuraola Hussain, the NRFF delegation joined other invited participants from across Africa at this significant event.

The event, held on February 17 and 18, 2025, was the first-ever investment summit in Africa dedicated to sports and saw the signing of a landmark agreement between Sport Nigeria Ltd and the Abia State government.

A major highlight of the summit was the breakout session titled “National Sports Federations as “Business Drivers” of their Sport- Alignment of interes to facilitate collaborations and partnerships between the private sector and Federations”.

This session brought together key industry experts to discuss strategies for leveraging sports to drive social and economic growth within communities.

The panel featured:
– Ms Vanessa Obi (B&I) Moderator

– Olanrewaju Ogunjobi, Technical Assistant to the National Sports Commission Chairman

– Adeyinka Samuel – President, Nigeria Fencing Federation

– Azeez Ladipo – General Manager, Nigeria Rugby Football Federation President,

The event had the distinguished presence of His Royal Highness, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, who served as the Royal Father of the Day, further elevating the significance of the summit.

The Presidency’s National Sports Commission partnered with Sport Nigeria Ltd. to host the groundbreaking event, underscoring the government’s commitment to using sports as a tool for economic transformation.

Through their participation in this conference, the NRFF and other Stakeholders are committed to strengthening their capabilities, forming effective partnerships, and contributing to the overall growth and success of sports across the continent.

The agreement signed with the Abia State government is expected to usher in a new era of sports equipment manufacturing development, youth empowerment, and economic opportunities in the state.

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NBBF President Kida Hails D’Tigers On Victories Over Libya and Uganda

The excitement and joy in the Nigerian basketball community is infectious. And it is not for nothing, as Nigeria’s senior male national basketball team, D’Tigers roaring loudly and tearing their opponents to shreds.

Against all odds, the team led by Coach Abdulrahman Mohammed started their campaign for the Afrobasket championship ticket in the ongoing 3rd Window qualifiers by beating host nation Libya 75-70 in the first game. And on Saturday, D’Tigers showed more determination in the second game with a win over Uganda, that saw the Nigerian boys record an astounding fourth quarter comeback to claim an impressive 87-67 victory.

Ahead of Sunday’s all-important clash against Cape Verde, the President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida, has sent a congratulatory message to the team.

On behalf of the Board, Kida thanked the entire team of players and officials for their determination and resilience in the two matches so far. He also believes that at their best, the Nigerian team can hold their grounds against the very best in the world.

Kida went ahead to urge the team to go into the last match with confidence and determination to make Nigeria proud and qualify for the Afrobasket. He added that basketball stakeholders and lovers of the game, are all behind them and rooting for them to complete the job by winning the last match.

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Dunamis Icon appoints Aisha Falode as NDSF Special Advisor on Communications

Aisha Falode has been announced the Special Advisor on Communications to Dunamis Icon, project consultants to the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).

Lead Consultant and Co-Chairman of the Main Organising Committee of the festival, Itiako Ikpokpo announced the appointment and said his company is looking forward to adding value to the festival from her rich and extensive knowledge in working with the media departments of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) and Federation of International Football (FIFA).

A dynamic leader and accomplished journalist with over 25 years of industry expertise, Falode has a proven success in sports media marketing, business ownership, and strategic leadership.

According to Ikpokpo, “the Niger Delta Sports Festival is not just about sports, it’s about our culture, our people and the Youths essentially. Bringing Falode on board will boost our strategic communication of these values because beyond her professional attainment, she is also from one of the Niger Delta states”.

Ace Sports Journalist, Mitchel Obi is one of the earliest sports personalities to endorse the appointment and congratulate Falode.

“It is the right fit. She ticks all the boxes for the role, firstly in her professional capacity and in her extensive media reach and secondly, she understands the Niger Delta story”, Obi told the NDSF Media.

Pamodzi Sports Marketing boss, Mike Itemuagbor lent his support to the appointment and commended Ikpokpo for the foresight in selecting her.

“I must commend my good friend, Ikpokpo for this step. I have worked with Aisha from her days at Africa Independent Television (AIT) in my role as the CEO of Pamodzi, the official marketing partner of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). She is a thorough bred and has come a long way from her work in Television to working with the NFF, CAF and FIFA in different media capacities at tournaments”, itemuagbor noted.

Falode is also the CEO of MSports which specialises in delivering exceptional sports content and impactful marketing campaigns.

She was elected into the Executive Committee of the NFF in 2022 and served as the Director of Competition for the Aisha Buhari six nation Cup.

From 2017 to 2022, Falode served as the Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).

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