Euphoria greeted the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to appoint young UEFA certified coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere as the new coach of the U17 team of Nigeria.

A lot of football followers were excited that a young coach with modern ideas will be in charge of the team, a clear departure from the act of recycling coaches for the team which hasn’t produced much in recent times.

Nigeria have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the U17 World Cup, a tournament that they hold the honour of the most decorated team in history with five titles.

Many will want to disagree, but the recent failure encounter by the team has little or nothing to do with coaching, rather more of the haphazard nature of the team’s preparation for tournament.

Due to the lack of an organised structure or a proper U15-U17 league in the country, the old method of using open screening is still very much in place. A practise that has become obsolete and out of fashion.

Most times, at least in the last four years as many as 1,000 young footballers will converge at the Goal Project football pitch in Abuja to be assessed by coaches. It is usually done like a month or two before the qualifiers.

Coaches will select the best that they can see, and place others who came via recommendations from trusted associates in a different pool. Next will be the mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging Test popularly referred to as MRI Test.

The last six teams of Nigeria at this level have been recomposed after the Test meant to curb age fraud. The test from experience usually wipes out most of the regulars leaving the coaches to begin the process of raising a new team few days to either a tournament or qualifiers.

Two years ago, they started the process of players undergoing the test before coming to camp, but it didn’t yield the expected results, hence they went back to the practise of having a pool of over 100 players picked for the test.

For the young coach Eboboritse to succeed, the system has to be made a lot simpler and less cumbersome. He succeeded with the youth project at Sporting Lagos, but he is coming into a field that is a trap and has all the recipe for failure as seen with previous coaches.

Maybe working as an assistant before his elevation to the main coach would have helped, but Nduka Ugbade who walked down that rope also failed largely due to the above mentioned outdated, mundane and unorganised pattern of operation.

The NFF as we all know are not open to changing ideas, approach and mode of operation, because most times they have square pegs in round holes holding sensitive positions with little or no idea on how to function properly in such capacity.

Like the old saying goes ” You can’t give what you don’t have”. May Eboboritse Uwejamomere succeed but the odds are starkly and firmly against him.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan have Nigeria international goalkeeper Maduka Okoye at the top of their summer transfer wishlist, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Inter Milan are locked in talks with their first choice goalkeeper Yan Sommer over a short extension of his deal that will expire in the summer, after initially accepting to let the 37 year old leave.

They could still be open to his departure, if a deal to sign Okoye from Udinese materialise in the summer per what we exclusively gathered from sources in Italy.

Okoye has ten clean sheets this season, the third best among all goalkeepers in Italy this season only behind the duo to Jean Butez of Como (18) and man he is tipped to replace in Sommer (17).

Among goalkeepers playing for mid table teams, he is the best and Udinese are said to be open to his departure, but only for a fee in the region of €30 million. A fee that could still be negotiated with two years left on his deal.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Swedish side AIK have accepted the invitation of fast rising Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna to the senior national team of Nigeria for the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Zadok was among the new players handed a first time call up to the team by head coach Eric Chelle, who wants to use the tournament to blood in new player in lowly rated but competitive European leagues.

The 18 year who is strongly linked with a summer transfer to German giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window put himself in the frame, with five goals and four assists in 12 games all competitions this season.

AIK were initially reluctant to let him leave as the date of the tournament will coincide with their top game against Hammarby, but after a chat with the camp of the player he was given the go ahead.

Meanwhile the knock he picked up in their 2-4 defeat to Djurgaden that led to his substitution isn’t as bad as initially feared, hence he is expected to be back for the game against Vasteras this weekend.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle is excited over the prospect of having Millwall winger Femi Azeez in his team following his decision to pledge his international future to Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Born in England to parents of Nigerian descent, Azeez accepted to pledge his future to Nigeria rather than wait for a call up to England, after a very good season in the English Championship.

The 24 year old was voted into the official team of the season, and also narrowly missed out on winning the player of the year in the division. His team also lost out in the playoff semi final yesterday to Hull City.

It means he will be available for selection by Nigeria for the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament, and Chelle can’t wait to have him in his ranks.

He sees the winger in the mould of Bayern Munich star Michael Olise in the way that they play. Particularly when it comes to beating their man on the flanks.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

With three goals in his last five games for Spanish LaLiga side Valencia Sadiq Umar has denied having any disagreement with head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle, OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Sadiq netted the winner for Valencia against Atletico Bilbao last weekend his fifth goal in the league since moving to Valencia from Real Sociedad in the January transfer window.

His form has been largely responsible for their position in the league, where they moved from battling to be in the top division and now eyeing a mid table finish.

Unconfirmed reports say the 29 year old had a rift with Chelle after he was excluded from the team that finished third at the AFCON. A report which he blatantly denied.

” I have not had any conversation with the coach to that extent and it’s shocking that people will just fabricate stories about me, that isn’t true. Sometimes I wonder what I have done to some people in the media”, Sadiq told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

” Allah (God) has given me the opportunity of playing for Nigeria and that is something I don’t take for granted and I look forward to more opportunities, but if it doesn’t come I will support the team with all that I have”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has complied the list of players that will represent Nigeria at the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelle has already drafted a 30 man list which will be made public later this week. The coach also placed some players on standby in the event that any of the invited players fail to make it.

We can exclusively reveal that Moses Usor of Austrian side LASK is on standby, and will get a call if any of the wingers invited fails to make it after an impressive season in Austria.

In 30 League games, the 24 year old scored 13 goals and provided five assists. In the Cup which they won he had two goals and four assists in 5 games.

The tournament according to Chelle is meant to access players like the former 36 Lions FC man, and other players playing in competitive but less glamorous leagues in Europe.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Barring a last minute change of mind head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle

Nigeria U20 winger Suleiman Sani has been given the medical all clear to make his debut for German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in their final game of the season, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Sani picked up a knock in his first week of training with the German side following his record sale January transfer from Slovakian side AS Trenčín.

The knocked delayed his debut for the team, where he is viewed as the obvious replacement for sought after winger Yan Diomande who is expected to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

However after returning from Austria, where he underwent a special physical session to improve his body strength and balance, he is now back in training with the hope of making his debut next weekend.

RB Leipzig are already sure of finishing third and also a spot in the UEFA Champions League, and will use the game against Freiburg to likely hand him his debut, bearing in mind that it’s a dead rubber game.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Brentford defender Michael Kayode will meet with the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle despite a late rally from Italy, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Kayode is a member of the U21 of Italy, but he is still eligible for the senior national team of Nigeria through his parents who are immigrants from the West Africa country.

Former coach of the Italian team Gennaro Gattuso didn’t see the 21 year old as an option despite his ranking as one of the best right back in England. During the last international break he was a late addition to the U21 team.

Now with Gattuso no longer at the helm, it is believed that it will be a fresh start and interim coach Silvio Baldini knows him well from the U21. However there is a twist from what we gathered.

As at the time of this report, Baldini hasn’t made any contact with Kayode paving the way for a meeting with coach of the Nigerian team Eric Chelle in London, when Nigeria arrive for the Unity Cup.

The meeting was in doubts a few weeks ago, but Kayode’s representative have confirmed that they are going ahead with it, in their bid to bring a quick resolution to his international career.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has submitted the list of players that will represent Nigeria at the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will be defending the tournament they won last year with their semi final clash against Zimbabwe, where the winner will face either India or Jamaica who will lock horns in the tournament’s other game.

Chelle already said he will use the tournament to blood in new players from lowly rated but competitive league in Europe, the Nigeria Premier Football League and also give game time to fringe players.

We can exclusively reveal that Millwall winger Femi Azeez who was voted in the Championship team of the season is among the new players, and contrary to claims made by Zadok Yohanna of Swedish side AIK he is in the team for the tournament.

There is also a first time invitation for Plymouth Argyle striker Owen Oseni. A shock inclusion which sources close to the coach initially denied but later made a u-turn on his inclusion.

The 22 year old ended the season with ten goals in 33 games in all competitions, but per what we gathered he was included in the team due to his physical attributes, which also includes his ability to use his pace and also press high up the pitch.

” He (Owner) fits the profile of how Chelle want his attackers to be. However I understand that a player from the third division is a no no for any senior national team, but Chelle has seen enough to make the call. Now it’s up to the player to make it count”, a source close to the coach revealed.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman