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John Obuh has left his post as head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League outfit, Akwa United, reports Completesports.com.

In a resignation letter addressed to the chairman of the club Paul Bassey, Obuh regretted that his “decision to step aside was as a result of some level of discipline and insubodination by some of the players which has caused the team valuable points “.

John Obuh has left his post as head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League outfit, Akwa United, reports Completesports.com.

In a resignation letter addressed to the chairman of the club Paul Bassey, Obuh regretted that his “decision to step aside was as a result of some level of discipline and insubodination by some of the players which has caused the team valuable points “.

Meanwhile the club has accepted Obuh’s resignation with “mixed feelings”.

John Obuh has left his post as head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League outfit, Akwa United, reports Completesports.com.

In a resignation letter addressed to the chairman of the club Paul Bassey, Obuh regretted that his “decision to step aside was as a result of some level of discipline and insubodination by some of the players which has caused the team valuable points “.

Meanwhile the club has accepted Obuh’s resignation with “mixed feelings”.

In a letter of acceptance, club secretary Comrade Omon Bassey expressed the “gratitude of the chairman, for the service Obuh rendered to the club during his short stay with the Uyo club.

“Yes, coaches take responsibility when things go awry, yet we can testify to the professionalism and discipline you brought to bear in the running of the club including your untiring belief in the God factor in the life of this great organisation. We will miss you.

“Akwa United wished him well in his future endeavours, “even as we daily strive to restore the confidence of our numerous fans worldwide, especially the government and good people of Akwa Ibom State.”

The Promise Keepers despite their tag as one of the title favourites, picked just one win from their opening eight games this season under Obuh.

Obuh’s assistant, Duke Udi is expected to take charge of the team pending the appointment of a new head coach.

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Ronaldinho has been described his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi as the best player of his generation but not the greatest player of all time.

The retired former Brazilian star was one of world football’s top figures when Messi made his Barcelona debut at 16-year-old.

During his time at Barcelona Ronaldinho won the Ballon d’Or before he was replaced as the golden boy at the Nou Camp.

Messi has since gone on to win the same award on six occasions – more than any other player.

But Ronaldinho disagrees labelling his former teammate the greatest footballer of all time.

“I can’t say that Messi is the best ever, but he is the best in his time,” Ronaldinho told EFE (via Goal ).

“I don’t like comparisons because it’s hard to identify who the best in history is, there’s Diego Maradona, Pele, Ronaldo.”

Speaking about the award, Messi said: “It is special and different; each one has something special and this one is for the moment in which I find myself on a personal and football level. But each one has its own little things.

“I am in the moment of trying to improve myself, of wanting to learn every day, of taking care of myself and of resting, of enjoying the activities I do … all that makes me very grateful to be able to continue dedicating myself to football.”

Ronaldinho won the UEFA Champions League in 2006 with following a 2-1 win against Arsenal in Paris.

He was a member of the Brazilian side that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, scoring one of the goals of the tournament in the 2-1 quarter-final win against England.

Other achievements Ronaldinho had was winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997 hosted in Egypt.

He also captained Brazil to win the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup where they thrashed bitter rivals Argentina 4-1 in the final.

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Nigeria’s Divine Oduduru looks set to become the first Nigerian athlete to win the Bowerman Award, the USA collegiate track & field’s highest honour when the winner is announced next week.

The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the USA.

In June, Oduduru raced into American collegiate history books as the first Nigerian male sprinter and second Nigerian ever after Blessing Okagbare (2010), to be shortlisted for the award.

Oduduru cemented his status as one of the greatest sprinters in American collegiate history at the National Collegiate of Athletics Association (NCAA) Division 1 Outdoor Championships.

The Texas Tech University graduate capped an undefeated outdoor season in the 100m and the 200m with a pair of blistering marks to sweep the NCAA titles.

Oduduru scorched to a 9.86 seconds finish in the 100m and a Nigerian record-shattering 19.76 seconds in the 200m for times that both fall in as the second best performances in collegiate history by .04 seconds.

Not only that, but those marks gave Oduduru the second fastest one-day double in those events in world history. On top of that, Oduduru went sub-10 seconds and sub-20 seconds on the same day on three different occasions this year to become just the second man to ever accomplish that feat multiple times in a single year.

Indoors, Oduduru won the NCAA title in the 200m and notched the second fastest time in American collegiate history and Nigeria’s all time best in the 200m of 20.08 seconds a few weeks earlier.

The Nigerian will battle for The Bowerman Award with the duo of Louisiana State University’s Mondo Duplantis who unified the collegiate pole vault records and captured his lone NCAA title during the indoor season, and Florida State University’s Grant Holloway who, with his nomination becomes the fourth man in the history of The Bowerman to be a finalist in multiple years, joining Edward Cheserek, Ashton Eaton and Lawi Lalang.

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Trending On Complete Sports showcases the trending stories making the rounds this week on Complete Sports, they are the Editors *“Pick of the week”* You can click on the link to read the full story. Enjoy!

Joshua ‘Ordered’ To Face Usyk In Next Fight By WBO
https://www.completesports.com/joshua-ordered-to-face-usyk-in-next-fight-by-wbo/

Super Eagles To Know 2022 World Cup Opponents Next Month
https://www.completesports.com/super-eagles-to-know-2022-world-cup-opponents-next-month/

NFF, UEFA, Chelsea Celebrate Ex-Eagles Star Moses At 29
https://www.completesports.com/nff-uefa-chelsea-celebrate-moses-at-29/

Cavaliers Come To Town To Meet DeMar DeRozan And The Spurs AT &T Center
https://www.completesports.com/cavaliers-come-town-meet-demar-derozan-spurs-on-december-center/

Dare: Joshua Will Present Belts To Buhari Soon
https://www.completesports.com/dare-joshua-will-present-belts-to-buhari-soon/

Osimhen Is Not Yet The New Yekini –Ikpeba
https://www.completesports.com/osimhen-is-not-yet-the-new-yekini-ikpeba/

Rohr: No Truth In Ejaria, Eze Comparison Reports
https://www.completesports.com/rohr-no-truth-in-ejaria-eze-comparison-reports/

Undefeated Ajagba Faces Georgia’s Kiladze in Heavyweight Boxing Bout December 21
https://www.completesports.com/undefeated-ajagba-faces-georgias-kiladze-in-heavyweight-boxing-bout-december-21/

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#AndyRuiz, #GernotRohr, #AnthonyJoshua, #NFF, #UEFA, #Cavaliers, #MuhammaduBuhari, #Chelsea, #SuperEagles, #VictorMoses

NFF, Europe’s football governing body UEFA and Chelsea have sent birthday wishes to former Nigeria international Victor Moses who turns 29 on Thursday.

Celebrating Moses on their verified Twitter handle, the NFF recalled Moses’ 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winning feat with the Eagles.


NFF, Europe’s football governing body UEFA and Chelsea have sent birthday wishes to former Nigeria international Victor Moses who turns 29 on Thursday.

Celebrating Moses on their verified Twitter handle, the NFF recalled Moses’ 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winning feat with the Eagles.


Also Read:Ndidi, Iheanacho, Leicester Teammates Make Christmas Hospital Visit


“Happy birthday to #Afcon2013 winner, @VictorMoses,” the NFF wrote.

UEFA recollects that Moses was a Europa League winner while at Chelsea.

“Happy birthday, 2013 winner Victor Moses!” UEFA wrote on their Europa League Twitter handle.

While Chelsea wrote: “Happy birthday, @VictorMoses!”

Moses made his Super Eagles debut in 2012 and retired from the national team in 2018 after making 38 appearances and scoring 12 goals.

He scored two crucial penalties as the Eagles beat Ethiopia 2-0 in their last group game at the 2013 AFCON and qualify for the quarter-final.

It was the Eagles’ only win in the group stage following disappointing draws against Burkina Faso and Zambia in their opening two games.

He represented Nigeria at two FIFA World Cups in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 and scored in the later, in the 2-1 defeat to Argentina.

In 2012 Moses joined Chelsea in 2012 and went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.

After impressing new manager Antonio Conte during the preseason ahead of the 2016/2017 season, Moses was included in the first-team squad.

On 15 August 2016, Moses played his first league game for Chelsea in three years, coming off the bench for Eden Hazard against West Ham United in a 2–1 win and on 23 August, Moses made his first start and scored his first goal since his return, in the Second round of the EFL Cup against Bristol Rovers in a 3–2 victory.

After back to back league defeats, Conte converted into a 3–4–3 formation with Moses playing as a right-sided wing-back in the following match against Hull City. His performance as a wing-back helped Chelsea to a 2–0 victory and also earned him the Man of the Match.

Moses played 40 games in all competitions for Chelsea in the 2016–17 season, scoring four goals. With Chelsea winning the Premier League title, Moses became the Nigerian player with the most Premier League appearances for a title-winning team.

He is currently on loan to Fenerbahce from Chelsea and has made seven appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

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Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr says he plans to hand opportunities to more new players to play for the Nigerian national team.

According to Rohr, the invitation will be for the next international friendly match to be organised for the Super Eagles on a convenient date between the competitive games during FIFA international windows of 2020.

“With the next FIFA window, we will already be in the qualifiers for the (2022) World Cup, so it will not be the moment to try new things with players we have never seen before,” Rohr said on Brila FM.

“You never know what can happen, we will see because I think before the FIFA [World Cup] qualifiers, we would have perhaps a friendly, this is the moment to test new players.”

Also Read: Rohr Laments Goalkeeping Issue In Super Eagles

The Super Eagles are among the top ranked 26 ranked in Africa who were drawn bye in the First Round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers.

The 26 top teams will now merge with the 14 that qualified from the First Round for the Second Round (Group Phase) comprising 10 group. The draw will be conducted on January 7, 2020.

The first and second rounds of games in the 2022 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers Second Round will be played between March 23 to 31, 2020.

After the 2022 World qualifying games in March, the Super Eagles will host Sierra Leone at home in their next 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on August 31, 2020. And then travel to Freetown eight days later for the second leg clash.

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Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos has said that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo deserve their own Ballon d’Or award separate from the rest of the football world.

Ramos said this during an interview with Chile legend Ivan Zamorano onTUDN.

Messi won his sixth last week, putting him ahead of Ronaldo who has five awards.

“They could make a Ballon d’Or only for Cristiano and Messi,” Ramos said.

“Then there could be another for the rest. In the end it’d be better for football.”

Ramos has been key in their recent domination of Europe, winning four Champions Leagues in five years in the capital, but there’s one moment that stands above the rest for him.

“The goal in Lisbon,” he responded when asked what was his best Champions League memory, “it’s the most representative of recent years on a personal level and for Madrid.

“It changed history because it helped us to win it again and win three in a row.

“The Champions Leagues are like my children though, I can’t tell you which I love the most.”

Madrid meet Barcelona in the season’s first Clasico on December 18, which Ramos is excited for.

“The two teams are going through a good spell,” Ramos added.
“It motivates us to win when the opposition are very good.

“But regardless of how we are going into it, it’s a very different game.

“We hope we can win and top the table.”

Now 33, Ramos knows that his career won’t last forever and he made a suggestion regarding his successor at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

“Comparisons are never a good thing,” Ramos said.

Also Read:Rodgers: Iheanacho Back To His Best At Leicester City

“There’s a very good academy at Real Madrid and you have to keep that national base.

“There are good players on the market though and Madrid can sign.

“[Matthijs] De Ligt is a defender with a big future. He needs experience, but he’s a player for the future.”

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This video showcases the trending stories making the rounds during the weekend on https://www.completesports.com/, they are the Editors “Pick of the week” You can click on the link to read the full story. Enjoy!

Hazard Big Doubt Ahead El Clasico Clash With Ankle Injury

Rohr: We’ll Invite More New Players To Super Eagles For Next Friendly Game

Mourinho Slams Defensive Man United After Tottenham Defeat

Joshua: I Won’t Celebrate If I Regain My Belts From Ruiz

Ighalo Still In The Running For Africa Player of Year Award As Ndidi, Osimhen Miss Out

Don’t Miss Devin Booker Facing Magic At Amway Center

Ndidi: ” Leicester Will Keep Working” To Continue Premier League Winning Run

Pistons And Derrick Rose Will Host Bucks At Little Caesars Arena

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Anthony Joshua is ready to fight Deontay Wilder after taking back his belts from Andy Ruiz Jr on Saturday night in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Joshua avenged his shock defeat to Ruiz Jr in June by outclassing the American-Mexican with an 118-110 118-110 119-109 win.

The Brit will likely take on his mandatories Oleksandr Usyk and Kubrat Pulev next but has put American superstar Wilder firmly in his sights.
“I’m ready,” Joshua told Sky Sports. “I’ve got my belts back and I’m ready to fight him. But I’m not looking too far into the future because it takes your eyes off what is front of you.

“I take it step by step and, by the time I get to unification, I will be ready.

“I’ll knock them down one by one and, when the big boys are ready, I’ll be ready to become the next undisputed champion of the world.

“I really want to make that happen.”

Wilder had produced a blistering attack of Joshua’s performance in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

“Joshua did what he had to do to get the win,” Wilder told The Athletic.

“He ran around the ring and was on his bike all day.

“Basically, he had Klitschko in the camp and he was a lot like Klitschko: that jab-grab-hold method. That’s all he did tonight.

“You want to dominate guys, man. Maybe I’m just too rough, too hardcore and too much of a dream for this time and era, maybe the world wants that nice shit… my mentality is so different from these other fighters.

“But when I think of myself as a champion… you want to come out there and whoop his ass.”
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Heracles Almelo of Holland forward Cyriel Dessers has expressed his desire to represent Nigeria on the international scene, Completesports.com reports.

Dessers, 24, who was born in Belgium by a Nigerian father has been in fantastic form for Heracles in the Dutch Eredivisie (Premier division) this season, and recently scooped the player of the month award.

The former FC Utrecht player is also eligible to represent Belgium through his mother .

The striker was on target last weekend for Heracles against Ado Den Hagg. He netted a brace and an assist as his side thrashed their opponents 4-0.

He is also currently the top scorer in the Dutch top flight league.

“After series of discussion with the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, I have decided to fully commit myself to Nigeria and the Super Eagles and I am going to work to be part of the team and fight for more sucesss for the country,” reads a statement credited to Dessers on the Twitter handle of the NFF on Thursday.

“I am a proud Nigerian, and I can’t wait to fulfill my dream of wearing the green white green.”
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Former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo is the only Nigerian player still in the running for the 2019 Africa Player of the Year award after the shortlist was reduced from 30 to 10, Completesports.com reports.

The names of the 10-man nominees was published on CAF’s verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.

Ighalo’s former Eagles teammates Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi did not make the 10-man list.

Ighalo will vie for the crown with other notable names who made the cut, namely; Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Riyad Mahrez and Kalidou Koulibaly.

In the Youth Player of the Year category, Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze are still in the running after the list was trimmed down to five.

Eagles’ coach Gernot Rohr missed out in the five-man list for Men’s Coach of the Year while former Super Falcons handler Thomas Dennerby made the Women’s Coach of the Year.

In the Women’s Player of The Year shortlist, Asisat Oshoala is the only Nigerian now left as Chiamaka Nnadozie and Uchenna Kanu were dropped.

The Super Eagles and Super Falcons were included in the men and women National Team of the Year category respectively.

The shortlist of nominees was decided by votes from a CAF Technical and Development Committee and a panel of media experts with emphasis on the nominees’ performance during the year under review, 2019.

The final phase of voting for the men’s and women’s African Player of the Year, as well as the male and female Coach of the Year, will be selected by Head Coaches/Technical Directors and Captains of senior national teams from CAF member associations.

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FIFA Ballon d’Or award is awarded to the best player in the world every year. It is the highest level of individual award in football.

The history of Ballon d’Or is not clear but it was initially set up by French publication France Football in 1956, with Sir Stanley Matthews its first winner. It was known then as ‘European Player Of The Year Award’ and the only qualified players for the award are players from Europe.

In 1995, the rules changed and any player playing for any European club could win it. In 2010 ‘Ballon d’Or award’ was merged with ‘FIFA’s player of the year award’ and became ‘FIFA Ballon d’Or’ which any footballer from any part of the world could win and recognizes only one player as the best in the world.

Fifa agreed to pay £13million to merge the two awards, with Messi and Ronaldo the big winners as the then La Liga stars dominated throughout the six-year deal.

The Ballon d’Or lost its ‘FIFA’ tag when FIFA refused to renew the deal in 2016 and it reversed back to an award voted by journalists separate as Best Fifa Football Awards was created.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi have won it five times each.

Past Winners of Ballon d’Or See full list here https://www.completesports.com/list-of-ballon-dor-winners-from-1956-to-2018/

Plans are in the offing by Britain and Republic of Ireland to present a joint bid to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
This was revealed by Noel Mooney, General Manager Football Association of Ireland (FAI).
The optimism of a successful joint bid was as a result of an encouraging outcome of an English-led feasibility study.

In their proposal, Wembley will host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final, while matches will take place in Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow and various cities in England.
There is ample time for further logistical assessments as FIFA has outlined plans to select the winning bid in 2024.
Speaking to The Times, Mooney said: “The feasibility study is positive and there’s a sense that the right thing to do is go forward.
“This bid is out on the front foot and very well led by the guys from the English FA who gave a very strong presentation.

“It’s a chance to get a really credible bid and hopefully win it.
“I’d be very surprised if there’s not a very credible bid from Great Britain and Ireland.”
The England’s FA mounted failed attempts to host the tournament in 2006 and 2018, which went to Germany and Russia respectively.
Also multiple joint bids are expected from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, while Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay will also bid to co-host it in South America.

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Arsenal interim manager Freddie Ljungberg is confident the Gunners have the quality to finish in the top-four after their 2-2 away draw against Norwich City in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Carrow Road.

Ljungberg took over from Unai Emery who was sacked on Friday following a poor run of results.

A brace from skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, secured a share of the points for Arsenal. Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell were the scorers of Norwich’s goals.

The draw means Arsenal, who have now gone eight consecutive games without a win, sit eighth on 19 points in the league table, seven points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

And when asked if Arsenal can earn a Champions League berth in this campaign Ljungberg replied: “100 per cent”.

“People drop points here and there, we drop points, so it’s a bit of a crazy league at the moment. But of course I think Arsenal can go back to the top four,” he said.

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The Higher Institutions Football League (HiFL) is an initiative birthed by Pace Sports and Entertainment Management Limited, in association with the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA). Its first season, which was an unprecedented success provided a springboard from which the second season exploded from, a season which has been even more impactful because of HiFL’s collaboration with Premier Cool.

Premier Cool, who is the official brand partner of Manchester City Football Club is a brand that has grown to be a strong contender in the market over the past decade and it has always been a brand associated with the development of grassroots football in the country, getting behind several initiatives that promote the development of the football sector.

Premier Cool’s sponsorship of the HiFL has elevated the profile of the competition and opened up new avenues for the budding student footballers and their coaches. One of such avenues is the HiFL Coaching Clinic organized by Premier Cool.

This particular initiative is groundbreaking in that it is a high value and high impact programme that brought together some of the best coaches in the world to relate and share knowledge with a few other coaches in an engaging and interactive 3-day experience.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/premiercool-sponsors-grassroot-football-in-the-hifl-2019-games/

2 Coaches from the ManCity took 25 HiFL coaches on a thrilling ride for 2 days where they had a deep dive into coaching techniques, then went on the pitch to have some energetic, yet refreshing training sessions.
At the end of the programme, the HiFL coaches were presented with certificates from Manchester City FC. The coaches, as well as the student footballers, benefited immensely from the experience.

Chelsea are making plans to sign three big players by January if the transfer embargo is lifted. According to reports by The Sun, Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace, Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell and RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner are in the list of recruits Frank Lampard plans to recruit.

The Blues were banned from transfers for two windows for breaching rules regarding the registration of young players. They were only allowed to sign Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid as he was already on loan to Chelsea.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport have announced that Chelsea’s appeal against their two-window Fifa transfer ban will be heard on November 20. With one window already served, it means Chelsea could be allowed to sign players in time for the January transfer window if CAS cut their punishment.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/chelsea-to-spend-150m-on-new-players/

Lampard has over £150million at his disposal to sign players when the transfer window reopens, being the cash they were able to accumulate for the past 6-12 months.

Speaking at a press conference on Mondy, the manager said: ‘At Chelsea, we will always look to improve in windows if we’re allowed to, and if the players we might look at are better or we feel are adding to the squad.

‘Of course, I’m interested because it’s obviously going to affect potentially what we can do in January or not.’

Zaha has been pushing for a move out of Crystal palace and would welcome the idea of playing for Chelsea. His proposed move to Arsenal and Everton in the past were not successful. His club (Crystal palace) are demanding for over £70m while Chilwell is worth £50m.

Werner currently signed a new long term contract with Leipzig during the summer but his club would want to let him go at £25m.

Chelsea currently sit fourth on the Premier League winning seven of their last Premier League matches.

Golden Eaglets captain Samson Tijani has stated that the ‘never say die’ Nigerian spirit has been the key to the side’s progress at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, reports Completesports.com.

The five-time African champions played out of their skin to earn comeback wins in their first two games against Hungary and Ecuador.

Manu Garba’s lads were staring at defeat with less than fifteen minutes to go inn both games. And on each occasion, the Africans produced spectacular comeback.

Against Hungary, Tijani was the primary motivator, netting Nigeria’s first and last goals for a 4-2 victory, the latter coming via free-kick from 30 yards.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/tijani-said-bare-never-say-die-spirit-ahead-nigeria-netherlands-clash/

“We don’t relent,” Tijani told FIFA.com of his team’s proclivity for late rallies.

“We don’t give up easily. We force ourselves to keep pushing until we get the win.”

Ibrahim Said embodied the motto in Nigeria’s second win, completing the only hat-trick of Brazil 2019 thus far with two quick goals in the 85th and 89th minutes. His second was the standout, a curling, dipping ball from outside the left edge of the box. Final score: Nigeria 3, Ecuador 2.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is basking in the euphoria of Fortuna Dusseldorf’s 2-1 win against Erzgebirge Aue in a DFB Pokal (The Cup) Second Round match.

Okoye was an unused substitute in the second round fixture at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/okoye-celebrates-dusseldorf-win-vs-erzgebirge-to-reach-dfb-pokal-3rd-round/

Fortuna Dusseldorf will face Kaiserslautern in the Third Round of the competition.

Okoye has made eight appearances for the club in the Regionalliga this season.

The 20-year-old is in Nigeria’s squad for this month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Benin and Lesotho.

He made his debut for Nigeria in last month’s international friendly encounter against five-time world champions, Brazil in Singapore.

Everton midfielder, Andre Gomes has suffered a serious injury in their match against Tottenham which ended 1-1 at Goodison Park.

Spurs’ Son Heung-min, was given a red tackle for the challenge on Gomes in the 79th minute. The player broke into tears while walking into the tunnel after seeing the degree of injury sustained by the midfielder.

The image of Son Heung-Min, utterly distraught at the sight of Andre Gomes as the Everton midfielder received urgent treatment on the pitch in the 78th minute and the mood of players from both teams will be the defining one for anyone who watched.

More photos: https://www.completesports.com/evertons-gomez-suffers-horrific-injury-against-tottenham-images/

Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr has paid a solidarity visit to the camp of national U23 male team in Ismailia, Egypt where the Olympic Eagles are preparing ahead of Afcon U23.

The German tactician who arrived Egypt late Saturday evening was officially welcomed by head coach of the Olympic Eagles, Imama Amapakabo, and his backroom staff at Mercure Hotels training pitch on Sunday morning.

He noted he’s in Ismailia to support the Olympic Eagles before the team embark on its mission in Egypt.

Read more:
https://www.completesports.com/rohr-visit-olympic-eagles-camp-in-ismaila/

Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has recalled the trio of Ahmed Musa, Daniel Akpeyi and Mikel Agu for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Benin and Lesotho, reports Completesports.com.

Musa, who is the captain of the team has not make an appearance for the Super Eagles since their third place encounter against Tunisia at the 2019 AFCON finals in Egypt due to injury.

He missed the Super Eagles last two friendlies against Ukraine and Brazil.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/rohr-recalls-musa-akpeyi-for-super-eagles-vs-benin-lesotho/

Akpeyi has been overlooked since the AFCON in Egypt where he was first choice goalkeeper. He has been in fantastic form for Kaizer Chiefs in the ABSA Premier League this season.

Defensive midfielder Agu has not been considered by the national team since he missed the cut to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He has since been posting impressive displays for Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes.

Brighton defender Leon Balogun has been placed on standby as he has struggled to break into the first team at the Premier League club.

Other players placed on standby are injured Stoke City midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo and Czech Republic-based striker Peter Olayinka.

The Super Eagles will open their qualifying campaign for the AFCON in Cameroon on November 14 in Uyo and three days later travel to Lesotho for second qualifying game.

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon was on target thrice as Nantes demolished Paris FC 8-0 in Wednesday’s French League Cup fixture.

Going into the encounter, Simon had fired blanks as the Canaries bowed 1-0 to Monaco in Friday’s Ligue 1 game.

However, against the Ligue 2 outfit, the Nigeria international was in sparkling form as his first-half goals sent Paris FC home with heads bowed low.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/eagles-roundup-simon-scores-hat-trick-in-nantes-cup-win-vs-paris-fc-aribo-bags-assist-for-rangers/

Moses put La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau giants ahead after 22 minutes with Thody Elie Youan increasing the lead eight minutes later thanks to Imran Louza’s assist.

Youan set up the former Levante man for his second goal after 35 minutes before completing his treble in the 43rd minute after Ludovic Blas had made it 4-0 seven minutes earlier.

In Scotland, Joe Aribo bagged two assists as Glasgow Rangers recorded a 4-0 away win against Ross County.

Nigeria U17s handler, Manu Garba, has exclusively told Completesports.com he’s not pleased with the porosity of his team’s defence at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, and is looking to fix it.

The five-time World Champions, the Golden Eaglets, have conceded four goals in two Group B games, which has raised concerns amongst many Nigeria fans.

In the opening fixture against Hungary on Saturday, the Manu Garba’s charges came from 2-1 down to eventually triumph 4-2.

While the tension-soaked experience of watching that performance was yet to evaporate from the psyche of the Nigeria fans, the Eaglets again conceded two against Ecuador in their second Group B clash two days after and fought back to win it 3-2.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/garba-i-will-make-golden-eaglets-defence-more-formidable/

Completesports.com spoke with coach Manu Garba, on Wednesday, on the five-time champions’ lack of defensive solidity so far in their Brazil 2019 campaign.

Garba admitted that indeed he was not pleased that his charges did not defend well as in the two matches played so far.

“I am not happy with the errors in the (team’s) defence,” Manu told Completesports.com.

“And I hope to make the defence more formidable in the next game against Australia.”

The Gold Eaglets will take on Australia in a dead rubber third Group B match of Friday, November 2019 at the Estadio Bezerrao, Brasilia. The kickoff is 9pm, Nigerian time.

Hungary and Ecuador will also clash at the same time, at the Estadio Olimpico Goiania.

Brazil icon Rivaldo has said that Neymar must leave Paris Saint-Germain if he is to fulfil his potential.

The former Barca forward looked set to leave the French capital in the summer in favour of a return to his former team, but things did not turn out as planned so he remained in PSG.

His countryman Rivaldo feels that while PSG is ‘a great club’, it does not suit a player of Neymar’s calibre.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/rivaldo-psg-is-a-great-club-but-not-for-neymar/

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: ‘I believe a lot in Neymar. But I think he has to leave,’ that’s why he wanted to leave at this transfer window at any cost, PSG is a great club but not one for the level of Neymar.

‘I think that, at a world stage, everybody talks only about Barcelona, Real Madrid and some other big clubs from England, some from Germany.

‘He has to go to a club that has more history at Champions (League).

‘Of course, if he wins the Champions (League) and can be a world champion, it will be much easier to become the best player in the world.’

He was signed with the hope he could deliver a famous Champions League title for the club.

But have failed to go beyond the last-16 stage since he arrived despite massive investment in the squad.

Neymar is currently sidelined having sustained an injury in Brazil’s recent international match against Nigeria.

He has been jeered by PSG fans and ultras produced banners when he failed to secure his move back to Spain.

For Rivaldo, his world record £198million move from Barcelona to PSG was a ‘mistake’ and he must leave soon to ensure he lives up to his potential.

Uk-based company, ASQ Training and Development, has launched a mobile App for a ‘Level 3 certificate in football intermediary’ qualification to train and support budding football agents and players.

ASQ Group Managing Director, Samson Adeosun and Executive Director, Adedayo Adeniyi in company of internationally renowned football intermediaries and players’ representatives, John Viola and Phillip McTaggart, made this known at a news conference in Lagos over the weekend.

Adeosun said there were lots of football agents in Nigeria and Africa, but that unfortunately, majority had no proper experience coupled with bad reputation due to unscrupulous activities of a few.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/asq-uk-set-for-football-agents-development-training-in-nigeria/

“There are lots of agents in Nigeria, but the fact remains that they lack adequate knowledge of international business as it regards players’ management.

“The Level 3 Certificate in football intermediary program is designed to empower the intermediaries (agents) in the areas of identification, marketing, protection and management of players thereby helping them to get the best out of the players’ careers,” said Adeosun, who is also an English FA licensed intermediary, adding that there are no stringent qualifications before someone is allowed to represent players, but it is important that individual agents acquire knowledge and skills that will make them effective and productive in the players management value chain.

In his own submission, Viola said that ASQ has identified the need for such training and certification to support and encourage budding football agents to get their acts right. Viola who was part of the success careers of players like Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos noted that the training would help those looking to succeed in the complex but lucratively rewarding profession of players’ management.

On his own part, McTaggart advised that intermediaries should embrace the ASQ training for the general interest of football.

FIFA has congratulated hosts Brazil, Nigeria and Angola after the three countries booked their spot in the second round at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, reports Completesports.com.

The Golden Eaglets scored two late goals to secure a hard fought 3-2 win against Ecuador in their second Group B game at the Estadio Olimpico, Giaonia on Tuesday night.

Ibrahim Said scored all three goals for Nigeria in the thrilling encounter.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/u-17-w-cup-fifa-congratulates-nigeria-brazil-angola-for-picking-round-of-16-tickets/


FIFA has congratulated hosts Brazil, Nigeria and Angola after the three countries booked their spot in the second round at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, reports Completesports.com.

The Golden Eaglets scored two late goals to secure a hard fought 3-2 win against Ecuador in their second Group B game at the Estadio Olimpico, Giaonia on Tuesday night.

Ibrahim Said scored all three goals for Nigeria in the thrilling encounter.

Manu Garba’s boys top Group B with six points having defeated Hungary 4-2 in their opening game last Saturday.

Brazil defeated New Zealand 3-0 to zeal their place in the Round of 16 from Group A.

In the same group, Angola edged out Canada 2-1 to also move into the second round. Both countries have six points each but Brazil have a superior goal difference.

President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded the performance of the Golden Eaglets in Tuesday night 3-2 win against Ecuador at the 2019 FIFA World Cup in Brazil,

Presidential Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, quoted the President as saying, “The fact that the youngsters never gave up, and turned the table against their opponents, is a lesson in persistence and resilience.”

He recommends the can-do spirit displayed by the young boys to Nigerians, urging them to display such in all areas of endeavour, and in national development.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/buhari-golden-eaglets-victory-against-ecuador-a-lesson-in-resilience/

While wishing the Eaglets well in their final group match against Australia, which may well be a formality, President Buhari pledges government support to the team, as they strive to win the Under 17 World Cup yet again, thus confirming Nigeria’s position as a global power at that level.

After a 4-2 comeback win over Hungary in their opening fixture, Manu Garba’s boys showed resilience again to see off the South Americans.

Ibrahim Said was the hero for Nigeria after scoring all the three goals to seal maximum points for the team in style.

Golden Eaglets captain Samson Tijani says the team’s morale has been further boosted by President Muhammadu Buhari’s congratulatory message after last Saturday’s 4-2 win against Hungary.

The five-time world champions maintained their enviable record of avoiding defeat in their first game in the history of FIFA U-17 World Cup by rallying back twice to beat the Europeans at the ongoing Brazil 2019 edition.

Tijani bagged a brace in the encounter with Usman Ibrahim and Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi getting the other goals.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/tijani-president-buharis-morale-lifting-message-will-spur-eaglets-to-beat-ecuador/

The Eaglets, few hours after the victory, were congratulated by Nigeria’s number one citizen who also charged the team to win the competition for an unparalleled sixth time.

“We are very happy to have seen the congratulatory messages by Mr. President,” Tijani told nff.com.

“Our morale has been lifted even higher, and we will go into the match against Ecuador with greater determination to win.

Tuesday’s top-of-the-table clash with Ecuador at the same Estadio Olimpico Goiania, starting at 9pm Nigerian time, promises to be explosive, with both teams aware that victory would mean an early slot in the championship’s Round of 16.

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will look to book a spot in the Round of 16 when they take on Ecuador today (Tuesday) in their second Group B game at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, reports Completesports.com.

Manu Garba’s boys defeated Hungary 4-2 in their first game in the competition last Saturday at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiania.

The Golden Eaglets twice rallied back to win the game with captain of the side, Samson Tijani scoring a brace, while Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi and Usman Ibrahim got the other goals.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/fifa-u-17-w-cup-golden-eaglets-battle-ecuador-for-second-round-spot/

A win in this game will see the five-time winners seal a spot in the second round.

Ecuador also enjoyed a comfortable start to the competition, edging out hard fighting Australia 2-1.

The game billed to hold at Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico will start at 9pm Nigerian time.

Lille forward Victor Osimhen has allayed fears he could miss Nigeria’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Benin and Lesotho as a result of injury, reports Completesports.com.

Osimhen sustained an abductor injury in Lille’s 3-O home win against Girondis Bordeaux on Saturday.

The 20-year-old was replaced by Loic Remy in 58th minute of the encounter.

The former Wolfsburg of Germany striker took to the social media to provide update on the injury.

”I’m fine, it’s just a minor injury issue, thanks brother,”Osimhen replied centre-back, Kenneth Omeruo who asked a question on the severity of the injury.

Read more: https://www.completesports.com/osimhen-allays-injury-fears-ready-for-super-eagles-benin-lesotho/

Osimhen has scored seven goals and recorded two assists in 11 league games for Lille this season.

The Super Eagles will host neighbours Benin on November 14 in their opening AFCON 2021 qualifying fixture and then face Lesotho in Maseru five days later.

Arsenal dropped two points on Sunday, after a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace. The Gunners were cruising to end the match with all the points up for grabs after goals from Sokratis and David Luiz put them on course for a vital victory against Roy Hodgson’s side.

A penalty from Luka Milivojevic reduced the deficit before halftime then a cross from James McArthur saw Jordan Ayew head in the equalizer.

Read more:[url] https://www.completesports.com/lacazette-likes-instagram-post-calling-for-emerys-sack/[/url]

However, the main flashpoint from the game came when Xhaka was substituted on 61st minute, replaced by Bukayo Saka to a chorus of cheers from the home supporters which sparked an angry reaction from the Swiss international who cupped his ear sarcastically and muttered ‘Fu** off’ several times before taking his shirt off and walked down the tunnel.

Former Golden Eaglets handler John Obuh has been unveiled as the new head coach of Akwa United.

The Former Kwara United tactician was unveiled by the promise keepers on Monday morning in Uyo alongside his assistant Duke Udi.

Read more:[url] https://www.completesports.com/akwa-united-unveil-obuh-as-new-head-coach/[/url]

He will be in charge for the 2019/20 Nigeria Professional Football League season as the Akwa Ibom state owned club set sight on returning to the continent.