Toni Kroos has returned to the Germany national football team ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament, later this year.

Kroos disclosed this in a post via his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon.

The Real Madrid midfielder said he would be part of the team in March.

“Guys, short and painless: I will play for Germany again from March,” Kroos wrote on Instagram.

“Why? Because I was asked by the national coach, I’m up for it and I’m sure that a lot more is possible with the team at the European Championships than most people believe!”

Bayern Munich are considering Zinedine Zidane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to replace Thomas Tuchel as their manager, according to Sky Germany.

It is believed that Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is their preferred target if they decide to part ways with Tuchel.

But they will be willing to look at Zidane and Solskjaer.

There is pressure on Tuchel, following the 3-2 defeat at Bochum on Sunday.

The loss leaves the Bundesliga champions eight points behind leaders Leverkusen.

It was also a third straight defeat for Bayern, after they were beaten 1-0 at Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 last week.

Facing a first trophyless season in 12 years, Bayern’s primary plan remains to reach the end of the campaign with Tuchel and honestly assess the situation.

The Preliminary draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will hold on Tuesday at the Confederations of African Football headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

CAF made this known in a statement on its official website, communications@cafonline.com, by its communication department on Monday.

According to the governing body, following the conclusion of the 34th edition of the competition, the draw for TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025 Preliminary Round, is set for Tuesday.

It states that the draw would be conducted at 14h00 local time (12h00 GMT).

“The preliminary round will include the eight lowest-ranked teams according to the FIFA ranking: Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia and Eswatini.

“The matches will be played on home and away basis during the FIFA window of March from 18 to March 26. The four preliminary round winners will join the 44 exempted teams for the group stage,” CAF said.

Morocco will host the 2025 AFCON competition. The just concluded 2023 AFCON was held in Côte d’Ivoire, where the host team, the Elephants defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 in the final of the tournament.

Super Eagles defender, Kenneth Omeruo has recently revealed a threatening message a fan sent to teammate, Ola Aina after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, final against Ivory Coast this month.

According to Omeruo, a fan wished the Nottingham Forest wing-back death after he came out second-best in a one-on-one duel against Brighton and Ivory Coast winger, Simon Adingra in the 2023 AFCON final.

He also insisted that the cyberbullying from fans could affect the confidence of Super Eagles players, adding that as a result they could quit representing the national team.

“There are a lot of people who are angry for nothing’s sake and they will come at you. Before this tournament we have been getting criticisms,” Omeruo told Arise News.

“For example, someone wrote to Ola Aina on Instagram, ‘I hope you die’. They just write whatever, they don’t care about the consequences and most times I have stopped myself from replying to a lot of messages.

“If I reply like this, one blog will pick it and they will make a big deal out of it but we just have to grow thick skin and hopefully keep winning because when we win they forget about every other thing.”

He continued: “I was speaking to Ola and he made some comments that I won’t say here but if we lose a player like him just because of some bullying from some fans that are not even important, then it is going to affect us.

“Imagine Ola Aina, for me, was one of the best players in the tournament and was named in the Team of the Tournament as well.”

Real Madrid are preparing to hand Kylian Mbappe their iconic number 10 shirt, should he join them ahead of next season.

Mbappe will not take the famous No.7 shirt that was worn by his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The shirt is currently worn by Vinicius Junior and Mbappe will not get it unless the Brazilian leaves it or decides he wants to change squad number, according to Mundo Deportivo.

However, Luka Modric who wears the no.10 shirt is set to leave at the end of the season, leaving it free for Mbappe.

The Frenchman is expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer and has also been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool.

The Enyimba International FC of Aba, on Saturday, defeated visiting Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan 1-0 at the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match day 20.

Chijioke Mbaoma became the hero of the day as his 43rd minute goal separated the two sides in the encounter that took place at the Enyimba Stadium, Aba.

In a post-match interview, Enyimba assistant coach, Yemi Olarewaju, said the game “is a good one”, adding that his team prepared well for it knowing that it was going to be tough.

“Enyimba is a good team and they really came at us but we only needed the three points and that was what we did right and move ahead.

“As the assistant coach, I need to do well in the absence of the technical adviser because that is why I came to Enyimba,” Olarewaju said.

He further said that a continental ticket was one of the club’s important goals.

“This game has come and gone, we are shifting our focus to the next game, which is an away match against Bendel Insurance,” Olarewaju said.

Coach Olugbenga Ogunbote of 3SC said that his team gave their all just that the game did not go in their favour.

“Sometimes, you play well but will not get the deserved result and in today’s game, we played well and deserved at worst a point.

“All the same, we have to pick the pieces and move ahead with the positives as we are going to work on the lapses that cost us this game.

“I think we were careless with the goal we conceded because it is a situation we should have avoided and that is one of the things we need to put right before our next game,” Ogunbote said.

In the first game of the day, Heartland FC of Owerri came back from a goal down to share the spoil with visiting Kano Pillars.

Mustapha Ibrahim put Kano Pillars ahead in the 29th minute before Malachy Ohawume equalised for Heartland FC in the 88th minute.

Former Chelsea and Arsenal striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has become the Europa League’s all-time top goalscorer, equalling the record set by former Manchester United star, Radamel Falcao.

Aubameyang achieved the feat during Olympique Marseille’s 2-2 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday evening.

The former Barcelona star scored the opening goal as Marseille drew with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The former Gabonese international has now scored 30 times in the Europa League during his career.

Aubameyang has achieved this feat across 54 appearances, scoring for Borussia Dortmund (8), Arsenal (14), Barcelona (2), and Marseille (6).

However, it should be said that this doesn’t take into account goals from before the Europa League was rebranded from the UEFA Cup.

If it did, then former Manchester United star Henrik Larsson would still be the top scorer, but only just with his 31 goals placing him just one ahead of Aubameyang, Falcao and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Super Eagles vice-captain, William Troost-Ekong has been honoured by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno following his remarkable performance for the Super Eagles at the recently concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Troost-Ekong, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, was one of the key performers for Nigeria at the AFCON 2023 finals.

The centre-back, who scored three goals for the Super Eagles, was named Player of the Tournament.

The 30-year-old was also included in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Team of the Tournament.

Troost-Ekong presented a Super Eagles jersey to Governor Eno during a reception at the government house, Uyo on Thursday as a token of appreciation for the state’s unwavering support and encouragement.

The defender earlier visited Senate President, Godswill Akpabio at his office in Abuja.

Africa Cup of Nations Runners-up, Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up by 14 spots to 28th in the February FIFA ranking.

In the ranking table published on the website of the world football governing body on Thursday, the team garnered 1,522 points as against the 1,474 points garnered in December 2023.

The upward movement further shot up the Super Eagles as the third placed team on the continent, behind Morocco and Senegal who have 1663 (12th) and 1620 (17th) points.

However, the newly-crowned African champions Cote d’Ivoire, reaped the rewards of their continental triumph on home soil by being in the 39th place having moved up by 10 spots.

AFCON second runners- up, South Africa climbed 8 spots to 58th, with Egypt (36th), Cameroon (51st) & Ghana (67th) dropping down after their early AFCON 2023 exits.

The Angolan side who were ousted in the last eight (93rd, up 24), are the biggest climbers in the latest global ranking.

In the points stakes, two-time Asian Cup winners Qatar (37th, up 21) chalk up the biggest tally (92.04 points) after capitalising on home comforts to successfully defend their continental crown.

Elsewhere, Jordan (70th, up 17), who were edged out in the final, made good ground, as did Thailand (101st, up 12), whose journey came to an end at the last-16 stage.

Qatar’s rise sees them enter uncharted territory, with two other teams also recording best-ever rankings.

Senegal (17th, up 3), which suffered a shoot-out heartbreak at the hands of the eventual winners Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON Round of 16, broke new ground.

Tajikistan (99th, up 7) marked their maiden Asian Cup campaign by making a first-ever appearance in the top 100.

Other impressive performers are Equatorial Guinea (79th, up 9), South Africa (58th, up 8), Cabo Verde (65th, up 8), Namibia (107th, up 8) and Mali (47th, up 4).

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has urged Nigerians to stop cyberbullying teammate, Alex Iwobi following Nigeria’s defeat to Ivory Coast at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Following the Super Eagles loss to Ivory Coast, unpleasant remarks were hurled at Iwobi by some fans who faulted his performance in the game.

As a result, Iwobi, who currently plays for Fulham in the Premier League, confirmed leaving social media after the AFCON final match following the bullying.

Some unconfirmed reports later emerged online suggesting the former Arsenal star was considering calling time on his international career.

However, Osimhen has now shown his support to Iwobi, calling for the bullies to look at the mental health of Iwobi as footballers are only humans prone to making mistakes.

“I urge Nigerians that cyberbullying is bad because we are also humans,” the Napoli star said in Abuja on Tuesday.

“Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes, we have a good game, and we will get the hype. But of course, when you criticise, you have to be constructive when doing this type of thing.

“I think, to be fair, what they have done to Alex [Iwobi] is out of this world and not good. They should also look at his mental health because there are some of us who can take this to heart and then keep on grinding.

“And there are some of us that it gets to our heads, and they will lose focus, and we will lose form. So I think we are rallying around him. We have spoken to him individually and collectively.”

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has expressed his delight following the national honour bestowed on the team.

Peseiro and his players were received at the Presidential Villa by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday.

The Portuguese and his players were awarded with national honours, plots of land as well as flats in the Federal Capital Territory.

“Honored and proud. We were received and commended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who reinforced what we already felt from the Nigerian people, participating in AFCON made the whole Nation dream, happy and united!”

Peseiro wrote on his official X handle.The Super Eagles finished second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The West Africans lost 2-1 against hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition.

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has credited the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire for being the better team on Sunday night.

This was after the hosts came from behind to seal a 2-1 victory in the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cote d’Ivoire 2023 in Ebimpe.

“They were better than us today; they managed the pressure better and did a remarkable job,” said Peseiro, who spoke after the match.

The Portuguese, who coached in his first AFCON, said he was sad that his team could not go all the way but conceded to his opponents on the night.

“My team did not play at the same level. My team is sad, but for me, they did what they could.

“We conceded goals from a few defensive errors and dropped the tempo against the Ivoirians.

“But I am proud of the way my players performed in this tournament,” he said.

William Troost-Ekong, the Super Eagles captain who scored Nigeria’s only goal of the match, was awarded the Best Player of the Tournament award.

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, has said he is disappointed by their 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.

In a post on Instagram, the Chippa United stopper also apologized to Nigerian fans.

Jose Peseiro’s men took a first-half lead through William Troost-Ekong.

But the Ivorians were level in the 63rd minute, before Sebastien Haller won the game in the 87th minute.

Nwabali’s caption on his picture, read:

“A disappointing and frustrating end. I deeply apologise to Nigerians.

“I was once a fan, still a fan and I understand how it feels giving you a disappointing night. We take full responsibility. Thanks for the whole support till the end. I love you all.”

Nigeria’s vice-president, Kashim Shettima has eulogised the Super Eagles despite the team’s failure to win the title at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against hosts, Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition on Sunday night.

Shettima, who watched the game live at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, stated that the players will be rewarded for their gallant effort in the game.

“We have tried our best and be rest assured that there is always the next time. You must have it in mind that the tragedy of life lies in not reaching your goal but the tragedy lies in not having a goal to reach,” the country’s number two citizen stated while addressing the players and their officials after the game.

“It is not a calamity to die with a dream, but it is a calamity when you don’t have a dream at all.

“A lot of countries, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and others exited the competition, two, three weeks ago.

“We have come this far, be rest assured that we will come back stronger in the next edition. There is cause for celebration. We are second best in Africa.

“You don’t have to be sad. We have every reason to celebrate. The nation is proud of you. You are the source of our unity. It is only when the Super Eagles are playing that we don’t talk about race or religion. You always unite the nation.

“The nation is in grief, but the nation is in solidarity with you. Be rest assured that your name will be written in gold in the history of football in Nigeria.

“I convey to you, the wish and regards from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no need for you to be sad. On Wednesday, we were celebrating and we came so close today. We lost the game within just 15 minutes.

“That’s what football is all about. We must understand that whichever way the pendulum swings, the trophy is still for Africa. It is the Africa Cup of unity and it came to West Africa.

“There is every cause for us to celebrate and rejoice. There is every cause for us to unite. Look at our mistakes and correct them in the next edition.

“Honestly, we are very proud of you and the nation will adequately compensate you for your sacrifice. You came close, there is no cause for you to be remorseful or sad. There is no reason for us to be sad or remorseful.”

President Bola Tinubu has saluted the Super Eagles of Nigeria for their tenacious performance in the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, held in Cote d’Ivoire.

Tinubu commended the team, the coach, the crew, and the entire management team for their hard work, assiduity, and sacrifice to come this far in the tournament.

He acknowledged the hurdles they consistently surpassed with steadily improving performance as they pulled through to the finals.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the President urged Nigerians to be of good cheer, emphasizing that “we won a great victory in the hearts of Africa and the world by our grit, rigour, and determination in the field of play.”

“Let this passing event not dispirit us, but bring us together to work harder. We are a great nation bound as one by the green-white-green banner of resilience, joy, hope, duty, and untiring love.

“To those cherished Nigerian youths expressing their gifts in communities, drawing lines in the sand as they play football in their humble rectangles of play, you can be our heroes tomorrow, do not relent in your pursuit. My administration is here to make dreams come true,” the President said.