The newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has confirmed his appointment as the coach of the team ahead of their upcoming friendly games in the United States of America.

Peseiro was announced as coach last week and he will have his first task when the team take on Mexico and Ecuador respectively in two high profile games in the United States of America.

The games will serve as part of preparations for the Portuguese coach ahead of the start of qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria to play Sierra Leone on the 9th of June.

Speaking ahead of his resumption, Peseiro took to Twitter to voice his delight at getting the Super Eagles job with a vow to return the team he called one of the greatest football countries in the world back to the number one spot in African football.

“Pride! It is with great pride and joy that I am the coach of one of the greatest football nations in the world.  Commanding the Super Eagles starts with knowing how to respect history, value it and be inspired by its roots.

“Over 200 million Nigerians, from all states and ethnicities, want the same thing: success. We will work with great ambition, so that in the end we can finally call Nigeria the “four-time African champions”, he posted on his official Twitter handle.

Legendary Dutch striker Robin van Persie has warned coach of Roma Jose Mourinho that Nigeria international striker Cyriel Dessers will ruin his dream of winning the Europa Conference League.

Dessers is the top scorer in the tournament with ten goals in 12 games for Feyenoord where he is on loan from Belgium side Genk. Today they will be up against Roma coached by Jose Mourinho in the final.

Van Persie who also played for Feyenoord at the start of his career before moving to Arsenal and subsequently Manchester United reckon the Nigerian striker will be too much for the defence of Roma to cope with.

He said although he has met with Mourinho and he is still close to the Portuguese coach he feels Feyenoord particularly with the form of Dessers will likely win tonight’s final at the Air Albania stadium in Albania.

” Mourinho and I share a very good relationship. I have met him couple of times but on this Feyenoord will edge it. Dessers has been difficult to stop so far. He is probably the one who will ruin the dream of Mourinho”, he told the Dutch media.

The newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has confirmed his appointment as the coach of the team ahead of their upcoming friendly games in the United States of America.

Peseiro was announced as coach last week and he will have his first task when the team take on Mexico and Ecuador respectively in two high profile games in the United States of America.

The games will serve as part of preparations for the Portuguese coach ahead of the start of qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria to play Sierra Leone on the 9th of June.

Speaking ahead of his resumption, Peseiro took to Twitter to voice his delight at getting the Super Eagles job with a vow to return the team he called one of the greatest football countries in the world back to the number one spot in African football.

“Pride! It is with great pride and joy that I am the coach of one of the greatest football nations in the world.  Commanding the Super Eagles starts with knowing how to respect history, value it and be inspired by its roots.

“Over 200 million Nigerians, from all states and ethnicities, want the same thing: success. We will work with great ambition, so that in the end we can finally call Nigeria the “four-time African champions”, he posted on his official Twitter handle.

As many as eight players from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) have been included in the senior national team of Nigeria squad for the upcoming friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador respectively.

The players departed for the United States of America yesterday in the company of other local assistants of new coach Jose Peseiro who will join the team in the United States of America alongside his two assistants.

Goalkepping duo of Ojo Olorunleke and Adewale Adeyinka of Enyimba and Akwa United respectively were joined by Enyimba’s Victor Mbaoma, Rivers United duo of Ishaq Kayode Rafiu and Chiamaka Madu. Bello Babatunde of Akwa United, Buhari Ibrahim and Faisal Sani from Katsina United complete the players picked from the league.

They will be joined by other foreign based players with Peseiro expected to be without as many as six players originally on the list of players he called up for the games, which is meant to give him an idea of how the team will shape up against Sierra Leone in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara has sparked a debate in England after comparing Nigeria international defender Calvin Bassey to Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk.

O’Hara in the studio with fellow pundit Jason Cundy during the course of Rangers Europa League defeat at the hands of German side Eintracht Frankfurt. The duo were full of praise for the 21 year old Nigerian.

Cundy’s description of Bassey’s performance made O’Hara to likened it to Van Dijk’s performances for Liverpool which is usually made up of calmness on the ball, good passing range and high success rate when it comes to making tackles.

“Can we just talk about Calvin Bassey for a second because he caught you and our eye,” Cundy said on the radio.

“He looked sensational tonight, absolutely sensational.”I thought he was the best player on the pitch, he was immense.”

O’Hara piped in simply with: “Like Van Dijk!”

That comment sparked a conversation among fans of the senior national team of England with most of them saying Bassey should have waited for his time with the senior national team of England instead of committing to Nigeria.

The Rangers defender was eligible for Italy where he was born and England where he was raised but decided to play for Nigeria at senior level, that decision is now facing scrutiny from a section of the fans of the national team of England.

“He shouldn’t have been in a hurry. He looks very much a future England international if he hasn’t commited to Nigeria”, Percy Jackson wrote on Twitter.

” Bassey better than Marc Guehi who is an English international. One waited while Bassey picked Nigeria too early. That’s a mistake”, Jacob Andrew also wrote on Twitter.

The newly announced coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has officially resumed as the head coach of the team, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Peseiro will be on the sidelines for the first time when Nigeria take on Mexico and Ecuador respectively in two high profile international friendly games in the United States of America.

Ahead of the game, a 30 man list of players have been released but it is expected to be trimmed to 25 with Peseiro saddled with the task of picking the players for the game. Already some foreign based players have pulled out of the game.

The new coach will be looking out to call more foreign based players as he expects to have more players withdraw from the sqaud as the game draws near. Particularly as it concerns the issue of visa for the trip.

He will have a mixture of locally based players and foreign based players for the games which will serve as part of the preparations for the upcoming AFCON 2023 qualifiers game.

Mr. Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, asked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to strengthen the country’s domestic leagues on Monday. Dare made the decision after hosting the ‘Flying Eagles’, the U-20 men’s national team, in Abuja after their triumph in the WAFU B zone tournament in Niamey, Niger Republic.

The minister stated that the performance demonstrated the NFF board’s dedication to improving the game in the country. He said: “I want you to maintain the same level of discipline on all sides. The future of football is in the hands of these young ones and we must do all to ensure it remains the same”.

He added that one way is to ensure that is the rebirth of their leagues and giving it the quality it desires. He sees it as the only way Nigeria can have players who’ll go on to play for ‘Super Eagles’ as well as top clubs in Europe.

In the Direction of a Functional Nigerian Football League

In Nigeria, sports, particularly football, continue to provide many benefits, such as entertainment, employment, career opportunities, youth development, and a rallying point for national unity and togetherness. Football possesses enormous potential for the most populous black nation, with over 200 million people and around 65 percent of them being young. According to available data, some 10,000 corporations compete for the attention of an estimated 80 million active and latent youth fans who watch foreign football.

While many Nigerians, particularly youths, yearn for international football matches because of the high level of play, enthralling commentators, glamorous players, spectacular goal-scoring displays, and interactive fan participation, the same can’t be said of the local league’s followers and passion. Foreign football is tempting because of its skillful dribbles, outstanding goals, incredible saves, and accurate kicks, but the local league can step up.

Compared to 30 Years Ago, Nigerian Club Football Has Deteriorated

In truth, Nigerian football has deteriorated over the years from what it was three decades ago, but the outlook appears brighter if genuine actors’ cries for transformation are welcomed and reinforced with the necessary building stones. The possibilities are virtually limitless, but the government must improve the enabling climate for football and the sports business, in general, to prosper and grow more quickly. Improved security and amenities would be beneficial, while club management and administrators can rapidly see to recruiting a large number of new fans with exciting side attractions and other incentives.

The British government paid £200 million to the Premier League to improve infrastructure nearly 30 years ago, and the EPL was already worth over £18 billion in May 2021. According to Sportico, the average valuation of a Premier League team is currently $1.29 billion, with the 20 clubs in English soccer’s top flight together worth more than $25 billion. In a six-year contract worth £1.9 billion, NBC recently obtained the Premier League television rights to exclusively broadcast all 380 games per season in the United States until the summer of 2028.

The deal is nearly quadruple the $1 billion premium NBC paid for Premier League television rights in 2015, making it the English top-flight league’s largest-ever international television deal. This indicates that, if properly harnessed and managed, Nigerian football could become a key revenue generator for the country. And, if the gambling industry, ranging from local casinos to, for instance, the best online casinos in Liechtenstein, finds their interest here, the rise of Nigerian football would skyrocket.  

The Assistance of a Few Patriotic Firms Crucial to Re-Growth of Nigerian Football

Indeed, the Nigerian local league is gradually gathering up speed, thanks to the assistance of a few patriotic firms that believe in the growth of the Nigerian brand and are gradually breathing new life into the league. Despite the desire for overseas football, their patriotic efforts are assisting the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to expand at its current rate.

The NPFL has had its own magical moments, producing home-grown champions who have gone on to become international stars, such as Ahmed Musa, Daniel Akpeyi, and Junior Lokosa, who are all doing well in their own right and continue to dazzle global football fans. The NPFL can achieve enviable status with ongoing backing from companies that aren’t drawn to the wild rush. Eunisell Limited has been one of the rare and steadfast supporters of Nigeria’s domestic football league.

The specialized chemicals and engineering manufacturing solutions corporation began sponsoring Nigeria’s domestic Premier League in 2015, and as the Rivers United FC sponsor, went on to become the first club sponsor in Nigeria to do so for four consecutive seasons. The corporation has stated that it would continue to support the team and that it has exciting ideas for fans in the upcoming season.

The “Eunisell Boot Award”, which acknowledges and compensates players with monetary prizes at the conclusion of the NPFL season, with a ₦200,000 per goal premium, was introduced in 2018. This has heightened interest in the league. Year each year, top goal scorers in the Nigerian league express their gratitude for the initiative and their determination to work better, score more goals, and win the yearly award. Junior Lokosa of the Kano Pillars won the inaugural edition with 19 goals and was awarded ₦3.8 million for the 2017/2018 NPFL season. Silas Nwankwo of Nasarawa United and Charles Atshimene of Akwa United were named joint winners of the Eunisell Boot award with a monetary prize of ₦7.6 million after scoring 19 goals in the 2020/21 season.

Chika Ikenga, the Eunisell Managing Director, reiterated the Eunisell Boot as a catalyst for fostering excellence in local top-flight players and celebrating their success story before the NPFL began preparations on December 17. He emphasized that the gesture demonstrates Eunisell’s dedication to Nigerian football development.

The Example of Lekki United

With Oloye Akin Alabi, a prominent football enthusiast, entrepreneur, and politician, owning one of the emerging clubs, Lekki United, the Nationwide League One (NLO) has seen an increase in private involvement. There have been definite signs of growth for the reconstituted team as it starts its maiden season at the NLO in search of a day in the sun of Nigeria’s Division 2 games. For a while, the owner Oloye Akin Alabi has been anticipating a significant campaign for the NPFL. For the time being, he hopes that his squad continues to win the games in front of them.

Thousands of individuals, families, and businesses live and thrive in Lekki United, which is probably Lagos’ most vibrant commercial hub. Other businesspeople have indicated interest in the league, notably Shola Akinlade, CEO of Paystack, theNigeria’s major payment platform, and Kunle Soname, a veteran football manager.Akinlade had previously revealed his ownership of Sporting Lagos, a Nigerian league club in the second division, and urged other Nigerians to participate in a widely publicized stock purchase hosted by Paystack in 2021.

Also, despite finishing 15th in the NPFL and having not made the league back-to-back appearances since their first season in 2016, Remo Stars, the club led by experienced football administrator, CEO Kunle Soname, is regarded as one of the best-run clubs in the league, thanks to its highly efficient methods and nascent history.

Sports betting, like so many other things in Nigeria, has become entrenched and doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. The sector is profitable, with annual revenues projected to be approximately ₦730 billion ($1.7 billion).

Betting has been around for a long time, with pool betting being particularly popular among the elderly. However, the excitement and buzz surrounding the major European leagues have increased betting among younger Nigerians, and there are a variety of reasons for this.

Betting is no longer stigmatized, as it’s now widely accepted by all, despite requests to limit its spread among youths, who may lack control and don’t know when to quit when their betting habits become illogical. People from all walks of life congregate at betting outlets on a regular basis, with the occasional appearance of fascinating characters such as religious clerics, housewives, and even masquerades.

Payment gateways and platforms enable users to deposit money into their betting accounts by attaching their debit cards in extremely simple steps, thanks to the advancement of technology and improved availability to mobile devices. What has caused this increase in betting activity during the last ten years? This essay will present both the pros and cons of sports betting in Nigeria.

Pros

According to a survey published in 2020, around 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 engage in sports betting, which is unsurprising. Joblessness and poverty are to blame for the growth in sports betting among Nigerian youth.Nigeria’s population is projected to be over 200 million, with 87.5 million people living in abject poverty.

When you consider that 65% of Nigerians are under the age of 35 and that the young unemployment rate in 2018 was a whopping 36.5%, it’s easy to understand how, say, football betting and unemployment are linked. The majority of these young individuals regard betting as a get-rich scheme, and it’s not uncommon to see employed people use it as a legal source of extra cash.

Betting companies should strengthen their marketing to educate individuals about the importance of betting responsibly and only with disposable income. Many people have witnessed betting improve their life, and if positive messages are shared in the future, it can reinforce the perception that gambling is a worthwhile risk to take.

Cons

There have been numerous criticisms, the most prominent of which is the industry’s lack of control or visible restrictions. Despite the fact that betting businesses preach against betting in excess of normal limits, many people continue to gamble with excessive sums of money (in proportion to their income levels), while parents and caregivers are reporting that their teenagers are stealing money to pay for football wagering.

It’s also difficult to accurately establish the age of persons that bet in Nigeria, thus the claim that 18+ people bet is difficult to back up. The betting industry, like the alcohol industry, has a difficult time correctly identifying adults who purchase its products. In Nigeria, there’s no standard level of identification, which means that impressionable children under the age of 18 who don’t comprehend the legal ramifications of their acts are being drawn into the harmful and uncontrollable need for quick money.

In Nigeria, there’s also a school of thought that says betting is unrelated to Nigerian culture. They feel that not having direct influence over the outcomes of sports or contests, as well as betting on them, are cultural and religious traditions that should be avoided.

Betting on Football

Football is undoubtedly Nigeria’s most popular sport. The majority of Nigerians wager on football, according to data from sports betting organizations like Betway. Nigerian punters like betting on the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, and the German Bundesliga, among other major European leagues, in addition to their home league. They also wager on major football tournaments such as the continent’s topflight African Cup of Nations, but also the rest of the world’s gems, such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

The popularity of football has aided the development of the betting business in the country. Nigerian sports bettors are projected to spend 3,000 Naira a day on average.

Internet and Mobile Penetration

More Nigerians are gaining access to cell phones and Internet connections as infrastructure improves. More Nigerians now own cell phones thanks to the availability of more cheap smartphones.

According to studies, over 47% of Nigerians use their mobile phones to access the Internet. In 2025, this percentage is predicted to reach above 64%. This means that over 85 million Nigerians have access to the Internet via their mobile phones. These are the figures that have fueled the expansion of online sports betting in this African nation (in Africa, in general).

Numerous Betting Options

Many online betting operators have come to Nigeria because of the 85 million Nigerians who use mobile Internet. As the operators’ competition heats up, they devise new strategies for acquiring new consumers and retaining existing ones.

As a result, foreign operators such as 22bet and other best betting sites in Nigeria have come up with some really appealing incentives and promotions. Welcome bonuses, for example, are offered to entice new clients. Customer loyalty programs are also available to ensure that you stay put.

All in all, betting operators’ actions have also aided the growth of the Nigerian betting market.

Conclusion

Nigerian culture has long included sports betting, albeit on a smaller scale. However, technological advancements such as the Internet and widespread mobile phone use have altered the sports betting sector in the country. Because online sports betting has made betting platforms more accessible, more Nigerians may now wager on their favorite teams. Many international betting organizations have been drawn to Nigeria by the rise in the number of people placing sports bets.

Nigeria’s mobile Internet users are expected to increase in the near future. More people are likely to participate in sports betting as the population rises. Other sports, such as rugby, the NFL, hockey, and athletics, are also growing in popularity.

As a result, the online sports betting business in Nigeria is expected to continue to grow.

The squad of the senior national team of Nigeria for the upcoming international friendly game against Mexico and Ecuador respectively has been altered again.

Nigeria named a 30 man list for both games in the United States of America but so far four players on the list won’t be available for both games owing to different issues as the season in Europe winds up.

Sadiq Umar won’t be available for the game with Almeria neck deep in promotion battle with a decisive game coming up 48 hours before Nigeria’s first friendly game against Mexico. Effectively ruling him out of the games.

Emmanuel Dennis has also communicated to the crew that he won’t be available for the game same as goalkepper Maduka Okoye who claimed he is recuperating from a shoulder injury picked up in April during a game against Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie.

So far three new players in Innocent Bonke, Terem Moffi and Adeleye Adebayo have been drafted in as replacement but the latter is in a race against time to be able to obtain a visa for the game.

More changes on account of visa will be made to the team with reports indicating that the Nigeria Professional Football League duo of Afeez Nosiru and Isah Ali might be replaced in the squad.

They are yet to be granted visas and they might be replaced with the duo of Bello Babatunde and Sani Faisal who are players of Akwa United and Katsina United respectively.

The game will be the first for the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro, who was appointed two weeks ago. The game will serve as part of the preparation for the start of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The agent of Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen is London for talks with Arsenal who are keen on signing the Nigerian from Napoli according to Goal.com.

Osimhen has been linked with a summer move to the Gunners but Napoli insistence on a €100m as transfer fee was seen by many as the stumbling block for any potential deal.

Nonetheless, the agent of the 23 year old isn’t relenting and according to Charles Watt who is highly respected for his authority on stories about Arsenal, the agent of Osimhen is in London to thrash out a deal.

It is believed that the idea is to agree personal terms in the event of a breakthrough in talks with Napoli then the deal will be seamless without hassles. Aside Arsenal Newcastle United also want the Nigerian.

He finished the season with 14 Serie A goal despite missing a total of four months due to injury and fitness concerns.