Michael Tochukwu says there is no truth in recent reports linking him with a move to fellow Nigeria Professional Football League side Remo Stars from Nasarawa United.

The midfielder who has five goals and six assists this season has been one of the revelation this season in the NPFL. Hence news of other clubs interested in him didn’t come as a surprise.

However the said report is untrue as he is focused on doing well at his loan club till the end of the current season. He is owned by the famous GBS Academy in Jos.

Any discussion about his future lies in the hands of the Jos based side who are famed for producing talented footballers with around 16 scattered around NPFL teams and more than ten based abroad.

Tochukwu is among the 23 players from the Jos based football academy scattered in teams playing in the NPFL who will be scouted by a Norway based agent this month.

A backroom staff of the senior national team of Nigeria has revealed how inept the technical crew of the team were during the course of the 1-1 draw against Ghana in Abuja.

The result cost Nigeria a spot at the World Cup base on away goal rule as the first leg in Ghana ended in a 0-0 draw. Already the crew have been dismissed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Reacting a backroom staff who crave annoymity said the entire coaching set up looked uncoordinated for an assignment of that magnitude. He said technically and tactically they were out of their depth in that game.

He specifically mentioned their inability to decipher that Ghana has switched to a back five until a player whom he said is either Victor Osimhen or Odion Ighalo told them that Ghana switched at the start of the second half.

According to our source, the crew wouldn’t have introduced Shehu Abdullahi for Frank Onyeka if they were aware that the Ghanaian team has switched to a back of five at the start of the second half.

We also gathered that there was interference in the starting lineup with instructions from the top to coach Austine Eguavoen to field the duo of Emmanuel Dennis and Ademola Lookman from the start.

Per what we heard, the idea was to start Moses Simon on the left and head coach Emmanuel Amuneke had a one on one session with the Nantes winger detailing to him how he can team up with Osimhen in attack.

Amuneke wasn’t aware that Simon won’t be starting until few hours to the match. The former Nigeria U17 coach was also not in support of the decision to start Emmanuel Dennis, as he believes he is more efficient when the team have the ball and not when they needed to fight for it like it was from the start against Ghana.

It was Dennis who left the player who laid the pass for Thomas Partey to score what ended as the clincher for Ghana. Dennis walked away instead of closing him down making it easy for him to lay the pass to Partey.

Per reports exclusively gathered by OwnGoalNigeria.com editorial team Sunday Oliseh is in line to be named the next head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) dismissed the coaching crew of the senior national team of Nigeria following their failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar by drawing 1-1 with Ghana in Abuja.

Today the board of the NFF will meet with the minister for youths and sports to discuss the failure to qualify for the World Cup. The main agenda will be the issue of who will lead the team when the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers resume in June.

Oliseh is said to be the favourite of the minister who even have him in one of his committees for  a better Nigerian football. The NFF are however keen on having a foreign coach for the team.

We gathered they could reach a compromise where Oliseh will be the head coach while the expected foreign coach will be the technical adviser. A decision is said to be imminent on naming Oliseh who once coached the team as the new coach.

Following the failure of the Super Eagles of Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the erstwhile Technical Adviser, Augustine Eguavoen has stepped down from that position with immediate effect.

The NFF has in the meantime withdrawn the two-and-half years contract offered the coaches and terminated the appointment of the entire technical crew of the team with immediate effect. A new crew will be announced after a proper review to lead the new charge of reinvigorating the Super Eagles to face future challenges appropriately.

“We thank the coaches and team officials for their service to the nation and wish them success in their future endeavours,” said NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi.

Per reports from Brila FM, the interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen has quit his role as coach of the team.

Eguavoen led Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar losing on away goals rule after drawing 1-1 against Ghana in Abuja on Tuesday. The disappointment came after his team to the Africa Cup of Nations fail to go past the round of 16.

The AFCON failure was the worst in the history of Nigeria at the tournament the past 40 years. He was however handed an extended deal to stay on until after the world cup playoff.

Per Brila FM, two days before the Ghana game he was offered an extension of his terms as coach on a two years deal but he has now shunned it to probably revert to his role as technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The senior national team of Nigeria will today take on Ghana in the second leg of the world cup playoff in Abuja with a new formation as revealed exclusively to OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Eguavoen ditched the 4-4-2 formation used in the first game for 4-3-3 with as many as five changes to the starting lineup that played in the 0-0 draw against Ghana on Friday in Kumasi.

The changes are Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, Emmanuel Dennis, Oghenekaro Etebo and Frank Onyeka coming in for the Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Innocent Bonke, Zaidu Sanusi and Kelechi Iheanacho.

Per what we exclusively gathered the team will retain same back four like the game on Friday with Francis Uzoho continuing in goal after his man of the match performance in the first leg.

Uzoho
Leon Balogun
William Troost Ekong
Calvin Bassey
Ola Aina
Oghenekaro Etebo
Frank Onyeka
Joe Aribo
Emmanuel Dennis
Ademola Lookman
Victor Osimhen

Watford ace Emmanuel Dennis says today’s game against the Black Stars of Ghana is the biggest game of his career and he is ready to give his all if he gets to play.

Dennis who was heavily criticised for shunning the chance to be a part of the Nigerian team for the Africa Cup of Nations marked his return to the team in the 0-0 draw in the first leg on Friday.

With Samuel Chukwueze out injured, Dennis is among the options available to coach Austine Eguavoen in today’s game which will determine the world cup fate of both countries. Dennis said he is ready to die on the pitch to help Nigeria win.

“This game is the biggest game of my life. The biggest game of my career. I swear qualifying for the World Cup with your country is massive. It’s going to be do or die. We have to go all out blood and sweat. I am going to give all that is in me, I will make sure I give my part. We need to qualify bro. There is no excuse”, he told the BBC.

“The country can’t wait for us to qualify. It’s all they want. We must win. If I am going to die on the pitch. Let me die on the pitch. It’s the World Cup, it happens every four years. It’s a once in a life time opportunity because you don’t know if you will be alive the next four years. Anything can happen.

“ Today we just have to show that Nigerian jollof is better than Ghanaian jollof”, he concluded.

There was mild drama during the Black Stars of Ghana training session at the Moshood Abiola Stadium ahead of today’s game against Nigeria.

Both teams are battling for a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar via the playoff and with the first leg ending 0-0. There is still all to play for later today when Nigeria host Ghana in Abuja.

Yesterday towards the end of the training of the Black Stars, the authorities at the stadium switched off the lights. A move which they explained is down to Ghana breaching the code of visiting teams in CAF tournaments. Try online slots.

Visiting teams are accorded one hour to train on the pitch prior to the game but Ghana refused to stop, not even when they were granted extra 40 minutes and spoken to by the CAF match official, who will commission the game.

Speaking to Owngoalnigeria.com this morning, a member of the management team said Ghana were using the extended training as a disguise to carry out fetish practices on the pitch.

” They were given extra 40 minutes but still refused to stop. It was at that junction that we came down to bring out the water sprinklers. We saw them dropping substances wrapped in black leather at the edge of each goal post”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” We noticed same on the centre circle hence decided to switch off the lights as it’s clear that they are on the pitch for a reason other than training. We removed the substance this morning and handed it over to NFF”, he concluded.

Ahead of today’s game between the senior national team of Nigeria and their counterparts from Ghana, the Nigerian team had their final training session yesterday.

Details of the session which was held at close doors is still sketchy but OwnGoalNigeria.com understand that as many as four changes will likely be made to the starting lineup of the Nigerian team.

Two players who started the game against Ghana on Friday have been ruled out of this game, we however gathered there is a chance that Innocent Bonke will be fit for the game after successfully coming through yesterday’s session. Samuel Chukwueze didn’t take part at all.

Aside the duo, their is a decision to be made on Kelechi Iheanacho who was unimpressive against Ghana in the 0-0 draw but lasted the entire duration of the game. He will likely be dropped for a midfield three consisting of Oghenekaro Etebo, Frank Onyeka and Joe Aribo.

Aribo will play in his preferred role which will be just behind the main striker which in this case will be Victor Osimhen. Ahmed Musa for now is the leading option to take the spot of Samuel Chukwueze on the right.

Moses Simon and the rest of the back four will likely keep their spot per what we gathered although Zaidu Sanusi is facing stiff competition from Calvin Bassey. Emmanuel Dennis is also pushing for a starting spot.

The senior national team of Nigeria had their penultimate training ahead of the second leg of their world cup playoff against Ghana in Abuja.

Both countries played a 0-0 draw in the first encounter on Friday and ahead of the second leg, Nigeria fine tuned preparations yesterday with emphasis on some adjustments in the area of attack.

OwnGoalNigeria.com watched the session which lasted for one hour, 30 minutes and it was more on the finishing in the team opponent’s half after seeing how they failed to convert any of the chances that came their way on Friday in Kumasi.

From all indications it appears Ahmed Musa will likely start in place of Samuel Chukwueze who won’t be available after picking up an injury in the first leg in Kumasi. Musa is for now the front runner for his role.

Yesterday in almost all of the drills, Musa was heavily involved and he didn’t disappoint with his strong deliveries and runs opening up spaces for the attackers to finish up.