SPORTS
Rubicon Stops El-Amin, Wins First Bank Georgian Polo Cup

Abuja Rubicon, a polo team, has returned to winning ways defeating defending Champions, El Amin, by 9 to 6-goals to win its third FirstBank sponsored Georgian Cup.
Mr Pisu Eromosele, media coordinator, made this known in a statment in Lagos on Sunday.
The tournament, which held in Kaduna on Saturday paraded star players like Bashir Dantata, Abdulmalik Gbadamosi, Argentine imports, Tolito Ocampo and Silvestre Donovan.
Rubicon showed superiority in all areas of the game by beating Mohammed Babangida’s El-El-Amin in a 7-chukker thriller.
The competition, which was sponsored by FirstBank of Nigeria for 102 years, is already on record as the longest of such sole sponsorship in any sports event.
Reacting to their loss, Mohammed Babangida, whose team, El Amin holds 15-FirstBank Georgian Cup titles, said he accepted the defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship, saying, losing is part of the game.
“In sports, you win some and you lose some, we will come back stronger next year Insha Allah.
“It was a good tournament, we hope to make a good come back come,” he said.
Apart from the two finalists, Badako Zaz and Malcomines are the other teams that competed for the Georgian Cup trophy.
Happy at the turnout of the event, Aliyu Musa, the representative of the Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank at the event, pledged the bank’s determination to sustain the sponsorship.
“The shared value culture of excellence, resilience and determination, a thing the bank holds in high esteem will continue to make the sponsorship of the event and support for Kaduna Polo Club sacrosanct,” Musa said.
Applauding FirstBank for its dedication to the sport, Suliaman Abubakar, President of Kaduna Polo Club, pledged to continue to work hard to maintain the existing relationship between the sponsors and the Club.
Rubicon won for the third time since the inception of the tournament 102 years ago, El-Amin still holds the best record with15 FirstBank Georgian Cup in the kitty. (NAN)
SPORTS
Finals of Gov. Peter Mbah Secondary Schools Games Begin in Enugu

The finals of Gov. Peter Mbah Secondary Schools Games, on Thursday began in Enugu with the arrival and accreditation of athletes at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu.
Dan Onwuegbuna, Director, Information, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Enugu State, said in a statement on Thursday that the games would be held between Aug.
7 and Aug. 10 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and the Enugu State Sports Council.“The games is designed to help the state discover talents to represent the state at the forthcoming U15 National Youth Games scheduled to take place in Asaba, Delta, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 6,” he stated.
Onwuegbuna said that apart from representing the state at the Youth Games in Asaba, talented athletes discovered would represent the state in other competitions.
He quoted the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ekweremadu as thanking Gov. Peter Mbah for approving the games.
Onwuegbuna said that the games was made possible following the collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the state Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
The games finals followed the outcome of the inter- Secondary Schools competitions held at the local government areas in the six Educational Zones in the State – Enugu, Agbani, Awgu, Udi, Nsukka and Udenu.
“The games will feature athletics, boxing, chess, basketball, volleyball, football, tennis and scrabble,” Onwuegbuna stated.
SPORTS
Super Falcons’ Nnadozie Nominated for Ballon d’Or Best Goalkeeper Award

Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy, the Ballon d’Or award for the best female goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old recently joined Brighton Women FC from Paris FC after helping the French side win their first major title in nearly two decades.
Nnadozie delivered a heroic performance in the final of the 2025 Coupe de France Féminine, where Paris FC edged Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw at Stade de l’Épopée in Calais.She was also instrumental in Nigeria’s success at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Super Falcons secured a record-extending 10th continental crown against host nation, Morocco.
Her standout displays earned her the Best Goalkeeper award and a place in the Team of the Tournament.
Other nominees for the Yachine Trophy include Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Cata Coll (Barcelona Femeni), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea Women) and Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal Women).
SPORTS
Super Falcons Maintain 36th Position in Latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking

Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained 36th position in the latest FIFA women’s world ranking.
The latest ranking was released on FIFA’s official website yesterday.
While the Super Falcons remain the number one team in Africa, WAFCON 2024 runners-up Morocco are third on the continent and dropped to 64th spot in the world.
Former WAFCON champions Banyana Banyana of South Africa maintained 54th place in the world and second in Africa.
Ghana’s Black Queens who claimed third place at the WAFCON dropped to 67th position in the global ranking.
The Super Falcons recently won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after coming from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Second half goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi and substitute Jennifer Echegini completed the turnaround.
Okoronkwo, scored a goal and provided two assists against the Moroccans was Named Player of the Match.
Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while Captain Rasheedat Ajibade won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Meanwhile, World champions Spain (1st, up 1) had an impressive run to the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 with five back-to-back wins, which was enough to see them reclaim top spot in the ranking, a position they previously held from December 2023 to June 2024.
The USA (2nd, down 1) have therefore been knocked off their perch, which they had occupied since August 2024.
However, three convincing home wins in friendlies during this period have kept the USA in contention, and they are now sitting less than two points behind Spain.
The top 10 has been shaken up completely since the June edition of the ranking, with France (6th, up 4) performing best among them.
France completed a flawless group stage at the European Championship before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.
The next edition of the Women’s World Ranking will be published on 11 December 2025.