Tag: Football - Page 29 - African News Today

Obasi Charges Rohr to Get Eagles Back to Winning Ways

12Dec

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Sports

Obasi Charges Rohr to Get Eagles Back to Winning Ways

Chinedu Obasi, former Super Eagles attacker has tasked the team’s manager, Gernot Rohr to harness the abundance of talents in the team and dominate the continent. He said the team is gifted with an abundance of talented players that ought to take Africa by storm. Obaseki’s comments came on the heels of the team’s below-par outing recently, failing to win a match in 2020. The Eagles round off the year as the 35th best team in the world and the fifth in Africa, behind Senegal, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The Super Eagles coached by Rohr played four matches in 2020, recording a defeat and three draws, including the 4 – 4 result against Sierra Leone in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers played in November. Obasi while assessing the performance of the three-time African champ...

Super Eagles Need A Proper Number 10 – Okocha Suggests

7Dec

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Nigeria, Sports, Youths

Super Eagles Need A Proper Number 10 – Okocha Suggests

Former Super Eagles captain Austin Okocha says what the team need at the moment is a playmaker who can open up spaces for the attackers to score. The team has struggled to replace the veteran midfielder since his exit with no real number ten emerging as his replacement in the team. Speaking on the short comings of the team, Okocha suggested that coach Gernot Rohr should intensify efforts to get a natural number ten for the team. “What the Eagles need now are natural midfielders who can create chances and change the course of a game. We need midfielders who can run at defenders and pick their teammates with good passes. “ We have midfielders but not in that level at the moment. Some of them are just scared and the fact that they are being compared to the 1994 Eagles bring a bit ...

Sports Minister Speaks on Plans to Cut Abuja Stadium Grass with ₦81m

5Dec

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Sports

Sports Minister Speaks on Plans to Cut Abuja Stadium Grass with ₦81m

Mr Sunday Dare, Minister of Sports has debunked reports of the ministry’s plans to cut the grass at the Abuja National Stadium with ₦81 million. The clarification was issued in a statement released by the office of the Minister, titled, ‘Beware of Fake News: Minister Actually Rejected the N81 million bill’. The statement read, “When we went to Abuja Environmental, for a one-time clearing, they gave us a bill of 81million. “If I tell Nigerians that I have 81million and I used the money to clear the National Stadium so that bush rats will be taken away instead of using that money to bring back the high-performance centre, you will be the first people to attack me. It’s an opportunity cost, it’s tough, the fund is just not there. “But we have made some efforts. But if you cut it d...

Home-based Super Eagles Camping To Precede Future Matches

3Dec

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Africa, Nigeria, Sports, Youths

Home-based Super Eagles Camping To Precede Future Matches

The Nigeria Football Federation has responded to calls by Nigerians for the involvement of domestic league players in Super Eagles’ matches, by agreeing to commence camping with home-based players, for a week or two, prior to the arrival of the overseas-based players. According to a report by Completesports.com, the Federation came to this conclusion after a meeting with the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, in his office last Tuesday in Abuja, and a followup by the Executive Committee later same day. “The minister suggested to us to involve more home-based players in the the Super Eagles’ games, and we have agreed to camp the local boys for between one to two weeks before the overseas-based players report to camp for any particular match in Nigeria or abroad,” ...

UEFA Nominates Oshoala for Player of the Year Award

1Dec

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Sports

UEFA Nominates Oshoala for Player of the Year Award

Super Falcons forward, Asisat Oshoala has been nominated for a place in the 2020 UEFA Fan’s Team of the Year. The forward who has bagged an African women footballer four times but surprisingly missed out on the 2020 FIFA Best nomination, made the list alongside 49 other layers. Oshoala is one of three Barcelona players to have been named in the list released by UEFA on Tuesday. The forward who played for English sides, Arsenal ladies was in sublime form in the 2020 season, winning the league title and the Super Cup with the Catalan giants. The Super Falcon star bagged 20 goals in 19 league appearances last season.

29Nov

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Africa, Sports, Tanzania, Youths

I Can’t Be Assistant To Rohr – Amuneke

Former Tanzania coach Emmanuel Amuneke has denied suggestions that he was keen on working as assistant to coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr. Amuneke was previously reported to have been offered to the German coach as an assistant but the coach turned down the suggestion insisting on having Salisu Yusuf back. Yusuf was suspended from all football activities for 18 months following his implication in a cash for spot scandal as coach of the Nigeria home based team during the CHAN tournament. Reacting to the news, Amuneke said: “I categorically deny nursing any ambition to work under any other coach either in Nigeria or elsewhere with my pedigree in the game. I did not apply to work as Rohr’s assistant and nobody has also approached me about it,” he was quote...

Newcastle United Defeat Difficult To Take – Eberechi Eze

28Nov

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

English Premiership, Nigeria, Sports, Youths

Newcastle United Defeat Difficult To Take – Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze has described the team's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United as ‘demoralising.’ The Eagles dominated for most of the game but went home disappointed with nothing to show for their efforts. The midfielder told Palace TV: “It’s demoralising losing like that. We dominated for most of the game and I think you get punished at the end if you don’t take your chances and leave it too open for them. It’s a hard one to take for us but we’ll be stronger and go again. “We have to move on to the next game and play right in the next game.” Asked to drill-down into why Palace’s attacks were unable to produce goals, Eze said: “I don’t know. It’s a difficult one. The more we keep creating and the more we get in the opposition box, eventually it will go in. “...

FIFA Rankings: Super Eagles Slip Three Places to 35

28Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Sports

FIFA Rankings: Super Eagles Slip Three Places to 35

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have slipped three places in the latest FIFA ranking for the month of November. The Nigeria national team dropped from 32nd position to 35th in the world, courtesy of their last two draws secured during the AFCON qualifier against Sierra Leone. While the three-time African champions slipped in the latest ranking, Senegal maintained their spot as the best team in Africa and are ranked among the top 20 in the world. Tunisia are ranked second-best team in Africa, occupying 26th in the world, while Algeria slipped one spot to 31th and third in Africa. According to the latest update, the top three spots remain unchanged, though Belgium expanded the gap on their closest contenders, France. Brazil, placed third are closing in on the French side after ext...

Bosso Releases Squad List For WAFU U-20 Cup Of Nations

27Nov

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

AFCON, Africa, Sports, Uncategorized, Youths

Bosso Releases Squad List For WAFU U-20 Cup Of Nations

Head Coach Isa Ladan Bosso has picked his 20 -man squad that will contest for the WAFU B Cup of Nations title at the tournament taking place in Porto Novo, Benin Republic next month. The competition, which holds 5th – 20th December, will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2021 U20 Africa Cup of Nations that will be staged in Mauritania. THE FULL LIST Goalkeepers: John Amah (Box2Box FC), Chibueze Lambert (Abia Warriors), Kolawole Oladipo (Crown FC) Defenders: Temitayo Ereku (Brookhouse Academy), Charles Etim (Blessed Stars), Mike Zaruma (Plateau United), Christopher Nwaeze (Kwara United), Moses Solomon (Calabar Rovers), Isaiah Ejeh (Kwara United), Jimmy Abdul (MFM) Midfielders: Oladoye Adewale (Water FC), Liameed Quadri (36 Lions), Muhammad Abdallah (Nasarawa Uni...

Ahmed Musa Denies Sheffield Wednesday Links

26Nov

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

English Premiership, Nigeria, Sports, Youths

Ahmed Musa Denies Sheffield Wednesday Links

Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has debunked reports linking him with a move to Sky Bet Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. Musa is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Saudi Arabia Professional League club Al Nassr. The winger insists he wants a return to top-flight football and is not interested in a move to Sheffield Wednesday. “I don’t know where the story [potential move to Sheffield] is coming from because I don’t pay attention to rumours and gossip,” Musa told BBC Sport Africa. Musa also talked about his time with English Premier League club Leicester City. The 28-year-old scored five goals in 33 appearances for the Foxes. “For some reasons things didn’t actually work out there [at Leicester], but you can’t focus too much on the past,” h...