The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has trimmed the list of invited players for the November 17th friendly game against Portugal.

Peseiro sent out provisional Invitation to 32 players with 27 in his main list and 7 others on standby in the list, which was exclusively published by Owngoalnigeria.com earlier today.

According to the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) , the coach will submit a final list of 23 players for the game after the conclusion of this weekend games in the various European Leagues.

“We have a friendly match against Portugal coming up in Lisbon on Thursday, 17th November. Mr. Peseiro has compiled a provisional list and is only waiting for this weekend’s matches to submit his list of 23 players”, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi said in a press release made available by the NFF.

The decision to trim the list might affect the chances of the inclusion of new players in the squad. We gathered five new players were handed provisional Invitation but with the decision to trim the squad to 23. There are doubts on any of them making it.

FC Porto have written to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to leave left full back Zaidu Sanusi out of the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming friendly game against Portugal.

Nigeria will take on Portugal on the 17th of November at the Estádio José Alvalade, a stadium which Zaidu is well aware of as he is based in the country but he has been ruled out of the game.

The Nigerian picked up a muscle injury in the UEFA Champions League win over Liverpool and will be out for a minimum of two weeks before a scan to check the extent of the tear in his muscle. The message has been passed to the NFF.

It means coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro will be without his first choice full back duo as Ola Aina, the regular right back has also been ruled out with an injury as well. There is a return for the team’s utility player Shehu Abdullahi.

Abdullahi who plays in Bulgaria for Levski Sofia can play both roles effectively as he has shown in the past and that informed the decision by Peseiro to look his way for the game.

The Nigeria U23 training session ahead of the second leg of their U23 AFCON qualifiers appears to have unearthed a potential star in the Nigeria national team set up in the future, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

16 year old Amos Prince was handed a chance to train with the team and the Tripple 44 Academy prospect showed why is he heavily sought after by a host of teams, including the  duo of Dutch giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven.

” He was not just quick, he was unbelievably quick. Very composed and can do the impossible from a difficult position. Dribbles, shots and passes are not difficult for him. If he continues to progress in this way then we have a star on our hands*, a member of the technical crew revealed in a chat with OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” The next step will be crucial for his growth. Move abroad or play for the U20s? He has to make the best decision but whichever he picks, the talent to make the best out of it is there for all to see. He left a big impression on all of us and we hope to have him back with us”, he concluded.

OwnGoalNigeria.com exclusively gathered that talented Amos was scouted in Ibadan during a scouting tournament where he represented Tripple 44 Academy early this year. He caught the attention of the chief scout of Malmo.

But before he was sighted by Malmo, Goteborg already saw him in a tournament in December last year. However as they were pondering on their next move Malmo wasted no time in inviting him over to Sweden.

In the month of September, he was in Sweden for 21 days and played in a test game for the U19 of Malmo against Danish side FC Nordsjælland, he wasted no time in making his mark by scoring 15 minutes into the game, he followed it up with an assist for the second goal.

That performance didn’t go unnoticed as the scouts of Dutch duo Ajax and PSV were present at the game. They have also contacted Tripple 44 Academy for more information on the talented winger.

Comfortable as a right winger, left winger or as a striker, Amos will turn 17 on the 12th of December but clubs want to have an agreement in principle to have the first option of signing him when he turns 18 next year.

The goalkeepers crisis rocking the senior national team of Nigeria has opened the door for coach of the team Jose Peseiro to look at other options aside the trio of Adebayo Adeleye, Francis Uzoho and Maduka Okoye.

Uzoho is for now the preferred first choice despite his latest blunder, where he was poorly positioned for the shot that helped Algeria beat Nigeria 2-1 in a recent international friendly game. His deputy Okoye also dropped a howler two days before that of Uzoho in a friendly game against the B team of Algeria, it ended in a 2-2 draw.

Israel based Adeleye played the second half of the 2-2 draw against the B team of Algeria but didn’t quite inspired confidence in the coaching crew. Hence they are still on the look out for more options before the team returns to competitive games next year.

One player who has thrown his hat in the ring is Arthur Okonkwo, the Arsenal goalkeeper who is on loan to English League Two side Crewe Alexandra. The former England youth international is willing to switch allegiance to Nigeria.

” We had that discussion and he (Okonkwo) said if he gets a call up he won’t say no. He is in the second phase of his young career and that is getting regular run of games. The past two seasons he learnt the ropes by watching on as third choice at Arsenal. Now he is experiencing how it feels in real time”, a member of his representatives told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

21 year old Okonkwo will return to Arsenal at the end of his loan deal. He presently has five clean sheets from 16 games in the English third tier, which puts him in the conversation about who has the most in the division.

The most talked about striker in the senior national team of Nigeria the past two years has been Victor Osimhen owing to his exploits for club and country.

This season, the 23 year old has been unstoppable since making his return from Injury with six goals in all competitions from as many games. In the Serie A he has scored seven goals in 8 games, half the amount of goals he scored last season from 27 games.

As expected it has led to talks about his legendary status in the senior national team of Nigeria, where he has 15 goals in 23 games, 22 goals behind all time top scorer of the Nigerian team Rashidi Yekini.

Yekini scored 37 goals in 58 games, a record which no one has broken since he left the international scene in 1999. However many are tipping Osimhen to smash the record if he maintains his current streak. That appears not to have gone down well with former Nigeria U17 coach Manu Garba.

“Presently, they are incomparable and each of them is in a class of his own. Osimhen was the FIFA U17 World cup highest goal scorer and has age on his side and if he remains disciplined, resilient, focused and injury free he will be one of the great strikers”, he told Bunmiblair.com.

“For Late Rashidi Yekini, he won the Africa footballer of the year award(1993), Nigeria’s all-time leading goal scorer and has scored lots of goals(520) in his professional career.”

“What I can see is Osimhen is the best in the present generation of strikers and have the potential to break Yekini’s record but they are incomparable for now,” Manu concluded.

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has extended invitation to 27 players ahead of the November 17th friendly game against Portugal at the Estádio José Alvalade.

OwnGoalNigeria.com exclusively gathered that invitations were sent out last week by the coach but some were provisionally invited while others were called straight into the squad for the game, which will be Portugal’s final tune up game ahead of the start of the world cup.

Peseiro who was the brain behind the game has a running battle with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over unpaid six months wages and there are fears he might quit his role as coach. Efforts are presently been made to ensure he gets paid.

Below is the list of players who were called up to the main squad and those who are on the provisional list.

Maduka Okoye, William Troost Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo, Chidozie Awaziem, Shehu Abdullahi, Calvin Bassey, Zaidu Sanusi, Kevin Akpoguma, Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun, Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, Raphael Onyedika, Moses Simon, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ahmed Musa, Chidera Ejuke, Cyriel Dessers, Terem Moffi, Ademola Lookman, Adebayo Adeleye, Saviour Godwin, Kelechi Iheanacho, Francis Uzoho, Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen.

Provisionally invited: Innocent Bonke, Alhassan Yusuf, Marvin Ekpiteta, Owen Goodman, Semi Ajayi

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has moved smartly to avert a vacuum in the seat of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria with the future of head coach Jose Peseiro uncertain.

Since taking over as coach of the senior national team of Nigeria six months ago, the Portuguese coach has not been paid any amount of salary meaning he is being owed around $420000. Already there are feelers that he is mulling over quitting his role as coach.

Ahead of the friendly game against Portugal, the NFF have moved smartly to sound out a former coach of the team to be on standby if Peseiro decides to walk away from the team. He hasn’t even submitted the list of players called up for the game which is two weeks away.

Some sources told OwnGoalNigeria.com that he has already notified FIFA over his case. The move has further heightened fears within the NFF, who are claiming that it’s not their fault that he hasn’t been paid since taking over as coach.

The NFF in their explanation cited a press release from the office of the minister of youths and sports, where he said approval has been gotten from the presidency for the federal government to bear the burden of the coach. They said since depositing his contract with the ministry, Sunday Dare hasn’t gotten back to them.

Former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has sent his sympathy to his successor Jose Peseiro, who is yet to be paid his salary since taking over as coach of the team six months ago.

Rohr lasted six years at the helm as the coach of the Nigerian team before he was axed in December. Few weeks before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations and also months before the world cup qualifiers playoff game against Ghana.

The German coach believe his axing from the role as coach of the team is largely the reason why the country won’t be at the 2022 World Cup, which starts in 18 days time in Qatar, he blamed the former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick for the decision to sack him.

” Pinnick should be blamed for Nigeria’s failure to make it to the World Cup. I still can’t understand why I was sacked despite meeting all the targets in my contract. Now I am getting paid for doing nothing and they can’t pay the new coach partly because of it. How do you defend that”, he asked in a chat with OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Speaking on the issue of the non payment of the salary of Peseiro since he took over, Rohr said he has nothing but sympathy for the Portuguese coach but rounded up by saying he isn’t surprised about the situation even though he feels it has lingered on for too long.

” Six months is a whole lot of time especially from the start. I had a good start but it got to where I was owed for months as well so I am not surprised. Not the best or ideal situation for a coach to give his best”, he rounded up saying.

The battle for the international future of highly talented Airdrieonians teen sensation Bright Osemudiamen Prince Okosun appears to be fully in favour of Nigeria despite the fact that he is eligible for Spain.

Born in Spain, the recently turned 17 year old started his career in Spain with Getafe but had to move to Scotland when his parents relocated. At Airdrieonians he has emerged as one of their hottest prospects.

His last game for the U18s of the League One side saw him score a hattrick as his team secured a huge 11-1 win over Elgin City. It was his second hattrick of the season in the youth league. There are talks of fast tracking him to the first team of the Scottish side, already he has trained with the main team.

Speaking to OwnGoalNigeria.com, his father Prince Kelly said it’s not a case of which country he will represent at international level as his life long dream is to see him wear the green, white , green of the Nigerian national team.

” As a proper Nigerian man, who cherishes his roots and origin there is no way my son will play for another country unless he is told by Nigeria that he is not wanted. His progress has been steady over the years and the plan is to step up to gain international recognition”, he said.

Prior to joining his present team he showed his ability in the final of the U17 Central Scotland FA Regional Cup with a brace and an assist to power Summerston Youth FC past Rossvale FC. He is comfortable as a forward or a winger.

Likened to Samuel Chukwueze in the way that he plays, he sees  the duo of Victor Osimhen and  Odion Ighalo as his role model right from when he started his career at Yuncos FC in Spain before moving to Getafe. Okosun also played for the youth team of three German side in VFR Fischeln, Fortuna Dusseldorf and KFC Uerdingen.

A total of 15 out of the 25 players called up to the camp of the senior national team of Nigeria for the upcoming friendly game against Costa Rica on the 6th of November have resumed training.

They had their first session today in Ibadan under the guidance of coach Salisu Yusuf, who picked most of the playera who represented Nigeria during the CHAN qualifiers and also the U23 in the AFCON qualifiers.

Yusuf will be in charge of the team with head coach Jose Peseiro expected to return to the dug out for the game against Portugal. World Cup bound Costa Rica are using the game as part of their preparation for the tournament in Qatar.

Players based abroad are expected to make up the remaining number for the game in San Jose. We gathered six players from leagues around Africa and Europe have confirmed their availability of the game. However players playing in top five European Leagues won’t be part of the team.

Below is the list of the 15 players who trained today and will also continue training ahead of their trip on Thursday to the venue of the game.

1. Mustapha Jibril (Abia Warriors)
2. Alex Jerry (Lobi Stars)

3.Garba Suleiman (Kebbi United)
4. Samuel Kalu  (Enyimba FC)
5. Isaiah Ejeh (Mjallby, Sweden)
6. Nathaniel Nwosu (Water FC)
7. Paul Samson (Kwara United)
8. Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars)
*9. Sunday Faleye (Unattached)
10. Edidiong Enobong Ezekiel (Remo Stars)
11. Bamayi Calocho (Yum-Yum FC)
12.Evans Ogbonda (Akwa United)
13.Dominion Ohaka (Water FC Abuja)