Sports
Italian ultras cursed my parents, threw water, stones at me – Taribo
Taribo West is one of few men that played for fierce rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan. He talks about his successful European sojourn and playing with and against the best strikers of his era, fanatical Italian ultras, racism and more, in this interview.
Relationship with Inter ultras
It was great. I think I was one of the fortunate players who didn’t fall into their hands because if we had a bad result, they could beat up anybody. Before you got home, they would have destroyed your car. They were wild. If you had a bad game, they could visit their anger on your family. But the club and Italian FA were able to manage it because they kept working on it.
Playing with Brazilian Ronaldo
What can I say? It was dream come true as a footballer. Playing with such wonderful generation of players also made you one of the best. All through my career, I played with and against great footballers; you can’t find such players in this present generation, even though there’s so much money now.
Diego Simeone friendship
I called him ‘Animale’ because he was like an animal. When you see Atletico Madrid play, that’s exactly how Simeone is. I just sent him a message few days ago on his birthday. He replied and sent me all kinds of cartoons. He was a great player – he was rugged with an incredible work rate and a typical South American player that could play tip-tap. He was also very energetic, that’s how Atletico play too.
Racism
I had most issues in Italy and Germany. The only place I wasn’t abused or thrown stones and water at was at the San Siro, but every other place I played in Italy, if they didn’t abuse my mother, they would abuse my father and throw stones and water at me. It was the same thing in Germany. It was also in France, but not as high as it was in Italy and Germany. The Italians pretend that there’s no racism, but it’s very high. When (Samuel) Eto’o played there, he confronted it because it was very high. (Romelu) Lukaku also faced it.
Thierry Henry
Henry was one of the toughest strikers I played against. Throughout my sojourn in Europe, I don’t think I slept, I was always calculating ahead of the next striker I would play against. To play in the French topflight then as a defender, you must be very good because all the teams had first class strikers. Go to Italy, England, Germany, it was the same. I was one of the defenders that were outstanding. There were very few attackers that passed me one-on-one to score, they were very few. Henry was one of the emerging stars then, and when Auxerre played against Monaco, I always breathed down his neck. I made him shiver, like they were pouring snow on him. That’s why he said I was the toughest defender he played against.
West’s East sojourn
Playing in Eastern Europe was wonderful. The Serbian league wasn’t like EPL or Serie A, but when I got there with Lothar Matthaus, we helped Partizan Belgrade massively. We qualified for the Champions League and we won the league. The country and club won’t forget us for that feat.
Age issue
That was their problem at Partizan. When I got there, I think my passport had 28 (years) on it, but the club president said I was around 31 or 32. When I was there he didn’t tell me that, so it’s his problem.
Evangelism
On retirement, I experienced another passion and another stage of life higher than football, and that’s the privilege to work as a servant of God. That makes me contented. Football is all about the pains of the people. If you do well, they praise you, if you don’t, you are nobody. For instance, Lionel Messi left Barcelona to PSG and people who received him in Paris saying ‘he’s the man’ are the same people who are saying all sorts of things about him now. So, since God helped me to pursue a career in football, I was able to know my direction in life and that has given me immense fulfilment. It’s not easy to play inside a stadium of 120, 000 fans. I played at the San Siro with Inter Milan and AC Milan that usually had tickets sold out. You won’t even find space, people were stuck outside during matches. Football brought money and gave you the opportunity to meet the who’s who in the world. If you retire, it can only be God that can keep you. It won’t be easy living that kind of high life anymore. It takes wisdom and understanding to manage yourself when you quit the game, but God has been there for me.
PUNCH
Manchester United have reportedly sacked Michael Carrick following an internal review conducted by the club over the past 48 hours.
Carrick was informed of the decision on Thursday, November 12, 2026, bringing his spell in charge of the Premier League giants to an end.
The decision reportedly followed a series of internal discussions and an assessment of the club’s current situation, with the management deciding to part ways with the former Manchester United midfielder.
Carrick’s departure marks another managerial change at Old Trafford as the club looks to chart a new course and revive its fortunes.
The club is yet to officially announce his departure.
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has alleged that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting members of the country’s Under-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, at an airport.
Obi claimed that the officials were afraid of losing their jobs if they allowed him to approach and welcome the players.
The former Anambra State governor made the allegation in a post on his X handle on Monday, expressing concern over what he described as the growing culture of toxic politics in Nigeria.
According to him, he arrived at the airport around 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he sighted the Flamingos, who had just returned to the country and were preparing to leave the airport.
Obi said he subsequently asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could approach the players and congratulate them.
However, he alleged that the NFF officials turned down the request, insisting that he should not be allowed to interact with the team.
“I was informed that officials of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had refused and had requested that I not approach them because, if I did, they would all lose their jobs,” Obi wrote.
He further claimed that the incident was not the first time he had been prevented from interacting with members of a Nigerian national team.
Recalling an incident on March 25, 2025, Obi said that when he travelled to Uyo for a World Cup qualifying match, the state governor warmly received him at the VIP stand.
He alleged that after the match, when other government officials went to greet the players, he was prevented from doing the same, with officials reportedly citing fears of losing their jobs.
Obi expressed concern that what he described as the culture of toxic politics had continued to worsen since 2025, adding that the situation appeared to deteriorate with each passing year.
He maintained that political differences should not be allowed to undermine national unity, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
“The new Nigeria we aspire to build must have no room for hostility, intimidation, or discrimination, regardless of political affiliation.
“It must be a Nigeria in which unity, mutual respect, and our shared humanity take precedence over political differences,” he added.
The Flamingos arrived in Abuja on Monday following their 2-1 victory over Japan in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat, Morocco.
A football referee in Brazil has reportedly issued 51 red cards following a mass brawl involving players and officials during a youth football match between Uberlandia and Mamore.
The incident occurred during a Minas Gerais Under-20 Second Division encounter on Sunday, with the confrontation reportedly lasting about 40 minutes before military police intervened.
According to Brazilian newspaper O Tempo, the violence erupted in the 54th minute after Mamore player Davi allegedly taunted the opposing team’s bench while celebrating his side’s third goal.
The situation reportedly escalated when Uberlandia’s goalkeeping coach, Paulo Sérgio Dias Dos Santos, ran onto the pitch to confront the player.
A video of the incident, which went viral on Thursday, showed the scale of the chaotic confrontation.
Chairs and stretchers were allegedly used as weapons during the melee, while the referee’s report claimed that ball boys representing Uberlandia also joined the violence, throwing punches and kicks.
The match official, Drosghic Modesto, further alleged that he received death threats and other threats of violence from different individuals following the incident. He subsequently filed a police report over the threats.
The match was suspended for 40 minutes before it was eventually abandoned.
The referee reportedly issued 51 red cards, comprising 43 players and eight members of the two teams’ technical crews.
According to Guinness World Records, the previous record for the highest number of red cards in a single football match was 36, recorded during an Argentine Primera D fixture in 2011.
The latest incident has drawn attention to the disturbing level of violence that can erupt during football matches.
Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 41, bringing an end to his 23-year career with the national team.
Ronaldo announced his decision on Thursday in a video shared on his official Instagram account, expressing gratitude to the Portuguese people for their support throughout his international career.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made 234 appearances for Portugal, scoring 146 goals to become the country’s all-time leading scorer and the highest goalscorer in men’s international football.
In his retirement message, Ronaldo said it was time to hand over the iconic number seven jersey to the next generation of Portuguese players.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons players have received the naira equivalent of $100,000 each, while members of the technical crew and officials received $50,000 each, following the fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s financial pledge to the team for winning the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The National Sports Commission (NSC) announced the payment in a statement on Monday, describing it as the completion of the financial component of the presidential reward package for the team’s record-extending 10th continental title.
The players had earlier received title documents for their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja, alongside certificates of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, commended President Tinubu for fulfilling his promise, describing the gesture as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to recognising sporting excellence.
“The Super Falcons made Nigeria proud, and Mr President has honoured his commitment to them in full. This means a great deal to the team and to Nigerian sports,” Dikko said.
He expressed appreciation to the President for ensuring that the promised rewards were delivered within a short period.
The commission attributed the successful payment to collaboration between the NSC and the Ministries of Finance, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development.
Dikko noted that the fulfilment of the promise represented a departure from previous experiences in which Nigerian athletes had to wait several years before receiving rewards announced by the government.
He urged Nigerian athletes to draw encouragement from the development, assuring them that their sacrifices and achievements would be recognised.
The Super Falcons clinched their 10th WAFCON title in July 2025 after staging a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final in Rabat.
Tinubu announced the reward package during a presidential reception for the team on July 28, 2025, promising each player the naira equivalent of $100,000 and members of the technical crew $50,000 each.
He also promised the team three-bedroom apartments and national honours.
The development follows a similar reward arrangement for Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, whose players received the naira equivalent of $100,000 each in September 2026 after winning their fifth consecutive Women’s AfroBasket title in 2025.
Members of the basketball team’s technical crew and officials also received $50,000 each, alongside housing documents and OON certificates.
In December 2025, the Federal Government also presented housing title documents and national honours to members of the Super Eagles following their silver-medal finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
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