As the debate over the next foreign technical adviser of the Super Eagles continue to rage on, the head coach of the team Salisu Yusuf has been told to be in charge of the team.

Yusuf who was reappointed as chief coach with the expectation that a foreign technical adviser will soon be engaged has already pencilled down a list of 28 players for the upcoming friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador on the 28th of May and 2nd of June respectively.

The games which will be played in the United States of America will serve as tune up game for the team ahead of the start of qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

We gathered Yusuf will be in charge of the games following the rejection of the proposal to employ Jose Peseiro by the minister for youths and sports Sunday Dare. He insist on giving all interested candidates a fair shot at the job.

NFF insist they did due diligence before settling for the Portuguese and have since replied the ministry. A response is yet to be received as at the time of filing in this report hence the directive to Yusuf to pick the team.

Yesterday the head coach of the U20 team of Nigeria Ladan Bosso unveiled his 28 man list for the WAFU B Championship which will serve as qualifiers for the Africa U20 Cup of Nations.

Owngoalnigeria.com senior editor, Mohamed Mowiz Suleiman has been with the team for the three days, and after watching them in four test games and several training sessions, he picks the players who were impressive.

Aliyu Abdullahi Adam – The Nasarawa United wing forward can easily pass as the best player in the team at the moment. Quick feet, precise finishing and also blessed with bags of tricks. He carries the burden of the team in attack. At 17 the GBS Academy graduate boast of a fantastic season in the NPFL with his exploits last season with Nasarawa United.

Nathaniel Nwosu – He stands at an impressive height of 2.2m same as Real Madrid goalkepper Thibaut Courtois. It’s his ability to go down quickly despite his height that took all by surprise. Blessed with sharp reflex, good reaction time and also distribution. He looks very much a top prospect. Rose to the role of first choice after just three training session.

Abubakar Babaji – A ball playing left full back who is also a dead ball specialist. Hits the ball with venom and joins attack with ease. Scored two very good free kicks in test games and no doubt will be hoping for some more when the tournament gets underway.

Oluwatosin Adegbite – Potential captain of the team. The Enyimba defender has shown enough leadership quality to be handed the band. Knows when to go long and short. Plays out from the back brilliantly and has good turn of pace when recovering.

David Sholumade – Calmness on the ball which steems from confidence in his abilities makes him standout. Occasionally plays casually and gets stuck in needless duels due to it. His talent is obvious and he is sure one of the leaders of this team.

Benjamin Frederick – Mr consistency. Didn’t put a single foot wrong in all test games and training session. Plays comfortably as a right back as well even though he is primarily a centre back. The graduate of Simoiben Academy only graduated from secondary school last year.

Albert Hilary – The focal point in attack. Shoots very well. Takes up goal scoring position and also runs at defenders with ease. A battling ram kind of striker who has already shown in the NPFL that he doesn’t need much chances before burying one.

FLYING EAGLES FOR WAFU B CHAMPIONSHIP:

Goalkeepers: Nathaniel Nwosu (Water FC); Chijioke Aniagboso (Giant Brillars); Saheed Jimoh (Adoration FC)

Defenders: Opeyemi Omooloyi (Akure City); Abubakar Babaji (Niger Tornadoes); Lekan Oyedele (Remo Stars); Oluwatosin Adegbite (Enyimba FC); Augustine Njoku (Abia Warriors); Chikezie Okolie (Giant Brillars); David Sholumade (Akwa United); Benjamin Frederick (ABS FC)

Midfielders: Anas Hassan (Vandrezzer FC); Daniel Daga (FC One Rocket); Oluwaseyi Falodun (Jossy United); Samson Lawal (Katsina United); Onuche Ogbelu (Fosla Academy); Muhammad Aminu (Gombe United); Muhammad Shehu (Katsina United); Frederick Godwin (City FC)

Forwards: Adams Olubi (FK Zalgris Vilnius, Lithuania); Tolulope Ojo (Remo Stars); Ibrahim Muhammad (Maikunkele FC); Ibrahim Yahaya (Gombe United); Rilwanu Haliru Sarki (Mahanaim FC); Divine Nwachukwu (Adoration FC); Ahmed Abdullahi (HB Academy); Abdullahi Adam (Nasarawa United); Albert Hilary (Plateau United)

Even if online casinos are continuously gaining popularity, the competition is getting tough between the operators. With the popularity of iGaming, more and more new casino sites and sportsbooks are starting to pop out of nowhere.

This is why even the online casinos that you usually see listed on popular casino review sites are continuously working on their marketing strategies. Some operators are teaming up with the best iGaming Affiliate Network in Nigeria like Imperial Deal.

Understanding Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an arrangement between an online business and an external person or group of people with significant web traffic. What happens here is that the online business will be working with affiliates to help them generate more traffic and income from referrals.

It’s easier to understand this by citing an example. Just think of your favorite social media influencers. If you remember them promoting a product or telling you to click on certain links, this means that they are an affiliate of the business.

For example, YouTube star PewDiePie is known to insert ads in between the videos that he shoots. It’s not just an ad because he is encouraging the viewers to use certain codes or click on links when he promotes a product or service like Opera GX.

Now, he must emphasize that his viewers use this link if he wants to earn as an affiliate. The code and the links are unique,and for every successful customer who purchased with his code or link, he gets to have a commission or at least gets paid for it.

This is why online businesses only work with affiliates with a significant following. Bigger businesses tend to get influencers or websites with big following and traffic.

But aside from the number of following and traffic, the type of audience that an affiliate has is also considered. When it comes to Affiliate Networking in the gambling industry, online casinos only seek affiliation with online groups or people who are known for casino-related content.

Some of the popular streamers you see on Twitch TV that play online slots or any casino games are usually affiliated with an online casino. Sometimes, they don’t have to share a code or link but just play games on a casino site to get paid.

What Are Affiliate Network Platforms?

Affiliate networks like Imperial Deal are platforms where publishers and merchants can meet and discuss how they can work together to boost the reach of a business. In this case, to boost the reach and even popularity of an online casino or sportsbook.

Think of platforms like Imperial Deal as a middle man who is working with the best brands in the industry and publishers who are mainly interested or passionate about iGaming. Publishers or aspiring affiliates can look for an affiliate network platform that can help them find online casinos or bookies who are willing to work with them.

Sure, they can do this part on their own, but with how things are going right now, it’s tough to find a willing gambling operatorwho would get publishers as an affiliate right away. Platforms like Imperial Deal just help lessen the effort of the publishers to find merchants.

Publishers won’t have to worry about expanding their networks because these platforms already have the network. All they need to do is to wait to be partnered with the best brand based on their following and content.

Why is it an Effective Marketing Strategy?

Affiliate marketing gives a win-win situation between the publisher and the online casino. It’s easy to track how an affiliate is performing because they have their links or codes. And so, the payment is always based on performance.

It’s easy for both ends to track performance. Thanks to affiliate network software, they can easily see how many people have been using the codes or how many have been clicking on the links. It’s not only that because they can also easily track how many people pushed through with a purchase aside from just clicking a link.

Conclusion

And so, for affiliate marketing, both online casinos and publishers or affiliates are gaining something from each other. Affiliates go out there to get leads and they get paid when they are successful. Meanwhile, online casinos are earning more and are having a wider reach since the affiliates are bringing in more customers to their sites.

As coach of the Nigeria U20 team Ladan Bosso get set to name the 30 players who will dorn the colours of Nigeria at the WAFU U20 Championship in Niger Republic, OwnGoalNigeria.com takes a look at five players based abroad who can be of help to the team.

Etim Friday (Vizela)- He can easily pass as one of the revelation of the season so far among the Nigerian contingent at the Portuguese side. Etim has 14 goals from 23 games for the U23 and his form has even earned him a spot in the first team, where he has played two league games so far. Already he is called the next Victor Osimhen by the press in Portugal.

Malcolm Ebiowei (Derby County) – Dropped from the Nigeria U17 team of 2019. He suffered same fate at Arsenal, West Ham and Rangers before joining Derby County in the English Championship. The transfer ban placed on the team opened the door for him to make his mark in the first team and he grabbed it with both hands.

Three man of the match award in 14 games got even his coach Wayne Rooney talking about how he sees the 18 year old blossoming into a top talent sooner rather than later. He is the nephew of newly appointed assistant coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George.

Daniel Jinadu ( Barnsley) – The 2019 Nigeria U17 goalkepper has grown in leaps and bounds since he took the bold step of leaving West Ham where he was promoted to the U23 for a chance at Barnsley. He is now a part of the first team set up at the Championship side while also keeping his spot as first choice of the U23.

Princewill Chigozie Ollerbides (Pachuca) – Eligible for Nigeria, Mexico and the United States of America. Comfortable on either flanks, this 17 year old has blown all away in Mexico. Quick feet with an eye for goal. He is a winger who can cross, shoot, score and also defend.

Odel Offiah – ( Brighton & Hove Albion) – He made the bench for Brighton last week completing what has been a remarkable rise from the youth team to the first team. So high is his rating that coach of Brighton first team Graham Potter already sees him as a future main stay in their defence.

Nigeria U20 team picked up their first friendly win ahead of their campaign in the WAFU Championship next month by beating  Cosmos FC of Abuja 4-2.

Nasarawa United wing forward Aliyu Abdullahi popularly known as Aguero stole the show with an eye catching performance against the Owerri based academy. He showed his twinkle toes to set up Gombe United forward Aminu Mohammed for the opening goal.

Aguero was again involved in the second goal winning the penalty which was converted by Ahmed Abdullahi of HP Academy. Aguero got the goal his performance deserve to steer the boys of Ladan Bosso to a 3-0 lead heading into the half time break.

The ex GBS Academy prospect was again involved in the build up to the fourth goal which was converted by another ex GBS Academy midfielder in Adams Yakubu, who plays for Akwa United.

Cosmos FC pulled two goals back to put some respect to the scoreline but for Bosso it’s the perfect way to start preparations for their engagement in Niger Republic in less than 14 days time.

Nigeria international winger Samuel Chukwueze is still facing an uncertain future with La Liga side Villarreal despite his role in ensuring that they progress to the semi final of the UEFA Champions League.

Chukwueze scored the vital goal which ended the hopes of German giants Bayern Munich in the second leg of their quarter final game which ended 1-0 in favour of Villarreal.

The Nigerian who have been at the club since 2018 has two more years left on his deal and so far there have been no talks about a meeting to discuss an extension of his current deal.

His future should concern the club but they are relaxed despite reports linking the 22 year old with a move away in the summer. A host of teams from Ligue 1 and the English Premier League are believed to be keeping tabs on the Nigeria international.

Villarreal will be opened to letting the left foot dazzler leave in the summer if a bid in excess of €30 million is lodged. Coach Unai Emery will according to reports be given whatever they get from his sale to strengthen other areas of priority in his team.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will go ahead with their plans to engage Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro as the new head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Peseiro was picked as the coach of the team from a four man shortlist which includes ex Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde, ex France, Bordeaux and PSG coach Laurent Blanc as well as former PSV Eindhoven coach Philip Cocu.

The decision to settle for the Portuguese didn’t go down well with the minister of sports Sunday Dare, who wrote a letter to the NFF rejecting the idea insisting on all shortlisted candidates to be given equal chance to stake a claim for the job.

Valverde’s financial demands is believed to be above what the NFF can afford same as Blanc but Cocu wasn’t given enough consideration despite coming highly recommended by a former Super Eagles player and captain.

Feelers from the camp of the minister suggest he is of the opinion that Peseiro isn’t the best option among the coaches shortlisted for the job with his preference being Cocu.

Cocu is seen by the camp of the minister as a young manager who is eager to work his socks off in order to make a name. They also feel he is more in tune with modern demands of the game than the other coaches shortlisted.

In a chat with OwnGoalNigeria.com, a board member of the NFF explained that the decision to hire Peseiro is borne out of the fact that he is a less a financial burden, and he has already started work on the team before the initial plan to engage him was scuttled in favour of Austine Eguavoen staying on after the AFCON.

They see the Portuguese as a coach who will also adapt a lot faster to the African terrain as he has managed Al Ahly in Egypt before. All these they have already communicated to the minister in their defence of the choice of Peseiro.

Newly appointed assistant coach of the senior national team of Nigeria George Finidi appears to be a fan of Genk of Belgium forward Paul Onuachu.

Finidi was appointed as part of the backroom staff of a yet to be appointed foreign technical adviser who will be the head of the technical crew as they aim to pick a ticket to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

The coach of Enyimba has in the past given his opinion on the players of the Super Eagles and also the way the team plays to the strength of individual players during the era of former technical adviser Gernot Rohr.

One player he specifically mentioned was Paul Onuachu who is a feared forward in the Belgium top division but hasn’t lived up to expectations in a Super Eagles shirt. Finidi believes it’s down to the kind of coaching he is getting at national team level.

“In the case of Paul Onuachu, who was snubbed, if you want a player to perform, you set up your formation in a way to make him comfortable. He has struggled largely because of poor coaching”, he said in March 2021 while assessing the call ups of Rohr for an AFCON qualifiers.

He will now have the honour of working with the lanky forward if he is included in the list of players for the qualifiers game against Sierra Leone in June.

Head coach of the Nigeria U20 team Ladan Bosso has dropped as many as 14 players from the players currently in the camp of the team ahead of the WAFU Championship.

The team resumed training on Monday with around 45 players training twice a day under the watchful eyes of Bosso who retained his position despite the team’s failure to make it to the U20 AFCON under his guide last time out.

Bosso is keen on having a better tournament this time around and he has wasted no time in wielding the axe on underperforming players with as many as 14 players dropped from the team.

Among the players is celebrated NPFL boy wonder Henry Udezuka who was voted the best player at the NPFL U15 tournament. Bosso explained his method is elimination by substitution as the tournament draws near.

“Because of time we have to let go of players on time. By next week we will begin to work on the shape of the team that we will be taking to Niger Republic for the tournament. More players will join us after this weekend games in the NPFL”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com

Argentina and world football super star Lionel Messi is surprised that the senior national team of Nigeria won’t be at the World Cup in Qatar, OwnGoalNigeria.comcan exclusively reveal.

Messi has played against the senior national team of Nigeria in three of the four World Cup tournaments he has played in the career namely 2010, 2014 and 2018 respectively. Argentina as a team has faced Nigeria all of the time the Super Eagles made it to the mundial.

This time around both countries won’t be facing each other following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup after the 1-1 draw in Abuja helped Ghana to go through ahead of the Super Eagles.

The former Barcelona ace who now plays for PSG was cornered by a group of Nigerian students a store in Paris in an exclusive video made available to OwnGoalNigeria.com, the legendary football went as far as asking the group of admirers if it’s true that they won’t truly be facing Nigeria at the World Cup.

” Oh we won’t be playing Nigeria at the World Cup? Strange because it’s like a tradition”, he said before making his way out of the store.