Sport

The Italian club confirmed early on Saturday that Rocco Commisso, the president of ACF Fiorentina, has passed away at the age of 76 following a protracted period of medical care. Fiorentina acknowledged Commisso's death in a statement posted on its website, characterizing it as a devastating loss for his family, the team, and the larger football world. "After a protracted period of medical treatment, our beloved President has left us, and today we all mourn his passing," the statement said.

Ezekiel Nathaniel, Nigeria's emerging 400-meter hurdles hero, has once again rewritten the nation's record books. He set a national record of 47.11 seconds in the Tokyo 2025 World Championships final, however he finished fourth, just missing out on a medal. After a successful appeal, American Rai Benjamin was restored and won gold in the race after first being penalized for a lane violation, temporarily placing Nathaniel in third place.

Frédéric Mendy, the departing manager of Montpellier's women's team in France, has been replaced as head coach by former Nigerian international John Utaka. The 43-year-old and Baptiste Merle will split coaching responsibilities until the end of the current season, according to French publication Ouest-France. The two will collaborate closely under Jean-Louis Saez, the athletic director.

The international friendly between Nigeria and Cameroon, originally set for Monday, June 2, 2025, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 3, following CAF’s rejection of the revised date. According to reports, both the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) reached a mutual agreement to shift the game by a day, which was approved. Despite the slight adjustment, neither team’s preparations have slowed. Both squads remain in camp in Ijebu Ode, where they’ve continued their training program.

Olusegun Runsewe, President of the Nigeria Golf Federation, has introduced a new dimension in golf development with the presentation of an online-based golf training programme in the country.The online-based golf training programme is the first of its kind in Africa. 

Nigerian sprinter, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha has been temporarily suspended after she tested positive for the use of banned substances by the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU. Nwokocha, 21 run the anchor leg in Birmingham last month when Nigeria thrash England and Jamaica to emerge a gold winner. She was also part of the winning group of four of Tobi Amosun, Favour Ofili, and Rose Chukwuma who won gold in the 4x100m during the just concluded commonwealth games that took place at Birmingham.