Sports
Horvel Angels Upset Holders Fosla Academy to Claim 2025 HerGame Girls Football Championship Title
Horvel Angels were crowned champions of the 2025 HerGame Girls Football Championship after defeating defending champions Fosla Academy 2–0 in a commanding final on Saturday at the Area 3 Sports Complex, Abuja.
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This year’s edition marked a major leap in scale and quality, expanding from an Abuja-only competition to a regional showcase featuring 16 teams drawn from across the North Central zone, providing a more competitive atmosphere and uncovered new levels of talent and technical depth.
Horvel Angels set the tempo early, with Agatha John firing home a composed first-half finish following sustained attacking pressure. The contest was sealed in the second half when tournament revelation Lilian Odide delivered a clinical strike to secure the victory and prevent Fosla Academy from retaining their title.
Earlier in the day, SIK Paragon of Jos clinched third place after a narrow 1–0 win over Generation Next, earning the bronze prize of ₦100,000. Runners-up Fosla Academy received ₦150,000, while champions Horvel Angels claimed the top prize of ₦250,000.
In Individual accolades, Patricia Habila of Fosla Academy was named Most Valuable Player for her midfield brilliance, while Horvel Angels’ striker Lilian Odide finished as Top Scorer with six goals, concluding her superb tournament with the title-deciding strike. Flora Williams of SIK Paragon was voted Best Goalkeeper, having conceded just one goal.
Horvel Angels head coach, Ogbada Atta, commended his team’s resilience and discipline.
“The girls were exceptional from start to finish. They stayed disciplined, followed instructions and showed real hunger. Beating Fosla in a final is no small achievement. This win means everything to us.”
Fosla Academy’s head coach, Christopher Igbuku, praised his players despite the loss.
“We fought hard but Horvel were more decisive today. My players gave their all and I am proud of them. We will bounce back stronger. That is our tradition.”
HerGame Foundation founder and tournament’s sole sponsor, Dr. Pat Ajuma Ayegba, expressed satisfaction with the championship’s growth and reaffirmed her mission to build a national platform for emerging female footballers.
“HerGame is fulfilling its purpose of discovering, empowering and projecting the next generation of female footballers,” she said. “Every girl who played here has a future in the game, and we will keep expanding this platform nationwide.”
The FCT FA board member and Head of Women’s Football Committee also acknowledged key supporters, emphasising the collaborative effort behind the tournament’s success.
“HerGame is built on collaboration and genuine support. I deeply appreciate the Nigeria Football Federation for donating match balls, and we are grateful for the one million naira financial support from the Chairman of the House Committee on Sports. Their contributions strengthened the competition and showed that investing in girls’ football is a shared responsibility.”
FCT FA Secretary and Head of the Organising Committee, Haruna Ilerika, praised the technical quality and overall execution of the event.
“The level of organisation, officiating and talent on display shows how far HerGame has come in just its second edition. The standard was top-class.”
With Horvel Angels lifting the 2025 crown and Fosla Academy taking second place, the HerGame Girls Football Championship continues to cement its place as one of Nigeria’s most impactful grassroots pathways for discovering and nurturing future stars of women’s football.
Among the dignitaries in attendance were the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports, Hon. Kabiru Amadu; Hajiya (Dr.) Nafisa Shehu Mohammed, President of the Road Safety Officers Wives Association (ROSOWA); Hajiya Amina Sani-Zango-Daura, Head of Women’s Football at the Nigeria Football Federation; former NFF President and Founder of FOSLA Academy, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi; and FCT FA Secretary, Haruna Ilerika.
Signals have emerged that the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) would back Nigeria’s plan to reform her football administration, in view of which the entire Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi threw in the towel recently.
Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, offered this insight in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday after meeting with FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) officials in Switzerland.
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He said the government presented its reform proposals to FIFA after the resignation created a leadership vacuum within the NFF.
“After the resignation of the entire board of the NFF and the General Secretary, naturally we have a lacuna, because there was no provision in the rulebook for situations like that, where we have nobody now to run the NFF legally within the rulebook.”
According to Dikko, the government wants to undertake a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s football structures, with the process involving consultations with stakeholders.
He said, “We told them, this is our position as a government. The government wants to undertake a comprehensive reform of the football structures in Nigeria, which is something that even FIFA knew has been on the cards for decades in Nigeria.
“So we discussed comprehensive proposals from the government, which are the issues that we think should be reformed, based on the concerns of the stakeholders, and we all agreed on that.”
Dikko said FIFA had endorsed both the resignation of the NFF board and the proposed reforms, while stressing that the process must follow the applicable rules.
“In short, FIFA endorsed the resignation, endorsed reform, agreed that the reform must happen, but it has to go through the proper process and the rulebooks, and they are ready to accommodate that,” he asserted.
Manchester City’s trophy-laden era has come under renewed scrutiny after the club was reportedly found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League financial-rule charges brought against it.
The reported verdict, disclosed by The Athletic on Friday, September 25, relates to alleged breaches covering the period between 2009 and 2018.
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The independent hearing lasted more than two years before the outcome emerged.
However, the case is not yet over, as the Premier League has not announced any sanction and Manchester City are expected to appeal the verdict.
The charges include allegations that the club failed to provide accurate financial information and breached rules relating to payments to players and coaches, as well as financial sustainability requirements.
City have consistently denied the allegations.
The reported verdict could have wider implications for the Premier League because the club has won eight league titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Champions League during the period in which the allegations have been investigated.
Potential sanctions under the league’s rules can include financial penalties and sporting punishments, with points deductions and expulsion among the measures that have been discussed in coverage of the case.
However, no punishment has been confirmed at this stage.
The uncertainty also means questions remain over whether any eventual sanction could affect Manchester City’s past achievements, current squad or future participation in the Premier League.
For now, the reported guilty findings mark a major development in one of English football’s longest-running disciplinary cases, but the final outcome will depend on the sanctioning process and City’s expected appeal.
Chelsea Football Club have confirmed a major ownership change, with Clearlake Capital set to take full control of the club after agreeing to acquire the ownership interests of Todd Boehly and Mark Walter.
Chelsea announced on Wednesday that affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group will acquire Boehly’s ownership interest, as well as Walter’s stake, giving Clearlake full control of the Premier League club.
“Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (‘Clearlake’) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly.
“Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the Club,” the club said.
Mark Walter and Todd Boehly have agreed to sell their stakes in Chelsea to Clearlake Capital in a deal that values the club at about £5 billion.
The development marks a significant change to the ownership structure that has been in place since Chelsea’s takeover in 2022.
Chelsea also confirmed that Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss will remain an important partner and stakeholder in the club.
The announcement comes after weeks of reports that Boehly and Walter were considering selling their stakes to Clearlake.
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