FIRST 11: Zimbabwe Break Nigerian Hearts, Alves Cleared …Top Sports Stories This Week

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It was a rollercoaster week for football fans in Nigeria. A 90th-minute goal by Zimbabwe dented the country’s hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup.

That game shaped the week for Nigerian sports fans. But the news of Dani Alves’s freedom, the adjusted transfer window in England, and the announcement of new hosts for the U-20 AFCON all made headlines in the last seven days.

From UEFA’s bid to probe Real Madrid stars Vinicius and Mbappe to preparations for the National Sports Festival, First 11 will explore the biggest sports stories this week.

Nigeria’s World Cup Dreams In Tatters

Nigeria are at risk of missing out on two consecutive World Cups. Photo: X@NGSuperEagles

Starting from home, Nigerians are still reeling in the pains of a crushing 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, further jeopardizing the Super Eagles ‘ dreams of playing in the competition. The draw condemns Nigeria to fourth in the six-team group, six points below leaders South Africa in the race for an automatic qualification to the World Cup.

With four matches to go, Nigeria’s road to the US, Canada, and Mexico looks narrower. They will hope for results to go their way in other games in the group&nbsp, – including winning their own – to have a hope of making the competition or a playoff spot.

Four More Countries Qualify for World Cup

The Fifa World Cup trophy is displayed ahead of the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup European qualifiers at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, on December 13, 2024. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

As Nigeria struggle to get a ticket, Argentina joined the early birds for the tournament after the latest round of qualifiers. Others are Japan, Iran, and New Zealand who have now joined the hosts US, Mexico, and Canada, for the Mundial

Adjusted Transfer Window

Manchester City’s English midfielder #47 Phil Foden (R) celebrates scoring the team’s third goal with Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on January 25, 2025. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

In England, the Premier League will have two transfer windows this summer. This is to allow Manchester City and Chelsea to register players for the Club World Cup.

Clubs in the English top flight will now be able to recruit and retain players in a special window between June 1 and 10. The exceptional registration period was approved by FIFA last October and is open to any national association that has teams involved in the new expanded Club World Cup, which starts in the United States on June 14.

A Lion’s Share

Meanwhile, the winner of this year’s expanded Club World Cup will get up to $125 million in prize money.

FIFA said a total prize fund of $1 billion for the event, which runs from June 14 to July 13, had already been made public, but the world football governing body has now broken down the sums for the 32 participating teams. Each team will share in the $525 million pot for participating.

A further $475 million will be distributed according to performance in the tournament.

Blatter, Platini Cleared

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter gives a thumbs-up as he leaves Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court after the verdict of his trial over a suspected fraudulent payment in the southern Switzerland city of Bellinzona, on July 8, 2022. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Still in football. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini have been acquitted on appeal by a Swiss court in a long-running corruption case that shattered their careers as the most powerful figures in world football.

Former UEFA president Michel Platini looks on when leaving the courthouse after the verdict of an appeal by the Swiss Attorney General’s office against former UEFA and FIFA presidents over a suspected fraudulent payment in Muttenz near Basel, on March 25, 2025. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Blatter, 89, and Platini, 69, listened in silence as the Extraordinary Court of Appeal clerk in the town of Muttenz, near Basel, read out a decision identical to the one handed down in 2022, which had initially cleared them. Prosectors had requested suspended sentences of 20 months for the pair, but charges of fraud, for which they risked five years ‘ imprisonment, as well as disloyal management, breach of trust and forgery of documents were all dismissed.

Egypt To Host U-20 AFCON&nbsp,

Returning home to Africa, Egypt have been awarded the hosting rights for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), days after Cote d’Ivoire pulled out as host nation.

The West African nation pulled out from hosting the tournament, citing “unforeseen circumstances”, according to CAF.

But the football body said Egypt will now host the competition billed for Sunday, 27 April 2025, to 18 May 2025.

Alves Freed

(FILES) Prison workers unions ‘ members protest over the killing of a cook by an inmate the week before, as convicted rapist and former Brazil international football player Dani Alves (R), flanked by his lawyer Ines Guardiola, leaves Brians 2 prison in San Esteban Sasroviras, near Barcelona, on March 25, 2024. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)

In Spain, &nbsp, an appeals court has overturned former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves ‘ rape conviction. It held that his trial was marked by “shortcomings” and “inaccuracies”.

Alves was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail in February last year for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022.

Tinubu Lights NSF Torch

PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT TINUBU FLAGS OFF TORCH OF UNITY MOVEMENT FOR 22ND NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially flagged off the Torch of Unity movement, marking the commencement of the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway 2025.
The… pic. twitter.com/FpNnsNEv6O

On the homefront, President Bola Tinubu flagged off the Torch of Unity Movement for the 22nd National Sports Festival.

During a brief event at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, Tinubu says sports is a unifying factor and a growth catalyst.

The Gateway Games will be held in Ogun State from May 16 to 30, 2025.

World Athletics Approves Swab Test&nbsp,

A nurse swabs the nose of a patient as he administers a COVID-19 test in Ljubljana on December 22, 2020, as nationwide mass free rapid testing for the novel coronavirus Covid-19 starts.
Jure Makovec / AFP

Meanwhile, World Athletics has approved the introduction of a cheek swab test to determine if an athlete is biologically female.

According to Sebastian Coe, the head of the international track and field federation, the decision taken by the body’s decision-making Council was a “really important” way of protecting the female category.

UEFA Opens Probe Against Mbappe, Vinicius, Others

Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward #07 Vinicius Junior (R) celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Girona FC at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)

Back to football! UEFA says it has opened an investigation into four Real Madrid stars, including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, for an alleged “indecent conduct” during their Champions League last 16 win over Atletico Madrid.

Madrid’s two superstar forwards, as well as defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Dani Ceballos, face potential punishment ahead of their quarter-final first-leg clash at Arsenal on April 8.

NBA To Review European League Proposal

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 13, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Noah Graham / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)

Lastly, the NBA will review a proposal to create a European basketball league. An NBA spokesperson said the new competition could feature up to 10 teams.

League owners will consider a plan that includes eight to 10 franchises, including up to four teams who already play in the EuroLeague — Europe’s top club competition. The proposed league would also feature new franchises in cities such as London and Paris, which could be worth as much as $500 million, Sportico reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the plans.