SportsNews
Why Mainoo’s goal was extra special

Published
1 year agoon
By
Ekwutos Blog
Manchester United fans just cannot stop watching Kobbie Mainoo’s brilliant winner against Wolves.
After the Reds had been pegged back to 3-3, due to Pedro Neto’s equaliser on the break, our newly crowned Player of the Month picked the ball up from substitute Omari Forson and tricked his way into a shooting position.
There was still much to do but he displayed exquisite technique to steer his finish wide of Jose Sa to send the away supporters crazy and clinch an eighth 4-3 victory of the Premier League era.
Although the strike came in the 97th minute, there was more injury time to be played out before three important points could be celebrated.
A goal in successive games for Kobbie kept him very much in the spotlight and manager Erik ten Hag explained afterwards why he is a role model for other youngsters in the Academy, as he is able to keep his feet on the ground.
“There can be a lot about him,”
admitted the boss in one of his post-match interviews with the official broadcasters. “He is a great kid. Only in his head is football.
”He wants to progress every day. He is really an example for a lot [of others] and he has abilities. He has talent but talent has to work hard to progress, and that is what he is doing.
“I hope and I wish push him to keep going.”
Opta also produced an interesting stat, stating that this was only the second goal since the formation of the league in 1992 to be both assisted and scored by teenagers.
With Forson’s pass leading to the strike, Opta revealed the other time this happened was back in January 2005.
That memorable occasion was at Anfield, when Wayne Rooney’s low shot beat Jerzy Dudek, from a Cristiano Ronaldo set-up, to earn a sweet 1-0 success against Liverpool.
Rooney was 18 at the time, with Ronaldo only a year older.
Everybody of a United persuasion was naturally buzzing, and it was nice to see Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill’s reaction to the goal at Molineux from their seat in the stand.
Former midfielder Ander Herrera perhaps summed up the general mood when posting on Instagram: “What a player, what a future this Mainoo [has].”
Well done, and thank you, Kobbie – as we look ahead to seeing you at Old Trafford on Sunday, against West Ham United.
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2026 WCQ: FIFA could still hand South Africa points deduction despite Lesotho’s withdrawal

Published
2 days agoon
March 28, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
FIFA could end up deducting points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, despite Lesotho reportedly withdrawing their protest.
Bafana Bafana played Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho when he should have served a one-match ban.
Mokoena picked up two bookings against Benin Republic and Zimbabwe earlier in the series.
Instead the 28-year-old featured as South Africa won 2-0 in Polokwane.
Lesotho had submitted a complaint about the incident to FIFA, but there are rumours that it has been withdrawn.
But according to the former media officer of the Super Eagles, Colin Udoh, that is irrelevant.
Udoh cited Nigeria’s punishment in 2018.
“In 2018, when Nigeria were in a similar position with Shehu Abdullahi, Algeria did not lodge a protest.
“FIFA still took action and turned a 1-1 draw into a 0-3 loss,” Udoh wrote on X.
South Africa could lose three points, while Lesotho are awarded three goals and three points, if FIFA rules on the matter.
SportsNews
2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: GOVERNOR UMO ENO PURCHASES 30,000 MATCH TICKETS FOR FANS

Published
5 days agoon
March 25, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
PRESS RELEASE
2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: GOVERNOR UMO ENO PURCHASES 30,000 MATCH TICKETS FOR FANS
In line with his determination and promise to mobilize support for the victory of the Super Eagles of Nigeria against the Warriors of Zimbabwe, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has purchased 30,000 tickets for football fans and supporters ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualification match scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
Sequel to the purchase of match tickets for onward distribution to fans, the following venues will serve as distribution centres for match tickets from 5 p.m. today, Monday, March 24:
1. All radio stations
2. De Venus Bar and Restaurant, Stadium Road, Uyo
3. Uyo Township Stadium, Uyo
4. Plaza Management Committee Office, Ibom Plaza, Uyo
5. All previous sales agents and centres
Consequently, fans are to note the following:
1. The tickets are FREE. Do not BUY tickets from anybody.
2. No person will be permitted entry into the stadium without a ticket.
3. Tickets will not be distributed at the stadium. Fans without tickets should not be found within the stadium vicinity.
4. Fans in the stadium must be orderly and must abide by the seating arrangements and instructions as announced by the organizers.
5. All FIFA/CAF/NFF rules governing the organization of international football matches will be strictly adhered to.
6. Security agencies have been put on notice to ensure strict compliance with all the aforementioned guidelines.
This gesture by His Excellency is to encourage citizens and residents of the state to come out en masse and cheer the Super Eagles to victory.
Signed:
ELDER PAUL BASSEY
Honourable Commissioner for Sports
Akwa Ibom State
SportsNews
Blatter, Platini cleared of corruption charges for second time over FIFA payment

Published
5 days agoon
March 25, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and French football legend Michel Platini were on Tuesday, both cleared of corruption charges by the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in the town of Muttenz, near Basel, Switzerland.
This comes two-and-a-half years after the duo was first acquitted of the offences.
Blatter and Platini, once among the most powerful figures in world football, were cleared of fraud mismanagement.
The hearing took place after Swiss federal prosecutors appealed against their 2022 acquittal at a lower court.
Both men had denied the charges which is over a 2 million Swiss franc (£1.6m) payment made to Platini, who was UEFA president at the time, in 2011.
The attorney general’s office in Switzerland had challenged a first acquittal in July 2022 and asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.
The scandal ended both men’s careers in football as they were banned from the global game in 2015, with Platini’s dream of succeeding Blatter at FIFA in tatters.

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