The omission of Igho Ogbu from the final list of players called up to the senior national team of Nigeria for the dead runner AFCON qualifiers game against Sao Tome and Principe have drawn a reaction from the club Slavia Prague, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Ogbu’s invitation for the game was confirmed by the club but his name was missing in the final list of 23 players now in the camp of the team in Uyo, preparing for the game on Sunday.

His non inclusion led to an inquest from our editorial team and we exclusively gathered that he was stopped from honoring the call up by his club and they duly informed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) their reasons.

They said the 23 year old who has been ever present for the team since the start of the season picked up a head injury which will require further examination hence can’t be a part of the squad.

The former Nigeria U17 and U20 defender will be hoping to get another chance when the team begin their quest to be at the 2026 World Cup in November. Their opening game of the qualifiers will be against Lesotho.

Ade Emmanuel

Top division Swiss side Lausanne Sport have completed the loan signing of 26 year old Nigeria international forward Samuel Kalu from English Championship side Watford, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Kalu was deemed surplus to requirements by the English Championship side alongside his international teammate Maduka Okoye, who has since joined Italian Serie A side Udinese.

Since moving to Watford from French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, he has struggled for form and also had to battle several niggling injuries as well as fitness issues , and it limited him to just 13 matches in his almost two years stay at the club.

The club was keen on offloading him permanently before the close of the transfer window but received no offer for his services, until the Swiss side came with a loan offer as their own transfer window is still open.

He will be hoping for better fortune at the club to help put his career back on track both at club and national team level. He last played for Nigeria in 2021, he earned his 10th cap in the game against Central Africa Republic (CAR) which Nigeria lost 0-1 in Lagos.

Daniel Martins

As the senior national team of Nigeria step up their training session ahead of the game against Sao Tome and Principe, they will later today have their first full training session in preparation for the game on Sunday.

Nigeria are already through to next year Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire but coach Jose Peseiro still called up most of the regulars. His idea is to encourage competition in the team ahead of the start of the World Cup qualifiers in November.

Some players particularly those in the team for the first time will use the opportunity to cement a spot in the team, while others will see it as a way of reclaiming their spot especially those who are staging a return to the team.

OwnGoalNigeria.com editor in chief Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman takes a look at the key battles, which will begin today as players start the process of fighting for a spot in the team ahead of Sunday.

In Goal- Francis Uzoho reclaimed his spot as first choice goalkeeper after the AFCON but was missing for the team’s game against Benin Republic. In his absence Adeleye Adebayo made a huge statement for the spot with a strong showing in the 3-2 away win. Uzoho is back in the squad but Adeleye will fancy keeping his spot by giving his all in training. It’s one decision to keep an eye on.

Ola Aina vs Tyronne Ebuehi – This battle is for the right full back spot of the team and it will certainly go down to the wire. Both players are returning to the set up after a while. In their absence Bright Osayi Samuel cemented the spot and now the battle between them will be about who gets to earn the right to challenge Osayi-Samuel in November, when the World Cup qualifiers gets underway.

Jordan Torunarigha vs Calvin Bassey – Both players can play as left full backs aside playing as left sided centre backs. Peseiro has always made reference of the importance of a left footed center back, and that has somehow pitched the above mentioned duo against each other in the fight for a spot in the team.

Bassey will feel he has the edge in this one but Jordan who is in the team for the first time will no doubt think otherwise.

Jamilu Collins vs Bruno Onyemaechi – Both players are returning to the set up after taking turns as back up to Zaidu Sanusi. In his absence, the duo will slug it out for a spot and possibly be in the squad again for the world cup qualifiers, which begins in November.

Kelechi Iheanacho vs Victor Boniface – Peseiro plays a 4-2-4 formation when up against teams that play with a low block and that is how Sao Tome will likely approach the game after getting thrashed 10-2 in the reverse tie. That means the role of who will be behind the striker is up for grabs and it has been narrowed to just the duo of Iheanacho and Boniface.

Awoniyi is more like the back up to Osimhen in the top striker’s role but who plays just behind them is a decision that will be made soon. Gift Orban might also fancy getting involved in the battle.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Portuguese giants FC Porto have cleared the air on why left full back Zaidu Sanusi wasn’t included in the Super Eagles squad for the dead rubber AFCON qualifiers game against Sao Tome and Principe.

The 26 year old wasn’t in the list of 23 players called up by the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro, when the list was made public and news in Portugal had it that he was dropped due to poor performance.

In his defence, FC Porto said bureaucratic reasons were behind his non-inclusion in the final list, explaining that he was actually summoned by Peseiro to be a part of the squad for the game.

They said they contacted the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after receiving his invitation and explained that Zaidu can’t travel now as they are processing his Schengen visa. And considering the fact that he will be allowed to attend the AFCON in January asked for understanding from the NFF, particularly as the game has no direct implications on Nigeria’s qualification for the tournament.

In the spirit of keeping up with the good relationship between both parties, the NFF accepted and a replacement in Jamilu Collins of Cardiff City was called up for the game on Sunday.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The camp of the senior national team of Nigeria for the dead rubber Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers game against Sao Tome and Principe has resumed in full swing following the arrival of team’s talisman Victor Osimhen, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria have already booked a spot at next year Africa Cup of Nations but still called up all the big stars for the dead rubber tie, as it is the only window available for preparation ahead of the start of the World Cup qualifiers in November.

Osimhen was a part of the eleven players who arrived the camp of the team in Uyo to swell the number of players in the camp of the team to 22.  It wasn’t long after his arrival that Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman also breezed in.

It means all 23 players invited for the game are now in the camp of the team ahead of the first training session, which will hold later this evening.

Jamilu Collins, Taiwo Awoniyi, Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Calvin Bassey, William Troost Ekong, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Joseph Aribo, Lookman Ademola, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Jordan Torunarigha, Raphael Onyedika, Leke Ojo, Adebayo Adeleye, Francis Uzoho, Bruno Onyemaechi, Gift Orban, Victor Boniface, Tyrone Ebuehi, Ademola Lookman.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Slovakian side AS Trencin have pulled what can be said to be one of the shock move in the ongoing transfer window with the signing of 18 year old Nigerian teen sensation Aliyu Abdullahi popularly called Aguero, one of the youngest ever to play in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Aguero rose through the ranks of Jos based football academy GBS, so good that at age 13 he was training and playing matches with players older than him. Teams like French Ligue 1 side Monaco, Dutch top division side Heerenveen all had him on their shortlist when they visited the academy.

At age 15 he joined Nasarawa United but was fastracked to the U18 in no time before he made his step up to the main team at the age of 16. He  gained national recognition by leading the unfancied team to the final of the Nigeria FA Cup, where they were beaten 4-3 on penalties by Bayelsa United. He scored the second goal for his side in the 2-2 draw during regulation time.

A call up to the Nigeria U20 team followed suit and he immediately made an impression on coach Ladan Bosso, who made him the captain of the team but injury stopped him from making the team to the U20 AFCON and later the World Cup.

His stunning performance brought back scouts of Heerenveen but this time around, they were joined by German side Borrusia Monchengladbach and fellow Dutch Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam for the teen sensation.

A constant threat to defender with his pace, skills and precision in front of goal, Aliyu is seen as defenders nightmare, and that has made his singing by the modest Slovakian side a huge coup.

He joins Jude Sunday, Hilary Gong and Jesse Akila at the club.

One of the shock of the German Bundesliga this season is the elevation of 21 year old goalkeeper Noah Atubolu to the position of first choice at Freiburg considering the fact that he didn’t make a single appearance last season, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Last season even for the first team , he was in and out of their matchday squad making his rise to the position of first choice more remarkable. In total he has kept goal in seven games for the first team, four of which came this season.

For Freiburg II he has been the undisputed first choice for a while. Two weeks ago in the game against Werder Bremen precisely, a close up shot displayed the Nigerian flag on his gloves during the course of the 1-0 win. His first clean sheet in the Bundesliga.

Search showed that in 2019, he was among the goalkeepers of Nigerian descent who met with former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr during a visit to Germany, the other been Maduka Okoye who has since claimed 16 senior caps for Nigeria.

Atubolu was asked about the approach by Nigeria and he confirmed saying the idea of. Nigeria was proposed to him by Rohr, while playing for Freiburg II in the same league as Okoye which is the fifth division in Germany.

” I had the chance of playing for Nigeria after meeting with the coach in 2019 and it’s an option I can’t rule out in the future”, he said in 2020 when he got his first call up to the U21 of Ghana.

His recent status as a goalkeeper in a top flight league makes it probably the best time to revisit his case particularly with no Nigerian goalkeeper currently playing at that level.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

One of the names that took many by surprise in the list of players called up by the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro for the dead rubber AFCON qualifiers was Jordan Torunarigha.

OwngoalNigeria.com has hinted on his possible first time call up to the senior national team of Nigeria after completing the regulation for his switch of nationality from Germany. Peseiro met with him in Belgium, where he currently plays for Gent.

Torunarigha, the son of former Nigeria junior international Ojokojo was born in Germany and represented teh country of his birth from U15 to U23 level raking up 30 appearances in total. He also rapidly progressed through the ranks at Hertha Berlin making the step up to the Friday team from the U17 in four years.

The process for his nationality switch to Nigeria was started by former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr, who went as far offering the then 21 year old a chance to be in the squad for the world cup in Russia.

At that time, the defender was ever present with 14 games in the German Bundesliga with two goals and two assists. He rejected the invitation and openly said his father advised him against honoring the call up due to the politics in the Nigerian set up.

He also mentioned the fear of getting caught up in some of the fetish acts that has been reported to be happening in the camp of Nigeria. His father felt he wasn’t well equipped at that age to deal with such concerns. A decision which Rohr respected.

Two years later, Rohr was back on his case again and this time around secured an agreement that after his involvement in the Olympic for the German U23 he will be open to switching to Nigeria.

Injury robbed him the chance of making it to the tournament and it subsequently led to his departure to Belgium side Gent on loan, in his his bid to regain match sharpness after a lengthy time out. That loan move was made permanent last season.

His decision to finally switch to Nigeria can’t be attributed to Peseiro alone, who was told by the 26 year old when he visited Belgium that he is now open to playing for Nigeria, mentioning his past interaction with Rohr.

Meaning the former coach did all the ground work for Peseiro to complete the process with an invitation, which can be said to be well deserved with the backline of the Nigerian team ageing, but we must not forget the man who started the process and he is Rohr, now the coach of Super Eagles world cup qualifiers group rivals Benin Republic.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The list of players who will represent the senior national team of Nigeria in their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers game against Sao Tome and Principe was made public by coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro.

Peseiro called up 23 players but in the list four senior players including captain of the team Ahmed Musa were not called duo for the dead rubber game, with Nigeria already through to the Africa Cup of Nations which will take place in Cote d’Ivoire.

One that generated most noise was the omission of the captain of the team Musa, who has long lost his spot as first choice starter but he is still seen as a very important member of the squad.

Now at Turkish Süper Lig side Sivasspor, the 30 year old played the opening league game for his team but was forced off in the 64th minute after picking up a knock. He hasn’t recovered from the knock hence his exclusion from the list.

For Kenneth Omeruo, the newly signed Kasimpasa defender is suspended for this game while FC Porto Zaidu Sanusi is also missing due to documentation issues. Injury is the same reason why Alex Iwobi who just joined Fulham wasn’t called up.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman