A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed reports making rounds that the coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr is being owed three months salary by the football house.

Rohr joined Nigeria in August on a salary reportedly worth $47,000 a month, but the Franco-German coach has only being paid two months salary since taking over the team.

However, the NFF official who confirmed the news of Rohr being owed salary said the coach is pre occupied with preparations for the upcoming AFCON 2019 qualifiers and the resumption of the World Cup 2018 qualifiers in September.

” We are owing Rohr, but for now the coach is focused on the job at hands, because he trust the NFF will pay him as soon as cash is available. He is not entirely new to situations like this”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” When he managed the national team of Niger Republic, Gabon and Burkina Faso, he witnessed same issues but he eventually got paid. We (NFF) are not happy but some situations are best managed due to issues beyond our control”.

* Prince Michael

Sunderland teen wonder Josh Maja who trained with the Super Eagles in London last week, following the cancellation of the proposed friendly game against Burkina Faso is one name Nigerians are not too familiar with.

18 year old Maja trained with the Eagles alongside the likes of Chuba Akpom, Ola Aina and Ebere Eze, with reports indicating that unlike Akpom he has committed his international career to Nigeria.

Owngoalnigeria.com chief editor Prince Michael takes a look at five facts about the youngster who has earned rare reviews for his performances this season.

1. Joshua Erowoli Orisunmihare Maja (Full Names) was Born in London Borough of Lewisham to Nigerian parents on the 27th of December 1998.

2. He joined Sunderland in a three way transfer involving Manchester City, where he was on loan from his parent club Fulham but ironically spent more time with Man City, but wasn’t offered scholarship terms by the Citizen.

3. Maja caught the eyes of scouts of Sunderland while playing against them for Manchester City U-17, and was handed trials by the Black Cats shortly afterwards.

4. Sunderland offered him a two year scholarship deal after impressing the team at the Future Champions Cup in South Africa in March 2015

5. A year after joining the team, he signed his first professional deal , a three year deal, and made his first team bow for the team in September last year, when he replaced Joel Asoro in the 2-1 win over QPR in the EFL Cup.

*Prince Michael

The Minister for Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung has asked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to explain how the sum of $500,00 was spent on the Super Eagles friendly game against Senegal.

The sum was gotten from sponsors, and part of it was supposed to be used to pay the players as appearance fee for the game against Senegal which ended 1-1 in London.

However the NFF said they used all of the monies for accommodation, feeding and return tickets for some of the players, hence the reason why they are yet to pay the players their appearance fee of $2,000.

As usual, the NFF appealed to the Ministry for Youth and Sports to help out in paying for the appearance fee of the players by releasing the monthly allocation for the football body.

Dalung has however asked the NFF to clearly explain how the $500,000 gotten from sponsors was spent before granting them their request to have money to settle the players as appearance fee.

*Prince Michael

Former Nigeria international goalkepper Emmanuel Babayaro questioned the rationale behind the constant invitation of FC Ifeanyi Ubah shot stopper Ikechukwu Ezenwa by Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr.

Ezenwa has been called up by Rohr to the team in their last three games but the former Nigeria U-20 shot stopper is yet to man the post in any of the Eagles games, even when they had crisis in the department.

Rohr went for Daniel Akpeyi ahead of Ezenwa even though the Chippa United ace was handed a late call up before the 3-1 win over Algeria in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

Akpeyi was once again picked ahead of Ezenwa in the recent friendly game against Senegal despite arriving London, the venue of the game few hours before kick off as opposed to Ezenwa who came in far ealier.

Babayaro says judging by the action of the Franco-German coach, it’s clear to see Rohr doesn’t rate Ezenwa but somebody within the corridors of Nigeria’s football is trying to force Ezenwa on the manager.

” Look we know how this country (Nigeria) works, It’s crystal clear Ezenwa is not the type of goalkepper Rohr likes else he would have given him a chance in one of their games during the goalkepper crisis”, Babayaro told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” Ezenwa with all due respect is a good goalkepper in his own right but probably not the type Rohr fancies. Right now, we should be asking to know who is trying to force Ezenwa on Rohr”.

*Ade Emmanuel

Nigeria international shot stopper Emmanuel Daniel has moved a step further towards making his debut for Premier South Africa League (PSL) side Orlando Pirates.

Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively report that the 22 year old has been granted work permit by the Home Office in South Africa, and Pirates recently released a Ghanaian player to free up space for his registration as a foreign player.

” Daniel received his work permits few weeks ago, he is rearing to go for Pirates. He is a free player as you know, so his registration can be done at any time”, Dare Adebanjo, a close confidant of the goalkepper told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” There’s every possibility that he could make his debut before the end of the season in South Africa, because of the departure of a player from Ghana, which means they now have a spot for a foreign player.

” For now he is training and getting himself match fit. He has been playing in unofficial games for the team for a while now, so his fitness level is quite high despite his none activity with the first time”.

*Daniel Martins

On loan Celtic defender Efe Ambrose has taken the Scottish Championship by storm by picking up three consecutive man of the match award for Hibernian FC.

Ambrose was imperious for his team yesterday as they consolidated their top spot and promotion hopes with a 0-0 draw against Morton in a bad tempered game, which saw both sides finishing the game a man less following two sending off.

Speaking to Owngoalnigeria.com, Ambrose says his form at Hibs won’t come as a surprise to coach of Celtic Brendan Rodgers who has always treated him and his family with respect despite his poor form.

” I don’t think Rodgers would be surprised by my form. He just like Neil Lennon ( coach of Hibs) is a father figure for me. He tried his best to help me get back to my best shape possible, but stuffs didn’t just work out.

” My form at Hibs isn’t down to the presence of Lennon, although you can say he lifted my morale because I know he knows my worth, but Rodgers didn’t treat me badly in any way”, Ambrose told Owngoalnigeria.com.

On the reason behind his form for Hibs, the 28 year old put it down to the long rest he has enjoyed following a failed summer transfer deadline day move to Standard Liege.

” Most people don’t understand how these things work at times, and you can’t fault them. I also didn’t help matters to be honest because I didn’t ask to be given time out to rest.

” Since 2012, the longest break I have ever heard was two weeks. It’s only naturally for my body to give way as I was juggling National team assignment and club commitments at the same time for four years.

” I’m not the type who gets injured a lot or pick up suspension, so I have few time to rest in between my very busy schedule. I finally got what my body needed and the result is what Hibs are enjoying”, Ambrose concluded.

The father of Wolverhampton Anglo-Nigerian defender Dominic Iorfa insist his son is being punished for opting to represent Nigeria instead of England where he was born.

Iorfa has played for England at various youth levels, and even trained with the senior team when they were short in defence ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifiers tie against San Marino.

Rated as one of the best defensive prospect in the English youth ranks, his father Dominic Iorfa senior who played for Nigeria at senior level says his son decision to pledge his international future to Nigeria cost him his place at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

” I have decided that my son will play for Nigeria and he met with Gernot Rohr when the coach came to see Carl Ikeme, and coach of Wolves Paul Lambert is unhappy over the fact that he has opt Nigeria ahead of England.

” That is the reason why he is no longer a regular at the club, but that won’t make him neither will I change my mind about my son representing Nigeria at senior level, no going back once he turns 23″, Iorfa told Owngoalnigeria.com.

* Osas Mahawi

The coach of the Nigeria senior national team has asked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to do the needful for Chelsea Ola Aina to be ready to make his debut for Nigeria later in the year.

Nigeria will take on South Africa in June in the AFCON 2019 qualifiers, before playing back to back games against Cameroon when the World Cup 2018 qualifiers resumes in September, and Rohr is hoping Aina would have been cleared before the games.

” Aina is the one name Rohr is keen on adding to his squad for the upcoming conpetative games of the Super Eagles. He has asked the NFF to get the all clear from FIFA before the games against South Africa and Cameroon.

” The fact that Aina has represented England at various youth levels means FIFA has to clear him before his senior debut for Nigeria. The NFF will act as demanded by the coach”, a chieftain of the NFF told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” Hopefully he will be in the next set of players who will be invited for the South Africa and Cameroon game. That is our aim for now, we pray FIFA expedite decision on his case”.

*Osas Mahawi

Arsenal highly rated forward Chuba Akpom who is currently on loan to Championship side Brighton will make a decision on his international future in few weeks time.

Akpom has represented England at various youth levels but trained with senior national team of Nigeria during their camping exercise in London, and even played in a practice game organised after the cancellation of a proposed friendly against Burkina Faso.

Despite training with Nigeria, Akpom is yet to officially declare his intention to play for Nigeria according to Michael James who witnessed the Eagles training session in England.

” I gathered from a family friend while in London that he is yet to officially opt for Nigeria ahead of England, but he will in few weeks time make his decision known about which currently he wants to play for”, James said.

” He will most likely communicate with the Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr before the June 12 AFCON 2019 qualifiers against South Africa at the earliest. The signs are positive that he could opt for Nigeria.

” However as at the time I was at their session, he is yet to make up his mind about teaming up with Nigeria full time. He appears very happy in training though”, James concluded.

* Michael James

The international future of Leicester City star Ahmed Musa after his poor reaction to being strip off his role as assistant captain of the Nigeria national team.

Musa was replaced by coach Gernot Rohr as deputy captain shortly before the friendly game against Senegal, as the coach handed the skipper band to Ogenyi Onazi in the absence of regular captain John Obi Mikel.

The decision infuriated Musa who called the players behind the coach to tell them off his decision to step down as vice captain before even telling the manager of his decision.

Michael James who covered the Super Eagles while in London on behalf of Owngoalnigeria.com reports that the Leicester City star might have played his lack game for the team after requesting to leave the team’s camp before the game against Senegal.

” Something is definitely not right with Musa and Rohr. The way he left the camp on the grounds of family issues as claimed by Rohr is not true in anyway. He doesn’t seem happy with the coach after losing the vice captain role.

“Musa didn’t challenge Rohr openly but his reaction says it all. You know the Super Eagles coach is a very experienced man, so he is trying to play it down but I doubt if Musa will called up for future games.

” I gathered it all started from the game against Algeria, when Musa asked for his new car to be driven to the camp of the team before the game. It distracted the players as it became the main gist in the camp instead of the game.

” Then the Mosque incident happened just two days to the game. Musa has not conducted himself in a matured manner and it could cost him his spot in the team, regardless of his talents”.

*Michael James