Sports
AfroBasket 2025: FG Fulfils Promise To Victorious D’Tigress
The Federal Government has fulfilled its promise to Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, following their 2025 victory at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
The development was disclosed on Monday by the National Sports Commission, which confirmed that the players had received their national honour certificates and housing allocation documents.
The presentation took place in Lyon, France, where the African champions are currently participating in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
The rewards fulfil an earlier pledge by the Federal Government following the team’s remarkable performance at the continental championship.
On August 4, 2025, President Bola Tinubu announced a special reward package for the team after their record-breaking victory.
Each player was conferred with the national honour of Order of the Niger (OON), alongside a cash reward of $100,000 and the allocation of a flat in Abuja.
Members of the technical crew, led by head coach Rena Wakama, were also rewarded with $50,000 each.
The announcement was made when the President hosted the team in Abuja following their unprecedented fifth consecutive AfroBasket title.
The same set of national honours and incentives was also extended to the Super Falcons after the team secured Nigeria’s 10th title at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
D’Tigress sealed their AfroBasket victory on August 3, 2025, defeating Mali 78–64 in the final to clinch their seventh continental title.
The Nigerian side, however, had to battle through a tense contest to secure the win.
Key performances from Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu were instrumental in securing the victory.
Nigeria entered the final quarter leading 61–56 and maintained their composure to close out the game, securing a historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket title.
The victory further extended D’Tigress’ dominance in African women’s basketball, as the team has now won 29 consecutive games without defeat since 2015.
Meanwhile, the team is currently participating in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 in Lyon, France, running from March 11 to March 17.
So far, D’Tigress have recorded wins against Colombia (70–37) and the Philippines (101–84) but suffered losses to South Korea (77–60) and France (93–86).
They will conclude their qualifying campaign with a match against Germany on March 17.
Arsenal qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League, despite playing a goalless draw with Sporting on Wednesday night.
The Gunners had won the first leg 1-0 in Portugal thanks to Kai Havertz’s late winner.
At the Emirates, the chances were far and few as both teams hit the woodwork but failed to score.
Arsenal will now play Atletico Madrid, who eliminated Barcelona.
In the other quarter-final, Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 4-3 at the Allianz Arena.
The Bundesliga champions had won the first leg 1-0 at the Bernabeu.
Bayern Munich will play Paris Saint-Germain for a place in the final.
Football superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentine Football Association are facing a lawsuit in the United States over allegations of fraud and breach of contract linked to two Argentina exhibition matches held in October.
A Miami-based sports and entertainment company, VID, filed the suit in Florida, claiming it paid about $7 million for exclusive rights to stage Argentina friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, with the expectation that Messi would feature in both games.
According to the filing, Messi was contractually required to play at least 30 minutes in each match unless he was injured. However, the company alleges he did not take part in either game, instead watching from the stands during at least one of the fixtures.
Reports say Messi attended the match in Miami but did not play, choosing to remain available for his club commitments with Inter Miami the following day. The second fixture against Puerto Rico was also moved from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, a change the promoters say led to significant financial losses, reportedly over $1 million.
VID further claims the AFA had promised compensation through a future friendly match in China in 2026, which never materialised.
The company is now seeking damages, alleging it suffered heavy financial losses due to unmet contractual expectations.
This is not the first time Messi’s absence from promotional matches has triggered legal action, as similar disputes have previously emerged involving ticketing and advertising expectations around his participation.
Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
This follows the completion of the quarter-final second legs on Tuesday.
In the first game, PSG travelled to Liverpool with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Although there were no goals in the first half, Ousmane Dembele netted twice after the break as the holders progressed into the final four.
At the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico qualified for the semi-final despite losing 2-1.
Diego Simeone’s men had won 2-0 at the Nou Camp and at home, Ademola Lookman’s goal proved crucial after Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres levelled the tie on aggregate/
PSG will face the winner of Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid, while Atletico Madrid await the winner of Arsenal vs Sporting.
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