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Defending champions Rangers maintained top spot in the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, following a comfortable 3-1 victory over Abia Warriors at the Awka City Stadium.

Experienced striker Godwin Obaje, Chidiebere Nwobodo and Akorode Daniel got the goals for Rangers.

Abia Warriors scored from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute through Emeka Obioma.

Rivers United maintained their unbeaten start to the new season courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Ikorodu City at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.

Samson Olasupo gave Rivers United the lead in the 19th minute, while Chinemerem Ugwueze extended the lead in first-half stoppage time.

At the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Barau FC suffered defeat for the first time this season, going down 4-1 to their hosts, Bendel Insurance.

Kayode Oke bagged a brace for Bendel Insurance, while Suraju Lawal and Jonathan James got the other goals for Insurance.

Aliyu Sugau scored Barau FC’s only goal of the game.

Full Results

Doma United 1-0 Wolves

Bendel Insurance 4-1 Barau FC

Rangers 2-0 Abia Warriors

Rivers United 2-0 Ikorodu City

Shooting Stars 0-0 Nasarawa United

Inter Lagos 1-1 Katsina United

Enyimba 2-0 Plateau United

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the 2026 edition of its annual awards ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on 7 December.

The decision was reached at a virtual meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO), chaired by the organisation’s president, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday, 2 October.

The meeting also approved the CAF Competitions Calendar for 2026–2030, alongside amendments to the regulations governing the continent’s interclub competitions.

Nigeria will host another major CAF event, the organisation’s Ordinary General Assembly, on 21 November.

The 2026 CAF Awards will bring together leading footballers, coaches, clubs and administrators to celebrate outstanding performances in African football.

The ceremony recognises achievements across men’s and women’s football, including the Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Club of the Year categories.

Nigeria has enjoyed considerable success at the awards, particularly in the men’s and women’s Player of the Year categories.

Ademola Lookman won the men’s award in 2024, following Victor Osimhen’s triumph in 2023, making them the first Nigerian pair to secure consecutive victories in the category since Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba achieved the feat in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

The 2024 ceremony, held in Marrakech, Morocco, also saw Nigeria’s Super Falcons named Women’s National Team of the Year, while goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie received the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

At the 2025 edition held in Rabat, Morocco dominated the ceremony during a historic night in Rabat, with Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain) and Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco/Al Hilal) winning the Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards, respectively.

Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Al Hilal) and Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie (Brighton & Hove Albion) claimed the Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year honours, and Othmane Maamma (Morocco/Watford) and Doha El Madani (Morocco/AS FAR) were named Men’s and Women’s Young Players of the Year, respectively.

Beyond the awards announcement, the EXCO approved significant changes to the regulations governing the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Under the revised rules, players will be permitted to represent more than one club during a single CAF interclub season, a change that could provide clubs with greater flexibility in managing their squads.

The committee also approved an increase in the number of players clubs can register, setting the maximum at 40 players at any point during the season.

Clubs will additionally be allowed to replace four players during the final registration window, provided those players have not featured in any CAF interclub match during the season.

Another significant amendment concerns disciplinary proceedings. All disciplinary matters will now be referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board, removing that responsibility from the Interclub Committee.

The changes are expected to influence how clubs approach player recruitment, registration and squad management in continental competitions.

The EXCO also approved the dates for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, with the final tournament scheduled to run from 1 to 15 November.

The competition, which brings together the leading women’s club sides from across Africa, has become a major platform for the development and visibility of women’s football on the continent.

Nigeria’s Edo Queen’s participation in this year’s competition is presently being challenged following the annulment of their victory at the WAFU B tournament after a protest by Ampem Dakoa.

In another decision, CAF confirmed that Senegal will host the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations from 28 November to 6 December.

The West African country, which won the previous edition, will host the tournament as it seeks to defend its continental title.

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Manchester City have formally appealed the Premier League commission’s verdict in the club’s long-running financial case involving 115 charges, insisting that the decision contains serious errors and that they are innocent of the allegations.

The Premier League champions confirmed on Friday that they had submitted a comprehensive appeal on Thursday, October 1, 2026, challenging the findings of an independent commission.

The commission found that Manchester City had arranged what it described as “sham” contracts with several commercial partners between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.

According to the findings, the arrangements formed part of an alleged “disguised funding scheme” designed to artificially inflate the club’s revenue by approximately £830 million.

In a statement released on Friday, City strongly rejected the commission’s conclusions, arguing that the verdict was fundamentally flawed and should not stand.

The club maintained that the decision contained substantial errors of law, principle and fact, raising questions about the reliability of the findings.

Manchester City also insisted that they possess extensive evidence to support their defence and challenge the accusations brought by the Premier League.

The club’s statement read:

“Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.

“The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.

“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.

“We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.”

The appeal marks another major development in one of English football’s most closely watched financial disputes.

Manchester City’s case centres on allegations of financial rule breaches spanning several seasons. The club has consistently denied wrongdoing and has maintained its position throughout the proceedings.

With the appeal now formally lodged, attention will turn to the next stage of the legal process and the arguments presented by both sides.

The outcome could have significant implications for Manchester City and the Premier League’s efforts to enforce its financial regulations.