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Sports

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Sports

‘An absolute afterthought’: the story of the Nigeria women’s team’s fall from grace

The Super Falcons won’t be at the World Cup and with the prize money going up, they risk being left even further behind It was a historic result in Casablanca – but not in a good way. Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat against South Africa in a playoff in August meant that the Super Falcons are missing out on the World Cup for the first time. It is a crushing blow for the most decorated national side in Africa across both men and women, one that has won no fewer than 10 Wafcon titles. The journalist and lecturer Dr Victor Ademola was in Morocco the day of the defeat. “It was a very difficult evening,” he sa

The Guardian
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Sports

The Breakdown | Rugby’s grand Ruckfest gamble cannot afford a damp squib in London finale

Financial success of the three-day finale in London later this month promises to make or break the concept Guess how many people attended the recent Oktoberfest in Munich, the famous annual pilgrimage for people with a sense of fun and a collective thirst to quench? Admittedly the event spanned a fortnight but the figure is still pretty remarkable. There were 7.4m visitors – a record – with around a quarter of them travelling from overseas. Now imagine even a tenth of that congregation coming together for a like-minded three-day festival in London. Endless access to quality beer, the chance to

The Guardian
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Sports

West Ham turn to Scott Parker after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo as head coach

West Ham intent on instant return to Premier League Nuno took over from Graham Potter in September 2025 West Ham are poised to appoint Scott Parker as their manager after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo. The club have acted after a disappointing start to the Championship season and have moved for Parker, a former West Ham captain, in a bid to get their push for automatic promotion back on track. Nuno was under increasing pressure after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion left the favourites to win the title in eighth and four points off second-place Swansea City. West Ham kept faith with

The Guardian
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Sports

Champagne, cocaine and some very long walks: when pedestrianism ruled the sporting world

Crowds once flocked to see ambling athletes pull off amazing feats of stamina. Edward Payson Weston was chief among them More than $1.4bn has been staked on prediction markets for this week’s US midterm elections, according to CNN. Though a lot of people are about to win – or lose – a lot of money, it’s hard to imagine any wagers as consequential as the election bet that birthed a sporting craze spearheaded by a chancer who walked and talked his way into becoming one of the greatest athletic stars of the 19th century. Continue reading...

The Guardian
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