The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) says the decision to bring back Salisu Yusuf to the senior national team of Nigeria has drew criticism from several quarters.

Salisu will return as the first assistant to the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr ahead of the start of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

His departure from the team was as a result of a video where he was filmed receiving money from undercover journalists posing as player agent who wanted him to include some players in his team for the WAFU Championship in Ghana.

He was suspended for the act and when his contract ran out he wasn’t given fresh terms. Recent report indicate that he is set to return back to the team just in time for the World Cup qualifiers. A move which the NFF said is for the good of the team.

“ Yes he will be back with the team as demanded by Rohr. His position has been vacant since his suspension. Imama Amapakabo and Joseph Yobo acted in that capacity. They were not at any time confirmed as first assistant”, a highly placed NFF official told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

“ We noticed some of the best results Rohr had as coach of the Super Eagles came with Salisu by his side. We don’t want to toy with qualifying for next World Cup so we are giving Rohr what he wants”, he concluded.

Nigeria and Nantes of France winger Moses Simon turns 25 today and those who have ever had an encounter with him will testify that he is one of the most humble European base player from Nigeria at the moment.

A devoted christian by faith, the father of two has touched the lives of several people as his way of giving back to the society that made him the star that he is at the moment.

His act of charity started in 2015 when he made his career defining move from Trencin of Slovakia to Gent of Belgium and subsequently cemented his spot in the senior national team of Nigeria.

By the next year while he was marking as one year marriage anniversary he bought football boots for over 23 kids aged 10 and below after a novelty match on the pitch where he started his career in Ribadu Cantonment, Kaduna State.

Before the novelty game I went to his house in preparation. I noticed a lot of food items where in the passage at the entrance. When I got in he told me the items were to be shared to orphanages around Kaduna as his support. I was touched.

By the next year it has grown bigger as he stepped up his act of charity to providing basic amenities to communities around Kaduna state and his ancestral home in Benue State.

He however ensured that he gives out at least 20 pairs of boots every year to aspiring footballers. An act he still does till date and was forced to even increase the number when his wife Sarah Ibukun decided to float a football academy named Simionben Football Academy.

He supported with a bus that picks and drops players before and after training and only recently hosted the entire team to lunch in his house as part of their end of the season retreat.

In 2020 he doled out 5 million naira as palliatives during the coronavirus pandemic. He also gave 2 million naira to internally displaced people of the crisis in Southern Kaduna.

Same year he provided water borehole for the people of Obagaji Agatu Community in Benue State where his father comes from. This year he took it a step further by rehabilitating the major road that leads into the community. He also provided more sources of water for the community.

Recently while in Lagos he gave out 200,000 Naira, jerseys and boots to two teams who played a novelty game when he was hosted by 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.

Back in Kaduna where he was raised and still lives he has attained the status of the first source of help to those in need owing to how he has severally touched lives and as he turns 25 today expect him to do more in the coming days, months and years.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has explained the reason behind his visit to the training ground of newly promoted English Premier League side Watford, the club that has as many as six Nigerians on their books.

Watford recently signed Nigerian trio of Oghenekaro Etebo, Dennis Emmanuel and Dapo Mebude to swell the Nigerians on their books to seven in number.

The others are Isacc Success, Tom Dele Bashiru, Joseph Hungbo and Willam Troost Ekong. Pinnick during the course of his visit had a photo shoot with six of the players.

He posed with Dapo, Dele Bashiru, Ekong, Etebo and Dennis before snapping another with Success in a separate photo which also had the technical director of the club Cristiano Giaretta.

Explaining the reason behind the move, Pinnick said his visit was mainly to witness the first training session of Etebo and also build a strong relationship with the club with three senior national team players on their books.

“ I visited the training centre of Watford FC to witness the first official training of our Super Eagles midfielder, my fellow Warri Boy, Oghenekaro Etebo, our prolific and versatile midfield player. I had also had an interaction with the Club Technical Director, Mr Cristiano Giaretta”, he said.

“Emphasis was that we have potentially five Super Eagles players in Watford FC, but now only three regular players so the NFF needs to build a stronger relationship with Watford. He was truly excited in affirmation of our request. I am scheduled to meet with the Club President and CEO in the next few weeks.

“We Will also meet with the CEO of Leicester, Everton et al in the coming weeks. By His Grace our World Cup qualification is not negotiable”, he concluded.

The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick paid a visit to the training ground of English Premier League side Watford.

Watford recently signed Nigerian trio of Oghenekaro Etebo, Dennis Emmanuel and Dapo Mebude to swell the Nigerians on their books to seven in number.

The others are Isacc Success, Tom Dele Bashiru, Joseph Hungbo and Willam Troost Ekong. Pinnick during the course of his visit had a photo shoot with six of the players.

He posed with Dapo, Dele Bashiru, Ekong, Etebo and Dennis before snapping another with Success in a separate photo which also had the technical director of the club Cristiano Giaretta.

Hungbo who played to the U23 last season wasn’t seen in any of the pictures with the NFF president leading to suggestions that he is probably yet to the first team.

All seven Nigerians will be hoping to play a part as Watford look to secure their English Premier League status next season following promotion from the English Championship.

The best player in the Belgium last season Paul Onuachu is back in training with Genk of Belgium although his future at the club still remains unclear.

Onuachu who scored 35 goals last season resumed training two days ago unlike the rest of his teammates who have been training for a week now. We gathered he was handed an extended break as he was involved with Nigeria during the break.

Genk are still keen on shipping him out but they are not willing to shift grounds on their asking price of around €15 million plus add ons which will take the total worth to €20 million or even more.

27 year old Onuachu prefers a move to the English Premier League where West Ham are leading the chase for his signature but they are yet to formerly launch a bid to Genk.

His agent was in London last week as exclusively reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com and he held meetings with interested teams in England where he revealed what Genk want as transfer fee.

Gent of Belgium have handed a first team spot to former Nigeria U20 midfield enforcer Adewale Oladoye after his impressive showing in all their pre season games so far.

Signed from Nigerian Academy Water FC alongside his fellow junior international Emeka Chinonso, he appears to be the one with an immediate future with the first team.

Both players made their first team debut just three months into their stay at the club last season as they progressed rapidly from the youth team to the main team.

However so far in pre season Oladoye has been more present than Emeka who has also gotten to play two games so far. Oladoye has won over fans and even journalists in Belgium.

His performance from defensive midfield has led to people comparing him to Leicester City Nigerian defender Wilfred Ndidi. It has also earned him the nickname “Hybrid Ndidi”.

The nickname is due to the fact that he is a better passer of the ball than the now established Leicester City who also started his career in Belgium with Genk.

Genk of Belgium defender Mujaid Sadick Aliu will not rush a decision on his senior international future as he plan to keep his current status as an international with the Spanish team.

The 21 year old is eligible to represent Nigeria or Ghana despite the fact that he has played for Spain at youth level but a switch of nationality isn’t top of his priority for now.

Sources close to the ex Deportivo La Coruna defender role OwnGoalNigeria.comthat he prefers to remain with the Spanish team until he turns 23 before he will make a decision on a possible switch of nationality.

“ We haven’t had that discussion for now because the focus is on cementing his spot with Genk. He is a new country and a new team, so he need time to settle down before we open any chapter on senior international football”, he said.

“ He is just 21 and after representing Spain at U17 and U18 levels, it’s best to keep it that way until he at least turns 23. A decision could be reached before then but it depends on his form and also the push from either Nigeria or Ghana”.

Newly appointed coach of Napoli Luciano Spalleti says the club record signing Victor Osimhen will form an integral part of his team as they prepare for the start of training ahead of next season.

Spalleti in his first official press conference as coach of the team since replacing Gennaro Gattuso at the end of last season hint at how he intends to get the best out of Osimhen with his formation.

He also praised the 22 year old goal scoring abilities and back him to improve on last season tally of ten goals in 24 games. A respectable goal return considering the length of time he was out injured.

Most of the goals scored by Osimhen last season came towards the end of the season after he has fully recovered from a shoulder injury and a negative coronavirus test which kept him out for a month.

“Victor is one who attacks space, these days it is fashionable to have strikers who help you in pressing on the goalkeeper and with the defenders on the sideline. Inside the spaces he is someone who has great characteristics, he is a footballer who knows how to score and is committed for the good of the team.

“He is one of those who are interested in covering the spaces so as not to leave anything to others . Osimhen is as strong as Mertens and Petagna, they will all serve to get to the bottom”, he concluded.

18 year old former Nigeria U17 midfielder Daniel “Dada” France has is currently training with the U18 team of Bayern Munich.

In 2019 he was handed the chance of training with the U18 team after impressing at the FC Bayern Youth Cup World finals same year. The coronavirus pandemic made it impossible for him to join them in training in 2020.

However the midfielder has since joined up with the team and pictures on his Facebook handle have him in training as they prepare for the start of a new season.

Dada as Francis is fondly called was a part of the 2019 Nigeria U17 team of Manu Garba but didn’t get enough games as he plays in same position as team captain Samson Tijani.

For now it’s unclear if he is on trial or merely on a training program base on his performance in the youth tournament organized by Bayern Munich in 2019.

One of the most decorated footballer ever in the history of Mexico football Rafael Marquez says Tony Shimaga did well against Mexico in the Super Eagles 0-4 loss.

The senior national team of Nigeria largely made up of players picked from clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League were torn apart by a rampant Mexican team who are preparing for the Gold Cup.

Despite the defeat Marquez said three Nigerian players in goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, Tope Olusesi and Tony Shimaga impressed him but he was particular about Shimaga.

Shimaga started for Nigeria in the heavy friendly defeat but according to Marquez, the Enugu Rangers man showed he can hold his own against anyone with his performance.

“ I like the number 4 for Nigeria. He reads and intercept play especially in the second half. He did a good job against a player like Hector Herrea. I see him like one player who can be at his best against anyone”, he said on Mexican TV where he was a guest during the game.