Almeria of Spain had their last season top scorer Sadiq Umar to thank as they secure a morale boosting 2-1 win over Real Betis in a pre season game.

Sadiq is still expected to leave the second division side before the end of the transfer window in August and Real Betis is among the team interested in signing the 24 year old who is rated at €30 million.

Yesterday he showed the club why signing him won’t be a bad idea with his two goals in the 10th and 30th minute respectively. He used almost same technique for both goals using his pace to get behind before slotting home with the calmness that made him a hit last season.

He is expected to make the squad of the senior national team of Nigeria for the start of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in September, and he will be hoping to honor the call after failing to twice due to club commitments.

Watford continued their build up to the new season with a comprehensive 4-0
win over Doncaster Rovers in a pre season game.

On loan Nigerian midfielder Oghenekaro Peter Etebo opened scoring for newly promoted English Premier League side with a fierce shot five minutes into the game.

Goals from Troy Deeney and Dan Gosling ensures the Hornets go into the half time break with a 3-0 lead before Ashley Fletcher added a fourth to seal the win.

Etebo’s Super Eagles teammate William Troost-Ekong was on for the entire duration of the game just like Etebo. Two of the other Nigerians at the club got game time as well.

Tom Dele Bashiru was subbed on after the first 45 minutes with Emmanuel Dennis coming around same time but he was surprisingly subbed off after eight minutes.

Isacc Success wasn’t given a run out with rumors of his intending loan move to Udinese set to be close to happening as he seeks a way back to relaunch what was once a promising career.

FC Slutsk of Belarus have officially signed little known Nigerian forward Maxwell Sani from Global Academy based in Zaria city, Kaduna state.

The fleet footed forward impressed scouts of the team during a scouting tournament in Abuja put together by popular Nigerian agent Babawo Mohammed two months ago.

18 year old Sani was outstanding for the Zaria side with his pace, tricks and eye for goals proving to be a constant menace all through the days his team played in the tournament.

As many as six teams signified their interest in signing him but the Belarusian side where the first to firm up their interest with a bid and he yesterday signed a short term deal according to reports.

He will play with the club for the remaining games of the ongoing season in Belarus with the club having the option of turning what is at this stage a loan deal to a four year deal if they decide to sign him permanently.

Victor Osimhen has been denied the chance to add to his pre season goal count of seven goals in four games following the decision of coach Luciano Spalleti to drop him from today’s friendly game against Wisla Krakow.

The Nigerian was in devastating form against Bayern Munich over the weekend scoring a brace in a 3-1 win. Many were hoping to see him extend his scoring run later today.

That won’t be the case as Spalleti has decided to leave the forward behind at the club’s training ground, a decision he took after yesterday’s training which many said is to help the forward get some rest.

Osimhen is seen by Spalleti as one of his most important player going into the new season and he want to keep the Nigerian fresh for their Serie A campaign which begin later this month.

The coach expects him to score more than the ten goals he scored last season as he is a fitter than last year where injuries, a failed covid 19 test and fitness issues cost him game time.

Sparta Rotterdam and Nigeria international goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has signed a new four year deal which will keep him at the club till the summer of 2025, the club has announced.

21 year old Okoye who was signed from German side Fortuna Düsseldorf rose to rank of first choice at the Dutch side and according to the club it’s why he has been given fresh terms.

“A year ago we hired Maduka, because we thought he was a great talent’, Henk van Stee said to the club’s official website .

“Last season he proved us right. With ten clean sheets in 28 games, he contributed to the club’s eighth place finish and was even voted Player of the Season by the supporters. He made great strides last season, he is also the first choice goalkeeper of the Nigerian national team.

“Obviously this meant there was a lot of interest in him, but we both had the intention to continue longer and are very happy that we are extending his contract”, he concluded.

On his part Okoye who has eight caps for the senior national team of Nigeria said he made a move to the club to cement his spot as first choice of the Nigerian team by becoming the first choice of the club.

‘When I signed with Sparta, I did so with clear goals. I wanted to develop further and become the first goalkeeper in the Eredivisie and for the Super Eagles. So after the first season I can’t help but be satisfied, but I’m certainly not done here yet”, he said.

“I really enjoy my time at Sparta and I feel appreciated by my teammates and the supporters. In my first year I have already experienced many beautiful moments here, I hope that next season, at a full castle, we will add even more moments.’

Coach of Torino Ivan Juric is looking at retaining the service of Nigeria international Ola Aina following his return from a loan spell in England with Fulham.

Aina was ever present for Fulham who were relegated at the end of last season and despite the club not taking up the option of signing him permanently, Juric sees him as a quality player.

There have been talks about another move for the Nigerian but Juric has shoot down such suggestions insisting that he will remain at the club as he is pleased with his quality.

“Ola Aina can play equally on both sides. He brings a different vision of the world to the group. He has quality, crossing and dribbling; he needs to improve, but there is a player there”, Juric was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

24 year old Aina still has two years to go on his contract with the Italian side following his permanent transfer from Chelsea in 2019 after a successful loan spell.

The deputy technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Paul Aigbogun says the international future of emerging Rangers of Scotland left back lies with Nigeria and not England or Italy.

Bassey is eligible for all three countries but he is yet to be capped by any as he only started making his mark last drake at Rangers of Scotland. A team he joined on a free transfer from Leicester City U23.

His rise has led to talks of a possible call up to one of the youth teams of either England or Italy but Aigbogun insist, Nigeria still remains his first option and talks over an invitation started since last year.

“ He was to join up with my U-20 team in 2019 but it didn’t happen. In 2020 he spoke with the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria and even before the start of the season Gernot Rohr mentioned him in an interview”, Aigbogun told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

“ I know his mother very well and she’s a thorough bred Nigerian. Yes talks of playing for England or Italy is expected at this stage of his career but forget it. He wants Nigeria and very soon he will hopefully get his chance”, he concluded.

Per reports exclusively gathered by OwnGoalNigeria.com editorial team, world football governing body FIFA has cleared the duo of ex England youth international Ovie Ejaria and Ike Ugbo to play for Nigeria.

Reading midfielder Ejaria who won the U20 World Cup with England was cleared even before the Super Eagles back to back friendly games against Cameroon but coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr didn’t include him in the squad.

Ugbo another ex England U20 player who is back at Chelsea after a successful time on loan to Cercle Brugge in Belgium and even scored in a 2-1 friendly win over Bournemouth received his clearance last month.

The duo are for now the two players we gathered have been cleared by FIFA with little or no movement on the case of Ademola Lookman which is mainly due to his inability to secure a Nigerian passport till date.

Both players are now free to play for Nigeria if called up by Rohr for the upcoming World Cup 2022 qualifiers which begins in September with a game at home against Liberia.

Former Nigeria international and coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Samson Siasia has sued world football governing body FIFA in an American court.

Siasia recently got his ban from football reduced by the court of arbitration for sports ( CAS) following a conviction that he conspired to fix a game while at the helm as coach of the Nigerian team.

CAS ruled that the Nigerian didn’t fix any game hence can’t be suspended for life from coaching but they still handed him a light sentence of five years for failing to report that he was approached to fix a game.

In the suit filed against FIFA, the former Nantes forward is among other things, seeking compensation for the ‘damage’ done to his reputation by FIFA with their investigation of an alleged bribery case against him.

“Here, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (“FIFA”), the worldwide governing body of soccer, exercised governmental function when FIFA investigated and adjudicated a charge of bribery, a crime, against Samson Siasia (“Siasia”), a United States citizen, which function has traditionally been exclusively the domain of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Department of Justice, (USDOJ) and the Judicial branch of government or the State government.

“After finding Siasia guilty, FIFA then imposed a fine of 50,000 Swiss Francs and lifetime ban from using his professional coaching license that was issued by the U.S. Soccer Federation. As a result, defendant is in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 of the Civil Rights Act, (“Section 1983”) among others, for depriving plaintiff of his constitutional rights under color of state law,”

Hearing for the case will be fixed soon according to sources close to the coach .