Former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says CAF player of the year nominee Moses Simon deserve his spot in the list of 30 players released by the football governing body.

Yesterday the preliminary list of players for the CAF award was made public by CAF and Simon, who was Nigeria’s best player at the Africa Cup of Nations and also had a fantastic year by leading his club Nantes to league glory was handed a spot.

Simon was the only Nigerian nominated for the award and that has led to talks about the standard of football in the country but Rohr insist that base on the criteria used Simon deserve his spot in the list.

“I saw it and I can say it’s well deserved. Simon has been the best player for the team for the past one year. I remember how he sacrifice everything to play for the good of the team. AFCON was used and he was the best Nigerian player in the year under review”, the coach told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Several talented players like Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Nididi and more but on what was used. You have to give it to Simon. He was outstanding all through the year for club and country”, he concluded.

The foundation of the president of the Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick has successfully helped replaced the kness of ex Nigeria international Etim Esin.

Esin cried out for help over the knee injury which has left him on a wheel chair for a while and Pinnick via his foundation came to his help by paying for his surgery reportedly worth around 20 million Naira.

The surgery took place in Lagos at The Well Plus Medicals located in Lekki. The entire bill plus other medical expenses were sorted by Pinnick, who we gathered used proceeds he gets from his role at CAF and FIFA to fund his foundation.

We further gathered that he uses five percent from his profits in all of his business to also fund and run the foundation.

Esin, a former Flying Eagles and Super Eagles midfielder is one among those who have benefited from the leadership of the NFF. Wilson Oruma, Femi Opabunmi and Christian Chukwu complete the list.

Also the chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) who also doubles as the vice president of the NFF paid the medical bills of ex Nigeria youth international Kazeem Yebsaya. Who was suffering from mental illness but he is now stable.

Former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has revealed the reason behind his decision to hand a first time call up to out of favour Super Eagles winger Samuel Kalu.

Kalu was handed his first call up to the Nigerian team by Rohr in 2018 when he was on the verge of completing a big money move from Gent of Belgium to Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.

Rohr said he didn’t play a role in the winger’s move to Bordeaux but was contacted by the club to cap him for Nigeria in order to him to be able to play for them in Ligue 1.

“He did not come (to France) on my advice,” Rohr told AquiTélé as per Girondins4ever. The Girondins brought him before I was hired (by Nigeria), before asking me to also provide him with a (Super Eagles) A selection. It was essential for his contract to be approved (laughs).

“I only came afterwards to select him. At the time, to approve a contract for an African player, he had to be an international in his country, which was not the case before”.

He went further to say the Watford winger is among the best dribblers in Europe but can’t understand why he hasn’t hit the height his talent commands. According to Rohr he lost confidence while at Bordeaux.

“But Samuel Kalu was an excellent dribbler, one of the best dribblers in Europe. He had impressive dribbling stats. I think that, unfortunately, they didn’t know. There were also a lot of coaches. Kalu had still played quite a bit with Paulo Sousa at one point; then, I saw some good matches with Jean-Louis Gasset.

“Then there was no longer that confidence he needs to make a difference. He’s a sensitive player.”

The first choice goalkepper of the senior national team of Nigeria Maduka Okoye has not opened a line of communication with the present technical crew of the Nigerian team led by Jose Peseiro, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Okoye hasn’t kept goal for Nigeria since the round of 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations where he was roundly blamed for the lone goal Tunisia scored which sent Nigeria packing from the tournament.

He skipped the subsequent World Cup qualifiers playoff claiming to have tested positive to Covid 19. Ghana edged Nigeria to the World Cup ticket by away goal rule after a 0-0 draw in Kumasi and 1-1 draw in Nigeria.

That result ended the interim reign of Austin Eguavoen as coach of the team with Jose Peseiro appointed as the new man in charge of the team. A new goalkepper trainer Ike Shorunmu was also appointed in place of Alloy Agu.

In an interview with Fresh FM, Shorunmu explained how they tried to get across to Okoye but to no avail. That it was through a friend of the goalkepper that they got to find out that he wants a break to focus on his new club Watford.

Till date they still haven’t had any form of contact with the goalkepper, who has already resumed pre season training with his new team in the English Championship. He is however in line to miss out on next set of call up for the September round of games.

“Well first he is still part of the team but then we called him during the end of the season , last season before we travel to America. That is for the two friendly that we played in America. The secretary of the team told me they tried to reach him but they couldn’t get him”, he explained in an interview on Fresh FM.

” I collected the number from him. I called too, I couldn’t reach him but about three days after, the secretary of the team now told me he has got him through a friend on message. He now said to me that the guy now asked for him to be out of the team for now because he has made a move to a new club and want to concentrate on his new club. I said okay no problem”, he concluded.

Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire legend Didier Drogba has confessed his love for Napoli and Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Osimhen has severally referred to the Ivorian as his role model right from when he burst onto the scene as a 16 year old at the 2015 U17 World Cup. Upon turning 18 he  joined German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

He didn’t quite get going for two years until he made  a loan move to Belgium side Charleroi. That season saw him grow in leaps and bounds and earned him a move to French Ligue 1 side Lille.

After a year at Lille, he moved to Napoli for a record transfer fee two seasons ago. He has scored double digits goals in both seasons despite battling with injuries and fitness issues. Drogba was asked about his opinion on the 23 year old in a video interview made available to the editorial team of OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Interviewer: Today there is a great striker at Napoli Victor Osimhen, he said you are his legend.

Drogba: Yeah. I like him a lot. Great striker.

Interviewer: Do you think he can become one of the first in the world in the future?

Drogba: Yes he can. Everything is possible in football and when you have a talent like he is got. I think it’s just a question of momentum.

Nigeria international winger Chidera Ejuke has joined German Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin from Russian side CSKA Moscow, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

He will join the team on a loan deal with the German side having the option of making the deal permanent at the end of the loan per reports in the German media.

24 year old Ejuke joined CSKA Moscow in 2020 and so far has ten goals and eight assists in 65 games overs two seasons. He is well known for his ability to get past his opponents with ease.

Ejuke was a part of the sqaud of the senior national team of Nigeria to the 2021 delayed Africa Cup of Nations but only got to play in two games as Nigeria exited the tournament at round of 16 losing 0-1 to Tunisia.

He hasn’t been handed a call up since then but a strong showing at Hertha Berlin could help revive his career with the senior national team of Nigeria.

The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has released the list of players nominated for the young player of the year award, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

FC Copenhagen Nigerian wing forward Akinkumi Amoo made the shortlist of players released by the organisers of the award earlier today. 20 year old Amoo moved to the Danish side in January.

He was signed on the back of a very successful season with Swedish side Malmö . Injuries and fitness issues limited him to just two appearances as Copenhagen ran out as champions of Denmark.

Back in full pre season training, he will be expected to play a prominent role for the team as they campaign in the UEFA Champions League. He has already earned his first call up to the senior national team of Nigeria but yet to make his debut.

Nantes of France and Nigeria international winger Moses Simon has been nominated for the prestigious award of player of the year in the upcoming CAF Awards.

Simon was the only Nigerian considered worthy enough for a spot in the preliminary list of 30 players released by the organisers of the award.

The 26 year old is coming of a season where he helped Nantes lift the French Cup for the first time in 20 years. For the senior national team of Nigeria he was the shinning light for the team that crashed out in the round of 16 losing 0-1 to Tunisia.

He is up against some very strong opposition for the award with the likes of Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez all nominated as well. The list will be trimmed to three before the award ceremony.

Linked with a move away from Ligue 1 side Nantes, he was also at his best in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers bagging a hattrick of assists and a goal as Nigeria triumphed 2-1 over Sierra Leone and 10-0 over São Tomé and Principe.

Out of favour Nigeria international defender Tyronne Ebuehi will later today complete a loan move to Serie A side Empoli, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

He spent last season on loan to fellow Italian Serie A side Venezia, who were unfortunate to be relegated last season. He however did enough to impress coach Paolo Zanetti who was his coach and will be at the helm at his new club Empoli.

Last season the 26 year old played 19 Serie A games proving he is back to the fitness that made Benfica to swoop for him after the 2018 World Cup in Brazil, where he stood out for Nigeria.

He got injured few days to the start of the season and has since not returned to the expected level as he was out for around 18 months, no thanks to several set backs he suffered on his way back to full fitness.

The injury also cost him his spot in the senior national team of Nigeria but he was at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations but since then he hasn’t been given a call up for subsequent games.