Bold Sports Weekly | Edition 011

Hello,

We missed you last Friday. Thank you for returning to Bold Sports Weekly.

When we last wrote, the Super Eagles were preparing to begin an AFCON qualifying campaign with little room for error. They beat Madagascar, then lost 3–0 to Guinea-Bissau. Tuesday’s comeback against Russia offered some encouragement, particularly from the younger players, but the work of repairing their qualification campaign remains ahead.

This evening, the Super Falcons begin a different assignment. After failing to qualify for next year’s World Cup, Nigeria start their Olympic campaign against Comoros in Ikenne. There will be familiar faces, new players and an interim coach trying to get the team moving again. Winning the tie matters, but so does what Nigeria begin to build around it.

There has been plenty to celebrate elsewhere. MFM survived overtime to win the women’s basketball league, Bilal Fawaz retained his British boxing title and Nigerian runners took the honours in Abeokuta. At the West African University Games in Ile-Ife, another group of athletes are competing for attention and opportunity.

We have those stories, an explanation of the Edo Queens dispute and a grant opportunity closing next week.

Welcome to Edition 011.

Let’s get into it.

The Super Falcons return to competitive football this evening with a World Cup absence hanging over them. Comoros are the opponents in an Olympic qualifying tie that gives Nigeria an opportunity to move forward, although advancing will only take them into the next round of a much longer campaign.

Augustine Eguavoen takes charge on an interim basis without Asisat Oshoala, Ashleigh Plumptre and Oluwatosin Demehin. Their absence creates opportunities, while first-time invitee Favour Omenazu joins a squad still containing experienced players such as Rasheedat Ajibade, Chiamaka Nnadozie and Toni Payne. Both legs will be played in Ikenne, today and on Tuesday.

Nigeria should expect to progress. The more useful question is what these matches will tell us about the team being rebuilt: who earns a place, how they play together and whether the work survives the next coaching change.

Nigeria came from 3–1 down to draw 3–3 with Russia on Tuesday, with substitute Peter Edokpolor scoring before Akor Adams supplied the late equaliser. Kelechi Iheanacho had put the Eagles ahead early in the match.

It was an encouraging response from a much-changed side, but it followed a 3–0 qualifying defeat to Guinea-Bissau that left Nigeria on three points from two AFCON matches, three behind their opponents.

MFM beat First Bank 66–64 in Lagos to win the NBBF/Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League, surviving a comeback that took the final into overtime.

It was their third championship in four years, with the winners receiving ₦7.5 million. A final decided by two points gave domestic women’s basketball a contest worth considerably more attention than it received.

The West African University Games continue at Obafemi Awolowo University, with 50 universities announced for the competition.

The Games run until Monday, bringing student-athletes from across the region together in Ile-Ife. There is still time to follow the competition before the closing ceremony moves attention elsewhere..

The Basketball Africa League plans to unveil Nigeria’s first BAL4HER court in Owerri in December.

The project, developed with Qatar Foundation, includes improvements to lighting, drainage and changing facilities at a venue already serving more than 300 participants. Chiney Ogwumike and her Queens of the Continent organisation will support the unveiling, with the initiative focused on expanding opportunities for women and girls.

Friday Etim has been named the Danish Superliga’s Player of the Month for September after scoring three league goals and providing an assist for Midtjylland.

The striker also led the league for shots on target during the month, turning a productive run into his first individual award in Denmark’s top division.

Bilal Fawaz stopped Eithan James in the eighth round in Birmingham to retain his British super-welterweight title.

The Nigerian-born boxer delivered the finish on the Ben Whittaker–Conor Wallace card, adding another successful defence to his domestic career.

Francis James won the men’s Abeokuta 10km race in 30:25.33, while Aderonke Akanbi took the women’s title in 35:00.69.

Both received $1,000, with equal prize money awarded across the men’s and women’s podiums.

Hassan Abdullahi scored all four Nigerian goals in the Sand Eagles’ first 6–4 friendly defeat to Senegal.

Nigeria lost the second meeting by the same scoreline, leaving plenty to improve before Saturday’s Beach Soccer AFCON qualifier against Ghana in Kaduna.

Edo Queens left the WAFU B final with a trophy and a place in the CAF Women’s Champions League. They had drawn 2–2 with Ampem Darkoa before winning the penalty shootout 4–1. The problem was what happened between those two stages: the teams should have played extra time.

CAF upheld Ampem Darkoa’s protest and ordered the match to resume from 2–2, keeping the original 90 minutes but setting aside the shootout. The NFF has appealed, arguing that Edo Queens followed the officials’ instructions and should not lose their victory over an error they did not cause.

The dispute goes beyond whether the rules were followed. It asks how a competition should correct its own mistake after the players have finished the match.

Applications are open for the 2027 SimiSleighs Foundation Athlete Grant Program, founded by Nigerian Winter Olympian Simidele Adeagbo.

Female athletes who will be at least 18 by January 1, 2027 and are preparing for Los Angeles 2028 or the 2030 Winter Games can receive a six-month virtual development programme and grants of up to $5,000 towards training and competition expenses.

Applications close on October 16.

Super Falcons face Comoros as they try to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Mouthwatering games in matchday 8 of the EuroMatch NPFL

Nigeria’s Beach Soccer national team face neighbours Ghana in the AFCON qualifiers.

The competition concludes at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Nigeria’s first match comes four days after the tournament opens in Ouagadougou. The Eaglets are grouped with Ivory Coast and Niger.

The Falcons’ dates, the Sand Eagles’ venue and kickoff, the NPFL television fixtures and the Eaglets’ opening date are drawn from the published schedules.

The former Nigeria captain sets out his ambition to lead the basketball federation

The experienced defender has joined Como 1907 after leaving Mexican club Pachuca

The continental awards ceremony will take place in Lagos on December 7.

Taiwo Awoniyi explains his father’s influence on his decision to continue studying alongside professional football.

We have published ten editions of Bold Sports Weekly, and we would like to know how it is working for you. Which section do you look forward to? Which do you usually skip? What should we start, stop or continue?

Reply to this email with your thoughts. A few honest lines will help us make the newsletter more useful.

Before WAUG ends on Monday, find a result, a team or an athlete to follow. University competitions can introduce us to people whose sporting careers are still taking shape, but their performances rarely travel far beyond their campuses.

The useful questions come after the medals: who can offer these athletes better competition, coaching or a route into a club? Who will keep track of their progress? Covering the Games should help those connections happen, rather than end with a photograph of the winning university

That is it for Edition 011.

We will be back next Friday.

Oluwatosin Oluwalowo
Editor-in-Chief
Bold Sports

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