Kilowi Blog

Barcelona forward and Nigerian International Asisat Oshoala is the first African woman player to be nominated for the Féminin Ballon d’Or.  The Barcelona star, who has played for the club since joining in 2019, is part of the 20-person shortlists for this 2022 Ballon d'Or award.  The striker topped as the combined top scorer in the Primera Iberdrola 2021-2022 season, bagging 20 times in just 19 appearances, despite being out for two months due to injury. Asisat Oshoala played a crucial role in Barcelona's notable unbeaten season, which saw the side win all 30 of their league matches and top with 24 points in front of Real Sociedad in the second place.  Sharing to Twitter, the striker celebrated her selection and paid acknowledgment to her nation. “NAIJA,” she noted, alongside the Country's flag and soccer ball emojis.  Meanwhile, in the men’s Ballon d’Or sector, four African footballers were on the list, Sebastian Haller, Mo Salah, Riyad Ma...

Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, has been told that he will be sacked if he signs Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer. Simeone has been an iconic figure with Atletico Madrid, leading them through a golden era in which they have twice won La Liga and have reached two Champions League finals. His 11-year tenure at Wanda Metropolitano, though, could come to an ugly end if Ronaldo joins the club. However, with suitors for Ronaldo looking thin on the ground and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner apparently so intent on leaving Old Trafford that he asked Man United to cancel his contract, Atletico Madrid fans have launched a succession of protests against the move. These started online with a #ContraCR7 campaign on Twitter and continued with an open letter from the supporters to the club in which they claimed Ronaldo "represents the antithesis of the values that constitute the hallmarks of our Atleti, such as effort, generosity, simplicity and humil...

LaLiga president, Javier Tebas has admitted he would like to have Cristiano Ronaldo back in Spain. However, Tebas is unsure if it will be possible for Atletico Madrid to bring him to the Wanda Metropolitano. Ronaldo has reiterated his desire to quit Manchester United this summer, during a meeting with new manager, Erik ten Hag, along with his agent Jorge Mendes at Carrington on Wednesday. The 37-year-old spent the best years of his career at Real Madrid and Tebas wants to see the prolific forward again in LaLiga. "I would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga," Tebas said. "Whether it is feasible or not for Atletico Madrid, I do not know. They will have to make some exits if they want to bring in this player. But to make room for a player of this level, you have to make room for some players."

Cristiano Ronaldo has received an offer from a rival club and is willing to depart Manchester United by all means, The Mirror reports. Further reports reveal that the five times Ballon d'Or winner has now urged United chiefs to name their price for him, so he can trigger a move away from the club. The 37-year-old's decision comes amid recent disinterest from Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid. Prior to now, the former Real Madrid and Juventus ace, who rejoined United last year, had missed the club's pre-season tour of Asia and Australia but returned to their training HQ this week for showdown talks. Worth mentioning, United have disclosed that they have no intention of cashing in on the Portuguese superstar and are adamant that he will see out the final year of his £360,000-a-week contract.

Eagle-eyedfootball fans may have noticed that Karim Benzema tends to wear a bandage on his hand during games these days. Former Real Madrid stars Jose Antonio Camacho and Chendo famously wore bandages too, but following that tradition is not the reason why the striker wraps his hand whenever he takes to the pitch. It all started when the Frenchman was on the receiving end of a collision with Real Betis defender Marc Bartra during a Liga game on January 13, 2019. Benzema fractured the little finger of his right hand and was advised to undergo surgery to fix it, but with it came a recovery period of around two months. Missing just one game - a clash against Leganes in the Copa del Rey - Benzema featured against Sevilla sporting a bandage for the first time. He went on to score 6 times in the next 4 games, as the equipment on his hand seemingly doubled up as a good luck charm and even forming part of his celebration. Benzema gave into the operation in the summer, post...

The London club Chelsea FC is a club rich in history; here is a record only Chelsea FC holds as an English side in the history of football. As an English side, Chelsea FC holds a record no other English side holds in the history of football and the European competition. Chelsea FC, to date, is the only English side to win all the four major UEFA European trophies twice following their success in the 2021/2022 club football season. Chelsea has won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup as well. Chelsea also became the first top-flight club to play in five different club competitions (the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League and the Club World Cup) in just 23 days. The blues beat the record of Liverpool, who played in that number of competitions in 27 days.

Argentinian goalkeeper, Emi Martinez has claimed the President of his country has to stay quiet when national team captain, Lionel Messi speaks. Martinez stated this as he recounted Messi's speech on the day of their Copa America triumph. Messi and Argentina claimed the trophy last summer, giving the Paris Saint-Germain superstar his first senior international trophy for his country. On that day, the 35-year-old led the team with a rallying cry, with Martinez admitting that it gave everyone involved goosebumps. "He made a speech saying this was going to be his last one and that he was going to give it his all," Martinez told Prime Video. "I was like, little shivers, to Messi talking. "Everyone shuts up. They're all like that, whoever it is: manager, President of Argentina, whoever is there. They just shut up."

Arsenal youngster, Bukayo Saka has opened up on why he was given the name 'Bukayo' by his grandmother. The England international, who was born to Nigerian parents, said his grandmother named him Bukayo because she wanted him to bring joy to the family. Saka, who graduated from the Arsenal's Hale End Academy, said his father contributed immensely to his success story in football. "My grandma gave it to me because of its meaning," he told GQ Magazine when asked about his Yoruba name 'Bukayo'. "It means 'God has added joy to my life.' She wanted me to add joy to the family, so she named me that...Every time she called me, that's probably what I meant to her," he said. Saka has been a shining light for Mikel Arteta's Gunners this season as they battle for a place in the top four in the Premier League, which will guarantee them a return to the Champions League football.

A late equalizer from Canada denied Super Falcons a famous win, as both teams settled for a 2-2 draw, in the second of their two legged friendly in Victoria on Tuesday morning. The first meeting between both teams on Saturday in Vancouver ended 2-0 in favour of the Olympic champions Canada. But this time the Falcons put up a more spirited display and were close to grabbing the win before surrendering their lead for the second time in the encounter. The Falcons got off to a very good start as they took the lead in the fifth minute through Ifeoma Onumonu whose brilliant back heeled effort from a setpiece ended in the back of the net. In the 18th minute Chiamaka Nnadozie was called to action as she produced a brilliant save to keep the score at 1-0. The Canadians kept pouring forward and were almost rewarded on 28 minutes but Ashleigh Plumptre made a goal-line clearance before Ajibade completed the clearance. In the 32nd minute Nnadozie produced a superb save to de...

Nigeria is facing sanctions from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), after thousands of fans invaded the Moshood Abiola National Stadium pitch, following a 1-1 draw with Ghana on Tuesday. The result meant the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The angry supporters attacked Ghanaian players and fans, destroying properties and equipment in protest. The substitute benches were smashed by the fans, who called for the removal of Amaju Pinnick, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). "Pinnick must go! Pinnick must go!!" the mob demanded, while some criticised Eagles' coach, Augustine Eguavoen. The Police were forced to fire several rounds of tear gas to disperse the angry crowd. FIFA and CAF frown at violence and crowd trouble in stadiums and might fine Nigeria or impose a stadium ban. Thanks for reading. Please don't hesitate to drop your comments below.

Arena Lviv, which played host to Germany vs Portugal and two other games at Euro 2012, also hosted a number of Shakhtar Donetsk home matches when the club was forced to leave the Donbass Arena. Ten years after being used as a host stadium for Euro 2012, Arena Lviv in Ukraine is being turned into a refugee shelter to help those fleeing war within the country's borders. The stadium played hosts to three games as Ukraine and Poland jointly hosted the tournament - Germany vs Portugal, Portugal vs Denmark and Germany vs Denmark - before housing Shakhtar Donetsk between 2014 and 2016. Shakhtar were forced to relocate for their home games back in 2014 after their then-stadium, the Donbas Arena, was damaged during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The 13-time Ukrainian champions now play their home games in Kyiv, though they were forced to evacuate players amid the Russian invasion, and the club has played its part in ensuring the stadium in Lviv serves a new purpos...

Paris Saint-Germain forward, Kylian Mbappe, has broken his silence on his side's elimination from the Champion League. Mbappe, in a tweet via his Instagram account on Thursday evening, stressed his sadness after PSG's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. The 23-year-old's goal was not enough as Real Madrid defeated PSG 3-1 in the Champions League round of 16 second-leg tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. Mbappe scored the first goal during the encounter but Karim Benzema's hat-trick ensured Real Madrid sent PSG packing from the Champions League. Reacting, Mbappe wrote: "Difficult moment. The Champions League was a big objective for us, but we failed. "The season isn't over and whatever happens to us we will remain united & determined until the last game of the season. "Thanks to the fans who supported us and made the trip. "ICI C'EST PARIS." Thanks for reading. Please don't hesitate to drop your comments bel...

Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino is facing an imminent sack at the club following his side's elimination from the Champions League on Wednesday. Le Parisien reports that both Pochettino and PSG's Sporting Director, Leonardo would both pay the price for the defeat. Pochettino watched as Real Madrid eliminated PSG from the Champions League round of 16 second-leg tie after losing 3-1. Karim Benzema scored three goals to send Real Madrid into the quarter-final as Kylian Mbappe's lone goal was not enough for PSG. Real Madrid had lost 1-0 against PSG in the first leg and qualified on a 3-2 aggregate win. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Pochettino said: "The present is all I can deal with. "As for the future, what will be will be. We play to compete and to win. It's a hard blow to take, but we have to keep a calm head now." Thanks for reading. Please don't hesitate to drop your comments below.

Simon Jordan, a former Crystal Palace chairman, has slammed Roman Abramovich, labelling the Russian Billionaire as "one of the worst things to happen to English football" after his decision to sell Chelsea. This is coming after Abramovich is demanding that Chelsea's new owners continue to invest in the Blues squad and pledge to redevelop Stamford Bridge Abramovich had announced that he had put Chelsea up for sale, insisting that the decision is in Chelsea's 'best interest'. The 55-year-old has decided to sell Chelsea after the threat of sanctions from the UK Government over Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, triggering a bloody war in Eastern Europe. It's understood that Abramovich, who bought Chelsea for £140 million back in 2003, has set a £3 billion asking price. But Jordan believes Abramovich should not be praised for his influence on the English game. "People were attributing last week the evolution of the Premier League t...

Super Eagles forward, Chidera Ejuke, could leave his Russian club CSKA Moscow on a temporary basis. This comes amid reports that FIFA want to invoke an emergency rule that would allow foreign players in Russia to break their contracts immediately. New York Times reports that FIFPRO, the body that represents professional footballers, have sent a request to FIFA requesting to allow the foreign players in Russia to terminate their contracts. According to the organisation, some of the players have expressed concerns over playing in Russia at the moment, due to the crisis going on between the country and Ukraine. And it was revealed that FIFA could invoke an emergency rule soon. Ejuke could take advantage of this new rule to leave CSKA until the end of the season. The Nigerian international joined the Russian club in 2020 from Heerenveen and has a contract until 2024. Thanks for reading. Please don't hesitate to drop your comments below.

Ademola Lookman has had his request to switch international allegiance from England to Nigeria granted by FIFA. The move sees the winger now set to star for the Super Eagles six years on from their first approach. The 24-year-old had represented the Three Lions at youth level following his break through at Charlton Athletic, helping secure the country’s first victory in the final of a global tournament since the 1966 World Cup. But Nigeria had always been keen to get the attacker to represent his parents’ homeland. The Nigerian national team first approached the Peckham-raised player in 2017, but Lookman rejected that and four further offers with hopes of breaking into Gareth Southgate‘s side. Speaking following rumours of the switch back in 2020, Lookman said: “I’ve not changed my mind on wanting to represent England.” However despite being given hope by the England boss back in 2018, the former Everton player’s chances of making the break through...