₦airaland Forum

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was full of thanks to the club’s fans for their overwhelming support over the last 22 years.

Wenger watched his side demolish Burnley 5-0 in his final home game in charge of the club at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

“It is impossible to feel nothing unless you are completely robotic. It is 22 years of total commitment and togetherness,” Wenger told the cheering crowd after Sunday’s match.

“Overall I would like to thank everybody. I had the luxury of doing this job for 22 years at the same club and I am grateful for that.

“It is difficult to analyse this season for what this team has done. At home is has been championship stuff, but away from home it has not been enough. We also went to the League Cup final and Europa League semi-final.”

He also called on the fans to support the new manager who will be appointed soon.

“The fans may be lost at the start, but they will have a new manager but they can continue the work as the basics are here,” the Frenchman said.

“I would like to thank everyone at the club who makes this club so special.

“This group of players has special quality, not only on the pitch, but off it too. Support them next season, because they deserve it.

“I will miss you. Thank you for being such an important part of my life. I hope to see you soon.”

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wenger-thank-you-arsenal-fans-ill-miss-you/

Former Super Eagles head coach, Lars Lagerback, says he is looking forward to seeing the Super Eagles doing well at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

Lagerback coached Nigeria to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa where the team failed to qualify from their group that had Argentina, Korea and Greece.

In a 45-second video posted on Twitter through the handle of the media officer of the Super Eagles, Toyin Ibitoye, Lager back who is currently the Norwegian national team coach advised the three time African Champions, Nigeria to prepare well for the 2018 FIFA World Cup

“I just want to wish you all the best at the World Cup coming up in Russia,” Lagerback said in the video posted by Ibitoye on Twitter.

“I have so good memories during my time with the Nigerian team and the fans. So I hope you can prepare well and I really look forward to seeing you play in Russia even if I will probably be in Sweden watching the games on TV.”

The former Iceland manager also sent a goodwill message to the team administrator, Dayo Enebi.

“I also want to send a good luck message to my colleague and the team secretary, Dayo, I know you will make it, keep going.”

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/lagerback-to-eagles-im-looking-forward-to-seeing-you-in-russia-prepare-well/

FSV Mainz manager, Sandro Shwarz, has ruled out Nigeria defender, Leon Balogun out of his side’s German Bundesliga clash against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

Balogun, 29, has missed Mainz’s last two league games against Augsburg and Leipzig due to a rib injury.

He last featured for Mainz in their 2-0 win against Freiburg at the OPEL Arena on April 16.

“Leon Balogun can only do part of the team training. Danny Latza (not yet), Suat Serdar is supposed to get in today, Emil Berggreeen is not yet ready,” Shwarz stated in his pre-match conference ahead of Dortmund’s game.

The club also provided an update on their Twitter handle on the centre-back’s injury.

“@LeonBalogun, has not been able to fully train,” reads a tweet on the handle.

He has made 14 league appearances for the Mainz this season.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/mainz-coach-shwarz-rules-injured-balogun-out-of-dortmund-clash/

Reputable research group CIES Football Observatory has emphatically ruled Nigeria’s Super Eagles out of contention for the Russia 2018 World Cup trophy, [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url] reports.

In the group’s weekly post (issue number 225), Nigeria are ranked the 22nd best out of the 32 teams that will be at the tournament whick kicks off on June 14.

The reserach group’s study looked at the number of matches players used in the 2018 World Cup qualification stage were involved in at domestic league level since July 2017 and the profile of clubs that they featured for before arriving at the decision that ranks Spain as the favourite for the title.

Nigeria’s Group D foes at the World Cup in Russia, Argentina and Croatia, are ranked seventh and eighth respectively in the table with Iceland coming in as 23rd best behind Nigeria.

Among the five African countries that will participate in the mundial, the Super Eagles are ranked the third best behind Sadio Mane’s Senegal, who are ranked the most likely African nation to spring a surprise and Morocco.

Mohammed Salah’s Egypt are the least ranked outsiders among the Africn nations behind Tunisia.

Meanwhile Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, insists Nigeria are capable of springing that surprise in Russia by going all the way to the final to win the trophy.

“Again, people say why do I say that Nigeria can win the World Cup. If you have a child, what do you wish for the child- for him to be the best and nothing else. And if you have a younger brother, what do you pray for him to achieve? To be better than you. So, I don’t have any regret saying that Nigeria can win the World Cup,” Pinnick said.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/cies-observatory-rules-nigeria-out-of-world-cup-title-tips-spain-pinnick-disagrees/

Chelsea star Victor Moses is looking forward to Nigeria’s international friendly game against the Three Lions of England at Wembley Stadium on June 2, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

Moses, who was instrumental in the Super Eagles’ Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, took to his Twitter handle to share his anticipation ahead of the game.

“Super Eagles are coming to Wembley! Not long to go until we meet the 3 Lions
#NaijaTakeover #SoarSuperEagles,” Moses tweeted on Tuesday.

The former Wigan Athletic and Liverpool winger has made 31 international appearances for the Super Eagles and has scored 11 goals since he made his debut in 2012.

Nigeria will face Croatia, Iceland and Argentina in Group D at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/moses-fired-up-for-super-eagles-wembley-clash-vs-england/

Nigeria forward, Henry Onyekuru, further stepped up his recovery from the knee injury which sidelined him for three months after starting in Anderlecht’s Reserves 2-2 draw against Standard Liege on Monday night, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

Onyekuru returned to training last month after picking up the injury in a league game last December.

It was his second consecutive game for the reserves.

Last week, he played for 30 minutes as the Anderlecht Reserves beat Lokeren 4-1 to win the Reserve League title.

The striker will now hope to make the match-day squad for Anderlecht’s next league game against Club Brugge on Sunday.

Prior to the injury, he had scored nine goals in 19 appearances for Anderlecht in the Jupiler Pro League.

Onyekuru is on loan at Anderlecht from English Premier League outfit, Everton.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/onyekuru-set-for-anderlecht-return-features-in-in-reserve-teams-match/

Nigeria forward, Junior Ajayi, has been ruled out of his club , Al Ahly’s Friday’s CAF Champions League Group A clash against Tunisia giants, Esperance, [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url] reports.

Ajayi sustained a muscular injury in Al Ahly’s 1-0 defeat to Assiouty Sport in their Egypt Cup quater-final clash on Monday.

He was replaced in the 28th minute of the encounter as result of the injury with Salah Mohsen coming on for him.

Al Ahly’s director of football, Said Abdel Hafiz, confirmed the former First Bank of Lagos player injury
via the club’s official website.

“Ajayi needs treatment for the injury he picked up in the Egypt Cup game against Assiouty and would be absent from the game against Esperance,” Abdel Hafiz told Al Ahly’s official website.

The former CS Sfaxien of Tunisia player has 32 appearances in all competitions for Al Ahly this season and bagged nine goals and 11 assists.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/ajayi-out-if-al-ahlys-cafcl-clash-vs-esperance-over-injury/

Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has won Leicester City’s Young Player of the Year award for the season, [url]Completesportsnigeria.com [/url]reports.

Ndidi picked the gong at the club’s annual awards night on Tuesday night.

The former Genk of Belgium player beat the duo of Ben Chilwel and Demarai Gray to the award.

He was also nominated for the Players’ Player of the Season along with Harry Maguire and James Vardy with the Maguire going home with award.

The trio were also contention for the player of the season award which was also won by Maguire.

Captain of the team, Wes Morgan, went home with the performance of the prize.

Vardy’s superb volley against West Brom was voted the goal of the season

Ndidi who has been a key performer for the Foxes this season has made 33 league appearances for the club with four assists to his name.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/ndidi-voted-leicester-city-young-player-of-the-year/

Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi picked up a harmstring injury in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat against Manchester United in their English Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Sunday, [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url] reports.

Iwobi played the entire 90 minutes in the number 10 role for the Gunners in the game.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the 21-year-old’s injury during his post-match conference.

“I took off Mkhitaryan because he had a little knock on his knee again, on the same knee – we could see that just looking at him in the dressing room,” the Frenchman stated.

“Ospina has a rib problem and Alex Iwobi has a hamstring problem, so we’ll see how well everyone recovers. Thursday will come very quickly.

” Definitely? At the moment, no, but we’ll have to monitor them over the next 48 hours. We’ll know more on Tuesday.”

Iwobi has played 23 league games for Arsenal this season and scored twice.

His injury will be a big blow for Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr with midfielder Wilfred Ndidi also picking a knock in Leicester City’s 5-0 drubbing by Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wenger-iwobi-hurt-his-hamstring-in-arsenal-defeat-vs-man-united/

Liverpool assistant coach, Zeljko Buvac, has walked away from the club just days before the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash against Italian club AS Roma.

The Bosnian-Serb has worked with Jurgen Klopp for 17 years during spells at German clubs Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

But it appears Buvac has now left the club before one of the biggest clashes in the club’s history.

According to the Daily Record, Klopp and his number 2 have fallen out in recent weeks, which has contributed to the assistant coach’s exit.

“Klopp and Buvac had a big falling out,” a source close to Liverpool informed Daily Record.

“And Buvac has been left completely out of the loop of late.

“They stand apart in training, Buvac doesn’t go to tactical meetings, and he is no longer involved in picking the team.

“In the past, he was the only one who had Klopp’s ear.

“The relationship had broken down.”

Liverpool players have been told of the coach’s exit and are said to be ‘shocked’ at the news.

Buvac partnered Klopp at Mainz back in 2001, and the duo went on to ensure promotion to the Bundesliga for the lowly German outfit.

Mainz also qualified for the Uefa Cup under the partnership.

Buvac then followed his counterpart to Dortmund, winning two league titles and reaching the Champions League final.

It is unclear who will replace the No 2 at Anfield.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/liverpool-assistant-coach-buvac-quits-after-17-year-partnership-with-klopp/

Cristiano Ronaldo has a lot of personal achievements to his name for both club and country. The player has been able to amass a host of accolades during his footballing career, while most of them are personal, he also has collective records with his club and team members.

The player seems to make and break records so frequently we cannot even keep count of his achievements. Despite his age (33) years, he is showing no signs of slowing down and continues to impress at the most elite level.

Although the Portuguese and Real Madrid Legend has numerous records to his name, there are some that holds more weight than others. The sheer size of Ronaldo’s record haul is quite impressive but not all are unbeatable.

Nonetheless, there are 4 of his records that we believe are amazing and are near impossible to be broken, hence our request for them to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. Here’s a look at these four records held by Ronaldo that we believe must be listed Bet9ja Promotion Code:

1. Winning every individual and team honor with two clubs
Cristiano Ronaldo while playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid CF has won the Ballon D’or, World Player of the Year, Golden Boot, Champions League, domestic league, domestic cup, World Club Championship, and domestic Super Cup.

Related: Ronaldo Subbed Off, Memphis, Van Dijk Score As Holland Spank Portugal

The closest player to ever achieve this is former Real Madrid and French international Zinedine Zidanne, who won almost every individual and team honour at both Juventus and Real Madrid but not all of them.

2. Scoring 300 La Liga goal in 286 games
Critics of Cristiano Ronaldo will contest this but since his arrival at the bernabeu in 2009, Ronaldo has been nothing short of a goal machine.

Sometimes he creates goals out of nothing, his positioning for an out and out striker is superb. The Real Madrid legend who is considered a goal poacher as devastated many goal keepers in La Liga netting 300 goals in 286 matches. Not only is this impressive, it is the quickest any player has achieved this feat.

3. Scoring 50 goals for 6 consecutive seasons in a Top-5 league
Cristiano Ronaldo has amassed a whopping 50 goals in 6 consecutive season for a top – 5 league, this is no mean feat as no other player has been able to go more than 50 goals in 3 consecutive seasons. When we say CR7 is a goat the numbers show it.

Not only is he the quickest player to score 300 La Liga goals he did it in style by scoring all these goal in 6 consecutive season, now that’s a mind blowing achievement.

Ronaldo’s six consecutive seasons where he hit at least 50 goals (All while playing for Real Madrid):

10/11: 54 apps 53 goals

11/12: 55 apps 60 goals

12/13: 55 apps 55 goals

13/14: 47 apps 51 goals

14/15: 54 apps 61 goals

15/16: 48 apps 51 goals

4. Scoring more than 10 Champions League goals in 7 consecutive seasons
No other player in history has shown this level of consistency in the Champions League. It is as if the Champions League was made for Ronaldo. Even when Real Madrid is under-performing in La Liga, they have shown great wealth of experience and formidability in the Champions League.

All other records are important, but they do not illustrate Ronaldo’s dominance without adding the Champions League achievements. Ronaldo has scored a whopping 10 goals in 7 consecutive Champions League matches.

To elucidate this point no other player has managed to score 10 goals in more than 2 seasons in the Champions League despite the competition being more than 60 years old.

In conclusion Cristiano Ronaldo (33) is still playing actively and has a contract which will see him in Real Madrid past his 35th birthday. It’s almost certain that he will extend his records, this is why we make a claim for his record to be listed in the Guinness World Record for the mere reason that they will be hard to break.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/these-4-cristiano-ronaldo-achievements-in-the-guinness-book-of-world-records/

The Adokiye Aimesimaka Stadium will host next month’s international friendly game between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and their DR Congo counterparts, and this is official.

Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye, announced this on Thursday after the state and the NFF struck an agreement for the Eagles to play their farewell game at the place where they started their journey to Russia in November 2015 when the Eagles defeated
Swaziland 2-0 to qualify for the third round of the African qualifiers.

Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike led the Rivers State team while the NFF team was led by its president, Amaju Pinnick, with Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr in attendance at the high-profile meeting held at the government house in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

Iyaye told the media after the meeting that River State will ensure the Amiesimaka Stadium is ready for the game come May 28 and thanked the NFF for remembering that the Eagles started the World Cup journey in the Garden City.

“Governor Wike has done well in terms of funding national sporting events.He hosted the African Wrestling Championship on behalf of the Federal Government.

Now he is hosting the Super Eagles and Democratic Republic of Congo on behalf of the Federal Government. This is something that is worthy of commendation,” said Iyaye.

Pinnick commended the Rivers State Government and the people of the state for their unflinching support for the Super Eagles and expressed satisfaction with the state of facilities at the Adokiye Amasiemaka Stadium.

“We are playing on the 28th of May, 2018 against the Democratic Republic of Congo. After the match, the Rivers State Governor will host the two teams to a dinner”, he said.

He said that the CAF President will watch the International Friendly in Port Harcourt.

“Everywhere is home to the Super Eagles. Lagos, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Kano, Kaduna or Minna. They are Super Eagles of Nigeria and every part is integral to the development of football,“ Pinick said.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/confirmed-port-harcourt-to-host-super-eagles-vs-dr-congo-friendly/

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he regrets his war of words with Arsene Wenger as his side prepare to host Arsenal in Sunday’s English Premier League game at Old Trafford.

Mourinho had called Wenger “a specialist in failure” and a “Viewer”, in the past while the Frenchman also insulted him.

“We had big matches, big fights, so thank you so much for that. Regret? Little negative episodes, yes I do and probably he also does,” Mourinho said during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“I always feel the biggest rivals are our biggest friends, because they’re the ones that pushed us to the limit and I think United fans know that, until 2004, for about a decade it was between United and Arsenal, it was between Sir Alex Ferguson and Mr Wenger, and I think that these great teams Arsenal had and the fight shoulder to shoulder.

“It made United better and better. I hope he has a good reaction [from United fans], if not good, not bad at all and from us as a club he is going to feel the respect we have.

“There are little things where it would be obviously better without them.

“Some gestures, some words, it would be better without it, I feel better now without it, no doubts about it.

“But again, when I arrived in England in 2004, Arsenal were the champions and the famous Invincibles. I arrived and for the next couple of years was with them – Bergkamp, Thierry, Campbell, an amazing team – so again thank you very much for that.”

He also said he hoped United’s supporters, who have been fairly vocal in their abuse of Wenger down the years, will treat the Arsenal manager with respect at the weekend.

“They pushed us to the limits, the two matches we played, not at the Emirates but at amazing old stadium, were unforgettable.”

The former Chelsea manager also dismissed reports linking David De Gea away from the club this summer, with Real Madrid set to try for him again.

“No chance,” said Mourinho when asked if there was any chance of De Gea leaving United.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/mourinho-regrets-verbal-attacks-on-wenger-insists-de-gea-wont-leave-united/

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi believes the team can make history in Russia in June when the FIFA World Cup gets underway.

The Tianjin TEDA of China midfielder says the team will surprise the world by going farther than any Nigerian team has done in the competition.

”I think we are in a group where we can do something. It depends on our preparations and how much we want it, not just we have qualified let’s just go and play the World Cup.

”We want to make history, we want to do well. We want to make sure we go there believing we can beat Argentina, Croatia and Iceland,” Mikel told FIFA World Cup Russia Magazine.

Nigeria’s best placing in their previous four appearances at the competition was the second finish in 1994,1998 and 2014 and Mikel is confident the team will surpass that record.

The Eagles will open their campign on June 16 against Croatia at the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad before playing Iceland six days later at the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd.

Nigeria’s last game is against Argentina whom they have four times at the World Cup.The game will hold at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/mikel-super-eagles-can-make-history-in-russia/

The Supreme Court of Nigeria have not sacked the current board of the Nigerian Football Federation contrary to some reports on social media, [url]Completesportsnigeria.com [/url]reports.

According to NFF legal counsel, Festus Keyamo, the case has only been referred back to the court where it began.

Chris Giwa dragged the current NFF board to the Supreme Court after he was unsatisfied with an earlier unfavourable verdict from the Appeal Court and the Federal High Court, insisting that the mandate given to his alleged board at the Chida Hotel, Abuja by the congress of the NFF in August 2013 should be upheld.

But in a tweet from the official handle of the NFF quoting Keyamo on Friday, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria explained the Supreme Court verdict.

“Nobody should cause unnecessary panic in Nigeria’s football,” Keyamo was quoted on the official Twitter handle of the NFF.

“That’s my case. Supreme Court DID NOT NULLIFY AMAJU ‘s Election.The Supreme Court did NOT remove Amaju from office.

“The Supreme Court only referred the case back to the Federal High Court to be tried properly to know which of the elections held in 2014 was right.

“Amaju was NOT a party to the case at the Supreme Court so the court could not have removed a party from office without joining the party and hearing from the party.”

Other NFF officials also clarified the ruling, insisting that their board is still in charge and Nigeria’s Russia 2018 World Cup plans are on course.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/keyamo-supreme-court-didnt-sack-pinnick-giwa-case-sent-back-to-high-court/

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that his side’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final first leg tie at the Emirates Stadium “feels like an opportunity missed”.

The visitors went a man down after just 10 minutes when Sime Vrsaljko was dismissed for two yellow cards, and coach Diego Simeone was banished to the stands shortly afterwards.

The Gunners missed a number of goal-scoring chances in the game and took the lead through French forward Alexandre Lacazette in the 61st minute, only for Antoine Griezmann to level scores eight minutes from the end.

“Looking at the performance and the way the game went, it was the worst possible result for us, but we have to go there in a positive mood and qualify,” Wenger stated after the game.

“Unfortunately, we gave a goal away from nowhere but now we need to recover from the disappointment and prepare for the next game.

“Of course, it feels like an opportunity missed. We could have qualified tonight but it didn’t happen. Their keeper made a lot of saves and they showed their quality by scoring with one chance. But they couldn’t score with a combination, they could only do it with a long ball, so we have to look at ourselves.

“You don’t look at the statistics, you can only look at your own performance and we know we can score from anywhere. What matters is that we go there with the belief to do it.”

The return leg of the tie takes place at the Wanda Metropolitano next Thursday, with the winner set to face either Marseille or Red Bull Salzburg in the final.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wenger-arsenal-draw-with-atletico-madrid-feels-like-missed-opportunity/

WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder, has offered Anthony Joshua $50m (£35.9m) for a unification fight.

The proposed bout is expected to hold between September and December at a venue of Wilder’s choice.

Deontay who defeated Luis Ortiz in his last bout in March revealed in a video posted on Twitter that he expects Joshua to be a man of his words by accepting the offer.

“All the money is in the bag so I expect you will be a man of your word,” Wilder states in a video he posted on his Twitter handle in response to Joshua claiming he will accept a bout with the American for $50m.

“Tell Eddie Hearn to let you personally check his email this time. By the way, I sent your manager Rob McCracken the email as well.

“I am looking forward to our meeting in the ring.”

Meanwhile, Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel also confirmed to ESPN that an offer had been made to Joshua.

Finkel also added that the offer includes no rematch clause and that it would be the next fight for each boxer, taking place between September and December at a venue of Wilder’s choice.

New International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Organisation (IBO) World heavyweight title holder, Anthony Joshua is unbeaten in 21 bouts.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wilder-offers-joshua-50m-for-unification-bout/

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Garba Lawal in this interview with [url]Completesportsnigeria. com[/url]’s recalls his France 1998 World Cup experience and predicts the current Gernot Rohr’s team’s chances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer.

You played at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, could you share your experience with us?

It was a memorable one. Every player’s dream is to play at the World Cup and I was lucky to have represented Nigeria at the 1998 edition in France. The opening game against Spain will go down as one of the greatest comeback wins we recorded in the history of the tournament. I provided an assist and scored the leveler for the team before Sunday Oliseh sealed it with that wonderful goal.

We had so many talented players in that squad at that time. If you made that Nigeria’s1998 squad, you must thank God for that because there were lots of exceptional players around then who were playing weekly for their respective clubs and that’s why lots of great players cry and regret when they miss the World Cup.

It meant the world to me and I won’t ever forget that I scored against one of the best goalkeepers (Andoni Zubizarreta) in the world at that time and in the history of Spanish football in general.

What are the chances of the Super Eagles doing well in Russia this summer, considering the kind of Group D opponents they will confront?

We have a good chance like the other teams. It’s not going to be easy for the Super Eagles, but we must be clinical. We must win games to go far in the tournament which is important. Our opening game against Croatia is a must win if we are to stand a chance of making it to the next round.

We have seen Gernot Rohr’s midfield in different formations with different players. In your opinion, which players are the best for the Super Eagles in that position?

We both are not in the counsel of the coach. The manager will tell us through his selections. My opinion won’t change anything, neither yours. All I know is we need experience to excel in Russia. Mikel Obi is aging, but he has experience in abundance. The way he plays now can’t be compared to the way he started out. It’s normal that he can’t play 90 minutes at this level now consistently. His exposure at the biggest stage in football is key to our success in Russia. I hope the younger players will help him in the middle.

Who else do you think will complement Mikel’s experience in the midfield?

The likes of Ogenyi Onazi and Wilfred Ndidi can provide solid defensive cover for Mikel to be free to operate well behind the striker. The pair also can provide shield for the centre-backs. That will be a solid paring in my opinion, but the coach will decide.

In terms of creativity, the burden falls on Mikel. Do you think our team can compete against the likes of Croatia’s Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ever Banega and the likes?

I won’t give a straight answer because that is down to the talent this current generation have produced. The 1994 and 1998 squads never depended on any player to get going when it got tough. But now when a player is out of the team due to one reason or the other, there’s problem, Nigeria start panicking. Then we had two quality players in every position and you can call on any player to fill in the void, but now, we will start thinking. Same cannot be said of this current squad.

By now we should know who is in and who is out judging from the consistency of our players at club level and what they have done during the course of the qualifiers. We don’t have those kind of consistent players anymore. Creativity is lacking, no doubt, but what we lack in that area we have in strength, power and hard work.

It baffles me most times. I wonder If the current crop of players ask themselves why many people still rate the 1994, 1996 and 1998 squad as the best Super Eagles team ever. They don’t show in their game that they want to leave a legacy behind with the way they play. There’s a problem already and they are comfortable dropping it at the feet of the coach. Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho can create chances, but can they compete with those names you called out?

Do Super Eagles depend on individual players in this current squad to win games?

Well, I believe football is a team game. Rohr will tell us that. But it’s obvious that when some players are missing, we struggle to hit the gear in games. The team struggles without Mikel, so that answers your question, but they need to be encouraged.

What formation will you rather suggest the Super Eagles deploy with the calibre of players Gernot Rohr has in the midfield?

You approach a game based on the strength of your opponent and the players you have at your disposal. So Rohr may decide to go with a 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1, 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1.

Super Eagles also don’t have quality options in the striking role with Odion Ighalo as the team’s only recognized striker. Do you think he can deliver in Russia?

He is our best bet going into the World Cup. But the likes of Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheanacho could also provide cover in that role as well. We need all these players to be in good shape for the World Cup.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/garba-lawal-how-eagles-should-play-to-leave-world-cup-legacy-in-russia/

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has pleaded with the Reds fans to show respect to the travelling fans of AS Roma outside the stadium when in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg clash at Anfield.

Liverpool fans attacked the Manchester City bus conveying players and broke windows as the visitors were making their way into Anfield for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Liverpool are bidding to reach their first UEFA Champions League final since they suffered defeat against AC Milan in 2007.

“Outside the stadium please show the respect we have to show. This is an outstanding football club known for its fantastic atmosphere, so we don’t need to throw things at the bus,” Klopp said during his pre-match conference on Monday ahead of the game.

“In the stadium do it again and better.

“Please show the respect that they deserve. We are only opponents on the pitch. Everyone knows what a wonderful place Rome is and not all people know how wonderful Liverpool is and we can show that in twenty minutes.”

Klopp was also pleased with Mohamed Salah who was crowned the Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year on Sunday.

“I’m really happy for Mo Salah winning the PFA Player of the Year and he can be proud of this fantastic achievement,” Klopp added.

“To win it when Kevin De Bruyne plays a season like he did, is even more special. The players know how difficult it is to score that many goals and be involved in that many goals so I think it’s deserved.”

He added that Salah is well prepared to face the Egyptian star’s former club.

“It is normal in football for players and managers to change clubs and play against their old colleagues. I had it against Borussia Dortmund two years ago.

“It’s a normal game but it feels quite special because you are more interested in the other team than you usually are. He became the player he is today thanks to Roma and credit must go to their players and staff for his development.

“Italian defenders are famous for not having friendly games so I think Mo (Salah) will know pretty soon that they are not his teammates anymore and then he can strike back in football terms.”

Klopp added that his opposite number at Roma, Eusebio Di Francesco, possesses same qualities as himself.

“We both wear glasses, we are bad shavers,” he said.

“We’ve gone in similar way to the big clubs, he started with smaller clubs and had some success, like we did.

“He loves football and that is obvious. He has a football playing side so maybe there are a few similarities but that doesn’t make it easier for him or me.

“I don’t think it makes sense for an Italian club to work with me because I can only order spaghetti in a restaurant.

“We will see what happens but not in the next four years for sure.”

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/klopp-begs-liverpool-fans-not-to-stone-roma-bus-hails-special-salah/

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has stated that the Blues are not favourites to win the FA Cup after beating Southampton 2-0 in the semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.

Chelsea will face Manchester United in the final of the Cup on 19 May.

Second-half goals from Oliver Giroud and Alvaro Morata secured a second consecutive final for the dethroned English Premier League champions.

“The most important thing in this type of game is to reach your target, in this case the final of this competition,” Conte said during his post-match interview after his side’s triumph on Sunday.

“This final will be a game between two great teams. Last season we arrived in the final as favourites; this season we will arrive not as favourites, but last season we lost the final despite being favourites at that moment.

“It’s very important for the players, for the club and especially for our fans. I’m delighted for them. Always this season they showed great passion and pushed us in every moment, difficult moments and positive moments.”

The Italian explained why he started Giroud ahead of Morata. Giroud joined Chelsea in January in a deal worth £18m from Arsenal.

“He has been a good signing for us, for sure,” Conte explained. “I needed a player with his characteristics: strong physically, able to hold the ball up to allow our no.10 to make combinations with him.

“Morata is an important striker. He is younger than Olivier and has less experience. He is less strong physically, but he is very fast to attack the space. I’m pleased for both of them.

“I knew we had to play against three central defenders who are very strong physically, so I decided to start with Olivier, but when Morata came on his impact was impressive, in the same way as Pedro and Bakayoko’s impact was.”

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/conte-chelsea-not-favourites-in-fa-cup-final-vs-united/

Nigeria star Victor Moses made his second FA Cup appearance this season for Chelsea who defeated Southampton 2-0 in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. The game was Moses’ 33rd in all competitions this season for Chelsea who will face Manchester United in the final of the Cup on the 19th of May.

At the Emirates, Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi made his 22nd English Premier League appearance this season for Arsenal in Sunday’s 4-1 win over West Ham.

The game was Alex Iwobi’s 61st EPL appearance since he made his EPL debut against Swansea in October 2015 and his 30th win. Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang replaced the Nigerian international in the 70th minute.

In the English Championship, Sammy Ameobi played all 90 minutes for Bolton Wanderers who slumped to a 4-0 defeat at home to English Premier League-bound side Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club of Carl Ikeme.

The game was Ameobi’s 33rd of the season. Bolton remain two points clear of the relegation zone, in 21st position, with 40 points from 44 games.

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina played for 44 minutes before he was replaced by Fikayo Tomori in Hull City’s 5-5 draw with Bristol City. The game was Aina’s 44th appearance this season for Hull in the English Championship.

In Spain, Brown Ideye came on for the last 10 minutes for relegated Malaga who strolled to a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad. Goals from Adrian Gonzalez and Youssef En Nesiry sealed the win for Malaga. The game was Ideye’s 10th appearance in the Spanish LaLiga. He has scored one goal. Isaac Success who was an unused substitute has played six times.

The pair of Oghenekaro Etebo and Imoh Ezekiel were both handed their 11th and third starts of the LaLiga season for Las Palmas who suffered a 4-0 home defeat to Alaves. While Etebo saw 90 minutes of action, Ezekiel was replaced in the 71st minute of the defeat.

Super Eagles forward Ahmed Musa bagged a second half brace to help CSKA Moscow come from a goal down to beat Kuban Krasnodar 2-1 in a Russian Premier League game on Sunday. The goal was Musa’s third in seven Russian Premier League games for CSKA Moscow.

Sylvester Igboun played all 90 minutes for FC UFA in Sunday’s goalless draw with Lokomotiv Moscow. The Nigerian international was cautioned in the 35th minute of the game.

In Germany, Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun was left out of FSV Mainz’s squad that lost 2-0 to Augsburg. Balogun has made 14 German Bundesliga appearances this season. Nigerian striker Anthony Ujah on his part replaced Quaison Robin for his fifth game of the season.

In the Slovakian League, former Nigerian youth international, Rabiu Ibrahim, bagged his first goal in the Fortuna Liga as Slovan Bratislava claimed a 3-1 win over his former team AS Trencin. The former Gent midfielder was replaced in the 78th minute in his 21st game of the season.

In Cyprus, Nosa Igiebor came on at half time to score his first goal for Anorthosis Famagusta in their 3-1 loss to Apollon Limassol. Igiebor was introduced in the 45th minute and he scored on 74 minutes.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/round-up-musa-igiebor-rabiu-on-target-aina-subbed-off-balogun-out/

Arsene Wenger is one of the most successful football managers in the world. He is considered to be the one to revolutionize English football, due to the successes and to the failures he has overcome over the years. Arsene French, but he still is the manager of Arsenal Football Club, since 1996. His skills are amazing, and that is why during the management of Arsene, Arsenal has been having the most number of titles won through all of these years, which is incredible.

Arsene is only following the footsteps of his father, that was also a manager of a local small team. However, Arsene got lucky and got hired by a superb football club. He has a nickname of “The Professor” from the French and also from the English media, because of the tactics he uses and because of his demeanor.

Everyone loves his tactics. When he started coaching, he would advocate the formation of 4—4-2, since that would be the way that the team would cover the most space on the field. He believes that his players should be free to play on the field, that’s why he allows them to follow their intuition during a match, because he thinks that when a player makes a mistake, he can learn from it, not repeating it in a future match anymore. This is something he has been highly criticize for, but also highly praised, especially because this is not common.

Wenger is definitely a controversial manager, because he has an amazing ambition and always had, which is why he has come such a long way, especially nowadays. He conquered the goal of getting to coach an incredible team, but something he also desires on a team is them having fun, giving the audience a show, which is great nowadays due to the possibility of betting online, especially when a team demonstrates to attack but never scores. However, Arsenal has the reputation of winning most games they play at.

When it comes to players, Wenger has an amazing way of turning a normal player that any team has, to an incredible one that only the major teams have, which is a huge difference. He has helped many players like Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Robin Van Persie, Francesc Fàbregas and many others. They have become world-class players thanks to Wenger and his coaching.

He knows what he is doing in every way when it comes to Arsenal. He is a superb strategist and there is an example. Nicolas Anelka was transferred from Paris Saint Germain for just 500£ thousand and when two years later Madrid wanted the player, he was transferred for the incredible amount of 22.3£ Million.

During the years, he has received many awards, especially of being the best manager. He has won Best Manager Premier League 10 times, Best Manager LMA 2 times, Best Manager France 2 times, Onze d’Or Coach of the Year 4 times, and many others.

He will leave a big vacuum in Arsenal that very few managers can fill. Though he left due to pressure from fans, there are also many people who love Wenger and how he coaches. He is definitely controversial, but always in a good way.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/arsene-wenger-a-tribute-to-epls-most-successful/

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hinted that the disunity among fans of the club was a factor in his impending exit.

The 68-year-old Frenchman announced on Friday he would step down at the end of the season after almost 22 years at the helm.

A section of Arsenal fans have turned on Wenger as they look set to miss out on a Premier League top-four spot for the second successive season. They finished fifth last season and ended up in the Europa League, in which they have reached the semi-finals.

“The image we gave from our club is not what it is and not what I like,” Wenger, 68, said in his post-match interview after the 4-1 Premier League win over West Ham.

The Gunners finished outside the top four last term for the first time since Wenger arrived at the club, and are now in sixth place, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, with four matches remaining.

Now Arsenal have to win the Europa League to reach next season’sChampions League.

Fans have held “Wenger out” signs at Arsenal matches, while there have been empty seats at home games in recent months.

“I was not tired,” Wenger added, when talking about his decision to quit.

“Personally I believe this club is respected all over the world, much more than in England.

“The fans did not give me the image of unity I want all over the world and that was hurtful because I think the club is respected”.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wenger-i-wasnt-tired-im-leaving-arsenal-because-of-some-fans/

Nigerian forward, Imoh Ezekiel, is disappointed that his club Las Palmas have been relegated to the Spanish second division after three years following their 4-0 thrashing at home by Alaves on Sunday, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

Munir El Haddadi scored twice after half-time before Alvaro Medran and Ruben Sobrino added two late goals to send Las Palmas down to the second division with four games left to play.

Ezekiel who featured for 71 minutes before he was replaced however kept mum on whether he will be going down with the team.

“It’s disappointing how we lost the game. I really don’t know what happened or what to say now, but the future will take care of it’s self,” Ezekiel told CSN.

“I’d be weighing my options vin the coming weeks.”

Ezekiel joined Las Palmas on a two and half year deal after he terminated his deal with Konyaspor.

Malaga who also parade two Nigerian players, Brown Ideye and Isaac Success, have already been relegated.

Deportivo La Coruna are currently in the remaining relegation spot.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/ezekiel-rues-las-palmas-relegation-to-spanish-2nd-tier-league/

Former England stars Gary Neville and Gary Lineker as well as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp have joined the football community in showering encomiums on Arsene Wenger after the Frenchman announced he will quit his post as Arsenal manager at end of the current season.

Wenger, who is currently the longest serving manager in the English Premier League having been in charge since 1996, made his intention known via a shocking press statement on Friday.

“Arsene Wenger built the best teams that I played against in English Football. The 98 team was amazing.The biggest compliment is that he played football that made us change the way we played against them. He now deserves the most incredible send off from all in the coming weeks,” former Manchester United defender Neville wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Klopp also joined in praising Wenger who he described a fantastic manager.

“I am surprised. It is his decision. I respect that. He is an influence in football. Had a fantastic career. Outstanding personality,” Klopp told the BBC.

“He was there for so long, 22 years is a long time. Maybe in last few months not everybody was happy with this result or that.

“He was the dominating guy in mid 1990s, 2000s. It is different now because we have to challenge but in Germany he was a big role model.

“It will be different. Maybe he will go somewhere else. I wish him all the best.”

Lineker, who is a legend for Arsenal’s North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, paid tribute to the Frenchman.

“Arsene Wenger is to leave @Arsenal at the end of the season. He has given much of his life to Arsenal. He has brought much success to the club. He has given much to the game of football in our country. Merci et bonne chance, Monsieur Wenger. #Wenger,” Lineker tweeted.

The Frenchman, 68, joined the Gunners in 1996 and won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, leading the club to an unbeaten league campaign in 2003/2004.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/neville-klopp-lineker-pay-tribute-to-wenger/

Arsene Wenger has announced in a shocking press statement that he will be quitting as Arsenal manager at the end of the season.

The Frenchman, 68, joined the Gunners in 1996 and won three Premier League titles and several other trophies, leading the club to an unbeaten league campaign in 2003/2004.

“After careful consideration and following discussions with the club, I feel it is the right time for me to step down at the end of the season,” Wenger said in the statement on Arsenal’s official website on Friday.

“I am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the club for so many memorable years.

“I managed the club with full commitment and integrity.

“I want to thank the staff, the players, the Directors and the fans who make this club so special.

“I urge our fans to stand behind the team to finish on a high.

“To all the Arsenal lovers take care of the values of the club.

“My love and support for ever.”

Majority owner Stan Kroenke said: “This is one of the most difficult days we have ever had in all our years in sport. One of the main reasons we got involved with Arsenal was because of what Arsène has brought to the club on and off the pitch. His longevity and consistency over such a sustained period at the highest level of the game will never be matched.

“Arsène has unparalleled class and we will always be grateful to him. Everyone who loves Arsenal and everyone who loves football owes him a debt of gratitude. Three Premier League titles, including an entire season unbeaten, seven FA Cup triumphs and 20 successive years in the Champions League is an exceptional record. He has also transformed the identity of our club and of English football with his vision for how the game can be played.

“We have high ambitions to build on Arsène’s remarkable tenure and to honour his vision by ensuring that Arsenal competes for and wins the biggest and most important prizes in the game.

“We must now focus on making a strong finish to the season and ask our millions of fans around the world to join us in paying appropriate tribute to one of the greats of Arsenal’s history and one of the greats of the game.”

The club explained: “Arsene will lead the team to the end of the season and we will make an appointment as soon as possible. The club will not be making any further comment on the selection process until an appointment is made.”

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wenger-im-stepping-down-as-arsenal-manager/

Nigeria winger Victor Moses on Thursday bagged the winner as Chelsea beat Burnley 2-1 in the Premier League at Turf Moor to revive their hopes of claiming a UEFA Champions League spot, reports.

It was Moses’s third goal in 25 appearances for the dethroned English Premier League champions this season.

The win took fifth-placed Chelsea’s points haul to 63 from 34 games, five points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place.

The former Wigan star also had a hand in Antonio Conte’s men first goal on the 20th minute of the encounter.

He received a long pass from Gary Cahill and his cross was bundled home by Kevin Long.

Chelsea wasted a number a good goal-scoring opportunities afterwards with Spaniard Alvaro Morata the worst culprit.

They were made to pay for those missed chances when Ashley Barnes equalised for the hosts in the 66th minute.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s shot looked to be heading wide, only for it to hit the heel of Barnes and creep past Thibaut Courtois.

Moses got the winner six minutes later, hotting home Emerson Palmieri’s cross.

At the King Power Stadium also on Thursday, Leicester City and Southampton battled to a 0-0 draw with the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho involved from the start.

Ndidi, who made his 32nd league appearance for the Foxes in the game, played the entire 90 minutes, while Iheanacho who played his 17th league game of the season was substituted in the 76th minute with Foussane Diabate coming on for him.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/moses-fires-chelsea-past-burnley-ndidi-iheanacho-start-in-leicester-draw/

Oghenekaro Etebo made his 10th LaLiga start for Las Palmas who lost 1-0 to Real Betis on Thursday, reports Completesportsnigeria.com.

Junior Firpo scored in stoppage time for Real Betis to move up to fifth in the Spanish LaLiga with 55 points from 33 games.

Nigerian forward Imoh Ezekiel replaced Nacho Gil in the 84th minute.

Ezekiel made his sixth appearance for Las Palmas. He is yet to score a goal since he arrived at the club on a free transfer in February.

At the Estadi Ciutat de València, in Spain, Brown Ideye made his ninth start for Malaga who lost 1-0 to Levante and got relegated. Emmanuel Boateng’s stoppage time goal condemned Malaga to relegation.

Malaga are bottom of the table with 17 points from 33 matches, 17 points from safety with five matches to go, therefore their relegation was confirmed on Thursday night.

Ideye had a great chance to score the opener in the 19th minute but his header was saved by Oier Olazabal.

The Nigerian international was replaced in the 83rd minute by Borja Baston.

Ideye has scored once for Malaga since he joined them on loan from Tianjin TEDA.

His compatriot Isaac Success was not listed in the matchday squad for the game.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/etebo-ezekiel-cant-prevent-las-palmas-defeat-ideye-starts-as-malaga-are-relegated/

Nigerian hurdler Oluwatobiloba Amusan has expressed appreciation to everyone who played a part in her success at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

The Nigerian sprinter won gold in the women’s 100m hurdles, the first time Nigeria would win gold in the event.

She was also part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay team that won a bronze medal.

The Nigerian team, made up of Amusan, Joy Udo-Gabriel, Blessing Okagbare and Rosemary Chukwuma, finished with a time of 42.75 seconds behind England and Jamaica who won gold and silver respectively with a time of 42.36 and 42.52 seconds.

“I take pride in saying that I did not come this far with my own efforts but with the help of Jehovah, my family, spiritual parents, VCBC Family, Coach Lacena & Davian, AFN, NOC, Utep Athletics D. ,Athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches,” Amusan tweeted via her official handle @evaglobal01.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/commonwealth-games-gold-medallist-amusan-gives-credit-to-coach-others/

Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a thigh injury.

According to top Belgian football expert John Chapman, the 20-year-old former Golden Eaglets striker, who is on loan from English Premier League side Liverpool, will play no part in Royal Excel Mouscron’s remaining Belgian First Division A Europa League play-off games.

He tweeted via his handle @BelgoFoot: “Taiwo Awoniyi, Mouscron’s Nigerian striker on loan from Liverpool will miss the rest of the season due to thigh injury. #lfc.”

The former Nigeria U-17, U-20 striker had scored twice in four Belgian play-offs games for Royal Excel Mouscron prior to this setback.

So far this season, the Liverpool loanee has scored 10 goals in 31 appearances, providing seven assists.

Awoniyi has missed Mouscron’s last two fixtures, his last appearance coming on 8 April in the 2-1 against Kortrijk in which he scored.

Royal Excel Mouscron will face Leuven in their next game on Saturday.

Awoniyi has also been linked with a move to Club Brugge and Anderlecht after the expiration of his loan deal.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/injured-awoniyi-ruled-out-for-rest-of-season/

Super Eagles winger Ahmed Musa was in good form as he provided two assists in CSKA Moscow’s 3-0 win against Amkar Perm in the Russia Premier League at the VEB Arena on Wednesday, reports [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url].

Musa, who played the entire 90 minutes in the game, laid the ball for Victor Vitinho’s opening goal a minute before half time.

He also had a hand in the second goal, setting up Russian international Fedor Chalov in first half added time.

Chalov got his second of the game a minute after the hour mark, converting home a good pass from Mário Fernandes.

Amkar Perm also paraded their three Nigerian imports Aaron Samuel, Fegor Ogude and Bryan Idowu in the game.

Samuel who had a subdued game against his parent club was substituted after half time with Dario Bodul coming on for him.

Ogude was also substituted for Mikhail Gashachenkov in the 71st minute.

Left-back Bryan Idowu was however involved from start from to finish and was booked in the 71st minute.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/musa-bags-two-assists-as-cska-moscow-outscore-idowus-amkar-perm/

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has allayed fears that the federation may be facing challenges preparing the Super Eagles for the summer FIFA World Cup in Russia, saying there is no cause for alarm, [url]Completesportsnigeria.com[/url] reports.

Speaking with the media in Abuja, on Wednesday, Pinnick said he is fully in charge of Super Eagles’ World Cup preparation and he will leave no stone unturned to ensure that Nigeria have a successful campaign in Russia

“We are not facing any challenge, and I would like to thank the government of Nigeria for creating the enabling environment for us to strive,” Pinnick said.

“The government has given us all the support and more importantly create that stability we always sought in football. The government has really done well by giving us financial support to reach our goal. I thank the Minister, who has been a major supporter of our programme.

“Talking about the World Cup, I don’t we have any issue because I speak to the technical officials, especially the coaches everyday, and I am also in touch with the technical committee. I am totally in charge of the World Cup and I don’t delegate functions that are crucial because the desire of every Nigerian is for Super Eagles to do well at the World Cup.

“So, I don’t think there is any challenge. We had a meeting with the team in November and we signed agreement with them that 30 percent of the FIFA money which is $2.8million will be paid to them. I am a very transparent person and every detail on bonus for each match and up to the final as well as share of income from FIFA money was agreed on.

“I am not one of the presidents of the federation that don’t talk about money and you find every detail of it. The $2.8million we agreed with the players is almost 100 percent already for them to collect whenever they come. We met a couple of State governments and even made presentation to FIFA in raising the money and I can assure that the money is 100% certain for them to collect.”

Pinnick also revealed that the NFF will shoulder the responsibility of flying the Congolese national team to and from Nigeria for the next month’s friendly match against the Super Eagles in Uyo.

“We are making an arrangement to fly in the Congolese national team because that is our responsibility. We are not going to give them any money. We would bring them here, stay for two days and take them back to their country after the match,” he explained.

“They are like 10 steps ahead of us in FIFA Ranking and we just want to humble them here and before going to England. The tickets for Nigeria/England match is almost sold out and it will a good game. The match would play at the Wembley on June 2, and from then we would go to play Czech Republic in Austria on June 6, before moving to Russia for World Cup.”

On the goalkeeping situation of the Super Eagles, Pinnick said plans are underway to dispatch goalkeeper trainers to all the national team keepers including Dele Alampasu, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi and the Spain-based goalkeeper Francis Uzoho for one-on-one training ahead of the World Cup.

Source:https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/pinnick-opens-up-on-super-eagles-world-cup-bonuses-friendlies-goalkeeper-plans/