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Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua paid a moving tribute on Thursday to the two close friends killed in a car crash in Nigeria, labelling them “brothers” and “great men”.

Joshua suffered minor injuries in the December 29 crash, and after being discharged from the hospital, he returned to England before attending the funerals of Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami last Sunday.

“Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realise how special they are. I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men.

“100 per cent, it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents. I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers,” Joshua posted on X.

Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realise how special they are. I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men. 100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher… pic.twitter.com/qIdvq9O4sO

READ ALSO: London Mourns At Funeral For Anthony Joshua’s Associates

Ayodele, the personal trainer of the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, and Ghami, Joshua’s long-time strength and conditioning coach, both died at the scene of the crash on December 29.

Nigerian police charged the driver of the vehicle, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, with “dangerous driving causing death”.

The accident took place on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan in southwest Nigeria when the Lexus SUV in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Shehu Dikko, says the Super Eagles bonus row has been resolved and that the team will now travel to Marrakech for their quarter-final clash with Algeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 

Nigeria’s fine outing at the 2025 AFCON took a new twist when reports emerged that the players threatened to boycott their last-eight clash with the Desert Foxes, citing non-payment of match bonuses. 

However, Dikko told Channels Television’s The Morning Brief that the issue has been resolved and the players will leave Fes for Marrakech (Morocco) ahead of the match on Saturday. 

“First and foremost, I tell you, the team trained yesterday, definitely. The team will be traveling today, definitely,” the NSC chairman said on Thursday’s edition of the show which runs on weekdays.

According to him, the delay in the payment of the bonuses was due to bureaucracy, saying the funds are already being processed. 

“Let me give you the timelines of how the issues work. First and foremost, I must tell you that Mr. President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, duly approved the special budget for the AFCON as far back as November 14, 2025,” he said. 

“But approving the money is different from getting the money out. It takes time for the money to be processed through Finance, the Office of the Accountant General, and the CBN.”

READ ALSO: [2025 AFCON] Osimhen, Lookman To Test Algeria Goalkeeper Zidane’s Perfect Record

Dikko said the Nigerian team has gotten their daily allowances for the tournament which he said was paid in “cash as agreed”. 

“It’s normal for players to ask when alerts will come. But I don’t think any player made any public statement. It started from speculation,” he stated. 

“The players will start getting alerts maybe today or tomorrow for the first-round matches, and as they progress, payments for subsequent stages will follow.” 

Nigeria, winners of the AFCON in 1980, 1994 and 2013, dispatched the Mambas of Mozambique 4-0 in the last-16 to set up a mouthwatering clash with Algeria. 

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, says the delay in the payment of bonuses to the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Dikko spoke on Thursday after the Nigerian team threatened to boycott their quarter-final match against Algeria in the competition due to non-payment of their bonuses. 

However, the NSC chairman said the money has been released and is being “processed”. 

READ ALSO: [2025 AFCON] Super Eagles To Travel Today For Quarter-Final Clash After Bonus Row — NSC

“The NFF, the Sports Commission, the Presidency, the Minister of Finance, and the CBN are all involved. Fundamentally, the money for this AFCON is approved and being processed through the right channels. It’s a matter of timing,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. 

“Let me give you the timelines of how the issues work. First and foremost, I must tell you that Mr. President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, duly approved the special budget for the AFCON as far back as November 14, 2025,” he said.

“But approving the money is different from getting the money out. It takes time for the money to be processed through Finance, the Office of the Accountant General, and the CBN.”

Watch his remark about the matter below: 

Nigeria sharpshooters Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will provide a stern test to the flawless record of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Morocco.

Zidane is the only first-choice goalkeeper amongst the eight quarter-finalists to have kept a clean sheet in all of his tournament matches so far, but the task facing him in Marrakesh on Saturday will not be easy.

Former African player of the year award-winners Osimhen and Lookman have tormented defences during the tournament, scoring three goals each.

Zidane, 27, kept clean sheets in group matches against Sudan and Burkina Faso before being rested against Equatorial Guinea.

He was recalled for a last-16 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo and once again was unbeaten during a dramatic extra-time victory.

Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, his Spanish wife and another son have been among the crowds in each match Luca played for the Desert Foxes.

“It is special when your family come to watch,” said Luca Zidane, who began his career with Real Madrid B in 2016 and now plays for Spanish second-tier side Granada.

Born in France, Zidane represented his country of birth at five age-limit levels. Under FIFA rules he could also play for Spain or Algeria, where his grandparents were born.

Zidane chose Algeria, debuting in a 2026 World Cup qualifying victory over Uganda last November and, when an injury ruled first choice Alexis Guendoez out of the AFCON, he was promoted.

“I am proud to represent Algeria and play in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a great experience,” he told reporters.

And he insists that he is not weighed down by his famous family name.

“I try to be myself, to build my career on my terms, step by step,” he said.

READ ALSO: AFCON 2025 Quarter-Finals: Fixtures, Dates, Times, Venues [FULL LIST]

AFP Sport looks at the quarter-finals on Friday and Saturday, which feature seven winners of the AFCON. All eight are among the top 10 in the African rankings.

Mali v Senegal

Mali are the only survivors who have not been AFCON champions and they reached the last eight without winning. After drawing three group matches, they beat Tunisia in a penalty shoot-out.

Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet calls his players “national heroes”, referring to playing Tunisia for 94 minutes with 10 men following the sending off of Woyo Coulibaly.

Senegal welcome back centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly after a one-match ban. He, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, midfielder Idrissa Gueye and forward Sadio Mane are the long-serving core of the side.

Ibrahim Mbaye is an exciting addition to the Teranga Lions. The 17-year-old came off the bench to score against Sudan — the second youngest player to do so at an AFCON.

Cameroon v Morocco

Older Moroccan supporters have bitter memories of Cameroon, who won a 1988 semi-final in the kingdom and went on to claim the second of five AFCON titles.

Cameroon have never lost to Morocco in an AFCON. They are also the last team to triumph in the kingdom, winning a World Cup qualifier there in 2009.

But while the statistics offer comfort to the Indomitable Lions, they will be underdogs against the competition favourites.

Full-back Achraf Hakimi has recovered from an ankle injury to lead the Atlas Lions, and forward Brahim Diaz has scored in each of his four matches.

Algeria have been an AFCON bogey team for Nigeria, winning four and drawing two of nine meetings, including a 5-1 drubbing of the Super Eagles en route to winning the 1990 tournament at home.

The Desert Foxes have put successive group-stage exits behind them under Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic and substitute Adil Boulbina unleashed a thunderbolt to eliminate DR Congo.

Nigeria are the 12-goal leading scorers in Morocco with Osimhen, Lookman and Akor Adams forming a potent frontline.

But coach Eric Chelle will be concerned that the three-time champions have conceded four — the most among the eight title hopefuls.

Egypt v Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast, the first defending champions to reach the quarter-finals since 2010, have a dismal AFCON record against Egypt, losing seven of 11 matches and winning only one.

But an impressive 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso, with Manchester United winger Amad Diallo outstanding, provides hope of further progress.

While the Ivorians were cruising to a last-16 victory, Egypt battled to overcome minnows Benin, ensuring victory only after 124 minutes when talisman Mohamed Salah scored.

Having  won every English competition, the Champions League and Club World Cup with Liverpool, Salah wants to go one step further in Africa after twice being an AFCON runner-up.

 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrickcould each hold fresh talks with Manchester United as the club seeks to appoint an interim head coach after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, according to British media reports.

The two former United players are believed to have held a first round of informal discussions with sporting director Jason Wilcox on Tuesday, ahead of United’s Premier League match at Burnley.

READ ALSO: Manchester United: Potential Candidates For Old Trafford Hotseat After Amorim Sacking

Another former United star, Darren Fletcher, who is in charge of the Under-18 side, has been named interim head coach and will be in charge for the game.

It is now being suggested that both Carrick and Solskjaer could feature in a new backroom team at Old Trafford after Amorim was dismissed on Monday following a reported row with Wilcox last Friday.

If Solskjaer is named as Amorim’s successor, it would represent a return to the United hotseat.

The former United and Norway forward initially took charge on an interim basis in December 2018 after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho, before he was appointed full-time the following March.

Solskjaer, however, was sacked in November 2021, with ex-England midfielder Carrick placed in temporary charge.

United head into the Burnley match sixth in the Premier League, with eight wins from their 20 English top-flight matches so far this season.

Amorim’s Reign

Amorim was sacked on Monday as manager 14 months after arriving at Old Trafford.

United said in a statement that the Portuguese had left his role, with the club’s leadership having “reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change”.

“This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.

“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future,” the club added.

After a 1-1 draw at Leeds on Sunday, an irate Amorim stressed he was United’s manager rather than just the coach during an eye-catching press conference in which he told the scouting department and director of football, Jason Wilcox, “to do their job”.

The 40-year-old had alluded to frustration behind the scenes in the build-up to the match as the United boss refused to clarify his recent comments about the club’s transfer plans.

He had looked downbeat when he sidestepped those questions but was more forthcoming when asked on Sunday if he still felt he had confidence from the board.

Amorim was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to the Europa League final in Bilbao in May, losing to Tottenham Hotspur, but they finished 15th in the Premier League last season.

His 14-month stint is the shortest reign of a permanent manager at United since David Moyes was sacked just eight months into his tenure in 2014.

In their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) last-16 tie on Tuesday, Algeria defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0, setting up a quarter-final showdown with Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen on Saturday.

A tense encounter at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium was settled by a late goal by substitute Adil Boulbina in the 119th minute.

The 22-year-old Al-Duhail international forward, who is released on the left, advanced into the area and unleashed a powerful shot into the net, causing 837 of the 18, 837 spectators to erupt in a flurry of cheers.

Boulbina, who was playing off the bench for the tournament for the second time, was overcome with emotion following the game.

“I have always wanted to play for the country,” I said. Every Algerian has the goal of playing for their country and succeeding. The most crucial thing is that we won and were selected for the following round, he said, knowing that I had a chance and scored.

The 2019 champions, who won all of their group-stage matches, now appear to be strong contenders for a third continental title.

However, DR Congo’s victory came as a bitter blow to the country’s aspiring World Cup qualifier, which had intended to face Nigeria after winning on penalties in a November play-off.

“The outcome obviously detracts us. I thought it was a top-notch encounter between two excellent rivals. The players provided everything. Unfortunately, our fight to the end was insufficient, according to DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre.

With few clear chances in the first half, the match itself did not live up to its name. Ibrahim Maza fired a narrow header past the goal, while Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe headed just wide from a corner for DR Congo.

Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane was put on by Edo Kayembe with a long-range effort in the second half, but the score remained goalless, preventing extra time.

Algeria’s threat increased in the extra-time period, with Lionel Mpasi’s goalkeeper making some excellent saves from Fares Chaibi and Baghdad Bounedjah in the 111th minute. Before Ramiz Zerrouki released Boulbina with a precise pass, a winning goal appeared unattainable for the substitute.

Victory of Nigeria vs. Mozambique

In Fes on Monday, Nigeria defeated Mozambique 4-0, continuing their dominant run in Morocco.

Victor Osimhen scored twice, and Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams each added one more goal to ease Super Eagles’ passage to the last eight.

After 20 minutes, Lookman opened the scoring before scoring Osimhen’s first goal in the 25th minute.

The Galatasaray striker doubled the lead just before half-time, and Lookman, who assisted with the assist, sealed the win decisively in the 75th minute.

“A fantastic team effort was made.” The victory gives us momentum heading into the quarter-finals, said a delighted Osimhen, who created chances and finished them.

Since Egypt defeated Algeria by the same score in the same AFCON knockout match in 2010, the 4-0 result was the largest winning margin in the tie.

Mozambique lost to a much-changed Nigerian side that had previously introduced key players like Lookman after the group stage rotation.