Hoffenheim highly rated teen sensation Uche Obiogumu has revealed why he honoured a call up to play for Germany at youth level despite meeting with the former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr.

Last year Uche met with Rohr in Germany after a game for the youth team of the Bundesliga side and was expected to make the squad of the Nigerian team by the turn of the year, which is this year.

Rohr sees Uche as the missing pieces in the Super Eagles midfield due to his ability to create and also score goals with ten assists and seven goals for the U19 of Hoffenheim in the U-19 Bundesliga South/Southwest League.

However Rohr was sacked late last year and early this year Uche who had earlier refused to honour the chance to play for Germany accepted an invitation to play for Germany at U18 level and even played two games in March.

Explaining his representative told OwnGoalNigeria.com that since the initial contact with Rohr, there was no follow up even before the sacking of Rohr. His replacements Austine Eguavoen and Jose Peseiro respectively haven’t reached out yet.

” None reached out after the initial meeting with Rohr. Germany came calling and a decision has to be made which was play for Germany. If Nigeria ever needs him in the long run. We can have that discussion and a decision as well”, he concluded.

New coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says he isn’t keen on inviting new players to the team as he seek to build a team around core players who have been in the team for a while.

Nigeria is currently undergoing a rebuild under the Portuguese coach and talks have been about refreshing the squad by inviting some young players in key positions as replacement for those in the team.

Peseiro is however adamant that what the team needs now isn’t new players but an idea on how to play to his own philosophy which he believe the current group of players in his team can do with ease.

He said he sees them as the best the country can boast of at the moment and will  only call up a new player if he truly believe he is better than the one in his position in the team. Even at that he said giving them game time is a gradual process.

” The players in team at the moment is the best we have now. I have watched lot of video of them and what they need is to understand our ideas and philosophy. New players spring up everyday in Nigeria but we have the best now”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Okay, if I see a new player who is doing better than the player in his position. I will give him time little by little to help me understand out ideas which is what we want to do most at this moment and not bring in new players”, he stated.

Former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says he left the senior national team of Nigeria in a far better state than when he took over as coach in 2016.

The German coach was unceremoniously fired from his role as coach by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) hours after Nigeria secured top spot to qualify for the World Cup play off.

Without Rohr who has been at the helm for six years until that faithful day Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup, and also had their worst Africa Cup of Nations perfomance in over 40 years exiting the tournament at the round of 16.

Under new coach Jose Peseiro the team has started their quest for a berth at next year Africa Cup of Nations on a sound note by winning their first two games of the qualifiers including a record 10-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe.

Rohr has sent a timely reminder to those who have forgotten the state of the team when he took over as coach in 2016. ” It was a team that was low on confidence that I inherited. They were going through a spell of missing out on two Africa Cup of Nations. It was tough”, Rohr told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” As a team we did some really good things and when I was asked to leave, the work we did is clear for all to see. The team will stay same for a while because we brought in lot of young players. Clearly to see they are in a better place than where I met them”, he concluded.

A lot has been said about the non involvement of Cyriel Dessers in the team that defeated Sierra Leone 2-1 in Abuja and set a new record with the 10-0 thrashing of Sao Tome and Principe in Morocco.

Dessers was capped by Nigeria two years ago but he is yet to play in any competitive game meaning he is still eligible for the senior national team of Belgium, where he was born and once trained with their youth team.

Belgium are currently looking for options in attack and with Dessers finishing as top scorer in the Europa Conference League with ten goals for Feyenoord last season he was seen as an option. That led to talks of Nigeria needing to cap tie him by playing him in a competitive game.

That wasn’t the case as Jose Peseiro had him on the bench for two straight games despite his goal in the 1-2 friendly loss against Mexico in the United States of America.

” Dessers was prime to play against Sierra Leone in Abuja then we had two decisions to make. Change the formation by switching to a three man midfield. Towards the end he was to be introduced but William Troost Ekong got injured and we had to bring in a defender”, Peseiro told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Away at Sao Tome and Principe he was to come in for Victor Osimhen but again Calvin Bassey signalled to us that he is injured hence we brought on Leon Balogun. He will play games and lots of it for Nigeria but that too is down to his form because we have huge competition for spots”, he stated.

Online casinos have simplified the process of placing bets and gambling. As long as you have an internet connection and a gadget, you may bet from anywhere. While it is handy and straightforward, it is also risky since internet gambling has hazards that are not present in traditional brick and store casinos. 

It is simple to be more covert and select from a broader range of possibilities online, but this does not negate the inherent hazards of gambling in general.

Continually Putting Your Team First

You’ve been a fan for as long as you can remember, and you plan your weekends around their games – but it’s important to realize that almost every team has a terrible run at some point throughout the season.

This is particularly true for lower-level teams. Keep off from spending your money to support your emotions if your favorite team is on a losing run; no matter how positive you are, the only way is up. Passion may seriously impair one’s judgment. 

Blind Wagering

This point builds on the previous one and is geared toward people new to betting or unfamiliar with the procedure.

When placing a wager, it’s critical to do your homework on the teams you’re interested in betting on to make the best selection possible. Even though there will always be an element of luck in sports betting, the degree of chance may be lowered via appropriate study.

One of the most typical blunders of many individuals, particularly beginners, is betting on the favorite. The favorites do not always win, so backing them blindly without completing your homework is a bad idea.

Expecting Unachievable Results

Even if you decide to spend hours studying and formulating the ideal wager, nothing is inevitable in the end, and things can go anyway. Don’t always start your betting adventure with exaggerated expectations, such as convincing yourself that this will be your lucky break or that you’re going to make a lot of easy cash.

This thinking style is risky because it may lead to you placing a lot of pressure on yourself to maintain winning, which can lead to you raising your wagering amounts when playing in casinos such as sodo. Furthermore, having unreasonable expectations is associated with a generally unpleasant betting experience, which no one wants. Be realistic in your expectations, establish reasonable goals, play responsibly, and most importantly, enjoy the pleasure that sports betting provides.

Failure to Do an Investigation

Most bettors do not conduct research before placing their wagers, and this error costs them money because they frequently lose their wagers. Research is vital since it provides additional information about the encounter. 

For example, in football, you need to know the line-up, if the main players are available for selection, the present form of the teams, their history, and how they fared in past matches.

Using Shady Betting Websites

Betting for real money on the internet has several hazards. There is the obvious risk of losing money on wagers, but there is also the chance of losing money to a scam or getting into legal problems. 

As a result, stay away from any betting site that you are unfamiliar with or that is not well-known. This also needs an investigation.

A gambler’s life is full of risks since nothing is ever assured in sports betting. Winning is contingent on various things, including avoiding the aforementioned frequent sports betting blunders. If you want to participate in a safe and secure environment, finding reputable sports betting sites like sodo is a great place to start.

The international future of Crystal Palace midfielder Michael Olise stole the space to an extent yet when reports came that he has decided to pledge his international future to Nigeria ahead of Algeria, France and England.

Olise is eligible for all four countries but has only played for France at youth level and most recently at U21. He didn’t honour a call up to the senior national team of Nigeria extended to him by former coach Gernot Rohr.

Around same time reports were flying round that he has commited to Nigeria, sources in Algeria were also claiming he has commited to them and will likely be in the squad for the international round of games in September.

OwnGoalNigeria.com spoke to a source at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and he denied knowledge of the midfielder’s decision to play for Nigeria. He however said it will be a welcome development if true.

‘No idea where that news came from but we will be delighted if it’s true. Last we had him that close was when Rohr was coach. They met and spoke hence his invitation which he didn’t honour but again he was on standby. Since then no contact with him”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Our new coach Jose Peseiro will have to make the call if he wants him or not but it’s not about wanting him. It’s about it he wants to play for Nigeria. It’s his decision to make*.

Michael Emmanuel as emerged as the early contender for player of the tournament at the ongoing WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana. The Simoiben Academy prospect has won back to back man of the match award.

He scored the first goal of the tournament with a stupendous freekick from range in the 4-2 win over host Ghana. He followed it up with another near faultless performance against Togo where they triumphed 3-1.

Many were shocked when he referenced Super Eagles star Moses Simon as the man he is dedicating his man of the match award to after the first game. Today he turns 16 and here is what OwnGoalNigeria.com senior editor Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman can tell about his career so far.

Michael came to Kaduna State from a village in Abuja around a year ago for trials at Simoiben Football Academy owned by the wife of Moses Simon, Mrs Simon Ibukun Sarah. He came for trials like every other kid. They were about 300 who came.

What made Michael stood out was his ability to use the ball in tight spaces. The coaches led by Gambo Shanding, Emma Okpula and Abel Oguh unanimously agreed that he should be given more time and placed him in the team for a test game.

He didn’t disappoint at all. His perfomance cemented his spot in the team but there was a final decision to be made and it has to be taken by Moses Simon. Who scrutinizes screened players on behalf of his wife. Simon instantly took to Michael.

Trouble struck when the kid went missing and Simon who was far away in France was quick to noticed as the lad wasn’t seen in any of the team pictures posted on their social media handles. He immediately sort to know of his whereabouts.

That inquest forced the coaches to begin tracing the kid and discovered that he was in Ilorin. A local scout who saw him in a game with Simoiben Academy tricked him into following him to Ilorin. The moment it was established that he wants to return back to Kaduna and the academy. Simon took him under his wings.

He gave him an apartment to stay, placed him on allowance aside ensuring that he gets fed three times a day. His career was also not left out as he got boots, kits and more from the Nantes winger.

A originally a midfielder but now excelling as a left full back. His journey to where he is at the moment would probably have suffered a setback if not for God and Moses Simon. He turns 16 today and on the right career path to become a great in the game if he continues to progress as expected.

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says players in the team rank among the most talented he has managed in his managerial career.

Peseiro only recently took over as coach of the team but made history in his second competitive game when he led them to a 10-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers.

He has so far succeeded in making the team played an attacking brand of football which to him is down to the talents in the team which is term as the best he has ever managed.

” Our style is to attack because of the type of players we have in the team. I see them very well now in training and they are the most talented I have worked with in my career and I am not joking. It’s hard for me to pick the best selection for games”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” We expect the next few games to be tougher but we are confident in ourselves. The ideas will make the players love to play for the team”, he concluded

Nigeria international forward forward Victor Osimhen refused to rule out a move to English Premier League side Arsenal from Italian Serie A side Napoli.

The forward is reportedly among the targets of Arsenal this summer with manager Mikel Arteta keen on bolstering his options in attack. Newcastle United are also among the club rumoured to be weighing up a bid for the Nigerian.

Osimhen was asked about his future shortly after Nigeria defeated Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 in their second consecutive game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. A game which he scored four goals.

Responding he said when the time is right he will speak about his future as anything can happen before the close of the summer transfer window around Europe.

“First of all I am happy with this win and for me I think my business with the national team stays with the national team and my business at my club stays with it. Talking about transfers now I don’t think it’s the right moment for me because I just finished with the national team”, he said at the post match presser.

“I had a good two games and the wins. Of course yeah everyone these there is a lot of rumours going around me and of Europe at large. Anything can happen, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer..I just want to go back to my family and have a good time relax and refresh my mind and when the time is right I will speak about my future”, he stated.

Nigeria international left back Zaidu Sanusi has revealed how he came in contact with the agent of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now his agent.

Zaidu spent three years in Portugal starting with Gil Vicente where he spent two years before dropping to third division side Mirandela. It was while he was there that he was converted to a left full back.

He also played as the left central defender in a back three at same club and it was during a game in the Portuguese Cup that Santa Clara spotted him and wasted no time in signing him.

Playing in the Portuguese first division for the first time he showed no nerves with how he acquitted himself to the demands of the league. It was however a surprise when he moved to league giants FC Porto after just a year.

Porto sold Alex Telles and immediately went for the relatively untested Nigerian and he has so far not failed their trust particularly last season. He was by far one of their most consistent player putting to bed speculation that he wasn’t wanted after struggling a bit in his first season at the club.

What came to many as a suprise as well was how Jorge Mendes, the agent of global football icon Ronaldo became his agent in less than a year in the Portuguese top flight, Zaidu recounts how it all started with the owner of GestiFute company.

” It was quite straightforward if you ask me. He saw me and got my contact. I had no agent at that time. We had this connection from the get go and knowing who he is. I couldn’t have said no. He has helped me grow in my game and as a man as well”, he exclusively told OwnGoalNigeria.com in a chat.