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Following the exit of Jose Peseiro as the Super Eagles Coach, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed ex-Super Eagles head coach and Super Eagles legend, Augustine Eguavoen, to serve as the Super Eagles Interim Coach. Jose Peseiro has left his role as the coach of the Super Eagles after taking the team to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The team lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition. His contract with the team expired in February.
Although there were reports that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was negotiating with the Portuguese to renew his contract, Peseiro is leaving the post.
Yesterday, we concluded our contract with the NFF. It was a pride and honor to coach the Super Eagles. It has been 22 months of immense dedication, sacrifice, emotion, and enormous enthusiasm. We feel a sense of fulfillment.
Yesterday, we concluded our contract with the NFF. It was a pride and honor to coach the Super Eagles. It has been 22 months of immense dedication, sacrifice, emotion, and enormous enthusiasm. We feel a sense of fulfillment,” he wrote on his X account Friday afternoon.
“We would like to express our gratitude to Sir Amaju Pinnick (the president who signed us), President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, Secretary Dayo Enebi, the NFF, all the Staff, and especially all the PLAYERS, with whom leading has been a great pleasure.
“Guys, we are thankful; it has been a privilege to be part of this family. We will miss you, but we will always be there for you, no matter where you are. A big hug to all of you.”
Meanwhile the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), is yet to make a statement to confirm or deny the development
Jose Peseiro has confirmed he is no longer the head coach of the Super Eagles.
The Portuguese tactician revealed this in a terse post on social media app, X on Friday.
“Yesterday, we concluded our contract with the NFF.
“It was a pride and honor to coach the Super Eagles. It has been 22 months of immense dedication, sacrifice, emotion, and enormous enthusiasm. We feel a sense of fulfillment,” he wrote.
More to follow…
[DailyPost]
France star Paul Pogba has been given a four-year ban from football by Italy’s anti-doping tribunal after testing positive for testosterone last August, his club Juventus said on Thursday.
A spokesman for the club told AFP it had been notified of the decision against the 30-year-old World Cup winner, who had been provisionally suspended in September.
“We received notification from the tribunal this morning,” the spokesman said. Italy’s anti-doping body did not immediately respond when contacted by AFP.
Pogba announced he would appeal the ruling, which risks bringing a premature end to his career.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me,” he posted on Instagram.
Declaring the verdict was “incorrect”, he denied ever using performance-enhancing substances.
“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations”, he insisted.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
The ban means Pogba will not be able to play again until the 2027/28 season, by which time he will be 34.
Anti-doping prosecutors had called for the four-year ban to be imposed on the former Manchester United midfielder, who tested positive following Juventus’s opening match of the Italian Serie A season against Udinese on August 20, during which he was an unused substitute.
A month later a B sample confirmed the presence of testosterone, and he had been provisionally suspended since.
Pogba’s representatives said the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.
The ban could have been limited to two years if Pogba had been able to prove he was not at fault, or even just a few months if the use of the substance took place “out of competition and (was) not related to his level of performance”.
Pogba, who returned to Juventus for a second spell in 2022 after six years at United, was a key member of the France team that won the World Cup in Russia in 2018, scoring in the final against Croatia.
His positive doping test came as he was trying to put behind him a difficult first season back at Juve, in which he struggled with fitness problems and made just 10 appearances, while also missing France’s defence of the World Cup in Qatar due to injury.
He made two substitute appearances for Juventus at the start of this campaign before being suspended.
Extortion attempt
Meanwhile Pogba, who was a youth player at Le Havre before a first move to Old Trafford aged 16 in 2009, has been troubled by off-field issues.
An investigation is ongoing in France into an extortion attempt against him in March 2022, which involved a break-in at his home in the Paris suburbs.
Two intruders allegedly held Pogba against his will demanding 13 million euros ($14.1 million at today’s rates).
Pogba’s older brother Mathias is one of the suspects involved in the case, along with childhood friends of the family.
His contract at Juventus, worth a reported eight million euros ($8.7 million) a season, runs until 2026.
However, he has been unable to train since the announcement of the positive test and Juve have suspended payment of his salary.
Pogba made just a handful of appearances in his first spell in England before becoming a star at Juve between 2012 and 2016.
In that time he won four straight Serie A titles and played in the Juventus side that lost to Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final.
He returned to United in 2016 for 105 million euros, a world record fee at the time, and won the Europa League and League Cup in his first season back, playing under Jose Mourinho.
Pogba has won 91 caps for France, and played in the team that got to the final of Euro 2016 before their World Cup triumph two years later.
Paul Pogba has vowed to challenge his four-year ban from football by the anti-doping Tribunal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), stressing that he was innocent and that he had never taken any substance knowingly that comes under the purview of doping.
A “shocked and heartbroken” Paul Pogba said his career had been left in ruins after being handed a four-year ban for failing a drug test.
Pogba, one of the biggest names in world football and formerly the most expensive player, vowed to appeal the career-ending sanction, saying he had never cheated by taking a banned substance.
The 30-year-old said in a statement: “I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect. I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.
“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations. As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
[Leadership]
Bayer Leverkusen winger, Nathan Tella admitted he was disappointed not to make Nigeria’s squad to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Cote d’Ivoire.
Tella was born in England to Nigerian parents.
The 24-year-old was eligible to represent both countries.
The former Southampton player however opted to play for the Super Eagles.
Tella was called up for Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November 2023.
The pacy winger made his international debut in the 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe.
He was however omitted from the AFCON 2023 squad.
[DailyPost]
Nigerian football star, Victor Osimhen equalled late legendary Argentina captain Diego Maradona’s scoring feat at Napoli, after bagging a hat-trick against Sassuolo.
Osimhen got his second-ever hat-trick in Serie A as Napoli thrashed Sassuolo 6-1 away on Wednesday night, February 28.
The Super Eagles striker has now scored in his last three games for the Italian league champions.
Also, he has taken his tally for the league campaign to 11 in 15 games.
His second goal against Sassuolo which put Napoli 3-1 ahead took his goals in the league to 10.
Osimhen is now the only third Napoli player in the club’s history to have scored 10 or more goals for four consecutive seasons.
Maradona did that between 1984 and 1988 and one has to go as far back as 1929, when Attila Sallustro achieved the same feat for the Partenopei, between 1929/30 and 1932/33).
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are in talks with the coach of the senior national team, Jose Peseiro over a new contract.
The NFF, according to reports have offered the Portuguese the same €50,000 monthly he was earning before he helped lead the Super Eagles to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Peseiro previously earned $70,000 monthly but agreed a pay cut to $50k to lead the Super Eagles to the tournament.
The 63-year-old’s last contract ended at the end of the AFCON 2023 finals.
The former Saudi Arabia and Venezuela coach has been linked to several coaching jobs since the end of the AFCON with the Algeria Football Federation said to have strong interest in him.
The Portuguese revealed this week that he has “received at least seven offers from different national teams and clubs and will decide his future in the coming days.”
France World Cup winner, Paul Pogba, has been banned from football for four years because of doping.
The punishment effectively ends Pogba’s career as the Juventus midfielder turns 31 years old in March.
Pogba, who has been suspended since last September, was tested in August and the results showed elevated levels of testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.
The tribunal said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules when they found the prohibited substance “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites”, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.
Meanwhile, a second test sample has now been checked and the former Manchester United star has been handed a four-year ban, considered among the strongest possible punishments for the offence.
Al-Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one game after appearing to make an obscene gesture following their 3-2 win over Al Shabab.
This was confirmed by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) on Wednesday.
Ronaldo cupped his ear, before repeatedly pumping his hand forward in front of his pelvic area, in the direction of the Al Shabab fans after the final whistle.
This came as the supporters chanted Lionel Messi’s name.
The committee also said the Portugal captain has been fined 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666), which he will pay to the Saudi Football Federation and 20,000 riyals to Al Shabab to cover the costs of the complaint filing fees.
The committee said the decision is not subject to appeal.
[DailyPost]
In an inspiring turn of events, Super Eagles sensation, Victor Osimhen, has extended a generous gift of N2.5 million to a young boy who captured hearts by emulating the football star’s skills and appearance.
The boy, who donned a mask reminiscent of Osimhen’s, became an internet sensation after a video showcasing his football talents went viral.
The clip, which featured the young fan skillfully mimicking Osimhen’s football prowess, was initially shared by popular Instagram blogger, Tunde Ednut, on Tuesday.
It wasn’t long before the video caught the attention of Osimhen himself, who was moved by the boy’s admiration and talent.
Eager to connect with his young fan, Osimhen reached out to Ednut, requesting assistance to locate the boy.
Through the collaborative efforts of Ednut and content creator, Eriq Morak, the search extended beyond Nigeria’s borders, eventually finding the boy in Ivory Coast.
Osimhen’s generous gesture highlights the football star’s commitment to giving back to the community and supporting young talents who look up to him.
Giving an update, Ednut wrote, “I initially thought this little man was Nigerian. You won’t believe we found him in Ivory Coast.
“#eriqmorak found him. He lives in Ivory Coast. I couldn’t see his message, so he reached out to #ogb recently_ and OGB messaged me. I spoke to the family briefly to make sure it was the boy.”
Osimhen then reached out and gifted the money to the boy, eliciting gratitude from his family, who shared a video thanking the footballer for his generosity.
Watch the video below:
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VIDEO: Reaction trail following video of retired footballer, Emmanuel Adebayor, drinking garri
Admin
Fans of professional footballer Emmanuel Adebayor have expressed concern after a video of him drinking Garri, a popular Nigerian dish made from cassava flakes resurfaced online
The video, which was originally shared on social media several years ago, shows Adebayor enjoying a bowl of Garri while speaking to the camera.
He added that Garri was his father’s favorite cuisine, especially when combined with sugar, milk, water, and peanuts.
“This is my father’s favorite food and it is called garri. You can take it by putting water, sugar, and milk, and if you can also get groundnut to make it more delicious.
‘But if I can’t get groundnut, I will still manage it because I like the food so much and I take it always” he said.
Media
“Garri is my Dad’s favourite food”
— ???? @???????????????????????????????????????????????????? (@OneJoblessBoy) March 21, 2023
- Emmanuel Adebayor pic.twitter.com/JnUqpez8nK
It was bad watching AFCON from home - Maduka Okoye targets Super Eagles return after AFCON Snub
Admin
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye is targeting a return to the Nigerian national team after missing out on a place to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Okoye endured a bad spell at Sky Bet Championship, Watford last season due to injury but secured a permanent move to Serie A club Udinese last summer in a bid to revive his career.
The 24-year-old, who is now a regular starter at Udinese hopes to get a shot at the Super Eagles again but faces serious competition in the person of in-form goalkeeper Nwabali.
“I’m very well now. I feel 100%,” Okoye told the club’s official website.
” The national team is an important thing for me and I want to return as soon as possible. It was bad watching the Africa Cup of Nations from home, but this is football . ”
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Nwabali gets heroic welcome on return to South Africa club Chippa United
Admin
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was accorded a heroic welcome by Chippa United fans on his arrival in South Africa on Tuesday, February 27.
The football fans took to the Port Elizabeth Airport in large numbers to show their love for the 27-year-old goalkeeper who made headlines in the recently held African Cup of Nations (AFCON)
Chippa United also announced Nwabali’s arrival with a short message on their official X handle.
“He’s Back @NwabaliBobo,” it read
The goalie conceded four times in seven appearances.
The former Enyimba goalkeeper received cash gifts, a national honour and was made a chief in his hometown after the competition.
Watch the video below
Media
Stanley Nwabali was given a king's welcome by Chippa United fans on his return to South Africa. Just see the love. pic.twitter.com/w078AwaOf1
— Man from Alabama (@KelvinOma_) February 28, 2024
In 17 years, I Went From Being a Millionaire in Dollars to Zeronaire in Naira - Former Boxer, Bash Ali
Admin
Former World Boxing Federation Cruiserweight Champion, Bashiru Lawrence Ali, aka Bash Ali, took to social media on Tuesday to reflect on his commitment to fighting corruption as he celebrates his 68th birthday.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Ali recounted the sacrifices he endured over 17 years in his quest to host his Guinness World Record Boxing Championship Fight in Nigeria, emphasizing his refusal to succumb to corrupt practices.
The former World Boxing Federation Champion revealed that his principled stand had cost him dearly, resulting in a decline in his financial fortunes from being a millionaire in dollars to having virtually nothing in Naira.
“For 17 years I struggled in vain to host in my country, Nigeria my Guinness World Record Boxing Championship Fight because I was bold to say no to corruption in sport in particular and in Nigeria in general.
“In 17 years, I went from being a millionaire in dollars to a zeronaire in naira.
“In 17 years, I was beaten and injured that I had to be admitted twice and treated at the National Hospital in Abuja.
“In 17 years, I was detained eight times at various police stations in Abuja. In 17 years, I was once detained at Kuje Prison for 43 days.
“I went through hell in my country not because I am a criminal but because I say no to corruption. Despite juicy offers to fight outside of Nigeria, I never gave up on my dream to fight in Nigeria and I never gave up on Nigeria.
“Today, our dream is finally becoming a reality and because I am an extraordinary human being, I am going to fight until I am 70 years old, retire young and healthy with a lot of money and then go on to be the President of Nigeria. This is my ultimate goal so mark my words.
“Thank u very much for always being by my side. I appreciate you, always. Happy birthday The Great Bash Ali.”