Rivers United have arrived Maputo, Mozambique for Saturday’s TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, second preliminary round, 1st leg tie against Black Bulls FC.

Players, officials and other members of the contingent touched down at the Maputo International Airport at exactly 1:20pm local time onboard Ethiopian airline from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos with stopovers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Rivers United will seek to return to Nigeria for the second leg with a decent result when they confront Black Bulls on Saturday October 18 at the 3,000 capacity Lalgy Sport Arena, located in Matola, Mozambique, a city near Maputo. Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm local time (2pm Nigerian time)

Rabi’u Tata has been appointed as the interim Technical Adviser of Barau FC following the departure of Ladan Bosso, who has stepped aside due to family reasons.

Barau FC are currently preparing for their NPFL Matchday 9 fixture against Kano Pillars on Sunday.

Details later.

Ahmad Hamisu Gwale

Media Director, Barau FC

15th October, 2025

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, rounded off their pre-World Cup preparations in style with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Paraguay in Casablanca on Tuesday evening. It was a match filled with pace, precision, and plenty of lessons as Coach Bankole Olowookere’s girls sealed their 12th warm-up game, extending their scoring tally to an impressive 50 goals while conceding just six.

The Flamingos wasted no time announcing their intent, taking the lead inside the opening two minutes. Goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface launched a pinpoint long ball that found captain Shakirat Moshood, who cleverly laid it off for Mariam Yahaya. The forward made no mistake, chipping the onrushing Paraguayan goalkeeper to give Nigeria an early advantage.

Eight minutes later, Shakirat had a chance to double the lead, but her effort flew just over the bar. Paraguay found a lifeline in the 15th minute after a defensive error from Christiana Sunday gifted them an equaliser against the run of play. The South Americans grew in confidence, forcing Boniface into two fine saves as the Flamingos briefly lost their rhythm.

However, the Nigerians quickly regained control, and just before halftime, they were back in front. A defensive mix-up at the back allowed Yahaya to pounce for her brace in the 44th minute before completing a sensational first-half hat-trick a minute later, thanks to a delightful pass from Kaosarat Olanrewaju.

The second half saw the Flamingos maintain their attacking momentum, with Ayomide Abubakar and Shakirat Moshood both coming close to adding to the tally. Substitute goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu made a crucial save in the 69th minute to preserve Nigeria’s two-goal cushion as Paraguay searched for a route back into the game. In the final moments, another defensive lapse allowed Paraguay to pull one back, but it was too late to deny Nigeria a deserved 3–2 win.

With their Morocco training camp now concluded, the Flamingos will head to Rabat on Wednesday morning to settle into their FIFA accommodation ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off on October 17. Drawn in Group D, Nigeria will open their campaign against Canada on Sunday 19th October, then face France three days later, before wrapping up the group stage against Samoa on October 25.

Captain William Troost-Ekong said on Wednesday morning that the Super Eagles will give the CAF Play-Off Tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Morocco next month their very best shot, as the group continues to quietly delight in the 4-0 win over Bénin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday that sent Nigeria to the play-off tournament, which precedes the intercontinental play-offs scheduled for Mexico in March next year.

“We are quite happy to have that opportunity. It is a long route but it is a route afterall. We would have loved to get the automatic ticket but it didn’t happen and we take what we have. For us, we will remain strong and tough and ready to confront every challenge on our way as we search for the ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“It was a wonderful team effort on Tuesday evening. Everyone contributed; each person played their part. If the other match had gone in favour, we would be with the automatic ticket now. But that’s life. You take what you get and run with it, and make the best of it.”

Nigeria got their best result of the campaign on an inspired night in the Akwa Ibom State capital, with Victor Osimhen netting a hat-trick and midfielder Frank Onyeka, who came in as a substitute, rifling in with the clock on 90 minutes to send the three-time African champions to the CAF Play-off Tournament.

With the result they earned, the Super Eagles should have picked up the automatic ticket from Group C, but once more, Rwanda’s Amavubi failed to hold things tight for Nigeria at the crucial hour, crumbling like a pack of cards to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in Nelspruit. It was November 2005 all over again, when all the Amavubi needed to do was hold Angola to a draw on the final matchday at home in Kigali, but they conceded a late goal by Fabrice Akwa to render Nigeria’s five-goal rout of Zimbabwe in Abuja inconsequential, instead sending Angola to their first FIFA World Cup finals.

In the CAF Play-offs, Nigeria will take on Gabon’s Palancas Negras in a ‘first semi-final’ on Thursday, 13th November, with Cameroon taking on the Democratic Republic of Congo in the ‘second semi-final’ on Friday, 14th November. The two winners clash on Sunday, 16th November in the ‘final’, with the winner to proceed to the Intercontinental Play-offs scheduled for the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey in March next year.

At the International Play-off Tournament, six teams will battle for two tickets. The teams are Africa’s winner, Bolivia, New Caledonia, winner of Asian play-off between Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, and two of Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama.

Katsina United Fc has made new appointments to ensure that the club’s operations continue smoothly.

Alh Surajo Umar Dalibi, Club Chairman/Supervising Coordinator, discloses this in a statement signed and delivered to the Club’s media Directorate.

In the appointment Nura Danjuma has been named as Chief Security Officer, and Bello Abdullahi as Club Chief Scouting Officer.

According to the Chairman, the nominations were made after considering their verse experience and dedication.

Their appointments take immediate effect.

Surajo Malumfashi wishes them the best of luck and urges them to earn their trust by carrying out their given obligations conscientiously.

Nasir Gide,

Media Director

Katsina United Fc.

The board of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, has issued a stern warning to clubs over the improper behaviour of ball boys during match days, Silvernews.com.ng reports.

This was contained in a statement by Davidson Owumi, Chief Operating Officer of the league.

The statement reads: “It has come to our attention, the unscrupulous and improper behavior of ball boys on match days.

“The continuous attitude of ball boys hiding match balls when the game is still on and probably in favour of the home team, constitutes an act of unfairness and a breach of the frameworks and rules of the NPFL.

“This act shall no more be tolerate ed and shall be termed as a misconduct which is punishable under section C of the frameworks and rules of the NPFL.

“Note that at every point in time during an NPFL match, a minimum of not less than ten balls should be available for use at all times.

“Consequent upon this, any team found wanting and encouraging such attitude will be sanctioned with a fine of One Million Naira (#1,000,000.00), as such behavior is contrary to fair play and brings the game to disrepute.

“You are advised to call the ball boys to order as the NPFL Board is poised in maintaining the integrity of the league at all times as stipulated in the frameworks and rules of the NPFL.”

Rivers United FC will embark on its journey to Maputo, Mozambique for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League second preliminary round 1st leg tie against Black Bulls football club.

The Rivers United FC contingent will depart from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 1:40pm via Ethiopian Airline.

The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the Lalgy Sport Arena in Matola, Mozambique. Key match details include:

– Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025

– Venue: Lalgy Sport Arena, Matola, Mozambique (3,000 capacity)

– Time: 3pm (local time) and 2pm (Nigeria time)

– Opponent: Black Bulls football club

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has announced that the Matchday 9 fixture between Barau FC and Kano Pillars will be played behind closed doors on Sunday.

In a letter dated Tuesday, 14th October 2025, and signed by the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, the league body stated that the decision was taken for safety reasons.

According to the statement, “The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has directed that the Matchday 9 fixture between Barau FC and Kano Pillars be played behind closed doors in accordance with established safety and security protocols.”

The statement further added that only the following categories of personnel will be granted access to the stadium: referees’ council members, state football association officials, accredited members of the press, and security personnel.

A total of one hundred and twenty (120) persons only are expected to be present within the match arena. No spectators, supporters, or unauthorized individuals shall be admitted into the stadium under any circumstances.

Furthermore, the NPFL Secretariat will continue to deploy two (2) officials for subsequent Barau FC home matches to conduct on-the-spot assessments and provide detailed reports on compliance, organization, and security standards.

Barau FC has accepted the NPFL’s decision, despite earlier efforts to allow fans entry into the stadium.

The NPFL Matchday 9 fixture between Barau FC and Kano Pillars is scheduled for Sunday, 19th October 2025, at 4:00 PM, at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata.

Morocco has been officially selected by CAF to host the African playoff mini-tournament for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The playoff will feature four of Africa’s best runners-up competing in two semi-finals on November 13, followed by a final on November 16. The winner from Morocco will move on to face a team from another continent in March 2026 for the chance to secure a place in the expanded 48-team World Cup.

The draw and seeding will depend on the FIFA rankings published October 23. In case of draws, the matches will go to extra time and, if still tied, to penalties.

The top-ranked team will be matched against the fourth-ranked side, while the second and third ranked teams will face off in the other semi-final.

A Victor Osimhen hat-trick and a sensational pile-driver by substitute Frank Onyeka that ensured a 4-0 win over Benin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday evening was enough to send Nigeria to the Four-Team CAF Playoff Tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

The winner in Morocco will proceed to the Six-Team Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled for the Mexican cities of Guadalaja and Monterrey in March next year, where two teams will emerge and qualify for the finals in USA, Canada and Mexico.

The winner from the African playoff will be joined by Bolivia, New Caledonia and two teams from Central America, and one from Asia.