The first choice goalkepper of the senior national team of Nigeria Maduka Okoye has played down suggestions that he has taken a break from the senior national team of Nigeria.

Okoye pulled out of the World Cup qualifiers playoff against Ghana and also the upcoming friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador respectively in the United States of America. Fueling talks that he is taking a break from international football.

Speaking to Suleiman Folarin, the Watford bound goalkepper said he decided to pull out of the game due to a shoulder injury picked up during a league game against Ajax on the 8th of April.

He picked up the injury in the game against Ajax and he is expected to undergo rehabilitation ahead of the start of the new season as agreed by the doctors of Sparta Rotterdam and that of Watford.

BREAKING: Maduka Okoye pulled out of the @NGSuperEagles friendlies & #AFCON Qualifiers due to shoulder injury. He has been playing injured since April 8th against @AFCAjax. @SpartaRotterdam & @WatfordFC Doctor's agreed that he must get rehab before next season. #Nigeria #Mexico pic.twitter.com/F1pUSKdtZ4

— Sulaiman Folarin (@sulaiman4real) May 23, 2022

The statement made by Folarin isn’t in tandem with what a source told this portal as it was claimed that he isn’t mentally ready to play for Nigeria now after the insults he suffered for his howler in the 0-1 defeat to Tunisia that led to the Super Eagles elimination from the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.

There is a goalkeeper crisis brewing in the camp of the senior national team of Nigeria following the decision of two senior goalkeppers to take a break from international football, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The duo of Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho who are first and second choice goalkeppers respectively have told the handlers of the team that they want a break from international football.

Okoye hasn’t represented Nigeria since his howler at the Africa Cup of Nations which gifted Tunisia the lone goal that led to the exit of the Super Eagles from the tournament at the round of 16.

Uzoho on his part was responsible for the goal scored by Ghana which sealed their spot at the World Cup at the expense of the Super Eagles of Nigeria during the second leg of their playoff in Abuja.

Both goalkeppers were subjected to several online insults and in the case of Okoye he even received death threats. A source told this portal that the decision of the duo has been communicated to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

” Okoye wants a break from international football. He hasn’t recovered mentally from the way he was treated after the Super Eagles exit from the Africa Cup of Nations. He even received death threats and his family members were also not left out”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” In the case of Uzoho it was clear that he will find it hard to recover from that error. He was in tears at half time and didn’t want to play in the second half. The coaches had to beg him to finish the game. At this stage he is the only one who can say if he is ready to return”, he concluded.

Per reports reaching the editorial team of OwnGoalNigeria.com Israel based goalkepper Adebayo Adeleye has been handed a late call up to the squad of the senior national team of Nigeria.

Adeleye will take the place of Sparta Rotterdam goalkepper Maduka Okoye who pulled out of the upcoming games against Mexico and Ecuador respectively in the United States of America.

The Hapoel Jerusalem goalkepper has been knocking on the Super Eagles door for a while and the sudden decision of Okoye to withdraw from the games and possibly the AFCON 2023 qualifiers for unspecified reasons has opened the door for him.

He helped his team gained promotion to the Israeli top flight and ended the season on a high when he reclaimed his first choice spot to help the team beat the drop to the second division. This season he kept four clean sheets in 33 games.

21 year old Adeleye was a part of the 2017 Nigeria U17 team that failed to make it to the Africa U17 Cup of Nations. He rose from the youth team of the Israeli side to the first team, where he has been first choice for three years.

*We will be monitoring this story as it develops as there is no confirmation yet and sources close to the Super Eagles are yet to respond to calls and messages on the subject matter.

Sparta Rotterdam goalkepper Maduka Okoye won’t be available for Nigeria when they take on Mexico and Ecuador respectively in two high profile international friendly games.

Okoye has communicated to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that he won’t be available but no reason was given for his absence per the time of filing in this report. Fueling talks of the goalkepper potentially quitting the national team.

He was largely targeted by a section of the Nigerian fans and media after the team’s round of 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations with many blaming him for the goal Tunisia scored, which decided the game.

Since after the tournament he hasn’t represented Nigeria as he made a last minute decision to shun the World Cup playoff against Ghana which ended Nigeria’s hope of qualifying for the showpiece in Qatar.

We further gathered that he will also miss the start of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers with Nigeria to take on Sierra Leone in Abuja before making the trip to play Mauritius.

His absence has opened the door for the duo of Akwa United Adewale Adeyinka and Ojo Olorunleke to stake a claim for the number one spot of the team.

The newly announced coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has approved the addition of Lorient’s duo Terem Moffi and Innocent Bonke to the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming friendly games.

Nigeria will take on Mexico on the 29th before taking on Ecuador four days later. Both games will be played in the United States of America with Peseiro expected to be on the touchline.

He gave the greenlight for the duo to be added to the squad of 30 players. Moffi will take the place of Sadiq Umar in attack with the Almeria striker expected to miss the game due to club commitment.

Both games will afford the new coach to run the rule on all players as he begins his reign as coach. The games will afford him the chance to assess the team ahead of the start of qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations next month.

The newly appointed first assistant of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George has rubbished the statement made by erstwhile coach of the Nigerian team Austine Eguavoen about the type of player the team need.

During the time at the helm, Eguavoen who was sacked after Nigeria’s worst Africa Cup of Nations in over 40 years was compounded by failure to get the required result against Ghana in the world cup playoff,  said he was looking for players similar to the Nigerian team of 1994.

“I am looking for a player like Thompson Oliha or Mutiu Adepoju for the eagles but I haven’t found one”, he said.

Asked if he believe the team need players of the aforementioned duo, the Enyimba coach said it’s not tenable as football has evolved past the level it was in 1994.

“You cannot compare eras. The kind of football we played at that time was quite different from what we have now. Football has changed”, he said.

Remo Stars defender Issah Ali will be a part of the senior national team of Nigeria squad for the upcoming friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador respectively despite his indictment in match fixing by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Alli was handed a first time call up to the senior national team of Nigeria as part of the players for the friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador respectively in the United States of America. His Indictment in match fixing in Ghana threatened his involvement in the game.

The 21 year old was part of a group of players banned by the GFA for match manipulation during his time with Ghanaian side Inter Allies. The ban however starts from next season and it isn’t a worldwide ban yet.

Furthermore, the League Management Company (LMC) will admit Alli into the league in Nigeria when an issue involving his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) is cleared. He was registered in the league without any record that he played in Ghana.

It was why the LMC withdrew his license to play in the league alongside that of his teammate at Remo Stars Andy Okpe who was also indicted by the GFA as he was also a player of Inter Allies around same time.

Checks by the LMC revealed that Ali played for Inter Allies on loan from Remo Stars and was recalled for the NNL promotion playoff to the NPFL with the use of a valid ITC which was issued by the FA in Ghana.

However, the administrators of the Nigeria second division league didn’t include the ITC in the document forwarded to the LMC for his registration on the DTMS. Hence the reason why the Ghanaian team wasn’t captured in his registration.

A copy has since been obtained and he is free to represent Nigeria and also play in the NPFL until at least when the GFA makes the ban worldwide or otherwise. So far neither the LMC or the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have been told to ban the player by the GFA. As a matter of fact they haven’t even send a copy of the judgment to Nigeria.

The newly announced coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has been given the go ahead by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to hold talks with Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Eze turned down the chance of playing for Nigeria few years after training with the team at their camp in London. He picked a call up to the England U20 team ahead of representing Nigeria at senior level.

He claimed he was on the verge of making the England senior team to the Euros before the injury that kept him out for almost a year. Like ufabet Now back to his best level fitness wise. The drag over his international future has resumed.

Peseiro is said to be an admirer of the midfielder’s quality and feels he can bring something different to the team if he decide to pledge his allegiance to Nigeria. He believe if he has audience with the ex QPR ace he could have a change in mind.

His desire to get the midfielder is in tandem with what the vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi told ESPN on the quest to get Eze to commit to Nigeria at senior level.

Akinwunmi told ESPN last year: ‘His parents, I believe, said he is just starting his career so we should let him establish himself and then they would take it from there.

‘It appears to me that he would want to play for Nigeria, but again, there is a lot of pressure on these players who play in England.

‘There is a lot of pressure on them to play, even if it is once for England. We would keep talking to him if he wants to play; we don’t beg anyone to play for Nigeria. We would just ask him again and if he is willing to, he would be invited.

‘We see him, we think he is a good player. He is a Nigerian, he is entitled like any Nigerian playing anywhere to play for Nigeria”, he concluded.

Yesterday the Nigeria U20 team lifted the WAFU B Championship with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Benin Republic in the fina of the tournament held in Niger Republic.

The boys of coach Ladan Bosso proved to be to much for the Benin Republic side who were made to play with ten men for the major part of the game following a sending off.

Tolulope Ojo Samuel was the star for the Nigerian team in the final with a brace before Ibrahim Mohammed rounded up the tie for the Ladan Bosso tutored side. OwnGoalNigeria.com takes a look at five players who were impressive all through the tournament.

Daniel Daga – Can easily pass as the most valuable player of the tournament. Picked up two man of the match award in four games. At 15 he drove the Nigerian team forward with ease and the maturity of a veteran. Surely one for the future.

Oluwatosin Adegbite – Led the defence with ease with solid timing and well aimed tackles. Move the ball out of the back with ease. He was the leader of not just the back four but the entire team.

Lekan Oyedele – Reports said he was voted the best left back at the prestigious Viareggio tournament in Italy. Didn’t look out of place and the ease with which he displaced Abubakar Babaji after few days training says a lot. Joins the attack with ease, defends when he has to and not for once did he look out of place.

Ahmed Abdullahi – Followed up his brace for the Nigeria U17 team with a solo strike in his first competitive game for the U20. Gave the attack a whole new dimension with his close ball control, dribbling ability and also goal scoring abilities. Unfortunately had his tournament cut short by a head injury.

Ibrahim Mohammed – Scored Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament and also scored their last goal. Full of energy, runs comfortably with or without the ball. A constant menace who is very direct, skilful and also deadly when around the box as he can pick a pass or shot very well.

Nathaniel Nwosu – Needed just two training session to be named the first choice of the team. Standing at an impressive height of over six feet. Nathaniel showed he can be an option for the future with quick reflex, barking out of instructions and also good ball handling especially under pressure.

The Nigeria U20 team have been crowned the winner of their year WAFU B tournament after a comprehensive 3-0 win over Benin Republic in Niger Republic venue of the tournament.

Nigeria went ahead 32 minutes into the game when Tolulope Ojo Samuel put the Ladan Bosso tutored lad in front from the spot. Their third consecutive goal from the spot.

Ojo followed up his goal from the spot with a potential goal of the tournament with a long range effort before Ibrahim Muhammed killed off any potential talk of a late fight back for Benin Republic who before then have been reduced to ten men.

However six minutes from full time Farid Edou pulled a goal back for the young squirrels but it ended up as a mere consolation with Nigeria claiming their first ever WAFU title at this level.