In continuation of their policy of trading at least one of their senior squad member every summer in orde to strengthen the team, Leicester City are open to the idea of allowing Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi leave the team this summer.

Last summer was the first of which the Foxes didn’t sell a first team player to strengthen the squad as they held on to most of the players who helped them to a historic FA Cup triumph.

However after struggling this season largely due to lack of depth in their sqaud, they are said to be open to the idea of trading some players to raise cash which will be used in rebuilding the squad ahead for next season.

The Daily Mail reports that Leicester are ‘expected to sell at least one of their first-team players’. Youri Tielemans is mentioned as a potential option “likely to depart” due to the limited time remaining on the player’s contract, while it also added that “there is also interest” in Wilfred Ndidi.

Aston Villa were in the new recently with reports of a £50m bid for the Nigerian but manager Rogers while dismissing the report  when put to him a month ago said it will cost much more than that to price the Nigerian away.

“£50m? He’s worth much more than that,” was Rodgers’ rebuttal.

Former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has reacted to stories making rounds on players imposition on the interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen.

Eguavoen took over from Rohr following his sacking as coach of the senior national team of Nigeria few weeks before the commencement of the 2019 delayed Africa Cup of Nations, which took place in Cameroon.

Despite Nigeria crashing out in the round of 16, Eguavoen was retained and handed the task of ensuring that Nigeria qualifies for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They will face Ghana in a two legged playoff for a spot at the tournament.

Ahead of the game Eguavoen called up 32 players and the controversial Inclusion of ex captain Ogenyi Onazi and Eguavoen’s subsequent admission that he included him to pacify some interest led to talks of players imposition.

“Ogenyi Onazi is a good player,” Eguavoen said. “Whether he’s still good and can play at that level we don’t know, but to pacify everybody, to just make sure there’s harmony here I put him on standby”, he said during an interaction with journalist.

Rohr was asked if he faced similar experience as coach of Nigeria and he admitted that there were times when the NFF suggested players to be called up. He however declined to give further details as he won’t like to distract the team ahead of a crucial game.

Rohr said: “It is not the moment to speak about the ‘advice’ I got from them about which players we can invite for the national team, because I want the players to focus and go to the World Cup.

“But they couldn’t influence my decisions”, he told Colin Udoh of ESPN.

Per reports exclusively gathered by OwnGoalNigeria.com editorial team Belgium top division side Genk have agreed a deal in principle with an English Premier League team for the transfer of Nigeria international forward Paul Onuachu.

27 year old Onuachu scored 35 goals last season to finish as top scorer in the league and also won the award for the most valuable player of the championship. He was also voted the best player of African origin.

A move away from the league was largely expected but it didn’t happen largely due to Genk’s valuation but they have since dropped their asking price. Onuachu on his part replaced his old agent and it appears a move is on.

A source who approached the player with a deal from a Serie A side was told by his management team that he is heading to the English Premier League next summer as an agreement is already in place.

” We had an offer for him to consider. So he directed us to his new management team. They told us Genk have reached agreement for his sale to a team in the English Premier League”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Several reports in the Belgium media tends to also agree with that stand as it is widely reported that Onuachu who has 16 goals this season will leave the team in the summer with fellow Nigerian Cyriel Dessers as his replacement.

Dessers has impressed mightily on loan to Feyenoord but the Dutch side don’t have the €4m required to make the deal permanent and Genk are not willing to compromise on their stand.

Fans of the Black Stars of Ghana have taken a swipe at their counterparts from Nigeria as tension begin to build ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers playoff between both countries.

Nigeria will lock horns with Ghana over two legged for a spot in the 2022 World Cup on the 25th and 29th of March in Kumasi and Abuja respectively. It has led to lot of banter between rival fans.

Fans of the Super Eagles mocked Ghana of shopping for a stadium less than two weeks to the game unlike Nigeria who have the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja ready for the game since it was announced.

As a means to hit back at Nigeria, a Twitter user mocked vice captain of the Super Eagles William Troost Ekong saying he isn’t playing for Watford who are battling to stay in the English Premier League.

“Your captain is a bench warmer in a struggling Watford team. It shows the level of your team these days”, he posted as a reply to a comment from a Nigerian ahead of the game.

True to his words, Ekong hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for Watford since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations with new coach Roy Hodgson preferring other players in his role.

The newly appointed chief coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Emmanuel Amuneke says Sparta Rotterdam goalkepper Maduka Okoye will likely be in goal for Nigeria against Ghana.

Nigeria will take on Ghana in a World Cup qualifiers playoff on the 25th and 29th of March in Kumasi and Abuja respectively for a spot in the 2022 World Cup which will take place in Qatar.

Ahead of the game there have been calls for the technical crew of the Nigerian team to drop Okoye as first choice owing to the error he made at the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 against Tunisia. It aided Tunisia to a 1-0 win and see Nigeria exit the tournament.

Speaking ahead of the game, Amuneke said Okoye’s role as first choice isn’t an issue for now and they won’t judge him on the premises of one mistake. He cited his run of games in the Dutch Eredivisie as a good enough reason for him to keep his spot.

“I’m not a goalkeeper trainer, but we have someone in that department, which is Alloy Agu,” the former Barcelona winger told Brila.

“Regardless, Maduka Okoye is a good goalkeeper and human being, so we can’t because of one mistake dump (him).

Football is arguably the best sport for betting action since there are hundreds of leagues and tournaments across the planet. In most sportsbooks, the sport has many markets with varying odds, confusing a large percentage of new bettors.

As a result, most amateurs end up betting for the sake of maintaining the action, in turn, incurring massive losses. This article highlights some things you need to know about football betting before risking your bankroll.

If you are a beginner, it is advisable to set a budget before diving into betting. Many start gambling with the belief that they will make a fortune in a short while. Unfortunately, sports betting is not a get-rich-quick scheme since the outcomes of games are difficult to predict. For that reason, those who don’t limit their expenditure end up losing more.

Real punters view betting as some form of entertainment expense rather than an income stream since many bettors record more losses than wins. Therefore, do not top up your betting account with amounts you’re not ready to lose since it might lead to frustration, stress, and other psychological repercussions.

Top betting platforms have comprehensive responsible gambling policies that guide users on preventing gambling addiction. Additionally, some sportsbooks have advanced tools that help punters limit their budget, time, and even self-exclude.

You should join such sites since you can use the features to limit your deposit amounts and minimize your betting sessions. Also, the self-exclusion tool can help you stay off the platform for some time to prevent time wastage and unnecessary losses.

Although most sportsbooks offer similar markets, their operations are not necessarily the same. Some of them are simply unlicensed offshore companies that do not follow any gambling guidelines. It is risky to deposit money on such platforms since they can easily shut down their operations and disappear with your cash.

Additionally, some illegal websites might collude with cybercriminals and misuse your banking details and personal data. Therefore, only sign up on sportsbooks with valid licenses and physical locations. To ensure you only join legal sites, choose betting sites from this list of safe Nigerian betting sites.

Legit sites adhere to strict regulations to keep users’ data safe, and they take different measures to prevent money laundering and other cybercrimes.

Odds also differ across sportsbooks since each company sets its betting margins. The differences might be small, but they significantly affect the potential payouts, especially when placing multi-bets. You can sign up on various reputable platforms and compare odds during key sporting events. However, you should check the terms before signing up since some betting sites might charge monthly administrative fees if your account is dormant.

Never use psychoactive substances like alcohol or cannabis while gambling because they can affect your mental process and negatively impact your betting decisions. Those who wager while intoxicated tend to have a poor perception of markets. For that reason, they end up making poor selections that can lead to massive losses, especially on sportsbooks that do not limit wager amounts.

While drunk, for example, you might not be patient since you’ll want to win as soon as possible, especially when placing live bets. Rushing things is risky because you might make many mistakes that can reduce your chances of winning.

On the other hand, persons under the influence of drugs might not feel the pain of losing. Therefore, they end up chasing their losses, imagining that they will win all the money back. Such a risky endeavor can lead to a disaster since the individual might top up more funds and continue betting without thinking about the consequences.

Most successful bettors are die-hard followers of specific teams, and they keenly follow major football competitions across the world. Although supporting a club does not guarantee that you’ll win your bets, it makes you watch plenty of matches. With time, you get to know the strengths and weaknesses of various teams, their key rivals, and their style of play. Such info can help you form valid opinions about different clubs or games. Therefore, you’ll be able to use your vast knowledge of the sport to make clear betting decisions.

You should also follow several leagues because it helps you understand different statistics that can potentially affect game outcomes. A player who keeps track of squad changes, injuries, top scorers, and other details can explore more betting markets than nonfans. For instance, you can bet on the possible goal scorer if you know the most talented players on a particular team.

Similarly, you can bet on goals over/under if you understand how each side plays. Lastly, fans tend to analyze a team’s history, its position on the table/standings, or head-to-head encounters. Having accurate statistics when betting is important because you can use the data to identify stronger squads with high confidence levels.

The betting industry has many terms that each gambler needs to know to bet effectively. You can start by researching how odds work because there are different odd formats. For instance, you might encounter decimal or fractional odds on your sportsbook, and you can’t wager if you don’t understand what they represent. It is also essential to master how to calculate possible payouts from a given stake. Such skills can be helpful while comparing the average return rates of different sportsbooks.

To avoid betting blindly, you need to know other things, such as placing different bet types and interpreting different markets. You should learn to stake a single bet, multi-bet, jackpots, virtuals, and other betting options. As a beginner, it is advisable to wager on single matches before advancing to accumulators and jackpots because the latter requires a deep understanding of different leagues.

Also, research the meaning of different markets such as Moneyline, Over/Under, handicap, and other selections. You can use such info to bet wisely and avoid markets that can potentially decimate your bankroll.

Final thoughts

Betting is fun, but wagering without a plan can be disastrous. If you are a beginner, we recommend that you follow our football betting tips to avoid incurring massive losses.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have officially written to FIFA to have their world cup qualifiers game away to Ghana moves to neighboring Benin Republic, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Ghana’s initial venue for the game which is the stadium in Cape Coast is not a good shape for a game of such magnitude after independent day celebration on it.

They plan to move the game to the stadium in Kumasi but that plan too falls outside the FIFA approved window for change of venue meaning a decision can’t be expected to be smooth with the game just eleven days away.

A top source at the NFF told OwnGoalNigeria.com that the football house have already done the needful by applying to FIFA for a change of venue following a report on the state of the pitch by an advanced team of the federation.

“We have sent out findings to FIFA and we also applied for a possible change of venue to Benin Republic which isn’t far from both countries and have a pitch good enough for a game of this magnitude. We are awaiting a response”, he said.

Alhassan Yusuf of Belgium side Antwerp has caught the attention of interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen, the coach has revealed.

Little known Yusuf has impressed mightily this season following his move from IFK Göteborg of Sweden with three goals and one assists in 23 games in the Jupiler Pro League. He also played 8 games in the Europa League. Four during the qualifiers and four during the group stages.

Eguavoen who said he is looking for a box to box midfielder in the mould of Thompson Oliha or Mutiu Adepoju of the 1994 Super Eagles squad of Nigeria said the 21 year old fits the bill.

He said although he isn’t in the sqaud for the World Cup qualifiers playoff games against Ghana. He will no doubt be in contention for a spot in the team after the games.

“There is a player also in Antwerp. You know Belgium is my home as well , a midfielder in FC Antwerp I have told people to help me check him out as well and to even get me his contact but I only saw him on TV”, he told Elegbete TV.

“I had to travel to Antwerp when the time is right. We will sit down, we will discuss because of the quality I said I am looking for in a midfielder. One of my friend Mark, his name is Mark Clarisse, a Belgium citizen. He is a white guy anyway. He has helped me check the boy out. The boy has that quality that I say I want. So any opportunity I have now I will call him up”, he concluded.

21 year old Adebayo Adeleye has caught the attention of the football community in Israel with his performance for top division side Hapoel Jerusalem following their promotion to the top division.

The former Nigeria U17 goalkeeper and U20 trainee has so far kept goal in 22 games in the league keeping four clean sheets in the process. At a point he was even named as captain of the team for three consecutive games.

However in what happens to be a sharp change in his fortune at the club he has warmed the bench in the last four consecutive games, leading to stories that he has lost his spot as first choice of the team.

Responding to questions on why the goalkepper hasn’t gotten the recognition many think he deserve, interim technical adviser of the Nigerian team Austine Eguavoen says it’s down to the fact that the game against Ghana is a dicey one.

He explained that it’s not wise to throw a goalkeeper into the deep end for a game of such magnitude but did confirm that he knows a lot about the shot stopper as he was the one who first spotted him at Under-17 level.