The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has told the goalkeeper trainer of the team Ike Shorunmu to stay away from the ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau.

Super Eagles are in camp for the back to back AFCON qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau on the 24th of March and the 27th in Abuja and away in Bissau respectively. The team will now prosecute the games without first assistant coach Finidi George and goakeepers trainer Shorunmu.

No idea on who will take the spot of Finidi as first assistant but it has been confirmed that the goalkeeper trainer of the Nigeria U20 team Baruwa Olatunji Abideen will be in the camp of the team for the games against Guinea Bissau

Shorunmu confirmed to Newstap.com.ng that he has been told to stay away from the camp of the team by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) but he hasn’t been officially notified by Peseiro.

“What you heard is true. In fact, I have been called by the NFF on the situation. I was told not to bother to go to camp. They told me it was Peseiro who didn’t want me to be part of the game. But as we speak, I have not heard from Peseiro himself,” Ike Shorunmu said.

An explanation on why Innocent Bonke of Ligue 1 side Lorient wasn’t included in the Super Eagles 23 man list for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau has been revealed to OGN.

Nigeria will take on Guinea Bissau in back to back AFCON qualifiers games starting from the first tie on the 24th before the reverse tie away three days later. Both teams have already made public the list of players for the game.

Bonke was said to be a part of the team per a release by his club on their players who will be involved in international games during the break but his name wasn’t on the list when it was made public by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

It is the second time his club has posted about his invitation but missing when the NFF official make public the list of players for games and it forced us into writing a report, and it drew a response from the authority concerned.

A top official of the NFF speaking on the condition of anonymity said there was nothing sinister in his omission from the final 23 man list for the games, explaining that he was part of the initial 34 man provisional list before it was pruned down to 23.

“Bonke was on the provisional list of 34 players which entails we inform all the clubs 15 days before the start of the FIFA window and then u pick ur final 23 as the case may be and decided upon by the head coach “, he explained.

As first reported by OGN editorial team, red hot Gent of Belgium forward Gift Orban has been extended a call up to be a part of the Nigeria U23 team for the upcoming U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea.

Orban is among the 16 players we added to the squad that was severely decimated when 16 of the 30 players called up were found out to be above the age limit.

The list has four players who were part of the team that played against Tanzania in the last round namely Michael Ologo (Istanbulspor), Ibrahim Sunusi (Montreal Impact), Sucesss Makanjuola (Liepaja), Isiah Ejeh (Mjallby), Abiodun Ogunniyi Omojesu (Auda).

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Success Makanjuola (FK Liepaja, Latvia); Bello Babatunde (Future FC, Egypt); Isaiah Ejeh (Mjallby Alf, Sweden); Abiodun Ogunniyi (FK Auda, Latvia); Monsuru Opeyemi Abdullahi (FC Vizela, Portugal); Omole Akinyinka Olaoluwakitan (Athletic Newham, UK); Owen Tega Udoh (UD San Sebastian Reyes, Spain); Azeez Temitope Yusuf (Mjallby Alf, Sweden); Charles Uba (Lillestrom FC, Norway); Simon Omon (Clube Operation Desportivo, Portugal); Ihekuna Maximillian Ugochukwu (FC Sfintul Gheorghe Suruceni, Moldova); Chukwudi Goodluck Igbokwe (KAA Gent, Belgium); Abass Saidi (Zagalata FC, Azerbaijan); Ibrahim Buhari (IF Elfsborg, Sweden); Gift Emmanuel Orban (KAA Gent, Belgium); Samuel Amadi (Eramica Cleopatra, Egypt)

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro caused a lot of debate with his decision to include some players in the list of players called up for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau.

Peseiro’s list was largely filled with players who are mostly inactive ahead of players who have been doing really well this season. Their inclusion had led to many labelling the coach as incompetent.

That appears not to be the case according to Colin Udoh of ESPN, he wrote the coach was forced to compromise because of an instruction from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on a particular quota for foreign based players.

In his report, Udoh quoted an unnamed chief of the NFF who said the coach has been told not to call up more than 20 foreign based players as a means of cutting cost due to the financial issue the football house is facing, he was also mandated to call players from the Nigeria Professional Football League to bring visibility to the league.

“We cannot afford to invite so many players from Europe any more because we need to be very judicious in our use of the limited funds we have,” the board member said. “Peseiro can call as many players as he wants, but only 20 can come from abroad. If he needs any more, he should get them from the local league.”

“The president wants to make sure that the local league players are recognized in the Super Eagles, and this will be one way to help strengthen the league and make it more attractive,” the board member told Udoh.

It was on the premises of the above that two Nigeria U20 players in Chijioke Anigboso and Daniel Bameyi were handed a call up to the team in addition to Victor Sochima of Rivers United.

For the case of Ahmed Musa, the coach had to hand him a call up with his contract up in few months time and Musa is seen by the Portuguese as someone who can influence the top men at the NFF to give him an extension.

Another reason is for Musa to act as mediator in the planned discussion with the new NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau, over their unpaid wages which runs into billions of Nigeria left behind by the former NFF board led by Amaju Pinnick.

Mohammed Mowiz

As first reported by OGN editorial team, red hot Gent of Belgium forward Gift Orban has been extended a call up to be a part of the Nigeria U23 team for the upcoming U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea.

Orban is among the ten players we exclusively gathered have been added to the squad that was severely decimated when 16 of the 30 players called up were found out to be above the age limit.

The list has five players who were part of the team that played against Tanzania in the last round namely Michael Ologo (Istanbulspor), Ibrahim Sunusi (Montreal Impact), Sucesss Makanjuola (Liepaja), Isiah Ejeh (Mjallby), Abiodun Ogunniyi Omojesu (Auda) and Promise David who is said to be on  the books of Maltese side Sirens FC.

We gathered outside Orban, another new name in the mix is former Nigeria U17 midfielder Monsuru Opeyemi of Portuguese side Vizela. As at the time of filing in this report we don’t have the names of the remaining foreign based players invited by coach Salisu Yusuf.

Nigeria will host the first leg of the two legged tie on Wednesday, the 22nd of March before travelling to Guinea for the reverse tie which will be played on Saturday, the 25th of March in Conakry.

Mohammed Mowiz

The list of players called up to the senior national team of Nigeria by coach Jose Peseiro has continue to divide opinion among soccer loving Nigerians. He called up 23 players for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau.

Peseiro’s list had players who are struggling for games at their clubs or some out of form at the moment. The listed is headed by captain of the team Ahmed Musa and it includes Joe Aribo, Wilfred Ndidi, Paul Onuachu, Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi.

But who should have taken the place of the aforementioned players? OGN editor in chief Mohammed Mowiz picks five players who would have made the list ahead of some of the players listed above.

1. Tella For Musa – While Musa is struggling to get games at Turkish side Sivasspor, Nathan Tella is among the driving force behind Burnley’s record making season in the English Championship. They are on course for promotion and he has contributed 17 goals from 34 games.

The only meaningful reason would have been if his switch of allegiance process from England to Nigeria isn’t completed yet but from what is available to us that is not the case.

2. Akpom For Onuachu – It makes no sense to leave out a 27 year old who has 23 goals in 30 games and for the third month running has been voted the best player in the English Championship. Onuachu who was picked in attack hasn’t really settle down to life in England since his January transfer deadline day move to Southampton. No case of his call up being held up by a switch of allegiance process because he has been cleared to play for Nigeria since 2019.

So why is he not in the team?

3. Ebuehi For Ajayi – For a team that has just one right back in Bright Osayi-Samuel owing to the absence of Ola Aina through suspension. It’s makes no sense that Tyrone Ebuehi who has been in fine form for Empoli this season wasn’t given a look in.

Aside that the Serie A is rated highly that the Turkish league where Osayi-Samuel plays , Ebuehi has also played more games than the 25 year old. So maybe there is even a case of him getting a call up ahead of not just the inactive Semi Ajayi but also Osayi-Samuel.

4. Bonke For Aribo/Ndidi- If dropping Ndidi is hard then that of Aribo should be straight forward. The duo have struggled to get games the past one month but Aribo who has a new coach in Rubén Sellés should have been allowed to stay back and fight for his spot by getting used to the system the new manager.

Innocent Bonke of Ligue 1 side Lorient must be wondering who he offended as for the second straight time he was handed a spot in the provisional list of 34 players but failed to make the cut for the final 23 man list despite his better performance than the players called up in his place.

5. Frederick For Omeruo – One of the revelation for Nigeria at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations has to be Benjamin Fredrick. The best time to have him take the first step towards the senior team would have been this game. Omeruo hasn’t had the best of years at Leganes and only played his first full game in four months last weekend.

When you consider that Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi and Kevin Akpoguma are ahead of him in the pecking order, a young defender should have been considered instead.

The controversy surrounding the recently released list of players for the senior national team of Nigeria for the AFCON qualifiers against Guinea Bissau has taken another dimension.

Head coach Jose Peseiro released a 23 man list for the back to back games against Guinea Bissau starting with the first leg at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja from 5pm on Friday, 24th March, and the reverse tie at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Monday, 27th March, also starting from 5pm.

The list has generated a lot of controversy with the decision of the Portuguese coach to call up some players who have been inactive at the expense of other players, who have been getting regular run of games.

In the midfield, he called up the quartet of Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo and Frank Onyeka. The biggest issue isn’t about the decision to call just four players in a key department but of that fact only Iwobi can be said to be a regular.

That decision took a rather funny twist when French Ligue 1 side Lorient confirmed the invitation of Innocent Bonke, who has played 19 games this season but last played for Nigeria in the friendly game against Mexico in May last year.

Since that 1-2 loss he hasn’t been named in any squad but in tha last two call ups, his team announced on their official website that he will be in the Nigerian team, but on both occasions his name wasn’t in the official list when it was made public.

Below is the club’s statement on his invitation for the games against Guinea Bissau alongside other players who were called up by their respective national teams for the international break.

The global betting company 1xBet announces the great Spanish derby.

On March 19, two colossuses will meet at Camp Nou, and the world will enjoy the great struggle with bated breath. What are the chances of eternal rivals to win? 

History of games

It will be the 246th official match between Barcelona and Real in all competitions – Primera, Copa del Rey, Super Cup, Spanish League Cup and Champions League. So far, Madrid is ahead: 101 wins, 48 draws and 96 losses, with a goal difference of 397-410.

This year, the Catalans have beaten their opponent twice: the first victory was in the Super Cup final in mid-January (3-1), and then they played in the Spanish Cup semi-finals. Barça came to the Bernabéu, scored the only goal in the counterattack, parked the bus and won with a minimum score. Madrid even owned the ball more – this is an almost unique achievement for the Clasico of recent decades. The hosts have spent 65% of their playing time with a ball, Real’s best result against Barça since the 2013/14 season. And yet, despite the Merengues’ multiple attacks, there was a feeling that Barça would not miss even if the referee added another 50 minutes to the main time.

Real Madrid

After that failure, the chair under Ancelotti began to stagger. The coach cannot start the Madrid machine: before the winning game against Espanyol (3-1), the team did not win in three matches in a row, and they could not even score against Barça (0-1) and Betis (0-0). However, even in the game against the Catalonian capital second-best team, which Madrid won without any apparent effort, the absence of Karim Benzema was noticeable occasionally. Without him, Madrid’s attack does not look very effective. The French striker is expected to return to the starting line-up against Barcelona and help his team’s attack sparkle with new colors.

Barcelona

Barcelona cannot live a measured life as a championship leader and a club world championship winner (yes, we are talking about Real) – as soon as the team overcame the crisis, the Blaugranes management was suspected of corruption.

Catalans have been accused of paying millions of euros for three years to a firm owned by the vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s Referees Technical Committee. It turned out that the payments had been dragging on since 2001. Although nothing threatens Barça in Spain yet, they still may have to respond before UEFA since the Champions League regulations imply a ban for one season if the club was directly or indirectly involved in influencing the matches results at the national or international level.

With all that, Barcelona came to Bilbao for Sunday’s match against Athletic. And they faced a very unexpected reception: Basques fans began to throw fake money on the field with the word “Mafia” and the Barcelona logo, and Athletic players beat their opponents’ legs for an hour and a half. At first, this did not help much – Barça opened the scoring in the first half’s last seconds. A few minutes before the end of regular time, the hosts equalized the score, but the insidious VAR discovered a rules violation that happened before the decisive attack and was completely invisible to the fans in the stands. Basques felt robbed, but in the end, Barcelona got three points in this match.

After a minimal victory over Athletic, the Xavi team has an interesting statistic: this season, the Catalans won with a minimal score for the 9th time, a club record. La Liga record for this indicator is 11 matches in a season. 

If you look at the standings, you’ll see Barcelona has 65 points, and Real has 56. Get popcorn and make yourself comfortable: soon, they will face again, and if Madrid does not win, then Xavi can be carefully congratulated on the title. This battle will become legendary, and therefore the top bookmaker 1xBet offers the highest odds for this match. Bet on the game and hit the big jackpot!

You can bet on Barcelona vs Real here:

The list of 23 players who will represent Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau was released earlier today by the Nigeria Football Federation.

Head coach Jose Peseiro was credited as the one who compiled the list and OGN editor in chief Mohammed Mowiz takes a look at some players who shouldn’t have made the list.

Kenneth Omeruo, Semi Ajayi- The duo played a combined 244 minutes since the start of the year spread over eight games. Last weekend was the first time they both completed 90 minutes. How they made the team with such poor numbers should raise questions. Particularly as they are into their late 20’s like the first choice ahead of them. What’s the plan for the future if back ups are the same age or older than the regulars.

Frank Onyeka – He only made his return yesterday after a four months absence. How was he picked ahead of Innocent Bonke who has been a regular Ligue 1 side Lorient this season. As a matter of the fact, aside from Alex Iwobi the rest midfielders called up namely Wilfred Ndidi and Joe Aribo have not played a game in the last three weeks.

Ahmed Musa, Paul Onuachu: Musa has played ten minutes in the last seven games at Turkish side Sivasspor. He has played one minutes each in his last three games aside not getting off the bench in back to back games.

Onuachu hasn’t hit the group running at Southampton and should have been allowed to sort himself in his new environment following his deadline day move to the English side.

The international future of on loan Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun appears to have narrowed to just two countries in the USA or Nigeria after his latest snub by England, OGN reports.

Balogun has 16 goals in 26 Ligue 1 games for Reims where he is on a season long loan from the English Premier League leaders. His form is good enough for him to get a look in from selectors of senior national teams for the upcoming round of international games.

An England youth international but eligible for both Nigeria and the USA through his parents, the 21 year old was snubbed by England’s manager Gareth Southgate in his list of players for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.

The Three Lions boss selected Brentford’s Ivan Toney as Harry Kane’s understudy for March’s international fixtures. That decision appears to have angered the forward with his recent post on social media platform Instagram pointing in that direction.

“In life, go where you’re appreciated”, a post on his Instagram story reads on his verified handle on the platform. His unhappiness could mean narrowing his options to either Nigeria or the USA but the Americans have the lead at the moment.

The caretaker coach of the USA, Anthony Hudson has confirmed that talks are ongoing over recruiting Arsenal-owned striker Folarin Balogun.

Hudson told reporters : “All I’ll say, there is open dialogue with him and his team. That dialogue is continuing. That’s all I can say”. It is believed for family reasons he prefers the USA but for the love of his grand mother who still lives in Nigeria he is also not keen on immediately pledging his future to the team.

Daniel Martins