Nigeria will begin their campaign in the race to be at the next Africa Cup of Nations in September when they take on Benin Republic in Uyo, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Just like we exclusively reported yesterday the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has sent out provisional invitation to 35 players who will be part of the team for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers game, despite the fact that the team is without a substantive coach at the moment.

Following the exit of Finidi George as coach, the NFF technical department compiled the list of players for the game, and it will be handed over to whoever gets the nod as the coach of the team expected to be announced soon.

The new coach is expected to trim the list to a sizeable and manageable number of 25 for the game, which will see the Super Eagles go all out for a revenge after losing to the same opponent in the world cup 2026 qualifiers.

Among the new players called up to the team is Brentford’s defender Benjamin Fredrick, who has impressed a lot in pre season for the team following his permanent transfer to the club from Simoiben Football Academy, after a successful spell on loan last season with the B team.

Fredrick who was a member of the Nigeria U20 team to the last U-20 World Cup isn’t the only new name on the list with AS Trencin Suleiman Sani also listed after a splendid season with Akwa United last season.

The GBS of Joe Academy graduate was whiskers away from making the squad for the last round of games but was omitted due to the club commitment.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The coach of Belgium side Club Brugge Nicky Hayen says there is a huge chance that Nigeria international midfielder Frank Onyedika will leave the club before the close of the summer transfer window, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Onyedika has been linked with an exit from the club after a whirlwind season last time out, and Spanish giants Barcelona are among the teams looking at him and he acknowledged the attention in an interview.

“It’s really flattering when you see these names, this calibre of clubs getting interested in your services”, he told SportsBoom.com.

“You know straight away you’re doing the right thing, and that’s why these talks keep coming.

“I only concentrate on playing my game, and not necessarily who’s talking. Much of these I do not decide on my own, you know.. My agent will have to look at everything, and at the end decide what is best for all parties.”

Reacting to the speculations of a possible move away for the nine caps Nigeria international, the coach who has sparingly used the Nigerian in the three games they have played following the resumption of the Belgium league revealed that a possible exit is on the cards.

“That chance is real,” he said at his press conference, according to Het Nieuwsblad. “At the end of last season, that was also the case. We work with the players who are there and our homework has already been done (Ardon Jashari has already been signed, ed.).”

“Onyedika was a bit sick last week and is still not 100 percent fit. But he has already shown what value he has for the team. So I hope we can enjoy that for a while,” he concluded on Onyedika’s possible departure.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The agent of one of the coaches shortlisted for the vacant role of the head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria says the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have a coach in mind for the job, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Super Eagles have been without a coach since the exit of Finidi George after a poor performance and results in the world cup qualifiers games against South Africa and Benin Republic respectively.

They were beaten 1-2 by Benin Republic after drawing 1-1 with South Africa at home. The result left them in 5th position in the six teams group, four points behind the leaders Rwanda.

Three coaches were shortlisted and interviewed by the NFF technical committee, and Eric Chelle was picked ahead of the duo of Tom Saintfeit and Steve McClaren. However it appears the job was reserved for a coach who is now free according to the representative of one of the shortlisted candidates for the job.

” They (NFF) were waiting to hear from Herve Renard first before handing the job to anybody. I got to know from someone close to the NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau. A meeting took place last month in France with his representative”, he said.

” My client didn’t feel bad in anyway because it is the game. However they should have made it clear instead of giving the impression that it is a free and fair contest. If Renard says no then maybe they will look our way”, he concluded.

As many as 35 players have been handed provisional invitation to the Super Eagles squad ahead of their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers game against Benin Republic in Uyo, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will begin their AFCON qualifiers campaign at home against neighbors Benin Republic, who defeated them in their last game which was the 2026 world cup qualifiers at their adopted ground in Cote d’Ivoire.

Ahead of the game in September, the senior national team of Nigeria, which has been without a coach since the exit of Finidi George after the defeat to Benin Republic have sent out invitation letters to 35 players.

The list of players was drafted by the technical department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and the list is expected to be handed over to whoever gets the nod as coach of the team.

When appointed, the new coach is expected to trim the number down to a sizeable and manageable number of 25 players ahead of their opening games of the qualifiers. The list is largely made up of the regular players of the team at the last AFCON and also the last world cup qualifiers.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have put on hold plans to engage former coach of Mali Eric Chelle as the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Chelle was picked by the technical committee of the NFF after an interview with two other coaches in Tom Saintfeit and Steve McClaren who has since picked up the job of the coach of Jamaica.

However, the president of the NFF Ibrahim Musa Gusau has set the plans aside for now and meet with Frenchman Herve Renard, a two time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire respectively.

Renard has left his role as the coach of the women’s team of France following their elimination from the Paris Olympics games, and he is keen on returning back to working in men’s football particularly in Africa where he is well regarded.

His representative will meet with the NFF president and the minister for sports to speak on terms, with the coach expected to take a huge pay cut if he is to get the job. He has earlier demanded an astonishing 300 million Naira a month pay previously.

However it is believed that a former president of the NFF has convinced his representative to have him take a pay cut and use the platform of the Super Eagles to fire himself back to the top for men’s football.

Talks will happen by the weekend and there are hopes that he will accept the job, but if he doesn’t then the football body will return to the recommended choice in Chelle ahead of the team’s next competitive engagement in September.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Top division Austrian side LASK have won the battle to sign highly coveted Nigeria U17 left back Emmanuel Michael after agreeing a one year loan deal with Simoiben Football Academy, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Michael was the star of the Nigerian U17 team at the WAFU tournament picking three man of the match awards in the five games the team played enroute winning the tournament. His performance caught the attention of top teams around Europe.

French side Brest had him with the team towards the end of last season and were hoping to seal a deal for his signing. The same as Swiss side FC Basel where he was largely rumoured to be heading when he turns 18.

Austrian duo of Sturm Graz and Rapid Wien also held talks with Kaduna based academy Simoiben over signing him, but LASK beat all comers with an offer that will enhance the development of the recently turned 18 year old.

A free kick specialist who can also play as a midfielder aside from his role as a left back, he is expected to progress from the youth ranks of the team who are playing in the Europa League to the main team before the end of the season.

Daniel Martins

A cross section of players of the senior national team of Nigeria have voiced their unhappiness with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the coaching situation of the team as the date for the start of AFCON qualifiers draws near, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The team is without a coach since the exit of Finidi George after a poor showing in the world cup qualifiers. The NFF in a communique made public say they will employ an expatriate coach to handle the team before the start of the qualifiers for the AFCON in September.

However with less than a month to their first game in the series, there is still no coach in sight with the NFF silent on the search for a new coach, although coaches have been shortlisted and interviewed for the job.

” It is the players that take the sticks when things go south, but a lot need to be in place for us to perform at our best. A coach need to be in place to study the opposition, bring tactics for us to execute but it’s less than a month to two games and we don’t have one yet”, a senior player in the team said on the condition of anonymity.

” We (players) see these things as a step to failure but sadly the fans don’t. The NFF need to do better for us to do better in games of such nature. Our opponents have coaches in place preparing for us. We don’t even have an idea of who will lead us. This is really sad”, a player who was at the last AFCON also weigh in.

Another player who was also at the last AFCON said it’s becoming habitual to delay announcing of a new coach, which means the coach has little or no time to assess each player before a call up or even playing them in games. ” These things need to be planned. Not like employ a coach and expect to win the next game or get fired like Finidi. It is becoming the habit of the NFF to set up these coaches to fail by making late announcements”.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The bit part role that Joe Aribo played for the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire has been narrowed down to the lack of ideas of former coach of the team Jose Peseiro, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Aribo started his international career with goals for Nigeria against Ukraine and Brazil respectively in his first two games in the colors of the senior national team of Nigeria.

He hasn’t scored in 32 games after that and at the last AFCON he lost his spot to with the duo of Alhassan Yusuf and Frank Onyeka moving ahead of him in the pecking order of the team that went all the way to the final.

Preparing to return to the English Premier League after a year with Southampton in the English Premier League, the representative of the 28 year old explained the reason behind his lack of game time, all through the time of Jose Peseiro in charge including at the AFCON.

” I think he (Peseiro) didn’t have an idea on how to make him (Aribo) play as good as he is at Southampton. It was about his ultra defensive setup which means an offensive player like Joe who likes to move into the pocket is forced to play really deep and far away from goal. His exact role in the team wasn’t specified by Peseiro and that didn’t help him at the AFCON in particular”, he said in a chat with a member of the editorial team of OwngoalNigeria.com.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Newly signed 17 year old striker George Ilenikhena opened his goal scoring account for Ligue 1 side Monaco on his unofficial debut for the team in their 3-1 pre season win over Dutch side Feyenoord, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Fresh from joining the team from Belgium top division side Antwerp, Ilenikhena who hold both French and Nigerian citizenship earned a move to the principality side after scoring 14 goals in 50 games last season.

He showed that number is not a fluke when he opened scoring in the 25th minute to power the team to a huge morale boosting win ahead of the start of the new season in France.

His goal was celebrated by the social media of the team with a caption that which reads ( Naija (Nigeria) to the world ). Recognizing his Nigerian roots as he was born in Lagos before moving to France at a very young age.

Ilenikhena’s international future is one that will definitely go down to the wire in the coming years as both countries will no doubt have him on their radar, if as expected he continues in his streak in front of goal.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The future of Nigeria international winger Moses Simon is not in doubt despite reported interest in luring him from Nantes by top French side Marseille, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Simon who is back to full fitness and has already hit the ground running with a goal and assist in three games so far is said to be a subject of interest from Marseille’s new coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Nantes narrowly escaped relegation last season with Simon missing the final two months of the season after suffering an ankle damage while on duty with the senior national team of Nigeria.

The club are keen on avoiding another similar relegation fight heading into next season and have categorically made it clear that Simon is key to their ambition, and isn’t available for a transfer.

For now their focus is on strengthening certain areas and not letting one of their key players leave, with coach Antoine Kambouare said to have demanded an improvement in the squad.

Simon extended his deal with the club last season and it is believed that he decided on staying despite having so many options to pick from as he would have been a free player at the end of last season.

Daniel Martins