₦airaland Forum

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Izunna Uzochukwu Takes Another Dig At Amkar Perm
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Izunna Uzochukwu has admitted that he wasn’t focused during the six months he spent at Amkar Perm and has expressed his happiness at his return to Denmark.


The defensive midfielder was at Superliga champions FC Midtjylland for close to nine years before penning a deal with the Russian Premier League club in July 2015.


“I am glad to be returning to a serious club as OB , where the focus is on football and not on anything else,” Uzochukwu told fyens.dk .


“I got plenty of playing time in Amkar Perm . That was not the problem, but there was not enough seriousness.”


The 25-year-old Nigeria international scored on his debut for OB Odense in their 3-0 win against HB Koge on January 29.

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Exclusive : Super Eagles Defender Austin Oboroakpo Set To Pen New Deal With Abia
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Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that Abia Warriors skipper Austin Oboroakpo will not jump ship before the start of the Nigeria Professional Football League in the next two weeks or so.


The Nigeria international was approached by Kano Pillars and Warri Wolves in the off season but he could not be convinced to dump the Umuahia-based side.


Oboroakpo and Super Eagles colleague Chisom Chikatara are with the Abia Warriors squad in Rivers State undergoing pre-season training ahead of their first game of the season next weekend.


In a bid to scare off interested local clubs, Abia Warriors have offered the central defender a new contract which he is expected to append his signature to next week.


The 23-year-old Oboroakpo has been on the books of Abia Warriors for the past five seasons, and assisted them gain promotion to the top-flight in 2013.

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Anthony Ujah Passes Fitness Test; Makes Werder Bremen Squad To Face Bayer
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Anthony Ujah has informed allnigeriasoccer.com that he has passed a fitness test and WILL travel with the Werder Bremen squad for their DFB Pokal clash with Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena on Tuesday.


The Nigeria international subbed out in the 57th minute in last weekend’s clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach after picking up a thigh injury.


“I was injured on my right thigh but I took part in the final training before the game and was passed fit by the medical team.


“I will be in the squad to travel to Leverkusen, ” says Anthony Ujah to allnigeriasoccer.com after Monday’s training session.


Ujah has a 100 percent goalscoring record in the DFB Pokal so far this season after finding the net in the earlier rounds; in matches against Würzburger Kickers, Cologne and Borussia Mönchengladbach.


And in the Bundesliga, the 25-year-old has been Werder Bremen’s main man as well, with 8 goals to his name from 20 games.

BlackAlbino6:
[color=#000000]Oliseh has disgraced us individually and collectively by giving the NFF the chance to find faults in his attitude. Too bad.

I strongly feel the NFF has been vindicated by this act of Oliseh, should incase they do any thing to him.
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TheSuperNerd:
I started having doubts about Oliseh from the very moment he "mishandled" the "Enyeama" matter.

I knew it was only a matter of time before he and the NFF have clashes.

I still don't think Oliseh is the right man for us BUT I'm still "watching" things.

And I've never trusted the NFF. Why do you think they're reluctant to fire him? Oliseh was their choice and firing him now will mean they were "stupidly" wrong in hiring him in the first place. After all, they got rid of Keshi and installed a new messiah whom they now make a "scapegoat" out of.

When the legendary Westerhof spoke against Oliseh's appointment and his records with the Super Eagles..... Some thought Westerhof was just being troublesome.

Both Oliseh and the NFF are a big joke..... I'm on no one's side in this fracas. I just want our football rescued from these clowns-in-action.

Until then, we have an Afcon qualifier to execute and somehow, Oliseh is still Super Eagles head coach so he needs to be supported until he's no more on board (if the NFF finally find the balls to fire him).

Nigerian football will surely outlive this nonsense.

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OPINION:#Olisehgate - Rejoinder to Sunday Oliseh's outburst
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Oliseh

I have had to play Sunday Oliseh's rant over and again at the mercy of my precious megabyte and all I could mutter to myself was - what has gotten over this disorientated, opportuned coach?


You know he said his critics are insane, but for real, no one looks as insane and inept as he does in that video, plus he has obviously lost his mind and got carried away with the euphoria of the job.


Is it safe to say that Oliseh was high on some aphrodisiac when he was ranting?


That said, I am a renowned critic of this coach who is suffering from mouth diarrhoea, not because he was unqualified to hold such a big post, but also because he was always easy to criticise others from the armchair as a pundit as I said in one of my articles 'Enu dun rofo'.


I said to directly to his face after he criticised Siasia at a media parley in Abuja that only time will tell.


He said and I quote: "This is a family affair, I will not go to the public to say anything against my employer we will settle it in house......" and I replied openly "Coach, time will tell". He looked at my side and said "Sis Sis please" and I kept quiet.


Time has surely caught up on him, according to the old adage, 'Time is the father of all truth'.


I never for once believed in his capability of doing us any good on and off the pitch as he once claimed to be a consultant. How can?


Don't get me wrong though, growing up as a young girl and a tomboy, he was one of those players that I Idolised, I used to call myself Oliseh and Amokachi when I played football as a young girl - back in the days. But I am no fan of his as a coach.


Oliseh I am your critic and I am not insane, you are insane - infact you are deluded. I do not blame you but the desperate NFF who employed you without any due process or worthy experience because they were bent on reprisals of chasing Stephen Keshi away.


Oh! how I miss the trophy-winning team coached by Stephen Keshi and Daniel Amokachi. At least they won bronze at CHAN despite our poor league status but Oliseh cannot even make it out of the group, he is still lamenting.


Oliseh is so lousy, all he knows how to do is cause chaos, as I remember though I was young, he insulted a sports minister, football officials and now Journalists calling them INSANE!


First of all, you should expect criticism if you are a leader, you cannot satisfy everyone. Even with results, Keshi was criticized and eventually sacked - what have you won with your almighty coaching certificate - Nothing!.


You criticised Keshi for years and he never called you insane, so why are you abusing people? You even abused your employers.


Because of you, Emmanuel Emenike and Vincent Enyeama retired, what kind of manager are you? And to put it quite bluntly, what kind of a MAN are you? These two players are the ones I only get to see in camp with no involvement in any cabal on and of the pitch, but like for real you practically chased them away, yes you did, Oliseh!


Why draw so much controversies in little time despite your “just 14 matches” like you said, if only talk win matches you could have won them all Oliseh.


Imagine you taking a swipe at your former colleagues, I really don't want to mention names here but I have engaged some of them and they hold you so dear and highly with well wishes. These same people are the ones you castigated.


However, every previous Nigeria coach at one point or the other failed to comprehend the enormity of the nation's passion for football and even had issues with the administrators, but on this one you went way too far.


You arrogantly said a TOP GOVERNMENT official begged you before you could take the job, this so-called official must be so clueless that there is something called due process which the NFF ignored.


And they negotiated and signed you up in London, referring to you as ‘The African Guardiola’ - what an insult to Pep. I see why you do not even stay in the country and watch league players. Bewitched by witchcrafts apparently, lol!


Let me tell you about witchcraft; it is when you snitch on your neighbours and people close to you, and also when you laugh with people to their faces and pull them down behind their back, that is witchcraft.


Mr Oliseh, your team is sick, look for a cure and get it well. Nigerians want results and not grammar, it doesn't win football laurels.


So, as it is now, the NFF will have to cough out N140m to you if they get you sacked, according to your proclamation, Dream On! You must surely have annulled any contractual compensation that may be due in case of your inevitable sack, through your moment of madness rantings and ill-advised utterances.


I want to conclude by saying this - you will be a coward and must be insane if you don't mention those journalists that you accused of asking you for bribe.


Oliseh I am calling you out on behalf of the 170m Nigerians, just apologise to us or resign, probably walk back to the TV and continue your verbal coaching 'Enu dun rofo'


This rejoinder was written by sports journalist Aderonke Bello

Twitter @Aderonkew

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Oliseh faces hefty fine after YouTube blast
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Nigeria Coach Sunday Oliseh


Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh is to be handed a hefty fine that could be as much as six million Naira (about $30,000) after he blasted perceived critics in an extraordinary rant on YouTube.


Oliseh described his critics as “insane” and declared war on them following speculations surrounded his future as Super Eagles coach on the back of the country’s disappointing showing at the recent CHAN in Rwanda.


Oliseh has since apologised to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for his outburst.


Sources close to the sports ministry said sports minister Solomon Dalung has begged for the coach to be given a second chance, but he should also be hit in the pocket by the way of a fine.


“Oliseh will now be fined by his employers for as much as six million Naira after the sports minister advised he be given a second chance,” said a source.


The minister said he has spoken with Oliseh and "we can't take such things in the social media seriously".


Nigeria face Egypt in two crucial AFCON 2017 qualifiers next month.


They are two points behind group leaders Egypt after two rounds of matches with only group winners guaranteed automatic qualification to Gabon 2017.

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Taye Taiwo Scores in HJK Helsinki Cup Draw; Moses, Ujah In Action
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Taye Taiwo was on target for HJK Helsinki in their 3-3 home draw against HIFK in the Finnish League Cup on Tuesday


Taiwo scored in the 21st minute, to make it 2-1 after HIFK raised to a 2-0 lead.
It was Taiwo's second League Cup goal for HJK.


The draw places HJK third in group A with five points in the League Cup.


Victor Moses replaced Joey O'Brien in the 83rd minute as West Ham Defeated Liverpool 2-1 in extra-time in an FA Cup fourth round replay.


Michail Antonio put West Ham ahead on 45 minutes. In the 48th minute, Philippe Coutinho equalised for Liverpool from a free kick. But in the final minute of extra-time, Angelo Ogbonna headed in a Dmitri Payet free kick.


In Germany, Anthony Ujah featured for Werder Bremen in their 3-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-final of the DFB Pokal.


Ujah was introduced for goal scorer Claudio Pizarro, with four minutes remaining in the game.

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Taiwo Hails HJK Helsinki Teammates​ For Resilient Showing Vs HIFK
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By Johnny Edward​:
HJK Helsinki left-back Taye Taiwo is ecstatic scoring his second Finnish Cup goal of the season in his side's 3-3 draw against HIFK in the Karlstad Derby on Tuesday.


HIFK struck two goals in quick succession – the third and 16th minutes, but Taiwo pulled a magnificent strike back for his team after five minutes later to hand his side a lifeline in the encounter.


Taiwo however praised Alfredo Morelos who scored in stoppage time and his side's efforts for fighting back to earn a draw in the thrilling encounter.


"I have been trying this in training and I felt great scoring such a goal to achieve success at the right time," Taiwo told the HJK Helsinki website.


"In games like this, it's always not good playing catch-up early, but we did .well and did not give up at any point. It was hard work and all the players played with a big heart," Taiwo, a former Olympique Marseille defender said after the game.


Taiwo also revealed what head coach Mika Lehkosuo told the team at half time when they were trailing.

He said:"Bana told us during the break, that we must not let the situation affect the game and that we keep our cool head at all times."

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Pinnick: NFF Will Ensure Super Eagles Qualify For AFCON
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By David Meshioye and Adeboye Amosu
Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick says the Super Eagles cannot afford to miss out on qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon following the disappointing showing of the side at the recently concluded African Nations Championship, reports Comple tesportsnigeria.com.


The Super Eagles, who have won the AFCON titles thrice in the past, will face the Pharoahs of Egypt in a double header in March.


They sit in second place in the group, two points behind the North Africans who won their opening two games in the qualifying series.


Pinnick told Comple tesportsnigeria.com that the NFF will give the Super Eagles coaching staff and the players their total support to ensure Nigeria do not miss out on the competition once again following their failure to qualify for the last edition in Equatorial Guinea.


"Our focus is on the game against Egypt and we know how important it is to our ambition of qualifying for the next AFCON in Gabon," Pinnick told Comple tesportsnigeria.com.


"We know Nigerians are still disappointed with the performance of the Eagles at the last CHAN and we cannot afford to miss out on the AFCON again after our failure to qualify for the last edition.


"We don't want to put our mind on qualifying as one of the best losers as that could be costly at the end of the day.


"Egpyt are our main rivals in the group and we must do our best against them to ensure we qualify for the competition.


"On our part, we will make sure we give the technical crew and the players all the necessary support to ensure we grab the ticket."


The first leg of the encounter will be played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on March 23.

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NIKE Make U-Turn, To Supply Nigeria New Kits From April
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By David Meshioye and Adeboye Amosu:
NIKE have soft-pedalled on their decision to pull out of their deal with the Nigeria Football Federation, and are set to supply a new set of kits to the country's national teams by the second quarter of the year, Comple tesportsnigeria.com can report.


The American company entered into an agreement with the NFF in 2015, after the soccer house's previous deal with Adidas expired at the end of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.


But NIKE recently expressed concern over the barrage of criticism and bad publicity it had received in Nigeria and threatened to pull out of the deal.


"NIKE will supply us (NFF) with brand new jerseys by April and we look forward to receiving them," a top official of the NFF informed Comple tesportsnigeria.com.


"The jerseys will be for our men and women national teams.
"They were not happy with all the negative stories coming out of Nigeria about the wash and wear jerseys and recently contemplated pulling out of the agreement they have with us.


"At a time we secured the deal with them, things were really tough for us because we approached a lot of kitting companies and they turned us down.


"NIKE were the only company ready to supply kits to our national teams then. For them now to be receiving all this bad publicity is unacceptable."


The NFF signed the partnership deal with Nike in April 2015 and it is expected to end in 2018.


The deal is said to be worth $750,000 in the first year with NIKE expected to supply kits worth $1m to Nigeria in the year 2017 and 2018

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Chelsea star has gone from the transfer list to first team regular in just a few months:- The Nigerian has appeared revitalised in recent fixtures..
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by Kobé Tong

John Obi Mikel's recent performances have saved his Chelsea career

Against all the odds, it appears John Obi Mikel may have secured his future at Chelseaafter a string of superb performances under Guus Hiddink. The Nigerian has appeared a different player under the management of the Dutchman.


In the twilight weeks of Jose Mourinho’s turbulent second coming, Mikel was practically written off and rumours of a January departure were rife.


However, the resurgent defensive midfielder seems to have dodged the axe by rediscovering his form at just the right moment. Whilst far from a champagne player, Mikel possesses an uncanny knack of stepping up to the plate when the chips are down.


Under Mourinho’s wing, Mikel had been a useful stalwart in Chelsea’s midfield in games where the Portuguese wanted to grind out a win.


Yet this campaign, ‘The Special One’ neglected the 28-year-old and on the few occasions he did play was often substituted.

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Oliseh gets SWAN’s seven-day ultimatum
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SportsWriters Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has given Super Eagles gaffer Sunday Oliseh a seven-day ultimatum to name sports journalists who he alleged demanded for money from him.


Oliseh who early this week stated that Nigerians who are criticizing him for not doing well in CHAN are insane had also accused some sportswriters of demanding for money from him before writing positive stories about him.


SWAN in a statement signed by its national secretary Andrew Abba stated that Oliseh must come up with the names of the sportswriters involved.


“He has seven days within which to come up with the names as SWAN will not fold its arm and allow any frustrated coach to blame her members for his misfortune,” SWAN stated.

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Watch Daniel Adejo in action as Nigerian defender joins Aberdeen on trial
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By Mark McDougall

THE defender joins Aberdeen on trial and played in Aberdeen's U20 victory over Hibs at Peterhead yesterday.


ABERDEEN have taken defender Daniel Adejo on trial as they gear up for a title run-in with Celtic.


The right back, who can also play centre back, played the full 90 minutes in a development league clash against Hibsyesterday.


With Shay Logan the only recognised right back at the club, and out of contract at the end of the season, Derek McInnes could be on the lookout for reinforcements.


Before making the switch to Greece in 2014, Adejo played for Italian side Reggina for six years, and holds an Italian passport which should allow him to make the switch to Pittodrie easier if McInnes decides to make the move permanent.


Pacy and strong in the air, the 26-year-old is capable of strong performances in defence or going forward.


Adejo was part of the Nigeria U20 World Cup squad in 2009 alongside then Aberdeen attacker Sone Aluko.


Check out our videos and see the defender in action.

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NFF insulted Nigerians by appointing Oliseh – Onigbinde
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Former Super Eagles coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has lambasted the Nigeria Football Federation for ‘insulting’ Nigerians by appointing Sunday Oliseh, a coach without experience to manage the national team.


Onigbinde, who led the Super Eagles to the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, had warned the NFF before the appointment of the 41-year old pundit and has also said that it was a disgrace for the NFF to have begged anyone with no experience to manage the Super Eagles, which he said was a brand.


He said: “The first issue is about his appointment which he claimed he didn’t beg for, in other words, the NFF begged him. And I begin to ask what qualities did the NFF see in him to have him lead the Super Eagles?


“I still feel it is a big slap on the country to appoint a Nigerian or a foreigner who has never handled any club or a big team to handle the Super Eagles. That is an insult, and now the insult is being complicated.


“Oliseh is now calling his critics insane. I watched the video and at a point was shedding tears for Nigerian football, but we deserve it.


“Since he got this job, he has been going to Europe for treatment, shouldn’t the NFF have verified his health condition before his appointment?


Now he has the guts to insult everybody.”
He further explained that the former skipper of the national team was inexperienced and never a good manager of men.


“He has shown his inadequacy in terms of experience. For instance, see the way he handled Vincent Enyeama’s case. If Oliseh was a good manager, he could have commiserated with him first on the loss of his mother and Enyeama would have been worshipping him but he wanted to be a boss,” he continued.


“Have Nigerians forgotten that the national team broke down in Mali as a result of gross indiscipline under his leadership and now that is the kind of person NFF feels is good enough for the Super Eagles job.


“These are the questions we failed to answer before giving him the job and to some extent, he is right in throwing hot water on the faces of those who landed him the job.


“You can imagine a coach coming out a day to the commencement of the African Nations Championship that his players are not well fed and all that. What kind of result do you expect from that kind of coach?


“The question now is, will this not affect our chances in future competitions? Now we are causing more confusion and destroying the team further.


“That is in the hands of those managing Nigeria football. I have made several enemies speaking the truth. The fact is we have administrative problems bedevilling our football,” he concluded.

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Egypt Coach Promises To Defeat Nigeria
Biyi Akangbe
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Ahead of the double-header against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, the head coach of Pharaohs of Egypt, Hector Cuper, has disclosed that he intends to help the team defeat Nigeria, win the 2017 Nations cup and qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.


Egypt face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Kaduna on March 23 in a crucial 2017 African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifier, with the return-leg in Cairo five days later.


In an interview with fifa.com, Cuper who had stated that he knew the team that will play Nigeria, added that he would have loved to avoid such team.


“I would be lying if I said that I don’t wish to avoid certain teams in the World Cup draw, but my job is to get Egypt prepared for any opponent. My job is to make the likes of Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, be worried that they will face us,”he started.


“The only question I had when I came here was: what do Egyptians exactly want me to achieve? They had a big target which was to reach the World Cup and to win the Nations Cup after some disappointments.


“These goals will not be easy and will need time and hard work, and we will be under pressure to deliver, but I believe we can do these things. Otherwise Iwouldnot have accepted the offer in the first place.”


“We have the right balance between young and experienced players, some of whom play in top European leagues.”


Cuper also revealed that the Egyptian FA has been outstanding in their support and promised not to let the country down.


“I haven’t faced any problems since I came here. I adapted very well to everything and the people have warmly welcomed me. Here, there is the kind of football passion that any manager would like to see. You can smell this in the air.”


“Some rich countries naturally have great living conditions but lack this aspect, which is very important to motivate any coach.


Being under constant pressure is a blessing because it shows how people care about football and what you are doing.”

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Dalung stops Oliseh’s sack
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BY JOE APU

Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung has saved Super Eagles manager, Sunday Oliseh from the hang man’s noose as he is said to have stepped in to stop the imminent sack of the Belgium-based coach.


Daily Sunsports gathered from a very reliable source in the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF that a letter terminating Oliseh’s contract had already been written only for the minister to step in.


According to our source, the minister urged the NFF to tarry awhile as he feels that sacking Oliseh now wont be the best option.


“Oliseh’s insult to Nigerians had infuriated many and the NFF executives were saddened with the action of the coach and despite his vault apology had resolved to relieve him of the job.


However, the saving grace for Oliseh is that the minister felt otherwise when he was briefed by the NFF leadership.”


It was reliably gathered that the minister pleaded with the NFF not to sack Oliseh. “The minister does not believe Oliseh should be sacked because his team lost out in the first round of CHAN 2016.”


Our source quoted the minister as saying that the idea of sacking a coach each time he fails in a particular assignment is not good and that Oliseh should be given a chance since he has begged for forgiveness over his utterances.


Meanwhile, former Nigeria coach Adegboye Onigbinde has said Sunday Oliseh has been unprofessional and did not show good manners after he blasted critics as “insane”.


“Oliseh did not show good manners and he was not professional in any way,” said Onigbinde, who led Nigeria to the 2002 World Cup.


“There was no need to make so much noise about what happened in Rwanda. We have always maintained that when employing someone we should take into consideration their behaviour, manners and social background.”


He also argued that it was not necessary for Oliseh to attempt to take on his critics.


“I never argued with any football fan when I was in charge simply because they expressed their opinion based on what they know,” he said.


“He doesn’t need to get angry but rather appreciate these various opinions.”

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Emenike rejected $8m deal to Join West Ham
Biyi Akangbe
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Retired Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike turned down a lucrative move to China in favour of a loan move to England during the January transfer window, reports Sahara Sport.


He joined We‎st Ham on-loan from Turkish giants Fenerbahce before the transfer deadline in England but could have easily been the highest paid African if he moved to China according to a close source to the player.


“The deal in China would have fetched him up to $8million a year, all tax-free.” a close source to Emenike said.


“But he preferred to move on loan to the EPL instead.” he concluded.


Another source has however revealed he could still make the move to China depending on how he fares with his West Ham career.


“He could still move to China in the summer. It all depends on how things go in England.” the source stated.

TheGoodJoe:
Let us give Coach Oliseh another chance. We should remember this is a hero who served Nigeria well and gave us a lot of Joyous moments.

If we go by unprofessional behavior, none of those NFF men who want a heft fine from Oliseh would have jobs. What is the fine for owing the young man for a long time?

We should let this go and allow Coach Oliseh go back to his work. Give him a warning. The tension is not good for the Super Eagles. We have crucial games coming.

Journalists and sportswriters, sorry.

Let us give the mam room to work.

And the Ex Super Eagles players and coaches should lend him their support. Their words will go a long way in calming the tension.

#EgyptOnMyMind

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Dauda Scores Twice On League Debut For Hearts, Oshaniwa Shines
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By James Agberebi:
Nigerian striker Abiola Dauda had a Scottish Premiership debut to remember as he grabbed a brace for Hearts in a 3-0 away win against Ross County on Wednesday.


Dauda, who was introduced for Arnaud Sutchuin Djoum in the 62nd minute, scored in the 86th and 89th minutes to seal the win for Hearts.


He made his first appearance for Hearts in last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Hibernian in the Scottish Cup.


Super Eagles left-back Juwon Oshaniwa was also in action for Hearts as he featured for 90 minutes and helped his side keep a clean sheet.


Dauda is on loan at Hearts from Dutch side Vitesse.
In an FA Cup fourth round replay also on Wednesday, Victor Anichebe was an unused substitute as West Brom beat League One outfit Peterborough 4-3 on penalties.


Jon Taylor gave Peterborough the lead in the 55th minute before Darren Fletcher levelled up for West Brom in the 71st minute.

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FA Cup: Anichebe Benched As West Brom Edge Peterborough On Penalties
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By James Agberebi:
West Bromwich Albion have qualified for the fifth round of the FA Cup after defeating League One side Peterborough 4-3 in penalty shootout in their replay on Wednesday.


Victor Anichebe was an unused substitute in the encounter.
Ben Forster was the hero for West Brom as he made two saves, to send the Baggies into the round of 16.


Goals from Jon Taylor for Peterborough and Darren Fletcher for West Brom saw both sides tied at 1-1 in regulation time.


West Brom will now face Reading in the fifth round of the competition.


In another FA Cup replay, West Ham, playing at home, beat Liverpool 2-1 in extra-time on Tuesday.


Former Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna scored deep in extra-time to give the Hammers the win.

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Egypt To Play Burkina Faso Ahead Of Nigeria Clash
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The Pharaohs of Egypt will take on Burkina Faso in an international friendly match as part of preparations towards next month 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria.


According to Kingfut.com, the Egyptian Football Association in a meeting on Wednesday decided that the game which is billed to hold inside the Borg El-Arab Stadium, will come up on Saturday 27 February.


The EFA revealed during the meeting that 3,000 supporters will be allowed to attend the friendly match against Burkina Faso.


In addition, it was agreed that EFA chairman Gamal Allam will head the national team delegation that will travel to Nigeria in March to face the Super Eagles in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.


The Pharaohs had earlier played two international friendly games against Jordan and Libya. They lost 1-0 to Jordan before beating Libya 2-0.


Currently, the Pharaohs lead Group G with six points, two points clear of second-placed Nigeria.

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Ujah Proud As Werder Bremen Reach Cup Semis
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[img]http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/ujah-proud-werder-bremen-cup-run-worried-relegation/[/img]
By Johnny Edward:
Werder Bremen forward Anthony Ujah is proud of his team's DFB Pokal heroics after they defeated Bayer Leverkusen at the Bay Arena on Tuesday to seal a place in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup for the first time in six years.


Ujah came on for the last five minutes of the win as the Green and Whites ended a seven-game unbeaten run by Leverkusen courtesy of goals from Santiago Garcia, Claudio Pizarro and Florian Grillitsch.


"Proud of the team. Semi final here we come," Ujah tweeted on Wednesday.


Having featured in the encounter despite his injury worries, Ujah failed to score in his fourth consecutive game in the fixture.


The Nigeria international had scored a goal in each of the three previous rounds this season.


The 25-year-old has banged in 11 goals in 24 games in all competitions for Werder Bremen this season.

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Akpoborie: Let’s Forgive Oliseh, Focus On AFCON Qualifiers
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[img]http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/oliseh-super-eagles-lack-quality-players/[/img]
By James Agberebi:
Former Stuttgart striker Jonathan Akpoborie has stated that Nigeria should focus more on how the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, instead of dwelling too much on coach Sunday Oliseh's recent video rant.


After his YouTube outburst at the weekend, Oliseh apologised first to the Nigeria Football Federation and then to Nigerians, stating that poor treatment of the team to the just concluded Africa Nations Championship and other issues led to his reaction.

[img]http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/akpoborie-grateful-to-president-buhari-for-financial-reward-amapakabo-relishes-reunion/[/img]
"I think we should all respect the fact that Oliseh has apologised to the NFF. The goal now is to qualify for AFCON with everybody's support," Akpoborie, a former Super Eagles star who many believe Oliseh also aimed a dig at, wrote on his Twitter handle.


The Eagles are currently on four points and are behind group leaders Egypt, who have six points.


Both teams will square off twice next month in Kaduna and Cairo, in their third and fourth group games of the qualifiers.

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Ex-Pharaohs Star Tips Egypt For AFCON TIcket Over Nigeria
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By James Agberebi:
Former Egypt international Mohamed Shawky has expressed confidence that the Pharaohs will finish ahead of Nigeria, Tanzania and Chad to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.


Egypt have failed to qualify for three consecutive AFCONs (2012, 2013 and 2015) since emerging champions in Angola 2010.


In an interview with FIFA.com, Shawky posited that with the appointment of Hector Cuper, coupled with the calibre of players they have now, Egypt stand a very good chance of not only making it to AFCON 2017, but also Russia 2018 World Cup.


“African football has changed a lot,” he said. “There’s not much difference between teams now and everyone can beat everyone else. With the coach we have now (Hector Cuper) and the new breed of players, I think we’ve got a great chance of reaching the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.”


He lamented Egypt's inability to qualify for the World Cup, despite dominating Africa for a long time.


“It just wasn’t meant to be,” he commented. “The golden generation that won the Africa Cup of Nations three times only played in the South Africa 2010 qualifying competition, and everyone knows what happened in the decisive match against Algeria. It was our destiny not to go to the World Cup.”


The former Middlesbrough midfielder went on to give reasons behind Egypt's decline.


“Egyptian football went backwards after the revolution, but it’s surprising that it’s gone on for so long. A lot of players who’ve won things with the national team have retired or been sidelined and that’s had a negative impact.


“We had a good team led by Hassan Shehata, an experienced coach who knew how to handle all those stars. It affected us when he left, and you could say that everything has gone against us since then, which explains why we’re not as good as we were.”

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TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: We’ll vet Oliseh’s list
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•Members won’t rubber-stamp list

Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF’s) technical committee, Christopher Green has stated categorically that the only condition for peace with the Super Eagles chief coach, Sunday Oliseh will be for him to allow the body’s members vet his list of players before he releases it to the public.


Disclosing this to Sportinglife exclusively on telephone on Wednesday night, Green argued that it didn’t make sense for the coach to talk about the techcnical committee’s role in his list not being in his contract stressing that the practice is global and meant to serve as a check on abuses in the process of picking players.


“Let me tell you, the techncial committe members were miffed when Oliseh remarked that he would not meet with us. Like you know, some of the members are coaches, others include eminently qualified ex-international players who shone with several European clubs and tested and trusted Nigerian administrators who are still fuctioning in key roles for the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) and the Federation of International Football Federations (FIFA).


“No member has any player in mind. What we are simply asking from Oliseh is to tell us what informed his choice of players so that when anything goes wrong we can explain to Nigerians what truly transpired.


“It is stated in his contract that he should work with the techncial study group, so we need to see if truly their imputs are in his list or not. What we are doing is in line with global best practices. It is not a Nigerian contraption meant to undermine the integrity of the coach.


“The final decision will be Oliseh’s to make, provided he can convince us with his choices. Nobody wants to take over his responsibilities. We just need to do things properly,” Green said.


Sportinglife scooped that Oliseh called Green on Tuesday where they agreed on the way forward after the YouTube rant and the technical committee boss is favourably disposed to giving the coach his best advice along with his members.