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Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has admitted that the Eagles will face a tough test against Saudi Arabia when both sides clash in an international friendly at the Estádio Municipal de Portimao, Portugal on Friday (today).
The three-time African champions also play Mozambique at the same venue on Monday.
The Eagles and the Asians have met just once, another friendly that ended in a 0-0 stalemate in 2010 in Austria.
Interestingly, Peseiro was in the opposite dugout as coach of Saudi Arabia in that encounter but he says they have a better squad now under new Italian manager Roberto Mancini.
Speaking exclusively to PUNCH Sports Extra, Eagles coach Peserio said the game against the Green Falcons would be a good test for his side as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers next month.
The Eagles begin their World Cup qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November.
“It will be a good preparatory game against a good team, which will be very useful for my team’s qualification for the World Cup,” Peserio said.
“The Saudi Arabian team has players with technical quality, who like to play an associative game and are now stronger than when I coached them.
“Saudi Arabia was the last team to defeat Argentina, so it will certainly be a tough game, which we will use to improve our organisation.”
Nigeria will begin their quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title in 2024 against tournament hosts Ivory Coast alongside Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
The draw, which was conducted at at a colourful ceremony inside the brand-new Parc Des Expositions in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Thursday was hosted by global music star, AKON.
A heavyweight quartet of Africa’s biggest current and former football superstars, Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Sadio Mane and Achraf Hakimi supported the Confederation of Africa Football as draw assistants during the pairing.
The Super Eagles were seeded in Pot 2 following their drop in the FIFA rankings released in September.
By their seeding, the three-time African champions knew they faced the task of coming up against one of the top-seeded teams on the continent.
While they avoided a confrontation against the North African sides, Jose Peseiro’s men were, however, handed a tricky start to their campaign with a game against the Elephants.
The match at the 60,000-capacity Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan is one the most highly anticipated of the tournament’s group stage fixtures.
Ivory Coast have won the tournament on two occasions, first in 1992 and later in 2015.
Both sides were also in the same group in 1980 when Nigeria hosted the football showpiece with the game ending goalless.
In the other groups, record winners, Egypt were paired in Group B alongside Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique.
Group C has champions Senegal, 2002 winners Cameroon, Guinea and The Gambia.
Algeria will slug it out with Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola in Group D.
In Group E, Tunisia face Mali, South Africa and Namibia, while Group F has Morocco, who are ranked number one in Africa, DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.
Next year’s edition of the AFCON will take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
The host cities are Abidjan, Bouaké, Korhogo, San Pédro and Yamoussoukro.
Nigerian Mixed Martial Artist, Kamaru Usman, will face Sweden’s Khamzat Chimaev at the co-main event of UFC 294 scheduled to take place on October 21, 2023, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The late substitution was announced by UFC President, Dana White, on the championship’s social media handles Wednesday evening.
Usman nicknamed the Nigerian Nightmare, was not originally part of the UFC 294 fight card. The event was billed to feature Chimaev against Brazil’s Paulo Costa.
Following tests conducted on the fighters ahead of the Abu Dhabi showdown, Costa was deemed ineligible to compete due to an elbow injury.
Usman, who competes in the welterweight division, is now expected to make weight within the next ten days to fight Chimaev, who competes in the middleweight class.
The Edo-born mixed martial artist had impressed since signing with the UFC in 2015, going on a 19-match winning streak that saw him capture the welterweight title.
On August 20, 2022, Britain’s Leon Edwards scored a knockout with a head kick in the final minute of round 5 to end Usman’s long reign as champion in the division at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The loss ended Usman’s 19-fight winning streak that extended over nine years.
Usman has not been in any in-ring competition since losing his rematch against Leon Edwards on March 19, 2023.
Athletics Integrity Unit on Thursday slammed one of the country’s fastest sprinters ever, Divine Oduduru with a six-year ban for doping-related offences.
As contained in a press statement issued Thursday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Oduduru has been handed a six-year ban by a three-member Disciplinary Tribunal for committing two Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).
The violations include the Possession of Prohibited Substances and the Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or Method. Additionally, Oduduru has been ordered to pay World Athletics a fine of US$3000 )over N3m) to cover expenses related to the case.
The ban is retroactive, starting from 9 February 2023, the date of Oduduru’s provisional suspension – and extends until February 8, 2029.
Furthermore, all of Oduduru’s results from 12 July 2021, to the date of his provisional suspension have been disqualified.
According to the AIU statement on Thursday, the case unfolded as part of a criminal investigation into Eric Lira, the first person to plead guilty under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act for providing performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The US Department of Justice’s initial complaint, issued in January 2022, referred to two athletes, “Athlete-1” and “Athlete-2.” The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) identified “Athlete-1” as Blessing Okagbare, who faced an 11-year ban last year, and, following an interview with Oduduru, concluded that he was “Athlete-2.”
Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “We are very pleased with the outcome of this matter, given its particularly grievous nature, exposing the sinister collusion between athletes and other persons in deliberate plans to corrupt athletics at the highest level.”
Clothier emphasised the AIU’s commitment to uncovering cheats and acknowledged the cooperation with investigative organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the United States Department of Justice, whose legal reach provided crucial evidence in both Oduduru’s and Okagbare’s cases.
The panel found Oduduru guilty of Possession of a Prohibited Substance and Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance, treating them as a single first violation.
The mandatory four-year ban for the combined violation was extended by an additional two years for Aggravating Circumstances.
The panel justified the longer ban by citing Oduduru’s involvement in a scheme with a teammate to procure multiple non-specified Prohibited Substances to influence athletic competitions.
Oduduru, who turned 27 on 7 October, maintained his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him.
The AIU’s case relied on WhatsApp messages between Okagbare and Lira, revealing Oduduru’s solicitation of Prohibited Substances and photographic evidence of these substances in his Florida apartment.
The substances found included human growth hormone (Somatropin), synthetic Insulin Growth Factor (IGF LR3), and recombinant erythropoietin (EPO).
The panel considered it an extraordinary coincidence that these substances precisely matched those requested by Okagbare from Lira for both herself and Oduduru.
The panel concluded that Oduduru was in constructive possession of the Prohibited Substances based on the circumstances surrounding their discovery in his exclusive control.
Despite the ban and the damning evidence, Oduduru maintained his innocence, and the fallout from this scandal is set to have lasting repercussions on his athletic career and the broader integrity of track and field competitions.
World Athletics (WA), yesterday, unveiled the names of nominees for Women’s Athlete of the Year 2023, but the name of 100m hurdles record holder, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, is missing from the lot.
Amusan, who is Nigeria, Africa and Commonwealth champion in the 100m hurdles, made history last year when she became the first Nigerian athlete to be nominated for the honour.
She eventually made it to the final five, before losing out to then World 400m hurdles champion and record holder, Sydeny McLaughlin.
With Amusan’s failure to successfully defend her world title at Budapest 2023 World Championships, following the emotional trauma she went through over her provisional suspension for three Whereabouts Failures, it was glaring her successful Diamond League defence would not be enough to get into the list unveiled by World Athletics.
The 11 nominees are headlined by five world record breakers, led by Kenya’s World 1500m and 5000m champion, Faith Kipyegon, who set three world records in 2023 in the 1500m, one mile and 5000m.
Others are Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who set a world marathon record and won the Berlin Marathon, flying Dutchwoman, Femke Bol, who set a world indoor record in the 400m flat and won the world title in the 400m hurdles and Maria Perez, 20km and 35km race walk world champion, who set a world record in 35km race
walk.
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay completes the list of world record holders among the nominees. The world 10,000m champion broke Kipyegon’s 5000m world record on her way to winning the event at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Others listed are Shericka Jackson, the Jamaican world 200m champion and double sprint Diamond League winner; Japan’s world and Diamond League javelin champion, Haruka Kitaguchi, Yaroslava Mahuchikh who won the high jump title in Budapest and Eugene.
Also listed are world and Diamond League triple champion, Yulimar Rojas; Sha’Carri Richardson, the American who won the 100m title at the Worlds and Bahama’s Winfed Yavi, who won the 3000m steeplechase title in Budapest and Eugene.
[Guardian]
UEFA on Thursday announced the Euro 2024 qualifier between Kosovo and Israel, scheduled for Sunday, had been postponed because of the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
“Israeli authorities currently do not allow their national team to travel abroad,” UEFA, European football’s governing body, said in a statement.
“A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.”
UEFA had already postponed on Sunday, the day after the surprise offensive launched by Hamas, “all matches scheduled” in Israel “in the next couple of weeks”.
The governing body has rescheduled Israel’s match against Switzerland match, originally scheduled for this Thursday, for Wednesday November 15 with the venue still to be determined.
Israel’s European Under-21 Championship matches have also been postponed along with an Under-17 mini-tournament in which Israel was due to take part.
[Vanguard]
Former Manchester United striker, Louis Saha, has hit out at the club’s summer signing Mason Mount, insisting that the former Chelsea star is not performing for the Red Devils.
Saha, who claimed he has not seen enough of Mount this season, wants Man United to sign Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma in the next transfer window.
“Man Utd are relying on one or two players to create, and I have not seen enough of Mount yet,” Saha told King Casino Bonus.
“His creativity is nowhere to be seen. I didn’t see any positive runs from him against Brentford. His timing is off, too, and he can’t make chances by playing like this.
“I hope that the players find their groove, and once they do, they will be hard to play against. They have the energy, and when players like Bruno Fernandes start making those passes, I will be more confident in Man Utd.
“I’d say, based on what we’ve seen, Mount isn’t performing and I’ve seen Casemiro play more offensively than Mount. That’s a crazy thing to say, but it’s true.’
He added, “I would like to see Mitoma arrive at Old Trafford. He’s a very exciting player and he never seems to have any doubt on the ball.”
[DailyPost]
Saudi Arabia announced it took the second step to bid for the 2034 World Cup by submitting a letter of intent to host the event to world soccer governing body Fifa on Monday.
“Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup, and this official submission continues our journey to make the dreams of our people a reality,” Yasser Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation SAFF said in a statement.
“We are extremely committed to presenting the most competitive bid possible that will also help unite the world through football,” he added.
SAFF said that once they declared their intention on Wednesday to bid for the tournament, “over 70 Fifa Member Associations from across different continents have publicly pledged their support for the Kingdom.”
Last week, Fifa named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.
Spain Call Up Fati, Zaragoza To Replace Pino
Spain selected Ansu Fati and Bryan Zaragoza to replace the injured Yeremy Pino for upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers on Monday.
Granada winger Zaragoza, 22, scored twice in his team’s 2-2 draw against champions Barcelona in LaLiga on Sunday, earning his first international call-up.
“Barca players congratulated me a lot (on the performance)… and told me to stop running in the middle of the game,” Zaragoza told DAZN.
Brighton forward Ansu Fati, on loan from Barcelona, was not selected by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for the previous qualifying wins over Georgia and Cyprus in September.
Fati’s last appearance for Spain came in June in the Nations League final victory over Croatia, when he came on as a substitute for Pino.
Villarreal winger Pino suffered a hamstring injury during his side’s 2-1 defeat by Las Palmas on Sunday.
Spain, second, will face Group A leaders Scotland on Thursday before visiting third-place Norway on Sunday.
[Leadership]
The match referee for Nigeria’s international friendly against the Mambas of Mozambique will be Portuguese official Miguel Nogueira.
Nogueira will be supported by his compatriots Paulo Bras, Ana Loide, and Bruno Viera, who will serve as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2, and fourth official respectively.
This encounter is scheduled to take place at Estadio Municipal de Portimão on Monday next week.
It will mark the fifth meeting between both countries.
The match will kick off at 4:00 pm Portuguese time, which is the same as Nigeria’s time.
The Eagles are expected to start arriving at their Penina Hotel and Resort, Portimao, on Tuesday, with the first friendly against the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia set for Friday.
[newsnownigeria]
Former England and Manchester United midfielder David Beckham is touted to make a sensational return to the Premier League club in an ambassador role if Sheikh Jassim buys the club from the Glazers, according to talkSPORT.
There are speculations the banker is vying with Sir Jim Ratcliffe to buy the Red Devils.
Beckham spent 11 years in the United first-team from 1992 to 2003, before he was sold to Real Madrid.
However, his relationship with Qatar dates back to 2013, when he signed a short-term contract with QSI-owned Paris Saint-Germain.
The 48-year-old was also a guest at Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday night and had an ambassadorial role at the 2022 World Cup in the Gulf state.
[Newsguru]
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THREE England-based players, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina and Jamilu Collins, have all withdrawn from the Super Eagles squad for the friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique in Portugal, the Nigerian national team confirmed today.
The Super Eagles face Saudi Arabia on Friday and Mozambique next Monday, with both matches to be held in Portimao, Portugal.
Nottingham Forest pair Awoniyi and Aina have been replaced with Tyrone Ebuehi and Sadiq Umar respectively, while Chidozie Awaziem comes in for Cardiff City defender Collins.
Both striker Awoniyi and defender Aina missed recent Premier League fixtures for Forest with injuries.
Awoniyi missed Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace with a knock while Aina was not in the squad for the 1-1 draw with Brentford on October 1 and Saturday’s clash.
On his part, left-back Collins, who has made nine appearances in the Championship this season after recovering from a long-term injury, played all 90 minutes on Saturday as Cardiff drew 1-1 with Watford.
The Super Eagles players are expected to arrive in Faro, Portugal from tomorrow for the games.
The Nigeria Football Federation says the friendlies have been arranged as tune-up games for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The three-time African champions begin the race by hosting Lesotho in Uyo on November 17 before travelling away to play Zimbabwe four days later.
[NaijaNews]
Sevilla have sacked Coach Jose Luis Mendilibar after winning just two of their opening eight La Liga games this season.
Saturday’s 2-2 league draw at Rayo Vallecano left Sevilla in 14th position in the standings with eight points taken of a possible 24.
Mendilibar, 62, took the helm of Sevilla in March and guided the club to defend their La Liga status and won the Europa League for a record-extending seventh time.
“The club wants to thank the services provided by the Basque coach, whose role will go down in the club’s history by winning the seventh Europa League,” the club said in a statement.
Sevilla will host LaLiga leaders Real Madrid on October 21 before welcoming Arsenal to the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in the Champions League three days later.
Under Mendilibar, the team drew their opening two Champions League games against Lens and PSV Eindhoven.
They sit third in the standings, two points adrift of group leaders Lens and one point adrift of Arsenal.
[Leadership]
Former England captain, Wayne Rooney has told DC United players he’s resigning.
Rooney made the announcement after DC United were beaten by New York City FC. The Athletic says he doesn’t a new job lined up.
“It’s the right time [to leave D.C. United],” Rooney said. “I’ve done everything I can to get this club into the playoffs. It’s not a single thing that’s happened. It’s about timing.
“What lies ahead, I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of reports in the media. I’m going back with nothing lined up.
“I want to say on record to everyone involved in the club. Staff, players: I’m grateful.”
[NewsGuru]
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peterside Idah has disclosed that it would take Nigeria more than 40 years to host the FIFA World Cup.
Idah cited the country’s poor maintenance culture of its sports facilities, which he said has affected some of the quality stadiums in the country.
The 49-year-old in an interview on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, noted that the only available stadium, where good football can be played at the moment, remains the Godswill Akpabio International stadium in Uyo.
He emphasized that neglecting these facilities could limit Nigeria’s ability to compete on the global stage, not only as a future World Cup host but also as a genuine challenger in a variety of sporting disciplines.
“On record presently, the only playing field which we have is a grass stadium and it is the Uyo stadium, but 20 anything(years) is still very long maybe in the next 40 years, we would have had some kind of stability,” he said.
“We have facilities everywhere like in Port Harcourt where I live in Port Harcourt now, we have three stadiums in Port Harcourt, and we play well. This stadium must be working. We have the civic centre that had everything such as the swimming pool but these facilities are not being maintained. And once these facilities are not maintained how do you expect us to firstly chunk out athletes and be able to contest or contain the world. We have to go back to basics.”
Nigeria last hosted a global football tournament back in 2009, which was the U-17 FIFA World Cup with Switzerland emerging as champions and Golden Eaglets taking the runner-up spot.
[Leadership]