Super Eagles striker Victor Anichebe found the back of the net twice in West Bromwich Albion’s 2-1 win at Birmingham City to send them to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon. The game played at the St. Andrew’s saw Anichebe hit target in the 25th and 35th of the encounter which killed the dreams of their hosts of moving to the next round of the oldest football competition in the world. Albion took a 25th-minute lead when Anichebe latched onto Saido Berahino’s threaded pass before drilling a pinpoint strike in off Darren Randolph’s near post. Ten minutes later Anichebe had his second, once again receiving a Berahino pass before outmuscling ex-Baggies defender Paul Robinson and driving a shot beyond Randolph with the aid of an unfortunate ricochet off the Birmingham captain. The Nigerian with this feat has taken goal tally to three in his last four matches under new boss, Tony Pulis.

Legendary Argentina and Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme has retired from football. Speaking Sunday in an interview with ESPN Argentina, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist made it official: “I’ve made the decision to not play football anymore,” said the 36-year-old Riquelme. “I have been clear since after [earning] promotion with Argentinos. I was clear that to continue playing it had to be something that interested me. I thought it best to take it calmly and communicate that I am not going to play anymore.” Riquelme, who is considered one of the greatest players of his generation, won three Copa Libertadores titles (South America’s equivalent of the Champions League) and an Intercontinental Cup for Argentine giants Boca Juniors in his career, while being named South American Player of the Year once, and Argentine Player of the Year four times. After the second of his Libertadores triumphs, in 2002 Riquelme transferred to Spanish giants Barcelona, where he struggled to make an impact before making way for Brazilian star Ronaldinho. However in the 2005-06 season, while playing with Spanish side Villarreal, he made his biggest splash on the European stage, leading the club to its only Champions League semifinals appearance before eventually falling to Arsenal over two legs. Riquelme represented his country in the 2006 World Cup, and was capped 51 times overall, scoring 17 goals. He last played for Argentinos Juniors, where he helped earn the club promotion into Argentina’s top division for the upcoming season.

Sun 25 Jan 2015:

Congo 2 – 1 Burkina Faso

Gabon 0 – 2 Equatorial Guinea

Mon 26 Jan 2015:

Cape Verde Vs Zambia 7pm

Congo DR Vs Tunisia 7pm

(NB: Time = Nigerian)

Super Eagles defender and Warri Wolves captain, Azubuike Egwuekwe has joined Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv. The defender signed with the Israeli club on Friday after having completed his medical tests. Egwuekwe only arrived in Israel on Friday to join the Red Demons for an undisclosed fee. “Nigerian Egwuekwe Azubuike landed in the morning in Israel and signed after passing medical tests earlier this week,” the official website of Hapoel Tel Aviv announced with an accompanying picture of Egwuekwe in the club shirt. Egwuekwe, who represented Nigeria at the Brazil 2014 world cup, has been assigned the squad number three jersey by the Tel Aviv club

In far away Tunisia, the Super Eagles of Nigeria won the 1994 African Cup of Nations. This would be Nigeria’s second continental title. Drawn in Group B, Nigeria deated Gabon by 2-0 in their first game before playing a 0-0 draw with Egypt in the last group game. The Super Eagles defeated Zaire (now Congo DR) by 2-0 in the quarter finals. Nigeria would go on to win Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 (penalty shoot out) in the semi finals after the game had ended 2-2 after extra time. Nigeria beat Zambia 2-1 in the final game to lift the trophy. The Super Eagles were each given MON (Member of the Order of the Niger) award and also given (or is it promised?) a house each in Abuja. The heroes are:

Below are the current top ten footballers in the world:

1. Christiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – Net Worth: $230 million

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – Net Worth: $180 million

3. Kaka (Brazil) – Net Worth: $110 million

4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) – Net Worth: $100 million

5. Wayne Rooney (England) – Net Worth: $95 million

6. Ronaldinho (Brazil) – Net Worth: $90 million

7. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – Net Worth: $90 million

8. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – Net Worth: $75 million

9. Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) – Net Worth: $70 million

9. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) – Net Worth: $70 million

Credit: richestlifestyle.com

Bristol City Vs West Ham 3pm

Aston Villa Vs Bournemouth 4pm

Brighton Vs Arsenal 5pm

Zambia’s presidential election has been won by Defence and Justice Minister Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front, BBC reports. Mr Lungu won by a 48.3% majority, the election commission said, after an election race marred by delays. His rival, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development, who earlier denounced Tuesday’s election as a sham, came close with 46.7% of the vote. The election was called after the death of President Michael Sata last October. Mr Lungu, who will be sworn in on Sunday, said he aims to complete economic development projects begun by his predecessor. In the interim period following Mr Sata’s death, Zambia was ruled by Guy Scott, a white Zambian of Scottish descent. He was prohibited from contesting the election because his parents were not born in Zambia. Mr Scott was the first white president in mainland Africa for 20 years and has been involved in Zambian politics since the 1990s. Though he was close to Mr Sata and served as his running mate, his relationship with Mr Lungu is less cordial. In November he sacked Mr Lungu as the Patriotic Front’s secretary-general prompting riots in the country. Mr Lungu will serve the remainder of Mr Sata’s term until elections in 2016.

Fri 23 Jan 2015:

Cambrige 0 – 0 Manchester United

Sat 24 Jan 2015:

Blackburn 3 – 1 Swansea

Birmingham 1 – 2 West Brom

Cardiff 1 – 2 Reading

Chelsea 2 – 4 Bradford

Derby 2 – 0 Chesterfield

Manchester City 0 – 2 Middlesbrough

Preston 1 – 1 Sheffield United

Southampton 2 – 3 Crystal Palace

Sunderland 0 – 0 Fulham

Tottenham 1 – 2 Leicester

Liverpool 0 – 0 Bolton

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is out of the Australian Open after a 6-4 7-5 defeat by 19-year-old Madison Keys, BBC reports. The American teenager broke the Czech fourth seed at 5-5 in the final set of the third-round match. Keys, coached by three-time Grand Slam singles champion Lindsay Davenport, screamed with delight on sealing victory in Melbourne. The world number 35 plays Madison Brengle in the fourth round as four United States players made the last 16. “My hands are still shaking, right now I can’t even process this, I’m just so excited,” said Keys. Kvitova, winner of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, has never made it past the last four of the Australian Open. Last year she was beaten in her first match by Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum, playing in just her second Grand Slam tournament.

Formular 1 star, Fernando Alonso, will be the first man to test the new McLaren car as the team begin their engine partnership with Honda. The Spaniard will drive the MP4-30 on the first day of the first pre-season test, at Jerez, Spain, on 1-4 February. Team-mate Jenson Button will test it on the second and fourth days, with Alonso driving on the third. Alonso, 33, who has joined from Ferrari, wrote on social media that he was ready to enjoy the challenge. McLaren are taking a similar approach to testing to Mercedes, for whom Nico Rosberg drives on the first day of testing before alternating with world champion Lewis Hamilton thereafter. McLaren will unveil their new car online on 29 January, a day before the wraps come off the 2015 Ferrari, also via the internet. Mercedes are to wait until the morning of 1 February before revealing their new W06. Williams on Wednesday became the first team to release images of their new car.

The world governing body of snooker has submitted a bid to have the sport included at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, BBC reports. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association says snooker should be accepted because of its worldwide appeal. Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “It has been our belief for some time that we should be given our chance on the ultimate global platform for sport.” Tokyo can accept at least one new sport to its Olympic programme. The International Olympic Committee recently changed its rules to allow new sports to enter the Games more easily to freshen up the programme. The approved list of sports has already been agreed and any late inclusion would have to be preceded by a request from the organisers. Ferguson added: “Snooker alone is watched by nearly half a billion people worldwide and played competitively in over 90 countries.” Baseball and softball are seen as favourites to be named for inclusion due to the sports’ popularity in Japan. The last sports to be admitted to the Olympics were golf and rugby sevens, which will be part of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Drug cheats in sports now face a minimum four-year ban under new rules which came into effect from 1 January. Changes to the World Anti-Doping Code, which unifies anti-doping rules for global sports, have increased the suspension for doping from two years. Other changes will see less leniency given for missed tests but possible reduced bans for helping investigators. The punishment for missing three tests within a 12-month period has been increased from 18 months to two years. While deliberate cheating leads to a four-year ban, athletes guilty of “inadvertent doping” will receive a two-year ban – although they can get a reduction if they have “substantial proof that they were not at fault or intending to cheat”. Wada said the 2015 code had more incentive for anyone providing “substantial assistance” in uncovering doping. “Admitting a violation can be rewarded with a reduced ban, with Wada having the final say. In exceptional cases, Wada has the power to eliminate a ban entirely and offer complete confidentiality for substantial assistance,” it said. The revised code was agreed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in November after over 18 months of research by the governing body.

Real Madrid have reached a deal to sign midfielder Lucas Silva from Brazilian club Cruzeiro on a long-term contract for a reported transfer fee of £9.7m, BBC reports. The 21-year-old has signed a contract keeping him with the European champions until June 30, 2020, although he still has to pass his medical. Silva has represented Brazil at Under-21 level and has helped his club side win the league in 2013 and 2014. Silva is set to be presented to the club’s fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Monday. European champions Real are currently one point clear at the top of La Liga.

Fri 23 Jan 2015:

Ghana 1 – 0 Algeria

South Africa 1 – 1 Senegal

Sat 24 Jan 2015:

Ivory Coast vs Mali 5pm

Cameroon vs Guinea 8pm

(NB: Time = Nigerian)

The reigning African Female Footballer of the Year and Super Falcons of Nigeria star, Asisat Oshoala has signed for Liverpool Ladies, BBC reports. Oshoala won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball – as Player of the Tournament – at last year’s Under-20 World Cup Finals, and becomes the first player from Africa to compete in the Women’s Super League. “We beat a number of top American and European clubs to Asisat’s signature,” said Matt Beard (Liverpool Ladies coach) as he welcomed the 20-year-old striker. “Asisat is one of the best young players in the world.” In addition to her star performances in the U20 World Cup, Oshoala also collected the Golden Ball award as the senior Nigeria team qualified for the 2015 World Cup by winning the African Women’s Championship. And she was named 2014’s African Women’s Player of the Year and Youth Player of the Year after helping her club side Rivers Angels become Nigerian champions. Beard added: “She’s not the finished article yet but she’s got pace, power and she certainly knows where the goal is. “I watched her at the Under-20 World Cup, where she was sensational, and we had early dialogue with her about coming to Liverpool. “There’s been plenty of other interest in her in the last few months, but she chose to join us and I’m absolutely delighted.” Oshoala, nicknamed ‘Seedorf’ after Dutch legend Clarence, said: “To be able to join the reigning Super League champions is absolutely fantastic. “Liverpool Ladies are a massive club with some fantastic players who I believe can help me to develop my game to the next level. “It was also a big incentive to be able to play in the Women’s Champions League, which is a huge competition that I’m confident we can do well in.”

Hope Solo will miss the next two games after being suspended by U.S. Soccer for a minimum of 30 days following her husband’s arrest on drunken driving charges, USA Today reports. Solo was with Jerramy Stevens when he was arrested early Monday morning for driving under the influence. Though she isn’t facing any charges and Manhattan Beach (Calif.) police have not described the goalkeeper’s behavior during the traffic stop, TMZ reported that Solo was “acting belligerent” and recorded the officers on her cell phone. “During our current national team camp, Hope made a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on U.S. Soccer and her teammates,” U.S. coach Jill Ellis said in a statement. “We feel at this time it is best for her to step away from the team.” Solo released a statement after the suspension was announced. “I accept and respect the federation’s decision, and more importantly, I apologize for disappointing my teammates, coaches and the federation who have always supported me,” she said. “I think it’s best for me to take a break, decompress from the stress of the last several months, and come back mentally and physically ready to positively contribute to the team.” The incident came just six days after domestic abuse charges against Solo were dismissed. Solo had been facing two counts of fourth-degree assault stemming from a fight with her sister and nephew, but the charges were dropped after the alleged victims refused to be interviewed by defense attorneys. Though U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun called the domestic abuse charges against Solo “disturbing” and “inconsistent with our expectations of Olympians,” U.S. Soccer allowed her to continue playing while the court case played out. But the federation might have taken a dimmer view of this latest incident because it occurred while she was at training camp. Solo will miss games against France on Feb. 8 and England on Feb. 13, and her suspension will be reviewed after 30 days. The U.S. women currently have no other games scheduled before they begin World Cup play June 8 against Australia in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Norwegian teenager Martin Odegaard has completed his move to Real Madrid, BBC reports. The 16-year-old midfielder signed a contract with the Champions League winners after passing a medical exam. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It is a bit unreal that I’m here at the biggest club in the world. It’s huge for me, an honour.” Odegaard will train with both the first team and the reserves but play for the second string, who are coached by France great Zinedine Zidane. Real have not disclosed details of the financial terms but Spanish media report they have paid about 3m euros (£2.3m) for the Stromgodset player. Odegaard told the media that the move to Madrid represented the best opportunity to “develop as a footballer” and said there was “no pressure” on him. He added: “My goal is to become a better footballer. Playing for the first or second team is not so important.” “It’s a dream come true. It is a bit unreal that I’m here at the biggest club in the world. It’s huge for me, an honour.” Odegaard made his debut for Norway as a 15-year-old in August and had been linked with many of Europe’s top clubs.

Fri 23 Jan 2015:

Cambrige Vs Manchester United 8:55 pm

Sat 24 Jan 2015:

Blackburn Vs Swansea 1:45 pm

Birmingham Vs West Brom 4 pm

Cardiff Vs Reading 4 pm

Chelsea Vs Bradford 4 pm

Derby vs Chesterfield 4 pm

Manchester City Vs Middlesbrough 4 pm

Preston Vs Sheffield United 4 pm

Southampton Vs Crystal Palace 4 pm

Sunderland Vs Fulham 4 pm

Tottenham Vs Leicester 4 pm

Liverpool Vs Bolton 6:30 pm