The exclusion of AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori was the major talking point when the list of players picked by coach Gareth Southgate for the World Cup 2022 was made public during the week.

Tomori enjoyed a stellar campaign with AC Milan since moving permanently to the San Siro from Chelsea. He was instrumental in their winning the Serie A title last season, a form which he has carried into this season.

However he still wasn’t picked for the World Cup and more shockingly is that since he decided to pledge his international future to England, he has only played in two games although he has been called up eight times.

It means per the new FIFA rules he is still eligible to switch his international future to Nigeria. A country he qualifies for through his father. That option is what he has been told to explore by former Chelsea and Super Eagles defender Celestine Babayaro as he appears not to be in the plans of Southgate.

” He is 24 year old and by the next world cup he will be around 29. That could work against him but if he wants to have a clear chance of going to the next world cup, then he has to consider switching to Nigeria. He is still eligible going with the new rules”, Babayaro told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

When asked about Tammy Abraham, he said he can’t help but feel sorry for the Roma forward who isn’t eligible to switch to Nigeria after making more than three appearances for England.

” It’s a pity that he can’t switch anymore. He has what it takes to play for any team but the coach of England has no spot for him in his team. There is still a chance for him but it’s not a very good situation to be in”, he concluded.

Head Coach Jose Peseiro has named Captain William Ekong, goalkeeper Francis Uzoho and midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in a 23-man squad to face World Cup-bound Portugal in a friendly encounter in Lisbon on Thursday next week.

There are also spaces for defenders Calvin Bassey and Kevin Akpoguma, midfielders Ayodele-Aribo and Alex Iwobi, and forwards Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen.

Wing back Tyronne Ebuehi makes a long-awaited return to the fold, as hard-as-nails midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo. Defenders Bruno Onyemaechi and Bright Osayi Samuel (based in Portugal and Turkey respectively) are called up for the first time.

Forward Paul Onuachu also returns to the three-time African champions.

Thursday’s encounter at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon will kick off at 18.45pm Portugal time (19.45pm in Nigeria)

Goalkeepers: Maduka Okoye (Watford FC, England); Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Adebayo Adeleye (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel)

Defenders: William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olisa Ndah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa); Calvin Bassey (Ajax FC, The Netherlands); Kevin Akpoguma (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany); Chidiebube Duru (Rivers United); Tyronne Ebuehi (Empoli FC, Italy); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey)

Midfielders: Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Aris Thessaloniki, Greece)

Forwards: Moses Simon (Nantes FC, France); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Terem Moffi (Lorient FC, France); Paul Onuachu (Genk FC, Belgium); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Emmanuel Dennis (Nottingham Forest, England)

The senior national team of Nigeria will on the 17th of November take on the Portuguese team in an international friendly game as part of the final round of games by the host ahead of the start of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Peseiro has already called up players for the game but the list is yet to be made public, he however takes out time to explain how the team will approach the game and why they decided to play against Portugal.

He said even though the team hasn’t won any of their friendly games since he took over as coach. It is still better to play against the strong teams as it will help them know where the team is in need of improvement, something which he said might not be seen if they play against a weaker team.

“Playing against my nation, the best in the world, which can win the World Cup, is extraordinary. But it is also a great opportunity: when you want to create a national team with great goals, you have to do it against great opponents. For now we have played against Mexico. and Ecuador in the United States and then against Algeria”, he explained.

“The path must be this: if you just want to win, it’s better to play against Nationals without this quality. But if I want to improve the national team, I also have to go through defeats that prepare us for a future better. What motivation do you give to the players against the small national teams? Only points for the UEFA Ranking. But beating Portugal, competing head to head, then it’s a different kind of path. “

Asked about his relationship with celebrated coach Jose Mourinho, he said he learnt a lot winning under the now coach of Roma which has helped shape his career since he decided to work on his own as head coach.

“I was with Mourinho and I studied him … Or he studied me! We are friends, very good friends. And he has shown that he puts on great performances. Over the years he has shown his enthusiasm , motivations. He opened many doors everywhere for us Portuguese coaches. He showed everyone that in Portugal there are great coaches and we all have to thank Mourinho.

“First he won without money, at Porto, then he became a fighter. In England he is managed to take the Premier League a step forward, he always created something, enthusiasm, attention, results, victories “, he remarked.

On if Cristiano Ronaldo still has a role to play for Portugal at the world cup, he said that isn’t an issue to be debated on as the Manchester United forward has done enough already not to be doubted at a tournament.

”Ronaldo will never be a problem for the national team. Never. Never. He brought us to the top. Not only him, of course, but he’s not a problem. He’s a solution. He did everything for the national team, he fought for us. and he scored, scored, scored and scored again …

“In the last twenty years he has shown that Portugal is among the best in the world. Right now everyone respects us, our strength, our quality and everyone thinks that, with Ronaldo, you can always win something “.

The head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has confirmed that Empoli defender Tyronne Ebuehi will be in the squad for the November 17th friendly game against Portugal.

Ebuehi hasn’t played for Nigeria since the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in January this year but Peseiro said after watching his performances in the Serie A for Empoli he will be a part of the squad.

26 year old Ebuehi has played in five Serie A games with an assist and with the absence of regular right back Ola Aina due to injury, Peseiro says Aina is in the squad for the high profile game in the country where he once defended the colours of Benfica.

He also said he has been taking notes of some notable performances of Nigerian players in the Serie A in particular the duo of Isaac Success and David Okereke who are at Udinese and Cremonense respectively. The idea is to hand them a call up if they continue to impress.

The head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says he has been busy scouting players for the senior national team of Nigeria from the Italian Serie A.

Peseiro’s team will be in action against Portugal on the 17th of November and the coach said he has already marked down areas where the team needs strengthening after spending six months at the helm as coach of the Nigerian team.

He said the idea is to get young defenders as most of the players at his disposal in that department are nearing the age where they can’t be available all the time. To that extent he has taken his search to the Italian League where he is keen on Atalanta central defender Caleb Okoli.

Okoli is born in Italy to Nigerian parents making him eligible for Nigeria. He is presently an U21 international for Italy but he is still eligible for Nigeria as he is yet to play for their senior national team. Peseiro said he will try to convince him to snub Italy and pledge his senior international future to Nigeria.

“We want to convince him to play for Nigeria. We will try. After this friendly match against Portugal, there will be time to talk to him and to understand his decision. Whether he wants to play with us or not. I will talk to him through Lookman’s brokerage. : I will show him my model, what I think of him, the project we can have together with Nigeria “.

It’s not expected to be straightforward as the present coach of the Italy senior national team Roberto Mancini is said to be a huge admirer of the defender who has played in 12 Serie A games this season.

The senior national team of Costa Rica rounded up their preparation for the World Cup with a convincing 2-0 win over the B team of the senior national team of Nigeria in an international friendly game played in San Jose.

Nigeria picked players from local teams in Nigeria with the foreign based players unavailable due to club commitment and the gulf in class was glaring from the start.

Costa Rica didn’t wait too long before breaking the deadlock with Oscar Duarte stabbing home the opener from close range after the defence failed to deal with a free kick into the box.

Nigeria held their own to ensure the score stays that way till the half time break with Dominion Ohaka in particular showing an unusual level of composure both in defending and initiating attack from his role as right back.

Tried as they could Costa Rica had to wait till the 73rd minute to increase the scoreline with Kendall Watson heading home a short corner kick which left the Nigerian team in confusion. The goal settled the game as a contest.

Below is how the Nigerian team lined up for the start of the game.

Kayode Bankole, Daniel Bameyi, Chidiebere Nwobodo, Evans Ogbonda, Afeez Nosiru, Daniel Wotlai, Ezekiel Edidiong, Dominion Ohaka, Isaiah Ejeh, Paul Samson, Qudus Akanni.

The B team of the senior national team of Nigeria will be in action in the early hours of Thursday against the senior national team of Costa Rica in an international friendly game scheduled for San Jose.

NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport told the NFF website that the three-time African champions have been invited to the Central American nation as part of major activities to send forth the Los Ticos to the FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar.

The team handled by coach Salisu Yusuf can be said to be the B team of the senior national team of Nigeria and it has goalkeepers Bankole and Nathaniel Nwosu (U23 team first choice), defenders Daniel Bameyi, Chidiebere Nwobodo and Evans Ogbonda, midfielders Nosiru and Qudus Akanni and forwards Sunday Faleye and Edidiong Ezekiel, among others.

The game will kick off at 8 pm Costa Rica time on Wednesday, 9th November (which is 3 am, 10th November in Nigeria). The Nigerian team are already in Costa Rica for the game which will be live on selected television platforms online.

Well known football streaming website Heagoal.com will broadcast the game live and also the social media handle of the NFF on Facebook and also YouTube. Also the online TV of the Nigeria Football Federation hosted on their official website will broadcast the game live.

Below is the list of players from which Yusuf will pick the players for the game .

EAGLES FOR COSTA RICA:

Kayode Bankole, Nathaniel Nwosu, Daniel Bameyi, Samuel Kalu, Chidiebere Nwobodo, Mustapha Jibrin, Evans Ogbonda, Afeez Nosiru, Samson Paul, Daniel Wotlai, Ezekiel Edidiong, Dominion Ohaka, Qudus Akanni, Shina Akinniran, Sunday Faleye, Jerry Alex, Isaiah Ejeh and Suleiman Garba.

The final list of players who will represent Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was made public earlier today by the coach of the team Murat Yakin ahead of the start of the tournament next week.

Switzerland will round up their preparation for the tournament with a friendly game Ghana on Thursday, November 17,  before their opening  World Cup game against Cameroon a week later, then l the match against Brazil four days later.

On Friday, December 2 precisely the Swiss team will aim to reach the knockout stages for the fourth time in the last five World Cups. One player who will be hoping to be a part of the run is Noah Okafor of Austrian side RB Salzburg.

His inclusion completes what can be said to be a remarkable four year growth that saw him move from reaching out to the then coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr over a spot in the senior national team of Nigeria.

“Everybody wants to represent the Super Eagles of Nigeria especially watching Kanu Nwankwo and Austin Jay Jay Okocha who are my idols while growing up,” he told SportingLife in 2018.

“It will surely be a dream come true. I also have family in Nigeria and they will really be happy seeing me represent Nigeria”, he concluded back then. He was at FC Basle at that time and has already played for the Swiss team at youth level.

His open declaration didn’t sway Rohr who was in charge of the team as at that time and he instead focused on making the grades with the Swiss team, which led to him making his debut for their main team, one year after the above mentioned interview.

Ironically, while Nigeria won’t be at the World Cup, Okafor will be hoping to carry his club form where he has 7 goals in 13 League games and three in this season’s UEFA Champions League to the tournament.

For Switzerland, he will be aiming to add to his 8 caps and two goals.

Confirmed Switzerland squad

Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Kohn (RB Salzburg), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier), Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United), Silvan Widmer (Mainz)

Midfielders: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Fabian Frei (Basel), Remo Freuler (Nottingham Forest), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Fabian Rieder (Young Boys), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Djibril Sow (Eintracht Frankfurt), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Denis Zakaria (Chelsea), Michel Aebischer (Bologna)

Forwards: Breel Embolo (Monaco), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Noah Okafor (RB Salzburg), Haris Seferovic (Galatasaray), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg)

The media and fans of the national team of Costa Rica have expressed their unhappiness with the list of players who will represent the Super Eagles of Nigeria in today’s friendly game against their team.

Nigeria travelled with the B team pack filled with players from non League sides, NNL and also the NPFL. The team even has a player in Sunday Faleye who is unattached following his unceremonious exit from Shooting Stars last season.

Handled by second assistant coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Salisu Yusuf they will be the guest of world cup bound Costa Rica. The game is a means of showing their fans how prepared they are for the world cup.

Ahead of the game, fans of the team are not excited over the level of the opposition terming it as the weakest Nigerian team to be ever assembled for an intentional game, which of significance to the other team.

” Hello bro, this is not the Super Eagles team. Who are these guys picked from teams that are not even on Wikipedia or Goggle? Is this how low football is now in Nigeria”, a mail from Conztance Michael, who is a journalist from Costa Rica reads.

” I can tell you that we are disappointed. There was a radio show here and a Nigerian called to say bribery and corruption in the Nigerian team is responsible for the poor selection of players. He even said the head coach collected bribe to select players and was caught on tape few years ago. We are disappointed.

” For us we will watch the game with no expectations. A Nigerian team should have better players since they have players all round Euorpe and North Africa but sadly this is not the case with the players we have here”, he rounded up the discussion.

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