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The Super Eagles duo of Calvin Bassey and Frank Onyeka have left camp ahead of Tuesday’s international friendly against Mali.
Bassey missed the 2-1 win over Ghana on Friday, but Onyeka played in the game.
Both players have now flown back to their base in the UK, where they will continue their recovery as the business end of the season kicks in.
The rest of the Eagles squad have continued training for the next friendly.
All the remaining 22 players are available for selection.
Nigeria will take on Mali at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Tuesday and interim head coach, Finidi George, is expected to shake up his starting XI.
The Nigerian contingent to the 13th All African Games held in Ghana, finished second on the overall medals table at the end of the tournament.
Naija News reports Team Nigeria finished with a total of 47 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals across 25 sports at the competition.
The Nigerian team won its highest medal haul in weightlifting, winning 32 medals—16 gold, 10 silver, and six bronze.
Athletics was Nigeria’s second most productive sport at the Games, with 22 medals won.
Nigeria got 11 medals from wrestling, 8 gold medals in a day in boxing, while arm wrestling also produced 13 medals.
Despite Nigeria’s impressive outing at the tournament, it was Egypt who finished tops on the medals table with 189 medals, comprising 101 gold, 46 silver and 42 bronze.
South Africa placed third on the medals table with 106 medals — 32 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze medals.
Algeria finished third with 29 gold, 38 silver and 47 bronze medals, while Tunisia completed the top five.
The next edition of the African Games will be held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2027.
Ex-Chelsea Star, Geremi Njitap Files To Divorce His 12-Years Of Marriage After Finding Out He Is Not The Father Of Her Twins
AFOLABIFormer Cameroonian and Chelsea football star Geremi Njitap has initiated divorce proceedings to terminate his marriage after discovering that he had raised twins for 12 years that were not biologically his.
The 45-year-old has been married to Toukam Fotso Laure Verline for over a decade.
According to The Sun, the couple’s twins were born after the player’s wife Laure had a fling.
The UK Sun reports that court documents in Geremi’s native Cameroon show Toukam “destroyed the harmony” of their marriage “through her abject behaviour”.
They also mention her “repeated lies”, and add: “No children have been born from this union.”
Toukam had claimed the twins born in June 2008 — four years before the couple’s marriage were his, which motivated them to get married.
“But the discovery that the children were from her previous partner destroyed the couple’s harmony,” the documents add.
The former Indomitable Lion also alleges verbal mistreatment at the hands of his spouse, claiming that he has been subjected to insults and derogatory language in front of their children.
During his playing days, Geremi Njitap was known for his versatility, being able to play at right back, right midfield or defensive midfielder.
Njitap played for Real Madrid, Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Turkish club Gençlerbirliği among others before his retirement in January 2011.
Geremi earned 118 caps for Cameroon from 1996 to 2010, scoring 13 goals.
He was a member of their squad for seven Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning in 2000 and 2002, as well as the World Cup in 2002 and 2010 and a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics.
Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has insisted the club does not need “big signings” this summer.
Laporta was responding to questions during an interview with MD, where he was asked about Erling Haaland rumours.
He said: “We don’t need any big signing. There will be movements but I don’t anticipate big ones, just team players.
“Our priority is to trust the team we have right now, we don’t want to sign players who could distort our harmony.”
On Frenkie De Jong’s future, Laporta added: “Frenkie de Jong is super happy here. The last thing he wants is leaving Barcelona.
“He always told me that he loves to be at Barça and we’re delighted with Frenkie too.
“I’m not worried with his future, at all.”
Nigerians got a glimpse of the post-2023 AFCON Super Eagles on Friday evening.
From when the national team threw away a one-goal lead in that final, to losing it 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast, a lot has happened.
Most importantly, Jose Peseiro has left his role as the head coach.
The Portuguese’s short-term deal elapsed on February 29, leaving the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to put out a notice for his replacement.
However, the only appointment that was made – belatedly – was former Nigeria international, Finidi George, being put in temporary charge of the Eagles.
Finidi was an assistant to Peseiro during the AFCON. But although he employed a similar tactical set-up as the Portuguese, there were marked differences.
“I think it was a good game for us,” Ope Adebari, a Sports Analyst, Reporter and Producer with News Central TV tells DAILY POST.
“Clearly, Finidi George is actually sound.
“It’s the same 3-4-2-1 as Peseiro used at AFCON but different implementation.
“We played from the back and playing with two proper defensive midfielders made a difference.
“Playing Alex Iwobi in his favoured position also made a difference.
“Nwabali would sometimes come out to make up a back 4 which allows Bright Osayi Samuel to invert. We then had one man extra in midfield.
“We totally dominated.
“But we also had a few moments of complacency. One of those moments led to the penalty conceded.”
Adebari, however, noted that Finidi needs to field the fringe players in the squad more against Mali on Tuesday.
According to him, “Raphael Onyedika, Alhassan Yusuf and Nathan Tella should get more time. They should play for at least an hour.”
Ever since Peseiro left the role, there have been calls from certain quarters for the NFF to recruit a domestic coach for the national team.
Finidi’s name has been mentioned along with ex-players like Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amunike, Augustine Eguavoen and Sunday Oliseh.
With Finidi expected to be in charge when the Eagles take on the Malians next week, you would have thought he is auditioning for the job somewhat.
But Adebari has revealed to DAILY POST that Amunike is the preferred candidate.
“At least three people who work with NFF have already told me that Amunike has been chosen for the job.
“I think they’re just trying to iron out the salary,” he said.
In Adebari’s opinion, Amunike is not the best Nigerian coach available.
According to him, “I’d say he’d qualified for the job based on his CV and certifications.”
[DailyPost]
An interesting news report ‘provokes’ this article.
Ordinarily, I would not attempt to delve again into a controversial subject that has created the most crisis and confusion in Nigerian sports administration through the decades. The more one discusses it the more confusing it gets. Presently, there is no clear understanding in the separation of the roles and responsibilities of government, from those of the various sports federations.
On this matter, there are too many ‘experts’.
One wonders with what authority the different voices back the varied positions they take on such an esoteric subject. Most of those that knew how things worked ‘successfully’ in the past, and why, are either no longer alive, or are completely outside the present-day sports loop.
Those that are there now are either victims of the more recent failing adaptations, or are a part of this excursion into the bush led by the ‘blind’ as guide.
The country is today still swimming in uncharted territory that is leading to more confusion on the vexed issue of roles and responsibilities. What is going on now is a fanciful adoption of some foreign templates that may have worked in more developed climes, but surely have been flailing in the Third-World setting of Nigeria.
The President of the Nigeria Amputee Football Federation was on television some days ago. The Amputee football national team has been in camp preparing for the Amputee Football African Cup of Nations, taking place in Cairo Egypt from 19 to 28th of April, 2024.
The President, Paul Maduakor, as is the practise with every other sports federation president, says that the federation has completed its responsibility of assembling, preparing and camping the footballers. It is now waiting on the Sports Minister to respond to the budget for the event submitted to his office by the federation, for release of the funds for the competition-proper from government! Meanwhile, the federation is also seeking sponsorship support from the private sector, something that has proven to be as difficult as a camel passing through the eye of a needle for all federations, including the seemingly most lucrative, the Nigeria Football Federation!
The Minister has not responded. There is now the real threat, or risk, that unless funds are provided, the national team may not attend the championship.
This scenario is common.
Whose responsibility is it to fund competitions, domestic and international?
The above scenario is common now in Nigerian sports, clearly demonstrating the typical relationship between the Sports Ministry and every sports federation; this blurred area of conflict; and who is responsible for what within sports development, administration and competitions.
What brings them together and always creates the friction is the funding of International competitions. Outside of that the federations will continue to survive on life-support funds, no-domestic competitions, and the perennial dependence of government to cover international competitions.
Private sector funding has been very sparce and almost impossible for most federations, and that’s why most do not have the number of domestic competitions that can drive their grassroots, amateur or even elite sports development programs and events with any success.
During international competitions where the country’s flag is flown, the country’s national anthem is played, and the competitions are between national teams (not club sides), the federations fall on the Ministry of Sports almost entirely for funds.
That understanding was clear and generally acceptable to all until the issue of administrative power struggle reared its ugly head, some 30 years ago. Since then, sports administration lost some direction.
The big question now, therefore, is that in funding the International competitions what is the Ministry’s role? Is it to get the budget from the federation, approve it, get the funds from government and hand over to them, with or without any further supervision over the funds?
In the past, for providing the funds to run federation secretariats and International competitions, the government seconded a Secretary, provided a secretariat and nominated one or two members who was always eventually ‘elected’ or appointed Chairman of the board.
For three decades, since Independence, even though the federations were registered as private organisations of clubs and a few other major member-stakeholders in the sport, of equal representation on the board, there was always the government’s representative included in the board composition. The board doubled as the electoral college, appointing or electing its own Chairman. I repeat: the Chairman was appointed or elected from amongst the board by the board members. It was a simple, inexpensive, one-day process that attracted no acrimony, no public or private campaigns, and never resulted in controversies or litigation.
For 3 decades this arrangement worked almost flawlessly.
The Associations ran their domestic events without government funding, and only got government funding for international competitions. All of these without complaints.
When some sponsorship funding and international grants started to come into the associations’ accounts, ‘greed’ and the urge for non-accountability reared their ugly heads.
As revenue from other sources started to flow in, members of the board started to enjoy the freebies, and the clamour for freedom to escape financial scrutiny was birthed. There was extra booty to be shared since government took charge of the basic funding.
Then, there was a silent ‘protest’ and a plan was hatched to stop government’s nominee from becoming ‘automatic’ Chairman. This ‘nomination’ was identified as interference in the internal affairs of a private organisation by some radical members of the board. They rebelled by insisting new rules must be created, the electoral college expanded, and an expanded general assembly put in place to approve the new rules and elect a Chairman from amongst the general assembly and not the board.
The new ‘concoction’ made the process of electing board leadership convoluted, expensive, confusing and disenfranchising government, preventing it from playing its statutory responsibility in funding international events.
So, they fought government and changed the rules and process for electing the leadership of the federation.
To crown it they started to chant that government should hands-off the running of sports, that sport could run itself through private sector funding. Inadvertently, they took over government’s statutory responsibility to fund International events.
Thus was created a huge chasm in sports administration that has lasted 30 years without a clear resolution, plenty of friction, reduction in domestic and grassroots sports development, stagnation at elite sports levels, and ad-hoc and intermittent support that government provides different sports federations with international responsibilities for taking over what they cannot cope with for the ‘price’ of external funds that are not enough to do anything. Football led this rebellion against government. Till now, even football, with all the external funding it gets, is unable to funds its international competitions. It still depends largely on government.
The other federations stand no chance of securing funding from the private sector to run both local and domestic sports. The new sports policy of introducing business is a most desirable objective, but its success still lies decades ahead and would only go side by side Nigeria’s development as an economic power. Government in also a legitimate stakeholder through its funding and must have a legal membership in every federation with clear and unambiguous roles and responsibilities.
Of course, who pays the piper dictates the tune. That’s why Sports Ministers have been fighting back since 2004 when the rebellion started.
It will take plenty of courage and plenty of sacrifice on the part of federation members to give up a little and get a little, in order to clear up the cobwebs and bring back a workable and acceptable template that will include every stakeholder particularly government on an equal basis for true development to start again.
The Black Princess of Ghana have been crowned champions of the women’s football tournament at the 13th African Games holding in Accra.
At the end of 120 minutes of football, the Black Princesses edged the Falconets 2-1.
Loveth Edeh had put the Falconets in the lead in the 21st minute.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, Ghana got a leveler through Tracy Twum.
Mukarama Abdullai, in the 99th minute of extra-time, popped up to score the winner as her low shot on the edge of the box beat the Falconets keeper.
The loss means the Falconets relinquished their reign as African Games champions.
Super Eagles interim head coach, Finidi George has said the team’s objective is to get good results in their upcoming friendlies against Ghana and Mali.
Finidi said it is important for the team to maintain the high standard they set for themselves at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles finished second at the competition losing 2-1 to hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the final.
“We finished in second place at the Africa Cup of Nations and everyone expects us to maintain that high rating and be even better in a short while. Our objective is to get good results in these two matches and stay positive ahead of the World Cup qualifiers,” Finidi told thenff.com.
“They call it friendly matches but there is really nothing friendly when you play, especially Ghana. I have been involved in matches against Ghana since the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal. Matches between our countries are serious duels and are always seen as battles by our people. The Black Stars did not perform that well at the recent Africa Cup of Nations and they will be keen to banish that memory.”
Friday’s match will be the 60th encounter between both countries, since a Jalco Cup match on 20th October 1951 ended 5-0 in favour of Nigeria. Twenty of the previous 59 duels have ended in draws, including their last two encounters (2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches) in March 2022.
Their last friendly match, in London on 11th October 2011, ended scoreless.
Brazil’s justice system on Wednesday will decide whether former Manchester City and Real Madrid striker Robinho will serve his nine-year rape sentence, handed down by an Italian court, in the South American country.
Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ) will examine the Italian request to approve the prison sentence that was imposed in 2017 and ratified in 2022.
“I hope that here in Brazil I can have the voice that I didn’t have there,” Robinho, who has protested his innocence, said in an interview with Brazilian network TV Record on Sunday.
Robson de Souza, popularly known as “Robinho”, remains free despite his conviction for being among a group of six men who gang raped a young Albanian woman out celebrating her 23rd birthday at a Milan nightclub in 2013.
Former Brazil international Robinho was playing his club football for AC Milan at the time.
His sentence was upheld by Italy’s highest court, after which Italian prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant.
Brazil does not extradite its nationals, however, and Italy asked that Robinho be made to serve his sentence in his home country instead.
On Sunday, Robinho accused the Italian justice system of “racism”.
“It was consensual,” Robinho told TV Record.
“I never denied it (the encounter). I could have denied it because my DNA was not there, but I’m not a liar.
“I played for four years in Italy and I got tired of seeing stories about racism. The same people who do nothing about racism, which I repudiate, are the ones who condemned me.”
If the ruling goes against him, the 40-year-old could still remain free while awaiting an appeal to Brazil’s Supreme Court.
Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that he hopes Robinho can “serve” the sentence on Brazilian soil.
– ‘Unprecedented case’ –
According to Brazilian media, magistrates are expected to approve Italy’s request.
“Approval is not common, because the law that allows it is relatively recent. It would be an unprecedented case in Brazil,” lawyer Leonardo Pantaleao told AFP.
Meanwhile, Robinho’s case and that of former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves have sparked criticism over the failure of football authorities in Brazil to condemn violence against women.
In February, former Brazil international full-back Alves, 40, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for raping a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona.
The case was met with silence from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the player’s former clubs and former teammates.
Former Brazil coach Tite said he could not “make a judgement without having all the facts and truthful information” about the case.
For Robinho, it has been a dramatic fall from grace.
Having begun his career at Santos, a team made famous by Brazil great Pele, Robinho was touted as the successor to the golden generation of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.
In 2005, Robinho left Santos to join Zinedine Zidane, international teammate Ronaldo and David Beckham at Real Madrid.
But although he played for big teams in Europe and won two Confederations Cups — in 2005 and 2009 — and a Copa America in 2007, Robinho only displayed his talent intermittently.
In 2009, he was briefly detained in England for an alleged sexual assault on a young woman, but the charges were dropped after an investigation.
He returned to Santos in 2020 but the club suspended the deal after pressure from fans, sponsors and the media, leading to the abrupt end of his career.
African best footballer and Napoli of Italy star striker Victor Osimhen, Nottingham Forest of England forward Taiwo Awoniyi and the dou of Tyronne Ebuehi and Gabriel Osho have all been ruled out of the Super Eagles’ friendlies against Ghana and Mali.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirm this in a statement signed by its director of communication, Ademola Olajiri and shared with Media Houses on Tuesday, saying the quartet will not be available for the friendlies due to Injuries.
12 players are already at the team’s Adam Park Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco.
The players at the camp in Marrakech are goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Olorunleke Ojo, defenders Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Jamilu Collins, Bruno Onyemaechi and Benjamin Tanimo, midfielders Alex Iwobi, Raphael Onyedika and Alhassan Yusuf, and forwards Moses Simon, Nathan Tella, Cyriel Dessers, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Sadiq Umar and Ademola Lookman.
Goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, defender Chidozie Awaziem, midfielders Frank Onyeka and Wilfred Ndidi, and forward Kelechi Iheanacho were being expected at the team’s training camp at time of filling in this report on Tuesday. Only Turkey-based defender Bright Osayi-Samuel is being expected on Wednesday.
The 2023 AFCON runners up will square up against the Black Stars of Ghana on Friday before lock horns with the Les Aigles of Mali at the same Grand Stade de Marrakech on Tuesday, 26th March.
Former Nigerian forward Finidi George will occupy the chief’s corner in the dugout when the Super Eagles confront West African arch-rivals Ghana and Mali in friendlies in Marrakech, Morocco.
The 52-year-old former Ajax and Real Betis winger, who made a scoring debut for Nigeria in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso in 1991, has been appointed by the NFF to hold the reins in the meantime as a group of 22 players take on Ghana and Mali in this month’s international window.
On his debut in 1991, George, who also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe, scored one and made four assists for legendary ‘goalsfather’ Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory), and also assisted the latter to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.
Actually, George scored the goal that took Nigeria to her first FIFA World Cup finals, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.
The former Enyimba of Aba gaffer will bellow instructions from the touchline, 21 months after he began to understudy Portuguese José Santos Peseiro, who led the Eagles to runner-up position at the 34th Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire earlier in the year.
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Olympian Elizabeth Anyanacho defeated African number 1, Mohammed Aya of Egypt in 3 rounds to win gold medal at the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana.
2019 African Games bronze medalist started the day defeating W. Zaboure of Burundi in the Quarter-final to at least get into the medal range.
In the semi-final, Elizabeth Anyanacho maintained her winning spirit to defeat Salih Sofia of Morocco in another 3 rounds on the mat.
Coming into the final, Elizabeth who has already qualified for this year Paris Olympics took her time and studied her opponent Mohammed Aya in the bout losing the first round but came back strong to win the second and third round to claim the gold medal.
With this gold medal, Team Nigeria Taekwondo has won one gold medal and one bronze.
Former Nigeria forward Finidi George will occupy the chief’s corner in the dugout when the Super Eagles confront West African arch-rivals Ghana in an international friendly in Marrakech on Friday.
The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) winger, who made a scoring debut in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on 27th July 1991, has been appointed by the NFF to hold the reins in the meantime as a group of 22 players take on Ghana and Mali in this month’s international window.
On his debut in 1991, George, who also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe, scored one and made four assists for legendary ‘goalsfather’ Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory), and also assisted the latter to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.
Actually, George scored the goal that took Nigeria to her first FIFA World Cup finals, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.
On Friday, Finidi George, from a family of football stars (elder brother Alari and younger brother Igeniwari of blessed memory were established players), will bellow instructions from the touchline, 21 months after he began to understudy Portuguese José Santos Peseiro, who led the Super Eagles to runner-up position at the 34th Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire earlier in the year.
As at Tuesday lunchtime, 12 of the 22 players expected had arrived in Morocco’s fourth-largest city, with defenders Gabriel Osho and Tyronne Ebuehi, and forwards Victor Osimhen and Taiwo Awoniyi having been knocked out by injury.
At the team’s Adam Park Hotel in Marrakech are goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Olorunleke Ojo, defenders Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Jamilu Collins, Bruno Onyemaechi and Benjamin Tanimo, midfielders Alex Iwobi, Raphael Onyedika and Alhassan Yusuf, and forwards Moses Simon, Nathan Tella, Cyriel Dessers, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Sadiq Umar and Ademola Lookman.
Goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, defender Chidozie Awaziem, midfielders Frank Onyeka and Wilfred Ndidi, and forward Kelechi Iheanacho were being expected in Marrakech by Tuesday. Only Turkey-based defender Bright Osayi-Samuel is being expected on Wednesday.
The African vice champions will also take on the Les Aigles of Mali at the same Grand Stade de Marrakech on Tuesday, 26th March.
Nigerian sprint icon, Tobi Amusan has won the women’s 100m hurdles Round 1 heat at the 13th Africa Games in Ghana.
Amusan won the heat with a time of 13.03s.
By virtue of the victory, Amusan secured a spot in the semis of the women’s 100m hurdles at the ongoing Africa Games.
Meanwhile, Team Nigeria lost the men’s and women’s 100m gold to Cameroon and Gambia respectively, settling for silver and bronze in the events on Tuesday.
Usheoritse Itsekiri returned at a time of 10.23secs to lose the men’s 100m surprisingly to Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme who finished at 10.14secs while Namibia’s Hainuca Gilbert took the bronze with a time of 10.25secs.
Nigeria’s other entrant in the men’s 100m, Emmanuel Ekanem returned at a time of 10.42secs to finish a distant fourth.
In the Africa Games women’s 100m, Olayinka Olajide could only muster a third place finish to win bronze with a time of 11.55secs behind Miriam Bittaye of Gambia who won the gold with 11.36secs and Alyse Miccoy of Liberia whose 11.49secs gave her the silver medal.
Nigeria’s Under-20 female football team, the Falconets, will take on Ghana on Thursday in the final of the women’s football event at the 13th African Games in Ghana.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Falconets booked their place in the finals after defeating Uganda 2-0 in the match played at the Cape Coast Stadium on Monday in the first semi-final.
Ghana also defeated the Teranga Lionesses of Senegal 3-1 to book a place in the final.
The final between Nigeria and hosts Ghana will hold at the Cape Coast Stadium on Thursday at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, Uganda will face Senegal to fight for the bronze medal in the event, which will hold at Cape Coast Stadium on the same day (Thursday) by 5 p.m.
NAN reports that Falconets won the gold medal in the event at the 12th African Games in Rabat, Morocco, in 2019.
The 13th African Games, which started on March 8, will end on March 23. The ongoing games are being held across three cities: Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast. (NAN)