Sports Zone 19-02-2024

Enjoy the crew banter and discuss different stories around the world;

- Acting coach of the national table tennis team, Segun Toriola, has rued Aruna Quadri’s withdrawal from the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships after the country failed to make it to the knockout stage of the tournament.

- A total of 12 beach volleyball players have resumed camp ahead of the 13th African Games in Ghana.

- World number one Iga Swiatek claimed the Qatar Open title for the third year in a row with a straight-set victory over Elena Rybakina.

- Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), has made it clear that Canelo Alvarez, the world super middleweight champion, must face David Benavidez in 2024.

- Formula 1 has urged Red Bull to resolve the controversy surrounding Christian Horner as soon as possible.

- The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead - more than ever before.

- Port Harcourt football fans were yesterday treated to the best of the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) as Rivers United battled Doma United to a 3-2 win.

- Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro has finally confirmed the offer of the Federation of Algeria Football.

- The coach of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa Hugo Broos has advised the president of the Federation of Cameroon Football ( FECAFOOT) to stay from the Indomitable Lions.

- Bayer Leverkusen scored once in either half to battle past hosts Heidenheim 2-1 on Saturday and open up an eight-point gap at the top of the table while also equalling a German record of 32 matches without defeat across all competitions.

- Bayern Munich will not sack Thomas Tuchel despite slipping eight points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after losing to Bochum, reports claim.

- After the justice system denied Dani Alves provisional freedom on numerous occasions due to the high risk of escape to Brazil that represents his release from prison, because Spain and Brazil do not have an extradition agreement and because he has the means to escape, the program 'Fiesta' of Brazilian channel Telecinco revealed that the former Brazilian footballer seriously considered the possibility of taking refuge illegally in his native country, in case of obtaining a conditional release in Spain.