His presence at this flag football event marks an important milestone in Ghana’s aspirations to be recognised among the emerging nations developing Flag Football globally, especially as the sport gears up for its debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

During his visit, Mr. Nkosi met with top-level leadership from USA Football, including the Chief Executive Officer, High Performance Directors, Coaches and several senior officials.

These meetings focused on collaborative opportunities, talent development, and Ghana’s participation in the global Flag Football conversation.

In addition to engaging USA executives, Mr. Nkosi also held productive exchanges with key representatives from other leading federations: Canada, Panama, Japan, Mexico, Australia and Korea, laying the groundwork for international friendly games, advanced cooperation and knowledge sharing.

This international outreach is part of a larger vision by GFAF to ensure Ghana plays a meaningful role in the global Flag Football ecosystem, especially as Africa begins to emerge as a promising frontier for American Football’s growth.

Credit: Citi FM

This time, Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles have Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles and Chiefs will face off for the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in three years on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Kansas City aims to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.

“Each one of these is special,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said after being handed the Lamar Hunt Trophy, which is named after his father. “Now, we get to do something that’s never been done before. Chiefs kingdom, we’re heading to New Orleans to make history.”

Mahomes rallied the Chiefs to a 38-35 victory over the Eagles two years ago in Arizona and a 25-22 overtime win over San Francisco in Las Vegas last season.

The two-time Super Bowl and NFL MVP led Kansas City to a 32-29 win over Josh Allen and the Bills in the AFC championship game on Sunday, eliminating Buffalo for the fourth time in five years.

“It’s not about one guy, it’s not about a couple guys, it’s about the whole team,” Mahomes said.

With girlfriend Taylor Swift watching on the field, smiling and nodding in approval, Kelce shouted: “Never satisfied, baby!” and then sang a line from “Get Down Tonight” by KC and The Sunshine Band.

Earlier, the Eagles ran past the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC title game behind seven rushing touchdowns, including three apiece from Barkley and Hurts.

It will be the 10th Super Bowl rematch and fifth within a five-year span. The winners of the four rematches within five years were the teams that won the first meeting, including the Chiefs over the 49ers last season.

Barkley had another 60-yard touchdown run plus two other rushing scores, finishing with 118 yards. His third TD from 60 yards or more in two weeks came on Philadelphia’s first play from scrimmage. No other player has three TDs of at least 60 yards in a playoff career.

“I always dreamed about it but the dream wasn’t about just getting there, it was to win it,” Barkley said of the Super Bowl.

Playing with an injured knee, Hurts threw for 246 yards and one touchdown to go with his three rushing scores.

“How about our quarterback,” coach Nick Sirianni shouted from the stage after the presentation of the George Halas Trophy. “He’s a stud. I knew he would play that way. I knew it. Don’t doubt him. All he does is win.”

The 55 points Philadelphia scored are the most by any team in a conference championship game since the 1970 merger.

The Eagles (17-3) are aiming for their second Super Bowl title in five tries. Backup quarterback Nick Foles led them to a 41-33 victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots seven years ago. Foles presented owner Jeffrey Lurie with the Halas trophy.

“We’re there to win it,” Lurie said about going back to the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs (17-2) are 4-2 in the Super Bowl and making their fifth appearance in six years with coach Andy Reid, who will be facing his former team again.

Reid spent his first 14 seasons in Philadelphia and won more games than any coach in franchise history. But the Eagles couldn’t win it all with Reid. They were 1-4 in the NFC championship game and lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Credit: AP

Gibbs scored three of his franchise-record tying four touchdowns in the second half, and the Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title.

“Everybody’s got to come through here, baby!” Detroit defensive end Za’Darius Smith said to the roaring crowd after the game.

The Lions (15-2) and Vikings (14-3) could meet again in two weeks.

Banged-up Detroit will have a much-needed week off, while Minnesota plays at the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams next Monday night.

In the NFL’s final game before the playoffs, two teams played in the regular season with a combined 28 victories for the first time. A No. 1 seed was determined in a regular-season finale for the third time in three-plus decades.

Dallas wrapped up the 1993 regular season against the New York Giants with a 16-13 overtime win to give the Cowboys top seeding they used to their advantage as they advanced to and won the Super Bowl. The Giants, meanwhile, beat Minnesota in the wild-card round and were routed at San Francisco the following week.

Detroit desperately hopes history repeats itself. The Lions are seeking their first Super Bowl appearance and hoping to end an NFL championship drought that dates to 1957. They are a No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.

“It’s not the cherry on top,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “Not yet.”

Game No. 272 of the regular season was expected to be a shootout with Pro Bowl quarterbacks leading high-scoring offenses, but Goff and Sam Darnold were not at their best.

Gibbs picked up the slack for his team.

“He’s as explosive as any player in the league,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said.

Gibbs had 23 carries for 139 yards with a career-high three rushing touchdowns and caught five passes for 31 yards and another score.

“He was special, and we needed him to be,” Goff said.

Goff threw two interceptions after getting picked off only once in the previous seven games and Minnesota made field goals after the turnovers in the second and third quarters.

After Vikings rookie Will Reichard connected on his third kick to cut the deficit to 10-9 early in the third, Goff directed a 13-play, 70-yard drive that took 7:25 and was capped by a slick pass to Gibbs for a 10-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2.

Goff was 8 of 8 on that possession and finished 27 of 33 for 231 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Darnold completed fewer than half his passes in the first half, missing opportunities to pick up first downs and score touchdowns. The Vikings were 0 of 3 in the red zone through two quarters to let the Lions lead 10-6 at halftime and failed to score a touchdown when they were inside the 20 for a fourth time in the second half.

The Vikings went for it on fourth down from the Lions 3 in the second quarter and Darnold, under pressure, overthrew an open Justin Jefferson in the end zone.

Darnold threw another incomplete pass on fourth down from the Detroit 2 early in the third.

“Kicking field goals isn’t going to get it done against that team,” Darnold said. “I have to hit those throws.”

O’Connell opted to attempt a 51-yard field goal late in the third, trailing by eight, and Reichard missed wide right.

Darnold was 18 of 41, a season-low 44% completion rate, and connected with Jefferson just three times on nine targets for 54 yards.

“We didn’t do a lot of the things we did well this season,” O’Connell said. “Sam has hit a lot of those plays all year and I have every bit of confidence that he will hit it the next time.”

Injuries

Vikings: OLB Patrick Jones (knee) was inactive.

Lions: LB Alex Anzalone (broken forearm) and punt returner/receiver Kalif Raymond (foot) returned from injuries to play for the first time since November. … CB Terrion Arnold (foot) and DL Pat O’Connor (Calf) were injured during the game and OG Kevin Zeitler came off the field, holding the back of his right leg late in the game.

Owner Robert Kraft announced the firing in a statement shortly after New England closed its 4-13 season with a 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills.

“After the game I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me, personally, it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Kraft said. “Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”

Kraft was set to discuss the move in a news conference on Monday.

A former Patriots linebacker who worked as an assistant under Belichick, Mayo started the season with a strong endorsement from Kraft. But alongside a coaching staff that featured offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and first-time defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, he struggled to get the most out of a young roster that included rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

The Patriots opened the season with a win at Cincinnati before losing their next six games. They won two of their next three but then closed the season by losing six of seven, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Belichick was 4-13 in his final season in 2023 to cap a 24-year run in New England that included six Super Bowl titles.

Mayo played eight seasons with New England and won a Super Bowl during the 2014 season. He took a post-retirement job in corporate America in 2015, then returned to football in 2019 to work with Belichick. He served primarily as the Patriots’ linebackers coach while developing a strong reputation among players.

It made him a rising star in the coaching ranks and he turned down several interviews for head coaching jobs following the 2022 season, instead signing an extension to remain in New England.

A week after letting Belichick go, the Patriots hired Mayo as the franchise’s first Black head coach. At age 37, he started the season as the NFL’s second-youngest coach behind Seattle’s Mike Macdonald.

From the beginning of his tenure, Mayo tried to establish a culture that differed from Belichick’s often robotic devotion to football — a move that drew praise from players.

Yet, it didn’t translate into victories for a team that was ranked near the bottom of the NFL offensively and defensively and went 3-6 in one-score games.

Kraft could turn to another former Patriots linebacker in Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans coach who recently interviewed with the New York Jets for their coaching vacancy. Vrabel was a pivotal part of the Patriots’ first three Super Bowl titles during his eight seasons, and he led the Titans to three playoff appearances in six years before he was fired after the 2023 season.

After Sunday’s win and before Mayo’s firing was announced, players praised the job he did this season.

“He’s stayed consistent,” cornerback Jonathan Jones said. “The effort from the guys today showed just how no matter what the situation is, how he can get guys to go out there and fight.”

Credit: AP